Tag Archives: black dog & leventhal

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1 (Ablaze) – A really interesting new take on the classic book Animal Farm.

Astrobots #1 (Massive/Whatnot) – The art for this looks amazing and is about machine lifeforms called Astrobots who scout worlds for humanity and one world where a society of them is rising and humankind is not included in their plans.

Carnage Reigns Alpha #1/Cult of Carnage: Misery #1/Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Marvel) – There’s a lot going on the fans of Marvel’s Spider-Man corner of their universe. There’s more multiverse action to enjoy and Carnage faces off against Miles Morales!

Hairball #2 (Dark Horse) – As the young girl’s black cat continues to plague her family with horror and tragedy, she decides she must take matters into her own hands to put an end to the feline’s evil ways. The first issue was some impressive an unnerving horror.

History of Japan in Manga (Tuttle Publishing) – The History of Japan in Manga tells the action-packed saga of Japan from its misty origins up to the present day.

Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story (Black Dog & Leventhal) – Julia Wertz chronicles her haphazard attempts at sobriety and the relentlessly challenging, surprisingly funny, and occasionally absurd cycle of addiction and recovery.

Lamentation #1 (Oni Press) – New horror from Cullen Bunn, Hillary Jenkins, and Simon Bowland? Yes please!

Monomyth #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – Magic is all but extinct. When the last ailing wizard casts a final desperate spell to summon the descendants of ancient bloodlines to a school for magic now in disrepair…those chosen ones find a horror of the likes they’ve never experienced. The concept sounds great.

Parker Girls #7 (Abstract Studios) – Every issue has been a great mix of humor and action.

Peacemaker: Tries Hard #1 (DC Comics) – Peacemaker is asked to help steal the world’s most valuable and dangerous DNA!

Shazam #1 (DC Comics) – Mark Waid and Dan Mora taking on Shazam!. Nuff said.

Starsigns #1 (Image Comics) – The constellations of the zodiac fall to earth, granting twelve ordinary people from very different walks of life the superhuman powers of the Starsigns. The concept sounds interesting with a astrology meets X-Men/Heroes spin.

Survival #1 (Dark Horse) – A plane crash leads to a creature bringing ancient terror to the Alaska wilderness.

Where Monsters Lie #4 (Dark Horse) – The series has been fantastic with a mix of a lot of laughs and over-the-top violence.

X-Men: Before the Fall – Sons of X #1 (Marvel) – A series of one-shots kick off with this one seeing Legion taking on Nimrod and more moves from Mother Righteous.

Review: Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City

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Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, is probably one of the most famous actors of the moment right now, and it is mostly due to the popularity of his portrayal on the epic tv show, Game of Thrones. His turn as Jaime Lannister, is probably one of the most nuanced and complicated characters that has ever been on television.  This was not the first time he has been on television, he first appeared back in 2008, on a little-known show on FOX called New Amsterdam. He played an immortal by the name of John Amsterdam, who has lived in New York since it was a Dutch colony.

The show only lasted eight episodes and was a bit formulaic, but overall enjoyable but it talked to me differently than most viewers. I saw it as a love letter to the city, and how far it has come. The world has often seen New York City as a “mecca”, but it is like most cities, more than one thing. This is something that Julia Wertz wonderfully conveys in Tenements, Towers & Trash: An Unconventional Illustrated History of New York City.

She lets the reader know that there are three different New York City(s), one is where inhabitant grew up there and takes it for granted, the second, one of the commuter and the last, one of the transplant. Wertz carefully gives the reader a deep dive not only into the city’s famous sites but also of the New Yorkers, who have made a difference in the world. There are more than handful of places I remember seeing growing up and miss to this day, and so does Wertz, as illustrations show her love for them. By books end, being a born and bred New Yorker, I thought I knew everything there I to know, I read this book.

Overall, a searing heartfelt and gorgeously illustrated book which gives reader both an enjoyable and anthropological view of the city. The stories told by Julia Wertz are more than torch songs to these forgotten pioneers, it shows pride in the city and those who come from it. The art by Wertz is awe-inspiring. Altogether, an excellent book, that will let readers wanting to know more about, as they say in the musical, Hamilton, “the greatest city in the world”.

Story: Julia Wertz Art: Julia Wertz
Story:10 Art:10 Overall:10 Recommendation: Buy