Check out what I checked out this week.Whether the comics are inspiring or disappointing, I read them all.
Welcome to The Pull List.
And, as always...Spoilers ahead!
Writer: Max Bemis
Art: Jorge Coelho
Colors: Felipe Sobreiro
Letters: Steve Wands
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Price: $3.99
If I had the ability to fly and then lost that ability without knowing I had it in the first place, all while dealing with mental illness, there would probably be no amount of medication that could make me feel normal.
I would always feel that something was missing, and that search for normalcy would be infinite.
Tim Woods is a bipolar artist who feels that there is something missing. He feels his medication could be the problem, so he stops taking it and feels he is free. However, strange things start happening that he attributes to side effects from stopping his medication.
However, there is more than meets the eye to everything that that is transpiring.
Polarity is marvelously crafted from head to toe. It speaks to you in a way that most comics could only dream of achieving. Punk rocker Max Bemis created and wrote this story, and admittedly suffers from mental illness. Whether you are familiar with bipolar disorder or not, his script has you so captivated by everything going on in Tim’s life.
Jorge Coelho's art work presented a bohemian flare, and the coloring by Felipe Sobreiro is trippy and augments the pencil work as well as the story. Buy it now. This is some Eisner Award winning quality stuff that you won’t want to miss. Oh, the book comes with a free song for download by Max Bemis.
Grade: A
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Simone Bianchi
Colors: Simone Peruzzi
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
Thanos Rising is an origin story of how one of the most powerful villains of all time became so evil.
It’s a simple formula that has been used over and over again.
Thanos, who was born on Saturn’s moon, Titan, looks different from the other kids.
He mother wants him dead, his father has no time for him, and he feels like a social outcast. He's a timid child who doesn't want any trouble from his classmates and becomes physically ill at the idea of dissecting an animal in science class.
Again, this has been done before, but Jason Aaron adds little something that makes this more of a "poor me" type of story.
Young Thanos makes some social headway with his classmates. Then, enter the devilish girl who is fixated on our purple friend. Simone Biaanchi's character work shined most as facial expressions spoke more than any word balloon. Interest in Thanos has increased dramatically ever since he appeared in The Avengers post-credit scene.
Obviously, things are going to be a big deal in the months and years ahead and Marvel made the right call with this getting to know you miniseries.
Grade: A-
Writer: John Layman & James Tyninon IV
Art: Jason Fabok & Andy Clarke
Colors: Jeromy Cox
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $7.99
The cover may say issue #19 but this is really the celebratory 900th issue of Detective Comics.
The renumbering caused by the New 52 doesn't allow this to officially be the 900th release, but that won’t stop us geeks from calling it that anyway.
John Layman doesn’t let it stop him, as the main story called “The 900” speaks to a section of Gotham where hardworking and peaceful people reside.
Of course, we find out that no place in Gotham is really safe as a Man-Bat virus is released and spreads to the area’s inhabitants. There is a lot of Man-Bat in this book and while I find the character boring, it was the right call for this book.
Also, James Tyninon IV gives us a preview of what is in store for his ongoing Talon series as Bane and the Court of Owls are in the midst of a conflict. If that combo doesn't send chills down your spine, then Bane might as well put you over his knee.
There was also the set up of several plot points that suggest this is going to be the main Batman book for current events once Scott Snyder’s Batman hits Zero Year this summer.
Grade: B+
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