CHEW

CHEW

 Written and lettered by John Layman, drawn and colored by Rob Guillory, published by Image Comics.

Officer Tony Chua is a Cibopathic. When he takes a bite out of something organic (be it plant or human) he can see its life. Obviously, such a special skill has made him a very practical officer in the F.D.A. Who, in this near future, is the most powerful law agency in the states.
 
In essence a comical series that has serious, sometimes tragic elements thrown in. A diverse and crazy cast of characters that you learn to appreciate, love and in cases, hate over the years. Writer John Layman keeps us interested, and most importantly, entertainment throughout.

Artist Rob Guillory's art is in the cartoonish vein, with an angular style that might take a few pages to get accustomed to but definitely grows on you. While the scripts are hilarious in places, don't discount Guillory's many, many visual gags and Easter eggs.

The series is now winding down in its monthly form and when finished will be a much beloved one to re-read over and over.

Catch up on the serious laughter with theses trade paperbacks:

DEADLY CLASS

DEADLY CLASS

Written by Rick Remender, drawn by Wes Craig and Colored by Lee Loughridge. Published by Image Comics.

the idea of a school for gifted youngsters is not a new concept. The idea originated with Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's classic X-Men. Deadly Class, however offers an interesting spin on the concept by making the school a place where teenagers go to learn to be assassins. Even with that twist the most interesting thing about writer Rick Remender's series is the exploration of teenage angst. At that age, emotions are at fleur de peau (raw) and everything that we feel and experience is over-dramatic and life-important. Except that in this series, everything really is. Your past chases you and death is always around the corner. Remender has distilled the teenage experience into a thrilling, tense, violent and totally engrossing comic book series.

Artist Wes Craig's contributor is an important one as his stripped down style and imaginative layouts conveys the stories perfectly and lends a sense of hypertension to the various goings-on.

Wonderful, moody colors by Lee Loughridge and subtle, but effective, lettering by Rus Wooton.

Deadly Class is among the very best series published today. Catch up with the trade paperbacks:

ALEX TOTH - BRAVO FOR ADVENTURE

                                            ALEX TOTH - BRAVO FOR ADVENTURE

Written and drawn by Alex Toth

Legendary cartoonist Alex Toth (June 25, 1928 - may 27, 2006)'s magnum opus, Bravo for adventure, is the story of an ace pilot during the 1930s who doubles as a stunt pilot for the moving pictures and pilot for hire. A great concept that due to various publisher problems never really took off. Still, the stories that Toth got to produces are extraordinary both in it's story, pacing and art.

The stories are intricate but simply told, with various moving parts that flow with an ease that certainly couldn't have been easy to achieve. Toth was a well-known perfectionist, who only got more critical of his own work as the years passed by. The artwork is, simply put, masterful in its clear layouts and visual storytelling. Every line of ink is there for a reason and the fact that the work seems so restrained is deceptively perfect. This should be required studying for any would be comic book artist. It should also be in every serious comic book aficionado's library.

Out of print for 30 years, all of the stories were reprinted in an handsome, oversized hardcover by IDW which you can get here:

WEIRD DETECTIVE #1

WEIRD DETECTIVE #1

Written by Fred Van Lente , drawn by Guiu Vilanova, Published by Dark Horse Comics.

Detective Sebastian Greene is a weird guy. He seems to talk like movie and TV detectives. He's stiff and hard to get a read on but he's a hell of a detective in New York City's Minor crimes unit. Problem is that he wasn't always this good. That fact is not lost on his superiors who want to know why he got this good.

Give credit to writer Fred Van Lente who reveals the truth almost right off the bat but it in no way makes it less interesting. Shades of the 1980s movie The Hidden and to some degree, another great series from the very same publisher, Resident Alien. It is reminiscent of various genre tropes but it is executed extremely well and with a wicked sense of humor.

Very good art from Guiu Vilanova, that tells the story quite well and conveys the small moments as well as the more outrageous ones. 

First in a five issue miniseries that is well worth picking up. Available through your local Comic book shop or digitaly on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Weird-Detective-1/digital-comic/378637

SAGA

SAGA 
 Written by Brian K Vaughan, drawn and colored by Fiona Staple, lettered by Fonographiks

The short pitch would be Romeo and Juliet meet Star Wars, but that would be unfair to the level of wonder, complexity and simple awesomeness that Saga is. Two people fall in love amid a war between their two races and now they are on the run with their young child, trying to escape from pursuers on both sides. 

