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 just got done picking out my favorite picks for the week because we had a loaded week full of greatness. I’m sorry to say that some of the good stuff got cut down for the following list but hopefully you’ll agree I kept the best of the best to share with you.

We start off the week in covers with a great cover by Nick Pitarra for the new book “The Life After” from Oni Press. The first issue got special treatment by the “Manhattan Projects” artist because the cover is divine. The content isn’t short of awesome either though with talents like writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and artist Gabo.

I haven’t included a Valiant cover in a while despite “Quantum and Woody” being one of my favorite books released in the last year. Here is a cool one by Clayton Crain for “Rai” issue #3. What can I say, I love samurai.

How about a cool one from Andrew Maclean and Mike Spicer? What if it had another sword? “Head Lopper” is one the amazingly talented and always spot on Brandi picked out. She’ll be helping me with a Cosplay contest this Saturday at the Nerd Store in West Valley, Ut. The event is sponsored by the Salt Lake City Comic-Con so come by around 1PM for the festivities and some mall food!

Speaking of cosplay, how about this cool one from Dash Shaw for “Cosplayers 2”? Fantagraphics isn’t featured often in “Five and Three” but when it is it’s always something cool. The simplicity of this piece is great. It pops right off of the digital shelf and presents itself to the eye.

Image: ComiXology.com

Last one I picked for the week was “Detective Comics” #33. I’m a sucker for Francis Manapul and his covers never cease to delight. This one in particular is a wonderful juxtaposition between light and dark, positive and negative space. It sets the tone for the book ahead, just like Manapuls art always does. It’s as regular as amazing can be and it’s my favorite cover of the week.

“Grayson” issue one was a surprise to me. I didn’t think it would be any good but it was exciting and worthy of inclusion. This panel here lets you know what Dick Grayson is up to with Spiral but if you’re not a Batman fan you’re probably wondering who Malone is. If that’s the case, scroll past the bottom of the article for a wonderful Jock variant cover to “Grayson” #1 that I just had to include.

Speaking of not quite moving onto the panels in full, how many of you dear readers are in love with “The Superior Foes of Spider-Man”? How many of you are excited it hasn’t been cancelled yet? Count me among the faithful as well so enjoy this laugh riot set of panels and scroll past the Jock cover for the meta-filled cover to “The Superior Foes of Spider-Man” #13.

Last panel of the week goes to ”Spider-Man 2099” #1 by Peter David and Will Sliney. The book is fantastic and it’s one everyone I know has talked about for years. It’s been on everyone’s minds since before Peter Parker was possessed by Doc Ock and Spider-Man became Spock AKA The Superior Spider-Man. It’s also been a book people have wanted back and those fans are getting their wish fulfilled. Peter David is back in the seat he created and the book is fantastic. Yes I already said that but it needs to be said at least twice, because it deserves the praise.

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. See you next week True Believers!

Image: newsarama.com

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. 

There were a ton of great books for me to choose from this week. I’ll have plenty to re-read while I’m waiting for the sun to go down. Many of the moments this week were as explosive as the fireworks that will be going off in celebration of the United States Birthday. Seeing as I’m a citizen of the good ‘ol USA, I’m going to celebrate the July 4^th holiday with a bit of a change up. This week you’ll get four covers and four panels!

I’ve been trying to feature a “Satellite Sam” cover by Howard Chaykin since the book launched but none of the covers were tame enough for this article. I’ve really enjoyed the concept of a murder mystery wrapped up in the dawn of television from the late 40’s and early 50’s. Matt Fraction is writing a story no one expected. Anyone that gives the story some time falls in love with the characters and Chaykin’s art is half of the reason they do. This isn’t quite “Black Kiss” risqué but it can get a bit tawdry so remember this title is for adults only.

Next up is probably the number one featured artist in “Five and Three”, Francisco Francavilla. His coloring is spectacular for this cover and nearly any cover he creates. The tone of the story is set immediately an in this “Twilight Zone” cover for issue six, that tone is spooky, dark, and isolated.

