As Christmas approaches the comics companies are releasing a veritable barrage of great books so picking out just a meager twenty dollars is going to be a trick I may just fail at when I'm at my friendly local comics shop but I'm going to endeavor to do so at least for my list. I'm going to put up a separate list of collections tomorrow o later in the week... I start the list with my absolute must have ....
The Wicked + The Divine #17 $3.50
This is the second issue in a row I know I put at the top of my list and position is usually held for books either by Kelly Sue Deconnick or G Willow Wilson. I'm pretty sure that this would not be the greatest issue of Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie and Matt Wilson's title about godhood, celebrity and backstabbing bits it is sure to be a revealing story about one of the less spotlight characters Sakhmet. These single issue spotlights have all been solid single issue stories and reveal more of the overall story as they also reveal more about the divine chosen we know the least about. This issues art is by Brandon Graham who is one of my new favorite creators in comics and one of the minds behind the anthology Island, the reimagined Prophet and the miniseries Multiple Warheads his line work is deceptively simple for the level of characterful detail and background stories he packs into his pages. No idea what to expect in total fro this other then a book worth more then it's price.
Illuminati #2 $3.99
Picked up issue one on a whim when I really shouldn't have and was so impressed by its its one of the new Marvel titles that I'm looking forward to. Joshua Williamson who knows a lot about writing complicated characters from titles like Ghosted, Birthright and Nailbiter gave a great first issue to Titania who I really hope remains the focal character of this book as he endeared her to me. The best way for me to describe this book is a bit Thundebolts as we know that all the leads are not on the right side of the law and a bit Orange is the new Black as Titania wants to go strait, honestly. The art by Sean Crystal might have some detractors but I quite liked the style it's a bit cartoonish and it's a bit like a couple other artists I dig but it's really its own thing. Other then liking the lead I can't say much about the actual thrust of the caper that the Hood is proposing but I have hopes that the lives of the heros of this book will be the focus of this book.
Power Up #6 $3.99
I'm so sad that Kate Leth and Matt Cummings' take on the magical girl genre is coming to the end of its initial run I really like Amie, Keith, Sandy and Silas, yes the goldfish too. Issue five gave us much of the background to the story and pointed out in no uncertain terms the problem with prophecy and interpreting it. Kate balanced the story between the battles against odd aliens and the interpersonal quite well given she only had six issues to work with and make an all ages book that has much more story to tell if they get another outing. Meet your new champions earth, they don't look like your usual heroes and well that is a good thing as asking people to open their minds is a really good thing. The book is honest and charming and well being the end you can expect some fireworks.
Descender #8 $2.99
Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's science fiction AI story has taken some dark turns and the reveal in the last act of issue 7 was something I was expecting but it still had emotional impact. Descender is a story that plays with multiple ideas from classic SF mixed with at least in my opinion plot, characters and settings similar to several classic seventies Japanese animation shows by Reiji Matsumoto and Tetsuya Otomo. That might jot tell you much though, it doesn't mention th softness of the watercolor art that shows the tooth of the paper they are using or the wildly populated worlds of this story. Tim-21, one of the few surviving robots, is important in learning the origin of the monoliths that brought such devastation to the civilization that preceded the birth of AI; it's a book that includes rogues and bounty hunters, half breeds, thugs, military leaders and jealous scientists oh and lots of action that somehow plays well and rough even given the softness of the art and colours. The book has been a slow burn but it's burning brightly.
I Hate Fairyland #3 $3.50
Have you ever wondered what would happen to the hero of a portal fantasy who didn't initially succeed in their quest, if Dorothy didn't get to the Emerald city saw or the witch didn't get dissolved what could have become of her or Alice or any of the other lost abducted children well this is that story. Gert doesn't seem to be a slow or dumb character just unlucky enough to fall into an otherworldly where the riddles and clues to the solution of her quest are well too convoluted and maddening in this candy land nightmareland of queens, witches, narrators and gun toting conscience bugs. This is the book that could only have been written by the artistic talent behind the beautiful Oz adaptations and the twisted and hilarious Rocket Racoon series from last year. It's sick twisted and profane without actually resorting to true profanity. This issue promises a wave zombie satyrs, more Warner style witches and more frustration for Gert in her now thirty plus year quest for a key.
Wayward #12 $3.50
This is the other book this week that is a sequential storytelling hybrid of east and west pulling for the urban fantasy tales of both the English speaking world and the weird and wild world of Japanese Yokai, the changeable monsters of the land of eight thousand gods. Well in many ways Wayward is more a blending of the various traditions of manga heroes all blended into the same story and it's being told by an English writer and an artist who knows the land of which he draws. The initial storyline dethroned e traditional spirits, demons or monsters of old Japan and replaced them with the new; the ones that grew out of the post war era. Jim Zub, Steve Cummings and Tamara Bonnvillain's very crafty UF book really needs to have more people talking about it; they are doing something new and fun and I think it has pretty wide appeal for a fanbase that grew up with the same multiple influences.
That brings me to just a bit over twenty and sadly leaves out Ms Marvel, All New Thor, Silk, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl and Tokyo Ghost to name just a few....
Look late today or early tomorrow for a few Collction suggestions for gifts for yourself and others.....
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