Cosplay photos from Momocon 2017 Steven Universe Photoshoot.
Photographer’s accommodations were provided by Momocon.
Cosplay is a staple at Momocon, and this year brought out some heavy hitters!
Cosplay photos from Momocon 2017 Cosplay Competition.
Photographer’s accommodations were provided by Momocon.
Cosplay contests are a staple at Momocon, and this year brought out some heavy hitters!
Cosplay photos from Momocon 2017.
Photographer’s accommodations were provided by Momocon.
@Annamariecos as Captain Fortune from League of Legends.
Scott Millican, Surreal SFX
[email protected]
Maleficent and Tree Warrior.
@tolu.chan and @jo_lay as Princess Tiana.
https://www.instagram.com/tolu.chan
Reilly Schreck as The Tenth Doctor (@yorkvillealleycat)
https://www.instagram.com/yorkvillealleycat/
Addie as Cinderella (@hoppin_bobbin)
https://www.instagram.com/hoppin_bobbin/
Sarah FuXiaoYi (@zenturtle_)as Princess Jasmine
https://www.instagram.com/zenturtle
Dr. Strange, cape billowing in the wind.
https://www.instagram.com/art.b0i
@gardenowl as Nozomi Tojo from Love Live.
@persischarles2
Katara and Appa from Avatar the Last Airbender.
https://www.instagram.com/persischarles2/
April Koontz as Rey battles a 501st Legion Lord Vader.
https://www.instagram.com/cricket_chaos/
Emily, of https://www.facebook.com/GBGHcosplay/, from Warhammer! This cosplay won the cosplay competition!
Steampunk Aladdin and Jasmine.
Sephy’s Mom & Pyrate Mouse
facebook.com/SephysMomCosplay
Instagram: @SephysMomCosplay and @PyrateMouse
Howl (https://www.instagram.com/a.snail.with.no.motivation) and Sophie (https://www.instagram.com/homicidal_alien) from Howl’s Moving Castle.
Catherine Wei (@coffee_cat_cat) as Red Bull and Kamryn Seidl (@khamomeal) as Amalthea from The Last Unicorn.
David “Rockit” Alvord as Atom Cats Power Armor from Fallout 4.
Instagram: rockit_art
Twitter: rockit_art
Etsy: HighOctaneRockitFuel.etsy.com
Ashley as Zatanna
https://www.instagram.com/time_flash/ as Kid Flash
https://www.instagram.com/derek__kent/ as Superman
Maddie Hite (@veenacos) as Nidalee from League of Legends.
@OrtagaMalice as Bluebeard from Fate Zero. https://www.instagram.com/ortagamalice
Belle (Tiffany Angel Stafford) and Taco Belle Deadpool.
Emily as Rita Repulsa from The Might Morphin’ Power Rangers.
Costume by Amber Alertt Cosplay.
https://www.facebook.com/amberalerttcosplay
Obito from Naruto.
Lobo from DC Comics
@wanderingbluelotus
https://www.instagram.com/wanderingbluelotus/
Granny and Marvin the Martian
(Zenthea as Granny and Darwin Finlay Harn-Dailey as Marvin.)in.
@the_monalexa as Jesse Quick
https://www.instagram.com/the_monalexa
Elise (https://www.instagram.com/foxyjiji) and Camilla (https://www.instagram.com/kerushii1130) from Fire Emblem
Jasmine and Aladdin.
Heather Carlisle and Zaidlux.
https://www.instagram.com/zaidlux
Sanderson Sisters and Me!
Layla Antagonist: https://www.facebook.com/AntagonisticCosplay/
Madame Librarian Cosplay: https://www.facebook.com/madamelibrariancosplay
Amber Alertt Cosplay
https://www.facebook.com/amberalerttcosplay
Jessica Cooper Harbin as Growlithe from Pokemon.
Chelsea as Gagefrom Borderlands (https://www.instagram.com/faith_in_cosplay)
@cozplaybae as Princess Rosalina from Super Mario Galaxy (https://www.instagram.com/cozplaybae)
Howl (https://www.instagram.com/a.snail.with.no.motivation) and Sophie (https://www.instagram.com/homicidal_alien) from Howl’s Moving Castle.
Baseball Crystal Gems
Rapunzel (https://www.instagram.com/chee.bo)
Ariel (https://www.instagram.com/pendragon4)
Aurora (https://www.instagram.com/bopizop)
Belle (Tiffany Angel Stafford) and Snow White and Kuzco.
Snowflake Entertainment (https://www.instagram.com/snowflakeentertainmentparties)Disney Ensemble. Flynn Rider, Maleficent, Mother Gothel, and Elsa.
Description
Shuto Con isn’t as well known as PAX, E3 or Comic Con. But if there’s a convention, you can be assured there are those who are dressing up as their favorite characters. This year, there were tons who came out to show off their costumes and we have oodles of pictures for you to enjoy.
We have so many, we had to split this up into two articles!
So here’s part 2 of our Shuto Con gallery! Enjoy!
Who is this? – Flowey, Toriel, and Frisk from Undertale
Who is this? – The Butterfly Effect
Who is this? – The Belchers from the television show, Bob’s Burgers
Who is this? – Natasha Romanoff and Captain America
Cosplayer:
Captain America – Joe R. Wright
Who is this? – Steampunk Mad Hatter
Who is this? – Samurai armor of feudal and pre-industrial Japan
Cosplayer – Ohio Kimono
Who is this? – Sailor Jakku and Sailor Alderaan from the Sailor Moon universe
Cosplayers:
Jakku: Angel Shell Fire Cosplay
Alderaan: Comic Chick Cosplay
Who is this? – Rose Quartz and Pearl from the Steven Universe universe
Who is this? – Heavy Metal Rose and Greg from the Steven Universe universe.
Cosplayer – Jenny Thor Widerberg
Who is this? – Robin Hood and Maid Marian
Cosplayer – Taneil and TJ
Who is this? – Rick(s) Sanchez from Rick and Morty
Cosplay:
tipsycritic
imacupofnoodle
Who is this? – A Renaissance Lady from the Assassin’s Creed universe.
Who is this? – Princess Mononoke from the anime Princess Mononoke
Who is this? – Princess Celestia and Nightmare Moon from the My Little Pony universe.
Cosplayers
Chiefmomboss
Skybluebird12
Who is this? – Newt Scamander (with Bowtruckle!)
Cosplayer – Mynock Cosplay
Who is this? – Mystery Science Theater 3000!
Who is this? – Moana from the movie, Moana
Cosplayer – Emani Terry
Who is this? – Loki from the Marvel universe
Cosplay – darklordloki
Who is this? – Sarah and Jareth from the move, Labyrinth
Cosplay – silvermoon822
Who is this? – Princess Mononoke from the anime movie, Princess Mononoke
Who is this? – Pidge from the television series, Voltron
Who is this? – Newt Scamander from the move, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
Cosplayer – John Andrews
Who is this? – Marceline from the Adventure Time universe
Cosplayer – Tina
Who is this? – Kotori Minami, Nozomi Tojo and Maki Nishikino from the Love Live universe.
Cosplayers:
Kotori Minami – bbubblepopp
Nozomi Tojo – taylxr
Maki Nishikino – unknown
Who is this? – Tony Stark and friends from the Marvel universe.
Who is this? – Scyther from Pokemon.
Cosplayer – Coppersprite Cosplay
Who is this? – Sarah and Jareth from the movie, Labyrinth
Cosplayer – Silvermoon822
Who is this? – Rita Repulsa from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers universe Who is this? – Marceline from the Adventure Time universe
Cosplayer –
Cosplayer – Tina
Who is this? – Judy Hops from the movie, Zootopia
Cosplayer – April Koontz
Shuto Con isn’t as well known as PAX, E3 or Comic Con, but if there’s a convention, you can be assured there are those who are dressing up as their favorite characters. This year, there were tons who came out to show off their costumes and we have oodles of pictures for you to enjoy.
We have so many, we had to split this up into two articles!
But, enough words! Here are the pictures!
Who is this? – Akroan Warrior from Magic the Gathering.
Cosplayer – Scott Eldridge
Who is this? – Alexander Hamilton and King George from [i]Hamilton, the musical[i].
Who is this? – All of the Feels! The emotions from the movie, Inside Out!
Who is this? – Appa from Avatar the Last Airbender
Who is this? – Disney Princesses Aurora and Belle
Cosplayers – Curvesque Cosplay
Who is this? – Missing Barb from Stranger Things
Cosplayer – Last Place Victory Cosplay
Who is this? – Baymax from Big Hero 6, doing a little dance.
Who is this? – Disney’s Princess Belle and Red Steampunk Lady
Cosplayers:
Princess Belle – Laura Wanamaker
Red Steampunk Lady – Kelli Vanous
Who is this? – Princess Belle
Cosplayer – C80sthingamabobs
Who is this? – Bismuth from Steven Universe Who is this? – Max from Two Broke Girls.
Cosplayer – 
Who is this? – Marvel’s Captain America and Bucky Barnes
Who is this? – Captain America
Who is this? – Captain America
Cosplayer – Joe R. Wright
Who is this? – Eliza from Hamilton, the Musical.
Who is this? – Flame Princess from Adventure Time
Who is this? – Flareon from Pokemon Who is this? – Garnet from Steven Universe
Cosplayer – 
Who is this? – Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter universe
Cosplayer – April Koontz
Who is this?:
Howl and Sophie from Howl’s Moving Castle
Merida and Queen Elinor from Brave
Cosplayers:
Merida: Emily Jacobson
Howl: Sheila Dolislager
Queen Elinor: Kathy Jacobson
Sophie: Ruth Dolislager
Who is this? – Fire Emblem Fates from the japanese game, Fire Emblem Fates
Who is this? – Rainbow Brite and Patty O’Green of the Rainbow Bright universe
CosplayersBrichibi and Snow Cosplays
Who is this? – Batman and Lady Joker
Who is this? – Mercy from Overwatch
Who is this? – Disney’s Princess Belle from Beauty and the Beast
Who is this? – Samurai armor of feudal and pre-industrial Japan
Cosplayer – Ohio Kimono
Who is this? – Ironside Dalek from the Doctor Who universe
Cosplayer – Last Place Victory Cosplay
Overwatch dominated the Cosplay offerings at PAX South 2017, with everything from Christmas-edition Sombra to gender-swapped Roadhog.
Cosplayers brought their A game to this year’s PAX South in San Antonio, and even though PAX is not a particularly cosplay-focused event, there were still dozens of fans littering the halls with their amazing costumes. Blizzard’s Overwatch was a really big hit this year, and we saw plenty of players dressed up as their favorite heroes.
Here are some of our personal favorites from the show. Check bellow the gallery for a description of each costume.
- Dr. Robotnik from Sonic
- Female AND Male Deadpool
- Bunny-girl Chun-Li from Street Fighter
- Ciri from The Witcher 3
- LEGO 1980s-something Space Guy
- Princess Peach from Mario
- McCree from Overwatch
- Mandalorian troops from the Star Wars universe
- Saitama from One Punch Man
- Genji from Overwatch
- Tracer from Overwatch
- Vault Dweler and Mr. Handy from Fallout (the Mr. Handy was fully-robotic and could move around!)
