December 29th, 2021
Caroline's Picks:
Stray Dogs Dog Days #1 - Trish and Tony are back to make your emotions spiral out of control over some cartoon dogs. This time we’re learning more about the first iteration of dogs to be ‘rescued’ by the master. Each dog in this issue is given a little vignette, around 5 pages, some show their lives with their original owners and some after, a few even show how the dogs reacted during the event of being taken themselves but each story definitely makes the ending of the first volume that much more impactful and painful. We see Killer, Gucci, Aldo, Other Henry, Imogene and Roxanne. Grab your tissues and cuddle up with your pets for this story because it is a constant tug on the heartstrings. With just one more issue to go before the Stray Dogs series is concluded now is the time to grab the trade to catch up!
Batman: One Dark Knight #1 - It’s another dark and brooding night in Gotham and Batman (with the help of Alfred of course) is already hard at work. Edward M Pressler (a.k.a. E.M.P) is being moved from Arkham Asylum to a specially made cell just for him at Blackgate Prison. Meanwhile Commissioner Gordon and Rita Vasquez, the now Head of the Prison Bureau of Gotham City, are in their own battle for the night. Both want E.M.P. contained safely but they strongly disagree on the location and necessity of this transition. And as if on cue E.M.P. is broken out of his transport, it was technically an attempted assassination but a jailbreak will work for him. Now it’s up to Batman to try and catch E.M.P. before he can hurt anyone or himself, but the Z-Boys are going to do everything in their power to take the madman out.
Instructions for Making a Proper Offering to Forgotten Gods #1 - Something that feels right out of a homebrew D&D campaign, this book is a great mix of fantasy, magic, adventure, and some whimsical side quests teased. We join the hero of the story as he returns to the home of the witch who often guides him and gives his fortune to figure out where he is needed (half of the time she seems legit and the other half I'm thinking she’s full of BS). Janek then heads into town looking for some snacks but he finds some trouble instead, it seems as though he constantly spends his days stopping thieves. Meanwhile the local Prince is up to no good: he’s been digging for an ancient artifact of legend said to contain immense power. Now we have to wait and see how exactly he intends to unleash it on the world. And will anyone be able to stop it?
Apache Delivery Service #1 - Duong is a Native American of the Najavo tribe, he’s a member of the US armed forces serving in the Vietnam War. A professional tracker by passion he is well trained for the job of stalking Vietcong members in the forests and calling down air raids on then, his fellow soldiers call this the ‘Apache Delivery Service’. Duong is devoted to his work, he simply wants to get as much done as possible before he is sent back to the States. One evening a hunt goes very wrong, Duong finds something rather disturbing and winds up caught in a trap himself. Now he is faced with a proposition: he will be set free, in exchange for helping a crazy man find some Nazi gold.
Diarra's Picks:
Stray Dogs: Dog Days #1 - I’m so glad there is more Stray Dogs content. The original 5-part series, Stray Dogs, was such a hit we couldn’t keep covers on the shelf! Between the sick puppy-fied horror variants and the gripping story itself, there is no wonder there are talks about a movie adaptation. The original series is about a serial killer who keeps the dogs of his victims. Most of the dogs have been there so long, they’ve forgotten their old owners, but when a new pup moves in the past is aroused. In this series we get so know the doggos a little better, and what life was like before the murders! As a former artist for My Little Pony, Tony Fleecs knows how to draw adorable, four legged friends, but don’t let the art fool you, this is not a family friendly series!
Apache Delivery Service #1 - This looks like it’s going to be another Matt Kindt hit! Sobrat is a Native American whose been recruited due his hunting/tracking skills to fight in the Vietnam war. He is great at what he does, but is still treated like shit for not being a white person. Sobrat’s only moments of peace from war and racist taunts are trips into the jungle alone. On his most recent trip out he gets caught in a trap, but is rescued by a gent who needs his skills. He is on the hunt for hidden Nazi gold, and believes Sobrat’s skills will be perfect for the job. But it looks like their are even more secrets in this jungle! This book goes from historical, to a heist, all the way to horror, and I’m definitely putting this one on my pull!
Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1 - Only a small fraction of humanity remains, those left live on hilltops, counting the days until another flood. The Green, the Red, and the Rot are over humans completely and decide to wipe them out once and for all. They create a murder machine and once loose, does just that. In a panic, a town elder seeks help from a local that otherwise is avoided, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Turns out this local outcast is a familiar face (plus a couple years). He knows exactly who to call to fight this beast, and he is the only one who can call! With only three issues in the series, I know each issue will be jam packed.
Stone's Picks:
Timeless #1 - After coming off that recent Kang the conqueror mini-series I had though this was an expansion upon that similar to how the Maestro comics have been doing. While not quite a direct continuation of that story it feels like a good transition for what’s coming for the future of the character. This seems like the title that Marvel is using to give a glimpse at the future of the Marvel universe. You get to see possible futures for certain characters as well as the possibility of some new team-ups. Jed MacKay has been all over the place lately and it seems, with good reason. He’s been killing it on things like Moon Knight and Death of Doctor Strange, so it’s no wonder I’ve been seeing his name everywhere recently. This was just a good, solid read.
Devils Reign #2 - Fisk's plans are progressing as he has the heroes on the defense. The second issue holds up and delivers a mix of action and things to mull over as the event continues. One thing I like is that it’s not some landscape changing event. Everything else recently has seemed like it’s so important to the future of the Marvel universe, but this is just some street level villainy with the big event treatment. There are those who probably don’t care to give this event a shot because it seems played out with everything involving a superhuman registration-act kind of scenario. Repetition is inevitable in an industry spanning 90+ years, but with this it feels different because of everything going on with our own politics in years past. Definite parallels to be made.
Swamp Thing: Green Hell #1 - The Avatar of the Green shows off his monstrous side. In a bleak future that we seem to be inching toward, the last of humanity fights for survival on top of a mountain top surrounded by endless seas. The Parliament believe it is time for humanity to end and summon a horrific monster to this world. If only they were someone who knew exactly what that monster were capable of! This was a great first issue that delivers on the horror, blood and guts. Lemire does well at presenting a foreboding future that for some reason can’t help but have you root for the demise of humanity.