Future Foundation #1

Writer:  Jeremy Whitley

Artist:  Will Robson

Cover Art:  Carlos Pacheco, Rafael Fonteriz & Matt Yackey

New series featuring the kids from Fantastic Four, the Future Foundation, that includes two of the former members of Power Pack, Julie and Alex Power.

I was a fan of Power Pack so it was nice to see these characters once again.  There is also Dragon Man, Leech, Artie and such.  I do not know much about the Bentley-23 character (apparently a clone of The Wizard) but I did like him and his snarky attitude.

Yondu his here and he is very much the Michael Rooker version of the character as he appeared in the MCU Guardians of the Galaxy movies.  I’m not sure when that version of Yondu made it into the Marvel Universe, and I have to say that Yondu did distract me almost the entire time he was on the page.  I just remember Yondu from the 3000s with the other “original” team of Guardians and he was nothing like this.  That was okay when the movie made changes to fit into their movie, but then to make that change here is odd.  Is the other Yondu just gone?  I’m not sure, but it sure seems as if this is our Yondu moving forward.

The comic also featured a lot of dialogue and I believe that makes sense because these characters are intended to be smart ones put together because of their minds.  The dialogue was fine.  I might encourage some more action in the book as it moves along.

The art has a definite younger feel to it.  It feels like a cartoon in several places and perhaps even over-the-top.  It is better than most of the “kids” comic art, but it reminds me of it, for sure.

Future Foundation is a book that I am giving a chance because I like the characters, especially those from Power Pack.  I hope to learn more about several of the members of the Future Foundation as the series moves on.

House of X #2 (of 6)

“The Uncanny Life of Moira X”

Writer:  Jonathan Hickman

Artist:  Pepe Larraz

Cover Art:  Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Jonathan Hickman’s new run on the X-Men continued this week with an issue that starts to unravel some of the questions that House of X#1 and Power of X#1 asked while still leaving the reader with plenty of uncertainty of what is going on.  I know I had plenty of questions to ask when I finished reading the book, which is something that I like.

Seems that Moira McTaggart is more important to the X-Men lore than anyone could have guessed.  Without spoiling anything, Moira appears to be the key to the series that is resetting the history of everyone’s favorite mutants.

Everything is weaved together well, and it is obvious that Hickman has done a tremendous job of planning a whole new timeline while not eliminating anything that had come before.

The art is great too with Pepe Larraz.

I do not want to give anything away so I am stopping here.  This has hooked me enough that I am as fascinated as can be of where this is heading.  I am more interested in the X-Men than I have been in years.

Absolute Carnage #1 (of 5)

“Chapter One: The Bleeding King”

“Chapter Two: The God Son”

“Chapter Three:  The Long Red Dark”

Writer:  Donny Cates

Artist:  Ryan Stegman

Cover Art:  Ryan Stegmen, JP Mayer & Frank Martin

I have not been looking forward to Absolute Carnage.  The last Marvel crossover was The War of the Realms and I was not a fan of that book.  I also knew that this series would be more of a focus on Venom than Spider-Man and I have not been a Venom fan for quite a while.

However, the first issue of the crossover event is as good of a first issue as I have seen in a long time.  I am completely in.  I did worry that, since I have not been following the Venom/Carnage books over the last many months, I might be lost in what was happening.  That  was not the case.

I really liked how they portrayed Eddie Brock.  There were some interesting things that they included that I found fascinating.  Spider-Man was here and I loved how he was used.  The relationship between Spidey and Eddie is unlike like any other relationships in comics.

There is some wonderful character work in the comic, but the action is not sacrificed in favor of it.

The book is gigantic, but not a page is sacrificed.  It is not an over-sized issue with two or three wasted shorts at the end.  There is no sketchbook or character design section or anything but story (there is a letter page, but that is fine).

The art from Ryan Stegman is amazing.  It is gloriously horrifying, as the book has plenty of horror aspects to it.  The red tone of the art and pages plays right into the mood the story is creating.  The techniques used here truly help set the feeling for the reader of fear and uncomfortableness.

This is a fantastic way to start this series off and it has made me very excited to see the next installment of the series.  I am still uncertain about the tons of crossover issues that go along with the 5-issue series, but this could not have been a better way to start.

Captain America #12

“Captain of Nothing: Part VI”

By Ta-Nehisi Coates & Adam Kubert

Cover Art:  Alex Ross

This is the final part of the story “Captain of Nothing” where we have seen Captain America sent to prison for a murder he did not commit, have problems inside, and escape with the help of a group of female super heroes. Now Cap is on the run from the authorities, including Nick Fury.

