JUSTIN’S PICK :: BLACK KISS II #1 – Along with his seminal American Flagg!, Black Kiss cemented Howard Chaykin’s reputation in the comics industry. This six-issue black and white miniseries fleshes out (no pun intended) the backstory of the original. Not for children, or the faint of heart, to be sure.

1) Batman Beyond Unlimited #1

Batman Beyond was a sleeper hit that got lost in the shuffle of the New 52. Now it returns, alongside the Justice League! Each week DC releases a new chapter of each story digitally, collecting them once a month in this printed double feature. Adam Beecham and Norm Breyfogle tackle Batman Beyond, with Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs handling the Justice League. Sure to spark many a print v. digital debate.

2) FF #15

Johnathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta bring the Council of the Reeds storyline to its climax. Guest starring the Celestials and Power Pack, this one is sure to whet any cosmic fan’s appetite. But who is the real hero here, the Future Foundation…or Doctor Doom?

3) Orc Stain #7

This vibrant, violent fantasy epic has a very irregular schedule, but it’s easy to see why. James Stokoe is a one-man show, and packs his pages to the gills with mind-blowing detail and lush, gorgeous colors. A new issue of Orc Stain is a rare treat, so if you’ve been curious about this title, don’t wait. They go fast.

4) Ralph Wiggum Comics #1

“I’m a comic book!” The first in an ongoing series of quarterly one-shots, Bongo Comics gets the party started with one of the Simpsons’ more quotable supporting characters, Ralph Wiggum. Talent includes Heroes Con guest extraordinaire Sergio Aragones! This one guarantees everything from giggles to guffaws.

5) Venom #13.4

Part five of Rick Remender’s Circle of Four crossover pits the unlikely team of Venom, Ghost Rider, Hulk and X-23 against the denizens of the underworld! With a new identity and a slot on the Secret Avengers, Venom has transcended his origin as a one-dimensional, vengeance driven villain into something much more viable.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Amazing Spider-Man #680, Darkness #100, Justice League #6, Spaceman #4, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series #3 Donatello, Walking Dead #94

1) All-Star Western #6

Writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Moritat continue to flesh out the early days of Gotham City in this intriguing genre mash-up. Odd couple Jonah Hex and Amadeus Arkham battle a giant bat in what will one day be known as the Batcave…but who can they turn to for desperately needed help? Also features The Barbary Ghost, a vengeful back-up serial, drawn by Phil Winslade!

2) Dark Horse Presents #9

This monthly anthology always boasts a veritable who’s who of creators, and this issue is no different, featuring new work from the likes of Paul Pope, Andrew Vachss, Richard Corben and Neal Adams. Also: Mike Mignola’s Lobster Johnson! Covers by Mignola and Thomas Yeates, spot illustrations by Geoff Darrow.

3) Prophet #22

The hard reboot of Rob Liefeld’s stable of Image characters continues with this second installment of sci-fi dystopia. Brandon Graham (King City) and Simon Roy (Jan’s Atomic Heart) guide John Prophet through bizarre landscapes and alien cultures on his mission to restart the God satellite.

4) Secret Avengers #23

The new creative team (Rick Remender and Gabriel Hardman) ups the ante with more roster shake-ups for Earth’s Mightiest Covert Ops Team. Enter: Venom! It is also worth noting that both Beast and Wolverine are siding with the Avengers in Marvel’s upcoming Avengers vs. X-Men blockbuster, so be sure to keep up with ol’ Hank’s character development here in Secret Avengers.

5) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #7

IDW’s faithful reinterpretation of everyone’s favorite Heroes in a Half Shell has been an interesting mix of old and new ideas. But old school fans rejoice: this issue sees the return of Baxter Stockman’s malevolent Mousers! Original creator Kevin Eastman works with writer Tom Waltz and artist Dan Duncan month in and month out to revitalize one of indie comics’ most enduring successes, to wonderful results.

