Sean's Picks:
I, admittedly, had slept on this one since falling in love with its debut a few months ago. I had enjoyed it so much apparently that I turned what was a weekly Panel Patter Catch-it into a full fledged mini review. Truth is, I simply lost track of life and somehow it slipped me by. Fast forward to now where I’ve managed to get back up to speed and I couldn’t be more satisfied with this fairytale of sorts involving a tiny robot on voyage to find the heart that was removed from another. This “other” is the assumed romantic catalyst responsible for the midnight oil Canto burns while on his incredulous adventures. He’s small, he’s daring, he’s determined and Canto will stop at nothing before he uncovers the location of this heart.
There needn’t be much said about the reasons Zdarsky is among the short list of creators I currently go out of my way to seek things by. He gives a voice to the characters that you hadn’t realized was missing before. Specifically, with Daredevil, there’s a rhythm I cannot seem to describe, but will now immediately notice if it is removed. This issue starts a new arc and will be an easy jumping on point to new or returning readers. Detective North continues his hunt, this time it’s Spider-Man topping his list, and... Elektra is back! This comic moves so freely and it’s a lot of fun. Combine Zdarsky’s wit and unique.. charm (?) with stunning illustrations from Checchetto and I promise, you’ll enjoy this take of an often overlooked Marvel (un)caped crusader.
Step aside Dr. Manhattan, there’s a new omnipotent in a crossover. Leave it to Lemire to be able to manipulate an idea as wacky as this to eventually find itself and become as entertaining as the best work within his Black Hammer universe. What started out as a simple story of lost heroes on a farm has become one of the more ambitious ventures of world building since the onset of Star Wars. I don’t often *recommend* Lemire books anymore, and I should! His books are seamless and he has an eye for telling the twisted back stories. A standout tidbit worth sharing for Bl/JL is that Walsh’s version of my favorite childhood superheroes on this farm is one of my new favorite things, and also.. Lemire really nails the Bruce/Clark dialogue as if he were doing a bit of resume work for future endeavors.
James' Picks:
The "Year of the Villain" one-shots have been pretty fun so far. In particular, I believe I said not too long ago that the Sinestro issue was in the running for best single issue I've read all year. And I'm incredibly excited for tomorrow's Riddler issue. What's the common thread? That would be the incredibly talented, insightful, hilarious Mark Russell, writer of both issues. Russell is currently writing the Wonder Twins comics which is brilliant and scathing. And "brilliant and scathing" is kind of what he does, from The Flintstones to Snagglepuss to Prez, Russell has written some of the sharpest, funniest satire I've ever read in a comic. Flintstones was brutal and heartbreaking and hilarious, all in the span of less than an issue. I'm particularly excited because Russell is teaming up with spectacular artist Scott Godlewski. I know and love Godlewski's work from the wonderful Copperhead, a really smart, fun, sci-fi western comic. Godlewski is terrific with action, and with emotion and facial acting and visual humor, so I think this issue is gong t be a lot of fun.
Jason Aaron has been writing the Thor comics for the past 7 years or so, and if you have not been reading his run, you've been missing one of the all-time great runs by an author on a particular character (or set of characters). From epic tales of time travel and multiple Thors in Thor: God of Thunder, to the incredibly moving saga of Jane Foster in The Mighty Thor to the fierce battles of the War of the Realms, Jason Aaron (along with his incredible artistic collaborators Esad Ribic, Nic Klein, Ron Garney, Russell Dauterman, Matt Wilson, Mike Del Mundo, Olivier Coipiel, and more) has been telling some all-time great stories about worthiness, duty, self-determination...and the epic smashing of hammers. With all that said, Aaron is beinging his time writing Thor to a close with a final 4-issue mini called King Thor, and I couldn't be more excited. For this story, Aaron reunites with incredible artist Esad Ribic to tell one more tale of King Thor from the distant future. Ribic has an incredible painterly style of art that is reminiscent of Frank Frazetta, and conjures up images of mighty warriors on distant worlds. It's the kind of art you would absolutely want to paint on the side of a van - some of the most metal stuff you've ever seen. Anyway, the God Butcher story is incredible, and it appears that this story will tie into that one, so I can only recommend that you go out and read 7 years worth of comics right now so you can jump in and read this epic as it comes to a close.
