The Pull List: 4 April 2018, Part 3

As his appointment approaches with the House Un-American Activities Committee, closeted gay playwright Snagglepuss struggles with his friends, his lover and his increasingly unhappy wife.

Police brutality, gay-bashing, identity crises, the tension between art and commerce, cold war paranoia, anti-communist crusades - these are all powerful and worthy subjects to cover in a 1950s period drama. That they're being expressed through a post-modern remix of Hanna Barbera cartoons just makes it deeply weird and unsettling.

It feels as if it shouldn't work, and every issue seems to put more pressure on top - how ludicrous can it get and maintain an authentic sense of drama? So far so good: this is the most surprising book of the year so far. Mark Russell's script is smart, literate and self-aware. Mark Morales and Mike Feehan's art and colours are unusual but effective. This book is just so strange - and strangely wonderful. (4/5)

Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles #4. DC Comics. Written by Mark Russell. 

Under the cut: reviews of Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, Demigod, Mech Cadet Yu, Monstro Mechanica, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Pull List: 7 March 2018, Part 2

Vep is a refugee, picked up from a planetary disaster and deposited inside some strange biological environment. She and her fellow prisoners work farming alien eggs in return for shelter. One day Vep is picked out from the crowd for resettlement - whether she wants resettling or not.

Prism Stalker is a new ongoing science fiction series from writer/artist Sloane Leong. While the artwork is relatively ordinary, it is vividly coloured - and that lifts the overall visuals up remarkably well. It has a richness that really suits its surreal, alien environment.

The script is stronger, establishing a setting and protagonist in an effective manner. It is a potent premise for a series, given the number of real-life refugees around the world, and shows plenty of potential for both future story directions and world-building. It's a new comic worth checking out and seeing how it develops. (3/5)

Prism Stalker #1. Image. Story and art by Sloane Leong.

Under the cut: reviews of Monstro Mechanica, The Spider King and Superman.

The Pull List: 7 February 2018, Part 2

Leonardo Da Vinci has built a sentient wooden automaton, and used it as part of a siege of the town Volterra. He dispatched his apprentice Isabel to oversee it in action - just as he assigned Isabel to reset the automaton's memory each time it was used. Isabel failed to do the latter, and it may destroy her chances of doing the former, since the automaton has learned - and the only thing it has been taught is war and violence.

I am really enjoying Montro Mechanica, a Renaissance-era fantasy from creators Paul Allor and Chris Evenhuis. The dialogue is smart and the historical setting well researched. The artwork is crisp, clean and well-proportioned. Sjan Weijers' colours have a soft sort of pastel quality to them that has an unusual and interesting effect.

Monstro Mechanica is out via independent publisher Aftershock, which means it's not going to be in every local comic book store and it's not going to have a huge marketing budget. If it sounds like your kind of a book then order a copy in, or grab a copy via Comixology. It's one of the best new books out at the moment. (4/5)

Monstro Mechanica #3. Aftershock. Written by Paul Allor. Art by Chris Evenhuis. Colours by Sjan Weijers.

Under the cut: reviews of Giant Days, She-Hulk and Spider-Man.

The Pull List: 13 December 2017, Part 3

In 15th century Florence, Leonardo da Vinci works building war machines for the Medici while secretly building his own wooden automaton. I love period settings in comic books, and with this combination of history and science fiction the new comic series Monstro Mechanica is well set to be exactly the sort of book that I like.

What makes this book work isn't just the genre blend. It is also the characters, with Da Vinci sharing the limelight with his young female apprentice Isobel - a rebellious woman who turns head by her insistence on wearing men's clothing. On top of that it is the beautiful clean artwork by Chris Evenhuis, which feels quite reminiscent of the work undertaken by Mike Norton in Image's Revival. Sjan Weijers adds some outstanding colours too, with each page using a limited but rich palette. Altogether it's a highly promising package.

Of course it's hard to judge a whole story via its first issue, but as an opening chapter Monstro Mechanica seems very promising indeed. (4/5)

Monstro Mechanica #1. Aftershock. Written by Paul Allor. Art by Chris Evenhuis. Colours by Sjan Weijers.

