We now return you to your regularly scheduled column...
Sorry for the delay this week. I could complain about work being overwhelming and getting in the way of the regularity of Buy This for the last two weeks but without my job I'd be unable to buy any of the stuff I promote on here. Last week's column was written and posted and then promptly destroyed when I attempted to edit the post on my iPad. It didn't end well. However, I did write about the new volume of Emitown as well as Hickman's new creator owned project Manhattan Projects #1 last week and at least one of those two is definitely worth your time. I'll give you a hint as to which it is... it's the one that doesn't have robot samurai in it.
Due to the lack of a column last week and the lateness of this one I'm going double sized. I'd probably have gone bigger with this week's even if it was on time because there is a ton of great stuff coming out this week.
The World of Flashpoint Featuring Batman tpb:
This is actually a fairly large trade from DC, containing four mini series including Deadman and the Flying Graysons, Deathstroke and the Curse of the Ravager, and Secret Seven, all three issues in length. However, the real reason to buy this is Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's Batman: Knight of Vengance mini. It's a brutal, little mystery thriller that exists perfectly within or outside of the Flashpoint event. The other minis are hit and miss but if nothing else you're getting a Secret Seven story drawn by the great George Perez and the Batman story. Those aspects alone make it well worth picking up.
Speaking of Perez, here is a lovely hardcover retrospective of his career from IDW. Where some "career retrospectives" stick mainly to one company or period of time this volume claims to cover everything from the early days of George's time at Marvel to his glory days of Teen Titans and Crisis on Infinite Earths at DC. Perez is one of those rare artists whose work has never grown old or stale and, despite having a particularly old-school style never seems dated or boring. He's a king of the medium and this hardcover should offer a great glimpse at a sampling of his work. I don't usually point out art books but for Perez I'll always make an exception...
I failed to mention the first issue of the Glory relaunch (issue #23, rather than, oh say, issue #1...) but I picked it up on a whim and really enjoyed it. As someone coming to the title character for the first time I had no idea what to expect and ended up with a really fun, unique take on the Amazon concept. While not playing with mythology this bears similarities to Azzarello's Wonder Woman... only far more action heavy. The art by Ross Campbell is exciting and works great with the dynamic action scenes and Joe Keatinge manages to write a fun superhero book that opens the door to this character's world for new readers without making it seem like a stale origin issue.
I have to be honest here and say I've only read a couple issues of Moriarty. I bought them digitally, a few months ago, loved them, ran out and bought the trade which was then shelved along with a billion other trades I need to work my way through. However, I can whole heartedly recommend this second trade simply based on the quality of those first few issues. Daniel Corey is doing something really interesting with the Sherlock Holmes mythology here and I'm happy just knowing someone is able to turn out new stories based in that world without simply retreading classic Holmes tales. Pick up the first trade and then grab this as well.
Another book that flew under my radar until I heard the buzz is Peter Panzerfaust. It's written by Kurtis Wiebe and drawn by Tyler Jenkins. Wiebe previously worked on The Intrepids from Image, which you'll recall, I picked the trade paperback of for a previous column. The first issue of Panzerfaust tells the tale of a group of orphans rescued by a daring American soldier during World War 2. Apparently, it's also a retelling of the Peter Pan story... only with Nazis and lots of shooting and explosions. I'm a big fan of the original Peter Pan tale and the first issue of this series impressed me enough to recommend the second without hesitation. If you're looking for something a little different this week pick up the first and second issues of this series.
Rounding out the Image titles coming out this week worth your attention is... well, it's probably the biggest title coming out this week from any publisher. Brian K Vaughn's return to comics starts here, and he's aided by penciller Fiona Staples, who I adored on Mystery Society. This series is billed as being a Star Wars-sized sci-fi epic with a focus on character drama. That sounds about right from the man who previously wrote Y: The Last Man, Ex Machina and was a key component to the creative staff on Lost. While this isn't a guarantee for me like it is for some comic fans, I'm onboard for this first issue. Who couldn't go for a little sci-fi epic in their lives these days?
I hear a lot of complaining about Bendis' Avengers these days but frankly, I just don't get it. I've loved nearly everything he's done with the team since taking it over 8 years ago and I'm sure this will be no exception. About the only thing I'm not crazy about here is the concept of taking the team roster from the movie and copying it over into Marvel continuity. I mean, Hulk on the team? Really? None the less, this will be the beginning of the end for Bendis and these characters so it's fitting to see him working alongside one of his oldest collaborators, Mark Bagley. I'm anticipating this will be a fun, superhero team up book starring some of my favorite Marvel characters. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.
Finally! I remember hearing about this series nearly a year ago and coming unglued. After all it's one of my favorite writers (Paul Cornell) and one of my favorite artists (Ryan Kelly) tackling a subject matter that I am slightly obsessed with (aliens). While I'm a little dismayed at the rumblings I'm hearing that this is a fiercely political book I'm holding out that it'll be a great story featuring interesting characters with gorgeous art. This, alongside Fairest #1 has revitalized my interest in Vertigo comics. I'm hoping for great things here.
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