Okay, so I completely failed to get a weekly pulls article out last week, so I’m going to include some info on what I picked up on December 4th. Trillium is just over halfway through its run and is some of Jeff Lemire’s best work to date. Suicide Risk isn’t Mike Carey’s best writing (Lucifer still holds that title, for me), but it’s a fun take on superhero stories and it’s gone in a direction I never would’ve seen coming from the early issues.
Six Gun Gorilla ended last week, and what a great original story it’s been. Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely have created a unique sci-fi world in which they’ve set a story that simultaneously comments on consumerism, the evolving nature of entertainment, the detriment of “reality” TV, understanding how we view the world around us, and the cultural importance of stories. It’s a spectacular story wrapped in a weird and sometimes goofy setting that has an odd way of just working, sometimes in spite of itself. If you can’t get ahold of the individual issues, pick this one up as soon as it comes out in trade form. And then there’s…
Velvet. I don’t know how better to describe this book than “WOW”. Ed Brubaker takes his considerable skill at crafting noir stories and applies that energy toward the superspy genre, telling the story of a spy-turned-secretary-who’s-still-a-spy in a classic double-cross storyline. His extensive experience working with Steve Epting works perfectly for this book, and the first issue was one of the best edge-of-your-seat openings to a spy thriller as I’ve encountered in a long time. This is a great mix of James Bond, The Fugitive, and The Bourne Identity, with one of the best female leads in comics right now. Go find the first issue, and then pick up #2 and subscribe.
THIS WEEK I’m picking up a few more books, including one brand new title. Three is an interesting historical tale by Keiron Gillen, set during the decline of Sparta well after the battle of Thermopylae. Uncanny is a fun sort of modern noir tale with a super-powered twist, and one of Dynamite’s best books right now. This week also sees the release of issue 36 of what remains my #1 favorite comic book, Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s The Sixth Gun.
Lazarus, for my money, is one of the best comics on the shelf right now. Greg Rucka does what he does best in creating yet another awesome female lead in Forever Carlyle, a genetically engineered enforcer for a powerful family whose lands form a futuristic fiefdom in a beautifully realized post-apocalyptic tale. Michael Lark’s artwork is the perfect compliment to Rucka’s sci-fi epic, and I find myself anxious for every new issue upon finishing the last. What a great book, and one that everyone should be reading right now.
Dead Body Road is my new venture this week, a brand new title from Luther Strode writer Justin Jordan. The Legend of Luther Strode was one of my favorite mini-series from last year, and when I heard that Jordan was teaming up with Black Science‘s Matteo Scalera to craft an old school revenge tale, I couldn’t have been happier. Sign me up.
Here’s the Diamond Previews list of this week’s NEW RELEASES. Get you to your local shop on Wednesday and pick up some comics!
Luke’s Picks for December 4th, 2013: Trillium #5, Velvet #2, Six Gun Gorilla #6, Suicide Risk #8
Luke’s Picks for December 11th, 2013: Dead Body Road #1, Lazarus #5, The Sixth Gun #36, Three #3, Uncanny #5.