- Mei from Overwatch
- Christmas Sombra and Windowmaker from Overwatch
- Gender-swapped Roadhog from Overwatch
- Cloud from Final Fantasy VII
- Troops from the Warhammer franchise
- A big group shot of Pokemon cosplayers
- Gender-swapped Loki from the Thor universe
- Ahri from League of Legends
- Combat-ready Mario Brothers!
- Gender-swapped Kratos from God of War
- Another Pokemon cosplay group. I love that Rattatta!
2015 was a good year for comics filled with a ton of high quality titles and huge events that brought big stories and even bigger changes to some of the comic industry’s most beloved properties and universes. January 2016 continued that train of quality with a number of excellent books delivering stories grounded in superheroes, space opera, dance contests and more. As we move deeper into February, take a look back and check out Marshall Lemon, Grey Carter and Stew Shearer’s favorite comic books for the past month.
Secret Wars #9
Universe shaking mega events are sadly pretty common in the realm of comics. The miraculous thing about Secret Wars is that it was actually pretty good. While a few of the Battleworld books were mediocre, most of were a ton of fun, presenting readers with wonderfully wacky versions of their favorite characters and heroes. The main event, likewise, was really well done, telling the epic tale filled with great character moments and action on a titanic scale that even Marvel’s stable of heroes rarely experience. It’s only appropriate, in turn, that Secret Wars 9 bring the whole to a close in a way that feels both personal and tremendous. I won’t go too much into details to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn’t picked it up yet (what are you waiting for!?) , but I will say that the final confrontation between Dr. Doom and Reed Richards is perfect and will be remembered for years to come.
Favorite Moment: “Yes, damn you… Now die!”
-Stew
Superman: American Alien #3
From now on, when someone tells me “Superman isn’t interesting because he’s a boy scout”, I’m going to slap them in the face with American Alien. And they’ll deserve it. This is a book where Clark Kent sneaks into a party, gets completely drunk, and has sex with Wonder Woman‘s archenemy. And it’s all deeply compelling … even if he still slightly behaves like a goody two-shoes along the way.
American Alien #3 begins as Clark leaves Smallville following a break-up with Lana Lang. But when his plane crashes into the ocean, he’s “rescued” by Bruce Wayne’s birthday yacht, filled with the richest young adults of the DCU. And since Bruce never shows up to his own parties, Clark is immediately mistaken for the wealthy billionaire. So, like any normal person might do, he rolls with it, and comes to some surprise realizations about his future along the way.
What’s great about this American Alien is how it perfectly balances Clark’s self-discovery with a who’s-who of DC characters. Clark parties with Oliver Queen and Sue Dibny. He finds a surprising connection with a young archeologist named Barbara Minerva. Even Ra’s Al Ghul makes a brief appearance. And that’s not even a cameo I need to worry about spoiling – as you’ll see if you read it. Which you should.
Also, DC? If Max Landis pitches another Superman, take it. This stuff is better than Landis’ movies.
Favorite Moment: “No, I fine. Jus’ a li’l dizzy, maybe.”
-Marshall
Ekho Vol. 1: New York
The fact that most English-speaking comic fans have never heard of Alessandro Barbucci is, and I’m not exaggerating here, criminal. He’s one of the best artists in the business right now. His mix of insane religious symbolism and manga-inspired, curvy cheesecake in Sky Doll (another project in his long-running partnership with writer, Barbara Canepa) is fantastic in every sense of the word. His expressions, linework, background detail, color choices and color technique are all brilliant.
His new project, Ekho, a collaboration with French comics legend, Christophe Arleston, looks absolutely stunning. Barbucci’s character designs and colour work (mostly warm yellows and browns, with dips into deep blues for nighttime scenes) are fantastic as usual, but his background work steals the show here. Every panel is dense with detail. Even at just fifty pages, the first volume took me hours to read – there’s just so much going on in each page.
Unfortunately, it’s not just the quality of Barbucci’s art work that makes the comic more fun to look at than to read. The story itself is great. Fourmille, an aimless twenty-something, and Yuri, a computer engineer unlucky enough to be sitting next to Fourmille when the story starts, are sucked through a wormhole and trapped in a fantasy version of New York run by magically inclined squirrels. Fourmille inherits her recently deceased aunt’s talent agency while Yuri ends up sleeping rough and being hunted by monsters in central park. Things just get weirder from there, with the first volume focusing on Fourmille’s aunt and her suspicious demise. The story bounces along at a good pace and it never takes itself too seriously, but it’s clearly meant to be funny and most of the jokes fall flat thanks to the seriously awful translation.
No exaggeration, I have never seen a professional translation worse than this one. When characters aren’t speaking incoherent gibberish, the on-the-nose, literal translation of the dialogue make all the characters sound like middle-aged bank managers. Then there’s numerous typos and at least two instances of dialogue overlapping the edges of its own speech bubble. It’s rushed and clumsy, and a comic of this caliber deserves so much better.
Ekho is still strong enough to make my top 5 list for the month and hopefully volume 2 is more polished. I’d still advise waiting for the trade.
Favorite Moment: The comic’s first wide shot of the city.
-Grey
Silver Surfer #1
Relaunching with Dan Slott again at the helm, Silver Surfer 1 retains the wonderful the warm-heartedness that defined it pre-Secret Wars. Opening with the Surfer and his companion Dawn Greenwood on their way back to Earth, the duo foil an attempt by attacking aliens to steal the planet’s “resources.” Little do they suspect that the aliens weren’t after something typical like metal or fuel, but rather the Earth’s culture. Quickly returning with reinforcements, they suck the planet dry of its movies, music, books and art. Heading back into space to take back humanity’s creative accomplishments, Dawn and the Surfer engage in what has to be one of the most spectacularly goofy battles in the history of Marvel. The whole comic is an absolute joy and will bring a new smile to your face with each passing page.
Favorite Moment: “-If ever, oh ever a wiz there was, the Wizard of Oz is one because-“
-Stew
Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #1
I adored the original Leaving Megalopolis, a tale of ordinary civilians escaping a city of homicidal superheroes. So of course I took notice when Gail Simone and Jim Calafiore announced their sequel, Surviving Megalopolis, would be published as a Dark Horse mini-series. My only reservation was that I’d have to wait each month before reading a new chapter, unlike the first volume. Thankfully, that’s my only concern, since Surviving Megalopolis is off to a great start that fans of the original should love.
After the events of Leaving Megalopolis, the escaped survivors are trying to move on with their lives and handle an increased media presence. But there are still people inside Megalopolis, including a billionaire who was stopping by for a half-hour meeting. This billionaire’s wife hired a team of mercenaries to extract him, but they need guides – something these escaped survivors would be ideal for. And if they help, the mercenaries will sweeten the pot by saving Mina, the Leaving Megalopolis protagonist still trapped with the former heroes.
So far, Surviving Megalopolis is a worthy follow-up to Leaving that should take the premise in some interesting directions. On top of returning characters like Mina, we’re also taking a closer look at Megalopolis’ heroes – including a vigilante who seemingly wasn’t affected by whatever drove the heroes insane. While Leaving‘s gory violence hasn’t picked up again just yet, much of the tension behind it is still there – especially when you notice the background wreckage in Megalopolis’ waters.
In all, this is a great excuse to head back to Megalopolis. God help you.
Favorite Moment: “Well. Now I’m going to screw his fucking brains out.”
-Marshall
Injection #6
Six issues in and I still have no idea what’s going on in Injection. It’s got something to do with a unique think tank and a living computer that’s making magic real, I think? Like a lot of Warren Ellis’ work, Injection is hard to follow and expects the reader to do most of the heavy lifting when it comes to piecing the narrative together. And the narrative is certainly in pieces. With five lead characters, multiple flash-backs, and jumps between genres, Injection can be confusing.
Yet the characters hold it all together. They’re a fun subversion of the usual super genius team up tropes. You’ve got your usual suspects – a mad doctor, a hacker, a genius detective, a super spy and a wizard – but with the grim twists Ellis is known for. The characters are all damaged, either by their experiences with the now-disbanded “unit” and its secretive project “the injection,” or just by life in general.
Issue #6 finally gives genius detective, Vivek Headland, time to shine, and he’s hilarious. Vivek is a kind of way over-the-top take on the Holmes archetype (to the point where the other characters often criticize him for “Sherlock Holmes shit”). His dry personality contrasts beautifully with the genuinely mad shit he says. Example: This issue hinges on Vivek recognizing human meat from the taste. The look on his personal chef’s face when he explains how he identified the taste is priceless. Vivek could carry the comic on his own, but he works best when paired with the more down to earth characters.
Injection’s linework, courtesy of Irish artist Declan Shalvey (who previously collaborated with Ellis on Moon Knight), is workmanlike. I’m not a fan, but it’s strong enough to carry the comic. Jodie Bellaire’s (colorist for Pretty Deadly, Nowhere Men and Moon Knight color work is superb. As with Nowhere Men, she mostly relies on pale blues and greys to sell Vivek’s hyper-clean living environment, but she delves into lovely warm browns for Vivek’s hilariously rustic “human room.” There’s a wonderful flashback sequence done entirely in red and black that stands out. Great stuff.
As long as you’re willing to put some effort in [i]Injection is a great comic that mixes horror with dark humor to a wonderful effect.
Favorite Moment: Vivek is still mad about a lichen sandwich his chef made for him in issue #2. “Sandwiches for our guest. Nothing with lichen in. Or my vengeance will be so nuclear in its savagery that your ruined corpse will travel back in time and explode inside your mother’s womb.”
-Grey
Ms. Marvel #3
Much like Silver Surfer 1, Ms. Marvel 3 earns a spot on January’s round up thanks to its pronounced ability to make the reader smile. With Ms. Marvek, G. Willow Wilson has frequently demonstrated that she is probably one of the most human writers that Marvel has. She’s in top form in Ms. Marvel 3, especially in the section where Kamala has to handle an awkward team-up with Michaela, the new girlfriend of her former sort-of love interest. Whereas past issues have seen her acting upset and irrational toward this romantic interloper, the circumstances force her to finally engage with someone she’d been hating from a distance and realize that she’s actually a pretty cool person too. It’s small, genuine exchanges like that that make this book such a treat.
Favorite Moment: “Time to science.”
-Stew
Clean Room #4
Clean Room‘s first issues introduced a dangerous cult with a massive following and more money than God. While that cult is still plenty scary, we’re starting to get a sense that what it’s investigating is far worse. It seems Astrid’s organization isn’t about uplifting people’s lives: It’s learning the truth behind demonic presences within the human subconscious. And after years of experimenting on the mentally ill and psychotic, Astrid finally has one trapped inside her Clean Room. The only problem being that she’s also trapped with it.
Meanwhile, the creatures already released from subconscious prisons are hunting Chloe, who’s convinced she’s being harassed by Blue Utopian followers. Which is an easy mistake when the Blue Utopians actually are harassing you.
Each new danger and mystery in Clean Room has built up to a sense of dread you can pretty much cut with a knife at this point. And unlike some horror stories, these characters are well-developed and likable enough that you don’t want anything bad to happen to them. Even some of the cultists. (I personally didn’t expect to like Astrid’s bodyguard at this point, but here we are.)
At this point, two things are clear: Something terrible is going to happen in Clean Room, and I won’t be able to look away.
Favorite Moment: “Because you’re our neighbor, Miss Pierce. You have a fine, sleepy-sweet night, hear?”
-Marshall
Space Mullet!
