New Comics Wednesday: August 19th Edition

A new week, a new Wednesday, and a whole bunch of new comics. But…are any of them good?

This week, a couple of new ones look promising, some normally great ones are OK, and others that have serious potential just can’t seem to get it together yet. Read below to find out who’s who and what’s what.

Also, check out Comic Bento. The mystery geek box service was reviewed last week by our very own Iggy, who deemed it worthy. You can read his review here.

The usual spiel: have some comics you’d like me to review? Send ’em over to reviews@cloud244.temp.domains with the subject line “New Comics Wednesday,” include a release date, and I promise to give them a look. Make sure to also follow us on Twitter @projectnerd (where you can also find me spouting off about comics under the name @quadwindsor).

So…with that, here are this week’s picks:


Welcome Back

Welcome Back #1 (Boom! Studios)
written by Christopher Sebela; illustrated by Jonathan Brandon Sawyer; colors by Carlos Zamudio

The events of our youth often try to define us and sometimes we try so hard to escape the thing that haunts us the most that we end up lost. That’s what’s going on with Mali, step-daughter of the famed “Omaha Ripper” who’s just trying to give herself a fresh start and live a normal life—except that she’s just become aware that she’s an eternal warrior who has been reincarnated and is being hunted yet again. It’s a comic about trying to seize control of an endless loop in which you have none and not being afraid to ask the question “why,” despite the very real possibility of not liking the answer. Where Christopher Sebela has crafted an intriguing story, Jonathan Brandon Sawyer deserves credit for bringing it to life with really creative page design that elicits the inner turmoil and nagging feelings of anxiety that Mali faces in the story. Great work, from Sebela, Sawyer, and colorist Carlos Zamudio.


Giant Days

Giant Days #6 of 12 (Boom!Box)
written by John Allison; illustrated by Lissa Treiman; colors by Whitney Cougar

Experiencing a college buddy’s hometown is always kind of an interesting, sometimes intimidating thing; I can imagine it’s even more so when they’ve gone missing. What could have been a really interesting, nuanced look into Susan’s life before university turned very Scott Pilgrim, very quickly. It would’ve been great had this surreal element of fantasticism been set up throughout the series, but this abrupt turn is a little jarring. There’s a funny joke in here about smokers though, whether you’re in a small town or a big city neighborhood—they all do know who each other are, and what they smoke. While still on point with the humor (“It’s a 12-in-1 multi-tool, Daisy. That means it does 12 things very badly.”) this is the first small misstep in an otherwise stellar series before turning the ship back to normal with an ending many of us can relate to.


Power Up

Power Up #2 of 6 (Boom!Box)
written by Kate Leth; illustrated by Matt Cummings

I really want this book to be good. There’s so much to like about this series—which features a goldfish that turns into miniature whale with laser eyes, a gender-bent construction worker, soccer mom, and lazy pet store worker all turned superheroes by an alien event—yet there are so many cut corners when it comes to plot and storytelling. Feeling far too condensed—which is how I felt about the first issue as well—Power Up has all the makings of a comic that could be truly great if it had time to stretch out. The art is accessible, character designs fresh, the tone of the book is fun and the team’s origin no more ridiculous than any other superhero comic.Too much potential, not enough pages. I’m keeping my fingers crossed on this one.


TMNT

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Amazing Adventures #1 (IDW) *ALL AGES*
story by Landry Q. Walker; art by Chad Thomas; back Up Story by James Kochalka; colors by Heather Breckel

This comic is nuts. The Turtles are hot on the trail of a missing compadre of theirs—Dr. Cluckingsworth, a regular-sized chicken with a giant mutated brain—that turns out to be under the control of mystic ancient Japanese forces. Paced—and drawn—like an insane Saturday morning cartoon, Landry Q. Walker and artist Chad Thomas drop the reader right into the middle of a seemingly ongoing, complex plot that juggles a huge cast but stays accessible to a new reader. Also, treat yourself to the backup story by Eisner Award winner James Kochalka (Dragonpuncher, Glorkian Warrior, and Superf*uckers) in which the Turtles fight…a volcano. Also, it’s an all-ages book that would be a great way to introduce your kids to comics.


Also available this week:

Boom! –  Adventure Time with Fiona and Cake: Card Wars #2, Burning Fields #7, Escape From New York #9, Fiction #3, Hexed #12, Oh Killstrike #4, 

Dark Horse – BPRD: Hell On Earth #134**, Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 10 #18, Dark Horse Presents Vol 3 #13, Death Head #2, Groo: Friends and Foes #8, Midnight Society: The Black Lake, Plants Vs. Zombies: Bully For You #3, Strain: The Night Eternal #12

IDW – Swords of Sorrow: Vampirella/Jennifer Blood #4, Vampirella #13

Dynamite – Donald Duck #4, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #217, Infinite Loop #5, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #33, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #49, Transformers: Windblade #6


Project-Nerd is a press partner of BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and IDW Publishing. If you would like to see your studios’ content included in our weekly release article, please contact our editors.

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