In comics, Earth is constantly being invaded by aliens. Aliens want our resources. Aliens want our women. But Brandon Thomas and Juan Gedeon turn that around in Image’s Horizon #1: Earth is invading an alien world, and the aliens aren’t going to stand idly by and let it happen.
What’s clever about this issue is that Thomas and Gedeon don’t have a long, rambling explanation for what’s happening. Instead, you barely know, at first, what’s even going on as our heroine crashes on Earth and in fairly short order performs crude brain surgery on herself. Setting up the story, and carrying the plot, largely falls to Gedeon, who carefully draws an Earth that’s a little too believable as the crappy, burned-out husk that may await us.
Another nice touch is the aliens are definitely on the back foot. There’s only a few of them, and humanity seems to be onto them. Turning the alien invasion story on its head is a clever twist, but Thomas grounds it with very human emotions. You get exactly why the aliens don’t want us off Earth, and why they’re fighting an insurgency. There’s no shortage of SF comics on the stands, but none are quite this clever or engaging, making this a pleasant surprise and our best comic of the week.
Sabrina #6, Archie
Salem the talking cat is a big part of the Sabrina story, but how, in Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Robert Hack’s gory, Warren Publications-inspired horror comic, does a talking cat fit in? That’s what this issue explains, and it’s every bit as unnerving and creepy as you might expect. Aguirre-Sacasa delivers a witty, literary issue here, riffing as much on The Crucible and O. Henry as he is delivering the chilly horror this book has become known for. Hack, meanwhile, has an enormous amount of fun, as this issue lets him stretch his wings a little bit. If you’re curious to see what a scary Sabrina is like, this is the issue to start with.
New Super-Man #1, DC
When we’re first introduced to Kong Kenan, he’s beating up a nerd for his lunch while talking in the captions about how awesome and important he is. Not the most auspicious introduction, perhaps, but Gene Luen Yang is up to something a lot more ambitious than just slapping a Chinese name on Clark Kent and calling it a day. We learn quite a bit about Kenan in the brisk first issue, supplemented by Viktor Bogdanovic’s excellent, playful art. This really is a new Superman, and that’s a great thing.
Violent #5, Image
Ed Brisson and Adam Gorham bring their tale of working-class desperation to a bittersweet end. Brisson and Gorham’s blunt, honest approach to poverty, addiction, and emotional struggles have given this noir story an inexorable sense of tragedy that pays off here. It’s not a cheery read, but it’s rare to see comics confront these issues at all, let alone with the sensitivity and talent Brisson and Gorham bring to the table. Violent is deeply felt and has something genuine to say about how the choices you make can pile up into a trap when you least expect it, and that alone makes it worth reading.
Nightwing: Rebirth, DC Comics
Dick Grayson is no longer a superspy. He has his identity back, he has his friends back, everything should be coming up Grayson. But really he’s trading one spy mission for another, as this issue shows. Still, Tim Seeley and Yanick Paquette find the joy in Dick Grayson, which is really what makes him stand out, and lays the groundwork for an exciting new take on beating up crooks.
Kong of Skull Island #1, BOOM! Studios: James Asmus and Carlos Magno offer up a deliciously pulpy and silly explanation for just how Kong wound up on Skull Island.
Harrow County #14: Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook’s literary horror comic reveals our heroine’s extended family of witches, and she may regret meeting them.
Bloodshot Reborn #15: Valiant’s muscular, entertaining thriller has managed to keep its unnerving edge, thanks to Jeff Lemire’s judicious use of Bloodsquirt, his incredibly creepy cartoon mascot, giving our hero an uncertain grasp on reality.
Vision #9: Tom King and Gabriel Hernandez Walta deliver a genuinely heartbreaking penultimate issue to their champion run on this series.
Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #9: Robert Venditti and Raul Allen offer up an action-packed issue that’s as much about what drives the Eternal Warrior as it is about beating up the guy who trapped him in a technologically advanced labyrinth.
This Week’s Collections
Southern Bastards Vol. 3: Homecoming, Image (Softcover, $15): Jason Aaron and Jason Latour’s sweaty, nasty Southern-fried noir hits hard and never lets up, and this volume lays the groundwork for new heroine Roberta Tubb, an Afghan war vet with a dead father and a take-no-sh*t attitude. Image puts out a lot of excellent noir, all of it unique, but this is by far the one with the most intense and unnerving sense of place and the creepiest cast.
The Sheriff of Babylon Vol. 1: Bang Bang Bang, DC Comics (Softcover, $15): Tom King and Mitch Gerards deliver a thoughtful, uncomfortable crime thriller about the Iraq War that refuses to play cowboys and terrorists. The great tragedy of this book is that everyone has their reasons, making it one of the most compelling stories about one of America’s ugliest wars.
Marvel Firsts: 1990s, Marvel (Softcover, $40): If you’ve ever wondered just why comic book fans treat the entire span from 1990 to 2000 as one long punchline, Marvel’s got you covered with this collection of #1s ranging from Deadpool to obscure series like Blackwulf. This should be required reading for new comic book fans, if for no other reason than they’ll finally get all those Rob Liefeld jokes.