#comixologist recommends

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

Yukito Kishiro’s BATTLE ANGEL ALITA

There are a handful of comic series that had a huge impact on me in my adolescent years. (I've written about a few of them already.) The problem with coming back to books like this is that oftentimes you end up disappointed; either they haven't aged well, or your tastes have matured and you all-of-a-sudden realize that maybe they weren't as good as you thought they were back when you were fourteen years old.

And then sometimes you go back and realize that the book that you loved so much has not only aged perfectly well, but is still just as impressive and gripping and thought-provoking as the day you picked it up twenty years ago. These are books that have rightfully earned the moniker “classics,” and Battle Angel Alita is absolutely such a series.

More than any other comic, Battle Angel Alita is a series that I have always been a giant nerd over. (We're talking teenage fan-fiction, a Geocities fan-page, embarrassing cosplay, the works.) And going back to read it as an adult, it still manages to blow me away.

The story begins in a dystopian future city known as The Scrapyard, located in the shadow of a mysterious floating utopia called Zalem. The Scrapyard is built from, well, scrap—which falls from the center of the floating city—and its factories have been put to work producing supplies that are sent up to Zalem via a tube system, but there is otherwise next to zero communication between the two cities. Nobody in The Scrapyard knows what happens in the floating city above.

The Scrapyard is a rough and violent place, and in order to survive there most of its inhabitants have had to replace their bodies with cyborg parts. One day, a cyber-doctor (part surgeon, part mechanic) named Daisuke Ido is searching the scrap pile for spare cyborg parts when he finds the cybernetic head and torso of a young girl. The girl's brain is intact and alive, but has been in hibernation for centuries and has left her with no memory of her past. Ido gives the girl a new body, and a new name: Alita.

It's a simple premise for what becomes an epic tale. Alita has no memories of her past, but when she is attacked she finds that she does have incredible martial arts abilities, apparently from a lost cyborg fighting style developed on Mars centuries earlier. With fighting as her only link to discovering who she was, Alita embarks on a journey of self-discovery that is violent and action-packed but often touching and always very, very human. The series features absolutely amazing action sequences, but what elevates it to the level of a true classic is the masterful storytelling and character development as we see Alita mature and learn about herself, her past, and her surroundings from volume to volume.

While I worry that this review may be starting to ramble a bit, it would be a crime not to comment on Yukito Kishiro's absolutely mind-blowing artwork. The Scrapyard and its surroundings are rendered with beautiful and moody detail; the characters are as expressive as any I have ever seen in any comic, their faces portraying complex and nuanced mixtures of emotion that really make the drama hit home; the action sequences are not only balletically choreographed but also masterfully depicted on the page. Complex series of acrobatic martial arts moves are laid out with amazing clarity, so that every beat of each fight can be followed by even a reader with very little experience with action manga or even comics in general. 

Battle Angel Alita is a series that I have been wholeheartedly recommending, for decades at this point, to anyone expressing even the remotest interest. Even friends who've told me that they don't like manga in general have finished reading the first book and immediately asked me for the second. The printed volumes I picked up years ago have been through so many hands—as I have lent them out to innumerable friends and co-workers—that they are literally falling apart. That the series has been unavailable for so long is a tragedy, but one that finally reached a happy conclusion this week with the comiXology re-release of the first three volumes. Go read this! If you're a comiXology Unlimited subscriber, you've got absolutely nothing to lose. If you aren't, they're still more than worth the asking price, or could be a great excuse to finally try out CU.

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Mike Isenberg is a Production Coordinator / Technical Account Manager at comiXology, and the co-writer of First Law Of Mad Science (which is also available on comiXology Unlimited). He lives in Harlem with his cats, Tesla and Edison.

#battle angel alita #yukito kishiro #kodansha comics #manga #comixology originals #comixologist recommends #mike isenberg

[kelmcdonald]

I'll be at SDCC! Come say hi!

New Post has been published on http://sorcery101.net/news/ill-be-at-sdcc-come-say-hi/

I'll be at SDCC! Come say hi!

I’m going to be at SDCC this week! I’ll be at table M13 with Jen Vaungh. That’s in the back near row 1600. You can get there easily from the B1 or B2 entrance.

Thursday, July 18—Hours 9:30am-7pm 

11:00am-11:30pm— The Stone King signing—Kel McDonald

4:00p.m. – 5:00p.m. ComiXology Originals: Creator-Owned Comics and Beyond The biggest news in comics is comiXology’s exclusive digital content program – comiXology Originals. Now you can join comiXology’s Head of Content, Chip Mosher and a surprise cast of beloved comic creators and rising-star talent to get the scoop on an all-new, yet-to-be-announced, comiXology Originals series direct from the creators making it! They’ll wow the crowd with stories on the process of bringing creator-owned comics to life and what it’s like pushing the envelope with digital comics, and beyond. Room: 28DE

6:30p.m. – 7:30p.m. Comics PR and Marketing 101 Need tips on how to market your content, your comics – and yourselves? This is the panel for you! Join comiXology’s Head of Content, Chip Mosher as he hosts an exciting panel of comics superstars from all corners of the industry, including Alex Segura (Archie), Spike Trotman (Iron Circus Comics), Hope Nicholson (Bedside Press), Kel McDonald (The Stone King) and Ivan Salazar (comiXology)! Don’t miss this panel as these self-motivated comic pros share their hard-earned knowledge on how to make big splash in comics through marketing and PR. Room: 8

Friday, July 19–Hours 9:30am-7pm

10:00am-10:30am—The Stone King signing—Kel McDonald

Saturday, July 20–Hours 9:30am-7pm

2:00pm-3:00pm— The Stone King signing—Kel McDonald

Sunday, July 21– Hours 9:30am-5pm

11:00a.m. – 12:00p.m., Manga: An Intro for Comics Fans Are you a comic fan, but are also interested in anime and manga, but don’t really know how to dive in? WE’RE HERE TO HELP! Join comiXologist Taylor Morgan as he asks an amazing panel of comics luminaries and tastemakers to recommend the best of manga past and present. Our panelists include Deb Aoki (Anime News Network), Kel McDonald (The Stone King), Gabriela Downie (Looney Tunes Comics), and Ivan Salazar (comiXology). Tell us your favorite comic, movie or TV show and we’ll give you a manga to match. Whether you’re a long-time or budding manga fan, this is a panel you won’t want to miss! Room: 24ABC

1:00pm-1:30pm— Stone King signing—Kel McDonald

#Cons #SDCC

[extraordinarycomics]

via http://ift.tt/1gSCNH6

#IFTTT #http://comixology.tumblr.com/

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

VALIANT HIGH #1 by Daniel Kibblesmith and Derek Charm

If you have been feeling like reading YA Novels and binging on Riverdale then you most certainly want to grab a copy of Valiant High #1, out right now.  It doesn’t have murder and small town intrigue in the least, but it does have super-powered teen drama involving exceptional adaptations of our very most favorite Valiant characters!

I can hear the collective scoffing eye-roll of the crowd charging up as we speak, but this is a fun new mini-series with a well-executed concept.  The story and art fit in such a cozy and safe way, I’m going to be looking forward any project these creators work on together in the future.  Writer Daniel Kibblesmith writes a detailed and fun love letter to teen drama and to Valiant.  Derek Charm has created traditional storytelling and character designs that fit more in line with Archie, but with a superhero spin, and it is perfect in the universe of Valiant High.

In this story we join Amanda McKee, AKA Livewire, en route to another day at Valiant High. Valiant High is the high school super-powered teens attend to get an education and learn to control their powers. It’s like a public Xavier’s School for the Gifted and they wear power-inhibiting school badges.  Amanda’s best friend is Faith Herbert, AKA Zephyr, who is known to be able to fly and geek out.  Amanda starts off her morning as any usual day, wondering what her place in the world is, until she finds a love letter from the star running back, Aric Dacia (The King of Boys). This could be a bad idea, Amanda.  Amanda, don’t meet him later it’s probably a trap!

