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 three single issues and one trade for your consideration, with a little bit about why we like it.
James' Picks:
The Flintstones vol. 2 by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh and Chris Chuckry, Published by DC Comics.
This is one of the most surprising and wonderful comics of the past few years. This isn't what you might think a comic about the Flintstones is. This is hilarious and moving and some of the sharpest satire I've read in a comic. Pick up vol. 1 and then pick this one up too. It's a special book.
Paper Girls #16 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson and Jared Fletcher, Published by Image Comics.
Speaking of special books, I really love Paper Girls. It's set in the late 80's and the characters are essentially the exact same age as me, so that's got a lot of appeal. It's a crazy weird science fiction story with inventive ideas, and it's got a ton of heart and characters I've come to care about. The art from Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson is just gorgeous and specific and really creates the world.
Eugenic #1 by James Tynion IV, Eryk Donovan, and Dee Cunniffe, Published by Boom! Studios.
This creative team has previously done the books Memetic and Cognetic. Those were some super weird, really interesting science fiction stories with provocative ideas; I had mixed feelings about how those stories played out but they were absolutely worth a read. Similarly, here, the creative team is swinging for the fences with some pretty out-there, thought-provoking ideas and I'm excited to see how it goes.
Giant Days #31 by John Allison and Max Sarin, Published by Boom! Studios.
I really love this book. I've come to love Esther and Daisy and Susan, the three university students at the center of this story, and their assorted group of friends and other weird characters that come in and out of the story. This is a hilarious and moving book, and the comic is telling a larger story, but each issue is its own satisfying read. I highly recommend this one.
Mike's Picks:
Usagi Yojimbo # 162 – by Stan Sakai, published by Dark Horse
I don’t always keep up with single issues of Usagi Yojimbo, but I’m always delighted by Sakai’s masterpiece when I have the opportunity to follow it in serial form. This issue concludes the two-part “Body in the Library” short mystery tale. Sakai is a top-notch cartoonist, and books like Usagi Yojimbo are unique. We don’t really get books like this anymore – and not for 162 issues – so enjoy it.
Batman: The White Knight, by Sean Gordon Murphy, published by DC Comics
In the midst of Dark Nights: Metal, I’m choosing this Elseworlds (do we still say that?) tale on the strength of Sean Murphy alone. Flipping the superhero/supervillain dynamic on its head has been done before, but I think Murphy is going to add enough wrinkles to make this miniseries incredibly intriguing. And then there’s Murphy’s art, an almost deconstructed version of the classic Batman: The Animated Series style punctuated by manga and noir influences. Yes, please.
Harley and Ivy meet Betty and Veronica, by Paul Dini, Mark Andreyko, Laura Braga, and Amanda Conor, published by DC.
Is this a little too ‘on the nose?’ Yes, certainly. Isn’t that what you’d want from this book, though? Yes, it damn well better be.
Archangel, by William Gibson, Butch Guice, and James Biggie, published by IDW.
William Gibson is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve been patiently waiting to read his first comics work in its collected form because I ultimately think it’s better to read Gibson narratives as an act of completion. Read the Bigend Trilogy and tell me I’m wrong.
Scott's Picks:
Charlton Arrow by Nicoli Cuti, Joe Staton, Paul Kupperberg, Mike Collins, Roger McKenzie, & Steven Butler, Published by AC Comics
Now that's a murder's row of older creators. And it doesn't feel right seeing E-Man in a comic without there being a Mike Mauser story somewhere in sight. Looking at that cover, I can't quite tell if that's Joe Staton artwork. If so, his style has changed quite a bit and could take some getting used to.
Samaris by Benoit Peeters & Francois Schuiten, Published by IDW Publishing.
This is the third recent collection of Peeters and Schuiten's The Obscure City books. This is another one of those series that I need to catch up with. The Leaning Girl and Theory of the Grain of Sand have been reprinted in English over the past couple of years and both look to be intricately detailed, beautiful and wonderfully surreal.
This is one of the most surprising and wonderful comics of the past few years. This isn't what you might think a comic about the Flintstones is. This is hilarious and moving and some of the sharpest satire I've read in a comic. Pick up vol. 1 and then pick this one up too. It's a special book.
