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!
The Walking Dead #100 (Pick of the Week)
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Charlie Adlard
Colors: Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Most people, including myself, were expecting some sort of second zombie apocalypse.
While this didn’t happen, fans paid one dollar more for 30 uninterrupted well-paced pages that changed everything for Rick and company.
We are also see Negan for the first time and on top of expressing the diversity of the F-Word like no other, he is an arrogant and relentless psychopath.
Yes, someone dies and Negan is the cause of it.
I thought the Governor’s pet zombie girl was the most graphic occurrence in the comics’ history until I saw what happens in this issue. Negan took a life without mercy and didn’t think twice about it as it was all a game to him.
One minute I was horrified and wanted someone to help and the next I wanted this poor soul’s suffering to end.
The final words, and the context they were said in, has the potential to make you shed a tear and salivate for the day where this murdering lunatic gets his just desserts.
Grade: A
Batman #11
Writer: Scott Snyder
Art: Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion
Colors: FCO Plascencia & Dave McCaig
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
The stunning conclusion to The Court of Owls story arc brings about a ferocious brotherly brawl for Gotham City supremacy.
Scott Synder’s storytelling along with the shadowy and mysterious art of Greg Capullo did a wonderful job of bringing the Dark Knight within a millimeter of his breaking point.
An revelation regarding the Court’s intentions and time table is certainly a head scratcher.
The most interesting things to come out of this is the fact that Bruce Wayne doesn’t know Gotham as well as he thought.
There are things he can’t find in relation to the Owls which I’m sure will come back to haunt him. The Fall of The House of Wayne back story made these last three issues more enjoyable and will make you feel for Alfred.
It will be interesting to see what the August and September’s #0 issue will bring since The Joker will makes his return to the series in October.
Grade: A-
The Lone Ranger: Snake of Iron #1
Writer: Chuck Dixon
Art: Esteve Polls
Colors: Marcelo Pinto
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Chuck Dixon puts the mask back on the ol’ Lone Ranger in an adventure where the Spirit Horse has returned and is calling the tribes to battle.
The Ranger has been tasked to discover the mystery behind all of this. Tonto is on a locomotive en route and encounters a little Indian boy who is being sent to the northeast for “education” to make him a credit to his tribe.
The stuff involving Tonto was the most interesting part of the story because it drew upon the negative stereotypes of the time. The artwork was ok and the coloring did a nice job of presenting a western feel to the book.
Not a bad start and I”m looking forward to issue two.
Grade: C+
Spider-Men #3
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Sara Pichelli
Colors: Justin Ponsor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
I saw all of these super villains on the cover and knew it was just the usual Mysterio shenanigans.
Still, it was really cool to see Peter and Miles work together for the first time since they’ve been at odds for the first two issues.
After they clean house, Peter ventures off on his own in search for answers as he is still convinced none of this real. Peter encounters his loved ones and the final panels brought a lot of emotion to the surface as you could see their hearts breaking with each tear that was shed.
The brilliance of Sara Pichelli’s figure work and facial reactions is head and shoulders above any in comic books today.
The art is great, the concepts are interesting…people, you should be reading this!
Grade: B
Batman & Robin #11
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Art: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray
Colors: Hi-Fi
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
Damian’s objective to prove he is the best Robin is mean-spirited in a way that makes him villain more than hero.
Tomasi’s writing style always draws a response from the reader. There is no right or wrong. Only shades of gray in an abnormal situation.
Tim Drake is down and it’s Jason Todd’s turn to be put on notice. Damian taunts Jason with his fall to the Joker years earlier and uses a crow bar to drive the point home.
Yes, there is stuff going on with Batman too but it’s not nearly as exciting as the battle of the Robins.
Grade: B
The Bionic Man #10
Writer: Kevin Smith & Phil Hester
Art: Jonathan Lau
Colors: Ivan Nunes
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Life must suck for Steve Austin since his colleagues at the O.S.I. can shut him down, using a fail safe whenever they want.
He is being kept on a very short leash while Washington D.C. is being destroyed by a hostile cyborg army. Dynamite Entertainment has really found something with this series.
This is the perfect representation of what a comic book should be as every page, every panel is exciting from beginning to end. Jonathan Lau’s art puts these sentiments over the top.
The concept is great and I really have no idea what to expect next.
Grade: B+
Conan The Barbarian #6
Writer: Brian Wood
Art: James Harren
Colors: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.50
It was announced at San Diego Comic Con that Brian Wood will be writing an ongoing Star Wars series that takes place during the events of the original trilogy.
If you’re not familiar with his writing style, you should be.
Wood’s creative fingerprints all over a franchise, that casual fans kind of forget about and hardcore fans love.
The Argos Deception concludes with Conan brutally slaying everyone in his path in order to get back to Belit, a pirate queen he has a unique relationship with. For my money, no one draws something getting hacked to bit better than James Harren.
Each death is a crescendo of violence that is masterfully drawn.
Grade: B+
Before Watchmen: Minutemen #2
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Art by Darwyn Cooke
Colors: Phil Noto
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
You think you know the Minutemen but you really have no idea until you read this issue as the seedy underbelly of the group comes to light.
Darwyn Cooke made an excellent call of having the story told through the lens of Hollis Mason because it is the closest we will ever get to read his autobiography ‘Under The Hood.’
His art provides a golden age feel to it since the story is being told in that era. I’m not sure if this was by design but Minutemen is the only book so far that has carried that Alan Moore style of deceitfulness and grittiness.
The ending with Hooded Justice will defiantly put you through a loop in a sad way….
Damn, this is a busy week for sad endings in comic books.
Grade: A-
