HAPPY SUNDAY, geeks and geekettes! We’ve got another entry at GodHatesGeeks’ patented Sunday Night Stash, with some great writers looking at some great titles! This week, we’ve outdone ourselves, and we’ve got a few 5-bible titles to look at at! Which ones, exactly? Well, why don’t you just look a bit further and read and find out which titles are worth your hard-earned dollar?! Let’s get right to it…
@Keith_Dooley
You asked for it and you got it! Tim, Conner, Bart, and Cassie are back. This is the book that fans of these legacy characters have been clamoring for ever since the New 52. With Young Justice #1, Brian Michael Bendis, artist Patrick Gleason, and colorist Alejandro Sanchez have brought us a first issue that will have fans of these characters (as well as the new heroes introduced here!) grinning from beginning to end. Old and new readers alike will find they can’t resist being attracted to these characters’ genuine energy and heart.
The story begins with a veiled mystery in Gemworld and leads to a confluence of characters in Metropolis. Tim Drake, Bart Allen, and new character Jinny Hex (relation to the one and only Jonah Hex) are each given moments to shine. The scene where Gleason draws the many fight moves of Robin is just one example of the detail and love for these characters that emanates from this artist’s pen. Bendis also demonstrates his grasp and love of these characters. The moments of dialogue between Robin and Wonder Girl are so heartfelt that we already feel a bond of friendship and understanding between these heroes.Young Justice is the perfect flagship title for Bendis’ Wonder Comics line. A sense of wonder permeates ever nook and cranny of this book, from the writing to the art to the colors. The creators have shown us why these characters are so beloved and, in doing so, left us salivating for more adventures featuring these teen heroes. If the rest of the Wonder Comics lineup of titles are as infectious as Young Justice, then we are in for a cavalcade of fun comics. 5/5 Bibles.
-Keith Justin Dooley
@IAMSCF
It’s been a long seven years, a prison stretch if you will, since we’ve had a true taste of Brubaker & Phillips’s crime noir series, Criminal. (My heroes have always been junkies (OGN – and on my top 5 of 2018) is part of the Criminal series….)
The current arc takes place in ’88 and seems to mainly be focused on Teeg and his son Ricky, who has followed his father in a vicious cycle of crime. Fathers & sons is a very common them throughout all the Criminal books. Our story starts when Ricky makes what seems to be a bad situation even worse – with Teeg being both the cause and the effect of all that will come next. As it always goes with the noir soaked pages of Criminal, things are going to get worse before they get slightly less worse.
Ed (the man who killed Steve Rogers) Brubaker is a modern master of all things noir, seconded only by his partner Sean (Kill or Be Killed) Phillips who can truly do no wrong here. Sean’s son Jacob rounds out the team with colors ! It’s a family affair! If this is your first taste of the series, have no fear. It’s 100% reader friendly with a nice series recap in the back by Bru chronicling all the available Criminal collections. Highest Possible Recommendation Humanly possible. 5/5 Bibles.
-Sean Farrell
Spider-Man has been Marvel’s Golden Goose as of late. Driving this revival is the recent film successes and a top selling video game. Marvel definitely knows to strike while the irons hot with the reboot of its famous comic franchise. Creator Tom Taylor, brings Spider-Man from the over saturated story arc of New York City as a whole, down to the hero’s humble beginnings.
The neighborhood in which it all began is the focus of this first issue. Spider-Man’s acts of heroism include helping the homeless, saving a father and daughter from their falling moving van, and other seemingly mundane tasks compared to his big screen feats. He eventually is guilted into helping out his landlady which leads to a bizarre chain of events. The landlady asks Peter to check up on the tenant in apartment 72, a young girl named Leilani. This leads to Spidey being put in a position that is definitely out of his comfort zone. The story is lighthearted with splashes of humor that made me feel nostalgically reminiscent of the days when Spider-Man was just a small local hero. The humor is right in line with the old school vibe as well. In one example, Spidey rescues a family with a small girl , after which she gives him a smack with a frightened yelp. It is a really funny scene that depicts Spider-Man’s theme of person-to-person heroics.
While this title isn’t as action heavy as expected, each page is gorgeously illustrated. The artwork of Juann Cabal and Nolan Woodard is visually stunning in this debut issue. Harkening back to a time where Spidey’s mask did not show emotion, Cabal captures Spider-Man’s powerful movement using subtle details throughout every page. This is demonstrated in one scene of Spidey swinging through a double-page splash with his “Greatest Hits” reflected in the window panes of a skyscrapers. These polished touches make me excited to see where the next issue takes us.
Tom Taylor has a great vision for where this Spider-Man comic should be headed. He seems to have both the heroic and civilian sides of Peter Parker down perfectly. This issue was a pleasure to read on many levels. One of the best scenes was with Peter and MJ. The dialogue brings back a lot of memories of the best moments of Peter and Mary Jane’s relationship. Tom created a few subplots that could easily work for the entire run of the comic. He also set up a few new characters who are pretty interesting and could lead to some amazing story plots. It’s an excellent first issue that has the potential of becoming a long beloved series. 5/5 Web-Covered Bibles.
-Ronny Lecuyer