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!
Evil Empire #3
Writer: Max Bemis
Artist: Ransom Getty, Andrea Mutti
Colorist: Chris Blythe
Letters: Ed Dukeshire
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Price: $3.99
Max Bemis’ work on his debut series Polarity was trip down the rabbit hole of depression with a superhero spin to it.
His writing spoke to me on so many levels because I felt the authenticity in his words which stems from his battle with bipolar disorder.
Bemis brings the same genuineness to Evil Empire as he touches on the state of our society as a whole and the perceived BS that seemingly holds it all together.
Rapper Reese Greenwood’s lyrics inadvertently influenced presidential candidate Kenneth Laramy to murder his wife and brag about it in the name of real freedom.
His message is spreading like wildfire as people follow in his murderous footsteps. Reese feels she needs to stop this at the source and arranges a secret meeting between her and Laramy. One of the many great things about this series is how you think things are going to go one way, and then the direction takes a sharp 180 degree turn.
The artwork is great and chocked full of awesome character work but it’s the coloring of Chris Blythe that makes the illustrations pop. You can tell that Max Bemis is a musician because everything in Evil Empire is executed with a cadence at is perfectly timed on all fronts.
Score: 5 out of 5
Low #1
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Letters: Rus Wooton
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $3.99
Rick Remender’s aquatic sci-fi adventure dives into something new while giving us some of the same with a desolate Earth scenario.
This time, however, instead of looking towards the stars or taking refuge in some luckily uncontaminated part of the planet, the remainder of civilization lives in the depths of the sea, shielded from the sun’s radiation that irritated their home. The premise gets off to a slow start, focusing on a man and his family.
While we don’t get to know them extremely well, the basics are established. They are a tight knit family unit that is dedicated to the task at hand. The back and forth between the husband and wife as they were waking up was extremely well done and told me these were people I’m going to like. Which makes the situation kind of heart wrenching near the book’s conclusion.
As the story moves along, things quickly add up as Remender seamlessly makes the reader more invested. Gregg Tocchini’s artwork is beautiful and a refreshingly diverse from what you normally see in comic books. However, in some instances, the visuals were confusing which took me out of the experience because I had to stop and decipher what was happening.
Overall, Low is off to a good start and sets the stage for what could very well be a great series. All of the elements you need for an intriguing tale are in place because you have no idea what is going to happen next.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Baltimore: The Witch of Harju #1
Writer: Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
Artist: Peter Bergting
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $3.50
Even though Mike Mignola is best known for creating Hellboy, I have a feeling he is most proud of his work on the Baltimore series.
There is a level of craftsmanship and care with this series that makes it one of the consistently best comic books in circulation, even if it’s not as popular as the red guy with the big fist. The Vampire Hunter’s travels takes him to Estonia where he finds himself sheltering a woman on the run from a possessed dead man.
There are other evils at play which brings in an element of uncertainty. One of the things that I enjoy about the Baltimore character is that there is no one way to categorize him. Whether he is shooting bad guys in the head or listening to tales of woe from a women in distress, he is who he needs to be in the moment.
The art direction expertly brings out the horror elements with brain splattering imagery and eye popping visuals. There is a black cat running amuck, and she gets knocked across the room with a broom, only to land on her feet and call the assailant a “bitch.” I got a kick out of it because, well, it’s a swearing cat, but more importantly, Peter Bergting makes this work because it’s that scene that sets the tone for the arc.
While the reappearance of Baltimore’s arch nemesis Haigus is always something to anticipate, I think The Witch of Harju will give everyone involved more trouble than they can handle and then some. That sucks for someone living in 1920’s Estonia but cool for comic book fanboys everywhere.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Red Sonja #0
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Noah Salonga
Colorist: Elmer Santos
Cover: Gabriel Hardman
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Price: $3.99
Remember that guy in school who claimed he’d slept with all the hot girls?
Well, Gail Simone explores this theory in a manner that is jaw dropingly hilarious. Red Sonja is the last woman I would ever lie about shagging with because she would have my head on a spike if she ever found out. Well, this foolish man claims Sonja is his wife and piles up a gigantic debut in her name.
Later on, Sonja just so happens to show up in the very town.
Gail Simone relentlessly piles on the irony with each turn of the page. Sonja tries to take it all in stride but eventually it becomes too much to handle and that temper of her explodes. The combined artistic talents Noah Salonga’s stunning visuals and Elmer Santos’ rich coloring makes it easy for the reader to immerse themselves into this world of plunder and heroics.
Something about the dialog suggests that Gail Simone likes a good drink and maybe expresses that sentiment through Red Sonja which speaks to how much fun you will have reading this book which will make you appreciate the serious even more.
Score: 4.5 out of 5
Armor Hunters: Harbinger #1
Writer: Joshua Dysart
Artist: Robert Gill
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo
Letters: Dave Sharpe
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Price: $3.99
This was my first venture into the Valiant Universe and I thoroughly enjoyed this book from head to toe. The characters are fascinating and the artwork is extraordinary. The book is very new reader friendly which eased my introduction into this character driven first issue.
A teenage group of psyiots, aka mutants, called Generation Zero, led by a healer named Cronus, are trying to gain as must distance as possible from their past adversaries. However, the destruction of Mexico City forces their hand in relief efforts.
One of the many things I liked is how the characters super powers are more complex than what you might see in DC or Marvel. For example, instead of just being straight up psychic, Telic can visual the immediate past and present by visualizing the quantum stream which results in flash predictions. Another thing I enjoyed is how the destruction of Mexico City wasn’t simply a footnote. It’s the catalyst that brings everything together.
I’m completely sold on this series and as a result, it’s time for me to do a lot of make-up reading and discover what I’ve been missing.
Score: 4 out of 5
