Recommend the latest Comic or TPB you have read

[supahman]

Agreed, I loved revolver, and mind mgmt continues to be a favourite read. I really need to get my hands on tooth.. gotta get my LCS to hv a 60% off sale.. :-P

[Babytoxie]

I have to keep an eye out for the sales these days - having 3 kids puts a serious dent in my comic funds. And the sales are when I take the plunge and grab all the things I've been on the fence about. It usually pays off. But in the case of The Tooth, that's one that would have been worth it at full price.

I'm currently re-reading the first two Mind Mgmt hardcovers. They're just as good the second time!

[Bmutha]

I just picked up the first tpb of Superior Foes of Spider-Man. I am only a couple issue sin right now, but I am seriously surprised at how much I ma enjoying it so far. Great book, and I recommend it.

Also, the first two issues of the new Punisher series have been great so far.

[Babytoxie]

I've read quite a few Archie Comics over the last several years due to their attention-grabbing storylines, but nothing could have prepared me for AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, in which creators Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla bring a zombie outbreak to the idyllic town of Riverdale. Surprisingly, it stands firmly in the horror genre, even featuring the warning label "rated teen+, violence and mature content". The best part is that Aguirre-Sacasa's story actually makes sense in terms of the Archie universe, as the reason for the outbreak has been there for over 50 years. This title was so popular that Aguirre-Sacasa was named Archie's Chief Creative Officer shortly thereafter. It's a well-deserved promotion, and I wish him many years in that position - just keep up the good work!

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE VOLUME 1: ESCAPE FROM RIVERDALE collects the first 5 issues of this storyline, plus a hefty section of alternate covers and sketches. While it's priced higher than most Archie releases of comparable size, the quality of the product makes it worth every penny. There are even two covers available: a standard edition featuring zombie Jughead (from issue #1), and a direct market edition featuring Archie hiding in a graveyard (from issue #2). Aguirre-Sacasa paces the story very well, starting off quickly and keeping the characters constantly on the run, while interspersing small bits that show what's occurring elsewhere in town. While it features the standard Archie characters, there are some twists where their behavior and relationships are concerned. It's nothing cheap or explicit, but this comic is not rated teen+ just for the gore.

Instead of Francavilla making this look like a standard Archie comic, he goes for a more realistic style, and it's an appropriate choice. While his old-school alternate cover from Life With Archie #23 (included in this collection) is excellent, the classic artistic style of Archie just wouldn't work with this type of story. The shadows are heavy, the contrasts are stark, and the coloring is slightly washed-out - visually, it's very striking.

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE is a definite home run for Archie Comics, and it's a well-earned feather in Aguirre-Sacasa's cap. I was content with the publisher's prior releases that had made Riverdale a much more interesting place after 70 years, but this one really shook things up.



Here's a particularly awesome page...

[protector2814]

Winter World Trade (IDW Publ.) - I, for the life of me, don't know how I missed this when it rolled out back in the late 80's. I was buying B&W's like crazy back then & this frozen-world survivalist's tale of our world covered in a thick frozen crust after a severe shift in weather patterns is right up my alley. Jorge Zaffino's art in this trade is very, very good. He reminds me a lot of Joe Kubert, sprinkled with that 70's So. American b&w Curtis mag. style that I love. Chuck Dixon's writing is a little choppy, but after the 1st chapter, I fell right into it and it was fairly smooth sailing thru the rest. Part 2000 AD, part 80's post-ap-cine', part Road Warrior, I love the snow & ice setting & feel this would have made a great flick back in the day when Cherry 3000 & films like it were churned out.

Very tight survivalist' tale w/ a cool animal sidekick & the obligatory scrappy kid thrown in for predictable measure.



*have just heard rumor of a sequel.

[PureInvasion]

Originally Posted by protector2814

*have just heard rumor of a sequel.

#1 already out on june 18th

[metroid]

Trifecta


Best comic of 2012 that you didn't read, nuff said.

[Babytoxie]

Originally Posted by protector2814

Winter World Trade (IDW Publ.)

This is a great choice! Story and art are both excellent. I assume that it will be reprinted at some point since there's a new series out now.

[protector2814]

Originally Posted by Babytoxie

This is a great choice! Story and art are both excellent. I assume that it will be reprinted at some point since there's a new series out now.

It has been. I just opened a new, just released Trade copy yesterday for my b-day. I didn't even know about the new series 'til PureInvasion just told me. Did you guys read this back in 88?

[Babytoxie]

Originally Posted by protector2814

It has been. I just opened a new, just released Trade copy yesterday for my b-day. I didn't even know about the new series 'til PureInvasion just told me. Did you guys read this back in 88?

Cool!

I read it several years ago... stumbled across the hardcover at the used bookstore and remembered Zaffino from his art from Punisher War Journal. I was happy to find that Dixon's story did it justice.