Panel Discussion: Scans from Daredevil, Secret Six, Locke and Key, And More!

The Magic of Comics - Daredevil

Its been a long time since I've stumbled across an image this striking in a comic. The simplicity and economy of design on this page tells more of a story than the words... and that's comic book art at its best. This is a beautiful and simple way to sum up Kingpin's life as a supervillain in New York. My particular favorite is the subtle Bullseye within Daredevil... and notice he's holding Elektra's sai. They really jammed alot of history in a single, beautiful image.

Movie Moment - Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #1
Oh. Man. It's a fargate!

PS: I feel kind of bad that the only panel that I pulled from this fun and awesome issue by one of my favorite indie writers (Jonathan Hickman!) is just an excuse to make a stupid Aqua Teen Hunger Force joke. But honestly; why are people still making interdimentional portals look like Stargate? Have we reached the limits of our collective imagination when it comes to giant sci-fi gates?


The Magic of Comics Part Deux - Locke and Key: Headgames #3

This book never ceases to amaze. Here's an awesome (and rather hot) use of the repeated panel-a comic classic! In this case, bringing us from the realm of daydreamed fantasy to embarrassing reality. Notice her smile turns into a frown in the second panel. Classic!

Banana Randomizer Award for Achievement in WTF - Secret Six #7

Its easy to forget in a cloud of d-list super villains that Bane is as A-list as they come... he literally broke the Batman... very few villains in the DCU have street cred like that. Its nice to be reminded of that sometimes. But that's not what's crazy about this page-its Bane's venom fueled vision of the world that's nutty-go-crazy. Apparently when he's all juiced up, he sees the world as a series of twisted Batmen. Somebody's got some serious bat issues. Heh, be sure to look closely and check out the Ragdoll batman!


Most Hardcore Move - Terror Titans #6

So Clock King doesn't want to get to close to Ravager, cause his pre-cog skills don't work in close combat. So he throws these little saw-blade ball thingies at her, which for some reason she doesn't have time to dodge. So she just reaches out and CRUSHES them with her hands! KRAK! SMASH! That's some Wolverine shit right there, minus the sissy healing factor.

Clearest Example of Batman's Insanity - Gotham Gazette #1

If you can't see a lady in person, but still want to make an impression, what's a gentleman to do? Nothing says "refined elegance" like rigging suspending a champagne bottle from the ceiling and rigging the cork with a miniature explosive device so the cork explodes off when she gets home! JESUS CHRIST, BRUCE! Even from beyond the grave you embarrass us all with your horribly cold and twisted ideas of intimacy.

Best Line of the Week - Secret Six #7

It's great when comic characters are able to see beyond the absurdity of their situation and just speak bluntly for a change. Sometimes it takes no name D-list villains to get us there (is the Electorcutioner or something like that? Anyone?) The broken jawed mumblings of the shark dude are funny enough, but its the electric dope's blunt "screw this, I need a hospital" that takes the cake this week. Understandably, you'd be pretty fed up with all the convoluted BS going on in this scene too... he's the voice of the everyman-or at least, every man with shattered ribs and 3rd degree burns... I don't know what goes down in a super villain fight but I'm sure it hurts like a mofo.

Beatdown of the Week - Daredevil


David Aja has quickly climbed to the top of Geekanerd's fave artist list with his offering this week in Daredevil. As far as visual storytelling goes, this issue is top notch. You could erase every word bubble and narration box and completely understand what's going on. And the icing on this brilliant cake? A giant monster fat man fighting 3 dozen ninja! What more could you ask for in a single comic? Not only is the action dynamic and exciting, but Aja punctuates it with stark black, white, and red panels of weapons and blood-you can practically feel each strike. I love the black and white rising sun effect as the ninja nails Kingpin in the back. And to end it, the massive Kingpin is beautifully brought to his knees with katanas jutting from his back in a series of 5 panels. This is comic book fighting at its finest. Well done Mr. Aja.


Slashiest Exchange - Terror Titans #6
JUST KISS ALREADY! Actually, there's not much in the dialouge to suggest any slashiness, so don't even bother reading it. But let's just say I happen to know, FOR REASONS WHICH ARE TOO NUMEROUS AND CONVOLUTED TO EXPLAIN, that on the internet there exists a bizzare amount of of Rose/M'gann fic, so this exchange just sort of ping'd that on my radar screen. I'm just. Saying.