The story really focuses on how the image of Captain America has been tarnished by the whole Hydra thing that had happened and how Cap may be dead.

However, it does not mean that Steve Rogers can’t make an impact.

Splitting hairs?  Maybe.  The final page of the issue is kind of cool as we see something pretty familiar.

Couple of thoughts in the issue:

• Who are the Daughters of Liberty?  I like the idea of a secret society of powerful women that have been around for years behind the scenes, only coming together in the most important moments.  I could see a limited series featuring the Daughters of Liberty in the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World War I or II.  I’m not sure that is where they are going with this, but I do like the possibilities.

• Secondly, where in continuity does this take place, because, I have also read Avengers #22 today where Cap is right there with his fellow Avengers dealing with Robbie Reyes and his Ghost Rider problem.  Shouldn’t Nick Fury know that Cap is there?

I liked the art in this issue.  I am not sure exactly who is the artist here as the comic did not specify.  All it listed was the two creators and that it was “by” them.  I know Andy Kubert is an artist, but I do not know if he has expanded into writing or co-plotting or whatever.

This starts into the next story arc for the Captain America comics called “The Legend of Steve”

Fantastic Four #12

“The Honeymoon Crasher”

Writer:  Dan Slott

Artist:  Sean Izaakse

Cover Art:  Esad Ribic

“Speed of Light”

Writer: Jeremy Whitley

Artist:  Will Robson

The Immortal Hulk arrives during The Thing’s honeymoon to cause some trouble.  We have had the epic Thing vs. Hulk fights many times over the years, but this fight brought an air of stakes.

Without spoiling too much, this time the Hulk may not be fully under his own control, and Ben Grimm is on the clock.  With time ticking down until Ben switches to his human form for a few weeks, the Hulk arrives to throw a wrench into the romantic plans of our brand new Mr. and Mrs. Grimm.

You can sense the countdown as the battle raged on, despite Ben’s resistance to originally engage his old nemesis.

Though it ends with a cliffhanger, the story next issue should be quite amazing.

There is also a back story setting up the upcoming series Future Foundation.  Alex and Julie Power, former members of Power Pack, are reunited and deal with some of their own problems.

I used to love Power Pack, and I am interested to see where this will go.

Runaways#23

“But You Can’t Hide Pt. V”

Writer:  Rainbow Rowell

Artist:  Andres Genolet

Cover Art:  Kris Anka

I have just recently caught up with the Runaway series after falling behind several months.  When I sat down to read it through, I realized why this had been nominated for Best Ongoing Series at the Eisner Awards.  It was fantastic.  Great characterization.  Wonderful interwoven plot points.  Beautiful art.  A story that features the characters more than just the super hero/villain aspect.

Runaways#23 continues this trend with the issue focusing on the relationship between Chase and Gert, which has been shaky ever since Chase brought her to the future to keep her from dying.  We also get much more between Victor and Doombot, as both of the robots/cyborgs are dealing with rebooting their systems and deciding what kind of “human” they were going to be.

That is the biggest takeaway from the Runaways… they are young people who are written as real people and who live their lives struggling to get by.  You can feel the anguish with Chase and the guilt of Gert from her new “relationship” with Victor.

We get details on Karolina and her recent choices of using her powers to save people.  She and Nico have a real one-on-one about what has been going on in Karolina’s life.

I find Runaways to be unlike any other comic I buy and I will not be falling behind on the reading any more.

Powers of X #1

“The Last Dream of Professor X”

Writer:  Jonathan Hickman

Artist:  R.B. Silva

Cover Art:  R.B. Silva & Marte Gracia

Jonathan Hickman’s second mini series that is being used to restart the X-Men brand was released this week.  Last week was House of X, and this week is Powers of X (pronounced ‘ten’).  These two books are telling one gigantic story from Hickman and, much like his run on the Avengers, he re-creates a bunch of the future and past and weaves them together.  Because of that, there are moments when it can be difficult to follow.

Again, like last week, there are pages of white throughout the book that gives paragraphs of exposition and I had difficulties with these pages.

There are a group of new characters that are interesting, with apparent ties to mutants that we knew.  I am wondering how much my confusion is because I have not been reading much X-Men in the lat several years.