On top of the main plotline, amongst maybe 3 or 4 jam-packed into this first issue of Valiant High, you’ll read about the gym teacher Coach Bloodshot (or “Coach ‘Shot”), an epic struggle for the Eternal Sophomore, and a beautiful reference to one of my all-time favorite Freddie Prinze Jr movies to close out the issue. If you want to know what film that is, you’ll just have to read the issue! Go get a copy of this fun and vibrant new mini-series today!

 Matthew Burbridge is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and he’s trying to figure out what should come off his desk to make room for more toys on his desk without taking any of the toys he already has on the desk off.

#valiant high #daniel kibblesmith #derek charm #comixology originals #matthew burbridge #comixologist recommends

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

THE EXPANSE: ORIGINS #1

The Expanse: Origins #1 is a prequel. Yes, I am aware of the sentiment that comes with uttering that word. Prequel. Ugh. It does make one feel like they’re watching Anakin talk about sand, or pod-racing. Though there is a difference between a “bad” prequel and a “good” one; I would categorize The Expanse: Origins as one of the good.

Origins is a series of four issues focusing on the four major characters of The Expanse series of novels. This first issue focuses on the backstory of the captain of The Rocinante, James Holden, and his time as a lieutenant in the United Nations Navy.

Having only cursory knowledge of the characters, the books, and the show, I read The Expanse: Origins #1 as a primer, to see if the characters would be intriguing enough for me to revisit the books and to finish them with this new interest. Issue 1 portrays a man who is not right for the military, yet he is there by choice. There is an event that unfolds which shows Holden is in the right, but the restrictions and restraints of command are not for him.

Yes, Holden eventually becomes a Captain. Yes, he involves himself in a major conflict. Of this, I am aware, but how does this short backstory come into play with his future self? Do the events that occur in Origins predict the character and actions to come? 

Beginning with The Expanse: Origins provides a unique opportunity for those of us who are not fully involved with The Expanse novels -- we can read from the absolute beginning. For those who have finished the latest book, Origins is more -- more content, more backstory, more connection to the characters.

Will I be returning to the novels? Yes. Will I be read the remaining Origins stories? Of course. Will I continue to wish that we were 200 years into the future commanding a spaceship? Damn right. 

Dane Cypel really wishes he can command a spaceship. If it was named Enterprise, that would be even better.

#the expanse #the expanse origins #james holden #comixologist recommends #dane cypel

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE: SUPER CRUSH

Ever wonder what would happen if you took one part Spider-Man and mixed it with one part Gossip Girl and added a dash of Slice of Life Manga? The answer is: AMAZING COMICS. So gather round, buckle your seat belts, and hold on to your heartstrings because it’s time to talk about Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane Vol.1: Super Crush.

Word of warning: Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane picks up where Sean McKeever’s two previous Mary Jane mini-series (Mary Jane and Mary Jane: Homecoming) left off. While the series does a good job of handling the backstory, it’s definitely worthwhile to read those first. If only because they’re really good.

Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane follows Mary Jane Watson as she deals with high school, friends, drama (the kind you do in a theater and the kind you don't), and, yes, boys. Needing a little distance from her best friends, Liz Allen, Flash Thompson, and ex-boyfriend Harry Osborne, MJ throws herself into other passions like the school play, her growing friendship with math tutor Peter Parker, and her desire to ask Spider-Man out on a date. This is the heart of the series for a lot of people: we know Peter is Spider-Man and Mary Jane doesn't. Watching the relationships between the main cast (in and out of costume in Spidey's case) grow, both in friendship and romance, is truly a magical experience.

Art-wise, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane is a blend of Manga and American styles that works so well with the content. Everyone’s unique and expressive, which is huge when the main action of the series is the hurt that flashes across Liz Allen’s face when Mary Jane decides to sit with the theater kids instead of her. Personally, I'm torn for a favorite piece of the art, but it's down to the incredible colors by Christina Strain and the clothes. The cast wears different clothes from day to day, what they wear reflects their mood, and, being about the same age as Mary Jane in this book, the clothes are more or less accurate to what teenagers were wearing at the time. It builds and sells the reality of the world for me.