Panel Discussion - Scans from Secret Six, Final Crisis: Resist, and House of Mystery

Most Subtle Gore - Secret Six #3
As if living in a crate wasn't enough to make this guy creepy. It took me a moment to even realize what happened in the two top panels. A pretty effectively shocking murder without even showing much blood. To make matters worse, he doesn't even bother to hide the evidence-he just hobbles away with her girly umbrella. That's cold.

Best Ensemble Acting - Secret Six #3
Oh, he's trying so hard to be threatening here... complete with a subtle sideways glance to see if his intimidation is working. Followed by the lightning kicker that seems to have worked on the poor purple bug guy (any clue who he is?... anyone?). Cheetah, on the other hand, couldn't be more bored by the whole affair... even the Tesla coil effect on her hair doesn't seem to faze her.

Most "almost makes you want to be a Furry..." - Final Crisis: Resist

So in the course of a week, Cheetah has traveled from near-obscurity to one-of-my-favorite-DC-villains status! An impressive feat; but with Secret Six and Final Crisis: Resist in the same week, it's hard not to love her. Of particular note is her *ahem* cockiness in the last panel.

Most "Isn't that precious!" - House of Mystery #7
This little guy is almost as cute as the kitty in last week's panel discussion... oh wait-he isn't spewing blood... so that makes him much much cuter! You get em' little guy!

Best Writer's Revenge - Secret Six #3
Upset by the gruesome murder of Kyle Rayner's girlfriend, Gail Simone started a website called Women in Refrigerators almost 10 years ago. Well, now she's the one in charge, and she gets to say whose remains get stuffed into a small space! You go girl! For comparison, here's the original offending panel:
I'm thinking of starting my own website called "Flight Crews in Lockers." For too long, comicdom has been far too cruel to flight crews.

Snap Judgements: Reviews for Secret Six #3, Final Crisis: Resist, and Trinity #23

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST. Beware some potential spoilers.

Secret Six #3 gets an A from DEgan
It's great reading a book without a hero in sight-and Gail Simone knows how to give us exactly what we want... lots of villain on villain action. Fighting that is (though there's a fair bit of the loving too, just not in this issue). Another strong issue in what has quickly become one of my most anticipated monthly DC books... and this story arc is already utilizing one of my favorite storytelling cliches: The Roadtrip! Also, its not too often that I'm blown away by the cleverness and unique-itude of a comic book concept, but the reveal at the end of this issue had me giddy. Can't wait for the next issue!

Final Crisis: Resist gets a B from DEgan
I was able to really enjoy FC: Rage of the Red Lanterns; even though it deals with the current Green Lantern continuity which I haven't been following. I didn't need to know the ins and outs of the politics on OA-and they gave us a solid enjoyable issue that stood on its own. Resist, however, is so bogged down in Checkmate continuity that I found it hard to get through. I haven't followed any of checkmate's doings since they were loosely involved in the Bruce Wayne Fugitive story years ago. So I felt kinda lost throughout (and if you've been reading any of my previous critiques of Final Crisis so far, you'll know that I don't need to feel lost anymore than I already do). Now why doesn't this book have a lower grade you might ask? Well, the nonsense between Snapper Carr and Cheetah was so enjoyable that it saved this book from sucking. This is the second book this week in which she's featured prominently; Secret Six being the other (I accidentally typed "Secret Sex"... which is telling considering her shenanigans this issue). I never knew I liked Cheetah before... but if she's given this treatment more often, she'll quickly climb my list of favorite DCU villains.

Final Crisis: Resist gets a B from AHR
I actually just picked this book up from DEgan's stack and flipped through it, but that sex scene was so steamy I have to give it some props. Favorite part: post-coitus, Snapper is reeling from the experience and Cheetah is like, "Yeah, I know, I'm extremely good." I agree with Deeg, more of her, please!

Reviews for Trinity #23 and another take on Secret Six, after the jump...


Trinity #23 gets a B from DEgan
I wish I had realized at the start that Trinity was DC's next weekly comic... I wasn't quite ready for the commitment. But, that being said, this book is a refreshing break from DCs other big continuity events, Final Crisis and Batman RIP. Though those are still enjoyable, I find myself lost most of the time. Trinity, on the other hand, may lack any characters I care about but it delivers on story. I'm never lost and the progression of the story makes sense and feels right throughout. Plus, in a time when DC continuity is under attack by crisis event writing, Trinity flaunts and taunts its continuity at the same time. The only holes in the plot that appear in these pages, are deliberate and cause the characters some delightful consternation. Wouldn't you be really upset if someone you knew for years is suddenly the head anchor for a national news magazine show... and she's always been so... even though she wasn't 10 minutes ago? Yeah. Its also great to see Black Adam again... and he's not happy about his continuity changes... he's smashing demons demanding to know why he's fighting them. Pretty funny stuff. So although its missing the characters I loved from 52, its giving me a far more coherent and enjoyable story than either of DC's previous weekly comic attempts.

