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 Monsters of Jimmy Crumb (GN)
Writer: James Patrick
Artist: Jen Hickman
Letterer: E.T. Dollman
Price: $9.99
Publisher: 21 Pulp
The Monsters of Jimmy Crumb is a successfully funded Kickstarter project helmed and written by James Patrick, who’s been a writer on Batman and Harley Quinn books.
I had no earthly idea that this book was even a thing. Thanks to a strong recommendation from the nice lady at the comic book store, I took this home and dove right in.
The story wastes no time making me wonder what had I gotten myself into. The eight-year old titular character is reading an essay in front of his class while a ghostly looking female is murdering people in adjacent scenes. My thought process immediately came to the conclusion that Jimmy was somehow going to somehow incur her wrath.
To say I was wrong is a huge understatement as it is Jimmy who makes monsters that we thought only existed in urban legend murder for him to extract revenge from a tragic incident that stole his childhood. The dialog is a little wonky at times, but the book is narrative driven by events unfolding in a way where the reader thinks one thing, then something else occurs.
This is the strength of James Patrick’s writing as the story is constructed in a way where you never catch on to the bait and switch pattern of events. Jimmy’s classmate Haley appears to be a goody two shoes who can’t seem to mind her own business. Later on, we learn the real motivation behind her inquisitive nature along with an unsettling detail from her past.
Jen Hickman does a great job of illustrating scenes and page layouts and uses the right color palates to augment the tone of the story. Her character work presents an animated style that made me think manga on a few occasions, especially on the cover. The facial expressions hit all the right notes, but failed to play any music. Still, it didn’t detract from the experience one iota.
This was a book that I couldn’t put down even if I wanted. The story and imagery drew me in to such an extent that I had to take in everything. This isn’t so much a comic book as it is a brilliantly produced macabre experience that will keep you completely immersed from cover to cover.
Score: 5 out of 5
Spider-Gwen #3
Writer: Jason Latour
Artist: Robbi Rodriguez
Colorist: Rico Renzi
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Spider-Gwen is a character that caught on like wildfire during the opening stages of Spider-Verse which resulted in an ongoing series.
The first two issues received rave reviews with comic book shops reportedly receiving more requests with each monthly drop. This is probably why Spider-Gwen is one of the 33 books not canceled in lieu of the upcoming Secret Wars event.
Crime bosses want “Spider-Woman” dead and the police want her apprehended in the worse way which creates some emotional conflicts.
Gwen has not had a smooth transition into the superhero game, but she is driven to make sure no one gets hurt after the loss of her boyfriend, Peter Parker.
The similarities between the Spider-Gwen and the Spider-Man stories are very easy to pick up on but they are introduced in a creative manner where it’s a treat instead of a chore. Frank Castle still takes the law into his own hands, but here he’s a murderous vigilante who carries a badge which creates some interesting opportunities.
Robbi Rodriguez’s artwork and the coloring of Rico Renzi has sort of a dark yet slightly funky vibe that has a commanding presence on every page. Gwen’s fight with Vulture is a visual delight.
I like where this series is heading because of all the dynamics that have been established with the first three issues. Gwen is a character that you couldn’t hate, even if you tried which is the glue that holds everything together. At this rate, this could be a front runner for the year’s best ongoing series.
Score: 4 out of 5
Convergence #0
Writer: Dan Jurgens, Jeff King
Artist: Ethan Van Sciver
Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
DC Comics’ big event has arrived with the multiverse hanging in the balance as every story from every world will come into play; Red Son, Kingdom Come, etc., nothing is out of bounds.
The New 52 version of Superman gets into it with Brainiac – only this is the end all be all of Brainiacs. He introduces Superman to different worlds by showing him the various times he died such as his battle with Doomsday in The Death of Superman.
Shocked at the revelation, Superman desperately looks for his version of Metropolis while Brainiac monologues at him while constantly changing appearance into his past selves.
This is where things got real boring, real fast.
While zero issues are a primer for things to come, Dan Jurgens and Jeff King could have found a better way to spend Superman and Brainiac’s time since they’re the only two characters in the book.
I honestly don’t know why Superman was so shocked about the multiverse revelation. Forever Evil took place before the Doomed storyline that Convergence #0 spins out of.
Superman was well aware of the evil version of himself from another world, Ultraman. I believe he would come to the conclusion that there are more versions of him, thus more worlds/universes.
Ethan Van Sciver’s artwork steals the show and he does a great job of drawing different versions of Superman and Brainiac, harkening to the artists who drew them before him.
Overall, this book misses the mark because while I’m told that bad things are about to happen, the stakes involved are not conveyed to the degree where I’m counting the days until the first issue. With a reboot happening in June as a result of this event, the maiden voyage of Convergence feels like we are in for a haphazard means to an end.
Score: 2 out of 5
Star Wars: Kanan – The Last Padawan #1
Writer: Greg Weisman
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: David Curiel
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
The familiar yellow crawl opens up this introduction to one of the newest characters in the Star Wars franchise, Kanan.
While this book is a great companion piece if you watch the Disney XD animated series, Rebels, you don’t need to know anything about the show in order to enjoy the story Greg Weisman has put together. However, if you have read the first canon novel A New Dawn, you learn nothing new about Kanan’s past besides that he was sitting with two clone troopers by a campfire right before Order 66.
If you didn’t read the novel, then this is the place to start with a story that sends us back to fifteen years as Kannan reminisces about the day his life changed forever.
Kannan was a very inquisitive child whose questions felt like a challenge to some, but an opportunity to teach for others.
Enter Jedi Master, Depa Billaba, who has drawn a liking to young Kannan as Weisman firmly establishes their teacher, student relationship in under twenty four pages. Most people already know how this ends for Billaba so it was nice to see the focus on the character dynamic as opposed to the central story.
The artwork was serviceable, but very rigid at times. The coloring brings a lot of energy to the pages and highlights different aspects of the visual landscape.
Overall, The Last Padawan serves as an excellent launching point into the life and times of Kanan Jarrus.
While this isn’t as strong of a debut as Star Wars, Darth Vader, or Princes Leia, I think this six issue mini-series will either sink or swim with direction of Greg Weisman. He has a firm understanding of the Clone Wars era and makes it his own while developing interesting characters, no matter how little time we have with them.
Score: 3 out of 5
Puppet Master #1
Writer: Shawn Gabborin
Artist: Michela De Scacco
Publisher: Action Lab Comics
Price: $3.99
I remember watching A Nightmare on Elm Street when it debuted on HBO and I couldn’t sleep without lights on for a week. In some weird way, that frightening experience made me a fan of 80’s horror movies.
The one film that got away from me was Puppet Master until many years later as there was something about murderous puppets that seemed too over the top.
Shawn Gabborin delivers a modern day tale that also explores the origin of the puppets and their creator. Several horny teenagers decide to get drunk as they spend the weekend in the abandoned and haunted Bodega Bay Inn.
All of the teenagers fit the typical stereotypes such as the jock, the slut, the nerd, etc. This makes for a fun reading experience because the events unfold in that classic manner of every making stupid decisions such as walking alone in the dark or actually running towards the danger.
The artistic talents of Michela De Scacco brings the pain with bloody splattering imagery that shows the demonic puppets in all their gruesome glory. They are brutal and waste no time in killing their unwanted house guests. I’m not sure what the expectations were for this series but they are off to a tremendous start.
Gabborin and De Scacco did an excellent job of capturing the essence of the earlier films and even those who aren’t familiar with the brand will thoroughly enjoy this horror delight.
Score: 4 out of 5
