Image Previews Picks: February 2023
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Do A Powerbomb!
I know that I gave this spot to the first issue of this miniseries when it was solicited. The simple fact is that there’s nothing I’d rather read more in this round of solicitations than the collected edition of Daniel Warren Johnson’s latest miniseries. While Johnson is easily one of the best artists working in comics today, his writing hasn’t always measured up. That’s because he’s sometimes preoccupied with trying to tackle weighty themes in ways that are more predictable than enlightening (see “Extremity” and “Wonder Woman: Dead Earth”). He’s at his best when he’s just trying to tell a straightforward adventure (“Beta Ray Bill: Argent Star”) or when his artistic skills manage to bridge the gap between his over-the-top ideas and the heartfelt sentimentality lurking between them. I’m referring there to his current magnum opus “Murder Falcon” and it’s my hope that “Do A Powerbomb!” can measure up to that high standard. If nothing else, the idea of an epic wrestling saga that borrows more from “Dragonball Z” than the WWE does sound like something only Johnson could pull off.
Local Man #1: What happens when a Liefeldian superhero runs into some personal problems and has to retreat back to his hometown to take stock of his life? According to the solicitation text for this new series from Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs, the bodies start piling up. Not because Jack “Crossjack” Xavier is killing everyone he doesn’t like or who gives him a hard time… at least, I don’t think that’s what’s happening. Anyway, this series has a unique format in that half of it is set in the present day and drawn by Fleecs, while the second half is a flashback from the Image Universe of the 90’s illustrated by Seeley. I have to admit that the more I think about this concept, the more interesting it becomes. One to keep an eye on.
Almighty #1 (of 5): In terms of high-concept pairings “Mad Max” meets “Annihilation” isn’t one that I ever expected to hear. That’s the idea behind this new miniseries from creator Edward Laroche which takes place in the year 2098, after America has become a Third World country. Economic collapse, anarcho-warfare, and a mysterious environmental disaster has left our country a shadow of what it once was. It’s in this environment that a girl has been kidnapped and a killer has been hired to bring her back home. Not the most interesting of setups, but one could have said the same thing about “Fury Road,” whose appeal rested primarily in its execution. Can Laroche deliver something on the same level? It would sure be nice if he could.
Monarch #1: “Killadelphia” writer Rodney Barnes returns with a new series that has no connections to his breakout success. This time the story is set on the mean streets of Compton as young Treyvon has his hands full with trying to survive in normal circumstances. Unfortunately he, his family, and friends now have to deal with ALIENS as well. I tapped out after two volumes of “Killadelphia” once I realized that it wasn’t going to be a compelling read on its own, or as silly as its Vampire President John Adams premise implied. If you did get into that series, you’re better equipped than me to enjoy what looks to be a similar mix of seriousness and ridiculousness. Alex Lins provides the art, and speaking of the ridiculous…
Golden Rage vol. 1: Writer Chrissy Williams and artist Lauren Knight deliver “Golden Girls” meets “Battle Royale.” I imagine you’ll know if this series is for you by that description alone. As for me… I think I’ll have to give this a shot.
The Good Asian: 1936 Deluxe Edition HC: When your comic has won near-universal praise from the industry, including an Eisner award, a deluxe edition such as this is all but inevitable. Writer Pornsak Pitchetshote and artist Alexandre Tefenkg’s ten-issue maxiseries about Chinese-American Detective Edison Hark trying to solve the disappearance of his adopted father’s mistress was a decent read thanks to the whodunit at its center. However, it really wanted you to know that things really sucked for Chinese-Americans back in 1936 and it wasn’t about to let you forget it for a second. If you’ve been curious about reading this, though, then this oversized hardcover with additional extras is certainly the format to read it in.
Love Everlasting vol. 1: Joan Peterson has a problem. She’s stuck in a never-ending series of romance comics. Every time she falls in love with her destined suitor, she’s thrust into a new world with a new romantic situation to experience. How did she get here? How’s she going to get out? Will there be a lot of nine-panel grids in this comic? While I have no answers to those first two questions, this is a Tom King-written comic, so I can assure you that there will be plenty of those grids here, all implemented by artist Elsa Charretier. I’ve generally liked King’s work and while he first got notice with a creator-owned title, “The Sheriff of Babylon,” this is his first such work after a lengthy stint on “Batman” and becoming the Master of Maxiseries at DC. All this is to say that I’m interested in seeing what he and Charretier do with this intriguing premise.
Undiscovered Country vol. 4: Disunity: The protagonists of this series managed to beat the Devil in order to escape the third Zone and continue to walk the Spiral. They also met up with the Destiny Man again and found their party split in two. Now they’re exploring different Zones, one which is obsessed with American milestones, and another imagines a future where the world is under American rule. At this point, the only thing that would surprise me is if everyone wound up in a Zone where everything was hunky-dory and they decided to stay for a while. Vol. 3 was a step back in the right direction after vol. 2, so let’s hope that this dual-narrative setup continues the upward trend. Also, this volume collects the “Destiny Man” one-shot, which is cool of them.
Nocterra #12: The series returns for its third arc, and the surviving members of the cast have a new goal: Getting to Eos. They know where it is, but so does Blacktop Bill and he’s just been given an upgrade by the God of Shades. Then there’s the matter of Val. She’s not dead, but the final page of vol. 2 made it clear that she’s… changed. I don’t suppose it’d be too much to ask that even if she is different now, Val is still on Sundog Convoy’s side? I mean, I liked how writer Scott Snyder played with our expectations in vol. 2 by having Bill work with them. Right up until he didn’t. Could this be the moment where the writer actually subverts our expectations? Even if he doesn’t, at least we’ve still got Tony Daniel’s top-class art to keep us entertained in the meantime.