Speaking of creepy, here’s a clown by Brandon Lauthon for the Maddox Publications book “Clown”. I saw this in the new releases on ComiXology and new I had to pick it. This artist needs to draw a cover for a DC book featuring The Joker. In the meantime, the “Clown” has an amazingly life like cover with a clown who looks tired and a bit sadistic. The paint of his face is rubbing off and his smirking smile and cold gaze are terrifically done.

Last up is one of the books I’d consider in my current top five, “The Punisher”. Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads fire on all cylinders when they’re telling a military themed tale. I love the boots and the helmet because it reminds me of our men and women in uniform who are willing to sacrifice all they are and can to serve their country and their fellow (hu)man. I figured this was the best cover for the 4^th of July holiday and for this special 4 and 4 “Five and Three”.

Speaking of the other four, the panels I want to start off with a wonderfully fun series from Skottie Young on the new “Rocket Raccoon”. The book was immediately put up for a second printing by Marvel because it’s so good it flew of the shelves.

How about some more humor from “Quantum and Woody”? This book continues to make me laugh and it’s going to be combined into a larger team up book called the “Delinquents” courtesy of some bright minds over at Valiant.

Let it be known that I believe Declan Shalvey can make an action sequence be stunning and packed with so much movement in static images that it’s cinematic. The story for “Moon Knight” #5 by Warren Ellis is astoundingly simple but through Shalvey’s deft pencils and some amazing colors by Jordie Bellaire, you can feel the crack of that poor fool’s ankle and you’ll wince when he comes down on that stair case. All of this happens so fluidly while Moon Knight makes his way up the staircase to save the life of a little girl named Scarlet.

Last up this week is some fireworks courtesy of a trick arrow. Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino continues to make me giddy with the type of joy one can only feel as that first THUMP of a rocket is felt in ones chest. You know the explosion is going to be spectacular and the anticipation is half the fun. That’s the way I feel every week a new “Green Arrow” title is on sale.

That’s all for this holiday edition of “Five and Three”. 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 staring Geekshow Podcast’s Shannon Barnson. 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, grab some BBQ, some refreshing beverages and be sure to read your new comic books before the sun sets and the fireworks start.

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. 

Let’s start off the week in a hurry with the cover everyone is expecting, “Saga” #20 by Fiona Staples. I tried to fit in some of her panels this week but they were either to spoilerific or contained too much nudity. So, enjoy some wonderful Staples cover instead of wonderful Staples panels.

Next up is a really trippy cover for “Bad Dreams” #3 from Gary Winnick. Red 4 comics may not be the biggest publisher but they sure have some great stuff. If you’re shy with this one, go give “Atomic Robo” a try.

BOOM! Studios continues to put out great stuff. Look for some words from me on their new Cartoon Network book “Gumball” from their KABOOM! Imprint. For now though, check out this cool cover from “Deceivers” #6 by Jose Holder.

I’m enjoying “C.O.W.L.” so far but we’re only in two issues at this point. What I like the most about the series has got to be the covers. This is another amazing cover that pops right off the shelf. I’m always drawn to the image books because their covers look great.

How about another Image Comics cover brought to you by the great people behind “Peter Panzerfaust”? Issue #19 is another home run by Kurtis J. Weibe. Tyler Jenkins on art duties never disappoints. This is my second favorite book by Weibe though because “Rat Queens” holds a special place in my heart.

Onto the panels and first up at bat is the obligatory panel from the new Robert Kirkman book. Most of the readers will have expected something to show up but I’m not going for the crazy horror panels where a 10 year old eats his fingers and barfs demons… Instead of the obvious and spoilerific panels I went with this gorgeous and serene panel. Paul Azaceta sets up the serenity very nicely. The horror hammers home better after the palette cleanser and Azaceta’s cleanser is mighty tasty. It’s just barely summer and he made me nostalgic for the fall.