The beginning scene may have been my favorite as Charles Xavier and Moira McTaggart are shown meeting, yet it all feels odd…dreamlike.  And then the scene on Krakoa is just as strange.  Some of these characters feel unlike they have been shown before.  I have a feeling there is a reason for that.

This may require a re-read to grasp on what is happening, or perhaps the mystery of exactly what is going on is the main part of it.  I will say that I am interested in what is happening and I would like to see where it goes.  I am fearful that all of this is just going to be one more alternate future for the X-men and, once these two stories are over, they will split the mutants up into different teams and just continue the status quo from the last several years.

I plan on continuing to read the two series with hope that this is not just another X-Men story without any weight.

Jane Foster: Valkyrie#1

“The Sacred and the Profane Part 1”

Writer:  Jason Aaron & Al Ewing

Artist: Cafu

Cover Art:  Jesus Aburtov

The second ongoing series coming out of The War of the Realms saga arrived today in Jane Foster: Valkyrie#1.  Jane Foster, who at one point wielded the hammer and the power of Thor, now has found herself as the last Valkyrie.

I enjoyed this book.  I was not a huge fan of Jane as Thor, but I did not hate it either and I will say that my first thought of Jane as a Valkyrie was one of disappointment.  However, the book is well done, with a solid story and great characterization.  It also has a shocking event that you do not see coming (literally).

Al Ewing has been doing tremendous work in the Immortal Hulk and if he can bring the same kind of exceptional storytelling to this book on a consistent basis, I will be very happy.  The art by Cafu is lovely as well and really helps the book stand out.  There are some spots where the book could use a different color scheme, but other than that, this is a great book to look at.

I loved the first issue of Loki and this issue is excellent too, which means I already like more of the post-War of the Realms than I did when it was actually going on.  It would be nice for the books to get some time to find their footing before having to jump into the next massive crossover.

House of X #1 (of 6)

“The House that Xavier Built”

Writer:  Jonathan Hickman

Artist:  Pepe Larraz

Cover Art:  Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia

Marvel is, once again, rebooting their X-Men characters, this time behind the vision of writer Jonathan Hickman.  Hickman, the writer behind other Marvel sagas such as Fantastic Four, Secret Wars, Infinity and the recent run on Avengers, has come with some big statements about the new X-books, House of X and next week’s Power of X, and how they will reestablish the status quo for the Marvel mutants.

The first issue of House of X was somewhat challenging to read. There are a lot of setting up places and characters within the book as you are trying to determine the new variations of the X-Men that you know and love.  Much of it works, and, at the very least, creates questions that will keep you wondering about until the next book comes out.

There is a Charles Xavier, walking around apparently alive.  There is something strange going on with Xavier.  Apparently, he was resurrected in Astonishing X-Men (I did not read that book so I do not know- has something to do with Fantomex).  Even still, there is something off about the character.  My first thought when I saw the cover was that this was the Reed Richards from the Ultimates universe, but maybe that is just a similarity in design.  There is a strange cameo in the book that makes me wonder if there is more to this than I thought.

The feel of the book is like a cult, with the mutants taking up residence on Krakoa and Xavier is offering the special flowers that contain effects such as healing and extending life to the humans if they recognize his nation.  Magneto is the ambassador showing government officials around, but there is something that Magneto knows that no one else does…at least we the readers do not know.

I am intrigued by what is happening in the book and I wonder exactly what Hickman has up his sleeve.  This book, along with Powers of X, will be sold, basically, every other week until early October.

I had no longer collected X-Men books (with the exception of Dead Man Logan) and so the new relaunch seems to be a good jumping on point.  I am curious to see how I feel about the X-characters by the end of this mini-series.

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Avengers #21

“The Day After a Day Unlike Any Other”

Writer: Jason Aaron

Artiest: Jason Masters

Cover Art:  Stefano Caselli & Frank Martin

I was catching up on some of my comics that I was behind on when I started Avengers#21.  Now, I have not been overly happy with this book recently.  I did not love the whole vampire/Dracula stuff and the War of the Realms was a waste of time, in my opinion.  So coming off the wonderfulness that was Avengers: No Road Home, this title had been disappointing.

I would never stop collecting the Avengers though.  I have been buying Avengers comics since the Korvac Saga and I know that the Avengers change as time moves on.

However, when I read Avengers#21, I was reminded how much I like Jason Aaron’s writing.  After the events of The War of the Realm, this book brought things back to a smaller, human level.  The first four pages of the book involving Thor, Iron Man and Cap in the Avengers’ “Tub of Hotness” in Avengers Mountain were as charming and fun as I have seen in this book in quite a while.

