More quick-hits than reviews because this week’s been a busy one, and well-made comics are a little harder to talk about in short bursts.
Chew #29 written by John Layman, drawn and colored by Rob Guillory, variant cover shown by Chris Giarusso:
“What in the fuck?”
I was thinking the other day how impressive it is to be able to balance laugh-out loud humor and genuinely poignant human moments. Chew’s one of a small segment of comics that isn’t afraid to get crazy bizarre and hilariously hectic, but still has time for the characters. Plus, hey! I just realized this! The vampire has a picture of Kiefer Sutherland in the Lost Boys hanging up in his office! That’s awesome!
Daredevil #19 written by Mark Waid, drawn by Chris Samnee, colored by Javier Rodriguez:
“Hank Pym, a.k.a. Giant-Man, a.k.a. Ant-Man, a.k.a. what day is it, recently operated on my gray matter… from the inside.”
Great design for a villain. Really great cover by Paolo Rivera too.
Dark Avengers #182 written by Jeff Parker, drawn by Neil Edwards and Terry Pallot, colored by Chris Sotomayor:
“Nuh-uh! Our hot lady outranks your hot lady!”
SPACE JAM OF THE WEEK
Godzilla: The Half-Century War written and drawn by James Stokoe
“… I never saw the point of bringing a gun to a Godzilla fight.”
This comic, you guys. This comic. This comic is my jaaaaaaaaam. Any other week, half of the titles on here could be my SJotW, but not when a new Godzilla issue’s out! Enjoy this miniseries while it lasts, because there isn’t going to be a better Godzilla adaptation in our lifetimes. James Stokoe’s a guy that has enough talent that he could get a job doing any part of a comic he wanted from artist to letterer, and good enough to bring all those different skills to one comic like it’s the easiest thing in the world. There is a two-page spread in this comic that literally made me drop the comic, not only because of how well it’s drawn, or even because of how well the page layout flows, forcing you to absorb each detail of the scene, all while retaining the tension, but because it’s a Godzilla monster battle royal drawn by James Stokoe. I can’t wait until he draws Ghidora, which, if the covers are anything to go by, could be sooooon. Ghirdora’s my favorite. Leave your favorite Godzilla monster in the comments!
Harbinger #5 written by Joshua Dysart, drawn by Khari Evans, colored by Ian Hannin:
“They don’t lock up mad dogs, Peter. They put them down.”
It’s just fascinating seeing how Dysart’s completely subverted our expectations from the first few issues, showing a hero’s journey focusing on someone who reeeeeally doesn’t start out all that heroic. It’s pretty ballsy to wait 5 issues, almost half a year, before showing us why our hero deserves our attention and sympathy. Oh, and Khari Evans is improving, so that’s helped my enjoyment of the comic immensely.
Hawkeye #3 written by Matt Fraction, drawn by David Aja, colored by Matt Hollingsworth:
“You know I’m, like, crazy-rich, right?”
I’ve heard car chases are one of the hardest things to make exciting in comics, so of course David Aja hits it out of the goddamn park and makes it look easy. Fraction’s got a nice punchy script, Aja brings the heat, and Hollingsworth colors inside the lines. This comic’s tough to review, but easy to read.
BAM! There’s your pull-quote. I’m out. Hmmm? I got two more? Fine.
Ultimate Comics: All-New Spider-Man written by Brian Michael Bendis, drawn by Pepe Larraz, colored by Justin Ponsor:
“Hey, LISTEN!”
Oh, come on! I thought there wasn’t going to be fill-in artists on this series if David Marquez and Sara Pichelli were switch-hitting. Ah, well. Larraz does okay, for the most part, barring a couple of confusing panels, while Bendis keeps doing his Bendis-y thing. Still, that new Gorgon costume is atrocious. It looks like a Call of Duty character got knocked up by the Predator. I miss Marquez and Pichelli.
Uncanny X-Men #20 written by Kieron Gillen, drawn by Carlos Pacheco and Roger Bonet, colored by GURU eFX:
“And you are, at this time, less popular than Doctor Doom.”
Doesn’t Pacheco’s art look so much better without Frank D’Armata coloring? It sure does! Roger Bonet helps a bit, I’m sure, but seriously. Better coloring. Color comics like they are comics, not recovered family photos of white people lost in the desert. I just wish Gillen wasn’t stuck with He-Who-Draws-Porn for most of the run, because I didn’t even regret buying this! Will the wonders of artists who give 1/10th of a shit ever cease?
