This Week In Comics: 14/09/11 - Batman & Robin, Batwoman, Buffy!
This Week In Comics is exactly what it says on the cover. This is the place where every week, four reviewers on WhatCulture! give their recommended reading list for comics seeing release that week. TWIC will be updated every Tuesday and on every Wednesday where links to reviews will be added.
This Week In Comics is exactly what it says on the cover. This is the place where every week, four reviewers on WhatCulture! give their recommended reading list for comics seeing release that week. TWIC will be updated every Tuesday and on every Wednesday where links to reviews will be added. =============================================================================
Jamies Picks
Book: Batman & Robin #1 Written By: Peter J. Tomasi Art By: Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 After having an incredibly short crack at on the book, Peter J. Tomasi has left readers desperate for the next step in his Batman & Robin plans. If his earlier three issue arc on the book (Tree of Blood) is anything to go by, this book is going to have a perfect blend of the more out there concepts seen in recent (Morrison) Batman stories while and the dark and brooding tone you may expect from the more classic style of Batman story. From a story standpoint alone this is worth a look, Bruce is back as The Batman in Gotham and for the first time in a series, he will be working alongside the latest Robin: his son Damian. Yes new readers, Batman has a son, and he is a-maz-ing. Give this book a go guys, you wont regret it. Book: Demon Knights #1 Written By: Paul Cornell Art By: Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 We are now in week three of DCs New 52 initiative and about to bare witness to something a bit different over at DC. Last year, writer Paul Cornell wrote the fantastic mini series Knight & Squire which was set in the mostly untouched English DCU, Cornell had almost limitless control of his surroundings and supporting characters. Well DC have done it again. Demon Knights #1 is set in the untouched Dark Ages of the DCU. It follows the story of Madame Xanadu, Jason Blood/Etrigan and a handful of new characters created by Cornell himself. The group find themselves in a small village wanting only a place to rest for the night that happens to be on the brink of destruction by barbarians. With no one else to defend it, the group soon realise it is up to them so defend everyone, even if they dont want to. If you want something different this week pick up a copy. 
Book: PunisherMAX #17 Written By: Jason Aaron Art By: Steve Dillon Publisher: Marvel Comics Price: $3.99 Pages: 32 Since Jason Aaron & Steve Dillon rebooted the PunisherMAX series almost two years ago, it has been consistently pumping out amazing story after amazing story. We are now in the forth arc of Aaron & Dillons run and this is a perfect jumping on point for new readers After breaking out of prison in issue #16 Frank finds himself at his lowest point. With his entire catalogue of weapons gone and his cash flow cut, The Punisher (in his late 50s no less) will now have to get very inventive with the little tools he has at his disposal as he seeks revenge from the man responsible The Kingpin of Crime. PunisherMAX is one of the few times I will pay $3.99 for a monthly series, it is simply that good. In the pocket MAX universe this book resides in, Frank is not tied down by company wide events and is left to roam free and simply tell amazing stories. ============================================================================= Johns Picks
Book: Mister Terrific #1 Written By: Eric Wallace Art By: Gianluca Gugliotta Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 The new adventures of former Justice Society chairman and worlds third-smartest man Michael Holt tackles rogue technology and science gone mad as the head of his own technological enterprise and as alter ego Mister Terrific. When a lesser known hero is given their own solo series, its often a great chance to watch creative teams craft their own corner of the established superhero universe. Eschewing Metropolis and Gotham for the real world of Los Angeles, Mister Terrific offers a more hi-tech and high action science fiction story with the writers promising that things will get cosmic before too long. It will be interesting to see how DCs re-launch will have changed Holts character history but also offers new readers the perfect jumping on point for a different kind of superhero.
Book: The Unwritten #29 Written By: Mike Carey Art By: Peter Gross Publisher: DC Vertigo Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 The On To Genesis arc continues as Tom Taylors quest to discover if his entire life is a work of fiction leads him to his fathers involvement with the creator of a Golden Age Superhero. This series continues to enthral with its premise that fiction is a conspiracy used to control human consciousness. As the shady cabal controlling the story struggles to cope with the unexpected popularity of pulp adventures in the 1930s, in the present day Tom Taylor discovers just how much blood is on his murdered fathers hands as timelines crash together. A modern classic. 
