STAFF PICKS :: CAPTAIN EASY VOLUME 4 :: DECEMBER 04, 2013
ANDY’S PICK :: CAPTAIN EASY VOLUME 4: This is the fourth and final volume of the over-sized collection of Captain Easy full page Sundays beautifully written, drawn and colored by the great Roy Crane. This is one of the most influential strips of all time. Crane successfully blended fast paced globe trotting adventures with a big foot comedic art style like no other strip had ever done–before or since. Crane left the successful Wash Tubbs/Captain Easy strip in 1943 to start his own feature Buz Sawyer. By that time, the world had changed; WWII forced the newspaper strips to face the realities of war and real violence. The days of the lickety-wop deliriously fun escapades in a world filled with damsels in distress, tiny European kingdoms, a perpetually Wild West and maps that led to buried treasure were over. However, all those delightful staples of the depression era world of the dangerous– but always reliable–Captain Easy are on display for all to enjoy. This four volume collection is the ideal series where any modern reader can get an understanding and appreciation of the scope and history of the Adventure strip. How important is Crane and the Sunday Captain Easy? If Roy Crane did not directly influence your favorite cartoonist , believe me, the artists who influenced your current favorites were influenced by Crane and his marvelous work. Besides all that–Captain Easy is a blast to read PICK UP ANY VOLUME; Need a recap? Easy gets into trouble, then he punches his way out and then, he gets into trouble…Plus there are beautiful girls and Tigers– lots and lots of Tigers.
RICO’S PICK :: DEADPOOL ANNUAL #1: One-shots, anthologies, and annuals, these are the odd ball comics I’m always drawn to. Retailers and publishers alike have trouble selling them on a consistent basis though because of the inherent uneven nature of these things and an inability to please everyone. This annual of a title I don’t read on a monthly basis grabbed me because of the great creative team. Start with a hilarious and brilliantly executed take on the old Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck – wabbit season/duck season cartoons by the mighty Tradd Moore and Jordie Bellaire. Add a story by 
JUSTIN’S PICK :: SPIDER-MAN AND WOLVERINE BY WELLS AND MADUREIRA HC: I’m just gonna come out with it: in comics, Joe Madureira is to the 90s what Michael Golden was to the 80s; that is, Mad’s relatively modest body of work is comparatively massive in its influence. Traces of his kinetic, amped-up brand of storytelling are all over the stands today. With his stint on Uncanny X-Men, Mad conquered the comic book world. And while I am a bit disappointed he’s forgone proper inkers on his past few projects, the results have still been pretty great. This volume collects Mad’s yarns with scribe Zeb Wells, originally aired in the pages of Avenging Spider-Man (which I blabbed about 
SETH’S PICK :: BLACK SCIENCE #1: If you missed Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera’s run on Secret Avengers, you should treat yourself go back and read it. It was full of imaginative comic craft, and felt unique among the other Marvel comic it stood beside. As memorable as that run was, I wondered what kind of comic these guys would create if they had complete control over it. That question is finally answered this week in the form of their new series Black Science. Conceptually, it’s a sprawling science fiction epic featuring rogue anarchist scientists who break the barriers of reality and find themselves amid an endless amount of alien worlds. This is the kind of big concept Remender seems to relish, but is made all the more interesting by the bombastic art of Scalera. It’s been a while since there was so much early buzz surrounding a new creator owned sci fi series. This book seems primed to not only live up to its hype, but very likely surpass it. 
Heroes will be at the 
KARLA’S PICK :: IMAGINE AGENTS #2: I had quite the ensemble of beloved imaginary cohorts as I child, which is why when my fellow Heroes staffer (and Store Manager extraordinaire) Justin recommended Imagine Agents to me last month, I picked it up and devoured it! (Don’t be silly…I didn’t actually EAT the book, I’m not Tony Chu!) Imagine Agents is a new book from BOOM! Studios written by Brian Jones and illustrated by Bachan. It’s an intriguing concept about an organization of “Men In Black” style agents who’s job it is to wrangle up imaginary friends after the children they befriended have outgrown them(tragic!! Right??!!). Some of those imaginary counterparts are the best friends and confidants to the children they belong to, and others are chaotic terrors who reek havoc and mayhem wherever they go, leaving their pre-adolescent benefactors to take the blame. I truly enjoyed the heck out of issue #1 (which we still have in stock!) and can’t wait to see what happens next in this 4 part series!
