Justice Society of America #12 (DC) - In this issue Jakeem Thunder returns and the JSA “reaches out to the next wave of legacy heroes: the new Mr. America, Judomaster, Amazing Man and more!” I think I would like this series much more if the roster didn’t change every three issues and relationships are weren’t manufactured and forced, rather than earned. But in team books like JSA, I seldom look for relationships and more at the juxtaposition of various characters. JSA works because of who the team members are, not necessarily what they do. Kingdom Come Superman just has to be in the book for me to want to read it, and if he doesn’t develop as a character, there are a dozen other people on the team I can turn to.
Abe Sapien: The Drowning #1 (Dark Horse) - Abe Sapien didn’t know who he was. For a decade, Hellboy’s “sidekick” knew only one thing - that he was found in an abandoned lab with the date of Lincoln’s assassination on his chamber. Recently in the spin-off, B.P.R.D., Abe discovered his true origin and since then has been trying to understand his past. This series doesn’t look at this part of Abe’s life, however; instead it focuses on an earlier, solo adventure he embarked upon.
Super Villain Team-Up: MODOK’s 11 TPB (Marvel) - I read this series as it came out monthly. Basically the plot is MODOK seeks to rob a great treasure and he enlists the help of several underrated and often ignored Marvel rouges for the job. Not just an Ocean’s 11 parody, this series was a good change of pace from tie-ins and overly serious books.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #11 (Dark Horse) - This is another single-issue story by Buffy creator Joss Whedon (Firefly, Serenity). These issues are good character studies of the Scoobies, as well as introduce plot and thematic threads that will play out later.
Incognergo HC (DC/Vertigo) - Unlike most books publishers try to pass of as “graphic novels” - this one actually is. Published directly as a hardcover edition, rather as collected individual comics, Incognegro is about “the early 20th Century, when lynchings were commonplace throughout the American South, a few courageous reporters from the North risked their lives to expose these atrocities. They were African-American men who, due to their light skin color, could ‘pass’ among the white folks. They called this dangerous assignment going ‘incognegro.’” Mat Johnson (Hellblazer: Papa Midnite) brings us a story about a period of history many wish to forget.
Matt Knicl: My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.
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Matt Knicl
My name is Matt Knicl. I'm a U of I alumn and one of those unemployed English majors Garrison Keillor likes to make fun of. I've been reading comics since high school and one day I would like to write them. My goal is to expose readers to what is out there in the world of comics and using my English powers, show what is worth reading or not. I can be reached at buzz.comics@gmail.com.