STAFF PICKS :: BEST OF EC ARTIST’S EDITION :: JULY 10, 2013
RICO’S PICK :: BEST OF EC ARTIST’S EDITION: This Artist’s Edition features some of the most beautiful art so far in this series of oversized art books from IDW. I’m going to enjoy seeing life-size reproductions of the original art from the hands of these masters! It features 50 Girls 50 by Al Williamson and Frank Frazetta, The Corpse by Harvey Kurtzman, The Flying Machine by Bernie Krigstein, Touch and Go by Johnny Craig, Judgment Day by Joe Orlando. All these plus more! And a cover gallery crammed with more EC goodness!
JASON’S PICK :: John Byrne Fantastic Four Artist’s Edition: A few months back, I chose the Gil Kane Spider-Man Artist’s Edition as a pick of the week. As excited as I was for that book, this volume is one I’ve been looking forward to since IDW began the Artist’s Edition line. John Byrne’s run on Fantastic Four is one of the high points in the series’ history, so I can’t wait to get a look at the art from this selection of issues by one of comics’ great artists in all its original, full-sized, unfiltered glory. If you’re a fan of Byrne’s early to mid-1980s glory days, this book is definitely worth checking out.
JUSTIN’S PICK :: COMPLETE ZAUCER OF ZILK: Al Ewing and Brendan McCarthy tell a bizarre, technicolor tale of the magic of imagination unfettered. Chock full of memorable characters and mind-bending vistas, this handy edition wraps up the two issue IDW mini in one tidy volume. Fans of whimsy, sci-fi and fantasy will all find common ground here. It’s a bit like Judge Dredd gene-spliced with the Wizard of Oz.
SETH’S PICK :: ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #1: Whenever I talk or write about IDW’s new Rocketeer stories, I like to mention my opinion that any artists who work on the character pale in comparison with its creator, Dave Stevens. No one will ever make Rocketeer stories better than Stevens. However, I usually follow up that statement with this one: I love the way IDW has created new stories that both revere and uphold Stevens’ legacy. Their two volumes of Rocketeer Adventures read like a love letter to Stevens’ creation, and the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee miniseries Cargo of Doom fell right in line with the tradition. This week IDW offers up an all new miniseries by Roger Langridge and J. Bone, along with Walt Simonson on covers. Langridge, while known for humor and all ages work, has always had a strong connection with comics’ adventure roots. Look no further than his excellent John Carter of Mars adaptation for evidence. J. Bone has done lots of work with Darwyn Cooke, and also provided the covers for DC’s Super Friends title. If you take his previous comics into consideration, it’s easy to see how well he could bring the Rocketeer’s era to life. Even though I’ll always love Dave Stevens’ work best, it would be a shame if we were denied new stories of his famous creation. Thankfully, IDW knows how much people care about Rocketeer, and hires creators who equally value the man and his work. Let’s hope they will continue to produce quality comics that not only pay homage to Stevens, but allow future generations to be exposed to his genius. 
Favorite Super-hero Book of 2012: Wolverine and the X-men/Hawkeye: I couldn’t narrow it down to one. Wolverine and the X-men, in spite of having to weave in and out of the giant Avengers vs. X-men story, managed to be one of the most consistently joyous comics of the year for me. Much of this is owed to writer Jason Aaron, who kept the tone of the book consistent, which may well have been a challenge this year. Kudos also to artists Chris Bachalo and Nick Bradshaw for matching the energy and humor in Aaron’s scripts, and adding their own unique takes on these characters.
KARLA’S PICK :: MY LITTLE PONY: FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #1: As a child of the 80’s, how could I NOT be excited about this? My Little Pony was a big deal when I was a kid, and I’m happy to see that some things never change!
