Holy $#!+, this is a big week for me. I’ve got 7 books showing up in my pull-box this week, and I’m picking up another hardcover collection for my bookshelf.
East of West has been phenomenal since the start, and one of my favorite works by Jonathan Hickman. Hit is a lot of fun and I’d wholeheartedly suggest grabbing it in a collected edition after it ends if you haven’t been getting the singles. Zero has been consistently good, and an interesting experiment in graphic storytelling, with every issue taking place in a different time and drawn by a different artist. Revival seems to have found a rudder again after a few haphazard issues, which I’m glad for. And speaking of being off-course…
Over the first 8 to 10 issues, I was a huge fan of Brian Wood’s The Massive. The post-apocalyptic world that Wood had built was unlike any other I was used to seeing, and the story of the bedraggled crew of the Kapital searching a devastated world for the titular sister-ship felt a lot like Firefly on a boat. Over the last several issues, The Massive feels like it’s lost focus, ambling around off-course and struggling to find the spark that made those first few story arcs so riveting. I’m planning to stick with the book, at least for a while, but it definitely needs to get back on track.
Luckily, being such a big week for me, there are several books I just can’t wait to get into my grubby little paws, starting with…
Black Science #2. Wow. Just… wow. Remender’s newest love-letter to classic science fiction kicked off with a bang last month, and set the stage for what looks to be an epic mixture of Lost In Space and Sliders. And boy, is this book gorgeous. Dean White’s painted art over top of Matteo Scalera’s layouts is a spectacular combination, eliciting feelings of some of the best classic Heavy Metal stories. I can’t say enough good things about this book, and I suggest you get on board while the gettin’s good.
Pretty Deadly #3. I’m going to sound like a broken record over the months if Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios keep up the level of quality they’ve crammed into the first two issues of this book. It’s a story that’s hard to describe, told in a way that’s… hard to describe. It’s just different, and it’s that difference that makes it great. My best suggestion for figuring out what this book is like is for you to go pick it up and read it.
Secret #4. It’s been almost four months since the last issue of Secret came out. I’ve never been able to find a good explanation for the delay, other than perhaps Hickman had overloaded himself with work at Marvel and his creator-owned work. Whatever the reason, I’m glad the book is back, and the Image website lists further issues on track into 2014. I had thought that a huge delay would’ve hampered my interest, but when I saw issue 4 in the lists for this month, all that excitement ramped right back up.
Peter Panzerfaust Deluxe Hardcover. This is a book that wasn’t even on my radar when it came out. It wasn’t until preparing for an interview with Kurtis Weibe at Emerald City Comicon in 2012 that I took notice. At the time the book’s sales were struggling a bit, but shortly after took off and solidified Weibe’s World War II Peter Pan tale as a solid entry in the Image lineup. After reading the first two issues, I’m hooked (no pun intended), and will definitely be picking this one up in hardcover trades.
And on that note, I’m going to introduce the new Honorable Mentions section of this article. If you listen to the Trade Secrets Podcast, you know that I collect a lot of books in hardcover form. For several of them, I don’t get individual issues, making me one of the dastardly “trade waiters” you hear so much vitriol about. So, each week I’ll list some books that I think are great, but that I don’t get in singles.
This week’s Honorable Mentions: Kelly Sue DeConnick’s reboot of a classic Dark Horse hero finally hit’s the stands this month in the form of Ghost #1, Joe Hill’s absolutely amazing Locke & Key comes to its inevitable end with Locke & Key Alpha #2, and Brian K. Vaughn’s award-winning science-fiction fantasy tale continues in Saga #17.
Luke’s Picks for December 18th, 2013: Black Science #2, East of West #8, Hit #4, The Massive #18, Pretty Deadly #3, Revival #16, Secret #4, Zero #4, Peter Panzerfaust Deluxe Hardcover.
Stray Bullets: The Killers #2. Full disclosure: I knew nothing about Stray Bullets prior to its re-launch. With all the hype surrounding it, and several friends recommending it, I bought the Uber Alles Edition sight-unseen. And let me tell you, it’s worth the hype. One of the best, and most influential, crime books around, I wholeheartedly recommend getting into The Killers while it’s young, and picking up the previous run of Stray Bullets however you can. 
Sex Criminals Vol 1: One Weird Trick. What a fantastic book Sex Criminals is, as evidenced by my review of issue #1. A hilarious premise perfectly executed results in one of the funniest, and simultaneously most heartwarming, books on the stands. If you haven’t been reading this in singles, first off what the hell, and secondly go pick up this trade immediately. 
Ms. Marvel #3. Now, I’m not normally one to recommend Big 2 books, as I’m sure you know. After reading the first issue of G. Willow Wilson’s new Ms. Marvel book, though, I can’t help but recommend it. The comics world – especially the Big 2 – needs more books that center around non-white, non-male protagonists. Ms. Marvel does so brilliantly, and hits all the right notes in the process. Everyone should check it out. 