Secret Six #3 gets a C from AHR
The first Secret Six miniseries is one of my favorite comic runs of all time, but I'm not quite feeling this. I thought this would be a rollicking road trip with bullets flying every whichaway, but these issues have felt slow. Too much plot, not enough of the casual interaction between the six that I like so much. I love these characters, but they feel a little stale...Ragdoll's disturbing non-sequitors are fun, but a little repetitive. I'm probably just mad because Knockout died, destroying one of my favorite comic couples. I'll stick with this comic, but I really hope the pace picks up.

Snap Judgments, "And We're Back!" Edition: Amazing Spider-Man, Buffy Season Eight, Secret Six and More

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST. Beware some potential spoilers.

HOO, that was one INTENSE labor day weekend! Also, we've been moving into a new Geekanerd HQ, and you know, these things take quite a bit out of you. And by you I mean us.

Amazing Spider-Man #570 gets an A from Albo
Good old fashioned comic-booking from Dan Slott and John Romita, Jr. Nothing's being reinvented here, no concepts of what a comic can be challenged... Just a great lookin' story about Spider dealing with two Venoms. Seeing Eddie Brock getting into action again sure is exciting, and hints about Menace's real "deal" and an imminent showdown with Bullseye guarantee I'll be hanging on until this story is up and Slott/JRJR get swapped out for a lesser team (no offense to the next team, I haven't actually looked up who it's going to be.)

Detective Comics #848 gets an A from AHR
I can't believe I'm so excited about a Hush "event" story, but Dini's made him such an engaging character. More pieces of his slightly Norman Batesy past come to light, and we finally get a chance to see him put that medical degree to some truly horrific use. Throw in a surprising link to one of Dini's rising star villians, and this is a serious page-turner with great art to boot.

Secret Six #1 gets a A- from AHR
I loved the last series of this title with a passion, and this issue promises to continue the fun. Great setup for a wacky roadtrip plotline, a new gross and awesome villian, and a Batman tie-in! All the pieces are here for a kickass run, though I personally was hoping for a few more hillarious scenes with between the six (or four, as the case may be.). Simone also nobly
tries to give some resolution to Knockout's clumsily handled death scene, though I wish more time could have been devoted to settling what was my favorite relationship in DC comics. Maybe more of that is coming. A girl can dream.

Buffy Season Eight #18 gets a B+ from AHR
Lesbian sex! Lesbian sex! All of these comics have lesbian sex! Not that I'm complaining. This is a really fun issue, and the future plotline gets more engaging as Buffy meets some sort of alternate version of herself. And of course we get a little more Dark Willow, and who doesn't love Dark Willow? Honestly. Next month's cover appears to be suitable for framing.

Sub-Mariner: The Depths #1 gets a B from Albo
Recasting Namor as mythological sea terror in an submarine horror story is a stroke of genius. The art from Esad Ribic is really something unique as well, giving a soft pastel cast to a dark tale. Could become a great series, we'll see about that second issue.

Fringe #1 gets a D from Albo
Bargh. What a schmuck I am. I see the word "Whedon" on the cover and I jump, thinking I'm snagging some underpublicized Joss Whedon-does-JJ Abrams brilliance. Instead it's not Joss but Zack that greets me with half of this dull rag. There are two stories here, both about mind-swapping. And... Well, yeah. It's a prequel for the show.

Marvel Apes #1 gets a D from Albo
Zombies these are not.

Snap Judgments: Reviews for Kick-Ass #3, Locke & Key #5, Wonder Woman #21 and Red Mass for Mars #1

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. Arranged from BEST to WORST.

Kick-Ass #3 gets an A from Albo
No really! I didn't like the second issue either! But I promise, this one picks the story back up in a big way. There are a lot of refreshing story bits that support the "real world" setting. For instance, after our hero's first successful outing as a vigilante he comes back to school acting like a total badass, showing his classmates a YouTube video of the dustup. He doesn't reveal that he is "Kick-Ass," but it's refreshing to see a teen superhero that doesn't keep acting like a dork and go to great pains to disassociate himself with his alter ego. I mean, what teenager actually HAS that kind of discipline? I don't think I'd even be able to keep my secret identity secret for a week. Anyway, the book's only OK for the first 15 pages or so, but the ending... I haven't audibly exclaimed in surprise at a comic in a long time, but the end of this issue is a real "holy shit" moment that adds a nice wrinkle to the world of Kick-Ass.

