So I’ve expanded out to 18 books read this month, can 20 really be far behind? Overall I would say that critically August was right on par with July, with both being better than June. As always, given my 1st issue fetish, there are a few #ones here: Dead @ 17, The Fade Out, The Multiversity and SIP Kids. Also of note: Marvel hits twice in the Top 5. WTH? Let’s see how this all shakes out below.
1. Saga #22 (Image) 4.5 – Happy to say that after a three issue “slump” (as if still scoring 4 out of 5 from me is all that bad) Saga is back to hitting the 4.5 or better bar set by the first 18 issues. Also, three other words about this issue: King Robot. Wow.
2. Sex Criminals #7 (Image) 4.5 – Still one of the most unique high concepts in the market. Still consistently a great read (like those early issues of Saga). Still Matt Fraction writing at his best. Still moving the story along while exploring the past. Sadly, I’m the only person ordering this at my LSC. That’s a shame.
3. Cyclops #4 (Marvel) 4.5 – Okay, this trend of Cyclops being one of my top reads of the month is completely unexpected but very welcomed. Greg Rucka is trying his damnedest to vie for the top writer of the year spot for this year with me. Only one issue left of his run and I have every reason to believe it will be a satisfying conclusion. Incoming creators will have tough shoes to fill in October.
4. Storm #2 (Marvel) 4.0 – Greg Pak is channeling his inner Chris Claremont. See my additional thoughts here.
5. The Multiversity #1 (DC) 4.0 – Grant Morrison brings his usual blend of fun, wonder and out-of-this-worldness, making me read a comic about the DCU. I have ten more random thoughts about this comic here.
6. Lazarus #10 (Image) 4.0 – #9 wrapped up the previous story arc very well, and this stand-alone issue keeps the quality high on this series that’s rightfully been hailed as “the most unique” of sci-fi series, and given that there’s so much sci-fi at Image alone these days, that’s a good thing indeed. I’m very much still invested for the long-haul on this epic (which is very worthy of cable television adaptation someday).
7. SIP Kids #1 (Abstract) 4.0 – I was a big Strangers in Paradise fan back in the day, but even I noticed that there were certain similarities between it and Jaime Hernandez’s portion of Love and Rockets (specifically his Locas stories). Not saying Terry Moore is a copycat, but Hernandez had treated long-time readers to flashback stories of his characters’ youth and here Moore does the same with his SIP characters, although this is not a proper in-continuity flashback. More like a “What if…” It’s fun too, almost like Peanuts with an edge.
8. Dead @17: The Blasphemy Throne #1 (Image) 3.5 – Speculation buy and not a bad one. Really enjoyed the art and most importantly I’m interested in what comes next while not being overly concerned with what has come before, as I know there were at least two previous miniseries. Maybe I’ll rock all 7 issues of this mini. I may eventually discover the old ones too. I certainly found this more interesting that Wayward (see below).
9. Rise of the Magi #3 (Image) 3.5 – Zany, fun, urban fantasy, inter-dimensional monsters and a magical frog. Needs to pickup a little, though.
10. Black Market #2 (Boom!) 3.5 – Like C.O.W.L, this is a unique angle on the superhero comic and I’m real curious to see how it wraps up in two more issues. Victor Santos’ are is not really the draw here, however, it does help create this books different flavor.
11. Daredevil #7 (Marvel) 3.5 – The Original Sin tie-in for Daredevil deals with why his mother abandoned him to his father Battlin’ Jack Murdock as a baby, but not before he infiltrates Wakanda to deal with the new Black Panter and Queen of Wakanda. Not bad.
12. C.O.W.L #4 (Image) 3.5 – Still one of the most unique and intriguing superhero books in the market, and still after four maddeningly intriguing issues, I say it would make a better weekly cable television show. That’s more of compliment than it sounds. This is a superhero universe book, the kind even I’ve conceived on my own, so I know it takes patience to build and present that kind of world and all its mythos. So, patient I remain.
13. Low #2 (Image) 3.0 – I actually liked this better than #1 by a notch. My thing is while I dig Remender as a writer, I just can’t get into Tocchini’s art, despite that it’s his best work. It’s just too obscured. Still, Remender effectively makes you feel Stel’s emotions.
14. The Fade Out #1 (Image) 3.0 – I’ll admit it, I expected more. I was not impressed with this first issue. Granted it’s one issue. It’s no Velvet, which was great from the start. I think one thing that hurts The Fade Out is the third-person narration, whereas Velvet’s is first-person. I think for noir, it just needs to have that close narrative intimacy of a first-person narration, since Ed Brubaker has a penchant for using prose captions to tell his stories. Also, this being Bru, I know it’s going to have a slow-burn.
15. Outcast #3(Image) 3.0 – Still better than #1 but not better than #2. Many have lauded this series as the great “next Walking Dead” from Kirkman. I’m just not feeling that yet at all. TWD’s first six issues are arguably its best. I don’t think that will be the case for Outcast once we get a year, two years and more away from this first arc.
Other Notable Reads:
Wayward #1 (Image) 3.0 – Reports of this being “the next Saga” are either premature or greatly exaggerated. I’m opting for the latter. This issue felt like a #0 instead of a proper #1
Trees #4 (Image) 2.5 – Seems I only like the odd-numbered issues; this series is missing an engine to thrust it along. Seriously. The first half was filled with conversations that I can suppose MIGHT payoff in say, issue 12, but had no bearing on what occured in the second half where things finally got interesting (just like last issue). I’m a huge fan of writer Warren Ellis, but even he has to admit he’s really testing ones patience with this maddening series. However, artist Jason Howard does his best to save the show with his awesome scratchy, cross-hatched line work.
Wicked + Divine #3 (Image) 2.5 – This would be lower if not for the line and color art, otherwise it sports quite possibly some of the worst dialogue I’ve read in a while (well, since Outcast #1 and Red City #1, I suppose). I really hope I haven’t been duped with this series given this kind of free-fall from grace.
Well, the great month of September brings not only my birthday, but also another individualized issue of The Multiversity, plus all-new number ones of: Copperhead, Roche Limit (yes, both bring yet more sci-fi from Image) and I think I’m finally going to check out Rucka’s Stumptown as it returns with an ongoing series. Until then, keep a healthy, hearty comic book fetish…
Comic Book Fetish 