> Bonus Picks of the Week: Bulletproof Coffin Disinterred #2, Deadpool #51, The Flash #6, My Friend Dahmer GN, RASL #13, Wolverine & the X-Men #6

Comics have changed drastically with the new millennium. The industry’s embrace of digitization has elevated the contributions of letterers and colorists to heights heretofore unseen. And while it has made these historically downplayed positions finally recognized as the arts they truly are, programs like Photoshop have also borne amateurish, ugly trends. Motion blurs. Digital inking. Stock fonts, typos, awkward balloon placement; foibles that are all the more obvious in context of the progress that enabled them.

I’ve always been wary of “colored pencils”, where pencil art skips the ink stage altogether – digital or analogue – in favor of colors filling the space, achieving the depth and mood of the story’s setting. This approach has yielded practically nil in enjoyable comics. Without the bold, dynamic lines of proper inking, the energy inherent in comic art is lost, leaving soft figures, muddied page layouts and set pieces. So then, I was also wary of Avenging Spider-Man #1. Joe Madureira + Spidey = no-brainer, but when I heard that the book was skimping on the inker, I was understandably skeptical. Mad’s work had always popped kinetic, but then his turn in Ultimates 3 was a far cry from the lushness of Battle Chasers. Color me unimpressed.

That is until I read Avenging Spider-Man #1.

Okay, even the title wasn’t so encouraging, but with an open mind and an appetite for something fun and easy, I read AvSM #1, and I felt like a kid again. The book’s team-up tack is a potent catalyst, conjuring a vibe akin to the old Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends TV show. Clearly, Joe Mad is (excuse the pun) the big draw here, but Zeb Wells is a workhorse writer, too, crafting simple, sensible plots and writing punchy, unobtrusive dialogue. His idea-man approach is perfectly suited to Madureira’s wild imagination.

It would seem Madureira is putting a little more elbow grease into his pencils this time out, too. The only spots that don’t play well are the lightly filled blacks, which could stand a little darkening somewhere along the line. Otherwise, colorist Ferran Daniel does an excellent job in maintaining the integrity of Madureira’s lines, adding shades and hues that enliven each and every page. His strong sense of texture roots his flashy palette in four-color reality, too, the solidity that was lacking crucially in Ultimates 3.

With issue 2, the story has clearly revealed itself as padded, but not in a negative way. Guest star Red Hulk is given plenty of scenery to chew alongside Spidey, and their character interplay is infectious, just like watching a couple of old pals argue. The involvement of J. Jonah Jameson is similar, and while it may seem repetitious or old hat, the plot’s simplicity is its charm. Nothing story-wise is overdone or overwrought; this book’s not here to make you think. Actually, quite the opposite: it’s pure entertainment, the kind of comic you read once, then again, then flip through languidly for another half-hour, basking in the afterglow.

Issue #2 ups the stakes by really playing to Madureira’s strengths as an artist. He and Wells’ variation on Mole Man and his Moloids – the Immovable Ra’ktar and the Molans – and the environs of Subterranea make Avenging Spider-Man look a bit like a Marvel crossover with Battle Chasers. These new villains are bulky and earthy, complete with chunky armor adorned in spikes and skulls (they speak in runes). Madureira was always billed as manga and anime influenced, as far back as his star-making days on Uncanny X-Men, but that’s always been somewhat overstated. It’s there in his proportions, his sense of motion and perspective, but the fundamentals of Mad’s work are as indebted to the likes of Jack Kirby and Art Adams as they are to anything from the Land of the Rising Sun (unless you wanna count video games).

Avenging Spider-Man is a perfect gift for any superhero fan, and a great book for new or young readers. With the holidays rapidly approaching, issues one and two of this exciting new series would make an ideal last minute gift idea, or just an extra stocking stuffer (but PLEASE don’t ROLL ‘em!) Each issue also includes a free download code, officially making it the gift that keeps on giving. If you’re in the market for good old-fashioned superhero fun, unencumbered by dense continuity and needless exposition, Avenging Spider-Man is the book for you. And the first two issues are available in ample supply at your friendly neighborhood Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find…whenever you’re ready…

I admit it: I’ve never read 100 Bullets. I’m a casual fan of the crime genre, and have a bad habit of trade-waiting with long running, highly acclaimed series. Given its status from even its earliest issues, 100 Bullets would always be available, so the urge to be current was never insistent. But the team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso is rightly celebrated, I know, from their Batman work in both Batman: Black and White and Wednesday Comics. Now, Vertigo launches a new Azzarello/Risso collaboration, a perfect gateway for the uninitiated such as myself: Spaceman #1.