The term “webcomic” feels antiquated at this point. It brings to mind poorly compressed .gif monstrosities about two gamers, one of which is always clad in a backwards baseball cap, sitting on a couch and making jokes about fucking watermelons or whatever. Even the big, narrative-driven webcomics of the early 00’s felt like compromises – like we were trading production values and technical skill for extended universes and geeky references. But that’s not the case any more. The net’s growth into a cultural cornerstone and the most important market place has brought a glut of professional talent into the field of digital comics. Talent that isn’t creating what are traditionally thought of as “webcomics” (though they still exist, I write one) but “comics.” Comics that can stand with the best that print media has to offer.
Example: Daniel Warren Johnson’s Space Mullet has some of the best action sequences in comics, period. They’re fast, loud and brutal, combining the heavy use of action lines and tech fetishism of 90s manga with the innovative typographical work of American superhero comics and the densely textured gore of 2000AD circa the late 1980s. Starkly drawn in black, white and blue, Johnson’s art starts a bit rough, with lines just a touch too thick and a little bit too much empty page space to sell his gritty style, but by the excellent opening to chapter 3 he finds his groove, and by chapter 4 his tent is firmly pitched somewhere between Katsuhiro Otomo and Frank Quietly. Visually, it’s top notch stuff.
And despite the comic’s unassuming title, there’s a decent story to be had here as well. The plot isn’t spectacularly original, a disgraced former marine with a dark, secret, his alien friend who turns out to be important back on his home planet, psychic alien child, tough space chick, etc, but Johnson embraces these cliches and cleverly weaves them into a surprisingly complex and fleshed out universe. He humanizes it all with, well worn but still endearing character beats. Space Mullet is definitely self aware and referential, but it doesn’t overdo the “look what I did here, wink wink,” irony. It’s a space opera, which is an inherently cheesy genre, but it’s a genuine one.
You can read Space Mullet here.
Favorite Moment: When Jonah finally cuts lose and empties a pistol magazine into a sword-wielding, humanoid T-Rex.
-Grey
Star Wars #15
With Marvel’s first big Star Wars crossover, Vader Down, coming to a close, Star Wars-writer Jason Aaron opted to deliver a smaller personal story before hopping into the series next big arc. And honestly, as I said the last time Star Wars turned its eye toward post-prequels/pre-OT Obi-Wan, I kind of wish the book would focus all of its attention here.
When issue 15 begins, Obi-Wan is still watching over Luke from afar. Far from a silent protector however, he’s spent his time on Tatooine actively intervening in local affairs. Fighting raiders, meddling with Jabba the Hutt; he’s found it almost impossible to quell his instinct to help people. This comes to a head when young Luke crashes his T-16 and Uncle Owen refuses to buy the parts needed to repair it. Hoping to the help Luke any way he can, Obi-Wan makes a bargain with some Jawas to get the parts for the damaged Skyhopper. This leads to an angry confrontation with Owen where he accuses Obi-Wan of jeopardizing Luke’s life with his antics.
The issue overall just does a great job of fleshing out details that were never fully explored by the original films themselves. We see more of Obi-Wan as he struggles with his life post-Revenge of the Sith and we get a deeper inkling into the concerns that were driving Uncle Owen in his later attempts to dissuade Luke from getting closer to “that crazy old wizard.” The comic ended on a cliffhanger and I look forward to seeing what happens next in issue 16.
Favorite Moment: “Haven’t you murdered enough Skywalkers already, Kenobi?”
-Stew
Wolf #5
It’s official: I have no idea what’s happening in Wolf anymore. Its first storyline packed an entire season’s worth of supernatural plotlines into four issues, ending with a cliffhanger that left me wondering if the apocalypse was starting. Now we’ve five years in the future, and Earth’s still here. Wolf is locked up in a prison while the teenage antichrist slaughters cattle in a remote desert. I’m utterly confused about what’s happened between issues and where the series is going – but I don’t much care. Wolf is unusual, but it’s still so fun and well-presented that I’m happy to enjoy the ride.
If you’re new to the series, it follows a seemingly immortal magician named Wolf who looks out for the supernatural community in Los Angeles. Last month, he was caring for a young girl – Anita – bred to start the apocalypse. (Also, she’s a werewolf. But that’s not important right now.) The good news is if Anita was an Antichrist, she wasn’t old enough to start the End Times. The bad news is with the time jump, she’s about to turn 18. Wolf is now the only person who might help Anita straighten everything out, and he’s imprisoned by enemies who drain his blood to fuel their soldiers.
Wolf deals in several common supernatural tropes – like monsters living in plain sight or apocalypses looming just around the corner – but still spins them in fresh and hilarious ways. Like the Yeti who claims he’s glamoured to resemble George Clooney, or the relationship between a vampire and a kind-hearted eldritch-spawn. There’s a lot to break down in each Wolf issue, but that just means there’s a great chance of finding something you’ll love. If you’re looking for a unique take on the supernatural, give Wolf a read.
Favorite Moment: “Well… to tell the truth… I feel up for some kinky roleplay.”
-Marshall
(Seshiji o Pin! to – Shikakou Kyougi Dance-bu e Youkoso)
It says a lot about the diversity of manga that Straighten Up! Welcome to Shika High’s Competitive Dance Club isn’t the only manga about competitive ballroom dancing in my reading list. It is, however, definitely the most adorable.
On its surface, Straighten Up! sticks quite rigidly to the traditional sports-manga formula. Looking to boost their self confidence, pint-sized leads, Tsuchiya and Watari, join their highschool dancesport club. Competitions, rivalries and drama soon follow, but what sets Staighten Up! apart from the more the more serious Sweep the Dancefloor (Ballroom e Youkoso) is its innate sense of fun and surprisingly subversive sense of humour.
The denizens of the school’s dance club are a funny bunch. There’s Masumi, the comically muscular club president who’s also a literal monster on the dance floor; his elegant partner Rio; and the two second-year dancers, Akiyo and Yamaki, who channel their spiteful, antagonistic partnership into comically overblown, fiery Latin dance. Tsuchiya and Watari meanwhile, are almost comically undersized, and, in a funny twist, not actually very good. It’s actually kind of refreshing to have sports manga leads who aren’t physically-gifted prodigies. Instead, the childlike pair just love dancing, and their perseverance in the face of (repeated) failure is endearing. And that isn’t the only way that Straighten Up! subverts expectations. There’s quite a lot of jokes that have characters subtly breaking the fourth wall, commenting on the needs of the story as a whole, or the stereotypical roles they’re forced to take on. It’s fun, if slight, stuff.
Strong art, sexy characters and cute expression work keep the comedy/drama flowing, but it’s the dance sequences that really stand out. Tsuchiya and Watari’s joyful, clumsy waltzes are cute, full of bold angles and exaggerated expressions, while the higher-level dancing is drawn almost like a fight sequence, complete with powerful posing, a wonderful sense of motion and dramatic reaction shots.
Straighten Up! hasn’t been released in English (yet) but Underdog Scans are keeping up with releases. As usual, I advise you to avoid for-profit manga aggregators like Mangafox and its ilk and get your manga directly from the scanlators where possible. If you like the manga, please buy a copy if it’s ever released in the west.
Favorite Moment: Basically any of the two-page spreads with Akiyo and Yamaki. They’re brilliant.
-Grey
All-New X-Men #3
I haven’t been altogether too impressed with the post-Secret Wars crop of X-Men comics. They haven’t been especially bad or anything, they’ve mostly just felt a bit “meh.” The problem, in my view, is that Marvel is falling into one of the biggest traps that comics get caught in. Everything has to be big all the time. Mutankind is once again on the brink of extinction and the X-Men have to find a way to safe guard their species and prove they have a place in the blah blah blah. I’d say the stakes couldn’t be higher but this pretty much seems like the norm for mutant at this point.
What’s have to All-New X-Men 3 you ask? Well, much like the previous All-New X-Men series, this one is distinguishing itself by keeping its focus relatively tight. The first three issues haven’t been about the looming doom threatening mutankind. They’ve been about Scott Summers (the time-displaced one) trying to figure out his role in a world where his older self has put placed a permanent black mark on his name. I’ve always thought the X-Men books were at their best when they focused on characters rather than events. All-New X-Men provides ample evidence that that is still the case.
Favorite Moment: “Making mistakes while mutant shouldn’t earn someone a bullet. It doesn’t have to start a war.”
-Stew
Southern Bastards # 13
I’ve never considered myself to be especially interested in sports. While I’ll certainly watch them to pass the time, I’m rarely concerned with any strategies or the statistics of players in the field. So it’s really telling that Southern Bastards‘ thirteenth issue – which is nothing more than a Homecoming game – actually sucked me and left me rooting for Coach Boss. Who, in case you’ve forgotten, is still a vicious fucking crime lord.
Of course, that criminal lifestyle certainly adds tension to the proceedings. As the Homecoming game quickly favors the away team, Boss is appearing weak before the entire town – something he cannot afford after his handling of Earl Tubb. But events on the field are no less brutal, especially as the home team is literally crushed by a star player while angry parents scream from the sidelines. This game effectively encapsulates everything awful about football, while still spinning an underdog story that leaves you praying for it to turnaround in the last corner.
On its own, Southern Bastards #13 isn’t advancing the story in a substantial way. But it’s hard to deny the foreshadowing at play, especially if Tubb’s daughter finally returns home next issue. The question is whether after all that’s happened you’ll actually feel some sympathy for Boss when the real conflict finally begins.
Go Rebs.
Favorite Moment: Coach Boss’ speech.
-Marshall
X-Men: Worst X-Man Ever
So a word of warning before you delve into this one: I do not give even the slimmest part of a fraction of a fuck about the X-Men. I’ve seen the movies and I’ve got fond memories of the cartoon, but my interest in the universe is limited to the occasional stand-alone and X23 comic. Ergo, I have no idea how or if Worst X-Man Ever fits into the X-Men canon or if its take on the franchises’ characters are authentic. That, my friends, is the realm of cape shit, and I don’t do cape shit. That’s Stew’s job.
But yeah, Worst X-Man Ever is funny enough to warrant a look, even if you’re not a fan of the series. It has a cute setup. Bailey is a bland adolescent whose only noteworthy quality is his distinct lack of noteworthy qualities. When he discovers he’s a mutant, he’s overjoyed, thinking his new superpowers will make him more interesting. Unfortunately for Bailey, his powers are complete shit. He can explode at will, but lacking any healing factor or a way to reform himself afterward, the explosion would be instantly fatal.
“At least I have you guys,” says a dejected Bailey to his parents as they leave the X-Mansion.
His parents are promptly crushed to death by a sentinel landing on the mansion’s lawn.
That’s the first in a series of laugh-out-loud moments in Worst X-Man Ever. Now an orphan, Bailey joins the latest generation of the X-Men as its least useful member. There’s a lot of jokes at the expense of the series’ long-running narratives and frequent retcons, but Worst mostly trades on contrasting Bailey’s boring teenage problems against the silly background of a superhero serial. He’s almost seduced by Mystique, kidnapped by Magneto, dragged into fights, etc. At one point he discovers an Omega-level mutant who can rewrite reality at will. She turns out to be just as boring as he is. They bond.
