Some very promising comics and graphic novels came out last week. Get them now before more issues this Wednesday
The following two graphic novels will be released soon from Dark Horse and definitely merit attention.
The Chronicles of Conan Vol.25 : Exodus And Other Stories : Currently Dark Horse holds the publishing rights to all Conan comic books. I recently panned their latest ongoing series due to its artwork and plodding storyline. Fortunately, Dark Horse is wisely reprinting the classic series from Marvel under its own banner. John Buscema, God bless his memory, gave the world arguably the definitive illustration of Conan and his artwork lives on in this series, along with some stellar work by Val Semeiks. James Owsley’s story for this volume is intriguing and does keep in tune with what I’d like to think Robert E. Howard would have wanted. Fans of Conan should be very pleased with this reprinting.
Last Man Standing : Killbook of a Bounty Hunter : Wow. Writer/artist Dan Luvisi has crafted an amazing graphic novel in this volume. Reading like a scrapbook, Luvisi has an incredible narrative and goes into great detail on every page. The artwork is truly stunning, reminiscent of any number of popular videogames like Halo or Bioshock. There’s over 200 lush pages here and they all carry more detail than most history book texts. Definitely one to check out.
Now let’s look at the latest titles for this week. These caught my attention the most.
THE Star Wars : Way back in 1974, George Lucas’ FIRST draft of the screenplay that would eventually change the world was considerably different from what made it to the big screen three years later. Writer J. W. Rinzler and artist Mike Mayhew are adapting that first draft through a series of comics, the first two issues of which are now on sale. Setting aside the novelty factor, this is an amazing read. It’s very clear where Lucas was on the right track and where he was completely off course. Mayhew’s artwork works extremely well, though it might have been more fun to envision actors from that era in the roles provided. Even still, this series is well worth picking up.
Forever Evil #2: Having gone through all the myriad of one-shots for Villains Month, the main story gets back on track and thankfully Geoff Johns doesn’t disappoint. The story continues to engage us with new developments in both the Teen Titans and in the Crime Syndicate. David Finch’s artwork looks great and while there’s still too much reliance on black ink in the coloring, overall there’s a lot to see. I’m looking forward to part 3.
Detective Comics # 24: Writer John Layman and artist Jason Fabok have been doing very well on this title for months. This issue concludes a three-part storyline that re-introduces “The Wrath” into the New 52 universe. While the story doesn’t play up The Wrath as being Batman’s equal, it does give a compelling story explaining his motivations. His redesigned costume works well for the New 52 universe. Fans who have been following a while should be satisfied, but for new readers, this is a great title to jump on.
Liberty Annual 2013 : For over 25 years the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has been providing important support and aid for artists and retailers who have been fined or arrested over comic books that were in-congruent with local laws. Every year, to help give support to the Fund, they publish an annual which is a mixed bag of various stories. They range from the poignant to the tongue-in-cheek to the simply silly, but they’re all entertaining in their own way. It’s a very worthwhile cause so do pick up a copy.
