For the local Salt Lake City geek scene the next few weeks will be busy ones. Not only are we getting some amazing movies coming to the big screen but we’re having some hugely impacting events happen in the DC and Marvel universes. Add to that the fact that TV is coming up on sweeps, and print media is pumping out a ton of new and exciting content and geeks should want for nothing. In Utah we have so many conventions coming up it’s hard to keep track.
The Con season starts next weekend with the gaming convention SaltCON. Just 3 short weeks later the follow up to the widely successful and first ever Salt Lake Comic Convention Fan-X begins. How do we all find the time? How do any of us get the most bang for our buck? I can’t tell you what comic books to buy but I can help you know what I think are worth taking a look at each and every week. That’s especially helpful in weeks where publisher literally dump a truck load of books onto the market (like they did this week). So, with that in mind, onto my favorite covers in comics this week!
I’m starting with a book that’s been a great balance between the sci-fi and spy genres. If you’re a fan of either genre and are looking for something new, you’d be hard pressed to find something better than “Zero” by Ales Kot and Vanessa Del Ray. The colorist on the book is Jordie Bellaire and longtime readers of “Five and Three” should know how in love with her colors I am.
The next book I think you should take a look at is a new one from Image. Image is certainly putting out some of my favorite books and my favorite covers this year. “Sovereign” #1 is yet another one of those books and covers.
I don’t need to say anything about the Marvel NOW! renumbering of “Daredevil” but I will. This comic book is terrific but because of the Marvel NOW! re-launch it now costs a buck more. Is that extra buck worth it to everyone that faithfully followed the book over the last two years? I can tell you that if it was anyone other than Mark Waid and Chris Samnee producing this book I wouldn’t touch it at the $3.99 price point. I’m sure Marvel knows that too and that’s why it’s a buck more. Hey, at least we all get a digital copy with it NOW!
I complain about DC covers ad nauseam. They’re usually terrible representations of what the emotion of the book is or what the over-all feeling of the story will be. More often than not, DC covers are an overblown fight scene that could really just be a splash page. “Birds of Prey” issue 29 takes my bias and drops it on its head. This cover is spectacular.
My favorite cover this week comes directly from the digital realm. I’ve tried to stay away from picking digital covers of books that will later be put into print but with this cover I couldn’t resist. This week’s cover to the weekly series “Adventures Of Superman” is so geek-tastic I had to show it to everyone. Who wants a patriotic Superman cover with a Kal-El from just about every era? You all raised your hands just now, didn’t you?
To start off the panels this week I’m going to pick a hilarious scene from “The Superior Foes of Spiderman” issue 10. Yes I picked them last week but since you’re paying attention you’ll also know how funny and entertaining this comic is. If you haven’t even bothered to give it a shot, read the panels below and explain to us all why you hate funny things in the comments below.
Do you like heist stories like “Ocean’s Eleven”? Do you like spooky stories like “Poltergeist”? Why aren’t you reading “Ghosted” from Image Comics. The storytellers, Joshua Williamson (“Voodoo”), Davide Gianfelice (“Northlanders”), and Miroslave Mrva spin up a heist tale with crime and revenge and ancient burial grounds that would make anyone cringe and then smile with delight. The art is just as well done as the story, as you can see from this really cool panel of snakes below.
I’m finishing this week with an incredible indie book. I found the “Morning Noon Night” by Brent Boates on ComiXology (also found on Graphicly. Brent is the writer and artist for this book and his storytelling is second to none. The book is a series of short war stories which are all chilling. The first one in particular, “Morning”, has an absolutely startling ending. The comic is just a buck and it is worth every penny of that dollar. Please go give his book a chance. The stories will make you think and that’s the entire point Boates is going for. With escalating tensions in Ukraine and with continuing civil war in Syria at the top of the headlines, even with great geek moments just on the horizon for all of pop-culture, one can’t forget that not everyone is at peace enough where they can enjoy stories of action and adventure. In this particular scene from “Morning Noon Night”, Boates sets up an incredibly tense scenario for any soldier on patrol. Where are these soldiers’ comrades? Why did they simply abandon their Humvee? Is it a trap by the enemy?
That’s it for this week. If you’re a local to the Wasatch Front I hope to see you next weekend at SaltCON and next month at Fan-X. Until then, you can read more “Five and Three” from past weekend’s here. If you’d like to chat or want to meet up during the conventions, you can find me on Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr. If you fancy yourself an art fan like I am, head on over to the deviantART Podcast where you can occasionally find me vamping about art. Until next week!