The art by Continuum artist, Michael Walsh, is honestly pretty shabby, but it actually fits the comics offbeat nature. Say Anything frontman, Max Bemis, pens the scripts, and his sharp dialogue and inventive story turns are doing most of the heavy lifting. Normally, I’d expect a comic like this to end with a belabored point about how everyone is special, powers or not, but I’m also half expecting a sudden curve-ball in the final issue. I guess we’ll find out when #5 hits this month.
Favorite Moment: “When it comes to my talents, I’m pretty much the Macklemore of the scene.”
-Grey
Oh, I’m sorry, were you expecting some kind of seasonal greeting? Perhaps a friendly acknowledgement of the passing of the year? No. I think not. That’s not how it works here any more. Stew is gone. Off to visit his “family” so that they may huddle together against the cold. It’s just me and Marshall now. Do you know what that means? It means no capes. It means you’ll have to look at art made by artists instead of corporate slaves working in some kind of Batman-farm in eastern China. You’ll have to go elsewhere for your X-Man and your Spiderguy and your Wolferines. You’ll find none of that here. No sir.
Okay there is, like, one Superman comic in there, but it’s really good. We promise.
We Can Never Go Home
Two teenagers on the run. One has a gun. The other has superpowers. My favorite comic of 2015.
The plot of We Can Never Go Home feels vague and familiar, like it’s been picked from the bones of a dozen Midwestern road movies and mashed back together again, but endearing characters, tight dialogue and some of the crispest art I’ve ever seen makes the five-part mini-series a must read.
Let’s start with the art. And oh man, the art. All the sample pages below are linework samples I snagged from artist, Josh Hood’s, personal site. The actual comic is in color, and it’s a decent color job, but it’s the linework that stands out. It’s bold and expressive, yet controlled enough for fine detail. Hood isn’t afraid to bathe the entire page in ink if it gets his point across, but he can also rock a twenty-five panel (25!) page and still capture subtle facial detail. We Can Never Go Home wouldn’t just work without colour, I’d pay extra for a black and white version; That’s how good the linework is.
Like the art, the comics two leads are vividly defined. Popular-gal-with-a-secret, Madison, is an adorable snark-machine who can punch a car in half. It’d be easy for her to come off as smug, but Rosenberg and Kindlon nail that dichotomy of confidence and vulnerability that makes the gifted likable. Madison is a breakout character; The kind of self-aware heroine that’s selling gangbusters in Marvel’s lineups, but with that realistic bite you rarely find in cape comics. After accidentally killing her friend Duncan’s abusive father with her superpowers, the two teenagers go on the run.
While the series’ muddled ending ends up making the whole affair feel like an origin story for Madison, oddly enough it’s Duncan who gets the most meaningful character development. Twenty years ago, Duncan would be the hero of this story, no questions asked. The bullied outsider becoming an anti-hero, saving the girl and proving his worth? Classic. But in 2015, the age of the “active shooter,” there’s something much more sinister about the skinny white kid picking up a gun and turning it on his abusers. The discomfort is deliberate and We Can Never Go Home plays with that imagery a lot. Duncan is likable in an inept kind of way, yet we keep catching glimpses of his instability in the way he escalates situations that push Madison into violently using her powers. This bubbling undercurrent of unpredictability gives the comic a wonderful sense of tension.
At only five issues, We Can Never Go Home felt a bit rushed, and the late introduction of a lame villain made the final issue the worst in its far too short run. Still, I’m definitely on board for the second series that’s slated to hit shelves sometime in 2016.
Best Moment: “You love being doomed.”
-Grey
The Sheriff of Babylon #1
The Sheriff of Babylon is my favorite new comic series of 2015. Yes, it’s a single issue released in December, but I still couldn’t get enough of it. After reaching the last page, I flipped to start and read the whole thing again. Then I repeated that process five times. Everything about this book just works, from premise to execution, and I cannot wait to learn more about its characters. Which just makes it all the more impressive that Sheriff of Babylon‘s first issue hasn’t even got to its central plot yet.
Sheriff of Babylon takes place in Baghdad’s Green Zone, 2003. American soldiers patrol the streets, but without an Iraqi police force, investigating crimes is a barely addressed challenge. So when an idealistic American contractor learns one of his trainees was murdered, his only option is Nassir – one of the last police officers remaining in the country.
This first issue sets aside the entire murder investigation to focus on standalone moments in the lives of central characters. Chris Henry attempts to talk a suicide bomber out of her chosen task. Nassir decides how to handle the grief of losing his daughters. And then there’s Sofia – an American-educated Iraqi connected to both the Iraqi Council and the Baghdad criminal underworld. Each story is brutally compelling, ramming home the point that even if Sheriff of Babylon‘s central crime is solved, Baghdad’s injustices are beyond counting.
If you only have time for one comic this month, make it this one. You won’t be disappointed.
Favorite Moment: Sofia’s arc. Every panel of it.
-Marshall
Airboy
Airboy’s final issue came out in November, but there’s definitely a trade on the way, so it’s going on the list.
Including yourself as a character in your own narrative is masturbatory. Take it from me, I do it quite often and I’ve always got one hand down my trousers the whole time. But if you’re going to release a comic that’s essentially four issues of elaborate, tarp-and-essential-oils-level meat beating, you should probably throw in a few jokes. James Robison certainly does in his take on Airboy.
They’re bloody good jokes too.
So let’s get this out of the way first. If you’re looking for a faithful, reverent update of the golden age hero, you’re not going to find it here. Despite the comic bearing his name, Airboy doesn’t even appear till the end of issue #1, and he’s a supporting character at best. Instead, Robinson uses the license to write about himself writing Airboy. Stick with me. The whole “writer writing about writing” thing would be obnoxious if it wasn’t so raw. Robinson’s fictionalized version of himself is a cartoonish, burnout degenerate. He cheats on his wife, hates everything and abuses drugs and alcohol to distract himself from his ailing career. He’s brought on to write a reboot of 1940s, golden-age hero, Airboy, with the help of wide-eyed new-to-the-industry artist, Greg Hinkle (who also appears as himself). Instead, Robinson drags Hinkle out on a drug-fueled bar crawl which ends with them getting utterly smashed, snorting heroin and taking part in a threesome. Then Airboy turns up. The actual character. In the real world. It gets kind of weird from there.
The clash between Airboy(the character)’s 1940s sensibilities and Robinson’s modern cynicism fuels the second issue, and it’s genuinely funny, if crass, material. While the subtext of Robinson being unable to live up to to the 1940s, Naxi-fighting standard of traditional manhood that Airboy represents is obvious, it isn’t a straight-up “be the better man” piece. Despite his moral posturing, Airboy is just as flawed as Robinson and Hinkle, only in different ways. He’s brave and righteous, but also a bigot and a snob, and seeing the worst attitudes of his era crash up against the worst excesses of ours is as bitter as it is funny.
The comics’ debauchery is hilarious but often comes close to the bone. Robinson’s and Hinkle’s drug fueled bender is exciting and funny, but it’s also grotesque and mean. Hinkle’s art is the same, dense with disgusting detail. Technically great, but never beautiful. Always gross and sticky, stretched and exaggerated. He was a perfect choice for the project. He also draws himself with a massive cock, a move so immature it makes me laugh every time I think about it.
But while Airboy is crass and insensitive, it’s also smart. There’s been a lot of writers writing about writing lately, but none of it felt as relatable to me as Robinson’s brutal depiction of the despair of a journeyman writer. Robinson himself was an up and coming star in the early 90s, but he never quite became truly great. He’s been quietly putting out work for the big two for the past two decades, but he’s largely remembered for his (awful) screenplay for the disastrous movie adaptation of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Robinson reflects on that failure, as well as his many others in a somber, but hopeful final issue.
A fantastic mini-series.
Best Moment: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen gag.
“I haven’t understood a single thing you’ve just said. LXG? Is that a code for a rocket?” “No. A bomb.”
-Grey
James Bond #3
How did I miss that Dynamite was publishing a James Bond comic book? Or that its creative team was Warren Ellis and James Masters? Or that it reimagines the Ian Fleming version of Bond in modern day? Or that it’s absolutely amazing? Somehow I missed all these details until this month, but there was one benefit: I was able to be surprised they existed and enjoy the first three issues in a single afternoon. And the end result absolutely lives up to your best expectations.
The first storyline, “Vargr”, follows Bond shortly after avenging the death of a fellow 00 agent. Now 007 has to settle his former colleague’s caseload, of which the most urgent mission involves stopping a new drug from gaining a foothold in England. Bond immediately heads to Berlin to stop the drug at its source, but finds a much bigger operation than expected – one eager to prevent a British spy from snooping in its business.
Dynamite’s James Bond does a great job handling all the 007 elements fans love – intense fight sequences, witty dialogue, eerie yet memorable villains, and more. But perhaps my favorite aspect of this Bond incarnation is how it balances the flawed protagonist from the novels with the cinematic action of the films. Fans of the movies will feel right at home, despite an investigative storyline that’s even more grounded than Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale seemed at the time.
Whatever kind of Bond fan you may be, Ellis and Masters new James Bond will have something for you. Reading with a drink that’s shaken, but not stirred, is entirely optional.
Favorite Moment: “Give me my bloody gun.”
-Marshall
Tomboy #2
Mia Goodwin’s Tomboy is a vigilante revenge thriller with a magical girl twist, and it’s absolutely fantastic. Guided by what may be a hallucination or an actual magical fairy, 16-year-old Addison Brody wreaks bloody vengeance on the corrupt cops and corporate conspirators responsible for the death of her boyfriend. Complicating matters are her dad, a cop who ends up investigating Addison’s murders, and her grandfather, who knows more about her violent tendencies that he initially lets on.
I’m only two issues into Tomboy, and while I’m disappointed it’s not the straight-up deconstruction of the genre I was expecting, I’m definitely hooked. Tomboy plays up its Japanese influences with obvious homages (There’s a Perfect Blue reference in issue #1 that you’ll struggle to miss) and covers that pull from various anime and manga , but at its heart, it’s a western tale. Goodwin seems far more interested in using the magical girl aesthetic for contrast that talking about the genre itself. And that’s fine, it’s a strong artistic approach and it catches the eye, but if you go in looking for something like Madoka Magica I think you’ll likely come away disappointed.
Which isn’t to say Tomboy doesn’t work on its own terms. The conspiracy stuff is cookie cutter thus far, explained away in a couple of panels so that Addison can have a supply of villainous victims to beat to death, but the mystery surrounding her mental state will keep you guessing. At first, it appears that the creepy magical girl prompting Addison to violence is a straight-up hallucination, but there’s just as many hints indicating her capacity for violence is an inherited trait, or even a bonafide superpower. There’s tons of characters (so many that Addison barely appears in issue #2) but Goodwin is clearly laying the groundwork for something interesting.
The art is strong too, with a nice, sharp modern style full of expressive faces and strong color theming throughout. Goodwin is at her best when she’s abusing pastels to sell the sweet magical girl angle, but her abrupt cuts to deeper blues and reds for the comics’ understated, but gruesome, violence are very effective.
Strong stuff. Bring on #3.
Favorite Moment: The creepy magical girl’s theory on violence. “It’s only wrong if you’re a bad person.”
-Grey
The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #2
The Dark Knight III‘s first issue already surprised me by being rather good. Now the second issue managed to up its game with strong character development, action scenes, and a shift into superpowered violence that somehow blends wonderfully with everything that came before.