Oh Dan Slott, you’re so funny. Hanging the lantern for fans who complained about Spock’s dialogue all throughout “Superior Spider-Man” in issue #3 of “The Amazing Spider-Man” was funny. To some fans it was “REALfunny”…

Last for the week is Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and FCO Plascencia making us all drool with anticipation for the final issue of “Zero Year”. This issue, #32, is the penultimate one and it does not disappoint. Each part of this creative team literally breathes life into a character that we all love but they make it seem familiar even though it’s new. They make The Batman seem fresh even though the character is celebrating his 75^th year anniversary. I also think that colorists getting their due over at DC is something to celebrate so a tip of the hat to FCO Plascencia. Your colors bring us all joy and we’re glad you’re being credited like you should.

That’s it for the 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 staring Geekshow Podcast’s Shannon Barnson. 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, keep on shining no matter who you are because you’re a shiny person who reads articles by shiny robots.

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 I’ve got to start with one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while. Sure it has some local SLC (Salt Lake City) flavor behind it, but that makes it all the more sweet. Chad Hardin, local Utah comic book creator and the current artist behind DC Comics “Harley Quinn”, put Shannon Barnson of the Geekshow podcast into issue #7 of Harley Quinn. That’s the panel I’ve included below but that’s not all. Go pick up an issue of #7 and you’ll also see references to our recently passed mentor and friend Jeff Vice AKA Jerkbot in the graffiti of page 20. The word balloons block most of it out but you can see the full version before colors and lettering in this @Geekshow tweet. From all of us at Big Shiny Robot to Chad Hardin: thank you for the tip of the hat via the ink of your pen.

Now, onto the covers and this week we’re starting with a very cool one from IDW “Star Trek: Harlan Ellison’s City on the Edge of Forever” issue one. It’s art deco and has elements of the flattened modern look. It also has the used paperback novel touch which I’m fond of.

Chip Zdarsky knocks another one out of the park with the cover of “Sex Criminals” #6 from Image Comics. For anyone who can read books in the mature rating, pick this one up. I promise you will not be disappointed. Fraction is spinning a crazy interesting sci-fi love story mixed with elements of heists and it’s all done through time stopping sexual encounters.

The new book “Thomas Alsop” from BOOM! Studios has a really cool cover. The top and bottom half of the cover itself tells a story of a time past and a time present. The strength of the piece is in the color though, because that’s what tells the eye there is more to the image than just the small parts. This book is getting a lot of critical attention and cold be a sleeper hit this summer.

I’m a sucker for Jerry Gaylord’s “Loki: Ragnarok and Roll” covers. I picked the first issue for a “Five and Three” way back in February. I knew I’d be featuring another one at some point. The punk rock aspects, the coloring, it’s all terrific and all worthy of a pick.

The last cover for this week is an Alex Ross masterpiece for “Batman ’66 Meets The Green Hornet”. The comic book has been fun but the covers have been out of this world. If you’re OK with some R rated revelry for this all-ages comic you can go listen to Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith’s audio version of the physical issue #1 on the “Fatman on Batman” podcast.  

Next up is panels and the first one of the three is from “Wonder Woman” #32. Take a look at the beauty in these panels. When Cliff Chiang and Goran Sudzuka are working together, their book looks just as good or better than the best books on the shelves. Every month fans of the New 52 Wonder Woman can expect mastery and if you’re not reading Wonder Woman or you’re a fan from across the isle, I promise you’re missing out on some of the best storytelling around.

Jonathan Hickman can be a really depressing writer. The bleak future being teased in “Avengers” #31 is just as bleak as every other future story going on in comics of the Super-Hero genre. To that, why so many dystopian future stories in comics right now? That deviation aside, I think a Thor that is no longer worthy is probably the worst of them. OK, maybe not THE worst of them, but certainly the worst this week! I am confident that when Hickman turns this freight train of his around, the climax of the story is going to knock reader’s socks off.

I promised I’d be picking something from Brian K. Vaughn and Marcos Martin’s “The Private Eye” and I’m delivering. This set of panels is another great interaction between PI and his granddad. The great part about this is that his Granddad would be a Millennial. If Millennials in 40 years are still referencing Star Trek than the future isn’t as bleak as the dystopian minded would like to think it will be. By the way, am I the only one that loves Munsta Vicente’s coloring?

