WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Saga #12 – This probably wasn’t the best issue of Saga, but it shows what a strong series Saga is that a relatively weak effort is still pick of the week.  I really enjoy the character of Prince Robot IV just because he seems so different than everyone else.  I want to know more about him and his people, why he has a TV for a head and why his subconscious thinks of wagon wheels when he is wounded on the battlefield.  Brian K. Vaughn probably writes smoother dialog than anyone else in the industry right now and Fiona Staples is just wicked with her artwork.

Most anticipated this week: My goodness, it’s like the comic publishers got together and said, “Let’s not publish anything that Dean wants to read this week.”  It’s a good thing we don’t do a Top 6 because I’ve only got five comics coming out this week….

1). Chew #33 – I always love the cutting, black humor of Chew.  This comic is always willing to push the jokes just slightly into the area of poor taste and I love it for that.  I also love the dedication to putting sight gags into 50% of the panels in the issue.  You see lots of artists doing sight gags in issue #1, but not so many still going strong this far into the series.

2). Mara #4 – This series isn’t as great as I’d hoped, but as always, Brian Wood has something deeper to say than “Biff, Bang, Pow!”  I really enjoy the contrast between how offended the public is with Mara and her superhuman athletic performances and how rah-rah they probably will be when those same abilities are used by the military.  I guess in sport you want fairness, but in war you want domination?

3). The Sixth Gun #30 – This series feels like it is heading for a crescendo.  Everything about the action indicates that cute little Becky is getting very comfortable with The Sixth Gun and that won’t bode well for the bad guys (or anyone else for that matter).  Last issue was aces.

4). Age of Ultron #6 – Art change!  The story has been pretty enjoyable despite the really mediocre art of Bryan Hitch.  Remember, this guy used to be THE hot artist.  What the hell happened?  Anyway, the story is hopping along.  I really appreciate the weekly release schedule because this would feel WAY too decompressed if it was spread over an entire year.

5). Wolverine and the X-Men #27 – This wouldn’t make the Top 5 most weeks, but since I only have 5 comics coming out this week…  I guess some of the novelty has worn off of Jason Aaron’s run on this title.  I still greatly enjoy it, but it just doesn’t feel like THE X-Men title anymore.  Still, you can do a lot worse than reading a Jason Aaron comic, especially when he is paired with the types of artists who have been on this book.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Thor: God of Thunder #7 – This was a strong week in many aspects, with titles such as Saga getting a new issue, yet to me, Jason Aaron’s take on the god of thunder proved to be a better book this time. With an epic scope, some good character work and art to die for, issue 7 was just absolutely great and is my pick of this week.

Most anticipated this week: 1) Daredevil: End of Days #7 – This series is approaching its climax, as Bendis and Mack proved that they have a definitely great take on the character and his whole mythology. The series has been fantastic so far and with all the wild cards and the mysteries thrown in, I get the feeling this one is going to be just as great as the latest ones.

2) Captain America #6 – This weird sci-fi take on the sentinel of liberty’s adventure proved to be very imaginative so far and it makes me eager to see where Rick Remender is going with this. If John Romita Jr. could manage to bring back the quality artwork he proved he could do in the first issues of this series, this could very well be a strong contender this week as a memorable book.

3) X-O Manowar #12 – This title introduced me to Valiant and it has been my very favourite so far, providing cosmic and utterly good stories thanks to a promise that’s a bit silly, yet is all kind of awesome. With Planet Death going on, there is no way to know just what kind of things will happen to Aric, yet I really want to find out.

4) X-Men Legacy #9 – This definitely weird title is quite different from the other X-titles, which is what makes it so good. The adventures of David Charles Haller are surprisingly creative and well-written, as both the question of actual legacy, infinite power and the fate of mutant kind is discussed and shown in this terrific title. Simon Spurrier made me care about Legion, which is the highest of praise I can give to someone who made me love a character I despised before.

5) Superior Spider-Man #8 – The way the latest issue ended proved to be too good a cliff-hanger. If Dan Slott can actually manage to pull something like this off and surprise us even further, he’ll have proved that he knows very well how to play with our expectations yet again, something he has shown ever since the debut of this series. With Ramos on art, this is something worth being eager about.

Saga #12 – Review

By: Brian K. Vaughan (story), Fiona Staples (art)

The Story: Prince Robot just can’t wait for a book signing.

The Review: I always enjoy giving a so-called controversy a few days to land.  I notice that more often than not, the scandal that prompted such initial furor usually turns out to be far less interesting than it first appeared.  To me, it’s all about learning as many hard facts as you can before you start making your opinion on the matter and putting it out into the world.  One’s good opinion is too precious to squander on half-baked gut reactions.