Former Robin Carrie Kelly has been arrested, bringing Gotham’s latest media controversy to a close. But it still raises a new mystery: What happened to Bruce Wayne? Carrie eventually reveals why the original Batman has been missing since the events of The Dark Knight Strikes Again, and it’s certainly a good story – perhaps a little too good to be true. Meanwhile, the Atom finally discovers a way to free Kandor’s trapped citizens, only for a new Kryptonian villain to subvert the event for his own ends.
I’m impressed by how The Dark Knight III is balancing its varied plot elements. The book moves seamlessly from slow-paced character moments, to fast-paced vehicle combat, to the introduction of a terrifying Superman-level threat, giving every scene its moment to shine. That means Dark Knight III can introduce its larger world beyond Gotham City without feeling like it’s left the street-level storylines behind. (Much like Strikes Again did.) The next question will be how Dark Knight III handles a full-blown superhero battle – which you can almost certainly expect next month
One more thing: Carrie might be lying though her teeth, but you’ll be hard-pressed to imagine a more heartwrenching ending to Batman’s career than the one seen in this issue.
Favorite Moment: “I always thought I’d die alone.” “You’re not alone, boss. You’re not alone.”
-Marshall
Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat! #1
Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat! is the comic that angry young man on Twitter warned you about. It’s fun, diverse and saccharine. A superhero comic that’s more about friendship and day-to-day struggles than punching monsters in the face. There’s only one straight white guy in the first issue; He’s wearing a fedora and the main character hangs him from a statue for being a jerk. Make of that what you will.
Written by webcartoonist, Kate Leth, of Kate or Die fame and drawn by Brittney Williams (Legend of Korra and tons of cool tumblr shit), *Hellcat!* is another cute, self-aware and irreverent update of a classic character in the vein of Ryan North’s Squirrel Girl run. It doesn’t take Marvel’s complex world of inbred cape folk too seriously, using it as a backdrop for what appears to be an endearing slice-of-superhero-life comedy. It’s closer to Broad City than Daredevil.
Leth paints Hellcat as a goofy, hyperactive pixie, glossing over what I assume to be years of grimdark capeshit with a few single-panel nods to her apparently complex backstory. Is Leth’s take true to the character? I honestly don’t give a shit. This version is fun, endearing and perhaps just a little too eager to use her apparently legendary martial arts skills on unsuspecting not-quite villains. By the end of the first issue she’s moved in with a new roommate and resolved to get a job in retail. Like I said, cute stuff. I think I like this first issue so much because it reminds me of slice-of-life webcomics circa 2002. It’s the same kind of light, dramedy fluff you can gorge on for six hours at a time and still end up wanting more. It’s like popcorn. Or heroin.
Oh and Brittney Williams was a perfect choice art-wise. Her colour work is a little flat, but she can slip from cutsey abstraction to heavy black shadow work at a whim. She’s got a gift for fresh, modern takes on the golden-age aesthetics, as she demonstrates with this absolutely superb take on Superman and his daily planet crew.
So yeah, I think there’s definitely space for more comics like this among the forty issue epics about Venom eating children or whatever else is going on in capesville.
Favorite Moment: “You sleep in a closet?” “Uh, so did the world’s greatest wizard? So…”
-Grey
Superman: American Alien #2
Remember that scene in Batman: Year One where Bruce Wayne tries to catch his first criminal, and it doesn’t go as smoothly as planned? How come Superman rarely has moments like that? Most origin stories depict the young Clark Kent gracefully saving the day without any complications, encouraging him to start his heroic journey. But he’s also an inexperienced teenager who’s barely tested his super strength and heat vision outside of his farm. That’s a potentially horrific combination – and the central premise of this month’s Superman: American Alien.
After Smallville experiences its most violent crime in decades, Clark decides to use his growing powers to find the perpetrators. There’s just one problem – he’s literally an invulnerable teenager who doesn’t quite know how to bring criminals in safely. I’ll let you read what happens for yourself, but it’s safe to say Clark did not think this through, creating one of the darkest scenes printed in a Superman comic.
But despite it all, this is still a Superman comic first and foremost. Instead of going for edgy, Dark Age-era “violence for violence’s sake” nonsense, Clark balances it with a strong sense of humanity. He stumbles through French lessons with Lana, gets teased by his friends, and is immensely embarrassed about the implications of X-Ray vision. And most importantly, he walks away from it learning something that will make him a better hero. (Not to mention explains why Superman insists on holding back when fighting enemies.)
Favorite Moment: “People’s bodies are all smushed by their clothes and they look… Stop laughing.”
-Marshall
We Stand On Guard #6
I’ve been loving We Stand On Guard from the beginning, so it’s no surprise that I immensely enjoyed its final issue. The climactic last stand of the Canadian Two Four against the American army was just as explosive and dramatic as I’d wanted it to be. But what I didn’t expect- but really should have, considering this is the last issue of a Brian K Vaughn book – was a morally ambiguous ending that left me questioning a lot of what happened so far.
Back in Issue 1 (wow was that really six months ago?), We Stand On Guard implied the United States believed Canada was responsible for the terrorist attack which killed its President. And when the vengeful Amber finally confronts “the American” tasked with defeating the Two Four, she also finds evidence that this theory was correct – and Amber’s mother was involved. But the American is also a master of disinformation. Could this be another trick to stop the Two Four at the last moment?
No idea. Much like Y: The Last Man and Ex Machina‘s finales, We Stand On Guard has no direct answers. And while this particular battle has a clear (explosive) conclusion, it’s the reader who decides whether the Two Four are heroes, or a terrorist group whose actions made things worse for Americans and Canadians alike. Or maybe both. Vaughn has teased that We Stand On Guard‘s story may continue at some point, but for now this is a solid ending to a great series. If you haven’t read it yet, I encourage you to head back to Issue 1 and read it for yourself.
Favorite Moment: “You know what really happens when you blow up a kid’s parents? You don’t get some noble defender of Justice. You get me.”
-Marshall
Code Pru
Here’s a horrifying admission that will no-doubt offend your comic-loving sensibilities; I’m not entirely one hundred percent on board with Garth Ennis. The quality of his work is undeniable, but it’s always been just a little bit too mean for me. Preacher, The Authority and The Boys are brilliantly written and piss-your-pants funny but there’s a nihilistic edge to them that I’ve never really cared for.
So it’s always nice to see Ennis lighten up a little bit. The first issue of Code Pru would be a pitch black comedy by most writers’ standards, but for an Ennis-helmed comic that isn’t part of the big two, it’s practically serene. The first issue opens with a group of hapless goth girls trying to complete a magic ritual while the titular Pru, med student and resident cynic, makes fun of them from the sidelines. It’s typical Ennis stuff; Pru is the voice of reason and common sense, while her arch enemy and wannabe goth princess Lisa, is a pretentious loon there to be derided. It’s funny, but hardly ground-breaking stuff. The issue’s second plot thread; Which features a human jailor playing monopoly with a locked up Lovecraftian monster that clearly thinks he’s a bit of a prat gets most of the laughs. The writhing mass of tentacles and eyeballs has a very human character, and the contrast is inherently funny. There’s something absolutely hilarious about a tentacle monster squinting at a monopoly card while telling its opponent to suck its balls.
The art by Crossed: Badlands artist, Raulo Caceres, is decent, but I’ll admit I’m getting a little sick of Avatar’s chunky style. Still, Caceres is a good pick this time around. He’s a little overzealous with his hatching, but he’s a dab hand at detailing eldritch abominations and he’ll likely excell at the seemingly inevitable extreme violence Ennis’ work is known for. Keeping the comic in black and white was a great decision, giving it a wonderful 1980s, exploitation, schlock horror comic vibe.
I strongly suspect Code Pru is going to get a lot more gruesome as it goes on, but thus far it’s funny enough to keep me on board.
Favorite Moment: The twenty foot tall seething mass of tentacles breaking out the Monopoly board. “I want to be the little dog this time.”
-Grey
What were you thankful for during November’s holiday season? If you’re a comic book reader, probably the massive amount of quality work to come out in a single month. Marvel Comics has wrapped up its Secret Wars event, letting it introduce a changed universe. The Darth Vader Down event began, uniting most Star Wars titles in an epic battle with the Sith Lord. Saga returned to print while Brian K. Vaughn continued his impressive output across multiple titles. Meanwhile, Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello teamed up for a new Dark Knight sequel – and it doesn’t suck.
Whether you love mainstream superheroes, or creator-owned indie books, there’s something for everyone this week. Grey Carter, Marshall Lemon, and Stew Shearer have listed their favorites, but let’s get started with the biggest elephant in the room:
The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1
It’s hard to imagine a creator with a more tumultuous Batman history than Frank Miller. The Dark Knight Returns and Batman: Year One were two of the most important Batman comics ever published, a one-two punch which catapulted Miller into mass media stardom. Then The Dark Knight Strikes Again fell on its face, All-Star Batman & Robin was critically reviled, and Holy Terror, Batman was considered so offensive that DC refused to publish it. So when Miller announced he was working on a new Batman book – a new Dark Knight sequel in fact – you can imagine the anxiety and horror that rippled across the comic book world.
The good news? The Dark Knight III: The Master Race is actually pretty good, reading far closer in spirit to Returns than any of Miller’s sequels or spin-offs.
Set several years after DK2‘s revolution, Batman emerges from obscurity when Gotham’s police officers start shooting down black youth. After images of the battle are shared online, a political media scandal puts pressure on Commissioner Yindel to stop Batman once and for all. Meanwhile, Wonder Woman commands the Amazons from their rainforest home, Superman has permanently withdrawn to his Fortress of Solitude, and Lara has begun a new quest – restore the people of Kandor to their regular size.
The Dark Knight III‘s first issue lays a basic groundwork for future issues to build on, but it’s a promising start all the same. It even downplays most of DK2‘s cosmic strangeness while still keeping minor elements tucked into the background. (Like how the President must take DNA tests to prove he exists.) That allows DK3 to focus on the gritty, vigilante-inspired action which made Returns worth reading. Speaking of vigilantism, Batman fighting multiple corrupt police officers again really fits the character, and is more than a little relevant given recent tragedies. And when superpowered acts do occur – most notably when Wonder Woman fights a mythical creature – it’s treated with just enough otherworldly reverence to intrigue the reader instead of overwhelming them.
It’s still pretty early, but for the first time in years, I’m excited for a new Frank Miller Batman book. Here’s hoping future issues live up to what started here.
Favorite Moment: Batman fighting the police.
-Marshall
Superman: American Alien #1
There are a lot of Superman origin stories out there – The Man of Steel, Birthright, Secret Origins, and many more. Most of them are pretty good, too. But very few strike that balance where Superman feels like a relatable human being. Usually, they’re just a little too quick to treat Clark Kent like a well-adjusted, compassionate superhero the moment he leaves his rocket. Well, Superman: American Alien is not that kind of story. And thank Rao for that, because it really helps this series stand out from the rest.
To be clear, the Clark Kent of American Alien isn’t a bad kid. He’s just a child first, viewing the world with a terror and wonder many adults have since forgotten about. He has no pretensions of being a great hero, he’s simply afraid of what’s happening to him as his powers emerge. And once he finally has a grasp on his abilities, he embraces them with the innocent joy that only a child can.
