“Comics to Brighten Your Day” so says The Chandelier Man: Catch It’s for May 18th, 2022

 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...

Sean’s Picks:


My Bad TP by Mark Russell, Peter Krause, Bryce Ingman, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Joe Orsak, Paul Little & Rob Steen and published by Ahoy Comics
The Chandelier Man. Rush Hour. Acid Chimp. The Accelerator. Emperor King. Leg-Room. And many, many others. These are names for some of the characters in this hilarious and very self-aware satire on costumed crusaders fighting against the against evil-doers. If in need of a bit of a break from the dark and dreary ..reach for this one. It’ll be sure to brighten your day*. (And I promise you that this is in no way is an intended pun reaching for the likes of Chandelier Man).

*This was intended and was used to justify our Catch-it title this week . Cashing in on a good dad-joke is what we do here. 


The Good Asian Vol.2 by Pornsak Pichetshote, Alexandre Tefenkgi & Lee Loughridge and published by Image Comics
Edison Hark finally gets the ending he deserves. Or ..does he. The Good Asian was a dense and satisfying read for me that demanded multiple reads in order to fully immerse myself in the historical fiction world that the story took place in. Pichetshote and Tefenkgi worked seamlessly to craft a story featuring characters that are rarely told. As volume 2 of the recently concluded story hits stores this week I would be remiss to remind you to grab volume 1 also. This noir-thriller-mystery ..err ..mystery-noir-thriller (whatever ..you get the idea ..it’s a whodunnit sort of edge-of-your-seat dimly lit story with pictures) is about as tense and superbly dense and historically sensitive as it could ask to be. I had a hell of a time reading this one through and I would not mind one bit if Ed Hark made a return. (Spoiler: it seems that he will return).


The Silver Coin Vol.2 by Michael Walsh, Joshua Williamson, Ram V, Matthew Rosenberg & Vita Ayala and published by Image Comics
Holy smokes! Michael Walsh knows how to scare the crap out of me when I’m reading a comic. This collaborative anthology series that he has birthed is near the top of my list for favorite serialized comics being currently released. Each issue, a new author. Each issue, the same terrifying illustrations. Volume 2, out this week, collects two isolated stories, two connecting stories, and one sequel to a story from volume 1, and all centering (still) around the coveted, yet cursed, silver coin. “What are you reading?” my wife asked me as I finished catching up the other day. She must have been concerned because it was at that point I felt my face contorted in a noticeably terrified position. “Oh this? It’s called The Silver Coin ..and it’s ..fucked up. But it’s so damn fun!” 
Her: …


Yellow Cab GN by Benoît Cohen, Christopher Chabouté & Rafael Meier and published by IDW 
Ok, folks. If you are new to the name Christopher Chabouté ..stop now. Find a way to familiarize yourself with his work. Emotional heights of expression are matched with no one in things of Chabouté’s I’ve read before. I am not familiar with this specific book, but I am very familiar with his name and his other work. Chabouté is a name where if it’s on the cover of a book —-I’ll buy it. The clean lines. The quiet-but-loud panels. Every page is illustrated so beautifully with purpose that it becomes impossible to avoid feeling connected to the story, and to the characters in a rather existential way. Yellow Cab is an adaptation of a novel by Benoît Cohen. Previously Chabouté adapted Moby Dick as a graphic novel, and knowing the masterful and artistic way he had done that one.. this lesser known novel is expected, by me, to be equally, if not exceedingly done so. 

James’ Picks:

I Hate This Place #1 by Kyle Starks, Artyom Topilin, and Lee Loughridge, published by Image Comics
I'm a big fan of Kyle Starks' writing. He's written some great books like Sexcastle, Rock Candy Mountain, and Assassin Nation. The common theme amongst those books is that they are action-packed and they are hilarious. My impression is that I Hate This Place is going to be a scarier read, but I'm sure that Starks will continue to bring some humor to what sounds like a fun premise. This house is full of weird happenings, and rules. It sounds like a great premise. And while I'm not familiar with Artyom Topilin's work, what I've seen from previews of this comics looks absolutely fantastic so far. Colors from the always stellar Lee Loughridge are sure to set the spooky mood. 

Break Out #2 by Zack Kaplan and Wilton Santos, published by Dark Horse
I really enjoyed the first issue of Break Out. Some unknown threat (aliens, maybe?) has come to Earth in these cube ships and has been periodically just taking teenagers aboard these ships. Adults have pretty much just accepted it, but the teens in Break Out are going to take their lives into their own hands. The first issue of this story was a lot of fun. It's a compelling story from Zack Kaplan, with terrific art from Wilton Santos. I definitely recommend Break Out.

Primordial HC by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart, published by Image Comics
Primordial is now available as a collected hardcover, and it has my highest recommendation. Primordial is an alternate history period piece, that sets up a different 1960's than we remember. There's no space race. Something has scared America and Russia away from going out into space. We don't know what yet exactly, but whenever it is, it prompted both nations to switch to using animals in test flights rather than human beings, and to eventually stop running test flights altogether. As the story moves along, we do see some of what has happened to these animals, and I don’t wanna say too much, but this comic is fun and weird and absolutely worth a read. Artist Andrea Sorrentino is doing some of his best work yet, with weird, innovative, mind blowing layouts and splash pages. The work definitely has a Frank Quietly vibe to it, which goes along with the weird nature of the story that feels a little bit like a Grant Morrison story. These are among the highest compliment so I can give about a comic. Dave Stewart does wonderful work in coloring the drama scenes that take place on earth, and the vivid and weird scenes that take place… Elsewhere. This is one of my favorite comics of the last few years, and a must read for sci-fi fans.

Shaolin Cowboy Cruel to be Kin #1 by Geoff Darrow and Dave Stewart, published by Dark Horse
The Shaolin Cowboy comics are not for everyone. But if you like seeing lots and lots of brutal, gory violence, as a Shaolin Cowboy kills wave after wave of zombies, or other foes, then this is a comic for you. Geoff Darrow is unmatched in his artistic detail, style, and influence. You can see his influence (and of course, the influence of Frank Quitely) in artists like James Stokoe, Chris Burnham, Nick Pitarra, Ramon Villalobos, and more. They all share Darrow's gritty, grimy style of illustration, and his penchant for sudden, brutal violence. And Shaolin is a masterpiece of violence. There's not much of a story, just the titular cowboy fighting and killing page after page of enemies. Darrow's level of detail is absolutely stunning. And even if this doesn't sound like your thing, it's at least worth checking out an issue.