Tag Archives: green lantern: edge of oblivion

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

The Fix #3Wednesdays 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!

We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.

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

Anthony

Top Pick: Island #8 (Image Comics) – Island has been a great ride from the beginning featuring a very wide, eclectic array of comic creators in this anthology series. Each issue has some stories that continue in segments with some one shot shorts as well that are brilliantly organized and curated by creators Brandon Graham and Emma Rios. Island has yet to disappoint with content that can be eye-popping visually, psychologically provoking, and socially relevant. This issue features stories from Johnnie Christmas and Simon Roy.

Empress #3 (Icon/Marvel)Mark Millar, hate him or love him, has always released some titles with a refreshing perspective and some gorgeous artwork in this sci-fi based story of a man that has taken on the task of helping a wife and her three children escape from an overzealous husband/leader. This time around, Stuart Immonen has been killing it on pencils with some added detailing on inks by Wade von Grawbadger and expressive colouring by Ive Svorcina. The second issue really kicked up the action a notch and ended with quite the cliffhanger. It will be exciting to see what kind of adventures the group gets into this time around and will hopefully have some calming periods to get to know a bit more on the characters as well.

The Fix #3 (Image Comics)The Fix is one of the funniest comics put out in 2016 that should be no surprise to fans of the creative team of Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber. Adding colourist Ryan Hill to the mix has really created this neo-noir vibe with a dash of anti-hero douchebaggery and a tinge of unexpected splashes of violence. This series has sold out of both the first two issues (with this week releasing the third printing of Issue #1) so it has proven itself to be a pleaser thus far that is sure to continue its hilarity and ridiculousness. Corrupt cops Ray and Mac have found themselves in quite the junction of scenarios so one can only imagine what will happen now that a police dog named Pretzels has been thrown in the mix.

The Wicked + The Divine #20 (Image Comics) – The Gods have been consistently fighting against one another over the last few issues ever since Laura has come back and it appears as if the buildup will keep getting higher and higher. Deaths are abound for sure. Wic Div has one of the most impressive creative teams for Image that keeps the readers guessing as to what exactly is going to happen next. As long as Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson grace the cover and interiors (with the occasional striking guests) Wic Div should be on your monthly pull list.

Wolf #8 (Image Comics)Ales Kot is one of the most intriguing, complex, labyrinthian writers working in comics today. Wolf has been a bit of an up and down ride but the last issue really put the train back onto the tracks. The artwork by Ricardo Lopez Ortiz and colours by Lee Loughridge‘s give this title a real punk edge to it and will hopefully push the limits after the ending to Issue #7.

 

Alex

Top Pick: Voracious #4 (Action Lab: Danger Zone) – Man discovers he can travel through time. Instead of using it to become rich with gambling, he decides to become a dinosaur hunter and open a restaurant. This is why I love comics; because this actually works.

4001 A.D.: Bloodshot #1 (Valiant) – 4001 A.D. has been a brilliant event so far, but the stand alone tie ins from Valiant can always be hit or miss depending on how big a fan of the specific character you are. I’m a middling fan of Bloodshot, so this should be interesting.

Howard the Duck #8 (Marvel) – One of the more fun series that Marvel is putting out these days (at least that I’m reading), this is usually a snark filled comic that usually one of the best I read in the week it’s released.

 

Mr. H

Top Pick: The Flash: Rebirth #1 (DC Comics) – Yes, yes, yes the real West is back! I have been so pumped and still coming off the high that was the Rebirth special. My conduit to comics is back in full force. I don’t care where this goes. I just want to be in the fast lane for it!

Action Comics #957 (DC Comics) – Like Wally returning so has the real Kal-El. I am thrilled for this and who says you can’t have family in comics? I am intrigued on where Lex will fit, will they try to keep him a true Man of Steel or is he plotting the one true Superman’s downfall.

