WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of last week: American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #3 – Not a huge surprise that this wins given that combining the talents of Scott Snyder and Dustin Nguyen is likely to produce very strong results, but even with high expectations the comic still delivers.  This sideline story in the AV universe is adding such depth to the overall series.

Most anticipated this week: 1). Butcher Baker the Righteous Maker #8 – Talk about a surprise!  I had just assumed this series would vanish.  I don’t remember that much about the overall story, but I can’t wait to see more of Joe Casey and Mike Huddleston’s delightfully raw look at a superhero “after the music”.

2). Saga #6 – This series is simple excellent.  Buy it!  I also liked the piece that was circulating the internet about how much more money the creators make doing Saga than they do working for Marvel/DC….made me smile.  The only bad thing about Saga is that it makes you realize how “meh” lots of your other comics are in the same way that Breaking Bad and Mad Men can ruin a lot of previously enjoyable TV shows.

3). The Walking Dead #101 – I don’t really know what to say here that won’t spoil what happened last issue, so I should merely say that I’m looking forward to it.  Or perhaps I could be vague like the solicitations for the series: “The characters try to move on from the horrible events they’ve just witnessed.”  Always captivating.

4). Saucer Country #6 – This has quietly turned into a very good series.  Folks who skipped it should keep an eye out for the first trade.

5). Avengers vs. X-Men #10 – This “event” has been a super-turd and shows you how screwed up superhero comics are that such talented creators can work so hard to make THIS, but I am anticipating it in the way that I enjoy watching a dumpster fire just to see what color smoke will come billowing out.  And what aromas!  It’s like burning diapers mixed with rotting meat.  Did Cyclops always wish that his visor covered his nose but he needed the Phoenix Force to make it happen?  Was the Phoenix Force always offended by Cyclops’ nose when he kissed Jean Grey and thought, “Someday, if I take over Scott, I’ll change his visor so that it covers his nose.”  Just remember: the creators of Scalped, Casanova, Criminal, Nightly New and Jinx worked together on this series.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week:  Venom #22 – A perfect swansong to a fantastic run, Rick Remender shows everything he brought to Flash Thompson in the span of 22 pages.  A great read with fantastic art, if you’ve not read Remender’s run on Venom, I highly recommend picking it up in trade.

Most Anticipated:  Wonder Woman #12 – A year later, this is still in my personal top 5 of the new 52.  I loved the big cliffhanger last month and this month’s issue promises a big punch-up and Zola finally gives birth, apparently.  In other words, this looks like it’s going to be a pretty big issue for Azzarello’s Wonder Woman.

Saga #6 – Saga is a must-buy and will be on this list each and every time it comes out.  Vaughan and Staples pack so much story and world-building into each issue.  Last month’s issue also ended with a truly out-of-nowhere, shocking ending, and I’m anxious to see the blowback and whether Vaughan sticks to his guns on it.

Fatale #7 – Another regular must-buy, this series is the definition of “the same, but different” with Brubaker and Phillips doing their thing…but with a horror/Lovecraftian edge.  Fatale is always a layered, brooding read that manages to also be exciting.  At times it’s hard to keep all the pieces straight in my head, but it’s certainly an immersive experience and I look forward to spending some time in its world each and every issue.

Avengers vs. X-Men #10 – While the last issue was a bit of a mixed bag, I have enjoyed AvX overall and while it may be a couple of issues too long, it’s still my favourite event by far since Blackest Night.  It’s also taken a big turn in the right direction since the Phoenix Five and now with the Phoenix Five down to the Phoenix Two, I look forward to what comes next.

Daredevil #17 – I honestly wasn’t huge on the whole Latveria saga, but now we’re back in Hell’s Kitchen.  Plus, Mark Waid introduces a new villain and Matt Murdock is newly unemployed; my interest is definitely piqued.  None of that is the big story though.  The big news that makes this a must-buy is MIKE ALLRED.  Seriously, any Allred comic is at least worth a look and Allred drawing Daredevil?  SOLD!  Better still, Mike Allred got this gig after writing in a fan letter to the series.  How cool is that?

Venom #22 – Review

By: Rick Remender (writer), Declan Shalvey (art), Lee Loughridge (colors), and Joe Caramagna (letters)

The Story: What better way for series mastermind Rick Remender to say farewell than one final fight between Venom and Jack O’ Lantern and on Father’s Day, no less?

The Review:  This issue is a true swansong for Rick Remender’s fantastic run on Venom; it showcases so much of what Remender has managed to accomplish over the course of these 22 issues.