As a package, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane has everything: friendship, adventure, romance, and learning about who you are.

Erin is a Customer Advocate at comiXology and she probably still has a few of the outfits Mary Jane wears hanging at the back of her closet.

#spider-man loves mary jane #mary jane watson #mary jane homecoming #comixologist recommends #spider-man

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

THE ELECTRIC SUBLIME #4

If you haven’t checked out The Electric Sublime from W. Maxwell Prince, Martín Morazzo, and Mat Lopes it’s a wonderful comic mini-series that is playfully post-modern and perfect for casual art fans or anyone who would enjoy a series that keeps jumping into iconic works of art. That’s right, they jump into and have fights in classical, modernist, and iconic works of art of other periods. Also, with a title like The Electric Sublime, how could you not pick it up and give it a flip-through?

The story features Margot Breslin, director of the Bureau of Artistic Integrity, who is tasked with solving the mystery of why the Mona Lisa is suddenly winking at its viewers. She enlists the help of the “mentally ill or is he” former detective Arthur Brut (yes they shorten his first name to Art as in “Art Brut,” very playful) and a seven-foot talking mannequin named Manny. If you’re not at least semi-intrigued what else do I have to say to intrigue you?

The art is fantastic and really shows Morazzo’s ability to switch back and forth between styles as Breslin and Art pass from reality through famous paintings and out again. The layouts are playful and Morazzo makes interesting choices in regards to perspective. The coloring reminded me of late 80s early 90s edgy comics, maybe a brighter/sleeker version of early Hellblazer, though that reference might surface in my mind due to Art Brut’s character. He is very much embedded in the tradition of troubled lead detectives (i.e Constantine, Rorschach, Jessica Jones).

What really fascinates me about The Electric Sublime is the primary metaphor this creative team is playing with: “the idea in this first issue is that the integrity of our artistic works is intrinsically tied to the stability of the universe: if something’s wrong with an important painting, the foundations of what we know begin to slip, and people start to go insane.” The story brings up many questions about validity in artistic expression and whether or not remix is a valid form of art. Is The Electric Sublime intentionally being self-deprecating? There’s definitely more going on than just the plot.

A heads up to readers, this comic does have some violence but balances the tone of the comic with wonderful references to paintings that had me grinning throughout each issue. The (possible) end of this series in issue #4 genuinely shocked me. I’m hoping that this will sell enough to get picked up as an ongoing because I want to read more.

Josh Doyle-Elmer is email czar of comiXology and probably thinking up a pun right now.

#the electric sublime #w. maxwell prince #martin morazzo #mat lopes #comixologist recommends #josh doyle-elmer

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

THE WALKING DEAD #163

Gadzooks! This was one of the best issues of The Walking Dead that I’ve read in recent memory. If you are not caught up on or have never read The Walking Dead, you’re in luck. It’s the beginning of a new story arc and this issue is only 25¢.

SPOILER ALERT: If you’re not caught up on The Walking Dead comic or are concerned about potential TV show spoilers you should turn back now.

 I said that this is the beginning of a new story arc and that is right, but this issue is closely tied to the last story arc entitled “The Whisperer War,” which is just like it sounds—Alexandria is at war with another tribe/group/enemy known as the The Whisperers. It’s been cutthroat, the tension of a big showdown has been building for the past half-dozen issues, and it’s finally here. Rick and the Alexandrians are facing the biggest existential crisis since the fight with Negan and the Saviors. Have I hyped this comic up enough?

Kirkman’s writing is strong here and the action-packed issue plays to his strengths: plot escalation and imperative dialogue. Adlard, Gaudiano, and Rathburn work together to create such a visually spartan universe yet clearly relish the chance to up the zombie gristle. The final few pages are really amazing and I recommend quickly reading through the comic for the story and then slowly paging through it at least once more to appreciate the fine black and white artwork.

TV show fans, you will recognize a majority of the group and the setting but this issue is truly standalone. The backstory, albeit helpful, is not necessary for you to enjoy this issue. The Walking Dead #163 is a great jumping on point or re-joining point for non or lapsed readers and you can’t beat the special low price!

