Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Books

Graphic Breakdown: Best of The Week

Welcome back to Graphic Breakdown!

Happy holidays to all out there!

Here’s some cool comics to read either before or after you unwrap your presents.

 

The Black Hood Season 2 #2   
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Illustrated by Greg Scott
Published by Dark Circle Comics

Man, it’s always a treat when an issue of The Black Hood comes down the pipeline. And today was no different. Swierczynski is one of the best current comic book writers we have and his work is always fantastic. The book has a plan to it, and it shows with every new story beat.

The storyline for “Season 2” is as follows: The Black Hood is no more. Sure, there are rumors that the former cop known as Greg Hettinger is still out there, blending in with the homeless population—and emerging only to stop a violent attack before vanishing again. But the ruthless assassin known as The Nobody considers the Black Hood a loose end, and he’s willing to slaughter dozens to flush him out.

How high must the body count rise before Greg steps forward to face an opponent he can’t possibly beat?

This is a brutal comic. But I can’t look away. It’s so raw and honest that you almost wince at times. The creative team does a great job on balancing it though. Scott’s art is perfectly suited for the story. I can’t wait to read it all together.

Want a book you can’t wait to read each month? Pick this one up. It’s fantastic and one of the best out there on a consistent basis.

RATING: A

 

The Punisher #7
Written by Becky Cloonan
Illustrated by Steve Dillon
Published by Marvel Comics

This issue makes me incredibly sad. It’s great, but the passing of artist Steve Dillon in October makes the whole thing tragic to me. I loved his work. He was at the top of his game still when he passed and this issue proves it.

The storyline “Into The Wild” starts with this issue!

You can’t keep Frank Castle buried for long. The Punisher’s mission to bring down a super-powered drug ring reaches new heights. As his quest sends him deep into the woods of the Northeast, it’s time for the Punisher to go off road. But as he gets deeper into the wilderness, has the predator finally become the prey? Plus, Agent Ortiz chased Frank into hell and came out the other side. Now she’s out for revenge…

Cloonan turned out to be a great scribe. Her stories really have a punch to them that the Punisher deserves. She worked very well with Dillon.

As for this series, enjoy Dillon’s art while we still can. Rest In Peace to one of the greats. He gave us years of incredible entertainment.

RATING: A

 

Dept. H #9   
Written and Illustrated by Matt Kindt
Published by Dark Horse Comics

The best thing to happen to comics in recent years is the invasion of Matt Kindt.

Kindt has always been great toiling on projects like Superspy and 3 Sisters. Then he started doing work for Dark Horse and some of the other mainstream publishers. And he’s great. He’s got a fresh perspective on something older. And we all have benefited from it.

His latest book doesn’t let up and is a thoughtful and thrilling comic book experience from start to finish.

Mia is trapped at the bottom of the ocean with her father’s murderer—and they must work together to repair the flooding Dept. H base. Aaron’s desperate attempt to reach the surface is their last chance at rescue, but six miles of water and the mysterious creatures that live deep in the ocean are just as dangerous as the rising water and the unknown killer inside the base.

The story and art meld perfectly. At this point, Kindt is an expert of the form. And he uses his expertise to put together some incredible work. I’m glad he’s here and that he keeps producing quality comic work.

RATING: A

 

Briggs Land #5 
Written by Brian Wood
Illustrated by Mack Chater
Published by Dark Horse Comics

Is Briggs Land the best new comic book series of the year?

It’s definitely in contention.

Wood has always been an incredibly storyteller. Here, he excels more than he ever has and the results are outstanding.

Grace Briggs looks for alliances where she can, both to stave off the out-of-state Aryan Nations moving into her territory and to maintain the integrity of Briggs Land in the face of legal troubles.

ATF agents Zigler and Nolan, who are conducting a terrorism investigation into her family, may be Grace’s best bet.

Mack Chater kills it on art. This is a beautiful book to look at. He’s also a gifted storyteller so when you  put he and Wood together the results are fantastic. I implore you all: Pick up this up this book. If you don’t, I promise you, you’ll soon wish you did.

RATING: A

Click to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

DISCLAIMER

Forces of Geek is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and “Safe Harbor” provisions.

All posts are submitted by volunteer contributors who have agreed to our Code of Conduct.

FOG! will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement.

Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content.

SOCIAL INFLUENCER POLICY

In many cases free copies of media and merchandise were provided in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. The opinions shared on Forces of Geek are those of the individual author.

You May Also Like

Art/Collectibles

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see directly inside someone’s brain? Not the squishy, slimy physical organ itself, but their...

Books/Comics

Written by LaToya Morgan & Jai Jamison Art by Joe Jaro, Valentine de Landro Paris Alleyne & Lea Caballero Published by BOOM! Studios  ...

Books

Written by Kelley Simms Published by Bear Manor Media   Back in 1980, I had just finished an acting course, which served me well...

Books/Comics

Written and Illustrated by Dave Roman Published by First Second   “Dude! You have a unicorn horn on your noggin! That’s so amazing!” While...