The Pull List: 25 July 2018, Part 3

Fergie is a Northern English teenager who doesn't know his own supernatural history. He's currently being haunted by a ghost who appears to be Sex Pistols vocalist Sid Vicious, and being hunted down by a distinctive British secret agent who is a victim of supernatural forces herself.

Punk's Not Dead is a great comedy-drama comic by writer David Barnett and artist Martin Simmonds. It feels like a late 1990s DC Vertigo book, which is a near-guaranteed winner for me. I love that period of American comics history, where my favourite books tended to be by names like Morrison, Milligan, Ellis, and Ennis. The English setting, the intricate back story infused by history or pop culture, the mature tone, and the great art all make for a wonderful throwback. This sixth issue is one of the best so far, and provides a lot of much-needed backstory and context. It also wraps up the first story arc, with a collected trade paperback coming out in October.

That's why I'm praising it now: if you haven't been following this book already, and you're of a similar comic-reading vintage to me, it is well worth heading to your local comic shop and pre-ordering the paperback now. It's a fabulous book, and one of my new favourites for 2018. (4/5)

Punk's Not Dead #6. IDW/Black Crown. Written by David Barnett. Art and colours by Martin Simmonds.

Under the cut: reviews of Action Comics, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, and The Terrifics.

The Pull List: 9 May 2018, Part 2

A soldier named Rook makes her way through a ruined civilization, escorting a blue tiger - which appears to be a magically transformed queen. When exploring the remains of a stone city, Rook discovers an old acquaintance - but it is not the friendly reception that she needs.

The art and colours are what initially sell Isola: the book simply looks looks gorgeous, with a crisp design and rich palette that brings to mind some of the best American cel animation of the 1990s. The book is rich in atmosphere and feels hugely evocative.

What cements the deal is the writing. Fletcher and Kerschl have developed an involving and effective fantasy world, but they are deliberately drip-feeding it to the audience. It all positively drips with back story, but the slow reveal is keeping up the suspense over what exactly has been going on. This is a tremendous book. (5/5)

Isola #2. Image. Written by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl. Art and colours by Karl Kerschl and Msassyk.

Under the cut: reviews of Oblivion Song, Port of Earth, Prism Stalker, Punk's Not Dead, The Spider King, and a belated review of The Terrifics.

The Pull List: 18 April 2018, Part 4

Aisha is a Muslim engaged to a non-Muslim named Tom. After moving in with Tom's bigoted mother Leslie, Aisha has started to hallucinate ghostly apparitions around the apartment building. Trying to convince herself it is all a side effect of her medication, Aisha makes the attempt to push through - but it is soon apparent that the hauntings are both real and dangerous.

Infidel's second issue further cements it as a top-notch work of horror, using its supernatural conventions to play with issues of religion, Islamophobia, multi-culturalism, and racism. Pornsak Pichetshote's script is well plotted and nicely creepy, while incisively hitting the sub-texts in a provocative and efficient manner. Aaron Campbell's artwork has a nicely realistic style that emphasises the horror elements brilliantly. Jose Villarrubia's colours have a clear strategy and structure to them, and that enhances the horror still further.

I think comic books are a comparatively difficult medium in which to express the horror genre, but Infidel manages it so well. Now that we are two issues in, it seems safe to name it one of the year's strongest American comic books. If you're a horror enthusiast you need to check it out. (5/5)

Infidel #2. Image. Written by Pornsak Pichetshote. Art by Aaron Campbell. Colours by Jose Villarrubia.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Batwoman, Deadman, Punk's Not Dead, and Sonic the Hedgehog.

The Pull List: 21 February 2018, Part 3

Feargal Ferguson was finding high school hard enough without being haunted by the ghost of Sid Vicious. Now he's developing strange powers due to proximity with the dead punk rocker. While Fergie deals with those problems, Britain's Department of Extra-Usual Affairs are on the case of another haunting: former government minister John Profumo.

Punks Not Dead is a wonderful throwback to the classic DC Vertigo comics of the mid-1990s, only this time it is published by Black Crown, the new IDW imprint edited by former Vertigo head Shelly Bond. It's a scabrous mixture of sex, foul language and comedy, with a nice line in referencing punk music without overwhelming the story with it.

Martin Simmonds' artwork is excellent, and Dee Cunniffe's colours make excellent use of the book's soft inking to give it a distinctive and appealing look.