Reviews for Locke & Key #5, Young Liars #2, Red Mass for Mars #1 and Wonder Woman #21 after the jump!

Locke & Key #5 gets an A from Albo
If you're not already reading this book I pity you. You're missing out on one of the most consistently good reads on the shelves right now. And forget catching up, back issues of this are tough to find (though a couple of recent reprints do help). Joe Hill's storytelling is very fresh for the comic book world, and his characters are shockingly well developed after only five issues. Also, where many of these non-superhero books written by non comic book writers tend to work better in their collected format, Joe Hill shows a surprising adeptness at maximizing the monthly issue format. Every time you pick up the book you know you're going to get a complete experience, not just an arbitrary slice off the story's timeline.

Young Liars #4 gets a B from Albo
This book is killing me. I hated the first issue, loved the second, used the third as toilet paper... And now I like issue four. I don't like being in this limbo where I'm not sure if I like a book or not. Love it or hate it, I just want to know! Like the second issue, this one stays in one setting long enough for actual story progression to take place, rather than using the supremely confusing time-hopping format of what I shall henceforth call "The Odd Issues." It's a bit of the problem that none of the characters are likable in the least, but there's almost enough wild adventure to make up for it. So I guess I'll be back next month. *sigh*

Red Mass for Mars #1 gets a B from Albo and a C from AHR
AHR: Does anyone actually enjoy reading a character who can see the future? It's always so much smugness and "I know" jokes. I don't like it in Layla Miller and apparently I don't even like it from Jonathan Hickman, who had two major hits with me in Pax Romana and Transhuman. On the plus side there's a fun recap of the various ways that humankind will attempt to destroy itself in the next 100 years, and I enjoyed wannabe National Front superhero who uses his power to force English on the entire world. I'll probably stick with this series if just for tangents like these.

Albo: What is Jonathan Hickman's problem? Why does he feel the need to write so many books at once? Why doesn't the poor bastard take it easy? I feel like every time I pick up an Image comic there's an ad for a NEW Hickman book. What a crazy. Anyway, after having mixed feelings on the other two books of his I've read (wowed by Pax Romana, bored by Transhuman), I'm happy to say that this was a really enjoyable read. Hickman has a real knack for pulling extremely complex societies with rich histories and interesting power players out of thin air. Some bits I found distractingly unbelievable (the superhuman trying to destroy all languages but English), but as a whole I'm totally pumped to see where this goes.

Wonder Woman #21 gets a D from AHR
Wonder Woman meets Beowulf, much olde thyme englishe ensues. Even Gail Simone can't make me enjoy this armored-men-on-horses stuff. When I pick up a superhero comic, one of DC's "big three" no less, I want to see some superheroing.

Snap Judgments: Quickie Comic Reviews for 4/9/08

Short comic reviews based on initial, lizard-brain opinions. There are probably some spoilers herein. Arranged from BEST to WORST.

B.P.R.D 1946 #4: A
Dense story and crazy action, a winning combo in my book. In past issues this book's adventurous tone has felt bogged down by some extremely grim plot-points, but this issue focuses on more fantastic elements of the story and wisely pays extra attention to the best character to come out of this series, Little Evil Russian Girl. -AHR

Young Liars #2: A
David Lapham's Vertigo book reads a lot like his on-hold opus Stray Bullets, but with enough twists to make it feel like it's own animal. The story of a desperate kid's life falling apart has enough "oh shit" moments to make it stick in your mind for quite some time. -Albo

Simon Dark, Wild Cards, Amazing Spider-Man, Wonder-Woman and Fantastic Four all after the jump!

Simon Dark #7: B
Violence, violence! The most unsettling issue yet with a heavy emphasis on scrazy zombie carnage, but also in evidence are many elements of what has made the book great from the start; perfectly timed moments of deadpan humor, excellent artsy art, and a gentility to the character of Simon which strikes a sad contrast with the realistic vision of Gotham he inhabits. The only thing missing is a memorable storyline. -AHR

Wild Cards #1: B
Based on a series of sci-fi novels that started in 1987, this book is about an alternate earth where an alien virus has killed 90% of humans (referred to as "drawing the Black Queen"), horribly mutated 9% (called "Jokers") , and given superpowers to 1% (those would be the "Aces"). Pretty exciting first issue that definitely makes me want to stick around for issue 2. -Albo