Josh Doyle-Elmer is the email czar of comiXology and past-master in the art of puns.

#the walking dead #twd #robert kirkman #charlie adlard #stefano gaudiano #cliff rathburn #comixologist recommends #josh doyle-elmer

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

Curse Words #1 by Charles Soule and Ryan Browne

Magic is quite something. I'm not talking about the Houdini kind of stuff. Real magic. The kind of stuff only witches and wizards can create. The stuff of Dungeons and Dragons. It's a heck of a lot of fun because it is, for the most part, endless -- especially in story telling. For Curse Words #1, Charles Soule (of She Hulk, Letter 44, and many others) and Ryan Browne (God Hates Astronauts), magic is potent, powerful, explosive, and so much more.

In this brand new series, we meet a man named Wizord, a wizard from another world. He's landed on Earth and had decided to have some fun (I think) with his seemingly endless magic. But that's not the end of it.

This issue is a testament to Ryan Browne's ability to draw almost anything with precision--whether it's New York City, an entire baseball stadium, a koala, or a man with a very impressive beard. In his previous Image book, God Hates Astronauts, it was always the amount of insane detail Browne put into the book that kept me reading (his Crab-headed humanoid aliens were always pristine) and with Curse Words, this has not changed. With colorists Jordan Boyd and Michael Parkinson at his side, the art of this book is almost enough of a sell to keep me reading.

Lucky for us, Charles Soule not only knows how to write a compelling story, but in one issue, he manages to establish a rich world full of a thousand and one questions. Who Wizord really is, why he came to Earth, and his scary, mysterious Hole World origins kept me turning pages as quickly as possible. The pacing in this book is fast, but every page is littered with pieces of information that pass by almost too quickly to ponder as the story progresses.

If you're looking to dive into what will assuredly be a fun, magic-riddled, masterfully drawn and colored comic, look no further than Curse Words #1.

Mike Rapin is a Queens-dwelling web developer with far too many X-Men comics in his apartment. He hosts the I Read Comic Books podcast where he rattles on about how you should be reading Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood's Moon Knight.

#curse words #charles soule #ryan browne #comixologist recommends #mike rapin

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

SNOWBLIND by Ollie Masters and Tyler Jenkins

I cannot tell a lie, I picked up Snow Blind because there was a wolf on the cover (I think it’s actually a fox), but what I found was a delightful, noir mini-series set in the bleak, snow-covered landscape of Alaska. It’s a compact and straightforward mystery that was an absolute page-tuner due to it’s good pacing, intriguing characters, and wonderful art.

Snow Blind is the story of a teenager named Teddy who is a detective fiction aficionado. In the first chapter/issue he is caught by the police trespassing in the library, trying to read. His family, originally from Louisiana, has moved to Alaska for reasons unknown to Teddy. At a family party where Teddy’s father has a little too much to drink, Teddy takes a photo, posts it to social media and it goes viral. To Teddy’s surprise, his family (his dad in particular) are more similar to the characters in the crime fiction he’s reading than he knew. The disaffected teenager is thrust into the middle of his own detective fiction yarn and Teddy takes it upon himself to play Philip Marlowe.

Ollie Masters has crafted a wonderful story that offers a lovable lead character in the detective fiction and noir obsessed amateur sleuth Teddy (note The Third Man poster in his bedroom) and pairs it with an intriguing modern take on the classic detective story. The hero slowly uncovers the truth; his idyllic and rather boring nuclear family is actually concealing their ties to criminality. Tyler Jenkins’s art is masterful. The watercolors perfectly capture the mood of this story and emphasize the Alaskan setting. Snow Blind is a beautiful comic that is an interesting, introspective look at noir stories. My only regret was that it was only a few issues long. I’d like to spend more time in this universe.

Josh is the email marketing manager at comiXology who wants to spend more time in Alaska.

