I normally start placing these into categories as I write them knowing some will move later as the scale their judged against changes. This week I find seven books in Honorable Mention (with more good ones in Everything Else that missed the mark by a hair). The thought of picking a single title above the others is more daunting than I care to engage in. So it's a 7-way tie!
Pick of the Week
Not for a lack of good books, I just couldn't pick this week.
Honorable Mention
Ether #4 - Another amazing issue full of childhood fantasy and heartbreak. I need to buy a hardcover of the eventual collection because it's absolutely shelf-worthy and I need to be able to lend it to people at a moment's notice. Just shove it in their hands and tell them to start reading.
God Country #2 - Another comic this week where the fighting is done with words and a brilliant last page. I recommend jumping on board now because this is a title you're going to continue hearing about.
Invincible #133 - It's great seeing Ottley back on art; it feels like he's been gone a long time. The issue itself was an emotional rollercoaster with multiple characters using violence to process their emotions. Terra and Mark's parents provided the levity while a quiet moment between Mark and Eve filled me with dread. Well done, gentlemen.
Justice League #15 - This is what I've been waiting for. Big, mad ideas coupled with great art and loads of action.
Mighty Thor #16 - I've given this title some smack in recent months, comparing it unfavorably to Unworthy Thor. This issue, however, kicked serious ass. Sif vs Cul, Thor vs Shi'ar gods, Volstagg vs the Congress of Worlds, and spaceships vs arrows not only advanced multiple plotlines, but did so with clever dialogue and massive-scale action. I didn't care about the Shi'ar War before this issue; now I need more.
Sex Criminals #16 - Long before Kill or Be Killed was stealing thoughts out of my head, there was Sex Criminals. It chronicled all the weird, wonderful, awkward personal and relationship stuff, and it's back. There's an extremely informative recap up front since it's been quite a while since the last issue came out. Note: these guys haven't lost a step.
Super Sons #1 - How about that last page?! Next issue is going to be fantastic. right after I finished reading this I texted a friend, "Your next must-read Rebirth title is Super Sons. Jon + Damian is amazing, hilarious, and completely ridiculous." I want only Tomasi and Gleason to write these characters. The art is a great pairing for these young and energetic characters. Recommended.
Everything Else
Batwoman Rebirth #1 - If you read previous Batwoman series, there's nothing new here except teaser snippets at the back about upcoming event. If you haven't, this is a crash course is Batwoman. I can only hope they're done recapping and the series can actually start when it starts next month.
Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #5 - I read this days ago but didn't write anything at the time. These are "reviews" in the loosest sense of the word. More vague summaries, first impressions, tangential anecdotes, and sometime recommendations. So I needed to flip back through it again to refresh. Stopped on Wild Dog's bad trip and again for the "Fuck my life" panel which brought a smile to my face. Pretty sure I actually laughed out loud the first time I read that, which is pretty incongruous considering the situation they're in. I still love this book.
Kill Or Be Killed #6 - Dylan is completely fucked and he doesn't have the first clue. For the first time this series, we get an extended look at what's going on away from Dylan. Two forces are now gunning for him (perhaps literally) and by the time he's aware, it will likely be too late. Another great issue from a great series.
Lucifer #15 - I gotta say, again, the new writer is doing well. Everyone's making or putting plans into action. Nothing really to say beyond that. Still enjoying it. And that's absolutely supposed to be Constantine, down to the carbon-copy origin.
Spread #19 - Not a significant amount happens here but some major information is given and there's a shocking final page I immediately want to know more about.
Superman #17 - A well made done-in-one. It was great seeing Jon again (I haven't read Super Sons yet) and it's always great seeing him with Kathy. If this series were a TV show, this issue would be one people remember and talk about years after it went off the air. A little monster-of-the-week, a lot of weird, and I don't think we really got any satisfactory answers... it was brilliant.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #67 - Poor Slash. But even more than that, poor Mutanimals. Eesh. My nephew is talking about getting his first apartment with some friends and my response was, "That's something everyone should experience at least once." The Turtles are going through it now with Splinter not around for the first time in their lives. It's well written, especially the scene between Leo and Splinter. And Santolouco is back on art, which always makes me happen.
Trinity #6 - This didn't really stick the landing. Great opening issues, but last issue with Mongul in a dream with Poison Ivy's daughter... it didn't really work. That all wraps up here with a hasty memory erasure since she absolutely would have had follow-up questions and that's clearly not in the cards. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the next arc and Manapul coming back on after that. I still like his work, just hope the ending works better next time.
Unfollow #16 - This week's trend of final page stunners continues! Early on in this series I said I could see it running for 60 issues like previous Vertigo greats. Alas, that isn't going to happen as the book closes out two issue from now. But it absolutely could have. There's a lot of unmined material here, though the sudden speeding up of events hasn't made it any less great. The counter on the front of #17 will be much lower than this issue's.
Wild Storm #1 - It's okay. A decent, albeit subtle start. It's interesting to contract this with Justice League from Hitch also out today. I'll stick around to see where it's going, mostly to see more characters and actually see where this whole thing is going.
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