Detective Comics #934 (DC Comics) – The road to the mega epic #1000 starts here! Truth be told I’m not on fire about this title but it has enough solicited elements to pique my interest. A new Bat-Team could be what Gotham ordered. However with a title like Detective Comics I’d rather see Ralph Dibney on the billing, but hey time will tell…

 

Brett

Top Pick: Sheriff of Babylon #7 (Vertigo) – One of the best comics on the market right now. Absolutely amazing storytelling that’s a murder mystery set in modern Iraq. There’s actually not as much politics as you’d think, just fantastic pacing and subtle details that add to the complete package.

Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion #6 (DC Comics) – This miniseries wraps up and I can’t wait to see how it ends, especially since its been a veiled allegory about modern day terrorism and religious extremism. Plus… who gets back to modern times and how!?

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy #1 (BOOM! Box/DC Comics) – The first issue is a cute combination of the two series as the groups come together to solve a mystery. There’s a weird “Scooby Doo” vibe about it all, but the first issue works really well and this should be a fun miniseries.

Prometheus: Life and Death #1 (Dark Horse) – I’m a fan of Dark Horse’s new Alien/Predator/Prometheus universe and their intertwining miniseries have been fantastic. This one has been an interesting build so far and with this first issue, we finally get the beginning of the last piece of the puzzle.

Star Wars: Poe Dameron #3 (Marvel) – If you enjoyed Star Wars: The Force Awakens and want to get even more of the story about Poe, this is the comic for you. It peals back the curtain a bit on this newer aspect of the Star Wars universe, and answers some questions left dangling by the film.

 

Paul

Top Pick: All-New X-Men #10 (Marvel) – I’ve been enjoying this Apocalypse War storyline running through the X books, and I am looking forward to seeing Evan, now in the past, coming face to face with En Sabah Nur, who will one day become Apocalypse.  Can Evan change the past, and stop Apocalypse from ever being?  Will this take Evan down the path to becoming the next Apocalypse? Can I possibly use the word Apocalypse anymore in this blurb? I am looking forward to seeing where this leads.

The Vision #8 (Marvel) – Uh oh…the Avengers know everything that has happened with Vision and his family; the violence, the deaths and the lies.  And now they’re coming to find some answers.  I don’t see this going very well, but as with every issue in this series, I’m sure it’s going to be a hell of a read.

Wacky Raceland #1 (DC Comics) – Do you remember the Wacky Racers from Saturday morning cartoons?  I do too…and this is not them!  The world has gone to hell and racers trek across the remains of their word for survival.  It’s Death Race meets Hannah-Barbera and I for one will be strapping in for this crazy ride.  Just check out Muttly on the cover!  This is NOT the cartoon I remember.

Ethan Van Sciver is Back in Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion

Picking up where Green Lantern: Lost Army left off, fan favorite artist Ethan Van Sciver joins our favorite space corps by working on DC ComicsGreen Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion, the new 6-issue miniseries written by Tom Taylor. Wielding his pencils and inks as constructs, like a Green Lantern ring, make sure to check out Van Sciver’s impressive illustrations for this upcoming title!

DC has released a look at some of Van Sciver’s work for the upcoming series including interior pages for the first issue and the covers for the second and third.

Rhode Island Comic Con 2015 : Interview with Ethan Van Sciver

ethan

Having attended the Rhode Island Comic Con this past weekend on November 6th-8th held at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with some high-profile guests. (Power of the Press prevails) I was very lucky to get a few minutes with the most prolific Green Lantern artist and good guy: Mr. Ethan Van Sciver.

Graphic Policy: Well it’s very nice to meet you, I appreciate it and I just had a few questions for you that I’m sure would interest your fans.

Ethan Van Sciver: Sure, go ahead.

Graphic Policy: Have you ever been asked to do a commission piece that you’ve flat out refused and if so why?

