New Comics

B.P.R.D.: 1947 #5 (of 5) — Writers: Mike Mignola and Jodhua Dysart; Art: Gabrial Ba and Fabio Moon Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #8 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Mike Mignola; Art: Duncan Fegredo This week features the conclusion to two of the Mignolaverse mini-series: B.P.R.D. continues to shine because of its Ba/Moon art (and ends up tying in more with the main series than we might have expected, owing to some appearances by a very young Hellboy). Hellboy itself offers the game-changing ending that was advertised, as Our Hero reluctantly accepts (part of) his destiny, and Arthurian legend dovetails … Continue reading →

The Muppet Show #4 (of 4) — Writer/Artist: Roger Langridge Those of us who fondly remember The Muppet Show on TV know just how smart it was, and Langridge does, too: he’s handled this mini-series’s huge cast with aplomb, giving characters like Rizzo, Beaker and (especially) Animal their due, and managing to dispense some wisdom along with the hijinx and humor. Points for being able to construct an actual plot, too; the story structure here is better than 90% of the more “sophisticated” comics out there (see the rest of the comics on this list, in fact…). Batman/Doc Savage Special … Continue reading →

Stumptown #1 — Writer: Greg Rucka;  Art: Matthew Southworth Comics sure have taken to crime fiction lately, and Rucka, along with Ed Brubaker, is at the head of the creative pack. This new book has the typical well-told, gritty plot that fans of the genre would expect, with a feisty, down-on-her-luck woman private investigator taking the Philip Marlowe role. Good stuff, and if you like the Brubaker/Phillips Criminal books, this should appeal to you; Southworth has Phillips’s knack for realistic-but-fascinating faces, bad-side-of-town settings and general noir atmosphere, and this first issue hits all the right notes to make the reader … Continue reading →

The Marvelous Land of Oz #1 ( of 8 ) — Writer: Eric Shanower;  Art: Skottie Young Shanower and Young’s earlier adaptation of the original Wizard was an unexpected hit (i.e., it sold in Marvel Divas numbers in the Direct Market: not bad for a non-superhero kids’-book series); now, they’re venturing into the other Baum Oz books. The appeal here is twofold: Young’s art, which can handle both cartoony/appealing (Tip, the kid who’s the main character at the beginning of this book) and cartoony/creepy (his Jack Pumpkinhead, who’s both scary and oddly noble) with equal aplomb; and Shanower’s script, which … Continue reading →

Groo: The Hogs of Horder #1 (of 4) — Writers: Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier;  Art: Sergio Aragones A new Groo mini-series is always a cause for celebration, and this one is no exception.  Aragones and Evanier are always careful to provide thoughtful satire in with all the cheese dip and mendicant jokes, and here, while showing their bumbling hero destroying the economy of an entire country with a few ill-timed stumbles, they’re also laying the groundwork for one of the clearest explanations for our own Great Recession you’re likely to find anywhere (hint: it involves people being greedy, overconfident … Continue reading →