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...
James' Picks:
Go back and read this book from the beginning. It's SO weird! I love it. Chris Sebela had a fantastic 2018 and I'm sure that he'll continue to write terrific books in 2019. House Amok is a wonderfully messed-up story about a family that's suffering from a mass delusion and doing terrible things as a result, when one of the family members stops suffering from the delusion and begins to see the world as it is. Great premise, great book. I highly recommend it.
I'm thrilled that Criminal is coming back as a monthly book. If you've never read Criminal before, you really ned to go out and do that now. It's a sprawling series of stories set over the course of many years, involving an wide but related set of characters. It's crime-noir at its very best. Sean Phillips is an incredible, grounded artist and a fantastic storyteller. This is a wonderful series and terrific exploration of the grimy side of life.
Captain Marvel is a terrific character, but recent writers have not always done so well by her (looking at you Bendis, and Civil War II). But she's a fun, engaging character and a terrific hero, and I'm happy to try out a new book for her. Particularly with the movie coming out in a few months, I'm excited to see what the creative team here does. I wasn't familiar with the artist but I looked at some preview pages and this book looks GREAT. And I absolutely love Kelly Thompson's work; Her Hawkeye book was one of my favorite books of the year, and I'm also enjoying West Coast Avengers and have enjoyed many other books she's written.
This book has, thus far, been one big crazy action sequwnce and I'm totally digging it. There's a guy who's been captured trying to infiltrate a rogue human colony that was established almost a century earlier. Humanity has gone in some weird directions in this colony. It's a good story, and Jason Howard is an incredible artist. I think you can wait until this is collected in trade, but I definitely recommend it.
Mike's Picks:
Laguardia 2 by Nnedi Okorafor, Tana Ford, James Devlin, and Sal Ciprlano, published by Dark Horse/Berger Books
There’s a lot going on in Laguardia, and that’s the way it’s supposed to be. Okorafor’s apt use of science fiction and African Futurist motifs coupled with Ford’s intricate, heavily inked art creates a beautiful, exaggerated world that’s part bio-punk, part fable fantasy, and all social commentary.
Turok 1 by Ron Marz, Roberto Castro, Salvatore Aiala, and Troy Peteri, published by Dynamite Entertainment
I’ll make no claims that I understand that various Gold Key relaunches since Dynamite acquired the license, but every iteration has been well done. Dynamite handles their properties well, and Ron Marz has proven he can inherit and extend older characters well through his work in Dynamite’s John Carter universe. Aiala’s artwork is also a great suite for such a book. He channels a good amount of pulp influence while still maintaining a modern feel.
Archie Meets Batman ‘66 #6 by Jeff Parker, Michael Moreci, Dan Parent, J. Bone, Kelly Fitzpatrick, Jack Morelli, published by DC Comics/Archie Comics
This entire mini-series has treated us to silver age nostalgia of the highest caliber. The mix of artists, and the nods to various styles has helped to set this series apart from even the other well-done Batman ‘66 iterations. This issue wraps up an incredibly fun series, and a caper worth of Adam West himself.
Young Justice # 1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Patrick Gleason, published by DC Comics
Young Justice represents the first item from Bendis’s new Wonder Comics pop-up imprint. Bendis has a knack for the character dynamic of a large team book, and I’m excited to see Pat Gleason get into the mix with a new set of characters, drawing his first team book since Green Lantern Corps. Bendis and Gleason’s initial Action Comics arc demonstrated the pair can make a strong tandem.
Kirk's Picks:
Die #2 by Stephanie Hans and Kieron Gillen, published by Image Comics
I would never want to sit at any RPG table that Kieron Gillen is DMing. He’s sadistic and has already set the precedent that he’s going to run these new characters he’s created through the grinder in this story if their own adult life choices don’t do them in first. Die is the story 5 adults summoned back to a cursed role-playing game from their youth that kept them from the real world for 2 years and it showcases once again how prolific Gillen is at creating fully realized and nuanced fantasy worlds, and more importantly the rules that govern them. The real treat is Stephanie’s interiors. Largely known as an illustrator for covers, her art is lush and hints at an unseen turmoil. You don’t have to be familiar with role-playing games or the genre, but this series will make you a fan right away.
Murder Falcon #4 by Daniel Warren Johnson and Mike Spicer, published by Image Comics
Daniel could draw the annotated history of the lead pencil and I would still be compelled to pick it up. Easily one of the most exciting artists in comics at the moment (Check out his Instagram! @danielwarrenart). The follow up to his brutal fantasy epic Extremity, Murder Falcon is his love letter to all things Metal. A guitar-shredding virtuoso on a mission to find the enchanted rock instruments with his friends to get their band back together and fight the demonic kaiju of Magnum Khaos as they bleed their way into our reality to feed on our fears and doubt! It comes complete with a a drum kit with rockets that flies and a bass that summons a wooly mammoth avatar. It’s every fight scene from Scott Pilgrim on DMT. It’s also the most earnest lesson about forgiveness and believing in yourself that you need to read.
Daniel could draw the annotated history of the lead pencil and I would still be compelled to pick it up. Easily one of the most exciting artists in comics at the moment (Check out his Instagram! @danielwarrenart). The follow up to his brutal fantasy epic Extremity, Murder Falcon is his love letter to all things Metal. A guitar-shredding virtuoso on a mission to find the enchanted rock instruments with his friends to get their band back together and fight the demonic kaiju of Magnum Khaos as they bleed their way into our reality to feed on our fears and doubt! It comes complete with a a drum kit with rockets that flies and a bass that summons a wooly mammoth avatar. It’s every fight scene from Scott Pilgrim on DMT. It’s also the most earnest lesson about forgiveness and believing in yourself that you need to read.
2018 was a marquee year for Sebela. Titles like Crowded and Shanghai Red kept him on many Best Of lists at the end of the year and it’s great to see Black Crown give his voice a home with this story. if you have been reading any of the other titles from Black Crown (and you should be), the unreliable narrator tone of House Amok is right on brand with this publishing imprint from IDW. Bogeymen that can’t be unseen, organ theft, and urban legends chase a young girl, her twin sister, and the rest of their family on road trip ripe with high crime across the country. Chris’ talent for lulling readers to a safe place before unleashing anxiety-inducing levels of tension are in full effect within these pages. Though the story has been great so far at keeping me guessing whether the events are real or not, I didn’t expect to question if I want them to be.