From last week, yet still fresh…

This round brings much of the fresh, with new reads and series less than a year old. For all those jeering on Hollywood as fresh out of ideas while TV land filled up on rehashes and reboots, come to the comic stores and digital outlets where there are interesting, and stranger worlds.  Here below, are some choice single-issue comics I looked into since last Wednesday (9/7).

Here we go, (with minor spoilers)…

RECENT COMICS:

Glitterbomb#1 (Image), by Jim Zub, Djibril Morisette-Phan, Michael Russel

SW PICK OF THE WEEK!! A new monster of the best kind, I feel is one from within that is given some sort of terrifying power. It’s here where the main character, Farrah, was already on edge, but something out there feeds on that and pushes that person to kill in horrifying ways. Yet, here I am as the reader somewhat manipulated in rooting for her in a messed up, cruel world, where she is somewhat just trying to make it through the hell of Hollywood’s exploitive atmosphere. The first issue is the set-up which gives us little on the supernatural elements and far more on the personal natures of the characters, from victim to victor. I feel the main character in a way is both, and the story interchanges as a full circle of sequence of time at work. The art is fantastic, with a lot of clarity in the facial emotions and reactions through panels. Through this and more, Farrah is instantly memorable on her own, even without the bloodletting tentacles she hides.

Paper Girls #9 (Image), by Brian k. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson,

Paper Girls remains the great, wonderful series that keeps fresh and going. Now, the shit is getting real with all sorts of things happening with some jumbled confusion.  While questions arise on whether or not to trust the “other Eric,” I find it difficult to trust the writer in thinking what the bigger picture is here. Is it now some alternate reality now, or perhaps some sort of bizarre simulation? I feel the real conflict is where the story shall go from the chapter ending, and what part shall the characters play in its development. Currently, I am slightly bugged at how other media outlets compare this to the Netflix series, Stranger Things. Yet, from this issue especially, this is so much more than some 80’s throwback. Much like the “other Erin,” I feel we still have some more issues yet, to really know the characters and where they all fit into the grand scheme, that now has an awesome zeppelin. Also, the coloring in this issue seems a lot more mixed and intense, especially with moments of action and heightened drama. It all seems to go on with the development, which I don’t think can be compared to anything just yet.

Flintstones #3 (DC), by Mark Russell, Steve Pugh, Chris Chuckry

Wow, what a strange, yet interesting series this is becoming. The town of Bedrock has much going on in this brilliant reflection of our world.  We have an alien invasion, sort of where alien intruders on some sort of spring break rampage with no regard for Earthen authority, or life. Fred and his Paleolithic War buddies come to save the day, receiving less than high appreciation for their valiant efforts. While the book has funny moments and throwbacks to the Stone Age tech used in the cartoon, there is much satire here poking fun at the state of military vets in the modern world. There leads to an end that trivialized on heroism, yet brings a conclusion that feels tongue cheeky. We come back to Fred Flintstone whose presence diminished this round, yet and ever strong, the soulful heart of Bedrock.

Faster Than Light #10 (Image), by

The crew of. This feels like a perfect issue for something so close to the 50th anniversary of Star Trek, to remind us of the glory and beauty of the exploration into the unknown. Here, we have the crew of the Discovery encountering some sort of extradimensional singularity. Captain Forrest and crew do their best to establish communication, revealing far more danger than expected. A part of them is left somewhat, which feels more likely an exchange of great knowledge calling for more in return. It’s an overall good end to what is so far said to be the series finale, of which I hope is a series one, with a series two on its way (with the short stories on the Anomaly Productions official site to keep us in that universe in the meantime). The UAR app function adds much to the story, as usual; with some real scientific findings and info through in, to put the sci in sci-fi here.

Eclipse #1 (Image, Top Cow), by Zack Kaplan, Giovanni Timpano

Imagine the modern world, but instead where the sun becomes harmful to humans. Such is an intriguing premise, but somehow our civilization deals with it, by hiding and adapting as much of humanity has burned away. The adjustment feels a bit disjointed, almost unrealistic, though that feels like part of the charm. Now, we have humans who crave the solar rays in protective suits, dealing with a killer that uses the radiation to claim more victims, with a surprise toward the end that raises questions. I suppose the biggest one is why, and what could it all mean. We have some protagonists, where we as readers must explore the answers with. The art is wonderful with stylish digital coloring and refined textures, where I also really dig the lettering; overall the combination gives this book a very different feel. The execution gives this book a better joy in readability that works better as a stylized comic than any other medium.

Night’s Dominion #1 (Oni Press), by Ted Naifeh

An interesting new series that so far mixes a multi-genre in comics and storytelling together; with a bit of fantasy, superheroes, crime capers, and good action and drama together. Much of beings with an assembly of interesting characters, where the meeting does not go well. Much is in question towards who the book revolves around, as we get to know the personal situations of daring rogues who could easily in our world end up in a bunch of superhero comics. Then, something of a superhero does pop into the story, somewhat a dark mirror of today’s grimdark standards. What’s great is that we have the prime characters who motivated not by heroism, but to better their own down-trodden situations. There is much vibrancy in the art and style, that makes this new series more exciting than the setting and situations it presents. I hope for more character focus and development in future issues, where we can get a better perspective on where the story shall go, which has me kept curious for now.

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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.