That’s it for the 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, have a great day and an even better weekend!

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 may or may not have gotten lost in the park but if you ask me I just got back from a survivalist vacation in the wild. That means last week “Five and Three” was handled by our very own Neverbot, Cassidy Ward. Please find him on Twitter and send him a big thank you on behalf of me and comic book fans everywhere. With that being said, let’s start the show!

First up this week is a really cool cover for “Father Robot” from writer Kristopher White and artist Sam Garland. With the Father’s Day holiday coming up I decided to pick this one. As a reminder, Dad wants something cool in addition to that tie. Get him some Scotch or, if you’re in Utah like me, some of his favorite ice cream. Oh, and remember that as much as Dad does want to spend time with the family, he also wants a few minutes to himself with his scotch (or ice cream) and a good comic book.

Next up is breakfast by Nathan Fox. Breakfast is brought to you by “FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics” issue eleven from Vertigo. If your dad doesn’t read the newspaper with breakfast in bed, consider getting him this great political sci-fi comic for Sunday.

I don’t usually pick covers to anthologies but I had to make an exception for “Liquid City Volume Three”. The book is a collection of graphical stories and sequential art from throughout Asia. The cover is outstanding.

Maybe your granddad is still around and he read the Invaders. Maybe you did and you’re not a granddad but you just like great stories. Well, you’ll enjoy “All-New Invaders” from Marvel comics and you’ll love the fact that this tie-in story to the “Original Sin” story-line is actually pretty good. The cover by Greg Land is pretty sweet too.

The next cover I have for everyone is by Charles Paul Wilson III for “The Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland” issue seven. The book is another terrific horror tale from the mind behind “Locke & Key” Joe Hill. I just happened to love the cover because of the pulpy paperback feel and the amazing color choices. Next up are the panels!

I am loving “Starlight” by Mark Millar and Goran Parlov. My buddy and fellow bot Androidika doesn’t want to give Millar the time of day but I swear I’ll be able to convince him this book is terrific if I just try harder. The book is so much fun because it’s like a story you know and love but you’re reading it for the first time. The protagonist in his twilight years Duke, who in his youth, was transported to a far-away galaxy where he saved the day over and over, is back for some action packed sci-fi adventure. I can’t get enough. In this cover especially, the art is nostalgic. There are hints at classic alien sci-fi, “Star Wars”, and “Battlestar Gallactica”. There’s probably more but I haven’t stopped wondering if the object in the upper left is a shield generator from the planet Hoth!

In “All-New X-Men” issue #28 we learn where the future “Brotherhood of Mutants” comes from and why they keep coming back!

The last panel for the week is from “New 52: Futures End” issue #6. The plots keep getting bigger, not smaller, in this in continuity DC book with Batman Beyond! In this issue though, a retired Red Robin AKA Tim Drake gets to kick some scuzzy bar douche butt and save the gal. Sure it’s a bit cliché but it’s also a bit of awesome too.

Wait, we’re not done yet?! OK, so I’ve snuck in one final cover for the week. My favorite comic (OK Manga), story of all-time is “Lone Wolf & Cub”. The fact that there is a sequel makes me excited but a bit worried because little Diagoro no longer has his father to help him along. Considering the book is out this week and I’m going to read it several times this weekend, “New Lone Wolf and Cub” is without a doubt my favorite thing in comics this week.

That’s it for the 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 Cassidy’s wonderful “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 weekend, have a great Fathers Day and make sure to set aside some time to read your comic books! 

Zendobot is off having some sort of adventure this week so he asked me to step in and take the helm of the great ship “Five and Three,” may God have mercy on his soul. This week I’ve picked my five favorite covers and three favorite panels to create “Five and Three.” I’ll talk about why I picked these particular covers and panels. As always we welcome hecklers and trend setters alike. If you want to tell me that I suck or maybe start the hashtag #BringBackZendoBot, you can find me at @CassidyWard on Twitter. Zendobot can be found at @MarkAvo on Twitter and @TheMarkAvo on the Instagrams, so you can tell him how much he is missed.

Without further ado, my picks for this week, starting with the covers.

