Since this website is called Review 2 A Kill and not Comic Book Self-Help with Ian “Half-Assed Dr. Phil” Explosivo, maybe it’s time to get with the reviews huh? In a typical show of hypocrisy on my part, I’m going to shout “Forget my last two columns! Prudent fiscal responsibility be damned!” and as your pal I’m here to tell you about three comics you should be buying. Even if it means you’ll be eating a steady diet of government cheese for another week!
Let’s rock it!
New Avengers – Brian Michael Bendis (Words) Stuart Immonen (Pictures)
Holy sweet jumping Jesus Murphy is this comic book amazing! FRICK I LOVE THIS BOOK! Bendis takes a story that should be super lame (mystical hoo-haw) and a main character who’s been consistently lame in the past (Dr. Strange) and pulls a big beautiful rabbit out of a hat. You know, people accuse Bendis of being all style and no substance. Well this story has substance galore! Awesome one-liners from Spider-Man and The Thing, a whole host of characters that don’t get all mashed together and absolutely perfect pacing. I love the speed at which this book has been moving and if you’re like me and you’re a sucker for anything with a cliff-hanger ending, this is the book for you. Oh, and Stuart Immonen is pretty okay too. What do I mean by pretty okay? I mean that his pencils are as close to perfection as anyone working in comics has ever come. He’s a craftsman with a steady hand and an incredible eye for staging his pages. There’s a lot going on in this title, but things never get overcrowded or messy. Everything Immonen draws, of course, is brought to vivid life by inker Wade von Grawbadger and uber-colourist Laura Martin. I honestly think New Avengers is the best title going right now and I’d challenge anyone to prove me wrong.
The Flash – Geoff Johns (Words) Francis Manapul (Pictures)
Anyone who reads comics is probably already on this title, and with good reason. Geoff Johns has really made a go of it over at Detective Comics Comics and people really seem to think he wears the golden pants. Well I may not know beans-all when it comes to most of the DCU, but I can say that this title puts a smile on my face whenever a new issue hits the stands. Maybe it’s because the writing is so fun and, unlike a lot of books in DC’s superhero stable, it actually takes into account that there are new readers who don’t necessarily know all of the characters. I really like that you can walk right into this title knowing nothing about Captain Boomerang or any of The Flash’s rogues gallery and still have a great time. And there just aren’t enough great things to say about Francis Manapul’s art. It’s so consistently incredible that I just don’t know how he does it every month. It’s an awe-inspiring blend of watercolour and bold pencil and ink and it really reminds me of Tim Sale on his best day combined with what John Romita Jr. might have been capable of (had he not been content to just phone it in for the last decade). Bottom line: Try to find the back issues if you haven’t been reading this book.
Madame Xanadu – Matt Wagner (Words) Amy Reeder, Joelle Jones, etc. (Pictures)
Since its first issue back in July of 2008, Madame Xanadu has consistently been one of the most cleverly written and beautifully illustrated titles going. What the what? You might say. Yup the yup! I generally don’t go for much of Matt Wagner writes other than the odd Batman story here and there, but there’s something about this title that really grabs you. Maybe because it’s one of the few strong-female fronted comics that’s not ham-fisted or silly (or downright derogatory) in any way. Madame Xanadu is tough and clever and brave and most importantly, a sympathizing and sympathetic character. Twenty-seven issues in, Wagner manages to keep this amazing project interesting by constantly changing up his cast, switching up his themes, and spanning the character across entire epochs. It’s a fun ride that’s only made better by the incredible cast of illustrators who’ve taken up residency on the book. You know something special is going on when the majority of the issues are drawn by the brilliant Amy Reeder. But it should also be noted that the work done by Joelle Jones, Marley Zarcone and Celia Calle in particular will go down as some of the best work they’ve ever done! Madame Xanadu is just great and I hope it (and she!) has a long life.
So there you have it! Three great books that are totally worth your chump change. Titles you’ll want to hug the living crap out of! And I assure you, you’ll be glad you did.
– Ian
