Marcus Orchard – The Many Deaths of Laila Starr #2
Laila Starr is one of the most unique and beautiful comic books to come out so far this year. Ram V is creating a powerful story full of humor and raw emotion. Filipe Andrade allows for the story to flow flawlessly with art that will move readers. There isn’t anything like this on the stands right now, and anyone needing something different owes it to themselves to read The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.
Ethan Maddux – Nightwing #80
Nightwing has consistently battled for the title of best ongoing DC book, and with #80, it makes a strong case for itself. With fantastic art, character work, and plotting, Nightwing #80 is a tour de force. Taylor’s incredible character work held together by Bruno Redondo’s expert storytelling makes for an issue that I cannot find fault with. Beyond that, the natural integration of Tim Drake into the story makes for some great fanservice, but not the forced and unjustified kind. This book is a delight every single time, and it always manages to one-up itself.
Matthew Dillon – Superman: Red and Blue #3
This miniseries, an out-of-continuity anthology from Superman creatives past, present, and all-new, continues to be the highlight of my pulls. The book showcases the richness of the characters, especially with its “limitations.” When the colorist can only use some variation of Superman’s iconic color palette and the page count is less than a handful, the creatives are left to pinpoint just what makes the character so important. As if that wasn’t enough, we’re even treated to a Michel Fiffe Superman tale. If you’re a fan of the blue boy scout, or especially if you’ve never been sold on him, this is the book for you.
The Trials of Ultraman #3
This series is so much fun. I’ll admit, I was never an Ultraman fan growing up. I barely had any idea the franchise existed until I was nearly twenty. Nevertheless, Kyle Higgins got me hooked with his Rise of Ultraman series and this follow-up has been just as good. This issue had some great kaiju action, the development of a great mystery that started in Rise and some good use of humour throughout. Simply a well-made comic that’s engaging and fun to read.
