Wednesday's New Things: Justice Isn't Blind, It's a Seven Foot Tall Green Lawyer!


1. This new She-Hulk comic was announced so long ago that I forgot I was waiting for it! Seeing it on the shelves this week will be very exciting. Written by up-and-comer Charles Soule and drawn by the very talented Javier Pulido, you might call this the Hawkeyeing of Jennifer Walters. The truth is that I'm not sure that this book will have that book's appeal; Soule is much less of a known quality than Matt Fraction, Pulido isn't quite the artist that David Aja is, although presumably he draws more quickly, and the main character didn't just appear in the most successful superhero movie of all time. Hopefully, potential readers will see past all that, and the character's dated branding; between what appears to be an honest attempt at a comic book starring a female character, Soule's ability, as a practicing lawyer, to lend credibility to the writing, and Pulido's always welcome retro style, this all new She-Hulk could be both very good and deeply important. I can't find a lettered preview, but you can take a peek at Pulido's unusually spacious art here. 

2. I love the idea of The Mercenary Sea. I mean, the solicit, though vague, just drips with potential: "Action and adventure set in 1938—The South Seas. Japan has invaded China. War in Europe is imminent. Ex-bootlegger Jack Harper captains The Venture, a refitted German U-Boat, with a crew of expats, mercenaries and treasure hunters. They do whatever it takes to stay afloat, often running up against pirates, headhunters, spies, and soldiers. They’re always one step away from the greatest score of their lives...or their certain demise." The rub, though, is in the preview: leaving aside the dialogue, which somehow seems both over- and underwritten, the art seems indebted to the style of the excellent FX cartoon spy show Archer. That kind of broad stroke and colorist driven depth works on television much more than it works here; when you're not distracted by the fact that the lines are moving, they just seem stiff and imprecise. Some of the silhouette work on the third page of the preview seems to avoid these problems, but, although those panels are ok on their own, they're a snoozefest when taken together. 

3. Last week in this space, I wrote about the calculations I make when deciding whether or not to trade wait. In general, I tend to wait for miniseries; moreso than traditional serials, which are often themselves confused about whether or not they are better read in individual issues or trade paperbacks, minis, 99 times out of 100, read better when they're collected. In part, this is because the good mini is so rare; I expect that the vast majority are event tie in comics. Most everything else gets published as a graphic novel, with a few exceptions (Phongram, the initial publishing strategy of Fatale, Casanova, etc). This one, though, ties into to both the fact that CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER hits movie screens in early April and to a storyline currently being set up in Rick Remender's Captain America. By and large, Remender has attempted to stay out of Ed Brubaker's long shadow by avoiding espionage as a theme; unfortunately for him, that's the great genre of the Marvel comic book from the last ten years. It's also the only context in which a Winter Soldier solo comic book really makes any sense. With the movie imminent, Remender is stuck. Given how hit and miss his writing always is, it doesn't really make sense to trade wait this comic book; I want to read it now, I doubt I'll want to return to it later. I don't know what's up with Marvel and unlettered preview, but check out Roland Boschi's serviceable, if not great, art here.

Whole Comics: Claire Connelly


 Read the rest of Claire Connelly's Black Eyes on her site.

Wednesday's New Thing: Ms. Marvel and Teen Loki


1. These two books feel like the big ones this week, particularly in the wake of Gillen and McKelvie's Young Avengers. From the preview, writer Tom Ewing and writer Lee Gabett's new Loki series seems like it's trying a little too hard to fill the space left by its progenitor; in particular, the writing seems a little like Gillen-lite. Still, I think Ewing just needs some time to find his own voice with what has essentially been Gillen's character for the past three or four years, and it will be particularly heartening if Gabett's already decent art, think a less stylized Terry Dodson here, makes a leap. The title's resonances with the silver age Nick Fury comics and the immensely popular film version of the character mean that this is a comic that's going to appeal to all kinds of people, to both comics lifers and the new reader into their LCS off of the street. The other big release this week is G. Willow Wilson's new Ms. Marvel, which famously stars a Muslim teenager. That fact alone is going to bring some people to the character, and will also (unfortunately) drive some people away. This is a book, though, that should stand out on its merits; Wilson is a good writer, and Adrian Alphona is trying some fun and unique stuff with the art. The closest analogue I can think of is Andre Lima Araujo, but the similarities there cease with the thin lines and a vaguely cartoony style. If you only buy two comics this week, I would make it these two.


2. Last week, I wrote about the calculus I use to determine whether or not I should trade wait; in terms of both of these series from Matt Fraction, I think I picked wrong. On the one hand, I wanted to make sure that they didn't get canceled, and so buying the single issues felt like it was important. On the other hand, I have a feeling that both (I haven't actually started Sex Criminals yet, but I have all four issues!) will be improved by a condensed reading experience; I've found certain threads in Satellite Sam hard to follow from month to month. And they would both look great on my bookshelves, one of the major criterions here. I'll definitely be buying this issue of Sex Criminals, but I very well may decide to start trade waiting Satellite Sam, deferring the cost for a nicer product rather than letting a whole 'nother volume waste away in my short boxes. Let's call it a game time decision.



3. Two other books of interest this week: First, Tom Ewing's other book, Mighty Avengers is guest starring Iron Fist, which is generally enough of a reason for me to at least take a peek. This may be the first issue of that series not directly or indirectly tied in with a crossover event. The second book worth looking into is Nathan Edmondson's Punisher. In general, I find that character to be uniquely uncompelling at this point, and so the quality of his comics is even that much more dependent on the quality of the creative team than usual. Greg Rucka's recent run on the character was pretty good, but the art on that series was atrocious and too obviously photoshopped. Edmondson's Black Widow series has been excellent, though, and although artist Mitch Gerads isn't Phil Noto, his art does remind me a little of early Chris Samnee. I'm not sure that the character's move to Los Angeles is really a very big deal, but this might be a book to take a flyer on.

Whole Comics: Jillian Fleck

Jillian Fleck

Jillian Fleck


Read the rest of "I Know Her Name," written and drawn for the Santoro Correspondence Course, at Jillian Fleck's tumblr. 

Process: Osamu Tezuka

Ever wondered how Osamu Tezuka came up with those wonderful backgrounds in works like Phoenix (1967-88) or Buddha (1972-83)? 
Get a chart! By using established background fills, Tezuka could literally call in the artwork to his assistants. He’d simply indicate which numerical value he wanted for each background zone.