The scene was just a conversation between the three of them as they attempt to relax and take a few minutes of much needed downtime.  The dialogue was wonderful, giving us insights into each man and his character.

As more Avengers joined them, things were not as personal and felt a bit forced, but some of the other bits were good too.  Robbie Reyes and Captain Marvel going “fishing” was a cool moment.  So was Hulk flirting with Blade. I am not a fan of what they have done with Jennifer Walters in the last few years at Marvel, but I saw some promise that Jenn is actually there.

I would love to have more of these kind of issues that can help create a bond between these characters, cementing the team in a positive way.  That is before Mephisto shows up to muck with the situation.

EYG would like to congratulate all the winners and all those deserving nominees for this year’s Eisner Awards.  Couple of my own shout outs/comments…

• I absolutely LOVED Peter Parker, the Spectacular Spider-Man #310 and I am thrilled that it won the Best Single Issue/One Shot.  It was one of the best Spidey stories in years.
• I wanted The Immortal Hulk to win Best Ongoing Series.  I do not read Giant Days, but this has been the best version of the Hulk on the page in years!
• The Vision is one of my all-time favorite story arcs and I an very excited that it won for Best Graphic Album-Reprint.  
• It sure seems that Tom King is an Eisner favorite!  Well deserved because he is awesome!

Lois Lane #1

“Enemy of the People Part One”

Writer:  Greg Rucka

Artist:  Mike Perkins

Cover Art:  Jenny Frison

Whoa, same week, two non-Marvel books.  Who would’ve thunk it?

I picked up the Lois Lane #1 book from DC Comics simply because I really liked the variant cover that was on display.  It is the one used on this review and it was an eye-catcher.  Jenny Frison was the artist and a cover should help attract people to your book.  This certainly worked on me.

I wound up enjoying the story as well.  It was a very topical, political story involving Lois Lane investigating some topics that may just have some familiarity to them.  Especially if you pay any attention to the news today.  While I prefer my politics to stay out of the comics, this was well done and came at it with an angle that was unexpected.

I like dhow they kept Clark Kent’s role in her story at a minimum.  The book was about Lois, although there was one surprising cameo in the story.

I did like this, but I am not sure I want to commit to 12 issues of the series.  If you are a DC fan, this is a book that you cannot miss.  For me, I have to consider what I am going to do with it.

Eisner Awards to be revealed at San Diego Comic Con on July 19, at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel.

Best Short Story

• “Get Naked in Barcelona,” by Steven T. Seagle and Emei Olivia Burell, in Get Naked (Image)
• “The Ghastlygun Tinies,” by Matt Cohen and Marc Palm, in MAD magazine #4 (DC)
• “Here I Am,” by Shaun Tan, in I Feel Machine (SelfMadeHero)
• “Life During Interesting Times,” by Mike Dawson (The Nib)
• “Supply Chains,” by Peter and Maria Hoey, in Coin-Op #7 (Coin-Op Books)
• “The Talk of the Saints,” by Tom King and Jason Fabok, in Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)

Best Single Issue/One-Shot

• Beneath the Dead Oak Tree, by Emily Carroll (ShortBox)
• Black Hammer: Cthu-Louise, by Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox (Dark Horse)
• No Better Words, by Carolyn Nowak (Silver Sprocket)
• Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #310, by Chip Zdarsky (Marvel)
• The Terrible Elisabeth Dumn Against the Devils In Suits, by Arabson, translated by James Robinson (IHQ Studio/ Image)

Best Continuing Series

• Batman, by Tom King et al. (DC)
• Black Hammer: Age of Doom, by Jeff Lemire, Dean Ormston, and Rich Tommaso (Dark Horse)
• Gasolina, by Sean Mackiewicz and Niko Walter (Skybound/Image)
• Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julaa Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
• The Immortal Hulk, by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, and Ruy José (Marvel)
• Runaways, by Rainbow Rowell and Kris Anka (Marvel)

Best Limited Series

• Batman: White Knight, by Sean Murphy (DC)
• Eternity Girl, by Magdalene Visaggio and Sonny Liew (Vertigo/DC)
• Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, by Mark Russell, Mike Feehan, and Mark Morales (DC)
• Mister Miracle, by Tom King and Mitch Gerads (DC)
• X-Men: Grand Design: Second Genesis, by Ed Piskor (Marvel)

