Image Previews Picks: January 2015
It’s been something I’ve wondered about for a while, and I finally got an answer this past Sunday. Less than three years after Dale was killed off in “The Walking Dead,” it turns out that lovestruck recovering alcoholic Bob is the TV show’s “tainted meat.” It was fairly obvious from the end of the second episode, but I still had some doubts about whether or not we’d actually get that classic line. Those fears were allayed after he started chuckling during Gareth’s monologue and I knew what was coming next. Yes, I was practically cheering at how this zombie-bitten man turned the tables on the smug cannibals who were eating his leg. How could I not? This was one of the most iconic, not to mention best, parts of the comic beautifully realized on the screen.
We’re only three episodes into this season and already we’ve been graced with some of the most thrilling scenes in the TV series thus far. The Carol-instigated breakout in Terminus was a great showcase of action from beginning to the end, and exceptional in the way that it upended (at least my) expectations that we’d be stuck here for most of the season’s first half. You also have the sudden reappearance of Rick’s crew at the church, just in time to stop Gareth and his companions in a fashion brutal enough to make you almost feel sorry for the cannibals. Just like the comics too. Then there was this week’s cliffhanger which was beautiful in the way it set up the “But what happened?” tension with the fates of Carol and Beth. I realize that all this sounds like gushing, but the show is at a point where I don’t even mind that I have to stop doing other stuff to watch it. Not like the improved-but-still-not-as-good-as-it-should-be “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”
Anyhow, enough talk about comics on TV. Talk about actual comics begins after the break.
Casanova: Acedia #1: After a brief stint at Marvel, Matt Fraction, Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s series about dimension-hopping secret agent Casanova Quinn makes its return with a new series. The title refers to a state of not being concerned with one’s position in the world, which fits with how we saw Casanova at the end of the previous series after he pretty much burned all of his bridges. I should probably give the previous three volumes a re-read before picking this up. They’ve an entertaining but very dense and chaotic mixture that has managed to alienate some of my comics-reading friends who really like Ba and Moon, and don’t want anything to do with this series.
The Dying and the Dead #1: New from the “Secret” team of Jonathan Hickman and Ryan Bodenheim. Of course I’ll be buying this because of the writer’s involvement, but you have to appreciate the balls of a series that advertises itself as, “‘Indiana Jones’ for old people. No fedoras, only bedpans.” I am curious as to whether or not this is a new ongoing title or just a one-off as the 64 pages for $4.50 price point suggests the latter.
Spawn #250: *slow clap* …I did like artist Szymon Kudranski’s work on the issues of “Green Lantern” that he did with Geoff Johns. Maybe one day he’ll work on a title that I’m actually interested in reading.
Reyn #1: What a coincidence! I’ve just started playing “Xenoblade” again and now Image is going to release a miniseries about one of its supporting cast members. Hold on… No, that’s not what this is about. Apparently the title character of this series is a freelance swordsman and monster hunter who may be the last of a line of “Wardens” of the land and is now set on a great quest due to the visions he’s having. Sounds alright. Would’ve preferred it to be about my favorite tank in the game.
Criminal Special Edition #1: Brubaker and Phillips return to their original creator-owned title with a story of Teeg Lawless who finds himself locked up in county jail with a price on his head. I’ll read this eventually, it’s just a question of what form it’ll take. Will I buy this single issue, or hold out hope that the creators will release enough of these specials to fill up an entire volume. Which will only take three of them a the 48 page count that this issue has. It’s also available in an oversized “Savage Edition” for a dollar more ($5.99) with a sweet “Conan”-style cover by Phillips. Also, “Criminal vol. 1: Coward” gets a new edition from Image in these solicitations as well. Be sure to check it out if you haven’t read it already.
Stray Bullets: Sunshine & Roses #1: Well, that was quick. Given how long of a wait it was for the final issue of the original ongoing series, I figured that the previous miniseries was going to be a victory lap of sorts for writer/artist David Lapham. However, if he’s putting out this new miniseries now then it looks like he’s got more “Stray Bullets” stories to tell than I was expecting. This is a good thing. Particularly since this first issue is going to tell the story of how Orson and Beth stole a lot of Harry’s drugs and money and had to go hide out in the middle of nowhere back in the title’s second volume. Should be quite a tale…
Big Hard Sex Criminals HC: The title gets a *rimshot* simply because it deserves it. Collects the first ten issues of the series plus… I dunno. These deluxe editions usually contain extras, but there’s no word of that here. Guess you’re just getting the first ten issues in an oversized format for $15 more than you’d pay for the softcover editions.
Sex #19: “Sometimes a cover says it all.” Well, I wonder what they mean by that.
… Uh. Well, I’m glad it was just half a cover. Because if it had been a whole one, you know we would’ve seen his wang. It’s that kind of series.