goran parlov

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good this week

starlight #4 : mark millar, discarding the profanity and shock tactics he has fallen back on for most of the last decade, teams with a spot-on goran parlov to deliver this charming, human space fantasy. this issue sports an all too rare appearance from travis charest on the cover.

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she-hulk #5 : ron wimberly steps in on art duties here and stretches and warps things to perfection, aided by some fine coloring from rico renzi. this book is on a roll.

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lumberjanes #3 : i love the fact that this book brings new faces into the store on a regular basis. we need more books like this!

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manifest destiny #7 : amidst a slew of hit IMAGE books this qusi-historical monster romp flies under the radar somewhat. lots of fun, with gorgeous color work from owen gieni and rising star linework by matthew roberts.

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witzend : wally wood’s self-published anthology collected in its entirety in a fantastic slipcase edition.

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–chris stevens

 

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good this week

starlight #2 : issue #1 was no fluke–this book is flat-out fun, and drop dead gorgeous to look at thanks to goran parlov. this looks like it’s going to be a real fun ride.

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judge dredd mega city two #3 : there’s a spread in here that’s worth the $4 all on its own. sorry, geoff darrow.

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elephantmen #55 : wrapping up a hallucinatory storyline that got us deeper into the proceedings than ever.

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copra #13 : michel fiffe revs up season two. yee haw!

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pretty deadly #5 : wrapping up the first arc, this series has been beautiful, impenetrable, and compelling, often all at once. look out for the upcoming trade, this one’s a keeper.

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batman by doug moench and kelley jones vol. #1 : the current bat team of snyder & capullo gets a lot of praise, and the bat is riding high on the sales charts. hopefully some of those fans will turn on to this incredible collection of one of the finest creative teams ever to work in gotham. doug moench had a long and successful history with the character before kelley jones, coming off the famous ‘season of mists’ SANDMAN storyline, took over art chores. the rest is history. jones’ muscular, shadowy portrayal of batman and his world, ably abetted by inker john beatty, is unforgettable. snarling, snapping, this is a batman where there is no daylight.

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–chris stevens

And I’ve got to add…

She-Hulk #3 : Charles Soule, Javier Pulido, and Muntsa Vicente continue their charming and beautiful take on the lady lawyer — this time bringing in Doc Doom’s wonderfully perfect son Kristoff as client and foil (and potential love interest?). Everything about this book puts a smile on my face, up to and including Kevin Wada’s covers.

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– Andrew Carl

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The Locust Moon Top 40: March 2014

40. DESTINO

This is what it looks like when Walt Disney and Salvador Dali sort of collaborate. Sure makes you wonder what could have come of a deeper partnership.

39. BASEWOOD

Another delicious fruit of the Kickstarter era. Never before would a work as personal and idiosyncratic as Alec Longstreth’s BASEWOOD have seen publication in such a beautifully produced oversized edition, a handsomely made book containing a flawlessly cartooned story of loss, survival and connection.

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38. GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL

OK, so none of us have actually gotten around to seeing it yet. But we’re so happy to have more Wes Anderson in the world that we’re listing it anyway.

37. MONSTERS & TITANS – the BATTLING BOY art book

Finally, we can see BATTLING BOY artwork the way it deserves to be seen: BIG.

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36. This Terrifying Short Film

Watch if you’re sick of sleeping, and would prefer never to do it again.

35. New Wu Tang Album

They are pressing one single copy of their new double album, which will be sold to the highest bidder. Something tells me we won’t end up finding this one for $3 in the bargain bin of the Princeton Record Exchange, like we did with 36 Chambers in 1997.

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Continue reading →

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good this week

moon knight #1 : warren ellis steps in with a fresh take on a difficult character, and declan shalvey takes his game to a new level with killer pacing, characterizations, and design. and a swanky new look for our crazy hero.

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turok #2 : this is an inventive new spin on a classic character, with sensitive, imaginative writing from greg pak and fine art from mirko colak.

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batman/superman annual #1 : a straight forward superhero romp graced by the exquisite art of jae lee and june chung.

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uncanny x-men #18 : marco rudy, fresh off a bang up stint on marvel knights spider-man, weaves and winds through this issue with some of the most interesting layouts in a long time.

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afterlife with archie #4 : a powerful issue that hits you with a punch. this book is just getting better, somehow.

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jupiter’s legacy #4 : the best issue of this series so far, with some enjoyable character moments and peak frank quitely art.

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she hulk #2 : the first issue was no fluke. charles soule and javier pulido (and THE PRIVATE EYE’s muntsa vicente!) are on to something special here.

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starlight #1 : i hope this is the breakout book goran parlov so richly deserves. this is a gorgeous comic with impeccable design and storytelling on parlov’s part, and mark millar has a fun concept lined up.

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wolverine and the x-men #1 : summer school kicks off at the jean grey school, and the kids are in good hands with jason latour, who slides right into jason aaron’s place with enough of his own voice to make things feel fresh, and mahmud asrar, who’s come a long way from his digital webbing days.

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velvet #4 : top-notch spy thriller from brubaker and epting. this series is really finding its groove.

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trillium #7 : we’re nearing the end of this fantastic mini series.

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–chris stevens