Best New Series

• Bitter Root, by David Walker, Chuck Brown, and Sanford Greene (Image)
• Crowded, by Christopher Sebela, Ro Stein, and Ted Brandt (Image)
• Gideon Falls, by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino (Image)
• Isola, by Brenden Fletcher and Karl Kerschl (Image)
• Man-Eaters, by Chelsea Cain, Lia Miternique and Kate Niemczyk (Image)
• Skyward, by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett (Image)

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 8)

• Johnny Boo and the Ice Cream Computer, by James Kochalka (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Petals, by Gustavo Borges (KaBOOM!)
• Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths, by Graham Annable (First Second)
• This Is a Taco! By Andrew Cangelose and Josh Shipley (CubHouse/Lion Forge)
• Tiger Vs. Nightmare, by Emily Tetri (First Second)

Best Publication for Kids (ages 9–12)

• Aquicorn Cove, by Katie O’Neill (Oni)
• Be Prepared, by Vera Brosgol (First Second)
• The Cardboard Kingdom, by Chad Sell (Knopf/Random House Children’s Books)
• Crush, by Svetlana Chmakova (JY/Yen Press)
• The Divided Earth, by Faith Erin Hicks (First Second)

Best Publication for Teens (ages 13–17)

• All Summer Long, by Hope Larson (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• Gumballs, by Erin Nations (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Middlewest, by Skottie Young and Jorge Corona (Image)
• Norroway, Book 1: The Black Bull of Norroway, by Cat Seaton and Kit Seaton (Image)
• The Prince and the Dressmaker, by Jen Wang (First Second)
• Watersnakes, by Tony Sandoval, translated by Lucas Marangon (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best Humor Publication

• Get Naked, by Steven T. Seagle et al. (Image)
• Giant Days, by John Allison, Max Sarin, and Julia Madrigal (BOOM! Box)
• MAD magazine, edited by Bill Morrison (DC)
• A Perfect Failure: Fante Bukowski 3, by Noah Van Sciver (Fantagraphics)
• Woman World, by Aminder Dhaliwal (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Anthology

• Femme Magnifique: 50 Magnificent Women Who Changed the World, edited by Shelly Bond (Black Crown/IDW)
• Puerto Rico Strong, edited by Marco Lopez, Desiree Rodriguez, Hazel Newlevant, Derek Ruiz, and Neil Schwartz (Lion Forge)
• Twisted Romance, edited by Alex de Campi (Image)
• Where We Live: A Benefit for the Survivors in Las Vegas, edited by Will Dennis, curated by J. H. Williams III and Wendy Wright-Williams (Image)

Best Reality-Based Work

• All the Answers: A Graphic Memoir, by Michael Kupperman (Gallery 13)
• All the Sad Songs, by Summer Pierre (Retrofit/Big Planet)
• Is This Guy For Real? The Unbelievable Andy Kaufman, by Box Brown (First Second)
• Monk! by Youssef Daoudi (First Second)
• One Dirty Tree, by Noah Van Sciver (Uncivilized Books)

Best Graphic Album—New

• Bad Girls, by Alex de Campi and Victor Santos (Gallery 13)
• Come Again, by Nate Powell (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Green Lantern: Earth One Vol. 1, by Corinna Bechko and Gabriel Hardman (DC)
• Homunculus, by Joe Sparrow (ShortBox)
• My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies, by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (Image)
• Sabrina, by Nick Drnaso (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Graphic Album—Reprint

• Berlin, by Jason Lutes (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Girl Town, by Carolyn Nowak (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Upgrade Soul, by Ezra Claytan Daniels (Lion Forge)
• The Vision hardcover, by Tom King, Gabriel Hernandez Walta, and Michael Walsh (Marvel)
• Young Frances, by Hartley Lin (AdHouse Books)

Best Adaptation from Another Medium

• Anne Frank’s Diary: The Graphic Adaptation, adapted by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (Pantheon)
• “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelley, in Frankenstein: Junji Ito Story Collection, adapted by Junji Ito, translated by Jocelyne Allen (VIZ Media)
• Out in the Open by Jesús Carraso, adapted by Javi Rey, translated by Lawrence Schimel (SelfMadeHero)
• Speak: The Graphic Novel, by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll (Farrar Straus Giroux)
• To Build a Fire: Based on Jack London’s Classic Story, by Chabouté (Gallery 13)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

