Sisters of Sorrow #1
Written by Kurt Sutter and Courtney Alameda
Art by Hyeonjin Kim
Colors by Jean-Paul Csuka
Letters by Jim Campbell
Cover by Jae Lee, June Chung, Andre De Freitas BOOM! Studios
Release Date: July 19, 2017
Cover Price: $3.99
Sisters of Sorrow #1 is possibly one of the most violent comics I have read in months. So obviously I loved it from start to finish, of course. You know that saying that starts with “Hell hath no fury…” and has been around longer than we can remember? Yeah, it’s not wrong and this comic is a perfect reflection of that same righteous anger.
Doctor Spektor #1 Written by Mark Waid
Art by Neil Edwards
Colors by Jordan Boyd
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Edits by Nate Cosby of Cosby & Sons Productions
Covers by Christian Ward, Francesco Francavilla, Phil Hester, Jae Lee, and Ken Haeser Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: May 28, 2014
Cover Price: $3.99
Doctor Spektor #1 is a whole lotta crazy. I mean a WHOLE LOT of crazy. Now, was it crazy good or crazy bad? Let’s take a look.
Going into this, I have to admit, I’ve never read a Doctor Spektor comic before in my life. But, I heard Mark Waid was writing it, so I wanted to at least check it out. Lemme tell you, I’m really glad I did. You don’t have to know anything about the character to enjoy this comic. In fact, I think if you followed the character before, that might hurt your enjoyment of this book. Waid gives us a Doctor Spektor that’s basically a reality TV star, but unlike the reality shows on TV now, this one’s actually a REAL reality show. If that makes sense. On camera, he’s a strong, fearless master of the occult, but behind closed doors, he’s a hot mess. I won’t go into any spoilers, but this is a REALLY interesting character, and if you removed all the monster fighting, I would still read this book, as Waid makes him an incredibly interesting and compelling character.
The Black Bat #2 Written by Brian Buccellato
Art by Ronan Cliquet
Colored by Mat Lopes
Lettered by Rob Steen
Covers by Marcos Martin, Billy Tan, Jae Lee, Ardian Syaf and Joe Benitez Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99
Reading The Black Bat #2 will further cement what we now know as FACT. Dynamite Entertainment loves its pulp heroes and takes extra good care of them. I’m not sure just who it is, I’m guessing senior editor Joe Rybandt, but someone at DE goes the extra mile to see that all these books are treated with the utmost care and that they all have a genuinely sincere creative team working together to ensure that the best versions of these characters are hitting the stands.
Writer Brian Buccellato, best known for his work on DC Comics The Flash, takes what could’ve easily been a Batman rip-off and does something that’s not even remotely related to one of “those types of stories.” In fact, he goes out of his way to make the character unique and independent and stand out on his own. And we’re rewarded for all his hard work by having a great comic!!!
Ten Grand #1 Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Illustrated by Ben Templesmith
Lettered by Troy Peteri
Covers by Ben Templesmith, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jae Lee, and Ryan Sook Image Comics / Joe’s Comics
Release Date: May 1, 2013
Cover Price: $2.99
J. Michael Straczynski returns to Joe’s Comics “” a Top Cow imprint that Straczynski created to helm Rising Stars, which is now at Image Comics. His first new venture under the imprint with illustrations by Ben Templesmith comes in the form of Ten Grand, a thriller that integrates mystery and suspense with the celestial and supernatural. This one had me biting my already short nails.
Ten Grand #1 takes us on a journey through the eyes of Joe Fitzgerald “” a man who takes a lot of things very personally “” from our world to the otherworldly confines of a seedy city; a dark, urban area where nothing is as it seems. Having once been a top enforcer for an underground crime-lord, Joe had everything stripped away when his lover, Laura, was murdered. Now a bitter and cynical man, Joe will take any job for the right price: ten grand. Such is the case when Debbie, a streetwise gothic girl comes to Joe for help. It turns out that Debbie’s sister, Sarah, had involved herself with a religious cult called Divine Will and is now missing. Debbie reveals an image to Joe of Divine Will’s leader, James. Confusion and anger set in as it is revealed that Joe has a violent past with James. It turns out that their first encounter was what drove Joe down his current path in life. He gives Debbie her money back and agrees to take the case for free as it has now become a personal matter.
In Attilan, no one can, or should, hear Black Bolt scream.
The Marvel Knights: Inhumans movie has been released. It is an adaptation of the 12 issue Marvel Knights comic written by Paul Jenkins with art by Jae Lee. Come ponder with me the reasoning of the king of the Inhumans, Black Bolt, as he navigates the politics of humans and near gods.
This Shout! Factory release is a motion comic. I can’t say that I was entirely pleased by that prospect. A lot of motion comics take away from the internal experience of reading comics. And the limited motion does no favors to the animation genre. For a long time, the motion comic did nothing for me. Then the Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D., Iron Man: Extremis, and the Astonishing X-Men: Gifted series were released and changed my opinion of this new medium to a more positive outlook. That is when I figured out subtlety is the key to a good motion comic execution.
How does the Inhumans movie measure up in this bold new genre? Have a look below the jump to find out.
Students of the Unusual™ comic cover used with permission of 3BoysProductions
The Mercuri Bros.™ comic cover used with permission of Prodigal Son Press
