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.
I’ll be at Anime Banzai this weekend podcasting with “The Undead Soup” podcasters and reporting on the convention with fellow bots Neverbot and Gax-bot. With that in mind, let’s get on with the comics because we’re running short on daylight. I know, those two sentences make no blargple.
First up on covers is a very cool one from Action Lab called “Planet Gigantic” with art by David Halvorson. I love these digital books but I always secretly hope I’ll see them someplace in print later.
Another indie book gets a nod this week with the wonderful cover art to “Cimarronin: A Samurai in New Spain #2”. I love all things samurai so this cover is right up my alley. I don’t care if you disagree, this cover is amazing.
With only a few great adjectives left I’m going to say that the cover to “Jim Hensons The Storyteller Witches #2” is fantastically terrific.
The cover to “Batwoman #35” is very different from the standard DC cover work. I am in love with the new things DC comics is doing and if we get more great covers like this one, I may just start reading more DC books.
As much as Francisco Francavilla is a favorite artist for “Five and Three”, I can’t remember the last time I featured one of his covers. Considering his ability to make pulp and horror literally pop off of the page, it is fitting he gets picked at least once in October. This time though, it’s for a Marvel variant cover. The “Original Sin” story isn’t over yet because this annual is all about the man on the wall before Nick Fury, Woodrow McCord. Honestly, if this book could exist I’d read it. The feel of the character in the cover here by Francavilla is right in line with other books I love like “Fear Agent” and the newer “Starlight”
One of the most touch moments in comics this week, at least the ones I read, was from “Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man #6”. The color choices and the soft light made this emotional scene work in a situation I thought totally wouldn’t.
Another single image from a Marvel Comic this week is in one of Logan’s last acts out of “Death of Wolverine #4”. The claws that have taken so many lives are popped one last time in an act of heroism that ultimately dooms the canuck. Goodbye Wolverine, we’ll miss you until 2016.
I can’t say enough about this the marvelous Image book “Deadly Class”. Rick Remender and Wes Craig are terrific and the story is spot on with everything I want in a punk-rock assassin comic but it’s Lee Loughridge on colors that puts “Deadly Class” over the top each and every time this book comes out. If you haven’t given this book a chance, you’re truly missing out. Lucky for you though, the first volume was just released last month so get out there and get reading!
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, come visit the BSR reporters at Anime Banzai in Layton, Utah!