Pick of the Week 21/3/2012

If I could do this week all over again, I would.

I should have bought Hoax Hunters and Smoke & Mirrors.

While two of my favorite books had new issues this week (BPRD and Rocketeer Adventures) I stuck to my guns in waiting for their inevitable pay-off in hardcover form. As I was walked out of the shop thinking about how good they would be, little did I know what I was holding in my hand would be a tremendous let-down for one of the books I was most eager to read in issues: Dominique Laveau. More on that after the Pick of the Week.

Batman #7: Pick of the Week: It's hard to write about a book that's consistently good. Everything said about this title should be worth repeating: it's worth your time and money. Snyder and Capullo are doing some of the best work I have ever seen both in the story department and art. Several key points in the book include the introduction of a new character (new to us, old to Bruce), a stunning panel of a worried Alfred, and the revelation of who the primary Talon villain is (and what he is). Perhaps the greatest highlight of this issue is the historical connection between Dick Grayson and the Talon, making sense of months of speculation. It's hard to introduce ideas of long-forgotten family connections (something common in comics to up the stakes) but Snyder remains so damn convincing at providing a plausible reason for it (the circus and its history meeting Gotham's darker history) that it doesn't come off as what could have been a last-page cliffhanger. This connect is instead merely another gear in the finely-tuned machine that Capullo and Snyder have going. The issue continues building on the tone and the colours evoke a strong remembrance of Year One, something that Snyder has played with before in The Black Mirror.
Team: Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathon Glapion.

Prophet #23: This book astounds me. I originally picked it up on a whim expecting... come to think of it, I'm not sure what I expected. What I got was one of the most imaginative science fiction stories I've ever read. PROPHET is in many ways the spiritual successor to old B-list science fiction done with A-game talent where the reader is rewarded by both letting the story wash over them and engage with it actively. The finest moments are the beats of humour, delivered without dialogue and done with a look or gesture. The best of these are when watching John Prophet's living Dolmantle react to the world around him. The book is creative, engaging, and surprising -- something that is hard to find in other series where the issues and solicits are talked about months in advance. The story's backup has art done by Frank Teran who foreshadows Farel Dalyrmple who will be taking over for the next 3 issue arc. The difference between Teran's style and current artist's Simon Roy is like comparing Dune to 2001. I still remain optimistic for the title's art shift next issue -- the story has me hooked.
Team: Brandon Graham and Simon Roy, backup by Frank Teran.

Near Death #6: After what seemed like a long jump between 5 and 6, it's here. Near Death remains a fun little ride every issue as a self-contained story. The art is starting to pick up after a few cracks in the previous issues and as for the story, you better like stand-alones. Unlike a typical series standalone by a fill-in-artist (for example) Near Death's issues feel cripplingly short. The issue can sometimes be done before you have the chance to get into it which makes it hard to come back to the book every month when the previous instalment felt so fleeting. Still a good action series, but for those looking for a longer-form crime/action story I would recommend leaping over to Image's other darling Thief of Thieves. If you want a guilty pleasure of the one-and-done Near Death is pretty standard fare.
Team: Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini, Ron Riley, Charles Pritchett with cover by Francesco Francavilla.

Diablo 3 #3: Gave the first two issues a chance and now, I'm out. Every few pages has the bad habit that plagues many other tie-in-properties where there's the shoehorning of exposition to referring to the subject-matter's story bible. Clunky, I still enjoyed some of the art but this ends my run with the mini.
Team: Aaron Williams, Jospeh Lacroix, Lee Loughridge.

Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child: Disappointment of the Week: Not my thing, no matter how much I wanted it to be. The series begins with a one-beat protagonist who stays frantic through the entire issue, doing little to win our admiration as readers on anything but her being a lost young girl. There's also an overabundance of things going on, staggered by frustratingly flowery narration boxes that reveal themselves as the author and not the characters of the world being told. Disjointed and bogged down by its own writing, at least Denys Cowan's art is terrific. Sigh.
Team: Selwyn Seyfu Hinds, Denys Cowan, John Floyd.


I really should have bought Hoax Hunters and Smoke & Mirrors