So it didn’t surprise me one jot that the story of Apple apparently refusing to allow Comixology to sell Saga #12 on its app, due to a couple bukkake visuals in the issue, turned out to be a story of Comixology preemptively deciding not to submit the issue to their app for the same reason.  Was the concern worth it?  Well, I think once you’ve allowed the uncleaned, bare loins of a gargantuan space ogre to go through the publishing channels, all bets are off at that point, right?

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Fashion Beast #8 – Reading this comic after going through the rest of my pull list was like watching the season premiere of Mad Men after watching a lot of The Walking Dead.  Much like Mad Men is TV storytelling at a different level, so is Fashion Beast comic storytelling at a different level.  It’s amazing that even a failed, 30 year old screenplay from Alan Moore is still a better comic book story than most of the comics being sold right now.  If you haven’t been reading this in issues, make sure to get the collected edition when it comes out.

Most anticipated this week: I don’t know whether to LOVE or HATE that several of my favorite series keep cycling together.  On one hand, it makes for a fun week of comics.  On the other, it leave the rest of the month a little barren.

1). The Walking Dead #109 – Even though TWD has tossed a few “meh” issues recently, it’s hard to not get excited about an issue the revisits Maggie and the Hilltop settlement.  We haven’t seen Maggie in quite awhile, so it’ll be nice to see what she is up to and how she’s dealing with the loss of ________.  I’m also curious to see how Hilltop – this community of quasi-collaborators – are feeling about Rick’s plan to revolt against the tyranny of Negan!

2). Saga #12 – In the annoying news department, Apple has decided to ban this issue of Saga from the various iOS apps (i.e. Comixology) because it features a few scenes of man-on-man action.  According to writer Brian K. Vaughn, the offending panels are “postage stamp sized”.  I don’t know about you, but about the only way to get more excited about Saga would be to start banning it for having objectionable content.  I LOVE objectionable content.  So, buy a paper copy or buy it directly off the Comixology website and see those filthy panels that were too hot for Apple!

3). Batman #19 – Last month was a rare misfire for Batman as we were forced to watch Batman emotionally react to the death of Damian when (a) the death happened in another title and (b) Damian has barely been mentioned in Batman-proper.  It’s almost like DC felt the need to interrupt the non-stop run of greatness from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo and remind us that they publish other Bat-titles that are not as good.  Anyway, it’ll be pretty fresh to start another story arc with the Snyder/Capullo monster.  Everything they’ve done has been awesome so far and there’s no reason to think this will be different.

4). The Secret Service #6 – Mark Millar gets a lot of stick from people because he is a bit of a hype-machine, but he does write some entertaining comics and tends to have A-list artistic collaborators (because he has good ideas that move lots of copies because he does promotion).  Secret Service isn’t my favorite work by Millar, but it’s pretty snappy.

5). GI Joe: Cobra Files #1 – The next title in the GI Joe universe to restart is the one that probably needed a different direction the least.  For the last several years, the Cobra titles in the Joe-family have been so much better than the titles featuring the good guys.  For one thing, the bad guys have about 500% more charisma than Duke and his gang.  For another, Antonio Fuso has been very good – and consistently present – on the art compared to the rotating squad of mediocrity that the other Joe books receive.  Make sure to check this out if you like watching bad guys plotting against each other.

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Hugo’s Top Picks

Pick of the week: Deadpool #7 – I was quite surprised by this little one-shot story featuring an actually good story and some funny jokes. The fact that it was an effective parody and homage to a lesser-talked about era of comics helps a lot too.

Most anticipated this week: 1) Thor: God of Thunder #7 – Jason Aaron and Esad Ribic have been killing it on this book, telling us a great mythological story with absurdly great art. With this being the start of the second arc, I cannot wait to see where they will take Thor next.

2) Saga #12 – This sci-fi/fantasy/family story told by Brian K. Vaughan has never been a disappointment and I strongly believe that this issue shall be no different. I absolutely love this comic and the whole creativity put behind this universe and I can’t wait to see what happens next.

3) Uncanny Avengers #6 – It`s no secret that I really like Rick Remender as a writer and that I do believe that this series has a lot of potential. With the latest issue being a great offering (even with the more controversial bit), I think we`ll see this title become something much better than the first arc.

4) Harbinger #11 – The Valiant titles have been pretty good so far and this title has been quite consistent in that sentiment. The adventures of Peter Stanchek and his fellow renegades are quite enjoyable and with the beginning of their adventures tied to Harbinger Wars, I am curious to see how they will show the tie-ins aspects in this title.

5) Avengers #9 – While this run has been a slow burn so far, I cannot deny the fact that a lot of the cosmic aspects and the whole New Universe thing has grabbed my interest. Considering the fact that the latest issue ended with Ex Nihilo seeing the new Starbrand, I am quite eager to see how Jonathan Hickman will build up this character that had been at the epicenter of his very first arc on the title.