Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks
at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this
week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out
this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use
solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!)
Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping
it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to
highlight this week...
Descender Vol. 5 by Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen, published by Image Comics.
Descender is a terrific series. It's a big science fiction story, but it's also a very personal, emotional story following many different characters in the aftermath of an attack by a mysterious, powerful foe. Jeff Lemire does (not surprisingly) does great character work in this series. This arc is particularly action-packed, and I recommend going back and catching up on this book. Dustin Nguyen does wonderful watercolor work in illustrating this series, it's really a joy to look at.
The Vision HC by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta and Jordie Bellaire, published by Marvel Comics.
I probably don't need to tell you what a great series The Vision is. It's one of the best books I've read over the past few years, and really was the book that made may say "holy $%^t Tom King is an incredible writer." He uses android characters to make some pretty profound insights into humanity, and tells a great, existential angst-filled story. His storytelling partners could not be better, the wonderful Gabriel Hernandez Walta does wonderfully emotional, dramatic work on art, colored by the always-terrific Jordie Bellaire. This is a compelling, important book, and really worth a read.
Royal City #9 by Jeff Lemire, published by Image Comics.
My second Jeff Lemire recommendation of the week, but this is a very different series from Descender. Royal City is a terrific dramatic series centered around a family who's dealing with the illness of their patriarch, and the tragic death years before of one of the kids. But there's more going on here, and (maybe ?) some supernatural elements are there? It's an intimate series, and Lemire does terrific work here as writer-artist with his scratchy, idiosyncratic style.
Mech Cadet Yu by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa and Triona Farrell, published by Boom! Studios.
Mech Cadet Yu is a terrific all-ages action/adventure science fictions story. It's a feel-good underdog book about an unlikely hero, and something any fan of anime or classic 80's cartoons like Robotech or Voltron would enjoy. The storytelling and characterization from Greg Pak is really appealing, and the art from Takeshi Miyazawa is just gorgeous.
Mike's Picks:
Mech Cadet Yu # 5 by Greg Pak, Takeshi Miyazawa, published by BOOM! Studios
The only true downside to this series when it launched was that it was
planned to be a four issue mini-series. Here we are, though, with issue #5, a
brand new arc, and an ongoing direction. I’m curious to see where Pak and
Miyazawa take this storyline as they’ve intricately weaved a backstory fairly
quickly. I’d like to see how they can continue to harness that for conflict
building.
Mister
Miracle # 6 by Tom King and Mitch Gerads, published by DC Comics
Though MM never fell
under the “DC Rebirth” banner, it’s as representative of the revitalization of
the company as Action Comics or Dark Nights: Metal (which, yes, I know doesn’t
carry the Rebirth banner either). This isn’t the type of book we’d have
received during the New 52. Yes, it’s weird and edgy, but it’s the muted
construction that sets it apart. And hey, I think it was one of only two new
superhero comics that made it onto The Comics Journal staff’s best of 2017 list,
so that’s something.
Avengers
# 675 by Mark Waid, Al Ewing, Jim Zub, Pepe Larraz, and Pepe Larraz, published
by Marvel Comics
I’ve been sleeping on
Marvel Comics for quite some time because of the bad taste left in my mouth
following Secret Wars. So I’m going to jump in on this. I’m not sure if I’m
ready. I’m not going to do any research, and I’m not buying any back issues. I
actually kind of hope I’m a little confused. It will be nostalgic, like when I
was a kid and would buy random issues on random occasions because I had no idea
what I was doing.
Cowboy
Ninja Viking Deluxe Edition TP by A.J. Lieberman and Riley Rossmo
This series was my
major introduction to Riley Rossmo. I never finished the original series
because I lost and issue and never replaced it. I’m excited to catch up,
though. It was a striking series, beautifully crafted and deliberately
hyperbolic.
