April comics bring...we dunno, more Comics? Catch It for April 13th, 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...

Rob's Picks:

 

Mamo by Sas Milledge, published by Boom! Studios

A young witch who escaped her small town life is dragged back in by a series of potential disasters occurring in the village after the death of the town's old witch, her grandmother. Now she has to choose between the freedom she's always wanted and saving people caught up in a bony web not of their own making. And if it wasn't bad enough, the witch's long-time friend is a part of the mystery. Old feelings stir right back up in good and bad ways in this story about self-discovery and self-determination. Milledge's plotting is really spectacular here, as you are both able to figure out what's going on and be able to be surprised by points along the way and the ending resolution. Their linework flows across the page, with interesting choices in terms of the panel constructions and some really pretty splash pages. A great spring read with a good beverage and the sun shining.

 

Arrowsmith Vol 1 So Smart in Their Fine Uniforms by Kurt Busiek, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Alex Sinclair, and Comicraft, published by Image (originally Wildstorm)

I first read this a long time ago when it came out, as a gift from my friend Noah. While I'm less inclined to fantasy stories, I loved the concept--and I still do. An alternative World War 1 era where supernatural creatures abound is just as bogged down as the one in our reality. A young man gets embroiled in the fight as part of the air attacks (i.e. dragons) and learns the realities of growing up fast in the face of death and destruction. It's exactly the kind of story Kurt excels at, and Pacheco's line work is just absolutely slick and beautiful. I am really glad to see this coming out in a new edition.

 

James' Picks:

The Ghost in You: A Reckless Book, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip, published by Image Comics

The connected series of Reckless graphic novellas is some of my favorite comics of the past few years. This is the fourth in the series. Each concern a character named Ethan Reckless who's sort of like a private investigator, but also with a mission of righting wrongs. He has an Associate, Anna, who's worked with him for years and has been invaluable in solving cases and problems. This next book is focused on Anna which is great, because she's a very cool character. The art from Sean Phillips continues to be absolutely wonderful. I highly recommend all of these books.

Break Out #1 by Zack Kaplan, Wilton Santos, Jason Wordie, and Jim Campbell, published by Dark Horse

Zack has done a lot of fun comics that I've really enjoyed (Join the Future, Eclipse, and more). He's got a really good knack for writing about interesting, fun sci-fi concepts in a very accessible way. So I am definitely excited for his new book, Break Out. It sounds like he's got another very fun idea on his hands (teens escaping from floating alien cube prisons!). I'm here for it. And I was not previously familiar with artist Wilton Santos, but having checked out his art shared on social media, I think he's a fantastic choice for this comic. His work is detailed and grounded without being overly photo-realistic. It's a very appealing style. And with colors from the excellent Jason Wordie, and letters from the equally skilled Jim Campbell, this seems like a very promising read.

Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 by Geoff Johns, Declan Shalvey, Wyatt Kennedy, Skottie Young, Mirka Andolfo, Brenden Fletcher, Kyle Higgins, Andrea Mutti, Declan Shalvey, Luana Vecchio, Mirka Andolfo, Erica Henderson, Daniele Di Nicuolo and more, published by Image Comics

I'm not all that much of anthology reader, but on the other hand this one has an absolute murderer's row of talent involved in it. And it's just a first issue, so I'm happy to check it out. This is Image Comics' 30th anniversary, and so here's an anthology of new stories to celebrate Image's past, present and future. There's a lot of great folks involved, and this should be a very fun read. 

Sean’s Picks:

Farmhand 16 by Rob Guillory & Jean-Francois Beaulieu and published by Image Comics
It’s been a minute since the Jedidiah family graced the shelves of our local comic shops. The flowering human hybrids and the agriculture apocalypse has come to this. It’s the final act. The resolution. The denouncement. Farmhand is back and with the Jedidiah Seed not needing the farm to grow, it flourishes exuberantly in the wild as Monica Thorne continues the demonic presence that she left us in. This should be quite the fun send off and I’m excited to jump back in. 

The Junction TP by Norm Konyu and published by Titan Comics
The Kirby Junction is where people go to grieve ..or a place others go to pass on ..or that pivotal moment between wake & sleep ..or when you want to remember but for fuck sake just can’t. The  Junction is my favorite surprise of the year so far. It’s difficult to describe what this story is about beyond what the abbreviated solicits state, and I assure you that the time spent reading this book will not diminish your return on investment. Titan Comics has invested in a winner with debut graphic novel, The Junction, by acclaimed cartoonist Norm Konyu— and you all are not ready for this one.