• About Betty’s Boob, by Vero Cazot and Julie Rocheleau, translated by Edward Gauvin (Archaia/BOOM!)
• Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World, by Pénélope Bagieu, translated by Montana Kane (First Second)
• Herakles Book 1, by Edouard Cour, translated by Jeremy Melloul (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Niourk, by Stefan Wul and Olivier Vatine, translated by Brandon Kander and Diana Schutz (Dark Horse)
• A Sea of Love, by Wilfrid Lupano and Grégory Panaccione (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia

• Abara: Complete Deluxe Edition, by Tsutomu Nihei, translated by Sheldon Drzka (VIZ Media)
• Dead Dead Demon’s Dededede Destruction, by Inio Asano, translated by John Werry (VIZ Media)
• Laid-Back Camp, by Afro, translated by Amber Tamosaitis (Yen Press)
• My Beijing: Four Stories of Everyday Wonder, by Nie Jun, translated by Edward Gauvin (Graphic Universe/Lerner)
• Tokyo Tarareba Girls, by Akiko Higashimura (Kodansha)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Strips

• Pogo, vol. 5: Out of This World At Home, by Walt Kelly, edited by Mark Evanier and Eric Reynolds (Fantagraphics)
• Sky Masters of the Space Force: The Complete Sunday Strips in Color (1959–1960), by Jack Kirby, Wally Wood et al., edited by Ferran Delgado (Amigo Comics)
• Star Wars: Classic Newspaper Strips, vol. 3, by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson, edited by Dean Mullaney (Library of American Comics/IDW)
• The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Words and Worlds of Herbert Crowley, by Justin Duerr (Beehive Books
• Thimble Theatre and the Pre-Popeye Comics of E. C. Segar, edited by Peter Maresca (Sunday Press)

Best Archival Collection/Project—Comic Books

• Action Comics: 80 Years of Superman Deluxe Edition, edited by Paul Levitz (DC)
• Bill Sienkiewicz’s Mutants and Moon Knights… And Assassins… Artifact Edition, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)
• Dirty Plotte: The Complete Julie Doucet (Drawn & Quarterly)
• Madman Quarter Century Shindig, by Mike Allred, edited by Chris Ryall (IDW)
• Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, edited by Bob Chapman, Joseph Melchior, and Terry Moore (Abstract Studio/Graphitti Designs)
• Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s Collection, edited by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Writer

• Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted Romance (Image)
• Tom King, Batman, Mister Miracle, Heroes in Crisis, Swamp Thing Winter Special (DC)
• Jeff Lemire, Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Doctor Star & the Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows, Quantum Age (Dark Horse); Descender, Gideon Falls, Royal City (Image)
• Mark Russell, Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles, Green Lantern/Huckleberry Hound, Lex Luthor/Porky Pig (DC); Lone Ranger (Dynamite)
• Kelly Thompson, Nancy Drew (Dynamite); Hawkeye, Jessica Jones, Mr. & Mrs. X, Rogue & Gambit, Uncanny X-Men, West Coast Avengers (Marvel)
• Chip Zdarsky, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man, Marvel Two-in-One (Marvel)

Best Writer/Artist

• Sophie Campbell, Wet Moon (Oni)
• Nick Drnaso, Sabrina (Drawn & Quarterly)
• David Lapham, Lodger (Black Crown/IDW); Stray Bullets (Image)
• Nate Powell, Come Again (Top Shelf/IDW)
• Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Jen Wang, The Prince and the Dressmaker (First Second)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

• Matías Bergara, Coda (BOOM!)
• Mitch Gerads, Mister Miracle (DC)
• Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
• Sonny Liew, Eternity Girl (Vertigo/DC)
• Sean Phillips, Kill or Be Killed, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies (Image)
• Yanick Paquette, Wonder Woman Earth One, vol. 2 (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

• Lee Bermejo, Batman: Damned (DC)
• Carita Lupatelli, Izuna Book 2 (Humanoids)
• Dustin Nguyen, Descender (Image)
• Gregory Panaccione, A Sea of Love (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• Tony Sandoval, Watersnakes (Magnetic/Lion Forge)

Best Cover Artist (for multiple covers)

• Jen Bartel, Blackbird (Image); Submerged (Vault)
• Nick Derington, Mister Miracle (DC)
• Karl Kerschl, Isola (Image)
• Joshua Middleton, Batgirl and Aquaman variants (DC)
• Julian Tedesco, Hawkeye, Life of Captain Marvel (Marvel)