Amazing Spider-Man #556: B
A little boring, but the art is pretty fantastic. Three pages of fat Spidey are funny. -Albo

Wonder Woman #19: C+
A lot of the resolutions in this issue hinge on one character convincing another character to do something huge by offering them a song-lyricesque platitude about peace and understanding. I guess that's superheroes for you but it's less than I expect from Simone. I do like the way she's writing Wonder Woman, combining the military detachment of Batman with the humanitarian idealism of Supes....she's an interesting balance between the two extremes. -AHR

Fantastic Four #556: C
What the heck? I was so excited about this book a couple issues ago, and it's already devolved into mediocrity. The art (which I praised extensively) has become a hard to decipher jumble. The characters for some reason are all dumb as bricks (when arriving at a battle scene where a killer robot has demolished 22 heroes including Iron Man, the Sentry, Wolverine, Dr. Strange and others, the Thing says "Take it easy, I got this guy."). And then all those heroes that were bleeding and unconscious all spring back into action at once, none the worse for wear. Sigh. -Albo

Snap Judgments - Batman Confidential #9, Parade (With Fireworks) #1, Welcome To Tranquility #10

Geekanerd's Snap Judgments gives you Triple-S comic reviews: short, sweet, and spoiler-free.

O What Fools These Heroes Be - Batman Confidential #9

Another great issue in this Joker-origin arc by Heroes producer/writer Michael Green. The parallels to Christopher Nolan's movie Batverse continue as B-man visits Prof. Jonathan Crane in his pre-Scarecrow days, just so Crane can give him the classic "there's evil in this world" speech. Green's writing for the Pre-Joker is at top form here - without the overarching koo-koo crazyness that many Bat-authors tend to let the Joker run on, Green's Not-Yet-The-Joker comes off as the smartest guy in the room, a little bored with how simple everything is, and only interested in his new best friend, Batman.

Artist Denys Cowan plays a little fast and loose with character's faces, occasionally venturing a bit too far into Quasimodo territory for my tastes, but for the most part his compositions match the wit and grit of the writing. One particular scene that finds a character examining his new battle scars made me think I shouldn't leave this book lying around my apartment, lest someone flip it open to wrong page and be permanently scared off comic books.

Wit + Grit + Fun With Disfigurement - Drifting Face Planes = B+

The reviews roll on with Parade With Fireworks #1 and Welcome To Tranquility #10...

Don't Reign On My Parade - Parade (With Fireworks) #1

A few months ago, I had occasion to interview several members of Act-i-Vate, an online collective of writer-artists who produce serialized web comics for free public consumption. I asked the gang what Act-i-Vate comic they were currently most enjoying, and the title that came up again and again was Parade With Fireworks. No longer confined to the web, Parade With Fireworks is now available as a two-issue miniseries from Image.

You can immediately see what makes this a comic artist's kinda comic. The art is lush, with fluid line work and what seems like an effortless sense of movement. The issue's highlight is the opening prologue, which spans decades in a few deft pages, each panel boldly conveying an iconic moment in time. The body of the story is more subtle. Set in 1923 Italy, author Mike Cavallaro uses a parade in a small town as a microcosm for looking at the clash between the Communist and Fascist parties. Those not up on your 20th century Italian history (I found Wikipedia helpful) may find the significance of the events a bit hard to grasp, but the art is masterful enough to convey what counts.

Outstanding Art + Great Prologue + Political Unrest = A-

Check In Time - Welcome To Tranquility #10

Ten issues into this series by Gail Simone, I've noticed a trend. When an issue centers around a character and their backstory, it's golden. After all, this is a series about retired superheroes and their families - everyone has got loads of exciting history, and learning it slowly through era-stylized flashbacks is one of this book's most unique and appealing features. But when the book focuses on the events of the present-day plot, things tend to lag. The plots themselves are interesting, but with so many characters to keep track of, a present-day issue has the feel of checking in on a bunch of different locations, and just getting enough information from each group of characters to keep the story straight.

But no matter, this issue is worth buying for the back-up "Tranquili-Teens" story, which comes in the form of an awesome Scooby-Doo parody, and includes the canine exclamation, "Oh my bones and foodbowls!". I can't stay mad at a book after a line like that.

Mystic Exposition - Killing Time With Zombies + Bones and Foodbowls = B-

Snap Judgements: Countdown, Welcome To Tranquility, Detective Comics, Wolf-Man, and Y: The Last Man

As always, Snap Judgements gives you Triple-S comic reviews: short, sweet, and spoiler-free.