Add the emotional ups and downs of parents who have no idea how to handle superpowers, but love and protect their son all the same, and you have a heartfelt take on the world’s greatest superhero. (The memorabilia table on the last page is especially powerful if you read all the notes carefully.) And that’s just Issue 1, with others promising very different takes on Clark Kent as he grows up. I, for one, am really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
Favorite Moment: “Why didn’t he put shoes on?” “I was too scared.”
-Marshall
The Sandman: Overture Deluxe Edition
As I said for our holiday gift-guide, Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman is one of the most significant and influential comics ever published. The entire scope of history, fantasy realms, and obscure elements from DC lore were its playground, all merged together into a single metaphysical setting. But there was one story Gaiman never got around to telling – the events of the cosmic war which left Dream weakened before the very first issue. Twenty years later, The Sandman: Overture finally tells this story, and it does not disappoint.
After reading the Deluxe Hardcover edition, what strikes me most is how much Gaiman was able to pack into a single storyline. You have Dream’s journeys to the edges of space, the limits of time, and the heart of a black hole. Epic threats which wipe out multiple civilizations. Returning characters from the entire length and breadth of Sandman‘s original run. New elements of Sandman lore, up to and including Dream’s parents. And most importantly, you have a story that wonderfully balances the cosmic with the personal – effortlessly moving from interstellar devastation to individual tragedies without missing a beat.
Combined, Overture is everything you’d want from a Sandman story and more. The only disappointing thing is that when you finish the last page, you’ll find yourself missing and longing for new Endless tales all over again.
Favorite Moment: “He is laughing.”
-Marshall
We Stand On Guard #5
Oh boy, here we go!
As much as I’ve enjoyed We Stand On Guard so far, it’s been a little lackluster in the giant robot fight department. While last issue was a great change of pace, this month gets even better. On one side of the Battlefield are the Two-Four, Canadian insurgents piloting an enormous tank. And across from them is a floating Doom Fortress controlled by the United States of America. The clash is just as impressive as it sounds, evidence that We Stand On Guard wasn’t lacking in action: It was just saving up.
But Issue 5 isn’t only unique for its action sequences – it also raises the stakes of battle. The entire combat takes place over a major Canadian body of water, the ownership of which will determine the fate of millions of Canadian and American lives. (Especially if an errant bomb breaches the nearby arsenic reservoir.) And that’s not getting into the fact that members of the Two-Four are actually killed this issue. In fact, I found it hard to tell who was still alive by the time I reached a cliffhanger ending that had me on the edge of my seat.
With one issue left to go, We Stand On Guard looks like it’s going to have an explosive finale. In the meantime, these current pages will not disappoint.
Favorite Moment: “Your biggest concern is a Francophone comedian?”
-Marshall
Clean Room #2
It certainly didn’t take long to reach Clean Room‘s Clean Room, but the encounter is certainly going to raise more questions than answers. After finally getting cult leader Astrid’s attention in the first issue, Chloe negotiates a viewing of the Blue Utopian’s best-kept secret. What she finds is a chamber which unearths the sins of its occupants – although whether the experience is literal or takes place on a mental level remains to be seen. Not that it makes much difference to the person being “cleaned”, whose purged demons can now follow them across their everyday lives.
Speaking of demons, can we take a moment to acknowledge how fantastic the monster designs are in this series? While they only appear for brief moments in each issue, they’re still terrifying and wonderful to behold. (The creature that appears during Chloe and Astrid’s interview is my favorite of the issue.) But the real monster seems to be Astrid, who seemingly has the ability to assess Chloe’s sins and inner demons without even using a Clean Room. Although whether that’s related to supernatural phenomenon, or her cultlike understanding of human nature remains to be seen.
Clean Room is really working its slow burn, but makes the wait worthwhile with unsettling art and even more unsettling cult practices. If following that kind of dark journey interests you, step into a Clean Room today to see it for yourself.
Favorite Moment: “Keep out? Nothing. Nothing at all.”
-Marshall
Black Magick #2
As I’ve said before, I have mixed feelings about magical detective stories. Between comics, movies, TV shows, and novels, this genre is so well-trodden that it’s hard to do something fresh. Black Magick has an intriguing solution – what if the hero wants to their keep magic and detective work separate? What if after making a major bust, they left the cop bar to take part in a ritualistic pagan ceremonies? And what happens when, against their wishes, those two worlds start to blend together?
That’s the premise of Black Magick. Last month’s issue introduced Rowan Black, a police detective who also happens to be a member of an esoteric pagan order from before the era of witch burnings. But now ancient Inquisitor-like enemies have returned to target Black personally – and this time, they’re not afraid to use magic in their quest. Rowan must manage her own caseload and worry about magical threats, which is becoming harder as her own department investigates bodies from these supernatural encounters.
Issue 2 is focused largely on the police procedural side of things, but still has lots of ways to draw readers in. The grey art tones, character developments, and research into pagan beliefs all comes together into something really unique. Throw in a hinted backstory which stretches across generations, and a strong protagonist in Rowan Black, and this is shaping up to be a solid new series. Whether you enjoy police dramas or supernatural adventures, Black Magick has something for you.
Favorite Moment: “A little toasty, but I’m good to go.”
-Marshall
Jacked #1
Mid-life crisises can be terribly damaging to people who experience them. You spent years surviving adolesence, reaching the point where you feel in complete control of your body, only to discover that point is a peak. Now it’s all downhill for the rest of your life, and some people want to prove – to themselves, if no one else – that they’re just as physically capable as before. Maybe even better.
Josh Jaffe is getting old. He’s lost his job, suffers from a variety of ailments, and no longer has the respect of his wife and son. After six months with seemingly no way of getting that feeling back, he turns to online pills to up his abilities. With the pill “Jacked”, he gets more than he bargained for, unlocking literal superpowers beyond what mortal men experience. At first, this seems to be a good thing when he steps up to save a man’s life. But the powers are also temporary – raising the question of how far Jaffe will go to feel powerful forever.
We have no shortage of allegorical middle-age comics, Starlight being one great recent example. But Jacked is unique for combining superhero and addition story genres in a single series. Josh is human and relatable, but he’s far from a selfless hero. That means Jacked starts from a very mundane place, and quickly highlights how dark the story will ultimately become, even if you’re laughing along the way.
Favorite Moment: “Because normally? I’m the last fucking guy to do something like this.”
-Marshall
Uncanny X-Men #600
Marking the end of Brian Michael Bendis’s time with Marvel’s X-Men, Uncanny 600 is something of a mixed comic that’s big on character moments while also offering a somewhat anti-climactic end to its central conflict. Opening with the X-Men taking Hank “Beast” McCoy to task for some of his recent spate of poor, potentially universe destroying decisions, 600 doesn’t really do much with that besides making it clear that Beast’s friends and teammates don’t really trust him anymore.
After this, the comic spends the rest of its time concluding and resolving a number of hanging plot threads. The issue of Iceman’s homosexuality is explored, as are previous hints that time-displaced Jean Grey might be dropping her traditional lover Scott Summers for a new relationship with the young version of Beast. Perhaps the biggest moment is the return of adult Scott Summers. Bendis’s run on Uncanny X-Men has been largely focused on Cyclop’s move away from the cooperative stance of Charles Xavier to a more militant philosophy. 600 brings that arc to a close, with the iconic character basically returning to the peacekeepers fold.
I won’t say that this a perfect comic and there are definitely moments that felt a bit rushed and I almost think I would have preferred for the comic to stay more focused on the “trial of Hank McCoy.” Even so, it’s still worth reading, especially if you’ve been as invested in Bendis’s storylines as some of us have been over the past few years.
Favorite Moment: “So you are gay.”
-Stew
Star Wars: Vader Down #1
The opening issue of Marvel’s first major Star Wars crossover, Star Wars: Vader Down, start with a ban and doesn’t let up until your hit the back cover. Opening with Darth Vader travelling to the planet Vrogas Vas in search of Luke Skywalker, things quickly go bad for the dark lord when he runs into three X-Wing squadrons out performing drills. Attacking the X-Wings head-on, Vader uses his skills as a pilot in conjunction with the Force to devastate the Rebels. This leads Luke, launching with Red Squadron, to ram Vader in a desperate attempt to bring the villain down. With both father and son crash-landing on the planet below, the Rebellion scrambles everything it can to finish him off.
Being honest, most of this issue is just setup. It’s all about getting Vader down onto the planet’s surface so he can starting wrecking the Rebels. That said, as far as setup goes, it’s pretty danged glorious. The art here is top notch and Jason Aaron’s writing in this issue is, as usual, really good. I will say that there are a few moments that make Vader look almost ridiculously powerful, but overall it’s a really solid comic that will leave you itching more.
Favorite Moment: “All I am surrounded by is fear. And dead men.”
-Stew
Darth Vader #13
Thankfully, Vader Down continues in Darth Vader 13, so the wait for more wasn’t long.
If Vader Down itself setup the story’s conflict, Darth Vader 13 pulls the trigger on the whole affair. And Palpatine’s socks are the results glorious. Surrounded by an entire company of Rebel soldiers, Vader uses the Force to turn their own weapons against them, wreaking havoc and spreading terror and chaos among their ranks. Meanwhile, Luke stumbles onto a ruined Jedi temple where he has an unfortunate encounter with Aphra, an agent in Vader’s employ.
What ultimately convinced me to recommend this comic, even though I’d already suggested Vader Down itself, is just how well it corrects course in terms of some of my concerns. In the opening issue of Vader Down there was a moment or two where it looked like the story might make the mistake of portraying Vader as this unstoppable killing machine hacking and slashing his way through the Rebel ranks without any difficulty. In Darth Vader 13 he does come across as pretty damn unstoppable, but this portrayal is tempered by Vader being less a bruiser and more of a strategist. He distracts, he plans ahead and he improvises. The best touch is how nonchalant he is about the Rebels attacking him. He barely even regards them as a threat. Add in some nice character moments for Han Solo and Princess Leia and you have a comic that’s pretty much a must read for Star Wars fans.
Favorite Moment: “Captain! My grenades ar-“
-Stew
The Mighty Thor #1
Jason Aaron is a rock star when it comes to writing Thor comics. For the past few years he’s helmed the rudder of Asgard, directing the God of Thunder through a series of adventures that were, as a standard, epic and transformative. Now, with Secret Wars coming to an end, Aaron continues the adventures of (female) Thor in The Mighty Thor. When last we left the Asgardian heroine, it had been revealed that she was actually Dr. Jane Foster. In the midst of a battle with cancer, she was chosen by Mjolnir to become a hero and take up the mantle of Thor. As Mighty 1 reveals, however, Foster’s stint a superhero comes with a price. Every time she picks up Mjolnir and become Thor, it cleanses her body of the drugs that are supposed to be treating her cancer. Being Thor is literally killing her. With sinister forces pushing the nine realms into war however, it’s a fate she may have to accept if she wants to stop her enemies and save the day.
Other things happen in this comic, but really, it’s this central conflict that makes Mighty Thor so interesting. Jane Foster’s plight -save others or save myself- is one that’s incredibly relatable. It also doesn’t hurt that Aaron has taken Jane (originally little more than a pretty, bland face for Thor to pine over) and molded her into a really great character. As much as I look forward to seeing where the plot’s leading, it will be the tale of Jane Foster that keeps me coming back each month.
Favorite Moment: “Who knew dying could be this much fun?”
