Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse have been, over the last few years, delivering a different kind of comic book with the Resident Alien series. Part cozy mystery, part science fiction, part quiet small-town drama, the book follows an alien stranded on Earth who takes the place of a Washington state doctor, and who often finds himself getting entangled in the lives of the people around him. This year’s miniseries, The Man With No Name (Dark Horse) wraps this week with an issue that both exemplifies what makes it a great comic and pushes it into new territory.
For one thing, there’s an elaborate action sequence, a drug raid that Parkhouse turns into a crackerjack set of panels, which is not something you expect from this book. But there’s also the end (instead of the solution) to the core mystery of the title, the death of a homeless man who, it turns out, has unexpected connections to some of the townsfolk. Hogan’s writing stands out here because it reflects the reality of police work: Was a man murdered out of rage and vengeance? Was his death an accident that revealed other crimes? It doesn’t matter, because it wouldn’t stand up in court, and there are other charges to pursue against the guilty.
This collection of miniseries has been great and just keeps getting better, and now’s a good time to get caught up: Next year’s, sending our small-town alien to New York, is already in the works.
Hawkeye #1, Marvel
Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero take over the adventures of Kate Bishop, newly installed on the West Coast and trying her hand at being a private detective. There’s no shortage of superhero PIs, but Kate’s a particularly welcome return, both for her snarky nature and for the casually stylish take on her adventures Thompson and Romero bring to the table. Thompson’s humor meshes well with Romero’s clean, sunny work here, and makes for a brisk, fun book you want the second issue to already.
Rockstars #1, Image
Image’s new detective series takes on the conceit that the ’70s rock obsession with Satan worship and black magic has roots in reality, but Joe Harris and Megan Hutchinson keep it a bit fresher both by bringing it to the modern era and investing it with a creepier vibe. Hutchinson, in particular, has a superb facility with both the art of the time and with a creepy, wispy style when needed that makes this issue unnerving in all the right places without compromising the relatively light tone. Harris, meanwhile, avoids the nostalgia that can make this conceit feel a bit too much like being stuck in a garage with a guy who never quite left high school back in the ’70s. If it can keep up its mix of lighthearted banter and unnerving horror, this might be a book worth sticking with for the long haul.
Mayday #2, Image Comics
Alex DiCampi and Tony Parker continue their story of Russian spies in 1970s America who think they’re ready for all the Land of the Free can throw at them… and they are painfully, painfully wrong. A look at American society’s bad trip through social unrest and the Cold War feels fresh in part because the people at the center of it are fully fleshed out, and in part because aside from a grinning FBI agent, there aren’t any real bad guys, just patriots doing a sometimes ugly job.
Namesake #2, BOOM! Studios
Steve Orlando and Jakub Rebelka’s urban fantasy story is a fun mix of Mad Max and Harry Dresden. Molossus, our hero, has a week to solve the mystery he’s tasked with, namely the ashes of his fathers in two giant iron balls, something the fairies he’s offended aren’t a fan of. But, of course, in a world of magic, there’s always another angle. Molossus is a fun character to follow, a half-fairie firefighter with a bad attitude and apparently limitless stamina, but Rebelka’s imaginative, elastic art and Orlando’s love of toying with fantasy conventions make for a brisk read you’ll want more of.
DC Rebirth Holiday Special, DC Comics: A strong hint of the Silver Age permeates this anthology book about how DC’s various heroes spend Christmas, held together with Paul Dini using Harley Quinn to goof on Christmas.
Inhumans Vs. X-Men #1, Marvel: The build-up took way too long, with the X-Men trying to contain the Terrigen cloud and the Inhumans being surprisingly not jerks, but now that the good old-fashioned superhero fight is here, we’re looking forward to it.
Shadows On The Grave, Dark Horse: Richard Corben delivers some classic creepy comics in the vein of Tales from the Crypt.
Britannia #4, Valiant: Peter Milligan and Juan Jose Ryp finish off a superb horror fantasy series about Rome’s first detectives, and the demon he’s sent to slay on the frontier.
James Bond: Hammerhead #3, Dynamite: Andy Diggle and Luca Casalinguida deliver a comic that feels like a ’70s Bond movie on the page, right down to Bond getting into a fight with his own car.
This Week’s Collected Editions
Descender Vol. 3: Singularities, Image (Softcover, $15): Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s story of a little boy robot caught in a massive, galaxy-spanning space opera can work on both an enormous canvas and some intimate levels, and this volume shows off both.
Punisher MAX: The Complete Collection Vol.4, Marvel (Softcover, $40): Garth Ennis and Tim Bradstreet’s definitive run of the Punisher is worth catching up with, especially as their take has defined the character outside of comics on the Netflix series.
Rumble Vol. 3: Immortal Coil, Image (Softcover, $18): John Arcudi and James Harren’s urban fantasy weaves together everyday Joes in a Rust Belt town with Gilgamesh-esque gods and legends who are just trying to make a living, when a political situation blows up in their faces. It’s action-packed, often hilarious, and unlike anything else on the stands.