Last week was a bit weird, with chances taken on the unfamiliar while engaging the usual strangeness I love. I have a few interesting books this week, and added a couple oddities from the recent past. Such is the good time, when one can try new things; adding favorites upon favorites.

Here we go (with minor spoilers)..

NEW COMICS FROM LAST WEEK:

Paper Girls #8 (Image) by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang

Another great issue with a little more character development and action than the usual. I love how Mac continues on with her smoking, knowing her fate lies elsewhere. Erin converses with her future self with little worry on the impact of her life, though such reveals deeper complexities and questions to her character. Meanwhile, the future keeps getting stranger, which leaves me to ponder what is truly going on, and how much do the subplots of the Paper Girls personal lives really mean on the developments on the bigger picture. Such is great storytelling, though I can’t even begin to guess on where is all goes. Also, great coloring and art as usual.

Cinema Purgatorio #4 (Avatar) by Alan Moore, Kevin O’Neill, Kieron Gillen, Garth Ennis, Max Brooks, and more

An all right issue, with writer favorites paired with great artists taking advantage of the black and white medium. The opening story with Alan Moore, I had trouble grasping the meaning of it all, as there is some sort of presentation of a familiar ape of classic cinema, revealing a much more complex personal story. The conclusion left me scratching my head. Perhaps, I should read that again, because the visual sequence by Kevin O’Neill is awesome. The other stories are all right, with my favorite being the one by Kieron Gillen, carrying on a sort of gaming motif with a sort of metaphysical approach. Overall, I love the varied art styles which come together to tug at the imagination by mixing familiar settings with fantastical situations. I feel this latest result has been the most experimental.

Animosity (Aftershock) #1 Marguerite Bennett, Rafeal  de Latorre

This is off to a kickass start! The premise is simple, yet endless in possibilities; where the animals of the world are suddenly intelligent and speaking English. The results are shocking, touching, violent, emotional, violent with sudden personas taking over. Many are instantly evil, while others become compassionate; mostly depends on their current situation. The situation turns into a survive or die for a young protagonist and her dog, as they fight together to survive. The pacing is high, with great action and drama. I love the art and coloring, very modernist but sticking to a classic comic panel format. The only big problem is the book being over too soon, leaving me begging for more.

TWO FROM PREVIOUS WEEKS:

Kentucky Fried Chicken presents: Colonel Corps (DC) by Antony Bedard, Tom Derenick

NOTE: A free comic digitally available through DC’s online app and Comixology service, or in print to the lucky attendees standing round the DC booth at the recent San Diego Comic Con.

Wow, just what did I read?! How does one even think of such a ridiculous over the top story about a fast food icon traveling the multiverse collecting alternate realties of itself to fight a an evil mirror universe mastermind? Such is packed with many DC Multiverse eggs for the hardcore fans out there. As for Colonel Sanders fans not so much on the DCU, get ready for odd references to the Kingdom Come universe, Teen Titans Go, Bizarro World, and more surprises. The creepiest of them, is one Colonel Sanders joining the fray as an actual chicken variant (!). Such overall is a hilarious ad awesome treat, which somehow ends up as original and crispy.

Heart of Weirdness by Seth Andrew Jacob, Michael Lee Macdonald

NOTE: Digitally available via the Comixology Submit program. Click here if interested.

A nice little gem for those who love a short story with no limits. Here, a soldier risks his sanity in traveling to another universe to find a madman whose taken over. The story takes the reader through otherworldly landscapes with strange life and bizarre tech; which overall makes sense is and is not too weird when the reader’s mind accepts. I love the art, with a throwback to the classic Heavy Metal mags and cool indie sci-fi of yesterday. I wished much for the story to have lasted longer, to go deeper past its abrupt end; leaving the reader to ponder what really happened. For the 99 cents price of the digital format, Heart of Weirdness is a worthwhile read.

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That’s all until next time. Did we miss anything on the shelves, that is a worthy read?  Do you have further thoughts on the books covered here? Leave a comment below!

Orion T – SW chief writer and seeker of great comic books and all related wonderful things.