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I picked up East West 06. It was good, it made a jump from one storyline to the next pretty fluidly. (It could have been awkward or harsh cut) I am excited about the new character introduced and what is next.


Manhattan projects picks up the speed in Issue 14, a welcome pick up from 13, Manhattan Projects is like a boiling pot that goes down to simmer some time and then boils over at other times.

Saga 14 was very good. The ending had a sweet moment (well it had several) but the one I am thinking of involves the salve girl and lying cat and a topic not addressed in comics. Without a splash of blood or a sign of a boob, Saga has lifted the comics media like an adult.

and Fi Fi Staples ... says more in one panel than most artists at DC say in 20 pages. The body language of the characters is fantastic!

Another great new series by Image!

Sex Criminals was utterly fantastic, as Matt Fraction continues to be on a roll. After years of being a writer I found hot & cold, his touch these days seems to produce pure gold. A sex comedy series, it stands out different from everything else on the market, and its enhanced by the fact that its tight writing, great leads, and phenomenal art & color.

Also, I did get Rocket Girl #1 and enjoyed it quite a bit. The writing is a little disjointed but the artwork by Amy Reeder is to die for. It's going to stay on my pull list on artwork alone with the hope that the writing tightens up. It's certainly a great premise: a girl cop from the future travels back in time to solve a mystery; only "back in time" is 1986 and "the future" is now, 2013, but as we imagined it would be in 1986.

And just to show I'm not going to follow anything Image puts out, I wasn't really enamored with Rat Queens #1 and probably won't continue. Kurtis Wiebe is my boy, but the tone, characters and general point of the series aren't doing it for me. I'm already picking up Skullkickers, which covers the fantasy-humor genre quite well.

I bought the first issue of Brubaker & Epting's "Velvet." Review to come tomorrow evening.

Though I wouldn't call myself a major fan of Ed Brubaker (too much dodgy mainstream work from the past few years for that), one thing I've always appreciated about his writing is that he plays it straight. I can read a Brubaker story and not have to grind my teeth at the excessive self-consciousness that passes for irony these days. Of course, the other side of the coin is that he can often fall into the trap of well-crafted writing without any real conviction, as in the aforementioned mainstream work of recent years.

Which brings us to Velvet, Brubaker's first project since taking an indefinite hiatus from the mainstream, and one which reunites him with Steve Epting, one of my favorite artists as well as the artist who drew most of those outstanding early issues of Brubaker's Captain America (He also drew Brubaker's Marvels Project, about which the less said the better. You can't win them all.)

Here, the creative team takes on the spy genre. The story begins in 1973, although it seems like we're going to be leaping all over the place chronologically. The protagonist, Velvet Templeton, is secretary to the director of ARC-7, one of those shady secret agencies beloved of this genre. Velvet is revealed to be full of secrets and surprises, a few of which we learn in this first issue. Brubaker adopts a tone of moral ambiguity where everyone, including Velvet, is guilty until proven innocent. With a literally shattering cliffhanger, this issue ends on a high note and leaves me wanting more. Epting has always been among the most fluid of draftsmen and unobstrusive of storytellers, and his work here is generally up to the high standards he set long ago -- my only complaint would be that, except for the agency's director, most of the male characters look too much alike, though I think the muted-to-the-point-of-murkiness coloring is as much to blame for that as the art. Velvet herself looks great -- Epting has always excelled at drawing women who look like real women, and the understatedly sexy, mature (I'm guessing 40ish), and elegant Velvet is no exception.

Based on the first issue, I would definitely recommend this series to fans of the spy genre, to loyal Brubaker fans, and to the not-so-loyal casual Brubaker fans like myself. Velvet is a reminder that when Brubaker is really cooking, no other modern comics writer can touch him.

Excellent review Fanfie, and by my comments in the "Any Recommendations?" thread you saw my agreement in the high level of quality here. Your comment "Velvet is a reminder that when Brubaker is really cooking, no other modern comics writer can touch him" is dead on, and when he's paired up with a high caliber artist like Steve Epting who he clearly has a connection with, its just magic.

Debuting on the same day was Pretty Deadly which was definitely an interesting read. I would say its very good, and totally "out there" but in a way that I like; however, I caution readers to be aware that its not the easiest comic to understand what's going on. In fact, based on #1 alone, its pretty hard to figure out where this is all going and what this all means. Yet, it's interesting enough in terms of some high concept, interesting characters and fantastic art to get me to try a few more out and see what we've got here.

