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!
I Breathed a Body #1
Words by Zac Thompson. Art by Andy MacDonald.
This comic is one that I’ve been hyped for since it was announced and it’s perfectly met that expectation. The pitch feels perfect for me, but more than that, it’s timely in a way that comics often fail to be, and even refuse to be at times. It does what great pieces of art do: it’s taking these relevant ideas, stringing them along themes, and using metaphors to build a narrative that’s meaningful. (10/10)
–Keigen Rea
DCeased: Dead Planet #7
Words by Tom Taylor. Art by Trevor Hairsine & Gigi Baldassini.
DCeased: Dead Planet turned out to be one of the best comics I’ve read in quite a while. The ending was so great I had to sit down and read the entire miniseries all over again because the ride was so good and so satisfying. Tom and Trevor have created a masterclass on a fantastic, entertaining, suspenseful miniseries! Get this ASAP! (10/10)
–Christopher Franey
Future State: The Next Batman #2
Words & Art by a big team of amazing creators.
Dee-Dee’s eventual team-up with Ivy and Catwoman leads to a classic girls’ night out, where the emancipated cyborg gets a taste of the real world. The character work is splendid and, though the absence of Harley Quinn in a “Gotham City Sirens” story might be somewhat jarring, it was nice to see Ivy navigating the playful setting of a superhero speakeasy without Harley taking up all the space. The speakeasy was brilliantly rendered by colorist John Kalisz who, working off of artists Rob Haynes, Emanuela Luppachino, and Wade Von Grawbadger, infused the bar with a bright, neon vibe. That the story ends with a whopper of a cliffhanger only has me more excited for its conclusion in the fourth issue of this miniseries. (9.5/10)
–Dan Spinelli
King in Black #3
Words by Donny Cates. Art by Ryan Stegman.
King in Black #3 is very good at registering the weight of the moment and leaning into high-octane entertainment. That’s why the big twists always feel important to the story, even if they’re totally bonkers. The event itself is intriguing–thanks in part to well-written tie-in stories–whereas the event itself is like a good series of jabs with a strong roundhouse kick to the head every eight pages. Whether or not it can land on its feet matters not, as long as you tie the bandana tighter and go in without a care in the world. (9/10)
–David Brooke
Future State: Catwoman #1
Words by Ram V. Art by Otto Schmidt.
What maybe the real highlight of the issue, though, is on the final page. A few different reveals happen there, but one in particular has me extremely excited because I know the creative team has something cool and interesting cooked up for it. With the high bar that they set here, I fully expect that the next issue will use the ideas presented here in a clever and entertaining way, but more than that, I am personally very excited to see where it goes. The next issue easily has the chance to be my favorite of Future State with how this one laser targeted my interests. (9/10)
–Keigen Rea
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