WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week – Saga #5 – So, it wasn’t quite as awesome as the first four issues.  It was still pretty damn good.  I love the story that BKV is giving us and Fiona Staples’ art is just something else.  Thanks to her, I’m finding a half-woman, half-spider sexy as hell.  Is that weird?  Plus, this was the first issue of the series where I felt like the characters had advanced forward from where we found them in issue #1.  Runners up: The Unwritten #39 and Rachel Rising #9

Most anticipated this week: Again, a really crowded week!

1). American Vampire #29 – Last issue brought the whole AV story back – full-circle – the the initial 5-issue storyline that started it all.  Suddenly we’re back in Hollywood, except it’s the 50’s and people are afraid that Hollywood is harboring vampires in addition to communists.  The combo of high-quality storytelling and stellar art is really something.  When was the last series that had it’s first 28 issues all be this awesome?

1a). Everybody Loves Tank-Girl #1 – I’m not much of a Tank Girl fan, but I AM a Jim Mahfood fan.  He has this graffiti-inspired artistic style that is pretty unique in comics.  Almost every page he does has an electric quality to it.  Plus, he draws an incredibly sexy woman without resorting to huge chests and big hips (not that there’s anything wrong with a Sean Phillips-style woman either).

2). The Underwater Welder – Where the hell does Jeff Lemire find time for it all?  He’s writing/drawing Sweet Tooth, writing other stuff for DC, drawing a few pages for this Batman digital-first project and somewhere he still has time to produce a 224-page original graphic novel?  Dude is going to get kicked out of the comics union with a work ethic like that because he’s making folks look LAZY.  Anyway….the story says it’s about a Canadian deep-sea welder who is grappling with the fact that he is about to be a father.  How can this book fail to be awesome in a haunting sort of way?

3). Debris #1 – Riley Rossmo’s art is the draw for me.  I first became a huge fan of his on Cowboy Ninja Viking.  Someone still needs to explain to me why we can’t have more CNV?  Anyway, after CNV….Rossmo went and did Green Wake with Kurtis Wiebe and I really didn’t like Green Wake (and I didn’t like Wiebe’s Intrepids much either).  Still, my love for Rossmo is so strong that I’m going to give Wiebe’s tale of a post-apocalyptic heroine fighting giant monsters a chance.  Don’t screw it up Kurtis or we’ll demand that you stop hogging the Rossmo!  🙂

4). The Manhattan Projects #5 – There’s just a magic to seeing Jonathan Hickman being uninhibited.  If you like his Fantastic Four….just know that all of his really cool (and slightly warped) ideas are probably going into The Manhattan Projects, so you’ll like this even more.  This series has been constant quality since it debuted and last issue was particularly fun.

5). The New Deadwardians #5 – It’s sad that this series has so little buzz because it is really, really good.  Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard have created a wonderful series with a fascinating central character and a very fresh look at the zombie apocalypse.  The art is so crisp and clean.  This issue promises our first glimpse of the zombie wasteland around a remarkably tidy 1910’s London.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Saga #5

Most Anticipated:  Underwater Welder – It’s a new OGN written and drawn by Jeff Lemire.  Hurray!  I’ve never actually picked a graphic novel before, but this one deserves the nod.  Lemire can do absolutely no wrong these days and the pre-release buzz has been hugely positive for it thus far.  It also seems like a perfect blend between heartfelt slice of life and weirdly fantasticaly/mysterious.  Can’t wait to give it a shot.

American Vampire #29:  Skinner Sweet is back!  And he’s…teaming up with Pearl?  That’s an odd-couple powder keg that I can’t wait to read from one of the most consistent reads in comics.

Spaceman #8:  I’ve said time and again that Spaceman is less about the story than it is about the world that Azzarello and Risso have created.  The characters and plot are decent enough, but really, each issue is just a ticket to an urban dystopia that smacks of those awesome European sci-fi comics that you’re never able to get your hands on.  But hey, last month, even the plot started moving and became fairly exciting, only emphasizing this as a must-read book.

Manhattan Projects #5:  Wild insanity is the name of the game here.  It’s like if Grant Morrison decided to write about science and history for Heavy Metal magazine.  It’s simultaneously ridiculous and ambitious, alternately one of the smartest books on stands and one that’s gleefully over the top.  And that art is really something else.

Uncanny X-Force #28:  Last issue was a real punch to the gut and one that came out of left field.  Rick Remender left us with a major character death and I can’t wait to see where he picks up from that.

I try to limit myself to 5 picks every week, but this week is freakishly huge.  Any other week, and Justice League Dark #11, Winter Soldier #8, and Venom #21 would have easily made the cut.

Saga #5 – Review

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

The Story: According to Marko and Prince Robot IV, fatherhood actually increases testosterone.

The Review: Characters in the sci-fi genre sure talk and act differently from us, don’t they?  I can’t quite put my finger on it, but they seem somewhat more formal and calculated in their general manner than us modern folks have gotten used to.  Using Star Wars as an example, you either go from the stately extreme of Obi-wan Kenobi to the total incoherence of Jar Jar Binks, with maybe some measured relaxation from Han Solo.

