BLACK TAPE #1 by Dan Panosian and Dalibor Talajic. A legendary rock star dies and his girlfriend is left to pick up the pieces. But it’s not as simple as that as there’s something sinister revolving around it, especially when she goes digging and finds a Pentagram where she didn’t expect to find it. Panosian does a great job crafting the story and Dalibor Talajic’s art is really nice. Another AWA winner!
BLOOD TREE #1 by Peter J. Tomasi and Maxim Simic. Somebody is killing angels and that’s where our story begins and the question is why and who is responsible. It’s a murder mystery with a lot of twists. Tomasi’s story is filled with clues and possibilities, so that’s a plus. I find the art style very discomforting and I am not a fan of it at all, as it distracts me from the story. If only Gary Frank, who did the variant cover, had done the artwork in the interior.
BLUE BOOK #1 by James Tynion IV, Michael Avon Oeming, and Klaus Janson. Two stories here, both written by Tynion. In the first, and the main attraction for the book, is the true story of Barney and Betty Hill, who had a strange encounter back in 1961. The second tale is set in 1889 Coney Island and, for me, was more of a dessert piece after the main course. I have been a fan of Michael Avon Oeming’s art since POWERS and it fits this strange tale about this classic encounter. If you were a fan of DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH, you will find this a nice companion.
CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS BETTTY THE FINAL GIRL #1 by Micol Ostow, Casey Gilly, Sam Maggs, Laura Braga, Carola Borelli, and Natalie Nardozza. Three tales from various corners of the Archie Universe wrapped around Betty and movie night while babysitting. In the first one, a crazy masked killer is on the loose. In the second, Josie and the Pussycats have killers at their concert. In the final tale, we go back to the beginning and that babysitting gig.
CLEAR #1 by Scott Snyder and Francis Manapul. It’s 2052 and special technology let’s you see your world how ever you want. Wrapped around that is a murder mystery that brings detective Sam Dunes into the mix. It’s a tale filled with bad guys, ingenues and an interesting take on future technology. Snyder is known for writing a great story, as readers have seen on so many of his works. And Manapul has been knocking it out of the park for years. This is a story with so many layers that you will probably go back and read it more than once to fully understand it.
DOCTOR STRANGE #1 by Jed Mackay, Andy MacDonald and Pasqual Ferry. Doctor Strange is back from the dead and has been reunited with his wife Clea. Now he is back as the Sorcerer Supreme of Earth while Clea is Sorcerer Supreme of the Dark Dimension. He has his way of dealing with problems and she has her own, which may be a little more aggressive. Fun story and great art that sets things up for the future while the backup ties into the ending of the main story.
HELLCAT #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Alex Lins. Patsy Walker has such a strange life. She’s been a model, been a superhero and been romantically involved with Tony Stark. And now she may be a murderer and that brings back memories she would rather forget. Cantwell’s murder mystery story is great and, although I‘m not a fan of the artwork, I found the story totally engaging and can’t wat to see where Cantwell takes us next.
THE LAST RONIN: THE LOST YEARS #1 by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, SL Gallant, and Ben Bishop. Last year’s THE LOST YEARS was a huge hit with fans and this prequel will certainly fit the bill for those fans. It’s a tale that bounces back and forth in time with Gallant and Bishop handling the art duties specific to each time period. Eastman knows his characters and knows them well, so there is no issue with that and the art fts the specific parts of the stories and work together well. Definitely recommended!
MONARCH #1 by Rodney Barnes and Alex Lins. Aliens have come to Earth and for Travon, his family and friends, thinks have gotten desperate. To say much more, except to be caught off guard by the twist ending, which leads into another twist in issue #2, would certainly spoil it. Barnes is the writer behind NIGHTMARE and the highly recommended KILLADELPHIA, so he knows how to craft a tale. Lins is also the artist on HELLCAT, but it fits nicely here.
NIGHT WALKERS #1 by Cullen Bunn and Joe Bocardo. What happens when you and a bunch of other folks are going through rehab and the world seems to end? That’s the basis of this tale as a group of drug addicts find themselves on the run from some pretty nasty creatures. Bunn’s story is a wild take on the “teens in trouble” genre while throwing in the whole concept of addiction. Bocardo’s art is very reminiscent of Andrea Sorrentino’s and fits this tale perfectly, as it is dark and creepy.
PHANTOM ROAD #1 by Jeff Lemire and Gabriel H. Walta. You’re a long haul trucker and you suddenly have a close encounter with what appears to be a ghost. That leads to you meeting with a girl in an accident and then things get weird when strange creatures are now following you. Lemire is well respected writer who was responsible for SWEET TOOTH and more and readers will either like his work or not. Suffice it to say he likes to work with weird. Walta’s art is very simple but just detailed enough.
RED ZONE #1 by Cullen Bunn and Mike Deodato Jr. I just have to say that I love a good spy story with intrigue and action. And here it is! Bunn’s story has a ton of twists and turns and what can I say about Deodato’s artwork that hasn’t been said before. The plotting is good, the look is wonderful and this is just another winner from AWA.
SPIDER-GWEN: SHADOW CLONES #1 by Emily Kim and Kei Zama. I was not a fan of Spider-Gwen but have grown to like her over the years. So, here we have Gwen encountering multiple Gwens . . . like we didn’t have that happen before. But these Gwens are villains. The story is okay, but not great and the artwork you can either take or leave, as it is very Manga inspired. For me, the highlight was the variant cover by Greg Land, which is awesome!
STONE HEART #1 by Emma Kubert. It’s a Medieval fantasy tale with a strong female character trying to exist in a new place with a new occupation. But there is also a strange history that haunts her. Kubert’s art is different and she won many fans with her work on INKBLOT, RADIANT PINK and her current run on PANDORA. That said, her art style is either for you or not. But the story…a load of fun!
SUPERMAN LOST #1 by Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan. Superman goes off on an emergency while Lois takes a nap. Hours later she awakes and he returns, saying he has been gone for twenty years. What? This is the mystery that Priest drops onto us and it’s great! I love Pargulayan’s art too, which just enhances the story.
THE X-CELLENT #1 by Peter Milligan and Michael “Doc” Allred. The final encounter between the X-Cellent and X-Statix is here and it’s a weird, wild ride, just as the previous entries were. There is no other way to describe it. The characters are totally bizarre, Allred’s artwork is, as it always had been, something you either love or hate, and the story is so crazy you will either love it or hate it. Me? I’m a huge fan of this whole product!
X23: DEADLY REGENESIS #1 by Erica Schultz and Edgar Salazar. I Have always been a fan of this character and feel she has been often underutilized over the years. But this series looks to put her dead and center. She deals with saving people in a fire while a villain from her past looks to take her out. The story has great promise and Salazar’s art looks great! Can’t wait to see how the fest of this goes!
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