SOVEREIGN #1
With the wildly popular HBO series Game of Thrones set to make its chilling return on April 6, how could the Monsignor NOT review this comic? Sovereign comes from the brain trust of Chris Roberson (iZombie) and Paul Maybury (Catalyst Comix), a story that meshes the medieval world of GOT with horror of The Walking Dead. So instead, you know, of taking out the undead with bows, swords and sticks… Well… isn’t that funny. Like many of the other #1’s GHG has been reviewing — Stuart Moore’s EGOs comes to mind in particular — Sovereign #1 is just a small piece of a much bigger world. There isn’t much reasoning for any of the comics’ situations initially (unless you want to read the lengthy backstory in the back of the comic); Maybury’s panels reflect a tricky mixture of blood-spilling reality and cartoon fantasy; and readers are thrown into the gut of the three disparate storylines. Excluding exposition doesn’t necessarily make this an excellent comic, but surely something full of intrigue. And I’m truly sorry, congregation; I know these reviews are starting to sound like a broken record. There’s been a handful of debut comics that have kicked ass right off the gate, and this just isn’t one of them. But, if magic, monarchy and monsters is your cup of tea, there’s no reason to stop sipping on Sovereign. You can bet I’ll be at the counter looking for my monthly fix. 3/5.
ANIMAL MAN #29
This is the end. One of the most consistently great comics coming out of the New 52 is now finished. And, much like the great run of Grant Morrison, there’s simply not going be a creative change or new storyline with Animal Man. No, what Jeff Lemire has done and accomplished deserves a tear, a smile, and a wink and that’s just what we get. If you’ve been missing on this near 2-and-a-half year storyline, well, shame on you. Second, don’t you realize that Buddy Baker is going to be the coolest superhero to grace the silver screen once that happens? Oh, right. This isn’t Marvel. At this pace, it may never happen (unless he’s forced into Man of Steel III, but that’s a podcast for another day). Back to my beloved series at hand, the final issue of A.M. may be a lil’ predictable in its format, and, slightly more unfortunate — but undeniably and terrifyingly cool — the most shocking instance will have to wait for explanation in Lemire’s next project, Justice League Unlimited. Still, Lemire and trusted artist Travel Foreman stay within the lanes of the series with infectious beauty, using Lil’ Wing as a vehicle to tell her daddy a bedtime story with Lemire’s dreamlike scribbles to boot. Although Animal Man — as a series TITLE — is finished for now, I’m just thankful this team made Buddy the Hollywood/household hero he always deserved to be. 4/5.
(Flip to the final page for our American Vampire review!)