Mike's Picks:
At the risk of hyperbole, I don’t know if there is another book like Coffin Bound on the stands. Aesthetically, it’s provocative and avant-garde. Narratively, it’s a confrontation of sorts, a head-on collision with the existential dilemma. There’s a punk rock spirit in Coffin Bound, one that wrestles with the notion of nihilism, that uses body horror to question how we treat ourselves and one another, and that attempts to channel the entropy of life to reason with the unreasonable. This is a badass book. (Check out my write up of the first collection here). EARTHEATER!!!!!
This new arc is titled The Return, and what better time to return to Usagi? The great thing about a series like Usagi Yojimbo is that there are ample jumping on points. Some of the best are these interlude arcs, usually those that involve Usagi attempting to settle back down after a big event. In this arc, Usagi returns home, but is thrust into action almost immediately as he encounters an assassination plot. No rest for Usagi, but great stories for us
All Together Now is billed as a sequel to All Summer Long, an absolutely delightful graphic novel that introduced us to Larson’s teenage heroine, Bina, during a particularly eventful summer in her life just before starting eighth grade. In All Summer Long, Bina struggled to understand how friendships change as we age, and it looks like she’ll encounter another development in this realm as she navigates the budding relationship between two of her bandmates. Ugh. Middle School drama! Why doesn’t everyone just want to rock out like Bina?!!?
I rarely have more fun than when I read Far Sector. Jemisin’s knack for long form storytelling is perfect for this space opera detective story. And what more can I say about Jamal Campbell? His cinematic style is perfect for such a story. Campbell is willing to experiment with how much he can fit onto a page, channeling Walt Simonson, while adding his own trademark lush hues and perfect facial expressions
Pyle, who publishes his strip on Instagram, follows up his original Strange Planet collection this week with the aptly named Stranger Planet. Pyle captures human foibles in this alien slice of life strip with a kind of tender wit that cracks me up every time. The trope of an alien able to understand Earth culture without fully becoming literate in it is indeed old and often rehashed, but Pyle’s work has a charm to it that makes his concept seem fresh and fun. Pyle’s cartoons have been a favorite of mine during the quarantine, and this edition will be a welcomed resource to return to for laughter and solace in or out of lockdown.
James' Picks:
I'm really enjoying what the team in Strange Adventures is doing so far. It's weird and interesting, and very different from Mister Miracle. There's a lot that's weird and vaguely sinister. The split between Gerads and Shaner on art is masterfully done, and the focus on Mr. Terrific as the investigator is really interesting. I'm not entirely sure what's going n or where it's going, but I am all in.
This is a great creative team. Hickman and Reis did the best part of New Mutants, and the two of them focusing on a character as fun and debonair as Fantomex should be great. Fantomex is a gentleman-thief, and a master of misdirection, and a profoundly weird character. I'm excited to see what the team does here.
