We’ve got a lot of noir, and a lot of it is great, this New Comic Book Day. So, what took No. 1?
1) The Violent #2
Ed Brisson and Adam Gorham deliver a tremendous, melancholy noir. Brisson pulls off the delicate balancing act of having sympathetic people do terrible things and still keep them relatable, while Gorham manages to capture the vast tragedy that can be contained in small events. This noir has become a must-read in just two issues, and a great feather in Image’s cap.
2) Leaving Megalopolis: Surviving Megalopolis #1
Megalopolis was the safest place in the world, bright and clean, full of superheroes to save the day. Then they all became homicidal maniacs and started murdering anybody they felt like. A handful of survivors escaped, and are trying to keep it together, but, of course, they have to go back for one of their own. Gail Simone and J. Calafiore team up once again to deliver a smart, gritty, scary story that’s worth picking up even if you didn’t read the original.
3) Descender #9
Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen are firing on all cylinders with this space opera. Nguyen’s delicate, beautiful watercolor work in particular gives this book a unique feel, even as Lemire spins a complicated plot with a simple emotional core of friendship and longing. A beautiful SF book, and a must-read for fans of the genre.
4) Rebels #10
Imagine for a moment you’re a man who’s never left his home city, forced into service for your government and sent to a strange land where everyone wants to kill you, and you don’t even get a decent paycheck out of the deal. Welcome to the wonderful world of a British redcoat in the American Revolution, which Brian Wood and Tristan Jones explore with surprising warmth and humanism. Once again, this book delivers smart historical fiction in an era we too often romanticize, and it’s a must-read.
5) Scarlet Witch #2
Marco Rudy is the real star of this book: His abstract, supple layouts and Eurocomic color stylings make this one of the most beautiful books on the stands this week. James Robinson’s script isn’t quite up to Rudy’s art, although he makes clever use of a Marvel trivia question, and Wanda’s internal struggles are fascinating. But man, that art is so good you’ll barely notice.
6) Lantern City #9
Sander’s loyalties keep getting divided in this steampunk book, and it just makes each passing issue better. We’re into the final stretch, here, and this book’s a must-read story of palace intrigue, madness, and revolution with a steampunk setting.
7) No Mercy #6
This book takes what for it is a breather issue, by which we mean only three spoiled American brats have complete emotional meltdowns in the middle of a jungle that hates them and only two things go completely, horribly wrong. Alex de Campi and Carla Speed McNeil have something genuinely different going on here, a serious look at how the First World treats the Third couched in a must-read thriller.
8) Superman: American Alien #3
This book has an unusual twist in the opening few pages that alone is a great hook: Let’s just say the Clark you see on the cover is mistaken for another handsome man with dark hair DC throws around a lot. And the twists don’t stop there, with Max Landis humanizing a DC villain who rarely gets much in the way of attention, let alone time on the page. This book is proving there’s more to the origin story than just the same old visit to Kansas, and that makes it genuinely worth reading.
9) The Black Hood #8
Greg Hettinger is clean, back on the force, and back in the Black Hood in this new arc. Truthfully, Robert Hack’s art can feel a little too rough in places, but Duane Swierczynski’s script is as sharp and dark as ever as he brings the classic vigilante story to Earth. Greg gets his ass kicked, hard and often, making him more Sam Spade than Batman, and a welcome switch from the usual superhero.
10) Agents of SHIELD #1
Marc Guggenheim and German Peralta deliver a book that’s just like the show it’s based on, which perhaps isn’t a surprise given Guggenheim’s extensive TV work for the Distinguished Competition. Still, we hoped that this would do a little more with the ideas of the show without being tied to its tone and style, but at least they kept badass Fitz.
11) Snow Blind #2
All Teddy wants is the truth: He’s been in witness protection his entire life and didn’t know it. And his hunt for answer is unraveling far more than he intended. Ollie Masters’ script is a clever and tangled web, and Tyler Jenkins’ watercolors give the book a feeling much like in the title. A strong noir in a new comic book day packed with them, and worth reading.
12) Slash and Burn #3
Si Spencer hands Max Dunbar a hell of an art challenge here, balancing the noir aspects of a firefighter/arson investigator struggling with her own firebug tendencies and the mystical, horror edge this book keeps dancing around. Truthfully, the book could stand for more shadows and harder inks to better set the tone, but it’s a decidedly unique story. If you need a change of pace, pick this one up.
13) The Death-Defying Doctor Mirage: Second Lives #2
Jen Van Meter and Roberto De La Torre continue their smart, practical look at how a couple deal with the afterlife when one’s alive and one’s dead. A nice touch about Van Meter’s script is that our heroine is smart, competent, and tough, but she’s got her skills and deficiencies like anybody else, and she’s as much an academic as she is a superhero. De La Torre also gets a nice chewy bit of ’20s Hollywood to play with, and his depictions of ghosts and the spirit world make the book a rough beauty. A clever bit of horror fantasy for fans looking for a good ghost story.
14) Mighty Thor #3
Jason Aaron’s script is all about Loki, and he and Russell Dauterman have a lot of fun messing with the past of the God of Lies. A nice touch is that Jane Foster’s anger at Loki has nothing to do with his mythological shenanigans and everything to do with how he used to treat her in the old Thor comics. Yeah, Loki will need a better helmet after this one.
15) Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers #0
Kyle Higgins and Hendry Prasetya approach this book from the point of view of the Green Ranger, who is not in great shape psychologically. Having Rita Repulsa sitting in your brain will do that. It’s a fun book, and putting the focus on Tommy gives it a nice focus and characterization it might otherwise lack. It’s much like the series, but a bit more grown-up, and that’s very much a good thing.
16) Ninjak #11
Valiant’s arc sending its cross between James Bond and a ninja to the afterlife is even more over the top than it sounds. Matt Kindt balances Ninjak’s extreme practicality and the less-than-practical nature of the Deadside with surprising ease, and Doug Braithwaite enjoys rendering the land of the dead in some off-the-wall ways. Definitely one of the odder books on the stands right now, but always worth a read.
17) The Legend of Wonder Woman #1
Perhaps Wondy doesn’t need her origin story retold, but Renae De Liz has a lot of fun retelling it, and injecting a little humanity into the marble statue DC seems to insist on turning Diana into now and again. De Liz also strikes a nice balance in that you can give this to kids, but adults can enjoy it as well. If you’re a Wondy fan, or just curious about her as her cinematic debut approaches, this is worth reading.
18) Red Sonja Vol. 3 #1
Sonja refuses the throne of her home nation, and that turns out to be a good idea. Or so it seems, of course. Marguerite Bennett and Aneke aren’t quite breaking new ground here, but the book is surprisingly funny and gives Sonja a bit more than just the usual purple dialogue and stabbing to deal with.
19) Secret Wars #9
The heavy delays have robbed this final issue of some of its impact, but it’s still a fun read, and the final splash panel is something else again. Now that we’re finally done here, where’s the second issue of Karnak?
Limbo #3
This mashup of ’80s pop culture and voodoo tropes from Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard is never not weird, and never not on the border of almost making no sense. But as its playfulness has come to the fore, it’s made this one of the trippiest noir riffs on the stands.
Other Books Out This Week
DC
Batman and Robin Eternal #15: Once again, a fun, meat-and-potatoes Batman story.
Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2: Yes, Batman fights the Turtles in this one. Really, that’s why we showed up.
Catwoman #48: A little too generic to fully deliver on its promise.
Constantine: The Hellblazer #8: A particularly witty entry in this series, especially for Papa Midnight’s face at a moment we won’t ruin here.
Earth 2 Society #8: A fascinating concept, but this book feels a bit like it should be a mini instead of an ongoing.
Gotham Academy #14: A breather issue that’s mostly a series of gag strips, and a fun read for fans of the book.
Green Lantern Corps: Edge of Oblivion #1: The space opera continues! You know, in case you thought DC was going to kill off the Corps.
New Romancer #2: A book that has Lord Bryon revived by software and running around in a human body really should do more with that concept.
New Suicide Squad #16: Deadshot finally gets a good one off Amanda Waller.
Red Hood Arsenal #8: Joker’s Daughter hijacking this book is getting tiresome, fast.
Robin War #2: This crossover never really pays off.
Starfire #8: It’s nice to know that despite reality warping, new universes, years of water under the bridge, and all that superheroes experience, Dick Grayson is still the master of the mixed message.
Marvel
All-New All Different Avengers #3: Or “Tony Stark is very condescending to teenagers who are more effective superheroes than he is.”
All-New Hawkeye #3: It’s hard not to tear up a little at this book’s final set of panels.
All-New Wolverine #4: X-23 saving her sisters should not feel this rote.
All-New X-Men #3: It took forty years and a time travel anomaly, but Cyclops is finally an interesting character.
Black Knight #3: I’d like this book better if it explored its concept instead of serving as yet another Avengers guest shot.
Guardians of the Galaxy #4: Or, basically, “let’s have lots of fights instead of a plot.”
Red Wolf #2: The same temporal fish out of the same temporal water. Also, why is New Mexico nothing but meth labs and angry sheriffs in comics?
Squadron Supreme #3: It’s a problem when the Avengers crash your book and you’re rooting for them to win in the big superhero fight.
Image
Birthright #13: This clever riff on fantasy tropes is always a fun read, but this issue in particular needs the context of the rest. Pick up the trades; it’s worth it.
Black Jack Ketchum #2: This Western is well done, but good luck figuring out what’s actually going on.
Citizen Jack #3: If you like your political satire overly blunt, this will be the political comedy for you.
Codename Baboushka #4: A solid but forgettable spy action book.
From Under Mountains #4: This fantasy book is already so wrapped up in its own lore, you might as well wait for the trade.
Dark Horse
Abe Sapien #30: This thoughtful book continues to be the best the Hellboy ‘verse puts out.
Alabaster: The Good, The Bad and The Bird #2: Great art, but we’ve seen this story of demon hunters and angels before.
Groo: Friends and Foes #12: If you like Groo, you’ll love this.
The Massive: Ninth Wave #2: Fun on its own merits, but lesser than the sum of its parts.
Mirror’s Edge Exordium #5: Hopefully the game’s story is a bit more dynamic than this.
Boom!
John Flood #6: This mini wraps up with a surprisingly affecting fistfight and assassination. No, we’re not going to explain that, go read the book.
Rowan’s Ruin #4: This fairly generic ghost story comes to a conclusion it can’t quite sell.
IDW
Gutter Magic #1: Rich Douek’s script is a bit too precious with its alternate history, and the art from Brett Barkley and Jules Rivera is rough around the edges, but this is a fun indie read nonetheless.
Luna The Vampire #1: Yasmin Sheikh delivers a cute indie comic that might be a little too edgy for kids and a bit too simple for adults.