Under the cut: reviews of Invader Zim, Mister Miracle, and The Wicked + the Divine.

The Pull List: 20 September 2017, Part 2

When God told Noah to build an ark and save all the animals of the natural world, it turns that Lucifer told a man named Shrae to build a second ark and save all the animals of the unnatural world. It's a neat little premise, and suggests a rather inventive story, but sadly Cullen Bunn and Juan Doe's Dark Ark stumbles badly out of the gate.

This new book from Aftershock simply feels dull. The concept works but the execution is sloppy. Bunn does not - in this issue at any rate - find an interesting enough story to build up his hook. There's some moping, and argumentative monsters, but no real indication on precisely where the story is supposed to go or why the readers should care. Juan Doe's artwork focuses a little too much on close-ups and head shots, without giving anything a particularly interesting background or sense of action. Then again, what sort of backgrounds can there be? The entire issue takes place on a ship in a storm.

A more interesting take might have focused on Shrae's journey to become the master of this 'dark ark'. Instead the most interesting parts of his story appear to have already happened.

Dark Ark #1. Aftershock. Written by Cullen Bunn. Art and colours by Juan Doe.

Under the cut: reviews of Cloudia & Rex, Generations: The Marvels, Invader Zim, and Superman.

The Pull List: 3 May 2017, Part 1

In the 14th century the Papal assassin group Fiat Lux - led by the mercenary Roderick Helms - uncovers a new scourge threatening to devastate the whole of Europe. Not the Black Death, as history might suggest, but a continent-wide zombie infestation.

There is a weary sort of 'been there, done that' vibe to Pestilence. Its story beats feel worn-out and overly familiar, and there is nothing in this first issue that leaps out and suggests any sense of originality or invention. It is also unremittingly bleak and unpleasant, with plenty of graphic violence of both a physical and sexual kind. Naked women are used as decoration, and the paper-thin characters feel trite and under-developed.

I genuinely hate writing reviews like this: comic books take enormous effort and talent to assemble, and in all fairness there is likely some kind of audience for this kind of violent medieval gore horror. Sadly I am not that audience, and this first issue of Pestilence left me deeply disappointed. (1/5)

Pestilence #1. Aftershock. Written by Frank Tieri. Art by Oleg Okunev. Colours by Rob Schwager.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batman, Green Arrow and Superman.

The Pull List: 5 April 2017

Thea continues her quest for vengeance against the Paznina war lords. In the wreckage of the rising plains, she discovers a new ally for her mission.

There is a certain kind of bleak, desolate science fiction/fantasy that particularly appeals to me in comic book form. It can be found all through the works of Moebius, and more recently in American comic books in the likes of The Spire, Prophet, Wild Blue Yonder and Planetoid. You can add to that list Extremity, a vivid and richly developed saga about a one-handed girl on a mission for revenge among the shattered remnants of her home lands.

Creator Daniel Warren Johnson has developed an intriguing and dramatic fantasy world in which Thea seeks her vengeance, and his detailed, distinctive artwork really draws the reader into that world. Colourist Mike Spicer is particularly good in this issue, making a sharp visual distinction between flashback and present events as well as the various locations revealed. For fans of speculative fiction, this book is definitely worth checking out; personally, I'm hooked. (5/5)

Extremity #2. Image. Story and art by Daniel Warren Johnson. Colours by Mike Spicer.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batman, Eleanor and the Egret, Giant Days, Green Arrow, Spider-Man and Superman.

The Pull List: 15 February 2017, Part 2

Way back 25 years ago, when Marvel's most popular artists jumped ship to make and own their own comics, Jim Lee wrote and illustrated the hugely successful superhero team book WildCATS. That soon expanded to an entire line of superhero books under a unified imprint named Wildstorm. Eventually Lee went to work for DC Comics, selling the entire Wildstorm line to them in the process. Some of those characters were incorporated into the DC Universe as a result of the New 52 relaunch. Now that original and separate Wildstorm Universe is getting a relaunch of its own, in Warren Ellis' 24-part maxi-series The Wild Storm.