Thanks, Cobie, for the kind words about my review. I haven't been as excited about a new comic book series in years as I am about "Velvet." Glad you like it, too.

Regarding "Pretty Deadly", I haven't read it (I found the promotional art off-putting and I wasn't impressed by the previous work of either creator), but I am aware that it's getting strong reactions, many of them negative. That almost makes me morbidly curious about it...almost, but not quite.

For what it's worth, I liked it. Hard to describe, but I certainly didn't see anything to provoke the reactions you speak of... especially not that of the jerk store owner who tore a copy in half. I've preordered it through the first arc at least.

Velvet was awesome. It's what I liked about Bru and Epting's Cap run without the capes. Definite keeper.

Did anyone check out the first issue of DRUMHELLAR (originally Strangeways)? Art and story by Riley Rossmo(GREEN WAKE artist), script by Alex Link (never heard of)... Very offbeat. Drum Hellar is a "psychedelic detective", one of his exes is dating a werewolf (ANOTHER ex )... The splash page is of Drum in a bathrobe holding a golf club aloft during a thunderstorm. I don't know if I can recommend this, but it's definitely different/trippy/OUT THERE... I'll check out the rest of the arc in the first trade.

Just read Drumhellar last night. Out there, as Pov says, but not so much as to be a self-indulgent drug trip. Lots of paranormal goodness and mesmerizing colours when Drum's spirit leaves his body. The first comic I've read with a aggrieved naturopath ex-girlfriend, a bisexual werewolf and a spirit sidekick that looks like a stuffed teddy bear. It appears that the golf club is a constant companion as well - magic wand, walking stick, defensive weapon, channel to other worlds? Many compelling mysteries to be revealed in future issues.

Velvet - superb! Possibly another first - a mature woman, not old, like Roxie in Mieville's Dial H, but well past the Charlie's Angels babe stage - who re-enters the special agent field after years in the office. And what a spy she must be to have fooled all those men for all those years.... Looks like yet another Brubaker hit.

Drumhellar must have fallen below my radar. I'm a big fan of Rossmo though, especially after the phenomenal Debris and aforementioned Green Wake, and he's talented enough to get me to sample anything.

Yay! More Velvet love, from Pov and FC. And to paraphrase what FC said, Velvet Templeton is a rarity in comics: a mature female protagonist.

I may or may not check out Drumhellar. Werewolves -- with the exceptions of Rahne Sinclair, Fangface, and the one from Drak Pack whose name escapes me right now -- tend to creep me out.

Peter Panzerfaust #1; or...Dev is late to the party again.

Just found a dollar copy of the first issue (as well as a few other series that I'll get to soon (Mind the Gap and Thief of Thieves).

Well, Peter Pan in WWII. Interesting set up for the lost boys and their meeting with Peter. Like the twists on the characters and nods to things we all know and love about the original story...at least the Disney version anyway.

Sets up what you need to know and it intrigues me enough to check into the first trade...not bad for a dollar.

Velvet #2 is a real sizzler, with a lot more action than the first issue, and yet another climactic plot twist that makes the reader gasp. Epting, of course, is up to the challenge, having always been equally good at both characterization and action. And there's even an apology and an explanation from the creators regarding the issue's lateness.

^ total agreement on the level of sizzle and thrill of Velvet #2. It just doesn't get any better when it comes to action meets intrigue meets character meets mood. I predict by #6 this is a firm contender for best series.

I hope your prediction is right, Cobie.

I think if it makes it past 12 issues, Velvet should then graduate to its own thread.

A coupla reviews of recent Image books with "sex" in the title.....

1) Sex. So this Joe Casey-written book is described as what happens in a hero's life after he hangs up his cowl. The premise is that Simon Cooke, who was a very Batman-like crusader called the Armored Saint, was so driven in his mission that he basically had no social life. Like Bruce Wayne, the true mask was the billionaire socialite persona. The turning point happens when someone close to him and crucial to his crusade dies and makes him promise to basically get a life.

So the book's title and its premise seems to point to Simon finally discovering an aspect of life he previously had no time for. Of course, even seven issues in, he still hasn't really given in and is finding it difficult to give up his vigilante instincts and just relax, especially as the city's criminal element begins to fill in the void that the Armored Saint's disappearance has left.

And, really, the book seems more about this void and how various characters are adjusting to life without the Saint. As Casey says in his lettercol, the story evolved into something else as he wrote it.

