I wish the good comics were a bit more spread out each month. I didn't have much to read last week (re: two weeks ago), and then this week's overflowing with 'em. I can't complain too much, though, since I was able to catch up on some trades.
Pick of the Week
Super Sons #2 - This book is amazing. Tons of action, comedy, a little horror, a flabbergasted Lex, and some brief looks into the hearts of our main characters. The book even addresses Superboy's absence from the Teen Titans comic. Fantastic reading.
Honorable Mention
Cave Carson Has A Cybernetic Eye #6 - Wild Dog gets all the best lines. Also, ouch! The crew take drugs before fighting a giant subterranean slug god and it's all rendered by Oeming. If that doesn't spark your interest, I can't imagine what will.
Ether #5 - I'm always glad when I get to the end of a mini-series I like, like this one, when it says, "End volume 1." It gives me hope for the series to continue. And I really hope this does. Each issue injects heartbreaking emotion into just a few pages or panels between all the wild adventure. It works incredibly well. I've already pre-ordered the collection and recommend you do the same.
Kill Or Be Killed #7 - This is a Kira special. If you're anything like me, then the shotgun and hair color change on the cover threw you as much as it did me. She's Dylan's ex-girlfriend. Dylan's our main character, if you really haven't been paying attention. I found it very interesting. I really wasn't sure how involved she'd be in the series given how their relationship had ended, but this seems to indicate she'll be around for a while. The usual inner-monologue narration I love is still present.
Daytripper - Amazon tells me I bought this in August of 2010. That's entirely my fault for not reading it until now. I'd like to say as little as possible about this so readers can experience it fresh, like I did, so I won't say too much expect that it's fantastic. Like I did with Edena a few weeks back, here's a carefully edited Amazon description:
DAYTRIPPER follows the life of one man, Bras de Olivias Dominguez. Every chapter features an important period in Bras’ life in exotic Brazil. In every chapter, the story follows him through his entire existence – one filled with possibilities of happiness and sorrow, good and bad, love and loneliness. Each issue rediscovers the many varieties of daily life, in a story about living life to its fullest – because any of us can die at any moment.
Excuse me while I go order Two Brothers, which has similarly been sitting on my wish list for too long and is also created by Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon. At the very least, I hope you're familiar with them and their work.
Everything Else
All Star Batman #8 - Anyone thinking Mad Hatter isn't a major league Batman villain should read this book to learn just how close he came to convincing Batman he's insane. Really impressive writing to accomplish that with art that varied in style based on Bruce's mental state. I repeat: really impressive.
Batwoman #1 - Has Julia been in Detective? Last I saw she was working for the cops at the end of Snyder's Batman run. Working with Kate seems more her speed, though the relationship isn't fully defined as even Kate questions it at one point. This is the Batwoman comic I've been wanting since Blackman and Williams walked off during New52. It's getting added to my pull.
Casanova Acedia #8 - As you'll see further down the list, it's been a week for focusing on female side-characters. In this case, it's a certain young girl with a perchant for violence and a father that's extremely thorough. Any week with new Casanova is an automatic win for me. Ba's art is spectacular as always, but Moon's colors really make everything pop.
God Country #3 - This family can't seem to catch a break. Or maybe any break they do catch is short lived. Roy has a conversation with his wife while their daughter and his father play outside. Er, sorry, they weren't playing because Valofex is not a toy. And then all hell breaks loose. Perhaps literally! It seems some of the best series are actually mini series that end three months from now. This included. I kinda miss it already.
Invincible #134 - Surprisingly, this wasn't instantaneous murder-death-kill, but a gathering of forces as Mark tries to get Nolan to join in the fight against Thragg and Allen makes a confession to Mark. It's good, though I'm still filled with a creeping dread for what's inevitably to come.
Justice League #17 - Basically an entire issue of talking as babyface-Brainiac Timeless makes their (?) big move and the League get into position to blow things up on a massive scale. Still, it's entertaining talk and contrary to my previous belief, Hitch does seem to be paying attention to what other creators are doing. Heck of a final page, too.
Lucifer #16 - There are quite a few plans in motion by a number of different characters here. This checks in with most of them, albeit briefly. My only wish would be for a tiny bit more character re-establishment upon scene changes, especially when it's been a few issues since we last saw someone. The series has a large cast and it's a lot to mentally juggle.
Mighty Thor #17 - Thor vs the Shi'ar gods continues. Also, we learn what set the Shi'ar gods off in the first place and there are more boats vs spaceships. It's a whole lot of fun, even if the Shi'ar seem to be singing from Earth's bible.
Sex Criminals #17 - Similar to Kill or Be Killed, this is a special issue focused on Kegelface Mrytle Spurge. Well, half-focused, as she tracks down a sex criminal, the other half focusing on the creation of the aforementioned sex criminal. It's... very interesting. Still funny, but not as funny as usual. Still honest, but with a clear narrative the team wanted to tell, there wasn't as much room for the series' usual dialogue.
Superman #19 - I did skip Part 2 of Superman Reborn that was in Action Comics. Thanks to news sites, I read a preview of the issue, confirmed Jurgens is still a terrible writer, and learned who fake - Clark had been. So it feels like I didn't miss anything at all. This issue is all kinds of weirdness and allusions to bigger things. It's not great on it's own (though the Jon bits are good) though makes for a very interesting read on whatever DC are doing to Superman 'n' family as a whole. Hoping for answers and a satisfying ending to this story.
Trinity #7 - This is the first of Cullen Bunn's two issues, though given how well he writes Ra's, Lex, and Circe, I'd be okay with him taking over if Manapul ever leaves. There's a lot of posturing and insults as these three come together for reasons unknown. I'm interested to see where this leads.
Wild Storm #2 - Things are heating up, as next issue should see multiple conflicting agendas converge. This issue was all prep and name-dropping, but good nonetheless. Of all the re-designed characters, it's Marlowe I can't get used to. I think the head's too small.
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