-Stew
Ms. Marvel #1
I hated high school. I really did. There’s never been a time in my life where quite as out of place or awkward. What the heck is it about the high school drama of Ms. Marvel then that’s so danged infectious? Seriously, this is a comic where Ms. Marvel joins the Avengers and fights a swarm of mechanized bees, and yet it’s the teenage high school stuff that I found most enjoyable in Ms. Marvel 1.
Taking place immediately after the events of Secret Wars, the comic focuses primarily on Kamala Khan’s struggles to balance her life as a superhero with her life as a teenager attending high school. Most specifically Kamala is shocked when she discovered that her longtime best friend/almost-love-interest Bruno has moved on from her and starting dating someone else. What I think I like best about this is the way it taps into the age old reality that being a superhero, exciting as it is, can also be a tremendous burden. As Kamala says herself, at one point, “maybe I’ve bitten off more than I can chew.” In the end, Ms. Marvel simply just remains an excellent comic headlined by easily one of Marvel’s most endearing protagonists. If you haven’t hopped on this series’ band wagon yet, make Ms. Marvel 1 the issue where you do it.
Favorite Moment: “Growing up sucks.”
-Stew
Suiciders Volume 1
It seems to me almost criminal that Lee Bermejo is not only a fantastic artist (you’ll most likely recognize his angular lines and crisp value work from Joker) but also a decent writer given half the chance. Suiciders is unlikely to win any awards for originality – It’s the near future; there’s been a big earthquake; Los Angeles has been abandoned by the US government; society has stratified into the cartoonishly rich and ridiculously poor and the main source of entertainment is a vaguely defined bloodsport in which giant, steroid-abusing cyborgs bash each other the head and throw each other into spike pits and whatnot. It’s all a bit low-budget, 80’s sci-fi movie. A silly, grindhouse exercise in dystopian sci-fi, but Bermejo goes about it with such ridiculous earnestness that it works. There’s no irony here. No knowing nods to how much of an 80s throwback the comic is. Bermejo is one-hundred-percent serious as he cuts from disheveled Mexican immigrants being gunned down by evil future cops to two robot-men wrastlin’ next to an industrial buzz saw. Normally I’d balk at such po-faced seriousness, but it’s honestly refreshing to see a writer dive into cheesy, dystopian exploitation without trying to play its genre tropes for laughs. Suiciders has a message – a big, dumb, glowing neon sign of a message – and it’ll let you know what it is just as soon as you’ve watched this man get punched in half.
It’s all helped along by Bemejo’s beautiful art. The Suiciders (which is apparently what we’re apparently calling buff robo dudes in the future) are ridiculously sculpted Adonises, each bulging muscle beautifully defined with a gritty, angular realism. The lesser men are all archetypes, expressive, scarred and whiskered, while the women are all curvy goddeses or waif-like mother figures (and they all seem destined to die tragically, if there’s one throwback element of Suiciders I don’t care for, it’s how it treats its female cast). The city of New Angeles is pretty, but it’s in the ruined ghettos of old LA where Bermejo really gets to ply his craft. He’s got a knack for dilapidated, crime-ridden shitholes and you’ll see some of his best work to date in this book.
The writing works too. Sure, the core plot is some mystery nonsense about the origins of The Saint, the city’s most popular Suicider, but it’s kept grounded by a simple Rocky-esque subplot about the rise of a quiet immigrant with a gift for violence to Suicider fame and fortune. The dialogue is curt and focused, but Bermejo really lets loose in the narration boxes, filling them with flowery prose about the nature of secrets and the horrors of poverty. It’d be cheesy anywhere else, but combined with his fantastic art and killer layouts, it’s always effective.
The first Suiciders volume collects issues #1-6, the first arc of the series. The last issue was published in September, I’m not sure if it’s been picked up for a second run.
-Grey
SAGA #31
What’s the best serial running right now? Bzzt. Wrong answer. As of November 25th the correct answer is once again Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ Saga.
Yes, Saga’s back, which means you’re once again going to have to listen to someone crow about how good it is. I’m sure it’s been on this list before. It had better have been on this list before. And now, it’s on the list again, because it has to be.
Even before Saga hit shelves I’d have argued that Vaughan is one of the best, if not the best writer working in comics today. Pride, Ex Machina, Y: The Last Man, the original and best run on Runaways… the fellas’ a certified writing machine even if you discount his (excellent) merc work for the big two. Saga really is something else though, even compared to Vaughan’s previous work. It’s insanely ambitious, yet grounded by down-to-earth storytelling. Enormous, but personal. Fantastic, yet relevant in a dozen different ways. It’s pitched somewhere between a serious “issues” comic and a version of Star Wars for people who can’t get enough dick jokes. I love it.
The premise is simple enough: War on a galactic scale between two empires, star crossed lovers from either side and a mixed race child that proves that eternal warfare might not be the only answer. Alana and Marko are both deserters from opposite sides of the war. Along with their daughter Hazel, who might just be the first of her kind, they’re pursued by armies, bounty hunters and traumatized robot royalty. A simple chase eventually becomes a complex, well… saga as the various parties chasing the Hazel and her family develop grudges and alliances of their own. And that’s really the core of what makes Saga tick: Complexity out of simplicity. Characters are introduced as one note villains or simple plot devices, only to be expanded upon and given depth by their conflicts. There are very few outright evil characters in Saga, they’re all driven by complex and often contradictory moral codes. A bounty hunter introduced as a villain is eventually revealed to be an old flame of a more sympathetic character, her killer is introduced as a cold, calculating aristocrat, only for him to be humanized as a traumatized war veteran who puts the good his family above all else. The end result is a story where you find yourself kind of rooting for everybody, and dreading the seemingly inevitable showdowns because, unless the nature of these people can be changed, someone has to die.
It helps that Staples and Vaughan are absolute masters of mood and tonal shifts. They can go from crass to heartbreaking to tragic to laugh out loud funny between panels thanks to Staple’s excellent expression work and timing and Vaughan’s ultra-sharp dialogue. The best example I can think of is a sequence in which three characters try to steal life-preserving semen (bear with me) from a dragon, which goes from grotesquely funny to exciting to tragic in the space of four pages. It’s a ludicrous yet sad sequence which prompts a huge shift in another character. That’s the kind of comic Saga is: the kind where stealing semen from a giant space dragon can be the most important moment in a character’s arc.
Which brings us onto Saga’s infamous sense of humour. I’ve heard people (mostly Americans, oddly enough) call the series “gross,” but what it really is unrepentantly funny. It opens with a graphic depiction of a woman giving birth, her first line, “Am I shitting? It feels like I’m shitting.” It features a brothel planet called “Sextillion” where ridiculous mass orgies play out in zero gravity. It’s full of outlandish non-sequiturs and characters saying hilariously human, undramatic things at dramatic moments. “No joke,” says a humanoid mouse medic she performs surgery on a robot in the middle of a battlefield, “this is going to hurt like fuck for a second.” Each issue is filled with these quotable moments. Vaughan loves to cut to characters mid conversation as they say something dumb or lose their temper. It keeps the story – which I’ll remind you has robots, people with wings, all manner of animal people, ghosts and dragons shooting at each other with lasers – human. It’s crass and shocking, but it’s also smart. This isn’t the posturing of a child trying to seem “mature,” it’s genuine adult humour that laughs in the face of dumb, sexless science fiction.
So what happens in Saga #31? Well we’re given a little back story on what happened before the latest time skip, we see Klara with some badass jail tats, we see some of the grim realities of raising a child in prison and we get a full-frontal, nude splash page of the comic’s first trans character, which is used as part of an issue-long focus on characters feeling comfortable or uncomfortable in their own bodies. You know, the usual Saga stuff.
Favorite Moment: The perfect symmetry between that splash page of Petrichor nude and Hazel stripping down to show off her wings. Beautiful stuff.
-Grey
Paper Girls #2
Yeah it’s him again. If someone could figure out exactly which demon it was that Brian K. Vaughan sold his soul to, I’d appreciate it. Paper Girls isn’t quite on par with Saga, but it’s telling that Vaughan’s side projects are better than most writers’ main projects.
Paper Girls is a sci-fi mystery with a wonderfully authentic late 80s setting. Tonally it’s kind of similar to Super 8 and E.T with a darker, more modern edge and far less saccharine children as the leads. The paper girls, a suitably rag-tag collection of 12-year-old paper delivery girls who’ve banded together to defend themselves from the local trouble-making teens, are all broad teen movie stereotypes. The sensitive one, the leader, the tough chick, the nerd, but they’re fleshed out in the first, slow-burning issue and, like most of Vaughan’s characters, they feel authentic.
And authenticity is the name of the game here. There was a ton of minor details and world-building going on in the first issue. Artist, Cliff Chiang, has painstakingly captured the fashion and hairstyles of the period and Matt Wilson’s gaudy neon colour work is a perfect fit. Vaughan’s dialogue pulls no punches either. The girls are strong and independent, but not above throwing out the occasional period-appropriate slur. It’s important that the world the paper girls live in feels real rather than a movie pastiche, because while there’s some obvious sci-fi shenanigans going on in the form of creep masked mutants and semi-organic machines, it’s tiny anachronisms that have the most impact. The first issue ends with one of the girls finding what appears to be an Apple iPod. It’s a small thing, but it seems so out of place and alien next to the girls’ faded jeans and chunky wally-talkies that it demands attention.
So what’s actually going on? Well I’m not too sure. Vaughan is playing his cards close to his chest. The machine the girls encounter at the end of issue #1 appears to have done something to them, or perhaps the world around them. The sky is now filled with planets and stars (it turns out that the same colours used for gaudy 80s designs are great for colouring sci-fi starscapes), some people seem frozen in time while others have disappeared altogether. That, and the town appears to have developed an infestation of dinosaurs. Combined with the aforementioned iPod, it seems like some grade-A time-fuckery may be afoot. Regardless, I am definitely coming along for the ride.
Favorite Moment: Mac’s practiced cynicism breaking as her stepmother attempts suicide. That killer cliffhanger.
-Grey
Comics used to just be for the kids, but no longer. With more mature themes, better writing and illustrations, comics have become a geek paradise that even even moviemakers are latching on to. So what do you give the comic book fan on your gift list? Check out our suggestions.
And if it isn’t comics books, what better than robots to build or Legos to assemble? We’ve got just about anything that might scratch that itch.
1) League of Regrettable Superheroes
Liz says: Not every superhero can be Iron Man, Spiderman, or Batman. D-listers need love too, and with League of Regrettable Superheroes, you can catch up on the strange stories of the even stranger “heroes” in a single volume. From Doll Man to Doctor Hormone, Spider Queen to The Eye, League of Regrettable Superheroes is a compilation of disastrous misfires from comics past, perfect for both the second stringer or underdog cheerleader in your life. Creator Jon Morris plunged deep into the sea of oddities to bring us the greatest possible collection of unabashed “WTF” characters ever to grace the covers of their own fateful comics.
2) Starlight Volume 1
Stew says: Starlight is a series founded on the simple question of what happens after? When the space opera ends and the hero returns home, how does their life play out? In the case of Duke McQueen, not so well. A fighter pilot transported to the world of Tantalus, McQueen frees the alien world and then returns home to find that no one believes his story. Now an elderly widower ignored by sons that think he’s a joke, he lives a sad existence where his only solace are memories of his wife and that world where he used to be a hero. Then a spaceship lands outside of his house piloted by a young boy who tells him that he’s needed once again.
