Catch It's for October 13th, 2021

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..

 

Rob's Pick:
Marvel Meow by Nao Fuji, published by VIZ
No one cares that Captain Marvel's "cat" isn't really a cat, because the idea of it being a cat is so awesome. The idea inspired Fuji, who worked with Marvel to create a series of Instagram comics for their feed. They became such a big hit, he got to rework and expand them, and now Viz is putting them out for those of us who think reading comics on an ipad is bleeding edge technology. There are bits featuring Spidey (of course), Iron Man, Deadpool (read it anyway), and even Thanos and Galactus(!). I've only seen a few of these, but they're adorable as all hell, funny gag-strip work, and the heroes look really good--better than I expected, actually. (Not because of the artist, but because I was expecting more of a twee approach.)  these comics are sure to be a hit with the comics/cats Venn diagram, which is basically just two circles overtop each other, right? 

James' Picks:
 
Immortal Hulk #50 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett, published by Marvel Comics
The end of Immortal Hulk. It really feels like the end of an era. Over the past number of years, Immortal Hulk has not only been Marvel's most consistently great book, but it's just been a remarkable, intelligent, insightful, weird, horrifying, disgusting, ride. Al Ewing and an amazing collection of artists (primarily Joe Bennett) have done incredible work in delving deep into the psyche of the Hulk, and his allies, and his enemies. They've also explored the gamma, and all of the weird, dark, terrifying places that the gamma taps into. It's an incredible run. I'm sad to see it end, but I'll be thrilled to revisit it, again and again. 

Mazebook #2 by Jeff Lemire, published by Dark Horse
If Jeff Lemire is writing and drawing his a comic, you can pretty much guarantee it's going to be a must-read. The works that he fully handles as a cartoonist are among his most emotional, dramatic, and personal works. In Mazebook Lemire is wrestling with unthinkable tragedy and the idea of being able to still connect with loved ones once they are gone. Lemire continues to evolve as a cartoonist, and in Mazebook his work is better than ever. It's weird and layered and complex. This is the story of a father who thinks that his late daughter's puzzles are the key to unraveling a mystery that relates to her, and that she might still be alive. It's already a heartbreaking read, and a special book.