STAFF PICKS :: MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 1: SCIENCE BAD :: SEPTEMBER 05, 2012
DOUG’S PICK :: MANHATTAN PROJECTS TP VOL 1: SCIENCE BAD: There is a LOT that excites me this week- that New Avengers omnibus is going to look sweet on my shelf, I’ve been holding out on Incognito for this week’s hardcover edition, I want to sample a few DC zero issues…and I could go on and on. The book I am most looking forward to this week is the first Manhattan Projects collection from Jonathan Hickman: Science Bad. Hickman is the Alan Moore of this generation of comic creators; his books are full of big ideas, mad science, well defined characters. I look forward to any book with his name on it. Oh yeah, the story has an evil Albert Einstein and something to do with the Manhattan Project. You probably guessed the latter.
This is for all of you out there in Heroesland who were unfamiliar with Joe Kubert and did not understand the importance of his his place in comic’s history or the importance of his (and other’s) stature in the history of our beloved medium. There is nothing to be ashamed of–comics has a long rich history and it is hard to get involved in comics’ past when the present is moving so quickly toward the future.
MATT’S PICK :: AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #693: Its about time Spidey got himself a side-kick! Yeah, right. I am not gonna fight it till I’ve tried it for a few issues. Alpha’s origin story was engaging and entertaining enough. I’ll paraphrase the Jackal from #692, “…Great power. Great responsibility. A teen outcast. And a science experiment gone awry. History repeats itself…Parker Particles? Alpha Energy?! I gotta get me some a’ that!”
ANDY’S PICK :: TEZUKA: MESSAGE TO ADOLF GN VOL 01: If you were to combine Lee and Kirby, Neal Adams and Carl Barks and combine them into a single cartooning entity, this amalgam would still not be as influential to the American comic audience as Osama Tezuka is to Japanese Manga. In addition to creating, writing and drawing such long-running series as Astro Boy, Kimba the White Lion, Black Jack, Phoenix, Buddha and literally dozens of others, Tezuka created Message to Adolf, a fictional tale that takes place during World War II. This was originally published in the US as a six volume set. Now Vertical Publishing is offering this ground-breaking series in two affordable hardcover books, the first of which is available this week. This is a great place to sample the work of Tezuka (or any Manga for that matter) for the first time. If you are already a Manga fan, I know Adolf is already on your must-buy list. Message to Adolf is a must-read.
