The Top Five Comics Of The Week Of August 17, 2022
No Marvel books this week. I didn't really miss them.
My LCS has been having difficulties with deliveries. Last week the indie books showed up late. This week the Marvel books were delayed. Ah well. I doubt Edge of Spider-Verse #2 would have ranked anywhere near the top 5.
Let’s dive on in.
Do A Powerbomb. Written and illustrated by Daniel Warren Johnson.
This issue doesn’t have quite the emotional resonance or impact as the previous two, but it’s still an action-packed, magnificent book. Johnson is at the top of his game here. He’s managed to take a topic I don’t care at all about (pro wrestling) and turn it into something special. A tag team match set in a hellish nightmare realm. With literal life or death consequences. What more can you ask for? The art is glorious and inky and fluid. The fights are well choreographed and clear. The character design is superb. Oh, and there’s the Orangabang. That’s all you need to know. Don’t miss out on this one.
Batman One Bad Day: The Riddler. Written by Tom King. Artwork by Mitch Gerads.
Okay, so I hate the title of this book. DC manages to make that shit way too convoluted. Just call it Riddler: One Bad Day. But nooo….they have to put Batman in the title or they’re afraid folks won’t buy it. Ugh. Okay, enough of that rant. It’s a great book. King is hit or (more often) miss for me. But this is a definite hit. It’s a one-shot that turns the Riddler into an actual badass, creepy villain. That alone makes this worth a buy.
Gerad’s art is, as always, grand. Subdued color palettes and sketchy, emotional faces highlight his talents. It’s not supremely action-packed or full of splash page fight scenes, but it doesn’t need to be. King’s story is tightly constructed and well told. It’s a bit dialogue-heavy, but that’s King for you. The ending’s vague enough to be open to interpretation. That, too, is King for you.
Dark Spaces Wildfire #2. Written by Scott Snyder. Artwork by Hayden Sherman.
I kind of hate the title of this book, too. I’m nitpicking, I know. But I don’t quite get why it’s not just called Wildfire. Ah well. It’s a heist book. Written by Scott Snyder. The dude knows how to write comics. He understands the pacing and the story beats that need to be hit in order to craft a monthly book. There’s enough that happens in here to keep the plot moving forward without giving away what’s to come. There’s a cliffhanger ending. There’s quippy, self-aware dialogue. It has it all.
Sherman’s art continues to be great in this issue. They’re a beast. They have 2 issues they illustrated in my top 5 this week. I don’t know how they manage to keep up that pace and still produce quality artwork, but here it is. Well-drawn scenery and buildings. Emotional faces. Clear storytelling. I dig it. I hope this book keeps up this quality and wraps up well.
Barbaric: Axe to Grind #2. Written by Michael Moreci. Artwork by Nathan Gooden.
Sometimes you just need to read a fun book. This is such a book. It’s escapism at its finest. Owen and his talking axe go on adventures and kill a lot of things along the way. That’s kind of it. There’s a bit more to it than that but it still reads like a really well-told dungeons and dragons type adventure.
Moreci continues to expand the cast of characters in this series as well as ramping up the action. It’s a slugfest with great interaction among the antiheroic protagonists. Gooden’s art also continues to be damned solid. He has this unique way of drawing faces and hair that I really dig. Backgrounds and landscapes aren’t his forte, but he can draw a mean fight scene. This issue won’t change the world, but if you’re looking for a fun, quick read, it should fit the bill nicely.
Above Snakes #2. Written by Sean Lewis. Artwork (again) by Hayden Sherman.
A western tale of revenge with a talking bird and a somewhat schlubby protagonist named Dirt. It’s another book that’s not high literature but it is fun. Dirt goes on a date. Bad things happen. It’s a pretty simple story, but effectively told.
Sean Lewis expands on the world and the backstory of Dirt a bit in this issue. He adds a bit of humanity to Dirt and shows that he isn’t entirely consumed by grief. Sherman manages to draw in an entirely different style in this book than he did in Wildfire. It’s looser, grittier, and fits the world well. He also colors this book, which astounds me. He uses a simple color palette that shifts when it needs to within the tale. I would almost suggest waiting for a trade paperback for this title. It’s good but it might read better when it’s all collected.
Those were my top five books of the week. As always, you can check out video review of everything I read this week here - Cranky Comic Book Review
Thanks for reading.
Don’t be a dick.