After seven issues, I'm on the fence about it. The big problem is that the book has a very deliberate pace. So many characters are bouncing around with their own agendas that it's hard to keep track of them all, plus each is advanced minimally, if hardly at all, each issue. Often you just don't know if things are going anywhere and what the point of it all might be.

Of course, each issue generally has one or two explicit sex scenes. This shouldn't surprise anyone picking a book with this title up. But many of the scenes serve little purpose other than to titillate...or even disgust (There's an elderly crime lord who gets his rocks off in several scenes. ). Full disclosure, I'm not exactly against scenes like these in books at all, but when you have a glacierly pace such as this book's, it would seem some of these scenes could have been used to move the story along a little further.

I'm also not a fan of the lettering style used here. The letterer highlights several words for emphasis in each and every
word balloon. I've never been a fan of that kind of thing and alternating pink, yellow, blue and green highlights gets really old. It's so distracting, I'm tempted to not recommend this book based solely on that element.

On the plus side, the art by Piotr Kowalski is very clean and appealing. He's really talented with a style that recalls Sean Phillips and Michael Lark in a similar vein.

I dunno. I might be done with this book after I get to issue 8. Reading my comments, it sure seems like I have a lot more negative to say about it than positive. But there's certainly potential in the tapestry Casey lays out here that makes me leave the window open. I'd say that if the characters were a little less ambiguous and more relatable, it would be more of a slam dunk, even with that pace. As is, it's difficult to recommend, even for fans looking for little more than some T&A.

2) Sex Criminals. Now, THIS is more like it! Matt Fraction brings the indie sensibility that so many fans have dug in his run on Hawkeye to a book that he can really let loose on! I read the first issue just the other day and was completely blown away by probably the best debut since Saga.

We have here an unusual premise: Suzie discovers that she can literally stop time when she has an orgasm! When she meets and falls for John, who has the same ability, the two use their skill to rob banks!

Yeah, it sounds juvenile, and certainly, it is to an extent. But what really struck me about the excellent debut issue was how Suzie discovering this about herself really echoes and rings true to the awkwardness everyone has growing up and discovering their sexuality. How many of us look back and snicker at our own misadventures going thru puberty? What Fraction captures so well in his script is that awkwardness and underlying truth as Suzie narrates how she discovered this ability, and we find much to recognize among all the familiar relationships and scenarios on some level along the way.

It's basically, like Hawkeye is on some level, a humor book. It's funny but also completely endearing along the way. Suzie and her experiences are so relatable and realistic that the "out-there" part of the premise is pretty easily acceptable. If a character feels real to me in a comic book, you've pretty much won me over as a reader, and Fraction wins very well on that level.

As awesome as the script is, Chip Zdarsky on art really is just spot-on perfect. He has an expressive, cartoony style that brings Fraction's script to life better than I could possibly imagine any "known" artist doing. Just like Guillory on Chew and Staples on Saga, I can't imagine any other artist drawing this, even though, as in the former two cases, I'd never seen or heard of their work previously. And the colors (which Zarsky participates in) are so vibrant and alive, that it just compliments the art to a tee. It's absolutely perfect in my opinion.

So I haven't read my copies of issues 2 and 3 yet, so I can't speak to how well the quality of the debut is carried through, but I very much look forward to reading them. If they're even half as good as issue one, I'll be one satisfied reader!


So, as often with real life, one "sex"-ual experience was disappointing and another completely satisfying!

Sex Criminals has gotten better and better with each issue, and is another series quickly rising to best of the best levels. Fraction has really delivered two fully realized , likeable, realistic leads here and has me captivated. I can't wait to see how this awesomely real relationship grows.

Meanwhile, I sampled " Sex" for two issues but didn't come back. It felt a bit flat for me. I find most of Joe Casey's work hard to get into.

Wow, it gets even BETTER?!?! Sha-ZAM!!!

Image are going to be releasing more Stray Bullets from David Lapham. I'll need to dig out the back issues, but I bought it faithfully enough at the time. There are four issues free digitally, if you want to test the water.

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2013/12...ch-first-four-issues-free-digitally-now/

Stray Bullets #4 remains the most unnerving comic I've ever read.

ooooh tease. Now I'll have to read it this weekend. It's been too long since I've read it for me to remember.:)

Picked up my Stray Bullets... along with DC's Outcasts. Anyone remember them?

Don't remember the Outcasts other than the covers. But can't wait for the Stray Bullets reviews!