Each week I'll spotlight a couple independent books I've read and may have flown under people's radar.
ANNIHILATOR 4
This book is so insane I don't know where to start. Somehow, for some reason, I love it. I really, truly hope it doesn't turn out to be some pretentious bullshit at the end, and that of all this makes sense. It's probably meta. Puzzle pieces are sliding into place and I just can't quite see the picture yet. This would definitely be better to read in trade form, and I'll likely eventually buy it that way. However, I can't at all talk about anything that happens in this issue. Well, there's a new character. But that's all I'll say.
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| Rumble 1 |
RUMBLE 1
I vaguely recall reading some interviews in the lead-up to this launch about a "scarecrow god." It very much seemed like two creators having a blast writing and drawing whatever the hell they wanted. That's very much what shines through in this issue. Things happen, most of it unexplained, and it's absolutely brilliant. While reading, I kept thinking of Six-Gun Gorilla and Tradd Moore. Moore's a bit easier to explain, so I'll start there. It's in the way Harren draws people - natural, yet exaggerated. It's also in the way Harren draws movement; people and things are practically alive. As for the Six-Gun Gorilla sensation, I think it stems from the fact that Arcudi throws us into a very strange place, with a main character that's completely out of his depth. Plus, it's really good. I'll be adding this to my pull and I recommend you do the same. Or at least pick up the first issue.
THE BUNKER 8
While describing Ragnarok below, I mention not minding the wait between issues. The wait between issues of The Bunker, however, is excruciating. Once Breaking Bad hit a point were I knew I'd like it and wanted to watch it, I waiting until the entire series was over and streaming on Netflix. I don't think I could have handled the wait. Well, I made the mistake of starting The Bunker too early, and now I have to wait between installments.
RAGNAROK 3
Thor is awake once again, moving around, and really angry about everything he sees. Nothing is the way it should be, and he's going to figure out why. Then probably hit it with a hammer. It'll be glorious. I keep thumbing through the book just to look at the art again. There's a point near the beginning where we're shown the same panel three times. Anyone else would have just copied and pasted that panel, but Simonson actually re-draws it each time. Same thing on the next page where we see the same panel four times. Subtle differences each time. This book comes out once every two months, and I know a guy that has a hard time waiting for new issues. I'm okay with the wait, though, because I want Simonson to have the time he needs to make it the way he wants rather than be rushed.
THE WICKED AND THE DIVINE 6
This title didn't make my list of Best Comics of 2014 but it should have. I was thinking about the broadstrokes of how the cast had expanded but we were still no closer to solving the mystery of the first issue. But that thinking misses the point. The brilliant way Laura narrates the book, often in contrast to the things she actually says. As seen in this issue, opposite an equally brilliant diagram of Laura's room. The rest of the issue is great as well, and I'll be sure to include the title on my Best Comics of 2015 list.
WYTCHES 3
The final pages of this issue features a single panel as it goes step-by-step through the coloring process. I really wish I hadn't seen it. I've seen Hollingsworth's coloring elsewhere, notably on the recent The Wake collection. He's good; I like his work. This guide, however, shows how good he is, right up until it's taken too far and intentionally made to look like garbage. As for the rest of the issue: less creepy than issue two, but still pretty creepy.
I picked up some trades last week as well but I'm saving those for a future post since not much is coming out in the next two weeks. So look for those then.
This week, I write about six comics while saying very little about what happens in them. This little blog is fun.
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