Chris’s Pick:

Kick-Ass Premier Hardcover

Kick-Ass has been so well received that it makes me sad to not have a local comic store to support.  Lucky for me issues 1 – 8 are now being published as a hardcover!  Spawned from the greatness that is Mark Millar and John Romita Jr, this takes the super hero genre to a whole new level.  Look for this sweet sweet book this Wednesday!

Mike’s Picks:

Captain America #603

Regardless of the controversy stirred up by last issue’s “Tea Bagger” incident, Captain America has been one of Marvel’s most consistently high quality books (Cap Rebirth non-withstanding) since it was relaunched with Ed Brubaker at the helm a few years back.  Brubaker has found an extremely smart and entertaining way of bringing decades of Cap continuity and characters and bringing them into a realistic modern setting.  This arc is not different with 50’s Cap trying to find a place in the 21st century and picking the wrong crowd.  The art has maintained a consistent feel thanks to the round robin of Steve Epting and Luke Ross, who is on this issue with Butch “Remember when they called me Jackson?” Guice.

Invincible #70

I jumped on this series later in it’s run, but I have to admit, this is some of Robert Kirkman’s best work, second only to The Walking Dead.  Kirkman can be real hit (Invincible, Marvel Zombies) or miss (Wolfman, Ultimate X-Men, Haunt) but when he’s on it’s great fun.  This looks to be the “calm before the storm” issue, with the big Viltrumite war coming in issue #71, so not a bad spot to jump on.  The art on this book is amazing as Ryan Ottley is one of my favorite artists working today and does a great job on this title.

Rob’s Picks:

Joe The Barbarian #2

The second in the amazingly well-received mini-series from Grant Morrison and Sean Murphy. I’m really looking forward to reading through this book, as the first issue had me at “hello.” Says Vertigo: “Formless Deathcoats, Dwarf Pirate Submariners, a Rodent Yojimbo – the wildest imaginings of a young boy become all too real in this breakout epic. Fantasy and reality, death and life, collide in this new must-read series.”

Chase Variant

The cover is what got me on this one. I’m a sucker for Frank Miller-esque females with four arms and a bad attitude. What’s even better? This one’s a one-shot, with no need for me to know ANYTHING about the character or series. Way to go, image – that’s how we get new readers! Continuity is awesome, but I usually wait for the TPB if the story is in the middle when I find a particular book. Make sure to check this one out in the stores this week.

Tyler’s Pick:

Green Lantern #51

It’s time for this gay rainbow flag of cosmic proportions to come to a close and now that the New Guardians (not to be confused with the crummy Marvel title from the 90’s) have gotten their prism of light together and are taking on the Black Lantern behemoth Spectre. Granted, Hal Jordan is being a super space douche again by unleashing Parallax, but its his “Leap before you look” attitude that makes him consistently entertaining- if not groan worthy. I can’t wait to see how the rainbow connection saves the day.

Background:
Mark Millar is sort of the Garth Ennis for the masses, he has that violent streak but merges it with high concepts and after his initial Ultimates run, he is considered the father of wide-screen comic story telling.  Kick-Ass was his attempt, I think, at a more realistic and gritty take on what a kid trying to be a super hero would actually be like (as a mirror image of his 1985 series, which asked what if the comics came into the real world) and started off with a very violent, black humor filled book – but ultimately a plausible version of this idea.  During the long break between issues 5 and 6 and then 7 and 8, I get the feeling that due to the movie being optioned and produced during these hiatuses, the story may have shifted and therefore the last half of the series doesn’t quite feel as fresh and realistic as the beginning.

The Story:
The book begins right where issue 7 left off, with the betrayal by a key character and the reaction by Hit-Girl and Kick-Ass to the beating they took.  This is the revenge issue, no question.  Suffice it to say that colorist Dean White probably had to bring an extra red pen to work on this one.  The bulk of the story is the final battle between our two protagonists and the Genovese crime family and it is a blood bath.  Hit-Girl has the best moments and lines (literally) although there is a call back reference to Kick-Ass that only makes sense if you have recently re-read the first issues again.  After the ‘titans pimp-slap’ (as the cover so adeptly describes the issue) the family, we are abruptly thrown into epilogue mode where I feel the issue, and the overall arc of the story, seem to unravel.  If the goal was to have Dave, Kick-Ass, simply be a punching bag with no real personal growth or lesson learned than the creators have succeeded.  Or like when you call a big guy “tiny”, Millar is going for the ultimate irony where the person called “Kick-Ass” is really everything but.  Still, there may have been a push to make the movie slightly different than the book, or to keep the ending more open and vague so as to satisfy the need for more material if the movie blows up.  Whatever the reason, and I’m sure even if one is given, it will be the party line, ‘Book One’ of Kick-Ass is extremely fun as individual issues, but the overall arc just misses the mark of becoming a classic.

The Artwork:
JR jr. has been around forever, my first exposure to him was on his early Iron Man run back around issue #141, and he has evolved quite a bit since then.  I am honestly a fan of the man’s work, but there is a certain ‘Jack Davis like’ feel to his work when he seems rushed, and I sense he was on the clock here.  Younger readers not used to his style may find it unappealing, but his sketch lines and exaggerated facial expressions fit the pulp feel of this story perfectly.