Welcome to Weekend Reads! It’s your little, weekly dose of comic book goodness that focuses on some aspect of my weekend reading!
Whoops, I made a mistake in posting this week so Weekend Reads is coming to you a bit later and a little barer (no pictures this time) than usual. Who knows, maybe you’ll like the format better?
… Ok, let’s be real here, we’re talking about books with pictures, us comic book readers like seeing the artwork so don’t worry, things will be back to normal next post. Well, as long as I don’t mess things up again. 😉
Let’s get into the reads!
Captain Marvel #3
I’ve been surprised by how much I’ve loved the new Captain Marvel series. Unfortunately, it took a bit of a step back in the third issue. The pacing felt super wacky. The issue always seemed scattered and felt like there was too much going on, but when it came to an end there were only a couple of key developments. The first two books in the series did an excellent job of showing how cool these characters on Captain Marvel’s team is, I especially liked Kawasaki, but in this issue all those awesome character moments have taken a back seat to a plot that I felt was needlessly confusing. I’m sure the series will pick up steam next issue, but this one fell flat.
Harrow County #10
Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook’s Harrow County was one of my favorite comics from last year. Sadly, it has been losing momentum with it’s two previous issues.
Previously, each issue had three distinct parts that were are all masterfully crafted.
1. The main story
2. The mini comic
3. Bunn’s short “ghost story”
While the mini comic was absent from the ninth issue it has returned in the tenth (while Bunn’s short story remains absent). For me, this short one-page strip at the end of the book was one of the weakest. I found it confusing, and still can’t figure out what actually happened to the main character in it.
As far as the main story goes, it seems we will be shifting our focus from Emmy (the main character of the first two story arcs) to Bernice (Emmy’s best friend). This setup issue puts everything in place to offer to setup for another exciting arc but it gives little extra to make it a must read right now. The story lacks that little magic touch that previous issues had (perhaps it’s the absence of the Haints?). The cliffhanger ending leaves me wanting more but the story itself doesn’t have enough going for me to continue to say this is a “must read.” I’m hopeful the series is going to pick up steam next issue but even if you’re a hardcore Harrow County fan, maybe wait a little longer to see if this arc is worth diving into.
Power Man and Iron Fist #2
Power Man and Iron Fist is a book is non-stop fun! If you’re looking for something that is heavy on laughs and doesn’t make you think too much, this is it! This book is one of my favorite ongoing series’ on the market right now. David Walker is killing it! As the title suggests, this book is built around the relationship between Power Man and Iron Fist, and Walker is hitting a home run on that front. Power Man begrudgingly goes along with Iron Fist using a new excuse every time to explain why is he still hanging with him while it’s obvious to the reader (and probably Danny) that deep down Luke Cage wants to be fighting crime. Power Man’s reluctance to become a team again and Iron Fist’s constant pursuit of it is something that never gets old. The dialog between Danny and Luke is laugh-out-loud funny on many occasions, as is the dialogue between most other characters in the book, especially Tombstone’s henchmen! I love the art style in this book; it fits the quirky dialogue perfectly. It’s very cartoony and may take some getting us to for some, but I can’t imagine any artist doing a better job than this.
That’s all for this week, check back in a few days for more awesome comic book talk! Until then, tweet us!