 The first cover I picked was “Black Widow” #7. I like this cover because of the contrast between Widow and her surroundings. This was the first thing that caught my eye, upon further inspection I noticed that everyone is holding guns and they stick out in the same way the titular character does. For some reason, to me, it seems to represent PTSD, or the notion that one can see danger wherever they are, even if it’s not justified. I could be off the mark, but that’s what struck me when looking at it. 

 The second cover this week is “Green Arrow: Broken” #32. This cover is appealing for both the way it obviously represents and expresses the title and theme of the story, but also it’s complexity, the more I look at the shattered pieces of the hero, the more I see. It is visually interesting in a way I can’t quite explain. Though, with art, a concrete explanation isn’t necessary. I may not know why, but I know what I like.

 This cover for “Afterlife with Archie” was an easy pick. Who doesn’t want to see the wholesome crew of Riverdale get sucked into some dark macabre situations. If you don’t think that’s the coolest idea since the “Jetsons” met the “Flinstones” then just get out of my face. 

 Next up is “I Was the Cat” chapter one. In truth I don’t know anything about this book but the cover captured my imagination. I know one thing for certain and it’s that I need to know more about this cat.  He’s got a globe and a quill, and for some reason the skull of another cat, which in the context of a feline protagonist is pretty heavy. 

 I chose this cover of “Trinity” because it feels timeless. It expresses the larger than life quality of these characters beautifully. It showcases both the power and the grace that these characters embody. You feel both secure and intimidated at once. Now it’s time to move on to my favorite panels this week. 

 These panels are pulled from “Avengers World” #7. I chose these panels for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the initial panel is fantastic, the city atop the monster is reminiscent of Terry Pratchett’s “Disc World.” Secondly, I was impressed with the set up of the initial page, and the payoff of the full page spread that follows. 

 Next up is “Batman Eternal” #9.  I liked these panels because they successfully flipped my expectations, of course Falcone is calling in his crooked cops to stop the Batman…. wait, what?

Last but certainly not least, I give you a page from “Wool” issue #1. I chose this page because it did exactly what a good comic book is supposed to do, it left me needing to know more. In a world where we are fed a constant stream of pseudo-news from our major media outlets, I can relate to characters that ask the question, “What if it’s all a big lie? What will we see if we look behind the curtain?”

I hope you enjoyed this week’s “Five and Three.” If not, you have my sincerest apologies, we’ll be back next week with your regularly scheduled host. 

Cheers. 

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. 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.

As much as I love comic books, and as much as I love sharing my favorite moments in comics each week, this week I’m not very enthused. I know for most everyone a story is usually good escapism but I had a hard time escaping this week. A friend to everyone he met and a personal mentor of mine left this world this week. Jeff Michel Vice was a writer and fellow Bot here on Big Shiny Robot. He was a member of the Geekshow podcast, he was a boyfriend, a brother and a son. He was an icon and a wonderful human being. To that, Jeff was one of the best moments in comics every week so this week I’m starting us of with something a bit different.

This week, the fine comic vendors of Dr. Volts retired Jeff’s hold number. Some people may not understand what Dave, Andrew and Jeremiah did that Tuesday night but I feel that simple gesture was just about the highest honor any comic book fan could ask for. Jeff wasn’t just any fan though; he was a critic of the highest caliber with a razor sharp intellect. If Jeff had an opinion on art or writing you’d have been foolish not to give him your attention for a while because his critique’s came from a genuine place of genius. So to that, though Jeff’s passing was the worst moment of the week, the tip of the hat to him from Dr. Volts was certainly my favorite.

Photo Courtesy of Androidika AKA Jeremiah Lupo 

Next up are the covers I liked this week. I’m going to keep it simple folks. Here’s a great one by Pavel Balabanov, “Bo Plushy Gangsta” #7. It’s another dollar steal of a deal for a digital bunch of fun so go check it out.

Now for something from the good folks over at Dynamite Entertainment with cover to “The Twilight Zone” #5 by Francisco Francavilla. This is a book I’ve been putting off reading but it’s not for any other reason than my needing to make room for it. Long time readers of “Five and Three” should know how much I love Francavilla so here is yet another one of his outstanding pieces of art.

