I start placing these into the categories below as soon as I've read enough of that week's batch to get a sense of the highs and lows. This week, at about the halfway point, I wanted to put almost everything into Honorable Mention. So even if a title is under 'Everything Else" it's still quite good as the separation this week was razor thin.
Pick of the Week
Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #1 - This is the Young Animal comic I've been waiting for. Where the others went heavy on weird, this is filled with substance and the weird clings to that substance. A lot of time is spent establishing Cave and his family and the immediate effect is that I care about them. (Crazy, right?!) Add to that a mystery and some other interesting bits, and it's a great first issue. Oeming's art is perfect, moving from somber to dream-like to everyday and deftly tackling it all. Recommended.
Honorable Mention
Black Hammer #4 - Abe's girlfriend comes to dinner, and most everyone acts as expected. Two characters deviate from the "most" in the previous sentence and they were delights to see. The other surprise? How emotional issue was. Everyone shows what's on their hearts and minds here and it was all brilliant. In a week of some extraordinary comics, this was one of the best. Any Lemire fans be reading this book, and Ormston does an outstanding job with visual storytelling even in silent panels.
The Bunker #19 - This marks the end of The Bunker, a time-travel mystery centered on five people trying to do the right thing. It was written exceptionally well with art that impressively captured the emotional rollercoaster ever character was on. There were certainly other things to be seen in this series, but a good deal was emotionally charged friends yelling at former friends about what to do and how everything was going to shit. It's been an incredible series that I highly recommend.
Mighty Thor #12 - This is the perfect story to follow last issue's big reveal - the origin of Mjolnir. It's suitably epic, highly enjoyable, and recommended for all Thor fans. This is all I'm going to say because you should be reading the comic rather than this paragraph. Bonus: callback locale from Aaron's earliest issues.
Rumble #15 - I can't believe they ended the issue that way... and then announce they're going on hiatus. UGH! Things don't look good for Rathraq, and that's a serious understatement. The big battle that started last issue concludes here, and things don't really go well for anyone except Lerna. The combination of writing and art on this book make it one of my favorites. And now, I'll have a Rumble-shaped hole in my heart until it returns.
Lucifer #11 - I opened the cover, thought, "Oh that's right..." and immediately closed again so I could make a snack. This is one I didn't want to be interrupted for, and it was fantastic. Even better than expected. I'm somewhat heart-broken Holly Black is leaving the title in a few issues, because this book has been exceeding my expectations from the beginning. The writing and art are phenomenal and this is absolutely a worthy successor of the Carey title.
Spread #19 - The cover is a spoiler. So there's that. Inside, I continue to love No especially as he replies to people with one word answers... which is almost all the time. Jack was amazing, and Molly gets out with Hope. Last time I talked about not knowing how they'd get out of the pickle the cast found themselves in, and then they did! It was brutal, rather bloody, and accompanied by absolutely brilliant narration. Earlier today I commented how I don't read The Walking Dead because it's so depressing, yet I love this. If I had to explain why, the only answer I have is that it's the narration. Hope narrating gives me hope that things, ultimately, will end well. At least for her.
Everything else
Dark Knight III the Master Race #6 - Things happen in this book that I want to talk to other people about. I'm not going to mention any of them here... mainly because I haven't figured out my own feelings about any of it yet. The art is the same as the rest of the series, so that's down to personal preference. The story... I'm curious what all of it means, what's going to happen next, and where all of this is leading. I thought I was getting a sense at the beginning of the issue, but all of that changed by the end.
Black Widow #7 - Was there a longer-than-usual break between this and issue 6? It feels like it and I'm struggling to remember where things ended after Widow confronted Weeping Lion. The recap page kinda covers it, but not to the level of detail I want and it's that level of detail that's demanded here right from the start. (I really should just re-read that those final pages, but I'm probly not gonna.) In any case, there's a mission in the present and another in the past that has consequences for the present. Also, Natasha gets a new task that should occupy her for the rest of the arc. After that, it's anyone's guess, but I think her new ally won't last long. Wait and Samnee continue to knock this out of the park.
Ghostbusters International #10 - Since the last issue - which seems like only two weeks ago - an annual has been solicited for January. So even though the series is ending next issue, I've got my fingers crossed Ghostbusters continue at IDW in some form. As for this particular issue, the plot advanced on multiple fronts and everything is now primed for (sadly) a conclusion next issue. Schoening is back on art for the whole issue, which was great to see once again.
Justice League #7 - Though this arc wrapped up quickly, it seems like there will be some lasting consequences. Specifically, Aquaman and Wonder Woman do some things that can't simply be taken back with an "I'm sorry, but we were under the influence of a fear-based attack." In fact, that would probably make things worse. I really hope some of these threads get followed up on, but that may depend on how long Hitch is writing. Tim Seeley is taking over in January, but is Hitch coming back? I'm going to miss him if Hitch is gone. The early issues had an Authority feel due to the huge action, but so does this for the personal interactions and admitted desires (intentions?) of some of the cast. I'd very much like to see this continue.
Superman #9 - Much like Justice League, this wrapped up quickly. Issue 8 was slow and ended just as it was getting rolling. Things are back on track here with plenty of action and character development. Unfortunately, there's no movement on the overall mystery, but that only makes me want to know even more. Overall, it's a good issue, though I think it might have worked better as a single 40-something page issue instead of two singles. But what are you gonna do? Also: Mahnke drawing Superman smiling is just creepy.
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