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.
A big week for some largely anticipated titles from some greats and, as one would expect when a great creator has a book come out, they made this week’s list of picks. Starting the picks off is the cover to Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips “The Fade Out” #1. The pair of creators have started the first book in what is being called quite possibly the best contract ever in comics. Brubaker and Phillips have an exclusive deal with Image Comics to create and publish whatever their whimsy takes them. “The Fade Out” is so pulpy, dark, and sexy that the pages smolder.
I’m in love with Kurtis Weibe and everything he is doing with “Rat Queens” but his “Peter Panzerfaust” is also not to be missed.
I haven’t read a single issue of Manifest Destiny but I’ve watched each cover tease me and my wallet ever month. This issue is no exception.
I picked last month’s cover to “The Unwritten: Apocalypse” by Yuko Shimizu and I’m picking the book and her art again this month. Every issue is a print I’d love to own. Her art is Spectacular.
Last pick for the week is the variant cover to “Multiversity” #1 I found browsing the pages of Inside Pulse. The cover is by Chris Burnham and is an homage to Simon and Shuster’s “Action Comics” #1 where Superman appeared for the first time. It’s also a timely pick because an auction for the original “Action Comics” #1 recently sold the comic book for over $3.2 Million dollars*.
Image: Inside Pulse
I had plenty of amazing moments to pick from this week and I missed some huge ones in books I am not reading. Apparently both “Batwoman” and “Original Sins” this week are books that can’t be missed. I suppose I’ll have to visit my LCS this weekend and find out for myself. In the meantime how about a panel of a huge butt map courtesy of “The Delinquents” #1 from Valiant? Quantum, Woody, Archer, and Armstrong team up for some hilarity and insanity over in the Valiant Universe and it’s a book you should be reading so go do that and I’ll wait for you to finish.
Great, you’re back. “The Delinquents” was great right? Did you read Grant Morrisons multiverse hoping DC universe adventure of the mind and spandex? “Multiversity” was not what I was expecting and it’s everything I was hoping for… I guess it all depends on what Earth I came from when I read it. The comic is great, the art is great, the writing is great. It’s Grant Morrison, what more needs to be said?
Last set of panels is an amazing action sequence from tag team artist on “Daredevil” Javier Rodriguez. His explosive action sequences were the delight of the book. Matt Murdock moved with the ferociousness of a super-hero that is rarely done so well. It’s clear that the man without fear is very capable of going toe-to-toe with any martial artist but with Rodriguez on pencils, the proof is in the imagery.
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 week, is it better to Burn Out or Fade Out?
*EDITORS NOTE: The original article stated a selling price for Action Comics #1 at 2 Million dollars. We regret assuming the book wouldn’t sell for more and the selling price of the comic has been changed to represent the actual amount the comic book sold for.