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...
James' Picks:
Darth Nights: Death Metal #1 by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion and FCO Plascencia, published by DC Comics
I was a huge fan of Dark Nights: Metal and all of the tie-ins and related series that led up to that series. It was big and ridiculous and completely excessive, in the best possible way (the Justice League formed a Voltron at some point!). It's definitely Scott Snyder channeling his inner Grant Morrison. But it ties together a lot of threads he established in his Batman run with Greg Capullo almost 9 years ago. It'll be sure to be even bigger and more bonkers and more over-the-top, and I can't wait for more.
Gideon Falls vol. 4 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart, published by Image Comics
This is sort of a double pick, as Gideon Falls TPB vol. 4 and issue #22 are both out today. Now am I actually recommending you go out and get either issue #22 or vol. 4 if you've never read the series? Of course not. But I just want to tell you what a terrific series this is. Gideon Falls is a comic that delivers truly scary and creepy
moments, a complex and intriguing world, and some absolutely
jaw-dropping, terrifying and gorgeous art. Written by Jeff Lemire, it
started as a "religious horror" series but it has quickly expanded into
something bigger, weird and much more ambitious. It’s a story with
mysteries and dark shadows lurking in the corners, which also has a
religious bent to it, and it’s building a complex and interesting world.
The art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart is next-level. It's seriously jaw-dropping. I love Sorrentino’s flair
and style as a visual storyteller, and with Stewart on colors,
Sorrentino’s work has never looked better or creepier. This is a
profound, insightful and empathetic look at lonely, scared people trying
to understand an insane world. It’s also one of the best looking and
freakiest comics that you can buy these days. So, not surprisingly, I
highly recommend it.
Rob's Picks:
A Man Among Ye by Stephanie Phillips, Craig Cermak, Brittany Pezzillo, and Troy Peteri, published by Image
Now that the craze surrounding the movies has ended, comics about pirates are getting interesting again. That's good news for people looking for a break from the frequent sci-fi or fantasy settings that want to be the next Saga. A Man Among Ye is about Anne Bonny, Captain Jack and Mary Read, fictionalized around the few facts we have about the three pirates. It's opened here to a promising start, though the need to introduce everyone makes it a little stiff around the edges. Cermak's linework uses a lot of characters coming out from the page, which adds a nice touch to the affairs. I do wish Pezzillo's coloring was a bit more subdued. It feels too slick for the time period. Overall, this is a sleeper pick that I think folks will dig.
The EC Archives: War Against Crime Vol 2 by Various, including Johnny Craig, Al Feldstein, and Marie Severin, published by Dark Horse
Before CSI: Infinity. Before Law and Order. Hell, even before Perry Mason, there were crime comics. And they were amazingly bloody, brutal, and well-drawn, if often over-scripted. It's always great to see another edition of EC comics coming into the lives of classic comics fans. And best of all, no continuity, so it's easy to jump right in! Throw away your Comics Code, ensure you have your reading glasses, and enjoy comics from when they were a way for kids to get an unrealistic idea of what the criminal justice system is like.
Mike's Picks:
Tynion re-teams with his Woods collaborator, Michael Dialynas, for a new creator-owned fantasy series. Dialynas, who handles all aspects of the art, has a richly textured style that works very well to bring Tynion’s world to life, one that combines a kind of foresty medieval fantasy with a dose of steampunk. At the core of the first issue is the return of a dreaded figure, a hint at some sort of species-based discrimination, the titular character’s unrequited love, and a potential succession crisis. Wynd is a strong read, one that draws on familiar genre tropes, but one that manages to execute each portion of the debut issue very well.
Tiananmen 1989: Our Shattered Hopes by Lun Zhang, Adrien Gombeaud , and Ameziane, published by IDW Publishing
My friend and fellow Patterer, James Kaplan, frequently uses the phrase “Apropos of nothing” to start a conversation that is seemingly off topic or unconnected. Usually, it’s just about something awesome that just returned to the forefront of his mind. But, to alter James’s catchphrase, this book and conversation are apropos of everything right now. I skimmed the beginning of this deep and rich look at one of the most famous events in 20th century history, and I’m looking forward to diving in more. I’ve said before that I don’t always love reading non-fiction, but I’m drawn to graphic non-fiction. Lun Zhang was a sociology professor who witnessed the events in Tianamen square first hand, and he offers both a first hand account and reflection in collaboration with journalist Adrien Gombeaud, giving the book both an informative and reflective feel. While we witness unprecedented demonstrations in the United States, history lessons like this become all the more relevant.
