Wednesdays 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.
Joe
Top Pick: Violent Love #1 (Image Comics) – Frank Barbiere and Victor Santos are two great talents, and it is exciting to see them on this book. Violent Love is a story of two notorious bank robbers who fell in love. The story takes places in the American Southwest, and is described as a pulp-infused criminal romance oozing with style and action. The art is fantastic, and I love the premise. Image has been putting out fantastic series for a while now, and we may just have another with this book. I will be picking this up and cannot wait to see how this book portrays these criminals and if it makes us root for the bad guy and girl.
Invincible Iron Man #1 (Marvel) – I really just want Civil War II to be done, and I am hoping for a good ending to fix my fatigue with the event that seems to be lasting forever. That doesn’t mean it will not give us good things, it already has with Champions, and Infamous Iron man, and now that trend continues with the debut of Riri William’s solo title. Riri has been around in Invincible Iron Man, but she is finally now stepping into the iron boots of the perhaps biggest legacy in the Marvel universe, Iron Man. There has been controversy over this book, but we can all finally read it and see where Bendis takes us. I for one am pretty excited to see what happens with Iron Heart.
Power Man and Iron Fist #10 (Marvel) – With the Civil War II tie-ins finally ending, we can get back to a more focused arc. Harlem Burns starts now, and it looks like our two favorite heroes for hire will be facing a lot of their enemies, as well as a new exciting one from Marvel’s past. David Walker and Sanford Greene have done an excellent job with this series, and I cannot wait to see Luke and Danny hero for hiring some more!
Dead No More: The Clone Conspiracy #2 (Marvel) – I was pleasantly surprised by this series so far. Sure this is only the second issue, but the words clone and Spider-Man usually sent cringe chills down my spine, but the first book set up some big things that for the time being are at least intriguing. The art is also fantastic, and I love any Spider-Man book where all of his villains are after him. Like Batman, a Spidey book is at its best when all seems lost, and our hero’s back is against the wall.
Green Valley #2 (Skybound/Image Comics) – After the fantastic debut issue, I am excited to return to the world of Green Valley. The first issue took some interesting turns. Early on the book was a fun over the top fantasy story, but by the end of the book, things had turned pretty dark. It will be interesting to see where the second issue takes us. I loved the setting, the story, and the art, and I am excited to continue reading.
Alex
Top Pick: Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior #13 (Valiant) – I’ve already read the review PDF, which I loved. I’m just looking forward to seeing the art of the page in my hands on Wednesday.
A&A: The Adventures Of Archer And Armstrong #9 (Valiant) – I’ve recently been reading the original Archer and Armstrong series from a few years ago (well, original this this iteration of Valiant), and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed every issue. I can’t wait to add a new one to the long box.
All-Star Batman #4 (DC Comics) – The best Batman comic currently being published, hands down.
Brigands #1 (Action Lab: Danger Zone) – This is here because the cover look awesome. I have very little idea what the story is actually about, but it should be interesting.
The Paybacks #4 (Heavy Metal Comics) – I love this series, and if you give it a shot, I reckon you will too.
Brett
Top Pick: Black #2 (Black Mask Studios) – The first issue of this series really shook things up giving us a world where Black individuals are the only ones with power and there’s a grand conspiracy to keep the world in the dark about it. An interesting concept the second issue dives further into the politics of it all and a lot more action. Think X-Men, but with a political spin.
Invincible Iron Man #1 (Marvel) – I’ve read the first issue and it’s really solid giving us Riri Williams, a hero for a new modern age. But, what’s really impressive to me isn’t the fact she’s a teenage girl, African-American, or from Chicago. What stands out is this is a character who has some serious social issues. This is a character who retreats in her mind and doesn’t interact normally with people. With so many dealing with similar issues, that part transcends skin color and gender and may be the most revolutionary thing about the series.
Namesake #1 (BOOM! Studios) – The talented Steve Orlando’s original series! The concept sounds fascinating dealing with the world Ektae which for seven days it breaches Earth bringing magic to our world. Sounds interesting and with Orlando writing it’s one to check out.
The Paybacks #4 (Heavy Metal Comics) – One of the most entertaining comics on the market. Consistently gets me to laugh and I don’t hesitate at all recommending it. It just skewers the superhero genre and makes it fun and funny.
Violent Love #1 (Image Comics) – Frank Barbiere and Victor Santos gives us a crime comic that’s as great to read as it is to look at. Talented writer and a talented artist.
Right from the opening pages of the first issue of Violent Love, it’s made quite apparent that this tale of eventual bank robbers and lovers Daisy Jane and Rock Bradley is greatly influenced by stories and films in the same genre; Dylan Todd’s striking designs connect with the cinematic aesthetic by having the creative team page look like it came right from the bottom of a movie poster. Though the influences aren’t even hidden all that well (Daisy seeing Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid), Frank J. Barbiere and Victor Santos are definitely crafting something different and unique both in its method of storytelling and flow of visuals.
He also uses color, or the lack thereof, to emphasize the importance of certain objects or actions. For example, when Daisy sits in the hotel room where she and Charlie just engaged in a hot and heavy game of extracurricular activities, her entire body is black as the eye is drawn to the muddled orange/red hat in her hands. The previous frame reminds the reader of its importance to her, also using the color red to deviate from the use of green to shift in time. This in effect not only deepens the impact of these kinds of moments and objects but also elevates and accentuates Santos’s ability as a visual storyteller.
It’s a new week and we gear up for Thanksgiving and lots of sales to come. We’ll have our suggestions of cool gift ideas in the next few weeks. Tonight, we’ve got some of the creative team behind the comic series Black on Graphic Policy Radio. That airs at 10pm ET tonight.