Countdown #43: The "Other" Funeral Comic

Poor Bart Allen. First he's shot with three different laser guns, then he's beaten to death, and now he has to have his funeral on the same day as Captain America's. Kid can't catch a break. I had hoped that this sad occasion would would give the Countdown writing team a chance to leave their mark on the emotional lives of the all-star cast. Not so much. Tim Drake's eulogy comes off as stilted and almost aloof, miles away from his shattered reaction in Flash #13. The most affecting speech comes from Bart himself, speaking via videotape circa his Kid Flash days...a casual reference to Conner particularly tugs at the heartstrings. In other news, it looks like Donna Troy and Jason Todd are finally ready to DO something other than talk about the multiverse and stare down the Monitor.

Cheesey Funeral Moments - Actually Sad Funeral Momments = C

Reviews for Welcome to Tranquility, Detective Comics, Astounding Wolf-Man and Y: The Last Man after the jump...



Welcome To Tranquility #8: Origin Story Discount Blowout!

Best book of the week, but unfortunately not a great place to jump on for newcomers. This Gail Simone-penned comic is about the residents of Tranquility, a sleepy town for retired superheroes, supervillians, and their families. The first arc was a great page-turner of a murder mystery, but the second storyline has been slow to start. Last month's issue was a snooze, but #8 gives the fans what they want: ORIGIN STORIES! This issue is absolutely packed with flashbacks about two of the most interesting minor characters of the last arc, who appear to be destined for center-stage this time around. Added to the fun are elastic, cartoonier takes on the characters by Jason Pearson that still stick pretty close to the distinctive style of regular artist Neil Googe.

Emoticon Origin + Zombie Zeke Origin + The Devil = A


Detective Comics: #834: Tangent Patrol!

A rather disapointing finale to last week's excellent cliff-hanger, this issue feels in a hurry to wrap up and there's precious little time spent with Batman and Zatanna, given the depth of the problems between them. Still, even on an off-day Dini is the best Joker writer out there, and this remains a solid, enjoyable book even if it comes in a little under expectations.

I have to mention two things, though:

1. Last month I was surprised that the Joker referred to his "accident", which I took to mean this was the same Joker we had seen get shot in the head in Grant Morrisson's recent Batman storyline. In this issue, however, it turns out he had been talking about getting hit by a truck in the Christmas issue of Detective. So why, Paul Dini, is the Joker wearing a smiley-face shirt with a bullet hole in the head? As a tip of the hat to Grant, I suppose, but it still confused the hell out of me.

2: While Dini conntinues to stay true to the Detective title by giving Batman smart ways to solve the cases, did he have to make Bats solve the case in a way that not only makes the reader think about The Joker in the shower (already awful), but makes us think about BATMAN thinking about The Joker in the shower?! I may never stop throwing up.

Smart Plotting + Smart Dialouge - Hurried Pace - Ending Cribbed From One of Paul's Episodes Of Justice League = B

The Astounding Wolf-Man #2: Learning the Ropes

First off, don't read our Panel Discussion this week if you plan to pick up this book. There's some great twists that shouldn't be ruined. This issue has Gary the Gregarious Wolf covering all his New Hero bases--controlling his powers under the tutelage of Zechariah the vampire, getting fitted for a cool hero costume, explaining to his wife why he feels the need to go out every night and save people, getting into his first super fight with some new super friends, it's all there. Writer Robert Kirkman does the New Hero stuff better than anybody (Invincible, Ant-Man) and this ish is no different. The art by Jason Howard, however, is a little off-putting. It's a fairly dark book, but Howard's thick, blocky art looks more like a Saturday morning cartoon. It's possible that it'll grow on me as the series progresses, but for now it's a problem.

Hero Initiation + Fun Twists - Tough to Swallow Art = B

Y The Last Man #57: Post Coital Catchup

This book is ending in a few issues, but you wouldn't know it based on this issue. It's a very calm, low-action (unless you count the kind featured in our Panel Discussion) issue that doesn't feel like a climax is right around the corner. Recently reunited Beth and Yorick basically just have a post-coital conversation about... You know, things. But the dialogue's great, Pia Guerra's art is smooth and subtle as always, and it just feels good. Beth and Yorick are saying the things you want to hear them say, and in the end they both have some bombshells dropped on them which I'm sure will take them the rest of the series to come to terms with.

Hot Reunion Sex + Great Relationship Dynamics + Bombshells Dropped = A