Top Five Books Of The Week

Ahoy there, fearless readers!  Sonny Calzone here!  Did you miss me?  I got distracted by the arrival of many new blu-ray discs at my country estate last week.  As a result, I missed my chance to hit you with my picks for the week’s best books.  Things have quieted down considerably since then, and so I think it’s time that I pose the question once agan:  who’s ready for some comicbooks?

I recently enjoyed reading Greg Pak’s Silver Surfer: Devolution tale, and I heartily recommend it to anyone who’s been wondering what Norrin Radd is getting up to these days.  You might say I’ve been on somewhat of a Greg Pak kick, having also recently enjoyed Captain America: Red Skull – Incarnate.  It was my first time seeing a Red Skull orgin story, and it whetted my appetite for X-Men: Magneto – Testament (also written by Greg Pak).

At long last, I finished The Show Must Go On, by Roger Langridge.  It’s the perfect blend of old-tymey entertainment sensibilities and modern panelcraft wizardry.  Once you start reading it, it’s very difficult to stop.  The bits featuring Shirley Temple and Frankenstein’s Monster were my favorite.  Dr Spin was a pantload too.  And, anytime Fred The Clown appears on the page, you know that you’re reading something special.

At present, I am enjoying Turf, written by Jonathan Ross, and illustrated by Tommy Lee Edwards.  Tommy was kind enough to allow us to interview him, so be on the lookout for that at The Hourly Planet soon.  Have you been enjoying Turf also?  What’s not to enjoy?  1929 New York City + Vampires + Gangsters + Aliens + Crooked Cops = Turf.  And a tip o’ the cap to Image Comics is in order.

I’m also enjoying JLA/Witchblade (Kaminski); a curious little tale from 12 years ago.  This was published by DC Comics, and yet the Top Cow logo also appears on the cover.  It’s a crossover one-shot Elseworlds type of a situation.  We rarely see that.  And, it’s been making me want to go longbox diving, in search of more Elseworlds kind of stuff.  I’m guessing that we’re not likely to see any more Elseworlds stuff from DC Comics for a good long while, and that’s a crying shame.  Their focus is elsewhere now; as in, the New 52.

Special thanks to the wonderful Warren Von Kruck, for donating many fine Grendel (Wagner) books to the country estate here.  Warren also donated some Hellrasier (Barker) stuff too.  Very much looking forward to enjoying these soon, along with The Vault (Sarkar) and Bomb Queen (Robinson).

Okay, now here comes our action-packed list of thrilling graphic literature to be on the lookout for at your local comic shop this week!

SINGLE ISSUES:
B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth – Long Death #1 — Mike Mignola / John Arcudi / James Harren / Dave Stewart / Duncan Fegredo
Batman #6 — Scott Snyder / Greg Capullo / Jonathan Glapion
Catwoman #6 — Judd Winick / Guillem March
Legion Of Super-Heroes #6 — Paul Levitz / Francis Portela / Chris Sprouse / Karl Story
* Moriarty #9 — Daniel Corey / Anthony Diecidue

OGN / TPB / HC:
Daredevil Reborn TP — Andy Diggle / Davide Gianfelice / Jock
Marvel Zombies Supreme TP — Frank Marraffino / Fernando Blanco
Stephen King’s The Stand – Night Has Come HC — Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa / Mike Perkins
Madwoman Of The Sacred Heart GN — Alejandro Jorodowsky/ Moebius
Fables Deluxe Edition Vol 4 HC — Bill Willingham / Various Artists

Editor’s Note:  It’s never been this much fun rooting for Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s Moriarty character.  Daniel Corey breathes envigorating life into “the professor”, and here’s hoping that Moriarty becomes not just a mainstay in the Image Comics stable, but a true driving force and and example for other comicbook creators to follow.