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:
Port of Earth #1 by Zack Kaplan and Andrea Mutti, published by Image Comics.
I like very much what Zack Kaplan is doing in comics thus far, and it's not just because we share the same last name. I've really enjoyed his future-people living underground mystery series, Eclipse. It's a strong premise with great art and solid storytelling. With Port of Earth, he's going even bigger, and having already read the first issue I can tell you it's a terrific read that serves to set up the premise of the story but also lays out the central conflict in a very effective way. The art from Andrea Mutti is terrific, detailed, grounded work, and this is great pickup for fans of smart sci-fi stories.
I like very much what Zack Kaplan is doing in comics thus far, and it's not just because we share the same last name. I've really enjoyed his future-people living underground mystery series, Eclipse. It's a strong premise with great art and solid storytelling. With Port of Earth, he's going even bigger, and having already read the first issue I can tell you it's a terrific read that serves to set up the premise of the story but also lays out the central conflict in a very effective way. The art from Andrea Mutti is terrific, detailed, grounded work, and this is great pickup for fans of smart sci-fi stories.
Injection #15 by Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire, published by Image Comics.
Injection is a weird, dark, fascinating series. I wouldn't actually recommend you start with this issue, but instead that you go back to the very beginning. Warren Ellis is fascinated with people working in the shadows who have a better, weirder, more interesting understanding of the world. In Planetary they worked hard to preserve the uniqueness of the world and save it from nefarious ends. In Injection? Well, they kind of screw up and make things worse. And that makes for some fantastic, intelligent storytelling. The art from Declan Shalvey and Jordie Bellaire is fantastic, and if you're looking for a book to increase your sense of existential dread, this is a great choice.
Paper Girls Deluxe Edition HC Vol. 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson and Jared K. Fletcher.
I really love Paper Girls. I think you'll love it too. If Brian K. Vaughan is involved, it's a story you're going to want to check out, and Paper Girls is no exception. Vaughan is a master of creating real human characters with whom a reader can empathize and relate, and likely learn to love (I've really come to care very much about the characters in Saga). He also has a real ability to make even absurd situations feel grounded and relatable; while the situations may seem ridiculous, the emotions are real and honest.
Moon Knight #188 by Max Bemis and Jacen Burrows, published by Marvel Comics.
I've enjoyed recent runs on Moon Knight from the team now working on Injection, and more recently from Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood. He's an interesting character that's not just a Batman ripoff, but a great way to explore introspection, mental illness, mystical gods and supernatural occurrences. I liked Bemis' work on Evil Empire (a weird, twisted and prescient series about an amoral, fascist dictator) and I'm curious to see what he does here.
Rob's Picks:
As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman, Published by Iron Circus Comics.
Melanie's webcomic gets a collected edition courtesy of Spike's press, and I couldn't be happier. It's about a teen who's not sure she believes in God...who gets sent to a Christian camp. I got my copy in the Kickstarter, but if you haven't had a chance to read this award-winning series from a great creator, make sure you pick this up tomorrow.
Force #1 by Shawn Pryor, B. Alex Thompson, and Jay Reed, Published by Action Lab.
This project started as a Kickstarter and is now finding a home at Action Lab, where Pryor works, giving it a chance at a wider audience. I've known Shawn for a long time, and he's a great guy who wants to see more characters of color in comics, with more creators of color working on them. Force puts Shawn's money where his mouth is, featuring both. Force is the story of a football player at the end of his time, and it reminds me a bit of something you'd read in manga--the action of the games mixing with the drama of the characters. This isn't your usual comic, and that's a good thing. Check it out!
Hack/Slash vs. Vampirella #2 by Shawn Aldridge and Rapha Lobosco, Published by Dynamite Comics.
I loved the first issue of this series, which features two women who kill monsters for a living meeting up for the first time. Like Mr. Pryor, I've known this Shawn for a long time, too, and he's also a great guy. He also absolutely nails the personalities of the characters involved. His Cassie is pitch-perfect, his jokes are terrible (in a good way), and his Vampirella is really scary. The whole thing has a nice air of sensuality, without tipping into exploitation, which is a big credit to artist Rapha Lobosco. This is a romp in the best possible use of the word, and I can't wait to read this issue and the rest of the series.
I know absolutely nothing about this. It's King Kong mashed up with the Planet of the Apes, and really, that's all I need to know to get my interest. How about you?
Batman Lost by Scott Snyder, Doug Mahnke, and Oliver Copiel, published by DC Comics
DC’s Dark Nights: Metal has felt both familiar and novel, a
fact that stands as testament to Snyder and Co.’s ability to innovate while
tugging at the threads of the DC universe. If you’ve been a long time
Snyder/Capullo Batman reader, the Metal event has been all that more
fulfilling. This one-shot follows Batman as he descends into the dark
multiverse. I hope Mahnke’s art is as gnarly as it was during Superman: Black
Dawn.
Mister Miracle # 4 by
Tom King and Mitch Gerads, published by DC Comics
I love that DC has realized they can have books like Mister
Miracle, Ragman, and the entire Young Animal offering without worrying about
where exactly such books “fit.” Nonetheless, I’m consistently vexed with my
inability to pin down MM’s canon. Is this niche, or is it definitive? I don’t
know. I know it’s good though.
1985 Black Hole Repo
by Seth Sherwood and Josh Bivens, published by Heavy Metal
I bought by first copy of Heavy Metal ever a few months back.
I was intrigued, if somewhat lost. I’m not going to pretend to know what I’m
entirely in store for with this series. But I saw a preview for it in said
issue of Heavy Metal, and I feel like I’m kind of supposed to buy it since it
seems to be a nostalgic 80s cyberpunk adventure with crazy worldbuilding to
boot.
Trillium Deluxe
Edition by Jeff Lemire, published by Vertigo Comics.
Quite frankly, I’m surprised the original Trillium collected
edition was a trade paperback. Lemire’s work deserves the deluxe oversized
hardcover treatment. Prolific creators occasionally become repetitive. What has
always impressed me about Lemire is his ability to consistently create new
series drenched with originality. Trillium is truly a beautiful read, and this
oversized hardcover should do it justice.