Book: Batwoman #1 Written By: JH Williams III & W. Haden Blackman Art By: JH Williams III Publisher: DC Comics Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 With any furore about Batwomans sexuality now in the past, our focus can be where it should be on the stories and the storytelling. Following on from Greg Rucka and JH Williams III visually and narratively sublime Batwoman-centric run on Detective Comics, JH Williams III now takes on co-writing duties for a new ongoing series. While there are a good dozen Bat titles in DCs New 52 line-up, the tales of Kate Kane/Batwoman have always had their own more haunting tone that simultaneously compliment and stand apart from the other Gotham vigilantes. It will be interesting to see if the DC relaunch continues Kates relationship with former Gotham City Police Detective Renee Montoya (currently missing from the New 52) but, either way, Batwoman has mysterious child abductions, a potential new sidekick and the unwanted attention of a government agency to keep her occupied. ============================================================================= Deans Picks
Book: Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 9 #1 Written By: Andrew Chambliss Art By: Georges Jeanty Publisher: Dark Horse Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 After the earth shattering events of Season 8, which left the world cut off from magic and Giles dead at the hands of a Twilight-possessed Angel, Buffy returns to comics with an all-new season that promises a much more 'back to basics' approach rather than the over-the-top, action orientated Season 8. It might not boast Whedon as the sole writing credit, with Dollhouse writer Andrew Chambliss working from Joss' outline, but if the previews are anything to go by then this should be more in line with the feel of the show- with a more centred focus on the relationships and the characters. Also, with the Angel franchise back under the Dark Horse banner, this should be the most complete version of the Buffyverse yet seen in comics. The fact that it has fan-favourite writer Georges Jeanty back on art doesn't hurt either.
Book: Severed #2 Written By: Scott Snyder & Scot Turf Art By: Attila Futaki Publisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99 Pages: 32 There isn't any other book out there like Severed. Besides the utterly gorgeous artwork, this mini-series is absolutely horrible- a sense of dread permeates every panel. It's classic old school horror- with the emphasis on the characters and how the things that go bump in the night affect them on a personal level, rather than cheap thrills and gore. After last issue's stunning cliffhanger (it's behind you!) I'm eager to find out where this tale is going. And the best part? We're still only on issue 2, with plenty more to come before this unique story wraps. Book: Scalped #52 Art By: R.M. Guera Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo Price: $2.99 Pages: 32 This Series has been consistently amazing since the start and now the series ending at #60, all the disparate plot threads that have been building over the years are beginning to crash into each other with devastating consequences. There really is that feeling that anything could happen- no character is safe, and nothing is off limits. No book hits harder than Scalped and you can bet the finale will pack one hell of a punch. ============================================================================= Ryan's Picks
Book: Infinite #2 Written By: Robert Kirkman Art By: Rob Liefeld Publisher: Image Comics Price: $2.99Pages: 32 A few years ago I read a huge interview with Robert Kirkman in TCJ and since then Ive read everything the mans been involved with, without question. However when a comic with him and Rob Liefeld was announced I had to dig deep, Ive never been a huge fan of his stylised musclemen. Yet with this sci-fi soldier book his art fits, Im still not a convert but you wont hear be raging across message boards unlike so many comic fans. When boiled down to its most basic concept its about a soldier from the future who travels back in time to enlist the service of his younger self. From that however weve been introduced to a new take on time travel that seems to be working to ignore and fight against all of its established rules. The first issue may have been slow, but there is huge potential for the story in these pages. 
Book: 27 Second Set #1 (of 4) Written By: Charles Soule Art By: Renzo PodestaPublisher: Image Comics Price: $3.99Pages: 32 We all know the 27 Club, its claimed some of our most promising musicians. Charles Soules comic tells the story of the fictional musician Will Garland and his battle to make it to 28. Back in it's 'First Set' he made a deal to fix his broken fret hand that left him with a chest implant that grants him three hours of pure creativity when activated. However, as all these deals go, it has a catch. It can only be used 27 times and with its final use, he will die. The comic is a love letter to rock and roll that's filled to the brim with a deep understanding of the history of the musicians associated with the 27 Club. This promises to be more of the same but with more action and a faster pace than the stories opening four issues. Book: Optic Nerve #12 Written By: Adrian Tomine Art By: Adrian Tomine Publisher: Drawn & Quarterly Price: $5.99Pages: 40 Optic Nerve is one of the most important indie comics out there. This issue has been a long time coming, almost too long. While normally a year between issues, its last came out way back in 2007. Dont hesitate about picking it up if youve never read an issue before though, there is no sequential story to catch up on here. Optic Nerve is a series of short stories, for the first time in full colour, which will play on your emotions whatever their tone. Its creator Adrian Tomine sits up there with Daniel Clowes and Chris Ware in my eyes. They are some of the most important auteurs currently creating comics and all of their books are causes for celebration when they hit our stands. Its nice to have something truly original to celebrate in a week of yet more superhero reboots and restarts.