New Comics Wednesday: March 23rd Edition

Every Wednesday, Project-Nerd’s press partners give me the comics. I read the comics. And then I pick out the best ones and try to get you to read ‘em as well. Hopefully it works.

Here’s what I picked up this week:


gi joe

G.I. Joe Deviations One-Shot (IDW)
written by Paul Allor; art by Corey Lewis

The “Deviations” one-shots are IDW’s answer to the classic Marvel “What if?!” series that explored the alternate possibilities concerning the decisions of protagonists in classic storylines (i.e. What if Peter Parker had bit the spider instead of vice-versa?!), and Paul Allor totally nails this goofy, backwards take on G.I. Joe.

COBRA, the global terrorist organization that has long wished for world domination, has long had the upper hand on the altruistic military operation, G.I. Joe. They’ve got the numbers, the technology, and the drive—defeating G.I. Joe should be a cake walk, but all of their best efforts amount to is Cobra Commander getting punched in the face. A lot.

Paul Allor’s G.I. Joe Deviations one-shot addresses the alternative scenario and explores the effects of world domination on a guy like Cobra Commander. What happens when he discovers that taking over the world actually means running it, too? And just how good are Destro’s pancakes?

With a hilariously smart script by Allor that’s brilliantly drawn by Corey Lewis (who’s clearly informed by Jack Kirby’s design aesthetic), this is my number one pick for the week. If these two can get an ongoing series together, I’ll sign up for every single issue.


Layout 1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #56 (IDW)
written by Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow, and Tom Waltz; art by Mateus Santoluco; colors by Rhonda Pattison

Man, what a breath of fresh air to finally get a break from the whole “Splinter takes over the Foot Clan” storyline and see all four of the Turtles reunited as they take a trip to Burnow Island—which, if you recall was completely terraformed by the Utrom alien Krang before the Turtles defeated him a while ago. Fugitoid—aka Dr. Honeycut—has remained on the island to try and figure out how to deal with the remaining Utrom, and we’re introduced to a fresh take on the classic Leatherhead as 200-year-old Alligator who speaks more like an erudite philosopher than the backwater hick we know him as from the original cartoons.

This series is at its best when it steps out of the epic, far-reaching storyline and embraces its weird side. After what feels like months of moping and brooding, the oh-so-serious ninja mysticism that’s been seriously hindering the plot is only briefly mentioned and the Turtles get back to what makes them fun—strange adventures and a family dynamic that doesn’t exist in any other book.


bloodshot

Bloodshot Reborn Annual 2016 (Valiant)
written by Jeff Lemire, Michel Fiffe, Ray Fawkes, Benjamin Marra, Paul Maybury; art by Kano, Ray Fawkes, Benjamin Marra, Paul Maybury, Joe Bennet, Balaroino Brabo, and Jay Fabares; colors by Pete Pantazis; letters by Dave Sharpe

I generally approach Annual issues of comics with a shrug—typically they feature some weird, out-of-continuity storyline by B-list talent that’s being given an opportunity to show what they can do. They typically live at the bottom of my weekly haul of comics until I remember, “Oh, yeah, I still haven’t read that. I’ll get to it next week.”

This year’s Bloodshot Reborn Annual, however, is awesome. Featuring a bunch of “declassified” stories from the character’s past, it’s a diverse collection of one-offs by talent like Jeff Lemire—who handles the on-going series—Michel Fiffe, and Kano, who each deliver a vastly different take on the character. The result is an easily decipherable jump-on point for the new reader, and presents Bloodshot as a far more versatile character than you might’ve expected. There’s something for everyone here, and the talent involved really makes me wish for an ongoing anthology series of stories like this.


hellboy

Hellboy and the BPRD 1953: Beyond the Fences #2 (Dark Horse)
written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson; pencils by Paolo Rivera; inks by Joe Rivera; colors by Dave Stewart; letters by Clem Robins

When a small town boy’s childhood pet turns into a raving, unstoppable, mutated killing machine, Hellboy and the BPRD somehow manages to stay convincing and maintain its lighthearted yet darkly comedic tone. That’s an achievement on its own, but the real pleasure of this book is that it’s packed full of suspense and characters who have an on-page chemistry so natural that it’s easy to forget someone actually had to write it for them to exist.

Any time the father/son team of Paolo and Joe Rivera team up with colorist Dave Stewart, the result is nothing short of phenomenal—every page is a work of art full of expressive character acting and expertly rendered storytelling.


Also available this week:

Boom! Studios — Bill & Ted Go To Hell #2, Klaus #4, Spire #7, Venus #4

Dark Horse — Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10 #25, Elfquest: Final Quest #14, Shadow Glass #1, Tomb Raider Vol 3 #2

Dynamite — Frankenstein: Storm Surge #6

IDW — Rocketeer At War #2

Valiant — X-O Manowar Vol 3 #45


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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