The Week of November 28 in Review Part 2 of 4 – Three DC Books

As I said I selected 13 books for the week in review on and this segment is about the books published under the DC comic banner.

First up is Before Watchmen Silk Spectre #4 (of 4) by Darwyn Cooke and Amanda Connor. I selected this book because it is the first Before Watchmen series that is coming to a conclusion and this has been a great series. I have no clue why some fans have been ignoring this stuff as it is what every fan professes to want to read, a great comic. Amanda Connor is doing some of the best work of her career and she has a slew of great work on her resume already. There is one two panel scene in this book that absolutely shows an amazing range of ability to express subtle emotion. Both panels are close ups of Sally Jupiter as she gets a phone call from her daughter Laurie (the Watchmen’s Silk Spectre). Laurie has run away and now she is finally calling home. Sally is an overbearing Mom, who truly loves her daughter. The first panel shows Sally worried and hopeful that she is finally hearing from her lost daughter. The second panel she is twisting her finger on the phone cord and her look is changed from worried concern to smug mother. You don’t even need the dialogue. I added the panels so you can see for yourself. Amanda is listed as co-scripter on the book and I’m guessing she did a lot of the dialogue or at least reworded the dialogue for Sally and Laurie. It all rings so true and as a father or two daughters I can hear the dialogue as well as read it. Cooke’s story gave us great depth to who Laurie is and delivers her at the end of the story right into the Watchmen book. It felt seamless to someone who has not re-read Watchmen in a long time. This was a great job all around and a mini-series that stands on its own as a great character piece.

The Week of November 28 in Review Part 1 of 4 American Vampire, Thor and Chew

So this week is even more of a crush on time then last week. First off the post office ran late and my books did not show until Friday. Second I had some fun time set up to visit my grandson Connor on the weekend. He is almost one already, time does fly. Next the Ravens game is on Sunday and that is a must watch. Add in to that work, putting together an interview for the blog with Tim and Ben Truman focusing on Hawken and well time is pressed. This means a whole different approach.

This week I have chosen 13 books out of over 30 to review. I read three of four books and then did the write ups. They were selected partially based on the fact that Cosmic Comix rated many of these the best of the week and others I choose for reasons I will explain as I get to them.

Before we get to this triumph trio of thrilling treats I will provide you with links for next week’s books. The clean simple listing is here and the detail listing is here. Using these lists is a good way to decide what you want and what you may want to pass on. The highlights for me are two Before Watchmen books the Comedian and Minutemen, Detective Comics, Hawkeye, Fury Max, Blackacre, Colder, and Shadowman. All in all it looks to be a good week to start December.

These three books were being touted as the best of the best by the Cosmic Comix website, so I read them first. All three are excellent and the rest of the books will be hard pressed to be any better.

First up is American Vampire #33 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. Not only is Scott DC’s newest and the fastest rising super star, he is becoming the “go to” guy for so many things. He writes Batman which is setting all sorts of records for sales, he has brought in two new writers for DC, he is teaming up with Jeff Lemire for Rotworld and he is teaming up with Jim Lee to give us a new Superman book. The guy is on fire and is a superb writer. With all of that in many, many ways this is still his best work. At the same time Rafael Albuquerque has grown up on this book from a pure super hero artist on Blue Beetle, to an artist who can do this dramatic horror title with great skill. This issue brings to close the Blacklist story and from page one to the end of the book it is impossible to put down. The pace is relentless and Scott is a true master of knowing when to shut up and let the art tell the story. The tragic ending of Henry was something that was destined as he was never going to allow himself to turn into a Vampire. Even with knowing the ending the sorrow and emotion of Pearl was palatable as you read the book. American Vampire is a book that I order the hard covers even with reading and getting the regular book. This is a seminal work for Scott Snyder, who looks like he will be building a lot of seminal runs on many books over the years. A great issue in what is a great series.

Comic Cover Sunday: Indians

Did you notice anything missing in the Thanksgiving post last Sunday?  How about the Indians?  Yep, they were a big part (sort of) of the first Thanksgiving so why did I skip them?  Well, the covers related to Indians were really so... so... good that they deserve their own spotlight.  They are way better than I would have thought.  Way more stereotypical too.

