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.
What a week for comics huh? The announcements just kept coming in from all over the place. I suppose that’s what happens when it’s a pre-Con weekend but it’s not every week Archie Andrews dies. So, Captain America is soon to be an amalgam of “Batman Beyond” and I for one am very excited to see where Remender takes the characters of Sam Wilson and Steve Rogers. I’m more interested though, in just who this Superior Iron Man character is going to be and if he’ll be clashing with Daredevil. Enough about the Marvel Entertainment announcements though because it’s left some people with a Thor tooth…
First up this week is a lovely book from Troutcave Comics. It’s a little independent title called “Sporkman in Time And Space” and it’s written and drawn by John S. Troutman. I laughed when I saw the cover and hopefully you will too. Consider it this week’s bonus cover and this week’s nod toward the indie comics world.
Next up is possibly the cleanest and perfect for a poster cover from the “Adventure Time” team since the book began. The book has an art team a mile long but don’t think that’s to hit deadlines. The book is all-ages for a reason and including multiple artists is a great way of keeping the attention of the older aged crowd.
Here is a tone change from the fun covers by moving to a more seriously toned book with the variant cover to “Life With Archie” #36. In case you live under a rock, Archie Comics let Paul Kupperberg and Pat and Tim Kennedy kill Archie. Sure it’s in a parallel time line but that time line allows for some great stories that would otherwise not be possible to see print. The book is phenomenal to anyone who is a long-time Archie fan but more importantly it’s a great story on life and death and how friends deal with the death of someone they love who was so full of life. Next months issue will transport the Rivendale crew a year into the future and I think that’s what I liked the most about this particular variant from Ramon Perez. I would hope that when I’m gone there will be a group of friends and loved ones who will gather together, have a few drinks and reminisce.
Image: Archie Comics
“Elektra” #4 by Michael Del Mundo is just one gorgeous rendition of Elektra. Her eyes and the perfect reflection in her sai is proof that women can be sexy in comics without the image having to be exploitative.
Another image with a beautiful woman on the cover comes from Jamie McKelvie for the creator owned book from Image Comics “The Wicked + The Divine”. This cover to issue #2 is so very slightly surreal. The colors, like on the previous cover to issue #1, are spectacularly picked. The gaze of her eyes draws the viewer in because of the stark black and blue eye shadow surrounded by the warmer colors of her hair and skin. The inside of the book is just as great and worth picking up for anyone who is a fan of the super-natural and/or the writing style of Kieron Gillen.
My favorite cover this week has to be from the new “Teen Titans” book from Marvel Comics. The New 52 has been subtly included with a cover that is half web page, half comic book. The book is certainly hitting the hip and young image it’s going for with the creators names being included as @Twitter avatars but the crisp green and the wonderful colors of the “Teen Titans” team brings the entire thing home for me. The short version for why I picked it is I think the cover is cool and it’s a great thing for DC to allow some fresh creativity in their cover designs. #KeepItUp
On to the panels and the first set I’d like to highlight for you is from the Dark Horse comic book “Eye of Newt” #2. The book is written and beautifully illustrated by Michael Hague. Most people will remember the art style from “The Hobbit” and if you were wondering whether it was the same you’d be correct if you thought it was. Michael Hague is a legendary illustrator and his skill in this book is on full display. This is a book I knew my wife @Brandigirlio would love. She’s usually a fan of horror comics but a little known fact is that she’s the one who bought the tickets to first screenings of each one of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films. If you know someone who has wanted to get into comics but is more into fantasy than action heroes, tell them about “Eye of Newt”.
The next panel I found amazing was from Dan Slott’s “Silver Surfer” #4 with art by Mike and Laura Allred. I could have picked anything from this book including the cover but I loved Mike’s penciled Guardians so much I knew they’d have to be my pick this week.
The last set of panels for the week from “Robin Rises: Omega” #1 makes me happy because Morrison’s Batman arc is officially part of the New 52 Canon. Sure his “Batman Inc.” was completed in the New 52 DC Universe but now the rest of it is officially included. Also, I’ll admit here publically that I like Damian and I’m excited at the prospect of getting him back. If you think I’m crazy please send complaints to Brian Williams care of NBC at 30 Rockefeller Center New York, New York.
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. If you’d like more of me yammering on about art you can check me out on video with my buddies from the Salt City Strangers doing the deviantArt Podcast right here. Until Next week, here it is, you’re moment of Zen:
