As always, “Five & Three” brings you my favorite things in comics this week. Every week I pick my five favorite covers and three favorite panels to create “Five & Three”. I like to talk about why I picked the covers and panels and welcome hecklers and trend setters alike.
This week was a doozy for me. Overwhelming numbers of comics, day job hours, and lack of sleep has led to a very late night edition of “Five and Three”. I got a ton of great reading in but I had a hard time picking from everything to bring you these eight moments. Leading off is the cover to “Rumble #3” by James Harren. I’m loving this book and if you’re into the occult, you’ll love it too.
Next up is a lovely variant cover to “Silk #1”by Skottie Young. I didn’t much like Silk or her costume but after reading the first issue I’ve come completely around and I’m all in for whatever is next. I love MJ but I’m going to be the heretic and say I’d love to see more of the Parker/Moon romance in the pages to come.
Every time I see an homage to “Action Comics #1” I automatically include it. This cover to “Batman and Robin #39” with a super-powered Damian Wayne makes me happy. I’ll label myself as even more of a heretic when I say Damian is my favorite Robin (but only because Dick is Nightwing).
With another showing and all-time favorite cover artist for “Five and Three”, Francisco Francavilla shows up with an amazing variant to “The Valiant #3”. I’m very saddened to know that the series is limited. The great writers are sticking on but where will Paulo Rivera go? He’ll hopefully not go far and hopefully not for long. I’ve sorely missed him since he left the pages of “Daredevil” behind.
Babs Tarr is spectacular and I’m loving everything she’s doing in “Batgirl” but after seeing her variant cover to “Justice League #39” staring Wonder Woman, I’m really wanting to see her work in the pages of the Amazonian Goddess of War.
“Uncanny X-Men #31” ends a wonderful Bendis story about Professor Xavier and his will. What I take away from it all is that Eva Bell is sharp, powerful, sexy, imaginative, and one of my favorite new characters in the Marvel Universe. Bendis is leaving the X-books but at least his work will continue to echo on long after he is gone. I just want more Eva Bell. Am I the only one that reads her dialogue in her Aussie accent?
“The Multiversity: Mastermen #1” is another home run for Grant Morrison’s “The Multiversity” storyline. Jim Lee is the penciler with Scott Williams, Mark Irwin, and Sandra Hope inking one hell of a book. To top of the wonderful narrative and the beautiful art, Alex Sinclair makes the colors something special. I’d love to write more but without much time I’m going to give you as much as possible in a compact paragraph. The series is a must read and for all of you Morrison haters, you’ll love it too. Maybe it takes a mind open to the fifth dimension to appreciate the grand scale of the storytelling in “The Multiversity” or maybe it’s just spectacular and you should be reading it. You tell me.
My favorite moment of the week was when Ryan Ottley put Black Cat Comics in the pages of “Invincible #117”. The store clerk doesn’t look much like Greg but the discussion they have sounds like one I’d here in that shop. Oh, and if you’re looking carefully you’ll see the “Rumble” t-shirt by the store clerk which is just terrific.
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That’s all for this week. If you disagree with a pick, let me know in the comments or on Twitter @MarkAvo or on Instagram @TheMarkAvo. If you think I should’ve picked something else or if you have a pick in mind for next week, give me a shout out and let me know. If you’d like to check out more “Five and Three” comic book moments start with “Five and Three” from last week. Until next time, see you in the comics shop.