"Mainstream" Pick of the Week:
Amazing Spider-Man #555
As exciting as Secret Invasion was, as satisfying as Action Comics was, Spidey made me the happiest. Amazing Spider-Man finally seems to be back in the saddle after three struggling storylines, where writers and artists alike were given the crappiest moment in years to work on a dream book.
In this issue, Zeb Wells (writer) and Chris Bachalo (artist) finally escape the awkward trappings of this "Brand New Day" situation, bringing the readers what feels like a classic Spider-Man/Wolverine team-up. As with the previous few storylines, a new villain is the source of the trouble, but UNlike those stories, there's less emphasis on Peter Parker's brand new, retro style life. The issue even starts off with Spidey (mask on, of course) chilling in Doctor Strange's mansion, this being the first time his affiliation with the New Avengers has even been addressed since Marvel's latest attempt to alienate it's fanbase. Wells writes the closest thing to a pre-One More Day Spider-Man (which is my personal preference) so far, and Bachalo's art works perfectly as the balance between the classic Spider-Man and a more innocent Peter Parker. I kinda wish they'd started with Chris Bachalo rather than Steve McNiven (though I love both equally), I think the transition would've been easier.
Altogether, this was the most enjoyable Spider-Man comic I've read in months.
(though I applaud the efforts of the creative teams since OMD, they really had their work cut out for them.)
"Indy" Pick of the Week:
The Walking Dead #48
Seriously? I could not believe what I read this issue. The kind of comic you KNOW people will write letters about.
Robert Kirkman (writer) and Charlie Adlard (artist) raise the stakes AGAIN in the best ongoing horror story in comics today. The megalomaniacal General presses the attack as our hero Rick has to figure out a way to protect his family and what's left of the other survivors, and in this issue... well, this is the kind of issue that years of reading pays off in an emotional outburst. The kind where you might not want to be on a bus or in a public library when you freak out and yell because you cannot fathom what just happened. It hits like a sack of bricks to the face, leaving you shocked and angry and somewhat confused that it could've happened at all. And the worst part is? I can't say a thing about what really goes down, because to give even the slightest clue is to ruin the whole thing.
"Random Graphic Novel" Pick of the Week:
Teenagers From Mars
Written by Rick Spears, Art by Rob G
How far will you go for comics? One of my favorite non-superhero graphic novels of all time, this is the story of a couple of kids in a small town. House parties, grave robberies, the local movie theatre, a Walmart-esque establishment, same old same old. Macon Blair just wants to take it easy, watch old zombie movies and make his comic. Of course nothing could ever be so simple. Of course it's meeting a girl, Madison Lee, resident badass punk rock femme fatale that starts it all off. One small act of rebellion sets into motion a series of ridiculous events, beginning with a banning of all comics in the town and ending in - what else? - a shootout. Hysterical and inspirational, kickass as it is thought provoking, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has ever felt the need to fight for what they believed. And let's face it, as comic fans, that's probably all of us.
Read more...
