Top Comic Books for the Week of August 14, 2014
The best of my pull list by Scott Bachmann
I’ve put to the top the comics that made my week. That doesn’t mean the others were bad, just that these stood out. Note: I get my comics from mail order by a week delay, and by ComiXology, so some titles may be older, especially indy books.
An embarrassment of riches this week. I feel sorry for the good books that came out while these giants cleared the deck.
The Sandman Overture #3: Story Neil Gaiman, Art J.H. Williams III
I find it interesting that DC/Vertigo chose to not put any credits on this book like the editor. They did have room for promoting other Vertigo books… Oh Well.
I have no idea what happened in this book. I mean I do, sort of. It’s just so trippy and metaphorical and full of wobbly wimpy timey stuff that I’m not really sure what REALY happened – but that’s ok. Neil’s mastery of language and his fantastical mind make this book as strange and wonderful as anything Neil’s done before. If you like Neil, and you aren’t reading this, what is wrong with you? Probably trade waiting. Your loss because the J.H Williams covers are gorgeous and the print quality of the pages is the best I’ve ever seen. Some of the line work has echoes of the best of Moebius, while the painting feels like it crawled out of Omni magazine. Not to say J.H. is derivative, in fact he’s one of the most inventive artists to ever work the medium. Each page is a work of art. Panel borders are abstract and occasionally part of the story.
Two great talents at the top of their form, not to be missed.
Fairest #28: Story Mark Buckingham, Art Russ Braun, Colors Andrew Dalhouse, Letters Todd Klein, Cover Adam Hughes.
Man this is fun. The main Fables book has been a bit dark and somber since Bigbee passed, but this arc of Fairest has all the humor and charm that only the Fables-verse can muster. The story and art are a true collaboration here, each supporting the other and making more of their sum than parts. For example, Mr. Webb is the spider that frightened Miss Tuffet, but also eventually married her. They did not live happily ever after as her fear of spiders drives them apart once more. If not for Russ making the Spider both human and terrifying, we wouldn’t react as strongly, while Mark’s story makes us care for the monster that Mr. Webb is.
The Fables on the farm, that don’t look human, are protesting for the Glamours that they were promised, that will allow them to go into the outside world among us mundanes. The promise was an empty one, and the Mayor and Rose Red have to solve it since Glamours are difficult an expensive. It’s all a metaphor on what makes a human a human being, and fascinating as the animals remind us we are animals too. In the B story, Reynard the fox is off enjoying his own Glamour a bit too much. The expression when the farm girl finds him is worth the price of admission all on its own.
Astro City #14: Story Kurt Busiek, Art Brent Eric Anderson, Cover Alex Ross, Colors Alex Sinclair & Wendy Broome, Letters John G Roshell & Jimmy Betancourt
This entire series has been about the people around the heroes world, a part of it, yet separate. In this new arc we meet sweet old Aunt Ellie. She’s retired to the desert, subsisting on the random chance tourist the pass by. Her roadside oddity is a museum of robots that she’s recovered and restored. When they are destroyed by heroes she goes out and finds the pieces and painstakingly rebuilds them. Echoes of old car or old plane fans, she seems quaint at first. We slowly learn that the robots are more than just statues, they come alive at night, and they are the friends that keep her company in the twilight of her life. Spielberg sweet, but then the darkness settles in. Her good for nothing son discovers the truth and sees dollars to be had. We also learn that Ellie may have had a very colorful past and that her memories are being actively forgotten. The cliff hangar will leave you wanting the next issue, and this story is a perfect jumping on point, so take the plunge.
Rachel Rising #27: Everything by Terry Moore
This is the best horror story told by the master of human expression. Terry is great at showing the small things that make characters come alive and feel as real as a fictional person can. This is why, I think, he excels at horror. He shows you the nice, the normal, the quirky then OMFG turns out the nasty out of nowhere. But it’s not out of nowhere, and you learn to view each character carefully. The knowing smiles are very knowing. This issue brings us to the next stage of the story, to find out who murdered Rachel, and to discover who is out there leaving bodies for the morgue to ponder over. Terry also has a bit of fun with a fan contest where the winner got to be killed off in the comic. It’s a chilling crime.
Scott is a contributing writer for Drunk on Comics. You can follow him on Twitter at ScottABachmann, or at Scottcomics.com.