It is a clever reboot of the various characters and settings, because Ellis remixes the elements into something that feels smart, fresh and socially relevant. At the same time older readers who enjoyed earlier iterations of the characters will appreciate the little nods and touches that are included along the way. It is an intriguing first issue, with plenty of characters and set-ups to keep the title going for quite a while, and its snappy dialogue and well-crafted personalities making an immediate and positive impression.  Jon Davis-Hunt provides some tremendously effective and clean artwork, which is subtlely coloured by Ivan Plascencia. It is a hugely attractive book, visually speaking. On a creative level at least, DC look set to have another hit on their hands. (5/5)


The Wild Storm #1. DC Comics. Written by Warren Ellis. Art by Jon Davis-Hunt. Colours by Ivan Plascencia.

Under the cut: reviews of Animosity, Batwoman Rebirth, Daredevil, Doctor Strange, Poe Dameron and Spider-Man.

The Pull List: 21 December 2016, Part 3

With the huge box office success of the film Guardians of the Galaxy, and a sequel coming in 2017, it is no surprise to see Marvel capitalise on the interest with a couple of new Guardians spin-off comics. There's a new Star Lord book, a new Rocket Raccoon, and now Gamora gets her own self-titled series.

It's a prequel storyline, set back when Gamora was the loyal daughter of Thanos and competitive sibling to Nebula. As a rule I don't particularly like prequels: I like to see what happens next, not what happened to get a story to where it started. To the credit of writer Nicole Perlman it is well developed and intriguing, but at the same time it's not quite intriguing enough to keep me reading for the long-term. I would much rather see Gamora get a present-day solo series.

Marco Checchetto's artwork, combined with Andres Mossa's colours, presents an eye-catching and distinctive alien universe. There's also a nice sense of movement to the issue's action sequences, and a solid set-up of the first story arc. While I am unlikely to continue myself, I suspect there is a solid audience of Marvel fans for this kind of story. It's solid, just not quite strong enough to add to my already excessive pull list. (3/5)

Gamora #1. Marvel. Written by Nicole Perlman. Art by Marco Checchetto. Colours by Andres Mossa.

Under the cut: reviews of Animosity, Doctor Strange, Silver Surfer, Southern Cross, Superman and Usagi Yojimbo.

The Pull List: 2 November 2016, Part 1

The Sheriff of Babylon comes to an end, and it's a short, blunt and thematically perfect conclusion. One of the real achievements of this 12-issue series has been how it started off feeling like a big political storyline about the United States military in occupied Iraq, but ultimately became a very personal story about three characters. The personal is always a more interesting angle to take, and writer Tom King based his well-plotted and intelligent story around three very interesting and realistic characters. It's interesting that, while Hollywood has struggled for some years to pin down a properly entertaining and dramatic story about post-war Iraq, King has perfected one right here in comic book form. I do wonder how long it will be before one of the studios comes knocking.

Mitch Gerads' art and colours have been a consistently perfect match throughout. They're starkly realistic, with beautifully under-saturated colours that make each scene feel as if it's been left out in the sun for too long and faded as a result. It looks sweaty and miserable. The panel layouts are wonderful as well, using clean geometric set-ups. Gerads' now iconic understated sound effect captions help to seal the deal. This book looks realistic and bleak. As I said: a perfect match.

Volume 1 of The Sheriff of Babylon is already out in trade paperback. Volume 2 drops early next year. If you like reading good comics, you need to grab a copy of this one. Now that it's complete, it really is the best American comic book of the year. (5/5)

Sheriff of Babylon #12. DC Vertigo. Written by Tom King. Art and colours by Mitch Gerads.

Under the cut: reviews of Animosity, Giant Days, Revival, and The Wicked + the Divine.