But then Star Wars is a product of its time, and media manners of that time were somewhat stricter.  People on TV and in the movies certainly didn’t talk like people who actually lived during that period did.  We live now in a decade where the differences between fictional language and real-life language are negligible, give or take an F-bomb here and there.  It’s hard to deny that we—and by that I mean Americans in general—have become a pretty crude society, even on a purely linguistic level.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #2 – There was a LOT of excellent material published last week and AV:LoN #2 was just a little better than its competition.  What set it apart was that Dustin Nguyen wasn’t just GOOD on art, he was also diverse with his styles.  And, the story of how the Soviets are trying to steal “Dracula” is very compelling.  Runners-up: Batman #11, Punk Rock Jesus #1, The Walking Dead #100 and Planetoid #2.

Top picks this week: 1). Saga #5 – You know this will be wonderful.  Even before this series started, Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples had rarely done work in comics that could even be called “meh”.  Now – after they’ve pumped out 4 great issues of Saga – we expect and anticipate greatness from them.  There’s so much to be said for a comic where you’re 99.9% sure it won’t suck and also has enough talent that it could be transcendent.  Saga brings that potential with every issue and that’s why it is among my favorite series right now.  I love the science fiction and world-building, but also love the well-grounded story of two young people in love and on the run.

2). Rachel Rising #9 – This story is starting to get really trippy.  In the last issue, a snake erupted from a woman’s mouth and killed a guy!  Whoa!  And that was probably only the second most disturbing thing in the issue.  This is a great, wholly original story with wonderful art.  If you’re behind, check it out digitally or go buy the trade.

3). Fantastic Four #608 – I love these issues as Jonathan Hickman winds down his run on FF.  He’s really just screwing around at this point and telling done-in-one stories.  Each has been outstanding.  Plus, enjoy your FF now because the rumored team to take over this title in the fall is NOT encouraging.

4). The Unwritten #39 – Honestly, this series has been spinning its wheels a little since the War of the Words storyline ended.  The central threat seems to be that the world is losing its stories.  I might just be too literal-minded to embrace this concept.  But, when a series has given me ~40 issue of excellent material, they’ve earned some slack time.

5). Fatima: The Blood Spinners #2 – I didn’t love the first issue, but it was pretty good.  Basically, all the first issue showed us was the central character and how she ended up on the streets, killing “spin addicts”.  Still, story and art by a Rodriguez brother is always worth checking out.

Others: Cobra #15 (I’ve switched to digital on the Joe books, let’s see if they still compel me to press “Buy” every time), Avengers vs. X-Men #8 (this is “important”, but it is not remotely “good”), The Secret Service #3 (enjoyable, but not excellent yet), Uncanny X-Men #16 (Don’t like art changes, don’t enjoy Sinister as a villain, unnecessary AvX tie-in).

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week: Wolverine and the X-Men #13 – Really a surprise, as I expected this title to keep on underwhelming until AvX ended.  Instead, Jason Aaron wisely throws the event stuff in the backseat in favour of some fantastic character-work focused on of the new folks he’s created for this series.  The result is a book that has heart for days.  Oh, and Nick Bradshaw drew it.  That’s always wonderful.

Most Anticipated:  Invincible Iron Man #521 –I keep talking about how good Fraction and Larroca’s Iron Man has been for the last few months and I won’t stop now.  The series has never been better, driven by a layered plot and fantastic character work.  As has been the case in every issue for some time now, Fraction left us with a huge development at the end of last issue and I look forward to see where he’s going with it.

Wonder Woman #11 – A new story starts here in what may be the most surprisingly awesome series of the new 52.  Grim, dysfunctional mythology with a fun ensemble cast, Azzarello continues to redefine the Wonder Woman comic.

Saga #5 – It’s Vaughan, so it’s an instant pull.  It continues to amaze me just how much Vaughan and Staples have accomplished in four issues, already creating a fully realized, unique universe and strong, sympathetic characters.  Given this, every single issue of Saga is extremely valuable and a true immersive experience.

Avengers vs. X-Men #8 – I’m still reeling a little at just how much this series as changed in narrative and tone since the emergence of the Phoenix Five.  As such, I’m anxious to see where Marvel’s Architects are going with things.

Daredevil #15 – While I’m admittedly a little bummed that Khoi Pham is on art duties again, I was really taken with the surprisingly effective horror element Waid introduced last month and look forward to Waid’s continued expansion of what constiutes a Daredevil story.

Previews – May 2012

Maybe we’ll start this as a new feature?  I’ll flip through Previews, tell you what I think is worthwhile and you can tell me I’m a moron.  Sound like fun?

DARK HORSE

– Axe Cop: President of the World #1 – At some point, this odd comic that is written by 8 year old Malachai Nicolle and illustrated by his brother, 31 year old Ethan, will lose it’s magic.  Someday Malachai will probably “grow up” too much or become too self-aware, but until that happens we should enjoy the ride.  Here’s a link to my review of last Spring’s Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1.

– Early issues where you can hop on before it’s too late.  Fatima: The Blood Spinners #2 by Gilbert Hernandez, Mind Mgmt #3 by Matt Kindt and The Massive #2 by Brian Wood.

– Eerie Comics #1 brings back the beloved old Warren Publishing title.  It’s really hard to go wrong with a horror anthology in black and white.  Of course, don’t miss the big brother: Creepy Comics #9.