Best Coloring

• Jordie Bellaire, Batgirl, Batman (DC); The Divided Earth (First Second); Days of Hate, Dead Hand, Head Lopper, Redlands (Image); Shuri, Doctor Strange (Marvel)
• Tamra Bonvillain, Alien 3 (Dark Horse); Batman, Doom Patrol (DC); Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Multiple Man (Marvel)
• Nathan Fairbairn, Batman, Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman Earth One, vol. 2 (DC); Die!Die!Die! (Image)
• Matt Hollingsworth, Batman: White Knight (DC): Seven to Eternity, Wytches (Image)
• Matt Wilson, Black Cloud, Paper Girls, The Wicked + The Divine (Image); The Mighty Thor, Runaways (Marvel)

Best Lettering

• David Aja, Seeds (Berger Books/Dark Horse)
• Jim Campbell, Breathless, Calexit, Gravetrancers, Snap Flash Hustle, Survival Fetish, The Wilds (Black Mask); Abbott, Alice: Dream to Dream, Black Badge, Clueless, Coda, Fence, Firefly, Giant Days, Grass Kings, Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, Low Road West, Sparrowhawk (BOOM); Angelic (Image); Wasted Space (Vault)
• Alex de Campi, Bad Girls (Gallery 13); Twisted Romance (Image)
• Jared Fletcher, Batman: Damned (DC); The Gravediggers Union, Moonshine, Paper Girls, Southern Bastards (Image)
• Todd Klein— Black Hammer: Age of Doom, Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald (Dark Horse); Batman: White Night (DC); Eternity Girl, Books of Magic (Vertigo/DC); The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest (Top Shelf/IDW)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

• Back Issue, edited by Michael Eury (TwoMorrows)
• The Columbus Scribbler, edited by Brian Canini, Jack Wallace, Steve Steiner, and Derek Baxter columbusscribbler.com
• Comicosity, edited by Aaron Long and Matt Santori,  www.comicosity.com
• LAAB Magazine #0: Dark Matter, edited by Ronald Wimberley and Josh O’Neill (Beehive Books)
• PanelxPanel magazine, edited by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, panelxpanel.com

Best Comics-Related Book

• Comic Book Implosion: An Oral History of DC Comics Circa 1978, by Keith Dallas and John Wells (TwoMorrows)
• Drawn to Purpose: American Women Illustrators and Cartoonists, by Martha H. Kennedy (University Press of Mississippi)
• The League of Regrettable Sidekicks, by Jon Morris (Quirk Books)
• Mike Grell: Life Is Drawing Without an Eraser, by Dewey Cassell with Jeff Messer (TwoMorrows)
• Yoshitaka Amano: The Illustrated Biography—Beyond the Fantasy, by Florent Gorges, translated by Laure Dupont and Annie Gullion (Dark Horse)

Best Academic/Scholarly Work

• Between Pen and Pixel: Comics, Materiality, and the Book of the Future, by Aaron Kashtan (Ohio State University Press)
• Breaking the Frames: Populism and Prestige in Comics Studies, by Marc Singer (University of Texas Press)
• The Goat-Getters: Jack Johnson, the Fight of the Century, and How a Bunch of Raucous Cartoonists Reinvented Comics, by Eddie Campbell (Library of American Comics/IDW/Ohio State University Press)
• Incorrigibles and Innocents, Constructing Childhood and Citizenship in Progressive Era Comics, by Lara Saguisag (Rutgers University Press)
• Sweet Little C*nt: The Graphic Work of Julie Doucet, by Anne Elizabeth Moore (Uncivilized Books)

Best Publication Design

• A Sea of Love, designed by Wilfrid Lupano, Grégory Panaccione, and Mike Kennedy (Magnetic/Lion Forge)
• The Stan Lee Story Collector’s Edition, designed by Josh Baker (Taschen)
• The Temple of Silence: Forgotten Worlds of Herbert Crowley, designed by Paul Kepple and Max Vandenberg (Beehive Books)
• Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise Gallery Edition, designed by Josh Beatman/Brainchild Studios/NYC, (Abstract Studio/Graphitti Designs)
• Will Eisner’s A Contract with God: Curator’s Collection, designed by John Lind (Kitchen Sink/Dark Horse)

