Boom! Studios: March 25th Releases

This Week’s Picks from Boom! Studios for 3/25:

Boom-3-25-Releases-Hit

Hit: 1957 #1 (Boom! Studios)
Story by Bryce Carlson
Art by Vanesa R. Del Ray
Colors by Niko Guardia
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Fresh off of their Harvey Award nominated Hit: 1955, Carlson and Del Ray return with their follow-up tale, Hit: 1957.

A high profile murder case is about to place the spotlight on three of the LAPD’s finest while criminals mysteriously start turning up dead. While the bodies pile up, tensions build between them when Internal Affairs also starts sniffing around the department. Carlson’s writing is cinematic in style, which works naturally for the tenor of the book and makes for a satisfyingly rich story. With dramatic pacing, morally ambiguous and complex protagonists, and pitch-perfect, era appropriate dialogue, this is the type of work that could find itself very easily adapted to AMC for a broader audience.

Vanesa R. Del Ray is a talented illustrator with a very promising future, and her work on this and the prior Hit series is nothing short of stellar. She and new colorist Niko Guardia work in tandem to create a convincingly seedy noir backdrop, using cool pinks, blues, and purples in conjunction with lots of heavy blacks and expressive line work. Gorgeous work, really.

If this first issue is any indication, Hit: 1957 looks to be as engaging as its predecessor. Even if you haven’t read Hit: 1955, this is an easy book to pick up on.

 

Boom-3-25-Releases-Crabs

The March of the Crabs HC (Archaia)
By Arthur De Pins

Based on his eponymous short film, French animator Arthur De Pins’ March of the Crabs is an excellent comic. Beautifully and cohesively designed, the story uses a species of crab that can only move in a straight line to illustrate that sometimes the power to change direction needs to come from an external force.

At 109 pages, the story is a surprisingly fast read. De Pins manages to connects the most abstract of dots by the end, weaving multiple story lines involving humans and crustaceans together, driving the book to a satisfying and unexpected conclusion.

De Pins’ animation background serves him well here, as the characters are drawn with a sense of motion rarely seen in comics. The artwork seamlessly alternates between simplistic, stylized character designs and highly detailed splash pages that demonstrate the terrifyingly large scale of the ocean.

March of the Crabs is a great addition to any collection, and it’s a subversively smart comic that’ll make you think.

 


 

Also from Boom! this week:

The Regular Show: March Madness 2015 Special (KaBOOM!)
Written by Molly Ostertag, Kevin Panetta, Kristina Ness, and Shanna Matuszak
Illustrated by Molly Ostertag

This collection of shorts based on the bizarre misadventures of Mordecai and Rigby hands the artistic reigns over to some talented creators, resulting in hilariously touching stories that serve as a great introduction to the characters and the world they live in. Great for any age, and an especially great read for the kids.

The Regular Show TPB Vol 3 (KaBOOM!)
Written by KC Green
Art by Allison Strejlau
Colors by Lisa Moore
Letters by Steve Wands

Collecting issues 9-12, Volumn 3 of The Regular Show pits Mordecai and the gang against the soul of the 90’s—POGS—in a battle for Rigby’s life. This one’s for the 90’s kids who want to warn their children against the dangers of excessive POG use.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes #5 (Boom!)
Written by Michael Moreci
Illustrated by Dan McDaid
Colors by Jason Wordie
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Warring factions of primates, human trafficking, and jailbreaks run rampant as Caesar tries to unify the ape population and the humans try desperately to cling to what remains of their humanity. Moreci, McDaid, and Wordie capture the essence of what makes the Planet of the Apes franchise timeless. A good read, but requires catching up on the series to enjoy fully.

Adventure Time #38
Written by Christopher Hastings
Illustrated by Zachary Sterling
Colors by Maarta Laiho
Letters by Steve Wands

In a solid “one and done” story, the townspeople have forgotten how to make food, so Finn goes all “Innerspace” on Jake in search of a magical piece of the “best sandwich ever” and saves the town from famine. Silly, dumb fun. Great for the kids.

Abigail and the Snowman (KaBOOM!)
Written, Illustrated, and Lettered by Roger Langridge
Colors by Fred Stresing

Roger Langridge’s name is practically synonymous with crafting compelling all-ages comics, and in this final issue, he delivers a self aware, humorous, and heartwarming conclusion to the long journey of two unlikely friends. Definitely worth picking up issues 1 through 3 and reading with your kids.

Munchkin #3 (Boom!Box)
Written by Tom Siddell and Jim Zub
Illustrated by Ian McGinty and Rian Sygh
Colors by Fred Stresing
Letters by Jim Campbell

With its specific gamer references and rapid non-sequiturs, Munchkin is a book that would translate best as a cartoon, as the artwork can lose the reader quite easily. It might find solace in fans of the card game of the same name, but there isn’t much here for the average reader.

Suicide Risk #23 (Boom!)
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Elena Casagrande
Colors by Andrew Elder
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

While the fates of multiple Earths hang in the balance, people dying and coming back to life, Leo Winters—aka Requiem—struggles to save his family. While the art by Elena Casagrande is energetic and very well done, the characters are difficult to like, and the ramifications hard to care about for the new reader. Certainly not a good jump-on point, but readers who have been following along might find signs of life here.

Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #11 (Boom!)
Written by Marc Andreyko
Art by Emanuel Xerx Javier and Devmalya Pramanik
Colors by Juan Manuel Tumburus
Letters by Ed Dukeshire

Rabid fans of Clive Barker’s work (and they are legion) may enjoy this book, but there’s not much here for anyone else as the canned dialogue and busy pages make for a difficult read.

Curb Stomp #2
(Boom!) 
Written by Ryan Ferrier
Illustrated by Devaki Neogi
Colors by Jeremy Lawson
Letters by Colin Bell

In this issue of Curb Stomp, The Fever deals with the fallout from their turf war after the Wrath (pulling a page from the Hammurabi playbook) takes one of them in retaliation for killing one of theirs. With B-movie quality writing, a plot ripped almost directly out of The Warriors and retro, comix-style artwork, this book’s a hard sell.

 


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