Speaking of special books, I really love Paper Girls. It's set in the late 80's and the characters are essentially the exact same age as me, so that's got a lot of appeal. It's a crazy weird science fiction story with inventive ideas, and it's got a ton of heart and characters I've come to care about. The art from Cliff Chiang and Matt Wilson is just gorgeous and specific and really creates the world.
This creative team has previously done the books Memetic and Cognetic. Those were some super weird, really interesting science fiction stories with provocative ideas; I had mixed feelings about how those stories played out but they were absolutely worth a read. Similarly, here, the creative team is swinging for the fences with some pretty out-there, thought-provoking ideas and I'm excited to see how it goes.
Giant Days #31 by John Allison and Max Sarin, Published by Boom! Studios.
I really love this book. I've come to love Esther and Daisy and Susan, the three university students at the center of this story, and their assorted group of friends and other weird characters that come in and out of the story. This is a hilarious and moving book, and the comic is telling a larger story, but each issue is its own satisfying read. I highly recommend this one.
Mike's Picks:
Usagi Yojimbo # 162 – by Stan Sakai, published by Dark Horse
I don’t always keep up with single issues of Usagi Yojimbo, but I’m always delighted by Sakai’s masterpiece when I have the opportunity to follow it in serial form. This issue concludes the two-part “Body in the Library” short mystery tale. Sakai is a top-notch cartoonist, and books like Usagi Yojimbo are unique. We don’t really get books like this anymore – and not for 162 issues – so enjoy it.
Batman: The White Knight, by Sean Gordon Murphy, published by DC Comics
In the midst of Dark Nights: Metal, I’m choosing this Elseworlds (do we still say that?) tale on the strength of Sean Murphy alone. Flipping the superhero/supervillain dynamic on its head has been done before, but I think Murphy is going to add enough wrinkles to make this miniseries incredibly intriguing. And then there’s Murphy’s art, an almost deconstructed version of the classic Batman: The Animated Series style punctuated by manga and noir influences. Yes, please.
Harley and Ivy meet Betty and Veronica, by Paul Dini, Mark Andreyko, Laura Braga, and Amanda Conor, published by DC.
Is this a little too ‘on the nose?’ Yes, certainly. Isn’t that what you’d want from this book, though? Yes, it damn well better be.
Archangel, by William Gibson, Butch Guice, and James Biggie, published by IDW.
William Gibson is one of my favorite authors, and I’ve been patiently waiting to read his first comics work in its collected form because I ultimately think it’s better to read Gibson narratives as an act of completion. Read the Bigend Trilogy and tell me I’m wrong.
Scott's Picks:
Charlton Arrow by Nicoli Cuti, Joe Staton, Paul Kupperberg, Mike Collins, Roger McKenzie, & Steven Butler, Published by AC Comics
Now that's a murder's row of older creators. And it doesn't feel right seeing E-Man in a comic without there being a Mike Mauser story somewhere in sight. Looking at that cover, I can't quite tell if that's Joe Staton artwork. If so, his style has changed quite a bit and could take some getting used to.
Elephantmen #78 by Richard Starkings & Axel Medellin, Published by IDW Publishing.
I can't believe that this is the beginning of the end because there are only two more issues of Elephant Men after this although it sounds like Starkings has some plans still. Hopefully one of those plans is to get Ladronn to finish the last part of the Hip Flask stories that actually function as a sequel to this series. With a new Blade Runner movie coming out this week, Elephantmen has always been a good homage to Ridley Scott's film.
Punisher: Platoon #1 by Garth Ennis & Goran Parlov, Published by Marvel Comics.
I haven't read a lot of this creative teams past Punisher work but I've always heard great things about it. But based off of their Nick Fury My War Gone By series, one of my favorite comics of 2013, I really need to check this out. Parlov has become an overlooked superstar over the past 5 years so this should be a beautiful but gritty comic.
Samaris by Benoit Peeters & Francois Schuiten, Published by IDW Publishing.
This is the third recent collection of Peeters and Schuiten's The Obscure City books. This is another one of those series that I need to catch up with. The Leaning Girl and Theory of the Grain of Sand have been reprinted in English over the past couple of years and both look to be intricately detailed, beautiful and wonderfully surreal.