Spider-Man is a contradiction even by the standards of superheroes. He’s a kid at heart, yet haunted by a life of tragedy, a neighborhood hero often enmeshed in problems well above his pay grade, a scientific genius who more often than not finds himself being a simple working stiff. That Chip Zdarsky and Adam Kubert can manage to bundle all that together in their newly launched Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man (Marvel), and not only make it funny, but compelling, says a lot.
The plot is simple: Spidey is back to being a friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, but as always, he’s just one step behind, in everything, from his social life to his superheroics. But things are good, at least. Surely nothing will go wrong out of nowhere for Peter Parker!
Part of the charm is that both Zdarsky and Kubert are intimately aware of Spider-Man’s history, but don’t let their love of the character get in the way of telling the story. Zdarsky, a master of self-deprecating humor, fills the book with little nods to the past without being too inside-baseball, and Kubert in particular has a ball riffing on the style of Steve Ditko, with a skinny Spidey and even a nod to classic Spidey artist John Romita in the last panel.
Spider-Man is, in many ways, the most important superhero, because done right, he’s all of us under the mask. Too often, his comics lose track of that, and seeing that attitude return is a welcome page to turn. Don’t miss it!
Britannia: We Who Are About to Die #3, Valiant
Valiant is better known for superheroes and high fantasy than gritty mixes of historical drama, supernatural horror, and noir, and yet, Peter Milligan and Juan Jose Ryp have been allowed to do just that with Britannia. Milligan has long shown an interest in history, and it pays off here; his depiction of Rome is simultaneously pulpy and casually textured, feeling like a living, breathing place. With a supernatural underbelly. But what makes this story of the gods turned vengeful on the Roman high classes so fascinating is the two people at its center; the “detectioner,” the one investigator the Empire has, and the female gladiator who was thrown to the wolves to be eaten and instead slit their throats.
Crosswinds #1, Image Comics
Gail Simone and Cat Staggs essentially ask what would happen if you turned Freaky Friday into a bloody noir. Simone will no doubt once again deal with complaints that she amps up the misogyny in the story as our struggling heroine deals with a jerkass husband, perverted teenagers, and a sulky stepson; let’s just say she sets the stage for a lot of brutal and no doubt richly deserved injury, and it can feel a bit over the top. But, then, so is the world of the bloody-minded hitman she swaps minds with. Staggs gives it all a pleasantly grimy little twist; the ‘burbs feel just as nasty as the smoky back rooms, here, which is the whole point. But now that we’ve got the setup, let’s see what the punchlines are.
Batman #25, DC Comics
Tom King and Mikel Janin launch their heavily hyped multipart story with an interesting approach. King and Janin, who gives this a stark, noirish style, have little interest in sticking to the tone of recent Bat-comics, and this almost feels like an Elseworlds. But King’s psychological hook sticks out: both the Joker and the Riddler are obsessive manipulators, mind-game players presented with their Everest in the form of the Batman. But they can’t both kill him, and hence, they’re going to kill each other to get a crack at him.
Swordquest #1, Dynamite
The idea of comics based on the old Atari games of the early ’80s seems, on the surface, just a bit excessive. But in truth, Swordquest isn’t about those games. Instead, Chad Bowers, Chris Sims, and Ghostwriter X focus on what the past means to us, both the pop culture we fondly remember and the sometimes bitter memories wrapped around it. There’s a particular moment, when a young Peter (our hero) discovers the person he love doesn’t love him, that has a surprising sting, and makes this a bit more than just another licensed book.
Shaolin Cowboy: Who’ll Stop The Reign #3, Dark Horse: Geoff Darrow’s absurdist kung-fu book continues to be both utterly bizarre and completely hilarious.
Aquaman #25, DC Comics: Arthur Curry is dead. Except, of course, he isn’t, and Dan Abnett and Stjepan Sejic bring him back with a mix of Batman-esque urban grime and high fantasy.
Bill And Ted Save The Universe #1, BOOM! Studios: What stands out in this book, which by this point is an elaborate parody of pop culture’s view of history at this point, is how, amid the gags and ’90s SoCal speak, it finds time to give Bill and Ted a little dimension. After all, you can save the timeline, but you can still disappoint your dad.
Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys: The Big Lie #4, Dynamite: Turning the kiddie mystery series of the ’40s and ’50s into a shared universe, and then giving it a stiff shot of Veronica Mars, makes for a lively and fun noir series that earns the grim turn it takes this issue.
Lobo/Road Runner, DC Comics: This issue doesn’t just feature Lobo fighting the Road Runner, it features, believe it or not, a genuine, credible argument for how the Looney Tunes could possibly exist in the DC universe.
Empowered Vol. 10, Dark Horse ($20, Softcover): Adam Warren’s satire of superheroics and human frailty is always a mix of laughter and tears, and this volume, in particular, brings out both. Start from the beginning and read the whole thing; it’s one of the most thoughtful takes on superheroes you’ll find.
Brik, Oni Press ($20, Softcover): The golem, a legend comic books have always been enamored of, gets a modern retelling as a boy creates the title hero in order to get revenge on anti-semitic gangs. It’s a fresh take on a story the comics love to tell, and a fascinating read in its own right.
The Rocketeer: High Flying Adventures, IDW ($40, Hardcover): Really, this is as much a loving tribute to Dave Stevens, gone too soon, as it is Cliff, Betty, and their two-fisted adventures. And that gives this dose of pulp a bit of a sad edge.