You know I like the comic books. I still read a few here and there, though I’m doing my best to cut down on the number of things I buy as single issues these days.
Anyway, let me clue you in on a couple of WINNAHS that are on the stands right now.
S.H.I.E.L.D. by Mr. J. Hickman is sort of a secret history of the Marvel Universe. I know that very description has probably applied to numerous other books before (Marvel’s ILLUMINATI, EARTH X, MARVELS, THE MARVELS PROJECT, and probably some others I’m forgetting), but this is based more on true history of Earth than those were, while incorporating a HUGE dose of the fantastic. Leonardo Da Vinci is a lead character, as is Sir Isaac Newton. Also, Mr. Howard Stark, whose early SHIELD involvement was revealed to the general public this summer in the very fun IRON MAN 2. In short, it’s a tale of the geniuses of our world working for the betterment and protection of everyone else… or maybe for their own selfish interests.
If you like science and fact and fiction and science fiction and Galactus, I’d highly recommend picking this one up. There are three issues out so far, and I think it might be a limited series? Six would be a good guess. Wait for the trade paperback if you prefer, but don’t miss this one. Did I mention the art?
Yeah, it’s not too shabby.
Okay, this one will probably be a tougher sell. Do you like tales of double agents? Spies? Assassinations and backstabbing? Do you agree that Mr. Christos Gage is one of the better writers working today in comics? Yes and yes? Alright then! You should go pick up the first collected volume of GI JOE: COBRA!
Yes, yes, GI JOE. I know, you only went to see the recent movie because you thought it was ironically funny (you were wrong– it’s a fun action movie), and your main exposure to the property in recent years is those damn PSA remixes that everyone else seems to think are 13x funnier than I do. Don’t sweat all this. Gage and company are weaving some excellent tales of intrigue in this book, and there are barely any GI Joes in it. As the title suggests, it’s mostly about the villains. The first run focused on the Crimson Twins, Tomax and Xamot, and the current story line features Serpentor and– God help us– Cobra-La (here portrayed as the inspiration for a global cult).
These are some of the silliest characters in the history of the property, but when you play them deadly serious, and put them in world that appears to be almost completely realistic, it makes for good reading. It looks like we’ll have a few short stories for the rest of this year until we get to catch up with the excellent undercover story that was left hanging after the first run, but with quality like this, I can wait.
Oh, and not that it needs the publicity, but SCARLET by Bendis and Maleev is off to a bang-up start, as well. Go check that thang out!
Have I driven you all off yet? I’ll write about a rock show or something next time– promise.
NP :: Spoon - “The Mystery Zone”