Indians #1, 1950 sometime.
I gotta admit with a cover logo that says "Manzar, The White Indian"... I'm dying to know what's on the inside.  This cover is ok but the bright colors really pull you in.

Supergirl #14 and Superman #14 (H’EL on Earth) plus a couple of quick thoughts on recent Marvel NOW issues

Supergirl is the only original title from The New 52 that I have continued to get without interruption since the relaunch.  Although I’ve started getting both Batman and Swamp Thing again recently with the beginning of year two (along with too many other titles to mention…And I do mean TOO MANY!).  I’ve been endeavoring to get all of her guest appearances in other books, but when Superman #13 only showed her on the last page, I decided to skip it. 

What I read this week - Nov 30

It's been  a long time so I'm getting right into it with simple, ultra short reviews.

The Complete Major Bummer Super Slacktacular!
(w) John Arcudi, (a) Doug Mahnke, published by Dark Horse, 348 pgs, $30
Just a boatload of fun.  Arcudi creates the world's worst superhero and puts him into weirder and weirder situations.  All expertly drawn by Mahnke.  Tons of action and lots of humor made this a great read.  I wrote a long review here. 
More short reviews and some longer ones below

Rex Mundi, vol 1-3

Lee sent me the first three trades of Rex Mundi, published by Image and then Dark Horse from 2003-2009.  I can see why he sent them to me, as the premise of the book is intriguing; however, there are some flaws that make it hard for me to like.

First, the background.  Rex Mundi is set in 1933 Paris.  There's no threat of rising Nazis in Germany because in this world the geopolitics is more akin to feudal times than our 20th Century.  Juliene Sauniere is a doctor.  The medical profession is governed by guilds, as are all other professions.  His former lover, Genevieve Tournon, is also a doctor.  She has been appointed the physician for the Duke of Lorraine.  These are the three main players in the story, at least to the halfway point I've read.

Despite the feudal structure to governance in this world technology has advanced at the same pace it had in our world.  It looks like our 1933 Paris.  This is a little odd because feudalism wasn't conducive to technology.  On top of that magic is an actual force in this world.  There's even a guild of sorcerers.  The existence of sorcery, it seems to me, would also retard the development of technology.  Why bother with technology when sorcery can get things done for you?

The most interesting part to me is the geopolitical, which looms large throughout.  France is largely the France we know but has fewer colonial holdings than the France of our world.  Spain doesn't exist.  It's still controlled by a Muslim emirate.  Germany is Prussia.  The Holy Roman Empire controls central Europe.  The Ottoman Empire is still going strong.  The United Kingdom, like France, is more or less like our United Kingdom of that time.  I like this core premise a lot.  The Duke of Lorraine is essentially a mix of Hitler, gnosticism, and the plot of The Da Vincie Code.  He stirs up race war against Muslims while secretly working to become king of France and then the rest of the world, claiming to be a direct descendent of Jesus and the rightful kings of France.

Indies Preview for January

Lee: This was a short month because of the holiday so Indies has been reduced to one day.  I am not sure I've ever only done Indies in one day for a full month.  Still lots of great stuff though.Thomm: Short month for comics. At work I end up with three paychecks for November because of the way the Fridays fall. Good timing for an extra pay in a month.

:01 First Second
Curses! Foiled Again GN by (W) Jane Yolen (A/C) Michael Cavallaro
Aliera Carstairs is back. This time she's got her cousin Caroline in tow, and the stakes are higher than ever. The realm of Seelie, the fairy kingdom of which Aliera is the hereditary defender, is under attack, and only Aliera and Caroline can set things right. Caroline, fragile and wheelchair-bound, may seem like more of a liability than an asset, but Aliera knows there's more to her quiet cousin than meets the eye. 176 pgs, 6x8.5 , PC, $15.99  Visit the artist here. 
Lee: I've always loved Cavallaro's art and :01 First Second has been releasing great all ages books for a long time now.  This is well worth checking out.
Thomm: I know nothing about this book but it has a good premise. Besides, the title is too amusing.

7 more below the break with a strong mix of old and new.