#snow blind #ollie masters #tyler jenkins #noir fiction #crime fiction #comixologist recommends #josh doyle-elmer

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

WWE #1 by Dennis Hopeless, Serg Acuña, and Doug Garbark

Seth Rollins has seen his share of ups and downs in the world of professional wrestling (pronounced ‘rasslin’).  He ran with The Authority, ditched the Shield, betrayed his closest friends, and made some bold plays for power.  Seth’s story is a tale as old as time; warriors fighting in an endless cycle to prove they are the strongest go back to our earliest legends, our earliest literature, and our earliest comic books.  Pro wrestling is no different.  The only real difference is the ring, the consistent live-action showmanship, and the belt.

That damned belt.  In the all-new WWE #1, out now from BOOM! Studios, we are given a glimpse of the struggle these warrior poets suffer to become legend and hold the fabled belt as their own.  We are also given a hint of the fresh challenges that await them when they reach the top.  Winning the belt doesn’t put a champion on Easy Street.  Winning the belt welcomes all comers to challenge whosoever it is deemed “Number 1.”

 I am getting very carried away, so I’ll try to keep it down to earth.  Dennis Hopeless has written an unabashedly loving piece of wrestling drama.  He writes without irony, applying total affection for these characters.  Seth Rollins’s fight to the belt is relatable and easy to get super pumped about. Triple H is presented as the villain he always should be, and I love that. Hopeless has clearly staked his claim in the WWE universe with this opening issue, and I’m really hoping I can get my hands on issue #2 already (however unlikely that is).

 I am going to close out on Acuña’s art. The dynamic line and storytelling Acuña’s brush presents fits just splendidly.  Seth Rollins’s tough guy faces and fights are so well and truly over-the-top picture perfect I’ve read it four times through to get a good idea of what sets this apart visually from older wrestling comics.  This one takes itself entirely seriously, and it is excellent fun because it succeeded in that way.  Acuña’s ability to add drama and gravitas to all the wild and sweaty fights makes this book.

 And when Seth Rollins pouts... Acuña’s ability to draw a wounded pout is just top notch.  I’m talking top shelf angst.

Matthew Burbridge is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and he is trying to work around his schedule to get in some wrestling viewing to satiate his primal need for violence.  But let’s be real, he’s probably gonna just watch Roadhouse again.

#WWE #wrestling #dennis hopeless #seth rollins #serg acuna #triple h #comixologist recommends #matthew burbridge

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends…

VIOLENT LOVE by Frank J. Barbiere and Victor Santos

Did you notice how much true crime had a cultural moment in 2016? The surge began with 2014’s Serial podcast, 2015’s Making a Murderer docu-series and the wave grew this year with two different OJ Simpson television miniseries, American Crime Story, plus dozens of other shows, books, and movies “inspired by” or “based on” true events. If you have any space in your pop culture diet for another crime yarn, I’d like to suggest to you Violent Love written by Frank J. Barbiere, art by Victor Santos and design by Dylan Todd.

For any fan of noir/crime/pulp fiction, Violent Love embraces a couple of familiar tropes; the lead characters are an outlaw couple à la Bonnie and Clyde or The Honeymoon Killers. Daisy Jane, college-aged daughter and part-time bank-robber, is seeking revenge and Rock Bradley is hired muscle. The series is set in the southwest during the late 1960s and early 1970s but our narrator, former lawman Mr. Lou, is recalling the time that this particular outlaw couple saved his life. The reflections of a retired lawman is something we most recently have seen in the Coen Brothers’ No Country for Old Men but in this usage the narrator gives the comic an added authenticity.

 Though Violent Love does embrace some of the conventions of crime fiction, it’s no slave to them. Normally the star-crossed, crime-committing couple stories are about the men finding their femme fatale soul-mate (I’m looking at your Badlands and Bonnie and Clyde). This is, from the first page, Daisy Jane’s story. The result of this choice is that Daisy has much more agency than women many of these kinds of stories. Violent Love is also equal parts romance. Daisy and Rock don’t meet until issue #2 and in an instant it is apparent that we will see these characters grow into their romance. This comic is beautiful. Victor Santos’s art is so engrossing, I found myself downloading the digital copies onto my computer so I could zoom in panel by panel. This comic feels both modern and of the 1970s at the same time.

