Zaphod's coming at you here tonight, comic strip style. Holy crap, I'm actually getting this in on time too! I'm still sick but feeling a million times better than I was last week.
This picture i took in celebration of Chew #40 coming out. The little guy on my head is a chog (half frog /half chicken) and is about the cutest ugly thing I have ever encountered)
Unrelated note: Please message me with any questions you may have for me. They can be about comics, my life, what it's life to be a hopeful, etc. I want to do a video blog where I answer your questions because a) it's fun for me and b) I would like to be able to talk about things you guys actually care about.
Okay, let's dive into the comics this week
The Wake #6
Man, is there a more perfect combo than Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy? I fell in love with Sean Murphy's art on his book Punk Rock Jesus, which I simply could not put down. I remember being up until 3 am reading it and being miserable the next day at work; completely worth it, though! I've been looking forward to this issue coming out as the title has had a little bit of a break since the previous one. Issue six begins the second part of the story and takes place 200 years in the future after the mer people have sunk much of the coastline. Leeward is the name of the female protagonist, who makes her living by illegally selling heads of mer-peole. Even though there is 200 years between issues, this chapter is everything I never knew I wanted this story to become. I am super excited to see what happens next. If you haven't checked out this book, they put out a super cool deluxe size single issue that collects the first five issues. Check at your local comic shop to see if they have any copies and get caught up.
Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #2
This issue sees the re-introduction of one of my favorite bad guys from the Serenity / Firefly universe. One of the crew needs medical attention and the New Resistance is trying to track down the crew for their cause. Jayne's cunning hat guest stars. A lot happened in this issue but I'm doing my best to keep my reviews spoiler-free (which I hope you appreciate because that's really tough for me) so I may not be able to talk about as much as I would like.
Chew #40
(See strange picture at top of blog)
At the end of issue #39, Amelia made Tony a dish of psychedelic space fruit cooked with chog juices and the remainder of Toni's toe, which allowed Tony to communicate with his dead sister during a crazy trip. This whole issue is quite amusing which is par for the course for Chew but coupled with the fact that Tony is stoned out of his mind on Space Fruit-Chog-Toe drugs, a lot of craziness happens. This issue marks the end of the Family Recipes story arc and Olive gets a last piece of advice which the reader does not get to hear and I want to know what it is!! This arc will be collected soon and it's a great chance to catch up on one of my favorite monthly reads if you're not up to date!
Black Science #4
This is the first of my two back-to-back Remender comics. This one is reminding me a bit of Sliders, with the team jumping between dimensions without control although this story certainly has more of the sci-fi alien race elements. Just when it looks like the team may have some time to recover, something comes up out of the blue and may potentially change everything for them. I just cannot get over how amazing Matteo Scalera's art is on this story. With Image putting out all of these solid kick-ass titles, it's no wonder I can't ever seem to be able to save money.
Deadly Class #2
And now for something completely different by Rick Remender. Marcus is a previously homeless teen in the late 1980s who is inducted into a high school famous for training assassins. This issue shows that even a school for assassins has the same bullshit cliques and bullying that come with any school. Although he doesn't align himself with any of the groups, Marcus may have found a few friend of his own. Given a class project that could prove deadly, what will happen next? I'm really enjoying the start of this series and am really hoping to learn more about Marcus' back-story as most of it is still very much a mystery.
Walking Dead #122
This comic doesn't normally end up so far down in my stack, but there were so many great titles out this week I had a really tough time deciding which order they would go in. This issue is part 8 of the "All out War" story arc. It looks like there may be a few people changing sides within Negan's group, and who can blame them? I wouldn't take to kindly to a leader who took a hot iron to people's faces either. However, Negan's got a crazy idea of his own and I guess we'll see if it works or not but it could be a game changer. A lot of the survivors are still reeling from the loss of loved ones but this calm won't last much longer.
Dead Body Road #3
Another comic beautifully drawn by Matteo Scalera and written by the wonderful Justin Jordan (The Strange Talent of Luthor Strode). I am really enjoying this comic thus far. It's filled with dynamic illustrations, crime, and amazing fight scenes and is everything I've come to expect from the guy who brought me Luthor Strode. I'm really looking forward to re-reading this one when the arc is completed. These guys really aren't pulling their punches with this one. Hell of a good read.
Rat Queens #5
It's not all drinking and partying for the Rat Queens when one of their members has a brush with death. After that, though there most certainly is more drinking and partying in store. This one continues to be a fun, lighthearted read but it may take a dark turn soon...
One-Hit Wonder #1
This is one of those ones that I picked up without really knowing anything about it. This is the story of Richie Reese, former Hollywood child star turned hitman. This first issue isn't bad. He's a very flashy hitman and reminds me of how Archer is a "secret agent" but keeps telling people about it. I don't think I'll keep collecting this one though as it didn't really grab me.
Revenge #1
Another number one that I grabbed just to check it out. Honestly I could not even read this one. I opened page one to see them peeling someone's face off and it seems to continue along that path throughout most of the book. The artist is supposed to be really good and the art looks very detailed but a little too much for me to stomach. I don't mind a bit of horror or some gore here or there but I could tell instantly that this was not one for me. If you're a fan of Crossed, maybe?
Tomb Raider #1
I love Gail Simone's work on Batgirl so I figured I'd give this one a try. I've never actually seen a full Tomb Raider film, but oh well. In this first issue, Lara is haunted by the ghosts of former crewmembers from a shipwreck and it seems all of those who survived are being affected by it as well. It's a good first issue but I'm sure I would pick up on a bit more if I was more familiar with that universe.
Question for you all:
Which comics publisher do you read the most from? For me, it's Image by a mile.
Woo, made it in with three minutes to spare before midnight (PST) Gonna go waste some time here on SG in the threads, smoke some Bubba Kush that's been calling my name and then find my way off to dreamland.
Hope you all enjoy this week's comics. It's a huge week for single issues. Also, March Previews is out and there's a lot I'm going to be picking up in a few months!
