Image Previews Picks: August 2014
(Now that I’m back from Fanime and no longer posting these through my phone, I’ve gone back and re-done the formatting for the previous four posts. For Comic-Con, I’ll just schedule these through the site itself — which is what I should’ve done here.)
So it seems that Image’s success has bred competition. BOOM! Studios has been publishing lots of new creator-owned comics over the past year to increasing orders for each #1 issue. Image, while they still sell more comics overall, have been on something of a downward trend during the same time. As of yet, I don’t think I’ve read anything from BOOM! that wasn’t written by Mark Waid, though at the rate they’ve been launching titles I figure it’s only a matter of time before they hit upon a series that’s right up my alley. This competition, however, is a good thing since it can only mean better deals for creators as publishers promote themselves as the place to be for creator-owned work, and find better ways to promote titles in a crowded market place. Ways that will hopefully involve as few variant covers as possible.
The Fade-Out #1: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips go immediately into their next series after the wrap-up of “Fatale” (assuming that the remaining issues in that title ship on time). Though the team has been known for their noir-influenced crime-fiction work both with and without superheroes, this title is both a little different and something of a homecoming for them. That’s because it’s set during the heyday of film noir, the 1940’s, on the set of one such movie plagued by endless reshoots and a cast and crew plagued with their own personal demons. “Fatale” never quite clicked with me in the way Brubaker and Phillips’ previous collaborations did, so I’m hoping that their abandonment of the supernatural will represent a return to form.
Genius #’s 1-5: In which a series asks what happens when the next great military mind, one on the level of, Genghis Khan, Napoleon, or Patton, happens to be a female gangbanger from South L.A. It also asks what happens when this woman and her gang army decide to secede three blocks of the city from the U.S. as if there was some uncertainty about the act. Here, let me tell you: S.W.A.T. and the National Guard as well as whatever additional military force is necessary will roll in to take it back. If writers Adam Freeman and Marc Bernardin are playing this as some kind of tragedy, then I can see how the story would work. Otherwise, they’re going to have their work cut out for them as they explain how this woman can hold off insurmountable military might.
Wayward #1: From writer Jim Zub, of “Skullkickers” fame, comes this series that’s hyped as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” for a new generation. Rori Lane has reunited with her mother in Japan and winds up attracting the attention of some ancient creatures out to get her mysterious power. The Japanese setting had me wondering at first if this was going to be an Americanized “magical girl” story, but if Adam Warren’s cover is any indication it would seem that the “Buffy” tag is more apt in this situation. If so, then this sounds like a pretty straightforward series with not a whole lot to make it stand out. Hopefully Zub will be able to adapt the outlandish sense of humor he brings to his irreverent fantasy series into a more grounded setting to provide that edge.
The Fuse vol. 1: The Russia Shift: This series hasn’t gotten a whole lot of buzz since it’s debut, so I went back to see what my thoughts on the first issue were back in November. Apparently “Past Me” thought that this sounded like “Homicide” meets “Battle Angel Alita,” which sounds much more interesting than the straightforward description we get here. Creators Anthony Johnston and Justin Greenwood now owe “Past Me” some thanks for convincing the “Future Me” to pick up this volume when it comes out.
Satellite Sam vol. 2: Satellite Sam and the Kinescope Snuff: Ok. So it appears that this volume won’t be called “Satellite Sam and the Snuff-Fuck Kinescope” as was advertised in vol. 1. That is disappointing, but will likely result in this volume being available at a lot more places than it otherwise would be. Title shenanigans aside, here’s hoping that Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin can make the murder mystery that was supposed to be the focus of the book as interesting as the behind-the-scenes antics of 50’s era network TV.
East of West #15: The son of Death and his lover Xiaolain facing off against the remaining Horsemen of the Apocalypse and fulfilling his role in the Message sounds plenty entertaining. Yet we’re told in the solicitation text that this is only Year One of the Apocalypse. Man, if this is only the first year then this world is SCREWED! At least its downfall has made for some terrifically entertaining reading so far.
Stray Bullets: Killers #6: Virginia Applejack was the heart of the original series so it’s no surprise to see her turn up again here. Hell, she may have turned up before. The difference now is that I’ve read the “Uber Alles” edition of this series and can now pay active attention to this new title. Such attention also lets me recognize that the Finger is gracing this issue’s cover. Is he the killer that Ginny is going to have to kill in order to maintain her way of life, as we’re told in the solicitation text? I look forward to finding out. Also, the text promises that a beach house, a Hanukkah Party, and a bowl of hard-boiled eggs will play significant roles in this story. That might seem like an odd mix to have in a comic, except that most comics aren’t “Stray Bullets.”