 There is no doubt about it that Violent Love is for mature readers due to some nudity/sexual content and the level of violence (I mean the word ‘violent’ is in the title). In issue #1 a scene neared the line of gratuitousness, but hang in there. This scene is essential to Daisy’s motivation for the entire story and justifies it’s existence. Santos makes the wise choice to obscure some of major acts violence in impressionistic strobe-light-paced panels. Also, the violence is not disposable; these characters aren’t sociopaths and the violent acts they commit do have psychological impact on them.  

Josh is the email marketing manager at comiXology who can neither confirm nor deny if he’s been to New Mexico

#violent love #frank barbiere #victor santos #crime drama #crime romance #josh doyle-elmer #comixologist recommends

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends…

THE RIFT #1 by Don Handfield, Richard Piers Rayner, and Leno Carvalho

The Rift #1 is the new Red5 property presented by Hawkeye or, as we also know him, Jeremy Renner. While I do not know what “presented by” means in this case, there is no other title with an Academy Award nominee attached to it, so it must be interesting. Luckily, it is.

We open on a mundane, middle-America setting: Kansas, present day, mother and son riding in a car going to… somewhere not important. When all of a sudden, CRASH! BOOM! WHIZ! Something on fire falls out of the sky and crashes before them! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it Superman? No, it’s a plane. To be exact it is a vintage P-40 Warhawk, right out of 1936.

Like many first issues, The Rift #1 is a quick foray into a new world with a mysterious question that needs to be answered. In this case, how did a World War II fighter pilot flying in Southeast Asia transport to modern day Kansas? Of course, our mother/son duo are stuck in the middle of this conflict while a secret government agency tracks down the strange time-traveler in order to avert a world-ending crisis.

If you are looking for answers, you will not find any in this issue. Instead you will find a story that raises many more questions. I would like to know why the government always has to be so secretive about these odd phenomena when they pose such a deep threat.

Here’s to hoping that The Rift continues to be intriguing and different from the norm.

Dane Cypel feels like a time traveler sometimes, especially after sleeping for 10 stright hours.

#the rift #jeremy renner #don handfield #richard piers rayner #leno carvalho #dane cypel #comixologist recommends

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

GOD COUNTRY #1 by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Jason Wordie, and John J. Hill

The team behind Buzzkill is back with a look at family, loss, age, and cosmic gods brawling. I’m writing of course about the anticipated God Country #1, out just this past Wednesday from Image.  In this new jaunt, Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw send some Kirby-esque badasses and a big damn sword down to West Texas and put it in the hands of a man suffering from Alzheimer’s.  Also, the sword is 12-feet long and composed of cosmic-space-god-magic so we can assume some wild and outrageous antics will ensue.

Cates opens the story with Roy, the family man, rushing to his father’s farmhouse in West Texas.  Roy’s father, Emmett, has been slowly slipping deeper into the later symptoms of Alzheimer’s for some time.  Emmett was found wandering the highway far from home and when police attempted to escort him home he broke an officer’s jaw.  It is around this point where Roy’s wife and daughter come into Emmett’s farmhouse only to run right back out upon Emmett’s reveal.  Emmett is loud, paranoid, doesn’t recognize his family, and is swearing obscenities to high heaven.

 Roy’s wife takes their daughter and drives away because she’s at her wits-end with Emmett’s uncontrollable mood swings and worsening condition.  It’s about here in the story where a giant storm unlike any Texas had ever seen or will ever see again descends upon the house, with Roy and Emmett inside obliterating it.  From the rubble out climbs Roy and a 20-foot tall demon that looks real hungry.  For the rest of this one you have to buy the issue! It is issue #1. There is no better time!

Seriously though, I love this concept.  Aging Texan and his family confronted with Kirby’s New Gods!  That is so cool!  I’ve been kind of looking at this one as a point of reference in Kirby’s cultural impact from a very specific position.  This is the Texan spin on the New Gods like Jersey Gods a few years back was obviously about New Gods appearing in New Jersey.  Each references specific iconographic elements of their region with an effective love and respect that can only come from being from the place in question.   This issue is an exceptionally strong opening from an exceptionally strong writer/artist pairing.  