How about that Greg Capullo everybody? Isn’t he something else? A new talent breaks out and is lucky enough to pair up with Scott Snyder… OK I’m obviously kidding. The seasoned and superbly talented Greg Capullo is redefining Batman for an entire generation. With the help of Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo’s Batman is not only one of the best books on shelves, it’s one of the best Batman stories ever produced.

I absolutely loved the cover to Image Comics new creator owned title “C.O.W.L.” from Kyle Higgins, Alec Siegel and with art by Rod Reis. The story is a really cool take on the superheroing business as super heroes in Chicago are part of a Super Hero Union. This Cover was my favorite part of the book though, and Trevor McCarthy deserves a nod for it.

The last cover for the week is also from Image Comics. I loved “Trees” by Warren Ellis and Jason Howard. I think the story is a fantasy Sci-Fi dystopian genre mix that instantly reminded me of Neil Blomkamp’s “District 9”. Not because it’s exactly the same story but because of the scale of the story and the world building involved in such a tale. I’m in for the long haul and Image Comics continues to be the publisher that makes me stretch my comic book budget.

Now we move onto the panels. I have been following “Ms. Marvel” from the sidelines. I’ve read the books right out of a friends hands and I keep telling myself I need to make room, if only to pass them down to my neice. With moments like this in the book though, I can kick myself for not getting the first prints of “Ms. Marvel” because the book is terrific.

Thank you Jonathon Hickman, with Hawkeye’s releases being all over the place lately, it makes me happy to know that Fraction’s characterization of Hawkeye is still front and center in the Marvel U.

The last moment this week is from the imagined and brought to life vision of George Lucas’s first draft pass at “Star Wars”. The final issue was a fun one but I can’t help thinking the entire story was lacking. No, it’ not bad, and yes GONK was right to suggest you go get it. That being said, after finishing up the book I’m glad this version of the story isn’t the one we all remember from our childhoods. It’s not as good as “Star Wars IV: A New Hope” and it’s clear from the first draft that George Lucas had some refining to do to get it to the classic tale we all know and love.

That’s all I have for you this week. Next week I’ll be lost in the woods. Thankfully it won’t be the ones from James Tynion IV’s imagination. Five and Three will still be her though, courtesy of Cassidy Ward AKA Neverbot. For more Five and Three you can start with last week’s issue here, and if you like my yammering about art you can watch me do it with the deviantArt Podcast over here. See you guys in two weeks.

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. 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.

We’re about to go into a long holiday weekend so if you haven’t picked up your stack this week, or if you blew through it already, here are some books you should definitely think about reading while the grill sizzles. I loved the diversity of books and characters this week. In a crazy Switcheroo this week we’re starting off with panels.

I like espionage more than super-heroes but when the two collide I usually fall in love. That’s what happened with Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting’s Captain America and Winter Soldier stories. This time that talented pair is making me fall in love with Velvet in their “Velvet” series. The character of Velvet is everything I’ve always loved about James Bond except she’s a drop dead gorgeous femme fatale.

I said I liked espionage and I wasn’t kidding. Ales Kot’s “Zero” has been incredible. This issue was no different. What I liked the most, and the panels show it, was the sense of action Jorge Coelho brought to the book. Everything I love about the combination of Nathan Edmonson and Mitch Gerads I got from “Zero” #8.

If you haven’t read “Forever Evil” issue 7 but you have been reading DC books you’re already caught up. The publishing on the series slipped a bit so most of the shocking moments were ruined in other books. I think it did take away from the drama of the book but it was still great fun. I especially liked the humorous moments like the one below. From here on out Luthor could actually prove to be more than just a sadistic ego maniacal sociopath. Here’s hoping he does, it’ll last more than 4 issues.

First blood on covers this week is drawn by the sneaks up on you terror of the cover to “The Unwritten Apocalypse” issue 5. The cover art is by Yuko Shimizu and is an example of a cover that will draw a person in and then let them know that the interiors are not for the faint of heart (or bunny lovers).