The Pull List: 14 September 2016, Part 2

I remarked last month that the first issue of Animosity was a little too short and abrupt to really sell what the series was about. The second issue proves it: while the first saw animals suddenly and inexplicably gain human-level intelligence and the ability to speak, it felt like a sort of zombie thriller variant. This second issue presents a much more original story, with humans and animals negotiating in vain to gain some kind of peace and civilization sliding off the rails in the face of over-population and widespread food shortages. The issue's final pages suggest another kind of comic again: at least writer Marguerite Bennett is keeping her readers on their toes.

Rafael De Latorre's artwork is a little sketchy but broadly effective. The low panel count on each page continues to be an issue, as it restricts the amount of story the comic can get through each month - I feel we need a little more to really make it a satisfying read. It is looking solid, however, and the next few issues will determine just how strong a book it really is. Certainly the ingredients are all there. (3/5)

Animosity #2. Aftershock Comics. Written by Marguerite Bennett. Art by Rafael De Latorre.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, All-Star Batman and Detective Comics.

The Pull List: 3 August 2016, Part 1

Imagine if all of the animals in the world suddenly developed the ability to talk to humans, and then went on a murderous rampage against us. That is the premise of Animosity, a new comic book by Marguerite Bennett and Rafael De Latorre. Its first issue was published this week by Aftershock Comics, who have been publishing a fast-growing range of interesting books. This is yet another one.

The premise has a wonderful Hollywood vibe to it - I wouldn't be surprised if it gets picked up by one of the studios very soon - assuming it hasn't been already. It is essentially The Birds writ-large, with some added weirdness from all of the talking animals. There are also some nice surprises in the issue itself: not every animal is out to kill humans, just the majority. Our protagonist, for example, is actively defended by her now-talking dog.

Rafael De Latorre's artwork is strong, and very nicely coloured by Rob Schwager. The whole book has a sort of DC Vertigo vibe, in the best possible way. My only real criticism is the length. While the book has the now industry-standard 20 pages of art, its use of large panels and particularly an impressive six-page sequence showing the mysterious event occurring in the first place mean that there's precious little room for story. All we're really getting here is a hook, and while it's a neat hook it really needed to come with a solid chunk of narrative to seal the deal. There's promise here, but we need more each issue to make it worth the cover price. (3/5)

Animosity #1. Aftershock Comics. Written by Marguerite Bennett. Art by Rafael De Latorre. Colours by Rob Schwager.

Under the cut: reviews of Bounty, Doctor Strange, and The Fuse.

The Pull List: 27 January 2016, Part III

Aquaman #48 ends the brief run on the book by writer Cullen Bunn. It started with such a sudden, dramatic hook: Arthur on the run from his own people, and his wife Mera ruling Atlantis in his place while issuing warrants for his execution. It seemed to have a lot of promise to it, but for some reason that promise never quite eventuated. A lot of that might be due to the negative fan reaction Bunn claimed to have received when announced as the book's writer. He found some responses so aggressively negative that he had actually quit the book before his first issue had been released. That's depressing: disliking a writer's take on a comic book is fair enough, but it is not unfair to expect the fans to at least sample a book before writing it off.

The last few months have simply been a case of wrapping up a large, expansive storyline in the quickest and neatest manner possible. That is certainly what happens here. Arthur and Mera are reunited, he becomes king again, Atlantis sides with him, and he and the Justice League defeat the rival kingdom of Thule - all in the space of 20 pages. It's certainly fast-paced, and the art by Vincente Cifuentes (with inkers John Dell and Juan Castro) is really strong, but the abrupt nature of the story kind of steals its thunder.

Aquaman is a really tricky superhero for whom to write, and some writers do better jobs of it than others. In Bunn's case it feels as if his heart fell out of things almost as soon as he started. I would love to have seen him take a more enthused track at the title, but thanks to the vocal minority of Internet-based fans it seems we can't always have nice things. This was a really fun issue, but I regret not being able to see the whole run from beginning to end as Bunn had originally intended. (3/5)

DC Comics. Written by Cullen Bunn. Art by Vincente Cifuentes, John Dell and Juan Castro. Colours by Guy Major.

Under the cut: reviews of The Spire, Strayer and Venus.