The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: May 13 – 19, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 8 comics last week: Convergence #6, Secret Wars #2, Darth Vader #5,  Convergence: Shadow of the Bat #2, Convergence: Superman: Man of Steel #2, Convergence: Justice League International #2, Chrononauts #3 and Star Trek #45.

The best comic I read last week was Darth Vader #5

I was skeptical about my own personal enjoyment of a Darth Vader centered title. It’s not that I don’t like Vader, I just find him kind of one-note, especially in this post-New Hope, pre-Empire Strikes Back era in which the book takes place. I also haven’t loved books by Kieron Gillan who writes this one.

But I do like Salvador LaRocca and his photo realistic art has always appealed to me. I like that he “casts” an actor in the leads of his comics… like he did with Josh Holloway in Iron Man a few years back. Frankly, I think he’d be terrific on the main Star Wars title. I have liked him since his early work. I know he’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but I think he’s really good. His style is perfectly suited here.

The story is really well done, too. Vader has discovered, in the wake of the Death Star Debacle, that the Emperor isn’t any more forgiving of his failures than Vader himself is of those around him and, while the Emperor hasn’t outright killed the Lord of the Sith, he’s making Vader’s life very difficult. Vader’s death is around any corner and he has only his skills, a pseudo-apprentice (the very George Lucas-y named Doctor Aphra) and two murder-bots for company.

It’s all the company he needs.

Gillan is writing a compelling narrative in this first arc, not only invoking the original trilogy, but bringing in appropriate elements from the prequels to populate his story. There is tension that is driven by plot and that is something hard to accomplish with a story-line who’s conclusion is already written.

Darth Vader is a fun book, a great read and a worthy addition to the Star Wars mythos.

The Best Sequential Art I Read Last Week: April 15 – 22, 2015

I am a comic book collector and happy to be one. I might say “proud” if I hadn’t, over a year ago, switched to reading digital as opposed to print comics. I feel a bit robbed of the tactile sensations of the hobby – of the turn of the page, the sneaking look to the panel a page over, the bagging and shorting and stacking and filing. Though I read my comics in a different medium than I used to, I still treat each Wednesday (comic book delivery day to specialty shops around the country) as different from the other days of the week. I subscribe and now, rather than go to the comic store to be handed the books pulled for my “Hold Slot,” I click a button on my iPad and watch them download.

Then I read them.

Rare is the week that I don’t read them all between Wednesdays and some weeks I have, well… let’s just say more comic books in my digital downloads than a grown man should. Comic book legend Will Eisner (creator of The Spirit) is one of the most influential men even to put pencil to drawing board in the pursuit of making comics. So influential was he that the industry awards (think the Oscars or the Emmys or the Grammys) are named The Eisner Awards. He called comic books “sequential art,” perhaps because he became embarrassed by his profession when he had to admit what he did for a living. This is my weekly reaction to the comics I read.

I read 6 comics last week: Convergence #2, Star Trek #44,  Convergence: Shadow of the Bat #1, Convergence: Justice League International #1, Convergence: Man of Steel #1 and Uncanny X-Men #33. Oh, and I bought a crazily low-priced collection of 8 comics for $4.99 from comixology.com Daredevil: Guardian Devil.

The best comic I read last week was Daredevil: Guardian Devil

This was a really bad week for new comics. I really, really am not enjoying Convergence, the DC Comics event of the year that is supposed to… well, never mind. It doesn’t matter what it’s supposed to do. It’s not doing anything for me. What would be impressive is if I stopped reading it and its tie-in issues.

We’ll see what my will power is tomorrow.

Convergence wasn’t good. Uncanny X-Men was okay, but not great. Star Trek was passable.

But Guardian Devil? Perfect.

This is a little unfair of a choice. I read this book in monthly format when it was published in the last 1990s and I remember it being very good. It was on sale because of the Netflix Daredevil series – which is very good, too, by-the-way. Kevin Smith writes, Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti draw and the character Daredevil reaches new heights. This is a terrific book which set the standard for great comics for Marvel for years to follow. Read it if you get the chance.