With books like this, I really hope Black Crown finds a strong and productive niche in the American comics market. Shelly Bond is a tremendous editor, as evidenced by Punks Not Dead, and this new endeavour really does deserve every success. (4/5)

Punks Not Dead #2. Black Crown/IDW. Written by David Barnett. Art by Martin Simmonds. Flats by Dee Cunniffe.

Under the cut: Deadman, Ms Marvel, Southern Cross, and Super Sons.

The Pull List: 21 February 2018, Part 2

Back in 2016 comic book editor Shelly Bond was crudely dropped from DC's Vertigo imprint as part of a broader publisher shake-up. Landing on her feet at IDW, she went about setting up her own imprint of original comic book titles. Black Crown has published a couple of books so far, some promising (Assassinistas) and some less so (Kid Lobotomy). With Punk's Not Dead, a new ongoing monthly, I think she has hit the jackpot. If you want a good mature age comic book, this very well may be it. If you want a book to remind you of DC Vertigo at its height, this is even more likely to be your book. Punk's Not Dead has Shelly Bond's editorial insight all over it.

Fergie is a rebellious teenager from a town near Manchester, who - after an unexpected encounter at Heathrow Airport - finds himself visited by what appears to be the spirit of punk singer Sid Vicious. At the same time MI5's top-secret Department for Extra-Usual Affairs is tracking down an imp from hell inside 10 Downing Street.

If you were a fan of Vertigo back in the mid-to-late 1990s, Punk's Not Dead is like putting on a warm, comfortable sweater. It feels immediately familiar, infused with a sense of British pop culture and brilliantly and effectively illustrated. It's funny where it needs to be, and points to a broader supernatural storyline as it goes on. Previous Black Crown books have left me intrigued. This one has me actively excited. (5/5)

Punk's Not Dead #1. Black Crown/IDW. Written by David Barnett. Art by Martin Simmonds. Colours by Dee Cunniffe.

Under the cut: Batwoman, Daredevil, Descender, Doctor Strange: Damnation, Heathen, Invader Zim and Quantum & Woody.

The Pull List: 20 December 2017, Part 3

The original 30 Days of Night was a tremendous horror miniseries by Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith, one that worked off a great killer premise and was successful enough to get its own feature film adaptation. It's no surprise to see IDW revisiting the premise, which they do with this new series. What is a surprise is how they do it: effectively rebooting the series and re-telling it from the beginning.

It's a bizarre creative choice, given the quality of the original book. By any reasonable measure, this new first issue simply isn't anywhere near as good. It's difficult to emphasize just how important Ben Templesmith's artwork was to the original. It looked incredible, and was deeply atmospheric. This new version, with a much more traditional artist, simply looks like every other comic book.

Readers who have never sampled 30 Days of Night may enjoy this. Anyone looking to re-experience what attracted them in the first place will likely come away bitterly disappointed. (3/5)

30 Days of Night #1. IDW. Written by Steve Niles. Art by Piotr Kowalski. Colours by Brad Simpson.

Under the cut: reviews of Aquaman, Assassinistas, The Beautiful Death, Copperhead, Quantum and Woody, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra, Superman and Super-Sons.

The Pull List: 18 October 2017, Part 3

Editor Shelly Bond was one of the most critical and successful editors at DC Vertigo, the imprint where she worked from its second month of publication all the way through to April 2016 when DC Comics made her redundant as part of a company restructure. Now she's back, thanks to IDW Publishing, with a new imprint called Black Crown and a new monthly comic by Peter Milligan and Tess Fowler: Kid Lobotomy.

Sadly, as an imprint-launching comic, it is a messy disappointment. The story feels haphazard and unfocused. The characters feel derivative and uninteresting. All in all it feels as if writer Peter Milligan is running on automatic: this reads like a photocopy of much of his earlier, much better work. Tess Fowler's artwork is good, but artwork alone can rarely save a comic book.

It's ultimately a big disappointment, because Bond had a huge opportunity here to set up something truly dynamic, original and provocative - and instead she's edited together something that just feels like a by-the-numbers Vertigo copy. It's a terrible shame. (2/5)


Kid Lobotomy #1. Black Crown/IDW. Written by Peter Milligan. Art by Tess Fowler. Colours by Lee Loughridge.

Under the cut: reviews of Batwoman, Behind You, Kill the Minotaur, Spy Seal, and The Wild Storm.