New Comics Wednesday: February 3rd Edition

Happy Wednesday, Folks.

Hard to believe that February is already upon us. And with it comes Black History Month, which Project-Nerd kicked off yesterday with a column called 29 Days of Power. The column will run twice a week (Mondays and Fridays), featuring write-ups of various Black characters in comics history, eventually totaling 29. We’ll also have other articles interspersed throughout the month, such as a retrospective about Dwayne McDuffie. I’m really proud to be taking this on, and I hope you’ll join me for the ride.

In other news, That Bullet Proof Kid is back from the presses and ready to be shipped. You can purchase yours at the Project-Nerd Publishing webstore for $5. Dystopian, crime-noir comic Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat will also be available this Thursday, so, get you some.

There were some really great comics this week, so let’s get to ‘em.


Kennel

Kennel Block Blues (Boom! Studios)
written by Ryan Ferrier; illustrated by Daniel Bayliss; colors by Adam Metcalfe; letters by Colin Bell

Wow. What a well-written, beautifully drawn, loudly colorful, and exciting book to read.

Drawing an analogy between the penal system and a kennel, Kennel Block Blues is about Oliver, a dog who was separated from his family and dropped at Jackson Sate Kennel, a kill shelter where he’s placed on death row. Unlike the hardened pups and cats already at Jackson, Oliver is a little nutty—reverting into a sing-song cartoon land whenever things start to get heavy.  

The metaphor is effective. Upon entering the prison, the animals are sprayed down in a humiliating fashion. There are various pecking orders and social systems are quickly established. There’s gang war between different types of animals from different backgrounds—the cats playing the antagonist in a story where everyone is losing. The guards? They’re an unstoppable force, acting swiftly and with impunity. The anthropomorphic nature of the characters subversively sells the story by making things feel approachable on the surface without downplaying the severity of the subject matter.

Artist Daniel Bayliss is a relative newcomer—at least to me—who’s quickly becoming one of my favorite artists. His line work is animated, yet clear. His page designs are easily readable, but never boring. He’s one of those artists who seems to bring the best out of a colorist because he gives them something excellent to work with. I’ll throw my money down on anything the guy produces at this point.


The Woods

The Woods (Boom! Studios)
created by James Tynion IV and Michael Dialynas; illustrated by Michael Dialynas; colors by Jason Gonzales; letters by Ed Dukshire

So many twists and turns in this series—you could base an entire class on character arc, growth, and development just based on The Woods. This is Isaac’s single biggest character moment. Driven by a rage that only a lonely, picked on, discarded teen can harbor and struggling with a lost love, he’s been in a constant battle with himself for a while now. He’s got a choice to make—succumb to his anger and become what the dark forces of this mysterious planet want him to be, or find strength and regain his humanity.

It reminds me of something the epic nature of this book makes easy to forget—we are dealing with a bunch of teenagers on the brink of warfare against an entire planet that is trying to kill them. That’s the sort of thing that would be difficult for any adult to process, but these are just kids. Assuming they make it back home, what does that even look like for them? What’s the path to get there?

Tynion and Dialynas are masters of the half-reveal, stringing us along to the next issue by putting down enough bread crumbs to follow without making it entirely clear where they’re taking us.


GiantDays

Giant Days (Boom!Box)
created and written by John Allison; illustrated by Max Sarin; colors by Whitney Cogar; letters by Jim Campbell

I remember, our final week—the home stretch—in college, my best friend/roommate and I decided we were going to stay up for however long it took to get through all of our work together while trying to marathon all three Godfather movies. Despite us both receiving passing grades, looking back I think we probably could’ve been more effective in less time if we’d have gotten some sleep.

Looking down the barrel of finals and the upcoming student government election, Susan’s overextended herself beyond reason—and the costs are high. Allison’s script provides some comic relief and levity by blending the surreal with the real, but make no mistake—it’s disturbing to watch Susan fall victim to “cross-dimensional aphasiac somnipathy,” if only for one issue. Max Sarin and Whitney Cogar outdo themselves this issue; it’s easy to see how comfortable they’ve become with the characters. Facial expressions are exaggerated and emoted in an animated style, while the “Night World” scenes are surrealist and creepy. It’s amazingly well executed storytelling.

This is a new level of quality for this book, and things just got way complicated around the University.


AmazingForest

Amazing Forest #2 (IDW)
written by Erick Frietas & Ulises Farinas; art by Caitlin Rose Boyle, Angelica Bevins, Sean Pryor, Buster Moody

Topping last month’s offering, this is another slam dunk issue of Amazing Forest, written entirely by Frietas and Farinas and featuring a number of very talented independent comics artists. There’s a goofy crime noir story, a thinly veiled riff on Darth Vader’s struggle against the crushing weight of management duties in an evil empire, a parody of Alan Moore’s Watchmen disguised as an allegory of existentialism, and a play on Frank Miller’s 300 that’s just damn weird. The art is generally unrefined, yet deceptively detailed, and the visual storytelling never falters. Great work by team Frietas and Farinas—they’ve shown both an aptitude for variety and consistent good taste in artistic talent.


Also available this week:

Boom! Studios — Klaus #3, Reguler Show #32, Toil and Trouble #6

Dark Horse — Angel and Faith Season 10 #23, Barb Wire #8, Joe Golem: Occult Detective #4, Lara Croft and the Frozen Omen #5, Lone Wolf 2100 #2, Mystery Girl #3

Dynamite — Bob’s Burgers #8, Dejah Thoris #1, Seduction of the Innocent #5, A Train Called Love #5, Voltron: From the Ashes #5

IDW — Angry Birds #2, Classic Popeye #43, Donald Duck #10, The Eighth Seal #3, My Little Pony: Friends Forever #25, Uncle Scrooge #2, Victorie City #2


Project-Nerd is a press partner of BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, Alterna Comics, Valiant Comics, 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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