Written by Kick-Ass creator Mark Millar and illustrated by Gorlan Pavlov, Starlight is the perfect present for anyone who enjoys softer science fiction filled with rocket ships, sword fights and cheesy one-liners. Equal parts thrilling and bittersweet, this mini-series was easily one of the best comics out there during its run. Its only real flaw was that it ended far too soon. Six issues, wonderful as they were, were simply not enough time with this universe and the characters that inhabit it.
3) Bandai Tamashii Nations PG 1/60 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn
Hayden says: If you’re a fan of Gundam, especially its series Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn, then the Bandai Tamashii Nations PG 1/60 Unicorn Gundam 02 Banshee Norn is a dream. This kit is the largest and most detailed model grade consistently available from Bandai. At a 1/60 scale, this model comes in at a whopping 15 inches tall. It is also completely compatible with the LED set made available with the first Gundam Unicorn PG model. With 58 frames of parts, incredibly detailed stickers, and various options for weapons, this model will help you pass the hours stuck at home during the Winter holidays.
The model is fully transformable between its Unicorn mode and Destroy mode and does not suffer any loss in range of movement, meaning it can recreate any scene from the original anime. Thanks to the special stand, this model is perfect for displaying on your shelf or mantelpiece and even comes with standing and seated Riddhe Marcenas figurines to make the suit feel even more authentic. This model is not for the faint of heart, but if you’re a fan of Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn or an expert Gundam builder, this is the “Perfect” model for you.
4) Preacher
Marshall says: Did you watch that trailer for AMC’s Preacher, but couldn’t figure out why the internet was making a big deal about it? Then perhaps it’s time you read the most controversial book ever produced by Vertigo Comics. Created by Hellblazer‘s Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, Preacher follows Jesse Custer, a small-town Texas minister whose soul is bound with Genesis, the offspring of an angel and demon. Partnering with his ex-girlfriend, now-hit-woman Tulip, and an Irish vampire named Cassidy, Jesse sets out across America to find out why God abandoned his creation.
Running for 66 issues and a handful of specials, Preacher was infamous for its violence, profanity, and irreverent depictions of religion and the supernatural. It was also directly inspired by Ennis’ love of Western films, introducing John Wayne as Jesse’s spiritual guide, and an Unforgiven-esque Clint Eastwood figure who is the patron saint of assassins and murderers. While Preacher feels less edgy in today’s secular climate, it’s still filled with wonderful characters and action sequences that are fondly remembered today – and leave you wondering how AMC will possibly adapt it to TV. We’ll find out next year; but in the meantime Vertigo has re-released all 66 issues and specials in a series of hardcover volumes, making it easier than ever to catch up on the landmark series.
5) LEGO Hulk Buster Smash
Stew says: Sometimes you want a gigantic LEGO set with thousands of pieces that takes days to build. Other times, you want sets like the Hulk Buster Smash. Costing 30 dollars and clocking in at a modest 248 pieces, it’s a small set that accomplishes big things. Containing four mini-figures (including an adorable LEGO Hulk), the center-piece of the whole thing is, understandably, the Hulk Buster armor itself.
Using the bulk of the set’s bricks, it manages to be compact while also being just detailed enough to look nice. It also has some playable functionality. This isn’t a set designed to be a show-piece that you build, toss on a shelf and never touch again. It’s decently durable, has moving fingers and there’s even a working cockpit to pop the set’s Iron Man mini-figure into.
Long story short, if you’re looking for a superhero-themed LEGO product that’s fairly impressive but won’t break the bank, the Hulk Buster Smash set fits the bill pretty much perfectly.
6) The Sandman Overture
Marshall says: It’s no exaggeration to say that The Sandman is among the most significant and influential comics ever published. If Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns helped us view comic books as literature, Neil Gaiman’s story of the Dream King elevated them to modern art. But Gaiman still had one more story to tell in The Sandman: Overture, a prequel published twenty-five years after the original series launched. That story is finally collected in a gorgeous hardcover deluxe edition, a perfect gift for any long-time comic fan.
The Sandman: Overture takes readers back to 1915, when Dream was called away to the cosmic war which left him in a weakened state for his inaugural issue. Outside of finally exploring these events (and wonderfully so, I might add), Overture‘s deluxe edition includes a new introduction from Gaiman along with interviews and bonus material from Vertigo’s special edition issues. Collected volumes were always the best way to read Sandman, and Overture is no exception. Being able to hold the finished book in your hands is – you’ll forgive the phrasing – a dream, especially for such a worthy conclusion to Sandman‘s legacy. Get it today.
The Gundam franchise is huge, and with the arrival of a brand new show and a line of their cutest models debuting last month, it looks like there’s no slowing down these giant robots. Now that the brand new Gundam hit, Iron-Blooded Orphans, is finally airing, we’re going to sit down with the real star of the new series, the Gundam Barbatos, and see what’s going on in the world of Gundam models.
Iron-Blooded Orphans centers around a group of child and teen mercenaries charged with escorting a famous revolutionary from Mars to Earth. After staging a coup and ousting their former commanders, one of the young soldiers, Orga, continues to escort the high-profile client with the help of his right-hand man Mikazuki. In order to ensure the client’s safety and help Orga establish a new regime, Mika rises to the occasion and pilots the Gundam Barbatos, an old but powerful mobile suit from the Calamity War some 300 years prior.
This Barbatos is part of the 1/144 High Grade line of Gundam models, which measure in at between five and six inches in height. Despite its small size in comparison with other Gundam models, this kit has an excellent attention to detail. Each panel and line from the anime is translated straight onto the model, even to pieces that are covered by the suit’s armor.
Aesthetically, this model looks impressive and well-designed. The proportion of armor to inner frame is relatively equal, giving the giant robot a more skeletal look. With the highly stylized head and armor options, Barbatos stands out against decades of Gundam models.
Building Gundam Barbatos is not incredibly difficult, and should only take one or two hours for a standard build, three to four if you’re customizing. Due to the color of the parts, and how the pieces are attached to the frame, many of the pesky sprue bits and extra plastic that could tarnish the model are concealed or are attached thinly enough to make smooth cutting easy, reducing any unwanted frustration from a slip of the hand. This fact makes the model relaxing and easy for experienced builders, but a great build for entry-level Gundam enthusiasts.
Color details that differ drastically from the parts they are attached to are supplemented by stickers. In every case but one, these stickers fit nicely into grooves and look seamless with the rest of the piece. The one grievance I do have on this is that the pink detail on the center of the chest is actually a sticker placed over grooves. This is bewildering, as the other pink details on the suit are stickers that actually fit into the grooves. It can be tediously fixed by cutting out the sticker shape with a hobby knife. If you’re looking for the most detail out of the coloring on the model, though, you’re probably going to want to paint it. (If you’re not a professional, the stickers work just fine).
One of the most exciting aspects of this model is the inner frame. Commonly used in Master Grade, Real Grade, and Perfect Grade models, inner frames are essentially the “skeleton” of the model. HG models are typically just the armor pieces connected together, leaving a hollow interior, but this is not so with the Barbatos. Due to the General Grevious-esque nature of the suit, the inner frame allows the model to stay true to the show. This permits the suit to show off its wiring and increase posability without the large price tag of a Master Grade model.
One of the most exciting benefits of this feature is that it allows builders to customize the Barbatos with weapons and armor from other models in the Iron-Blooded Orphans line. Already coming with shoulder armor, two weapons, and a shield, the Barbatos can be customized with its own parts alone, but the real fun comes with mixing and matching parts from other kits. This not only allows builders to get more creative, it follows the show closely, as the janky old Barbatos also mixes and matches parts throughout its adventures. This level of authenticity only increases the value of an already impressive kit.
Bottom Line: For its inner frame alone, the Gundam Barbatos is an incredible kit for the HG line. I was very impressed with the level of detail on such a cheap model, but it shows that Bandai really is pulling out all of the stops for its Iron-Blooded Orphans line.
Recommendation: For $12 at most retailers (and cheaper other places), the HG Gundam Barbatos is an easy way to both add to your collection and have fun killing time waiting for the next episode of Iron-Blooded Orphans.
With the arrival of the its newest series Iron-Blooded Orphans and a new Blu-ray collection for the original series, the Gundam franchise has experienced a fresh breath of popularity for the end 2015. It is no coincidence then that Bandai revisited their popular line of SD (Super Deformed aka “Chibi”) models and updated them to coincide with their HGUC models. In lieu of this update, I procured Bandai’s most iconic model – RX-78-2 – in its new and improved SD EX-Standard format to see if the line should truly be the new [EX]Standard.
First things first, SD models are known for being easier to put together, as well as having less complexity (taking about 2-3 hours to build). Upon unboxing this specific model, I discovered that this it only came in three colors of plastic: red, white, blue. Now, those who are familiar with the RX-78-2 might be a bit confused by this due to its lack of yellow parts, a color that “pops” on older figures, but do not fret, I’ll be getting to that later.
One major improvement that I noticed with this new line is the thinness of the plastic attaching the parts to the frame. Typically, there is a small line of plastic which connects the plastic to the frame it comes in, but this new line has made the lines even thinner to make taking it out even easier. This also minimizes the damage parts take when shaving excess plastic off of the part. Not only does this make the build easier, it helps remove some of the fuss of having to sand down parts to make the final product look better.
Bandai promised to reduce head size and increase limb length on these models, and they certainly delivered. While the size of the head is a bit smaller, it still retains the “big head” feel of chibi models. A product of this actually allows the head more mobility (a problem I’ve had with older SD models). The limbs are also longer and accommodate action poses better. This makes displaying your models in a rad manner even easier.
The plastic itself is very high quality and snaps together easily. The lines are well defined and easy to trace with Gundam markers for extra detail. Without stickers and a marker, the model may seem very dull, so I highly recommend the use of both. Rather than contain another frame for yellow pieces, this model actually supplements those smaller parts for stickers. Typically, I am not a fan of stickers, but the new EX SD stickers are high quality, with precise cuts that fit the contours of the model. This cuts down on plastic used (and thus limits the bits covering my desk) while also adding to the detail of the model.
Upon completion I found the model to be very satisfying in terms of looks and posability. It is comparable to the Burning Gundam SD model from Gundam Build Fighters, but you can definitely see where Bandai revisited the lab for this line. The weapons it comes with are great, although (as per usual), the sword is unpainted, which is a bit disappointing, but nothing ultimately heartbreaking. One of the gimmicks of this new line is that their weapons are compatible with the larger 1/144 HGUC models, allowing for crossover customization. By taking off the horns and attaching it to the gun, or fitting the gun to the shield, builders can create new weapons for both lines. This idea, brought in recently by the Gundam Build Fighters series, allows builds of different grades to improve upon each other. I prefer to keep the right parts with the right models, but at least the option is there!
In sum, if you’re busy pinning away over the new Mobile Suit Gundam Blu-ray collection, or twiddling your thumbs waiting on the Iron-Blooded Orphans dub, then the new SD EX-Standard line is perfect for getting your Gundam fix. With its new high quality frames, stickers, HGUC crossover capabilities, and sub-$10 price tag, these little guys are perfect for your shelf at home or at work. You can even expect two new models every month!
Bottom Line: This new line of SD Gundam Models is worth the price for anyone interested in the world of Gundam.
Recommendation: Its overall difficulty is ideal for newcomers to the series, while the nostalgia factor is value enough for Gunpla vets.