Spaceman is another genre turn for the pair: science fiction. Like crime, sci-fi can offer scope within its very clear limitations. As a writer, Azzarello seems to understand these limitations, and deftly avoids them. Rather than dwell on expository schema of the world and times of Spaceman, Azzarello simply implies them through the dialogue and backgrounds. This does result in a somewhat disjointed first read, but upon closer inspection the frustration turns to intrigue. The entire issue is borne of a complex intelligence that is serviceable, not flaunted. It’s nearly impenetrable, but highly inviting.

Luckily Risso brings with him a rare chemistry, matching the script beat for beat with mood and atmosphere. His style exhibits wonderful flashes of Mignola, Ba and Fegredo, while maintaining an identity all its own. Virtuosity is eschewed in favor of storytelling, with nice layout variance and a solid underpinning of the story’s futuristic set pieces. Risso’s art sidesteps the cliche gloss that a lot of sci-fi yarns get sprayed on them, too, achieving a grit that roots the fantastic in realism, reminiscent of another genre cousin, the western.

Spaceman wouldn’t be as appealing without the contributions of colorists Patricia Mulvihill and Giulia Brusco. Their palette straddles the fine line between muted and vibrant, filling the linework in an attractive way that conveys the necessary chilliness. Even the reds seem cold. Ace letterer Clem Robins ties everything together with his expert, organic approach, lending this fresh, modern comic the timeless design it deserves. A Dave Johnson cover never hurts anything.

Overall, Spaceman is an imposing book, from its grotesque protagonist (a dead ringer for Mr. Hyde from The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) to its bizarre slang (a la the Mutant gang in Dark Knight Returns). But what the best writers and artists in comics seem to do is take these familiar tropes, and twist, and pull, and stretch and beat them into something that seems wholly new. That’s exactly what you’ll get from Spaceman, if you have the patience: a new take on an old favorite. Whether it’s the genre or the talent, the hooks are there, deliciously baited.  So don’t wait…cashiers are standing by!

Superheroes are the backbone of the comic book industry.  Sure, in the last few decades, comics have progressed by leaps and bounds, encompassing an impressive variety of genres, even portending to literary status in some instances.  The ambitions of comic book artists grow loftier and grander, and that’s constructive.  But regardless of taste or intention, it’s impossible to deny that the capes and tights sustain our beloved medium.

I have a love/hate relationship with superhero comics.  They’ve changed radically from what I grew up with.  The structure of the writing – which tends to favor sweeping, epic arcs that comprise multiple series – and the predominant art direction – hyper realistic with heavy color rendering – are a far cry from the comics I was raised on.  I might love Spider-Man as a character, but I don’t care to read many of the new comics that feature him.

That’s where Savage Dragon comes in.  Savage Dragon is not only the one superhero book I ardently purchase and read, it’s also the longest running book I’ve kept up with.  I’ve bought every issue since its debut, and I am still as enthusiastic about it as I ever was.  There have been dips in that enthusiasm, I’ll admit, but even when it’s seemed time to throw in the towel, a few issues later, series perpetrator Erik Larsen throws out something that makes me realize what a fool notion that had been.

The current arc running in Savage Dragon is Emperor Dragon, and it’s a compelling take on the “good guy gone bad” plot device.  Mark Waid’s running this riff over in Irredeemable, also, but in Savage Dragon, it’s a bit more effective.  We’ve got 150+ issues of the title character being a hero and winning the day.  We’ve got his mysterious origin coming back around to play a crucial part in the proceedings.  Waid trades on tropes and conventions in Irredeemable; with Emperor Dragon, Larsen subverts them.