The next cover that I liked was issue 31 of “Birds of Prey” by Jorge Molina. It’s not the yellow that I love, although that’s what stood out at first. What got to me is the well done team pose in Bab’s cape. Speaking of Barbara Gordon, the detail in the armor of her bat suit by Molina is absolute perfection. Cosplayers take notice of this cover because I want to see this iteration of Batgirl at the next con.

The Eisner winning title Daredevil is still superb. There isn’t much that I can say that hasn’t been said before so scroll down and admire the spectacular cover to “Daredevil” #3 by Chris Samnee.

I saw the cover to “The Package” by Eric Bonhomme and I immediately thought of The Misfits. I couldn’t get the image or the music out of my head so I had to pick the cover in hopes I wouldn’t have The Misfits stuck in my head all weekend.

The last pick is an obvious one. Alex Ross on covers to “Batman ’66 Meets The Green Hornet” from DC Comics. The book is wonderful thanks to the brilliant talent of the creators. Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith wrote one hell of a terrific Batman ’66 story and Ty Templeton’s art captures the characters right from the screen. My only complaint is that Batman didn’t show up in cape and cowl. I kid really but my imitation is because of Ralph’s similar complaint with “The Dark Knight Rises”.

That’s it for this week. If you want more Five and Three issues start with last week’s here. If you need even more artistic inspiration, strap in for some fun times watching me and my buddies chat about art like we know what we’re doing over at the deviantArt Podcast. As always, if you don’t like my picks or think I missed something, let me know with kind but firm words in the comments section below. It’s the only way I’ll learn. 

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. 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.

This week I scoured covers via ComiXology after picking my favorites from the “New This Week” at Dr. Volts Comic Connection in Salt Lake City. I found that if I had stuck with the physical rack and not checked the digital one that I’d have missed out on a great cover from Alternative Comics. “Sunbeam on The Astronaut” by Steven Cerio jumped out at me and I just had to pick it as my opening salvo.

 

Image from ComiXology

The next cover I picked was a killer nod of the hat to Batman on during his 75^th anniversary year by The Shadow. In a crazy cool version of Ouroboros, the cover to “The Shadow” #26 by Alex Ross is something I want up on my wall. Give it a long look because, if you love comics, you’ll know it’s a nod to “Detective Comics” #27 where The Batman made his first appearance.

After that cover I’d like everyone to check out the amazing one brought to my attention by my wife. She not only kicks my butt at everything creative she also has a wonderful artistic pallet. The cover to “The Returning” #3 from BOOM! Studios with cover art by Frazer Irving is an example of Brandi always finding the great ones I happen to have missed.

Oh “Wasteland” from Oni Press, how many times have you barely missed my list of favorite covers? This one just had to make the cut. Christopher Mitten is s champ and deserves to have his art in every “Five and Three”. As an interesting aside, I think this “Five and Three” is the most diverse “Five and Three” in terms of publishers since I started doing them last year.

The cover that immediately caught my eye this week is my final cover. “The New 52: Futures End” #2 by Ryan Sook is so very cool and eye catching I instantly knew it would I’d be including it in this week’s list of my favorite things in comics.

On to the panels and  I had a rough time picking out things that weren’t spoilerific or out of context to people who weren’t reading the books. With that in mind, how about some panels with a nifty cat baking cookies from the new book “Shutter” from Image comics? Written by Joe Keatinge and with art from Leila del Duca, I can honestly say that “Shutter” was the trippiest thing I read in comics this week. Note that this week was the final issue of Joe Casey’s “Bounce” about a stoner super-hero and you’ll understand how trippy-dippy and awesome Shutter is. Anthropomorphic animals and magic and a beautiful photographer are all reasons you should go pick up this book and grab issue 1 if it’s still there.

I love Bendis’ All-New X-Men. I also love The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from the future that first showed up in the “Battle of the Atom” storyline. Stuart Immonen draws some pretty intimidating villians and they’re on full display in this panel (except for Raze).

