Mark and I thought it would be fun to start a weekly post where we recommend the best of our reading lists. If you guys are reading anything we aren't, we would also love for you to comment and tell us about it. We need suggestions for more reading material anyway!
This first post will include last week's comics as well as well as what we're planning on reading this weekend (since we didn't have a chance to read new releases yet).
Starting next week, we'll also include some economics writings too!
Comics From Last Week
Chew #6 by John Layman Rob Guillory
Tony Chu is a cibopath. That means he gets psychic impressions from anything he eats. If he eats a hamburger, he can tell you the origin of the meat. Meanwhile, a bird flu epidemic has caused a nationwide scare prompting the government to expand the regulatory powers of the Food and Drug Administration and ban the wholesale of chicken. See our previous posts on Chew here and here.
Criminal: The Sinners #2 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips
Anyone, comic or non-comic fan, who isn't reading Criminal by now is really missing out. For fans of the pulp, crime-noir genre, this book is absolutely critical. Not to mention, Criminal: The Sinners #1 is a great jumping-on point for new readers. Each arc in the title if relatively self-contained (albeit having minor parallels with other arcs).
Invincible Iron Man #20 by Matt Fraction and Salvador Laroca
This is probably my favorite superhero book out right now. Tony Stark has been ousted from his position at Stark Industries and is on the run from Norman Osborn. It would appear from the last issue that Norman has finally beaten him. But with the start of this new arc, we're in for a treat. Matt Fraction continues to weave an incredibly intricate and layered story that shows Iron Man in a brand new light.
Gotham City Sirens #6 by Paul Dini and Guillem March
If you've ever seen the wildly successful and brilliant Batman: The Animated Series, then you pretty much know what to expect whenever Paul Dini is writing a Batman book. Currently, he has two ongoing titles: Streets of Gotham, which more or less focuses on the daily operations of all facets of Gotham City, and Gotham City Sirens, which focuses on the ladies of the city: Poison Ivy, Catwoman, and Harley Quinn. Nothing too groundbreaking in this issue, but it is a load of fun.
Amazing Spider-Man # 613 by Mark Waid and Paul Azaceta
The best thing about reading Spider-Man is watching Peter Parker balance his superhero responsibilities with his life as a civilian. This issue continues that trend, only now Spider-Man becomes, wait for it, a public menace! Except this time it's because of economics! Sort of. Oh yeah, and Electro becomes a public hero? Very fun things going on in the webcrawler's world this week.
A bitter-sweet ending to J. Michael Straczynski's fantastic run on Thor. This is bittersweet because it provides a nice, fun ending to many of the plot threads that Straczynski has developed ove the course of his last 16 issues. On the other hand, it is the end of the best Thor run since Walt Simonson's landmark 4 year run in the mid-80s. In this issue we see some really cool things, including the final fate of the most courageous short order cook in history, William the Warrior.
Uncanny X-Men #517 by Matt Fraction and Greg Land
Matt Fraction's run on the Uncanny X-Men hasn't been socially or politically significant. But goddamit, it's fun. This issue sees the combined forces of the X-Men, Namor, and Magneto battle five Predator X creatures. What is a Predator X, you may ask? It's a creature the size of a monster truck with razor sharp teeth, an nearly impenetrable metal hide and a voracious hunger for mutants. And seeing Namor punch one of these things in the face while dragging it to the bottom of the ocean is truly a blast. And Greg Land's artwork, while occaisionally creepy and quasi-pornogrpahic, is pretty to look at.Comics This Week
Jonah Hex #50 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Darwyn Cooke
Superman: World of New Krypton # 10 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods
The Marvels Project #4 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
Jonah Hex #50 by Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Darwyn Cooke
Superman: World of New Krypton # 10 by James Robinson, Greg Rucka and Pete Woods
The Marvels Project #4 by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting
Thor # 604 by Kierron Gillen and Billy Tan
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5 by Brian Bendis and David Lafuente
Uncanny X-Men #518 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson
Misc. Comics
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Remember when Frank Miller wrote the best comic books in the industry? Remember when he had basically attained "do no wrong" status? Daredevil: Born Again was at the height of this time period. Not quite The Dark Knight Returns, but I would rank it up there with Batman: Year One.
The book tells the story of Matt Murdock's descent into insanity as the Kingpin discovers his secret identity and them systematically ruins his life. It's a story about loss, hope and redemption. If this sounds familiar, it's because Kevin Smith basically wrote the exact same story years later and called it Guardian Devil.
This book is a must read for any Daredevil fans.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #5 by Brian Bendis and David Lafuente
Uncanny X-Men #518 by Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson
Misc. Comics
Daredevil: Born Again by Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli
Remember when Frank Miller wrote the best comic books in the industry? Remember when he had basically attained "do no wrong" status? Daredevil: Born Again was at the height of this time period. Not quite The Dark Knight Returns, but I would rank it up there with Batman: Year One.
The book tells the story of Matt Murdock's descent into insanity as the Kingpin discovers his secret identity and them systematically ruins his life. It's a story about loss, hope and redemption. If this sounds familiar, it's because Kevin Smith basically wrote the exact same story years later and called it Guardian Devil.
This book is a must read for any Daredevil fans.
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