Image Previews Picks: October 2018
I’ve mentioned before that Robert Kirkman has never been content with having written two of the longest-running independent comics ever (with one of them still an ongoing sales and multimedia juggernaut) and has kept trying to make lightning strike with new titles like “The Astounding Wolf-Man” and “Outcast.” While I was awaiting the first volume of “Oblivion Song” to see if he’s managed to do it again, Kirkman went and pulled the comic book equivalent of Beyonce announcing and dropping her self-titled album on the same day with “Die! Die! Die!” An over-the-top action series co-written with “The Walking Dead” TV series (former) showrunner Scott Gimple with art from Chris Burnham, it arrived in comics shops in the second week of July in amounts matched to their orders of “Oblivion Song.”
The fact that they were able to pull this off without it leaking is pretty damned impressive and everyone was talking about it… for a week or so. While the second issue arrives soon, it feels like the buzz around it has become real quiet. I’ll be checking it out when the first volume arrives because I trust Kirkman and Burnham is a hell of an artist. Gimple, on the other hand, got some real good seasons out of “The Walking Dead” on TV before things got real dumb with seasons seven and eight. (Best of luck to new showrunner Angela Kang in turning it around.) It’s impressive to see Kirkman wield his clout in the form of this surprise debut, but I doubt we’ll be seeing its like again in the near future.
Blackbird #1: Sam Humphries and Jen Bartel give us this series with a rather familiar premise. Nina Rodriguez is convinced that there’s a secret world of magic ruled by ruthless cabals under the streets of Los Angeles. Now, if you’re thinking “Of course she’s right and everyone else thinks she’s crazy for believing this,” then you can see where this is going. There’s also talk of her being chased by a Great Beast, but unless you’re a fan of the creators then this doesn’t offer a whole lot to recommend it.
Dead Rabbit #1: Speaking of being fans of particular creators, I’ve been cold on Gerry Duggan ever since his first solo volume of “Deadpool,” but I’ve loved John McCrea’s older work with Garth Ennis on “Hitman” and various other titles. Unfortunately, his more recent work has seen his style evolve into a scratchier, less appealing version of itself. Both creators have teamed up for this story about a legendary hoodlum who has come out of retirement to save the woman he loves. Uh, okay. Maybe if the preview pages show that McCrea has got his groove back I’ll consider giving this title a look.
Exorsisters #1: Admit it, that’s kind of a genius pun. Kate and Cate Harrow are as different as identical twin sisters can be, but they’re a team supreme when it comes to extracting your soul from an unholy situation. I’m not familiar with writer Ian Boothby or artist Gisele Lagace, but the solicitation text tells me that the former has won an Eisner (for his credited work on “The Simpsons” comics and “MAD Magazine” I assume) and the premise sounds fun. One to keep an eye on if nothing else.
Infinite Dark #1: Okay, so the setup for this series involves the universe ending and its only survivors are two thousand humans on a space station waiting in desperate hope for a second Big Bang. What are writer Ryan Cady and artist Andrea Mutti doing with it? Using it as the backdrop for a murder mystery. I realize that the whole “murder mystery” aspect may just be an in to get readers invested in the desperate situation these people find themselves in, but it seems like awfully small potatoes to take place in a universe that’s awaiting its rebirth.
Murder Falcon #1: When I said that I hoped creator Daniel Warren Johnson would come back with a more interesting story to tell than the one he gave us in “Extremity” this is not what I expected. I mean that in a good way because this series sounds INSANE! Jake is a heavy metal guitarist whose life is falling apart until he meets MURDER FALCON! An actual falcon who has been sent from the Heavy to destroy all evil, but needs Jake’s shredding skills to power his kung-fu in order to do it. I’m in, and if this is half as good as it sounds, it’ll still be a welcome step up for the creator compared to “Extremity.”
Wytches: Bad Egg Halloween Special: Collecting the chapters serialized in “Image+” along with 14 new pages to finish the story, this special is meant to bridge the upcoming second volume of the series with its first. It involves two kids, one whose mother is a member of the ruthless wytch-hunting group known as “The Irons,” and the other is (wait for it) the son of a couple of “High Horn” wytches. Can these two boys become friends even though their families are determined to wipe each other out? I’m going to go with “no” because the first series set me up to expect a tragedy like that. Here’s where I’d gripe that the second volume is still very far off given that creators Scott Snyder and Jock are doing “The Batman Who Laughs” miniseries for DC, but I’m one of the few who didn’t think the first volume of “Wytches” was all that great. The opening was as good as horror comics get and it all wound up devolving into a bug hunt by the end. So Snyder and Jock can take as long as they want to deliver the second volume. I’m in no hurry to read it.
Black Science vol. 8: Later Than You Think: Collecting issues 35-38. Does this mean four-issue volumes are the new normal for this title? Anyhow, the solicitation text reinforces my impression that this series is heading into its endgame as Grant McKay, his family, and whoever else that’s alive and still willing to follow him head to the center of the multiverse in order to stop it from collapsing in on itself. This series has done an excellent job of jerking me around over the course of its run: Convincing me that its only aim is to grind down its characters, before dishing out some uplift that felt genuinely earned, only to immediately fall back into old habits again. I’ve stuck with it this far, so now it’s time to see if it can deliver an ending that earns it a permanent spot in my library, or a trip to the local Book-Off.
Death or Glory vol. 1: Rick Remender’s latest creator-owned joint, this time with the artist Bengal. Remender is very hit-or-miss when it comes to these projects as even a series with a promising start could wind up losing its way (note what I wrote about “Black Science” above). This one looks to be more of a pure action comic compared to his other titles as it involves a trucker’s daughter trying to pull off four cross-country heists in three days to pay for her dying father’s surgery. While the description of truckers being “the last men and women fighting for true freedom on the American open road” sounds dangerously close to self-parody, Remender might be able to get away with it if the series embraces fun over his usual doom-and-gloom nature and the action is slick enough. Given what I’ve seen of Bengal’s work, the latter sounds like a surer bet than the former.
Gideon Falls vol. 1: The Black Barn: Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino go the creator-owned route after their previous work together on “Green Arrow” and “Old Man Logan.” This is a horror series about the title place that has reappeared throughout history leaving death and destruction in its wake. Lemire talked this series up at the Image horror panel I attended at Comic-Con and noted that this is basically his big tribute to “Twin Peaks.” So maybe don’t go into this expecting answers to all of the questions it raises, but rather a tone of sustained dread as bad things happen to people who probably don’t deserve it. Lemire and Sorrentino did good work on “Old Man Logan,” so I’m interested to see what they can do when they’re not working on a superhero title.
Men of Wrath HC: On reflection, this story of an unrepentant southern hitman is probably the closest writer Jason Aaron has come to self-parody. I’d be impressed if I thought he was doing it intentionally here. Anyway, if you missed this miniseries the first time around when it was published by Marvel through their Icon imprint now you can own it in a fancy hardcover. I wouldn’t recommend it, unless you’re a fan of artist Ron Garney who turns in some work that’s far better than the material he has to work with.
The Wicked + The Divine vol. 7: Mothering Invention: In which we are promised answers. I’d be excited about that prospect, but I get the feeling these answers will be best appreciated after a re-read of volumes one-through-six. That’s not something I have the time for these days…