Check out what I checked out this week.
Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.
Welcome to The Pull List.
And, as always…Spoilers ahead!
Locke & Key: Alpha #1 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez
Colorist: Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $7.99
A few years ago, when I got back into reading comic books on the regular, my peeps at the comic shop told me emphatically to “read Locke & Key and nothing else will matter”.
I was immediately hooked after reading Welcome to Lovecraft, which, after finishing, I rushed to the comic book store and snatched up the rest of the graphic novels.
Alpha #1 serves as the second to last issue of this extraordinary run. $7.99 is kind of steep, but the goods inside are well worth the suggested retail price. The Black Door has been opened at last and Dodge’s army is growing in the shadows of the Drowning Cave. The clock is winding down and the Locke family are running low on options.
Joe Hill sets a dark tone filled with the right amount of suspense and eccentricity that has been a hallmark of the series. Gabriel Rodriguez’s artwork is truly one of a kind and perfectly complements the narrative. Everything that happens in the cave consumes your imagination as you envision yourself fighting gremlins in a confining and inescapable darkness. “Mind blown” are the words I would use to describe the ending, which makes you wonder with eager anticipation how the final chapter will unfold.
Grade: A
Green Lantern #23.2: Mongul #1
Writer: Jim Starlin
Artist: Howard Porter
Colors: Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
Villain’s Month has had it’s share of hits and misses thus far, but this particular tale about the galactic warlord, Mongul is simple and sweet.
Mongul is threatened and his response was brilliant.
He teleports the threatening party over to Warworld, calmly shows them around, offers up some hors d’oeuvres and reveals that he destroyed his entire civilization during the three hour tour.
This issued screamed “Allow me to reintroduce myself, my name is Mongul” in a way that was completely badass and the execution of it all will make you realize why bad guys are the coolest dudes in school.
Grade: B+
3 Guns #2
Writer: Steven Grant
Artist: Emilio Laiso
Colorist: Gabriel Cassata
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $3.99
2 Guns weren’t enough so 3 Guns it is as Bobby Beans and Marcus Steadman get caught between an American rock and a Russian hard place.
The title and the cover suggest the lady representing the third gun is working with Beans and Steadman.
In reality, she is driving a wedge between the two as they attempt to wind up on the winning end of a gun deal they are brokering.
Even though we don’t see her as much as Beans and Steadman, she is holding all of the cards and no one knows she is even in the game.
Steven Grant cleverly provides several twists and misdirection that make it impossible for the original guns to trust each other. Emilio Laiso’s artwork seemed rushed, but it didn’t take away from the story one bit.
I really liked the first series, and I’m well on my way to really like this one this series as well.
Grade: B
Red Sonja #3
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Walter Geovani
Colorist: Adriano Lucas
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
We all know how tough Red Sonja is when called upon battle.
Gail Simone paints a different picture with an origin story of sorts. We see the incident that makes Sonja the killer we’ve come to know but it turns out she is not as ruthless as we thought.
Most would have killed a White Stag if they were cold and hungry and sick in the snow filled woods. Sonja couldn’t because she was enchanted by it’s beauty.
Walter Geovani deserves a lot of props for his work on this issue.
If you never though a depiction of an arrow going through someone’s throat could look so majestic then this issue might change your mind.
When it is all said and done, Gail Simone’s Red Sonja will be one of the standout books of 2013. She brings heart to a character that performs her craft with sheer brutality while telling a phenomenal story in the process.
Grade: B+
X #5
Writer: Duane Swiercynski
Artist: Tony Parker
Colors: Michelle Madsen
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $2.99
X is one of those books that I tend to forget about after I’m done reading.
I’m not sure why. It’s one of the more popular books in the Dark Horse catalog and there hasn’t been a dull issue yet. In fact, they’ve all been really good.
This issue focuses on character development after the explosive conclusion to the last arc. This serves as a good jumping on point for new readers because you get the nuts and bolts of what the series is all about. X is down but not out. He is in no condition to send a message so he sends Leigh to send a message that turns into a very lethal confrontation.
Leigh is kind of like Barbara Gordon/Oracle before the New 52 began. She is X’s eyes and ears she is trusted by the masked vigilante more than anyone. Their relationship is anything but simple and despite their different ideologies at times, they believe in justice being served.
Tony Parker steps in for Eric Nguyen and while he does a serviceable job, Eric Nguyen’s talents can’t be ignored. It will be interesting to see where things go from here. No matter what direction is chosen, the dark and twisted fun of X is something I will never forget about, again.
Grade: A-
Captain America #11
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Carlos Pacheo
Colors: Dean White
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
This issue serves as the rest stop between the end of Rick Remender’s Dimension Z story arc and what’s to come.
The story starts off with flashbacks of Steve Rogers, as a kid, taking care of his ailing mother. Time is not on her side and Steve doesn’t know he will go on in life. She inspires him by telling him he will never move on to the next chapter of his life if he continues to live in the past.
Rogers needs to find that strength more than ever is he is going to reconnect with the world for a second time with the first being when he was thawed of the ice. The difference is last time the world had changed and this time around, his world has changed.
What makes this run of Captain America so great is that Remender has found way of making Cap relatable to the reader. Everyone goes through some serious hardship at some point in their life and Steve is now going through his.
We know Steve Rogers will eventually find his way but it is the journey that keeps the reader coming back for more.
Grade: B+