Like the very best writers, Brian K. Vaughan presents complicated characters that aren't truly good or evil, but flawed creatures that will sometimes do both deeds.  it makes the stories that much more appealing. Compelling with dialogues that sound like gold.

The art (line art and colors) by Fiona Staple is nothing to sneeze at either. The thing's like eating cake. A really delicious cake. She conveys emotion with simple brush strokes. The action, when there is any, has weight, it has consequence, and it packs an emotional punch. 

Go, no RUN, and catch up!:

VELVET

VELVET

Written by Ed Brubaker, drawn by Steve Epting, coloured by Elizabeth Breitweiser, lettered by Chris Eliopoulos, Published by Image Comics.

A spy/mystery/adventure that turn the conventions of the genre on its head and puts the seemingly harmless secretary in the super-spy role. Think old style James Bond's Miss Moneypenny, but lethal. The story and mystery are quite engaging but one can't say enough about the gorgeous line art and colours. I feel like dressing up in a suit just to read this thing.

Ed Brubaker is the writer who revitalized Captain America for Marvel Comics, created the Winter Soldier and produces some of the best noir and spy comics around. the story is smart, the dialogue sharp and the pace brisk.

Steve Epting was born to draw these kind of period/Cold War pieces. Not only is the figure work beautiful but the settings, clothes and vehicles are dead on for the time period. Colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser Cannot be ignored as she adds to the mood with her effective color palette.

Discover the first two volumes of this wonderful series here:

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE #1

TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE #1 (IDW) 

Written by Joe Hill and Michael Benedetto, drawn by Gabriel Rodriguez, colours by Ryan Hill 

This miniseries reunites the creative team of the acclaimed Locke and Key series in what is essentially an adaptation of scripts that writer Joe Hill had done as a proposals for a revival of the anthology TV show Tales from the Darkside. 

In sleepwalker a young man who likes to party too much and works as a lifeguard just might be responsible for the death of a woman. Guilt and sorrow are water in the mill of cosmic balance as the fate of 4 people interlock. 

A well written tale that shows its TV origins in structure and inspiration. The art is quite attractive and shows good visual storytelling skills. It is also reminiscent of the work of classic comic book artist P. Craig Russell, with it's clean lines and detailed execution. 

First in a four issue miniseries that is well worth picking up. Available through your local Comic book shop or digitaly on Comixology: https://www.comixology.com/Tales-From-The-Darkside-1/digital-comic/389672

DAREDEVIL Vol.1 #1-11

DAREDEVIL Vol.1 #1-11

The very first comic book I ever remember reading was a Daredevil comic. I was probably six or seven and the character struck a cord right away. No real superpower to talk of really, except for a "radar sense" that helped the blind hero in his fight against criminals. The striking red devil costume, the swashbuckling attitude, his cane used as a weapon. I was sold. 

It is a fascinating experience to re-read those old comics every ten years or so. Obviously, the scripting by comic book legend Stan Lee, is extremely dated and in places, shows a chauvinistic attitude that is borderline uncomfortable but the excitement of the new Marvel age of comics was evident on every page. 

The first 11 issues of Daredevil (starting in April 1964) are wonderful to look at on an artistic level as they featured the works of comics legends Bill Everett (Daredevil co-creator along with Lee and Jack Kirby), and EC Comics veterans Joe Orlando and Wally Wood. On a purely visual level, those comics are simply marvelous (pardon the pun). 

While Daredevil's original villains were not memorable (at least for the right reasons) these comics did feature the first appearance of The Purple Man, who mass audiences went on to discover in the Jessica Jones Netflix Series.

Follow either of these Amazon links to discover these classic comics:

LAZARUS

LAZARUS

Written by Greg Rucka, drawn and lettered by Michael Lark, coloured by Santiago Arcas, published by Image Comics.

A fascinating sci-fi/mystery/adventure story about a near-future controlled by corporations and their mafia-like system used to control the masses. Forever Carlyle is the genetically enhanced enforcer of her family's holdings. 

Questions of human decency, greed, power and territories are explored in a story that keeps the reader riveted to the page. Writer Greg Rucka is extremely good at world building and it pays off as it all becomes quite engrossing.

The art (line drawings and colors) convey a range of moods and emotions that carry the story forward while displaying the cold and ugly reality in which the well-rounded characters live in. Michael Lark is a skillful graphic storyteller.

Catch up on the story with the first four trade paperbacks (Amazon Canada links):

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