My favorite moment this week came from “Captain Marvel “ issue 3. The look on Carol Danvers face as the alien kid bursts into tears was terrifically illustrated by David Lopez. I can’t get enough of Kelly Sue DeConnick’s work and I’m loving every page I turn of “Captain Marvel”.

That’s it for the art and panels this week. If you’d like more of the same you can check out last week’s issue here. For more of my nonsensical ramblings about other people’s wonderful creations, I do just that with some buddies for the video podcast The deviantArt Podcast over here. Let me know what you think about my picks in the comments or on Twitter & Instagram. Thanks for coming, and I hope to see you next week.

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. 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.

This week I’ve included a bonus. You can scroll to the end to see it now or read the rest of the article. I suggest taking your time and really enjoying each pick this week because everything was fantastic. It’s always a good week when the fresh ink from the books can be smelled through the digitizer in my tablet.

To start us off strong let’s go with a quirky one from Wood Jin Clark. Kaboom!’s “Adventure Time: The Flip Side” #5 of 6 is a wonderful cover. It captures the essence of the TV show sublimely in a humorous comic book cover.

Sam Kieth has taken care of the covers for “Maxx Maxximized” and he continues to do so with issue #7. His covers for this series are a happy reminder of Kieth’s talent and impact on the comic book medium every time I see one.

With a number of great covers from Marvel this week I went with something I don’t recall seeing the likes of before with “Black Widow” #6. Sure it’s a tad bit S&M, but that’s one of the best parts of Wonder Woman so a tied up Natasha is only extra credit for an already cool cover by Phil Noto.

I’ve loved the Mike Norton art on “Revival” and I’m eagerly anticipating the cross over with Rob Guillory on “Chew”. Jesus jumping for joy made this cover a favorite this week though. It’s probably because of my fondness for Kevin Smith’s Buddy Christ.

My final pick this week is a great perspective cover from Dan Panosian of “Batwing” for the cover of issue #31. The bright yellow creates the perfect contrast to a typically boring concrete residential building. This book gets a pick because I’ve always thought seeing a Bat figure jumping from a building in downtown Salt Lake City would be an insane spectacle. This cover is excellent. Maybe “The Salt City Strangers” team member The Gull will one day leap from the Walker Center and I can check a box on my bucket list?

For panels this week I’m going to lead with “Rat Queens” issue #6 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and art by Roc Upchurch. Roc can draw some very beautiful women and in this issue that was on full display. The emotions that he draws out of the characters are terrific and make the comedic wordplay from Wiebe really hit home. “Rat Queens” really makes me laugh and I love it.

I want Andrea Sorrentino to draw “Green Arrow” for as many issues as Greg Capullo is going to draw “Batman”. The standoff in this panel between Katana and the leader of the Fist clan is simple and so samurai I picked it over panels of Oliver & Diggle.

This next set of panels takes some reading so strap in. This scene is a wonderful conversation in a café between Thor, Captain America, Wolverine, Black Widow and of course, Nick Fury. They’re all talking about the best steak they’ve ever had and Nick really brings it home. There’s a bit about a bear that you’ll have to go get the book to read. That’s just one part of a massively entertaining first issue to the Marvel summer event “Original Sin” written by Jason Aaron with art by Mike Deodato Jr.

That’s it for this week. If you’re wondering who or what the “Salt City Strangers” are, they’re an all Utah super-hero team that patrols the mean streets of Salt Lake City. Go check them out over here. If you’re hankering for more “Five and Three” you can view last week’s issue here and if you’re all caught up there’s always the deviantArt Podcast for a Mark Avo art review fix. The podcast is a 12 minute adventure through the galleries of artists on deviantArt. I hope to see you back here next week but until then, I recall promising a bonus panel. The bonus this week comes from the crazy cool first issue of DC’s summer event, “Futures End”. In honor of the passing of the voice of Alfred from “Batman: The Animated Series” Efrem Zimbalist Jr., I present to you A.L.F.R.E.D. chatting to Terry McGinnis in the style of J.A.R.V.I.S. from the Iron Man movies. Personally I’d take Alfred over Jarvis every time.