Ethan Van Sciver: Well, I’m sure that I have, but not because it was dirty or anything. It would have been because I just didn’t want to draw it. People will ask me and come by to draw Star Trek things and that’s not something I really want to do. So I will go, well you know. No thank you.

Graphic Policy: So do you basically try to stick within the vein of comic book books. DC and Marvel characters, because I know you do a lot of cool original pieces like Luke Skywalker Lantern and so forth..

Ethan Van Sciver: I will do Star Wars every now and then, but I prefer to stick to just superheroes. I love drawing superheroes.

Graphic Policy: Absolutely you are fantastic at it.

Ethan Van Sciver: Thank you.

Graphic Policy: Do you have a favorite run?

Ethan Van Sciver: Of somebody elses? Or my own?

Graphic Policy: Yours.

Ethan Van Sciver: Of my own, yeah I really liked everything from Green Lantern Rebirth to Sinestro Corps. I thought that was a really good moment.

Graphic Policy: I think that was your best run ever. I have a personal favorite issue. Green Lantern: Rebirth #6.

Ethan Van Sciver: That issue was really a lot of fun.

BatsGL

Graphic Policy: I loved when Bruce (Batman) punches Hal back because the series opened with Hal punching Bruce so it was cool to see it come back around in the end *

Ethan Van Sciver: Yeah that was cool.

Graphic Policy: My good buddy, you’re one of his favorite artists of all time.

Ethan Van Sciver: Oh wow.

Graphic Policy: Do you have a favorite comic book character and is it Green Lantern?

Ethan Van Sciver: My favorite comic character is Plastic Man.

Graphic Policy: Really?

Ethan Van Sciver: Yeah I love Plastic Man, I’m still waiting for a chance to draw him. I know in the past sales have not been particularly good for that character so they are very hesitant to do it again. I would do it as a gangster book and make it a little more irish mafia and little bit more like Black Mass, you know with just a little bit of superhero in it.

Graphic Policy: That would be really cool. Speaking of, you saw that movie Black Mass?

Ethan Van Sciver: Loved it, and that is my Eel O’ Brien story. Is he using his superhero identity to rise himself in the mob, or is he using the mob to make him a better asset to the FBI? So like, who is this guy for real? It was amazing, you know and the Whitey Bulger story was a lot like that. It was very interesting.

Graphic Policy: It was, and well definitely me being from the Boston area, you can’t help but grow up with stories from that.

Ethan Van Sciver: Yeah.

Graphic Policy: So what advice to you have for anyone looking to be a comic book artist today?

Ethan Van Sciver: Yeah, just do it. Don’t let anyone stop you, just start drawing your own comic book and let it happen. Let it be a gradual process. Breaking in, is a misnomer, there’s no such thing as breaking in. You just do it and advance in the industry.

Graphic Policy: Perfect, and what can we expect from you next? What’s your next project.

Ethan Van Sciver: Next project is called Green Lantern: Edge of Oblivion and it’s a six issue mini series with Tom Taylor writing it and me doing all the art. Basically it’s the story that bridges the gap between Lost Army. The Green Lantern Corps are lost in a universe that’s dying, are are trying to get back to our reality. Our universe. So everyone is in it, except for Hal Jordan.

Graphic Policy: Haha. The main Green Lantern.

Ethan Van Sciver: You know that’s cool. I get to draw all the Lanterns. Guy Gardener. Simon Baz and John Stewart..

Graphic Policy: Larfleeze?

Ethan Van Sciver: Well Larfleeze is not a Green Lantern. It would be cool if he was in it though.

Graphic Policy: Yeah I know, it’s just so great when you draw him.

Ethan Van Sciver: Thank you.

Graphic Policy: Well I appreciate your time for the interview and hope you catch your flight.

Ethan Van Sciver: Thank you and sure thing.

*I also want to point out that Ethan was kind enough not to call me out on my mistake saying Batman punches Hal in Green Lantern: Rebirth #6 when really it occurred in Green Lantern #9. (Have to do my nerd diligence)