Best Digital Comic

• Aztec Empire, by Paul Guinan, Anina Bennett, and David Hahn, www.bigredhair.com/books/Aztec-empire/
• The Führer and the Tramp, by Sean McArdle, Jon Judy, and Dexter Wee, http://thefuhrerandthetramp.com/
• The Journey, by Pablo Leon (Rewire), https://rewire.news/article/2018/01/08/rewire-exclusive-comic-journey/
• The Stone King, by Kel McDonald and Tyler Crook (comiXology Originals)  https://cmxl.gy/Stone-King
• Umami, by Ken Niimura (Panel Syndicate), http://panelsyndicate.com/comics/umami

Best Webcomic

• The Contradictions, by Sophie Yanow, www.thecontradictions.com
• Lavender Jack, by Dan Schkade (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/thriller/lavender-jack/list?title_no=1410&page=1
• Let’s Play, by Mongie (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/letsplay/list?title_no=1218&page=1
• Lore Olympus, by Rachel Smythe, (WEBTOON), https://www.webtoons.com/en/romance/lore-olympus/list?title_no=1320&page=1
• Tiger, Tiger, by Petra Erika Nordlund, (Hiveworks) http://www.tigertigercomic.com/

List source:  https://www.comic-con.org/awards/2019-will-eisner-comic-industry-award-nominees

Sea of Stars #1

“Lost in the Heavens”

Writer:  Jason Aaron & Dennis Hallum

Artist:  Stephen Green

Cover Art: Mike Mignola

Yes, this is an Image Comic book, the first non-Marvel or DC book that I have reviewed in the Comics This Week section.  Yes, this is uncommon for me, as I am mostly a Marvel guy, but I was at Comic World and Games, my comic shop, today talking with the owner Ben about some writers and I mentioned that I liked Jason Aaron’s work.  Ben suggested that I check out this book, Sea of Stars #1, because he had read it and he connected with it.  It was his last copy on the shelf so I said I would take it and look at it.

I have to say, it was a very solid story and I enjoyed it enough to add it to my pull list, once again, which is very uncommon for a non-Marvel title.

Sea of Stars#1 is the story of a father and a son traveling in space.  They implied that the mother was gone and the father had to bring his son Kadyn along with him on his job transporting goods for the Krogarrian Museum of Space History.  As things do in these sort of stories, the ship they were on was attacked and the father/son were separated.  Kadyn winds up on an alien planet with some weird creatures who are considering eating him and the father is ready to come find him.

The sci-fi story works very well because at the heart of the story is the relationship between the father and son.  They have a problem between them, in this case it looks like the loss of the mother/wife, and the pair is not sure what to do with one another.  The tragic circumstances lead to the understanding of how much they mean to each other.

The book is a lot of set up for what is going to happen, but, as I have said before, I like stuff like that.  Set up indicates that you deal with characterization and I like a slow burn if it deals with characters.  We spend the first half of this book learning about our two protagonists here setting up the moment when they are ripped apart.

There are some wonderful pieces of art within this story, especially at the moment when the two of them are being torn away from each other.

I do like the start of this series and I will be picking it up as we continue.  I hope this is a book that I can continue to look forward to and not a book that winds up getting lost in the pile of books to be read.

Loki #1

“The God Who Fell to Earth”

Chapter One: Happily Ever After

Writer:  Daniel Kibblesmith

Artist:  Oscar Bazaldua

Cover Art:  Ozgur Yildirim

Hot off the underwhelming The War of the Realms series is a fully enjoyable and fun Loki #1, written by Daniel Kibblesmith, a comedy writer from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and a former editor of Clickhole, and drawn by Oscar Bazaldua.

I was really entertained by this issue.  I found the story quick and easy to follow (not always the case with some of the Norse myth-based Marvel heroes) and the dialogue, especially from Loki, was sharp, witty and hilarious.

Frosti may be my favorite new character from Marvel Comics in decades.

Kibblesmith caught the exact tone and essence of the character of Loki beautifully.  Loki is the God of Mischief and you catch the sense of that in this book.  There are some great scenes with Loki and his brother Thor, a relationship that is as complicated as any sibling relationship in comic book history.

We may not know what path this story takes, though the final page is one that really begs for some questions, but what starts here is fantastic characterization of one of Marvel Comics’ most classic villains in an engaging and entertaining manner.

Shout out as well to Oscar Bazaldua, an artist from the Mrs. and Mrs. X book, whose art looks to be the perfect touch for this series.

I am very positive for this series and I am really looking forward to see where it goes from here.  The comedy here is very smart and subtle and I have not found a comic this funny since the days of Chelsea Cain’s Mockingbird, which is one of my all-time favorite series.  I have very high hopes for Loki moving forward in the Marvel Universe.