Saga #36 Story by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Fiona Staples Letters by Fonografiks Coordinated by Eric Stephenson Published by Image Comics Saga #36 is the epic conclusion to the “Prison” story arc in which action ensues and more than one heart string gets tugged. This issue turned out to be both satisfying and unsatisfying …
Story by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Fiona Staples Letters by Fonografiks Coordinated by Eric Stephenson Published by Image Comics WARNING: MINOR SPOILERS It’s all coming together. The characters, both old and new, are coming together for an epic conclusion. As Klara tries to find a way to get Hazel out of prison, Alana and …
Saga #34 is a solid issue with great art, strong storytelling, and serious themes for intellectual discussion. It’s a turning point in this story arc and pinpoints to epic events on the horizon. Strongly recommended for fans, newbies, and lovers of good stories in general.
Saga #33 is a solid read for fans. The pace might seem slow, but it definitely pays off. Readers who are LGBTQ+ or allies will definitely get a kick out of the increasing importance of queer characters.
With fantastic art and storytelling, this action-packed issue of Saga is sure to satisfy fans and have them eagerly waiting for next month. Simply put, it’s amazing!
5. Paper Girls (Image) Paper Girls #1-3 Written by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Cliff Chiang Colors by Matthew Wilson Letters by Jared K. Fletcher Only three issues in, Brian K. Vaughn and Cliff Chiang’s Paper Girls has already piqued intense fandom. Grounded in the recognizably familiar–1988 Midwestern suburbia–with its head in the clouds–aliens on dinosaurs, time travelers, …
Saga #31 Story by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Fiona Staples Letters by Fonografiks Published by Image Comics WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD After what seems like an eternity, Saga returns with an all-new story line. Last time, superstar couple Alana and Marko were separated from their daughter Hazel and her grandmother, Klara. Years later, Klara …
After being teased for the past two issues, Veronica Lodge finally attends her first day of school at Riverdale High in Archie #3. Artist Fiona Staples makes her the most fashion forward member of the comic’s ensemble cast while writer Mark Waid gives her quite the complicated personality as she can go from a sly joker to a spoiled rich girl or a detached observer at the drop of a hat. Her arrival heightens the melodrama of the series to a boiling point as Archie starts following her around like a puppy because he is smitten with her and also because he accidentally destroyed her father’s mansion in Archie #2. However, the breakout character of the series continues to be Jughead.
Whereas Archie #1 was rooted in the teen soap opera, Archie #2 goes the teen sitcom route with a lighthearted issue about Jughead’s secret origins and Archie’s ineptitude at finding any kind of employment. Writer Mark Waid and artist Fiona Staples create a nice parallel between Archie’s inability to do something successful with his hands, and Betty’s ability to fix a car in a wink and a flash while also dealing with the realization that boys see her in a sexual way after she has broken up with Archie. Waid and Staples handle this in a not-too-creepy banner as Betty has her own Sia “Chandelier” moment in this issue’s montage to counteract her mixed emotions about breaking up with Archie and growing up.
After 600+ issues, Archie is going the way of most comics and getting a new number one issue. And a slice of life comic hasn’t looked this gorgeous as Saga artist Fiona Staples gives all the inhabitants of Riverdale a fashion facelift along with bringing rich colors and facial expressions to the new comic. However, she hasn’t abandoned the stylized elements of the Archie mythos as the letter jacket and Jughead’s crown shaped cap remain intact. This mix of classic and new finds its way into Mark Waid’s script. The plot of the first issue (which stands on its own with a tiny bit of serialization) is classic Archie filled with romance, pranks, and high school pitfalls, but Waid adds some fourth wall breaking humor and revamps the characters of Jughead and Reggie to make them less annoying than their older incarnations while keeping some of their core elements.
2015 has been quite the eclectic year for comics, and this fact is reflected in our top ten list. Image Comics continues to be the true house of ideas with books ranging from a feminist twist on exploitation films to a murder mystery set in 1940s Hollywood and even a LGBTQ-friendly parody of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Even though they are in the middle of big events (Convergence and Secret Wars), DC and Marvel respectively still have room for offbeat takes on their iconic or not so iconic characters and are represented on this list along with Valiant, which has attracted a veritable Murderer’s Row of creator to shape and develop their shared universe.
Cullen Bunn is unique. If nothing else can be said about him, he is certainly unique. The Empty Man shows the full extent of Bunn’s ability. The series focuses on two detectives as they struggle to sort out the mystery surrounding a series of suspicious deaths and murders. The deaths are connected by the strange hallucinations experienced by the perpetrators, as well as their last words “The Empty Man made me do it”. The Empty Man is unpredictable because it follows so very few tropes. Nothing like this series has been seen before, and readers will be asking themselves the same question over and over: Who is the Empty Man? (Or “What the F*ck?”).
Saga #18 Written by Brian K. Vaughan Art by Fiona Staples Published by Image Comics Continuing directly after the carnage of the previous issue, Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples wrap up Alana, Marko, and Hazel’s stay in Quietus with a heavy helping of action and some quieter character moments. Staples especially shines in this issue …
5. Captain Marvel (Marvel) Captain Marvel #9-#17 Writers: Kelly Sue DeConnick (9-17), Christopher Sebela (10-12), Jen Van Meter (15-16) Pencillers: Filipe Andrade (9-12, 17), Scott Hepburn (13-14), Gerardo Sandoval (13-14), Pat Oliffe (15) Inker: Filipe Andrade (9-12, 17), Scott Hepburn (13-14), Gerardo Sandoval (13-14), Drew Geraci (15-16), Tom Nguyen (16) Colorist: Jordie Bellaire (9-13, 17), Andy …
Red Sonja #1 Writer: Gail Simone Art: Walter Geovani Colours: Adriano Lucas Letters: Simon Bowland Main Cover: Nicola Scott Variants: Amanda Connor, Fiona Staples, Jenny Frison, Colleen Doran Publisher: Dynamite Comics When people first start reading comics, they tend to gravitate towards certain characters with which they share a familiarity with. You’ve heard of Spider-Man, …
Picking ten artists out of the vast array of talent working in comics today is an impossible task. These artists were chosen based on the uniqueness of their style compared to the “house” style of Marvel and DC, their ability to create character, setting, and plot through their art, and also on the quality of …