Comics

Reuniting the creative team of DC Comics’ acclaimed Starman series for the first time in decades, and sold with the promise of revealing the story behind Threepio’s one red arm in The Force Awakens, this issue was delayed numerous times (it was originally intended to be published shortly before the film’s release, not months after) due to a long script approval process from LucasFilm (according to Harris, he and Robinson didn’t receive final approval until about a week before the issue’s first solicited release date). As a result, expectations for this issue grew to possible unreasonable proportions: no story could possibly live up to the hype generated just by virtue of its constant rescheduling.

Renato Jones: The One% #1 Written and Drawn by Kaare Kyle Andrews Published by Image Comics Released May 5th, 2016 The super-rich are villains, the book’s anti-hero Renato Jones proclaims. “With that kind of power, how can anyone stop them? How can anyone make them pay? Who will make them pay?” Just like Bernie Sanders, …

Footprints: Bad Luck Charm Written by Joey Esposito Art by Jonathan Moore Published by Soup Dad Comics Two preternatural co-workers try to scam a Vegas Casino in 1962. A possible supernatural element to the Son of Sam case in the 70’s is explored. Someone or something is wrecking vintage race cars in present day. All …

Captain Cold Publisher: DC Comics Created By: John Broome and Carmine Infantino Alter ego: Leonard Snart Notable Aliases: The Man who Mastered Absolute Zero, Leonard Wynters, Blue Iceman Team Affiliations: Injustice League, Rogues, Secret Society of Super Villains, Suicide Squad, Justice League Abilities: Possesses a Cold Gun that allows him to freeze objects to absolute …

Superman #51 Written by Peter J. Tomasi Art by Michael Janin Published by DC Comics Released April 6, 2016 The first page of this comic is an uncomfortable close-up on Superman’s distressed face, as he seemingly looks the reader right in the eyes and says “I’m dying.” Grant Morrison’s long-awaited Wonder Woman Earth One graphic novel …

The oft-tumultuous publication history of this series ends with this issue, the series’ final. Originally announced as six issue miniseries, it was promoted to ongoing before the first issue went on sale. Then, when issue #12 was solicited last December, it became the first casualty of Marvel’s new Star Wars line (sort of, because again, it technically was conceived as finite series to begin with). At any rate, it’s not really a surprise; despite strong sales relative to many other mainstream Marvel and DC series, the back half of the series were some of the lowest-selling issues of any of Star Wars books, and quality-wise, the book always seemed to land thoroughly in the middle of the pack, rarely awful but just as rarely never excellent, either.

Since then, Punisher has remained a viable character and maintained a consistent publishing presence, though his heyday of carrying multiple books and making routine guest appearances in all corners of the Marvel Universe are long behind him. And, really, that’s for the best: on his own, the Punisher is a compelling character. A shattered soldier, driven to extremes by the death of his family. He’s a Batman who eschews the theatricality of a costume and has no qualms about killing bad guys, and that type of character can be engaging and entertaining. But Punisher works less well as a protagonist in a shared superhero universe. Put him side-by-side next to guys like Daredevil or Captain America, and everyone gets watered down: the Punisher doesn’t kill anyone (because the heroes won’t let him), and the heroes look like idiots for not capturing this guy who willingly operates so far outside their usual “no killing” code.

A number one issue is a tough thing to figure out, especially when building your own world as Joe Harris and Martín Morazzo are doing in Snowfall #1. The balancing act between setting up your story and characters, while maintain the mystery and intrigue that will draw them back for issue two is maybe one of the most difficult things to do in comics.

A thorough primer on the CW’s latest assortment of heroes and villains.

Swamp Thing is one of the very best series from DC Comics in the past five years, from Scott Snyder’s revival of the character in 2011 to Charles Soule’s grandiose world-building years later.

October 21, 2015, I woke up in my Atlantic Beach home around 7:00 AM. I got dressed, made sure my bags were packed, ate a light breakfast, and took off in my car. Today was my trip to Melbourne, Florida where I would be meeting my friend Jade, and we both would be going to Famous Faces & Funnies for a Skype Q&A with the one and only Brian K. Vaughan.

Tales of the Unusual is a webcomic series of strange and mysterious stories by Sungdae Oh in which terrible things happen to terrible people 95% of the time, and innocent people are caught in the crossfire the other 5% of the time. Either way, each thrilling tale has a moral at its twisted end.

