It's been awhile, new job threw off my reading!
First, here's an image I refuse to explain in any way:
Weekly superhero fare hasn't offered up any new surprises, but DC's Absolute books for their trinity are still a blast; Absolute Superman in particular has Jason Aaron tackling modern topics left and right, probably the freshest Superman take since Grant Morrison's New 52 reboot. It's a small sounding change, but giving Superman a childhood on his doomed world of Krypton makes his urge to save Earth even more apparent, he grew up watching his parents do their best and the systems and powers-that-be couldn't or wouldn't do what it takes to stave off disaster. Also, it has to be said, Jor-El and Lara are finally characters for once and it's great, picture related.
Another fun ongoing is Birds of Prey, with the ongoing friendship between Batgirl and Big Barda being a real treat. The book has been a stunner, visually, but brought in a new artist this week. I was definitely worried, but I shouldn't have been; artist Juann Cabal, with colors from Adriano Lucas, have kept up the excellence. I'm a big sucker for fun and creative panel layouts, so here's a two page treat.
Outside of the Big 2, I've been looking at a few new things. EC Comics is back, apparently? Best known for being the infamous publisher of horror and crime stories that was deemed the primary offender in the Wertham's crusade against comics, there's been some homages in the last year or so. I'm trying out the latest fantasy anthology in that series, Cruel Kingdom. There's 3-4 stories from big name authors and artists in each issue, mostly adhering to the horror-style "ironic bad ending" that EC was known for. Tragically, I came away pretty underwhelmed; with the exception of a fascinating vignette about human astronauts landing in a Middle-Earth knockoff by the exception Al Ewing, most of the stories feel as old as the ones they're drawing on. Nothing new to see here, sadly.
On the other hand, String by writer Paul Tobin and artist Carlos Javier Olivares has been a pleasant surprise. Namgung Yoon-Sook has a unique ability; she sees "strings" coming off of the people around her. Blue strings connect the ones who've slept together, but black strings bind a killer and their victim. While the former has given her an edge in the private detective business, it's the latter that the police consult her on. After being called in to help on a case, Yoon wakes up the next day to find a black string attached to herself, and no clear idea of where the other end connects. Is she about to kill, or be killed? Hell if I know, but the book is fun, sexy, and could probably be adapted into a TV show of some kind in a heartbeat.
I think I'll wrap it up here for the moment, tons of other solid reads out there right now though. I also just re-read the amazing Batman Inc., and I read through a manga series called Kagurabachi that blew me away with the artwork and pacing; the series never settles into a status quo, no "business as usual". It's so rare for an ongoing comic or manga or televesion show to really avoid that, and keep you guessing.