If anybody remembers the end of Buzzkill will know that specific tone of grounded self-deprecation amidst the fantastic.  A sardonic charm that bleeds through when these two work together is all over this project.  It is just wonderful.

Matt Burbridge is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and he’s finishing up Book 3 of Legend of the Galactic Heroes. Third one started off kinda real slow, but the tail-end is just carnage, carnage, carnage. :D

#god country #donny cates #geoff shaw #matthew burbridge #comixologist recommends

[comixology]

Halloween may be over but comiXologist Shane-Michael Vidaurri recommends horror comics any time...

VAMPIRES WILL NEVER HURT YOU by Jude Vigants

Vampires Will Never Hurt you is a wonderful, chilling, short comic by Jude Vigants based on the My Chemical Romance song by the same name. It tells the story of Jamie, a non-binary teenager, and their best friend Vicky, who are being tormented by Travis, a sadistic bully who has been upping his threats as Halloween draws nearer. Vicky confesses that they don’t feel safe going out, but Jamie argues that they won’t let Travis ruin their Halloween fun, no matter what horror he threatens them with. It’s a sad reminder that for some people, the scariest thing about Halloween is the people who don’t have to wear masks. Vicky drops the costume they were planning on wearing to the ground, and says definitively that they aren’t going out.

Jamie decides to go anyway, it’s Halloween, damn it. So they are pleasantly surprised when they meet up with Vicky as they begin to trick or treat, or at least, someone wearing the same mask that Vicky had. It must be Vicky, right? Who else could it be?

Jude Vigants’s pacing and bold inks set a creepy, dark mood in this short story that is impressive in it’s depth. The artwork has bold spot blacks that are reminiscent of The Long Halloween and Guy Davis’s work on B.P.R.D., but the story is more in line with the themes and stakes of more recent and socially conscious horror of films like Green Room and Get Out. For $2.99 this book provides a perfect Halloween scare full of gore and chills, as well as a frank reflection of our current social climate, from the perspective of the people who fight to survive the horror that lives everyday, not just Halloween. But maybe, it contains the hope that something out there in the dark would help us fight against it.

#vampires will never hurt you #jude vigants #halloween #horror comics #a comixologist recommends #sm vidaurri

[comixology]

A comiXologist recommends...

Super Sons #7

Super Sons has quickly become one of my favorite ongoing series. It’s fun, wacky, exciting, and the art is gorgeous. For those who haven’t been following along, the series follows Superboy and Robin, biological children of Clark Kent and Bruce Wayne, as they fumble their way through their solo superheroic adventures without their parents. Damian plays the angry, cranky, condescending figure with all of the attitude but none of the gravitas of Batman. Jon is a bright-eyed, idealistic, and often naive stand-in for Superman, who seemingly always struggles to get the same amount of respect as his darker counterpart.  I love the dynamic between Damian and Jon. They’re fun, exaggerated versions of how a cynical audience views their fathers.

This issue is the second part of the Super Sons/Teen Titans crossover, “Planet of the Capes.” Last issue, Robin got changed from a young boy (who thought Superboy was too young for the Teen Titans) into an old man (who’s fine with it, because he can’t be bothered to care anymore at that age). Peter Tomasi’s writing on these past few issues has been top notch. Watching a B-List villain summon other B-List villains to fight the Sons and the Teen Titans was so much fun. On top of that, Jorge Jimenez is one of my favorite artists right now. Everything he does is so pretty and energetic. He finds ways to do that manga thing where he pulls off great, seamless storytelling but still manages to make just about every panel look like a dazzling pin-up. It works perfectly for this kind of series as the book’s characters are manic, high-intensity kids. Add in really visually interesting characters like Beast Boy, Raven, Aqualad, and Starfire, and this book quickly jumps to the top of my list for this week.

Jonah Chuang is a Technical Account Manager at Comixology. He likes Superboy better than Robin

#super sons #peter tomasi #jorge jimenez #teen titans #a comixologist recommends #jonah chuang