Comics I’m Picking Up the Week of December 11, 2019

Here are the books I’m looking forward to seeing at my local comic store the week of December 11, 2019.

Red Mother

Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Words/Story: Jeremy Haun
Art/Colors: Danny Luckert

“After losing her eye and the man she loves in a brutal mugging, Daisy McDonough is left trying to put the pieces of her life back together. Just when she begins to think she can heal and move on, she begins to see strange things through her new prosthetic eye. And the Red Mother sees her in return.”

Category: Tried and True Creators

Why I’m Excited: A few years ago when I was getting back into comics after a long time away, I surveyed the landscape of comics and discovered the strange world of The Beauty. I was quickly drawn into the world where people do awful things to be one of the “pretty people,” for even just a little while. The story moved from private detective to buddy hitman drama to sci-fi corporate espionage and a few more tropes woven in for good measure. I loved the wild ride in and am excited to see what new worlds he can conjure. I hope the intended content for issue numbers 30 and 31 will be included when volume 6 is released this coming spring. Now for a super creepy whodunit.

BOOM! Studios

James Bond

Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Words/Story: Vita Ayala, Danny Lore
Art/Colors: Eric Gapstur

“When a priceless piece of art is found to be fake, investigations lead down a rabbit hole of international crime and corruption. But what the hell does James Bond know about the world of art forgery?”

Category: Tried and True Creators

Why I’m Excited: If you gave me a list of corporate IP characters that Vita Ayala would be great for, I could have guessed she’d kill on Xena: Warrior Princess. Maybe I’d have seen myself getting a tear, as I read Age of X-Man: Prisoner X (2019) #5, and the draw of the Valiant Universe is still strong. But 007? That’s what comics are great for: giving a new voice (almost feels like they’ve become a veteran creator, I’ve written up so many projects) the change to do something unexpected.

Dynamite Entertainment

The Mueller Report Illustrated

Publisher: Scribner (Edited by the staff of the Washington Post)
Art/Colors: Jan Feindt

“The Mueller Report Illustrated: The Obstruction Investigation brings to life the findings of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III in his investigation of President Trump’s 2016 campaign in an engaging and illuminating presentation. Deep inside the report is a fly-on-the-wall account of the inner workings of the White House, remarkable in detail and drama. With dialogue taken directly from the report, The Mueller Report Illustrated is a vivid, factually rigorous narrative of a crucial period in Trump’s presidency.”

Category: Library Essentials

Why I’m Excited: For those who have not read the text-only version of the report on 45’s behavior in the White House, or those who just think that sequential art and dialogue balloons are the best way to convey the drama of the scenes depicted. Could this be the definitive work on the investigation into obstruction? It has struck me that even some of the intended audience (and the commissioners of the report) have not read the 200+ pages (both volumes), so maybe this will get them interested in the subject matter the way Secret Coders get kids into computer programming.

Scribner

The Butcher of Paris

Publisher: Dark Horse
Words/Story: Stephanie Phillips
Art/Colors: Dean Kotz

“In 1944, as Swastikas flew over Paris, one of the most notorious and prolific serial killers in history turned the occupied city into his personal hunting ground.

Under the guise of opportunity and freedom, a killer preys on those desperate to flee . . . until a gruesome discovery alerts the police. In a city on the brink of war, the hunt for a serial killer begins as a French detective races to catch the villain before the Nazis beat him to it.”

Category: Return to a Beloved World Full of Compelling Stories

Why I’m Excited: Recently I started watching The Man in the High Castle, and it has reminded me that even Nazis can be interesting characters, or at least strong antagonists. Here’s my money on the possibility that the detectives will need to team up with an an occupation bureaucrat against the greater of two evils.

Dark Horse Comics

Conan: Serpent War

Publisher: Marvel
Words/Story: Jim Zub
Art/Colors: Scot Eaton

“The wrath of the serpent god! Warriors across time defy the elder gods!

James Allison will soon die. But it’s not his first death. He’s lived many lives, in many places—lives he can recall in vivid detail. But when an Elder God called the Wyrm reaches across time to James, an ages-spanning quest begins! The serpent god Set plans to usher in an eternity of darkness, and only the chosen warriors across time and space have a hope of stopping him: Conan the Barbarian, Solomon Kane, Dark Agnes, and the man known as Moon Knight!”

Category: Like They Need My Help

Why I’m Excited: If this era of IP consolidation can’t be used to bring together the archetypes of pulp fantasy (Howard), elemental horror (Lovecraft), and conflicted vigilantes (Moench), what else is it for?

Marvel Comics

Heavy Metal: Savage Sword of Jesus Christ

Publisher: Heavy Metal
Words/Story: Grant Morrison
Art/Colors: Kevin Molen

“During the second World War, the Nazis had attempted to re-brand Christianity, and re-brand Christ specifically. Take him away from the gentle and peace-loving character of the Gospels, and to transform him into a Nordic and brutish and violent Messiah. This epic tale bounces from WWII to the year 27 CE, as Grant Morrison’s controversial and brilliantly written tale breathes new life into the comic medium. Available in softcover and hardcover editions.”

Category: Tried and True Creator

Why I’m Excited: Okay, I’m more intrigued than excited. It has always been the case that religious “marketing” has tried to reach out to people in ways that attempted to relate to them in their current culture. (Many of the traditions of the Christmas festival are repurposed from paganism.) What would a religion of the Third Reich have looked like? I trust that Grant Morrison has an interesting take—and even if only half as fun as his Klaus interpretation of Santa, it should be an interesting read. It’s going on my shelf next to The Newest Testament Presents: The Bible 2. (Note: The cover below is from the magazine the story appeared in originally.)

Heavy Metal

See you at the racks!