Poser Points #2 (Feb5)

As noted in the weekly pull post, this is a Marvel heavy week, but I'm sure I'll pick up some additional books from other publishers tonight when I take my 4 year old with me to the shop (he loves to go after Karate).​

Lois Lane #8 (DC)
​By: Greg Rucka, Mike Perkins, and Gabe Eltaeb

I have loved this series since it dropped, and I haven't written about it since I reviewed 1-3 together. This is an action-packed issue from the word go.  It begins with Renee (and a little bit of Lois) in a long ass kicking spree against someone with a creepy skull head.  Lois saves the day by shooting their assailant, and then skull-head-lady disappears. The whole fight spread is amazing in terms of art, especially the 16-panels on pages 6-7 is amazing. When the women return to the hotel, Superman checks in to make sure Lois is still ok (and the look he shoots her when she says "I can handle this" is pretty funny).  The book concludes by hunting for the fate of Alejandra Ortiz, who had been caring for Lois' room and a pivot to England to set up the potential source of conflict for the final arc of the 12-issue maxi series.

What should you do? 1. Buy the Singles!  Even if the run has almost ended, this has been an engaging and at-times topical story. 2. Buy the trades!  The artwork in this series is a masterclass in creating art that perfectly drives the mood and adds more to the story than the narrative elements itself.

Doctor Doom #5 (Marvel)
​By: Christopher Cantwell, Salvador Larroca, Guru-Efx

My words cannot do this series justice.  While I haven't written about it, Jason and I have talked about it a couple of times on the podcast.  If you are behind on the series, Doom is framed for a crisis, there is an uprising in Latveria, Doom is killed and comes back from hell, and is dealing with multiple visions of the future and deciding how to get to his preferred choice.

In this book, Doom is researching a meterologist, Kang appears out of nowhere to talk about a snowstorm in the Baxter Building, Intel is retrieved from Taskmaster, and then it hits the fan!  All I can say about the end is that Doom finally makes a choice, and I'm interested to see the ripple effect in his multiple visions of the future based on which road he takes.

​What I have said about this book several times is how phenomenal the art is, Larroca is absolutely slaying.  While there is some bigger flash in terms of earlier books (like the book in hell) the level of realism in the characters is amazing.  The mix of art and Guru-Efx on colors in the back couple of pages is fantastic.

What should you do? 1. Buy the Singles!  2. Buy the trades!  3. Pray they create a massive "coffee table" style trade like they did for Silver Surfer Black.

Daredevil #17 (Marvel)
By: Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Fornes, Nolan Woodard

Every time I mention anything I've read by Chip Zdarsky, it is always a glowing fanboy-ish discussion.  Everything he has put his hands on in the past 9 months (and probably before.....I'm still playing catchup) has been pure gold.  As I always mention when I tweet about his work, we are living in an era of #PeakZdarsky.  This book is preparing us for something huge.  At the end of #16, Murdock and Elektra steal money from the Stromwyn crime family and we hear Matt describe what it feels like to be a contemporary Robin Hood.  We get an update on the Hell's Kitchen rumble as the different crime families compete to be the next Kingpin.  Hammerhead eats a led dinner, we see the Owl start to panic a bit, and we finally get a face to face between Murdock and the Stromwyn children.  I cannot wait until the next book drops in a couple of weeks, because I think the Owl's act of retaliation is going to create some massive ripple effects.

What should you do? 1. Buy the Singles!  2. Buy the trades!  3. Go buy more books that Zdarsky or Fornes are involved in, because this series is amazing as are the folks who are driving the ship!

Crone #4 (Dark Horse)
​By: Dennis Culver, Justin Greenwood, Brad Simpson

I picked up this series on a whim, and its been a relatively enjoyable run thus far. It is fun watching an old broad pick up the sword for one last journey of kicking ass before she hopes to hang it up for good.  This issue is a good blend of flashback and present-moment exposition of our hero as she is languishing in a dungeon.  When she comes face-to-face with a foe of her past, she takes a leap of faith....so what's the next step on this adventure?

What should you do? 1. Buy the Singles...or wait.  I think this is a fun read, because this is the only book of its kind that I read (excluding once and future), but the books have either nailed the landing, or left me waiting for more (but not necessarily satisfied), so it may not be for everyone, but I'll still keep it on my pull!

In Conclusion

This hero-heavy week has served me well thus far.  I plan on having reviews of Marauders, Ant-Man and Batman ready to go by the end of the evening!