As such, it’s a character-driven issue and one that’s incredibly  heavy as a result.  It focuses on the humanity that Remender imbued Flash Thompson with and the lasting scars of his abuse as a child.  In this sense, the issue is as much a polemic against child abuse as it is an introverted character study of Flash.  It’s an extremely sincere issues, when that punches you in the gut, making it impossible not to empathize with Flash.  Again, that this issue has so much weight is a testament to and a reminder of how much Remender has accomplished in this series; we’ve grown so invested in Flash over the course of the series that all of these painful flashbacks feel truly, well, painful.  Despite this being the last issue of his run, Remender is still letting us enter deep into the mind of Flash Thompson, showing what makes the character tick, and it’s still excellent.

WCBR’s Top Picks

Dean’s Top Picks

Best of the past week: Mind Mgmt #3 – This wasn’t quite as mind-blowing and novel as the first two issues, but it was still the best comic in a relatively light week.  It’s hard to go wrong with an inventive concept like a conspiracy theory involving all the passengers on a plane losing their memories.  And, it has the wonderful art that we’ve come to expect from Matt Kindt.

Most anticipated this week: 1). American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #3 – The first two issues have been outstanding….but everything having to do with AV is outstanding, so that isn’t really a surprise.  Still, it’s fun seeing Scott Snyder beginning to toy around with his vampire story set against the backdrop of the Cold War.  And Dustin Nguyen has been incredible on the art.

2). Punk Rock Jesus #2 – We all knew that Sean Murphy was an incredible artist, but it was pretty cool to see him attempting such an ambitious story in the first issue.  This story has a lot more going on than the original solicits suggested.  Any comic that gets religious people to talk about boycotts is probably a winner in my book.

3). Godzilla: Half Century War #1 – Ever since I added this to my pull list a few months ago, my LCS has been trying to stick copies of IDWs other Godzilla series in my box.  Each time I say, “NO!  I ONLY want the one that is drawn by James Stokoe!”  Honestly, I couldn’t care less about the other Godzilla series, but seeing Stokoe (of Orc Stain fame) tackle the big lizard sounds really cool.

4). Blue Estate #12 – I’m very excited to see that Blue Estate is back for a second story after the first volume wrapped a few months back.  Blue Estate plays in that “funny gangster” space and always has great art by a collection of artists.  Probably has some of the best covers in the industry too.

5). Hoax Hunters #2 – Ever since Proof went away, we haven’t really had a series that focused on crytozoology.  That’s the niche that Hoax Hunters fills.  It’s well written with fun concepts and good art.

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Alex’s Top Picks

Pick of the Week:  Hawkeye #1 – This week was an easy one to pick from.  Hawkeye #1 strongly reminded of Daredevil #1:  it offered a new, fresh take on a big-name, but well-worn, character and it truly felt like the start of something special.  Gorgeous David Aja art didn’t hurt its case any either.  I hope the numbers are enough to justify a substantial run, because we could be looking at the definitive Hawkeye for the 21st century, much as Fraction’s Invincible Iron Man did for Tony Stark.

Most Anticipated:  Venom #22 – It’s the final issue of Rick Remender’s run, which did the impossible:  it made a Venom book, and one starring Flash Thompson, a fun, compelling book that was consistently among Marvel’s best.  This issue ties up all of Remender’s loose ends, promising the final battle between Flash and Jack O’ Lantern.  Sounds like the perfect swansong to me.

Batman #12 – I’ll be honest; I’m not a big fan of “aftermath” comics.  That said, this is Scott Snyder’s Batman we’re talking about here, so I’m willing to keep an open mind and hope for the best.  This isn’t just any superhero comic, after all.

American Vampire: Lord of Nightmares #3 – Another Snyder comic.  Much as he did last year, Snyder is offering a fantastic miniseries that shows the depth of his AV universe, starring one of his strongest characters.  Oh, and Dustin Nguyen is drawing the interiors.  In touching the elephant in the room that seemingly every long-running vampire story has to address eventually (Dracula), Snyder is delivering a great, thrilling, and atmospheric story here.

Mighty Thor #18 – The last arc of Mighty Thor was, in my opinion, the most consistent of Fraction’s run.  It was the first arc that both started and finished strongly and didn’t leave any untouched/squandered potential, didn’t feature several issues of decompressed wheel-spinning, and the ending wasn’t a trainwreck.  In other words, it didn’t fall prey to the problems that plagued Fraction’s prior arcs.  With this final story of Fraction’s run, I hope that that momentum continues and I’m excited to see what Fraction has in store.  And Alan Davis is drawing!

New Avengers #29 – I’m surprised to be picking this, but then, Bendis’ New Avengers tie-ins have been perhaps the biggest surprise coming out of AvX.  Who would have thought that they’d be some of the best?  But that’s what we’ve been getting and with Bendis playing with some heavy-hitters this month, I’m looking forward to what’s in store.  And, much like those fantastic K’un-Lun tie-ins, it’s another New Avengers that doesn’t actually feature the team, instead, this time, giving us an Illuminati comic.