2. Velvet #2 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting (Image)
You guys know who Steve Epting is, right? One of the best comics artists in the business right now? Artist of masterworks such as The Winter Soldier, Marvels - and now Velvet. I'll get to the story in a minute but the first thing that'll hit you when you open the comic (after the beautiful cover) is the utterly stunning art on the first page - and every single following page! It's a rainy London night, an obviously wealthy older man is standing on the steps under an umbrella held up by his butler while another man stands, unprotected, under the rain, lighting a cigarette and leaning against a car; streetlights dot the background. Not the most classically beautiful of images, no? No waterfalls or sunsets here. Yet somehow Epting and colourist Elizabeth Breitweiser have turned it into an intensely cinematic scene and do so throughout the issue. So: the story. When we left Velvet Templeton, aka the female James Bond, she was hurtling out of a smashed window, enemies swarming after her. Without going into the many twists and turns that follow this exciting finale and opening scene, we get maybe the best chase sequence in comics all year. Velvet fights her way through a couple of buildings, dodging bullets and bad guys all the while, and leaping from one vehicle to the next. I mentioned Bond - the setup is essentially what if Miss Moneypenny were awesome - well, this issue walks the walk with the Bond comparisons. This is a chase sequence worthy of Bond's greatest. I really liked how Epting showed Velvet's thought processes for how she applies her training to her situation, so you see training manual diagrams of fighting inside a small panel inside the panel she's fighting, or a micro-map of London showing her planning an escape route while forcing her way out of a building. It's an effective way of showing us the inside of the character's mind and brings us closer to her too. Velvet #2 continues an absolutely amazing spy story. Ed Brubaker's on fine form with his lean script while I've already mentioned the art team who're operating on some higher level you rarely see in comics. Velvet is an original and exciting Cold War period spy story and the second issue is a blisteringly thrilling ride. Check this series out if you haven't already, it's easily one of the best of the year!