Not only does Steve Orlando’s Midnighter comic star a gay man, it tells blunt, sex-positive stories about that character. The main cast of characters in the upcoming main Avengers comic All-New, All-Different Avengers has a small minority of white dudes.
While there is still a lot of work on the road to a utopia of complete social justice, there is a trend of progressivism in some of today’s superhero comics that is impossible to ignore.

Ever wonder what’s lurking in the shadows? No? Well, Chiller can fix that. A frightening collection of horror stories, Chiller is a webcomic series found on LINE Webtoon that utilizes its digital platform to ensure an interactive storytelling experience that leaves readers willing the sun to rise faster.

Scalped’s beloved creative team of Jason Aaron and RM Guera return for the Image Comics-published book The Goddamned, an Old Testament story drenched in the crude and the poetic set to debut on Nov. 11. “We just knew we wanted to do something very different from Scalped,” said Aaron via Skype interview Tuesday. Goddamned is …

Huck, an Image Comics series starting on Nov. 18, is very different in tone compared to much of their past work, but that just means more excitement for writer Mark Millar and artist Rafael Albuquerque. “I like doing different things,” said Millar via Skype interview today. “In the past two, three years I have tried …

Most licensed fiction takes one of two approaches to its stories: tales set before the main narrative, showing what characters were up to before their original story, or stories set after, showing the further adventures of the characters. IDW’s new Back to the Future series, subtitled “Untold Tales and Alternate Timelines” intends to do both (and more), telling tales set before, after, during and sideways to the events of the movies, as Bob Gale, co-writer of the three films, is joined by a series of writers and artists for a unique kind of anthology series.

It’s a silly fear that haunts the deep recesses of my mind from time to time that is constantly pushed further and further back as independent artists get to work on new properties. The latest example is I Hate Fairyland from Skottie Young over at Image Comics, based around a premise so neat and original that it’s downright annoying it only recently came into existence.

Inspired not by other comics but by his strong religious faith and love of strange movies, Joe Badon’s The Man with Ten Thousand Eyes Kickstarter comic looks for $3,000 by Friday, Nov. 13.
“This is kind of like a super abstract internal dialogue I’m having with myself about my walk with God, but in a super weird, noir, crazy abstract filter,” said Badon via Skype interview.

The first panel I attended at New York Comic Con was the LGBT in Comics panel on Thursday, October 8. It was sponsored by TimesOUT, an LGBT affiliate of the New York Times. The lineup was quite star-studded and possibly the first time that three bisexual men have sat on a panel at a comics convention together. It consisted of writer Steve Orlando (Midnighter), artist Kris Anka (Uncanny X-Men), writer Jennie Wood (Flutter), artist Babs Tarr (Batgirl), cover artist Kevin Wada (She-Hulk), and writer James Tynion IV (Memetic). They represent a broad spectrum of comics genres from fashion forward superheroes to YA survival stories and even exploitation sub-genres. The panel was moderated by New York Times writer Jude Biersdorfer.

An old, shady NSA agent creeps in on a young, adventurous and curious woman one night, asking her if she wants to help keep the biggest conspiracies in the world a secret. Elsewhere, a man who hasn’t slept in a decade recruits an ex-cop to solve a psychedelic murder mystery.

Justin Jordan. Taken from his Twitter.
Justin Jordan. Taken from his Twitter.

These universes can be found in Deep State and John Flood, two BOOM! Studios-published comics from Pennsylvania-based writer Justin Jordan, with respective art from Ariela Kristantina and Jorge Coelho.

Some arbitrary sci-fi geek stuff happened in the Marvel universe recently thanks to the Secret Wars event comic, resulting in really weird continuity that is going to last for the few months this event will need tie-ins to hit comic shops with. For nerds who want more pieces of the large, sprawling story, there are certainly tie-ins to fit their desires, but there are also straight up goofy releases that certainly don’t need Secret Wars to exist. Yes, tie-ins like Howard the Human aren’t even remotely anchored to the main Secret Wars storyline, simply using the messed-up-continuity angle to deliver a wacky What If? story.

Though less photo-realistic and painterly than previous artist John Cassaday, Immonen is much more of a traditional comic book artist, eschewing strict realism for more representative & kinetic action and layouts. He also has a particular knack for using body language and facial expressions to express characterization, showing readers visually what a given character is feeling at a given time just by the look on their face or the way they’re standing. It’s a skill he puts to good use here, making vivid Luke’s aw-shucks naivete as he stumbles his way through a Nar Shaddaa bar fight, Han’s combination of chagrin and frustration at Sana’s continued instance that he’s A. up to no good and B. her husband, and the transition of Leia’s reaction to Sana from wry amusement to righteous fury as the woman proves to be no easy pushover.