Every week, comic fandom is gifted with a slew of fantastic stories from a slew of fantastic creators. These days there’s just so much good stuff out there that it can be a bit overwhelming, especially if you’re new to comics. Thus AIPT presents to you, Fantastic Five! A weekly column where we pick five fantastic books released during the week and tell you why you should take a chance on them via a snippet from our reviews.
Enjoy, and happy reading!
Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black #1
Words by Peter David. Art by Greg Land.
This is an entertaining comic that maximizes its extra-large size with entertaining scenes featuring many characters. Frankly, if you’re looking for exclusive Spidey entertainment you might be disappointed, but if you’re a hardcore Marvel fan, you’ll be delighted to see a few different cameos. The fact that the final page teases even more cameos is a good sign indeed. Symbiote Spider-Man: King in Black is must-read comics for hardcore Marvel fans. (9.5/10)
–David Brooke
Frank at Home on the Farm #1
Words by Jordan Thomas. Art by Clark Bint.
Frank at Home on the Farm is one of the best comics you’ll find on the shelf this week. It’s not only expertly drawn, but intense in its unnerving nature. Like a horrific daydream you can’t escape, Frank at Home on the Farm is a horror story that lives on the fringes of the imagination. (9.5/10)
–David Brooke
Sea of Sorrows #1
Words by Rich Douek. Art by Alex Cormack.
This book does certainly emphasize the horror of the ocean. The undersea scenes are done almost entirely in black, not in blue, and there’s no variations of color down there. Occasionally a lighter line, to distinguish an obstacle or some bubbles, but the depths of the sea are black. Even the surface is black, with just a few minor gradations of white to show cresting waves. The ocean is a dark place, filled with mystery and with death. (9/10)
–Sam Rutzick
Immortal Hulk #40
Words by Al Ewing. Art by Joe Bennett.
Some major points have to go to the colorists, Mounts and Milla. They do a really good job in distinguishing the relatively muted colors of the “real” world, with the bright, almost neon green colors of the Hulk’s gamma, and of Banner’s interiority. Take, for instance, the scene where the Savage Hulk shifts into Joe Fixit. Within the mindscape, Fixit opens his eyes and they’re that neon green color, a deep and striking contrast with the whole world around it. That same green appears as the Savage Hulk’s body shifts and splits open, letting Fixit emerge like a butterfly from a cocoon. (9/10)
–Sam Rutzick
Black Magick #16
Words by Greg Rucka. Art by Nicola Scott.
‘Black Magick’ is a marvelously constructed comic, one whose illustrations and script work together to create a superb reading experience. Whatever day the next issue comes around will be a very, very good day. (9/10)
–Justin Harrison
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