Larsen himself has said of Savage Dragon on the FAQ page of savagedragon.com, “It’s the missing link between Marvel and Vertigo. More mature than Marvel–less pretentious than Vertigo. The kind of comics I want to read. This book is REALLY self-indulgent.”  I couldn’t say it any better myself.  While it carries a whiff of nostalgia that would appeal to any comic fan, it is also decidedly modern, utilizing “real time” – whereby events are contemporary with the times, and characters age as you and I.  Characters die and are rarely resurrected.  Pregnancies are often the most dramatic revelations in the book.  When something major happens, it has real, lasting impact.  It’s not going to be retconned, or revealed as a dream, or any other such Big Two ballyhoo.

And that’s the biggest perk of reading Savage Dragon, the security.  There’s no worry about a new hotshot writer taking over and wrecking things.  There’s no chance of an artist not befitting of the material putting pencil to page.  Larsen is in for the long haul, so provided you enjoy his style, his kinetic take on the Kirby tradition, then you can rest assured you’re going to get your fix, issue in and issue out.

I understand it can be intimidating to pick up a book with such a high issue number, but we all started somewhere, right?  It’s not like every X-fan started with X-Men #1, is it?  And in this day and age of bargain back issues and reprints, it’s not so hard to catch up.  Matter of fact, as of December, the bulk of the series will be available in three black and white volumes ala Marvel’s Essentials and DC’s Showcase: Savage Dragon Archives (volumes one and two are available NOW, three ships in December).  And I’ll admit a tinge of jealousy for those of you who can start reading now with Emperor Dragon, and subsequently go back to fill in the blanks for yourself.  When it comes to comic books, that’s something of a Holy Grail.  And you get to do it with my favorite superhero book.  Lucky dogs!

CBGB #1
Published by BOOM! Studios

Ask any ten people what “punk rock” is and you’re liable to get ten different answers. Any music nerd worth their salt are bound to mention the Sex Pistols, the Clash, Black Flag, the Dead Kennedys, or even bands like Minor Threat, all groups affiliated with a specific time, a specific region and a specific scene. What’s hard to debate, however, are actual dates. And by that token, New York has England, California and Washington, DC all beat to the punk rock punchbowl.

To prove it, BOOM! Studios has released issue one (of four) of CBGB (the comic!). This anthology comprises stories set around NY punk’s ground zero, the legendary (and now defunct) CBGB. Back in the 70s, when the Bowery was a legitimately dangerous place to be, proprietor Hilly Kristal opened his little bar, anticipating country music and bluegrass to be the next hot urban trend. He was way off, and in a last ditch effort to populate his establishment, he handed the stage over to pretty much anybody that walked through the door.

This is all explained nicely in the first story of CBGB #1, A NYC Punk Carol. Although mining the Charles Dickens standard is about the most trite maneuver a storyteller can make, writer Kieron Gillen and artist Marc Ellerby handle the adaptation with sufficient charm. Drawn in something of an Adult Swim style, the short centers on Stooge, the front man of a band he’s deemed too technically proficient to satisfy his purist agenda. After downing a bottle of brown liquor, Stooge is given a crash course in CBGB and punk rock’s shared history by the spirits of Past, Present and Future, all at once. The spirits’ bickering is a highlight, and the story culminates in the most succinct and accurate summation of punk rock I’ve ever seen. You’ll know it when you see it.

Next up, eight pages of The Helsinki Syndrome. When a young punk rocker dresses inappropriately for his uncle’s funeral, his punishment is to clean out the deceased’s apartment for his parents. There he finds a strange connection between his uncle and the titular dive, which he investigates with a girlfriend. The only problem with this story is that it’s self-contained. Sam Humphries and Rob G have crafted an intriguing tale (not to mention a stunning stage presence with the uncle), one that seems to hint at more to come. It wastes a huge amount of potential, and would be better suited as the first chapter of a serial, not a one-off curiosity.

CBGB’s forays into marketing and merchandising seem at odds with the musical genre it helped to nurture, but it was always the most recognizable brand name in the scene. The first nest of punk rock in the Big Apple was clearly the Mercer Arts Center, where the likes of the New York Dolls and Suicide first stated biting the ankles of the rock establishment. But no New York punk rock institution – not even the venerable Max’s Kansas City – can ever hope to compete with those four iconic letters. CBGB might not have been there first, but it did stick around the longest. And to prove it, here’s a comic book.