Something For The Weekend: A Round-Up Of Reviews And News From Across The Week

As the coronavirus crisis continues and escalates on both sides of the pond we felt the whole comic book industry come to a grinding halt this week with Diamond Comic Distributors shutting shop meaning no new comics next week. It’s a tough time all round and it’s only just beginning, regardless of what your President seems to think. But then, he’s never been one for science has he?
It’s a week that saw many, many publishers try to ease the burden by offering up whatever they could. Yet DC Comics have pretty much stayed quiet. Not a good look for a company I’ve loved for so long, but finding harder and harder to love these days.
To keep you somewhat entertained, here’s our top ten of last week.

1. Free comics are always a popular item, with AWA Studios offering up their timely pandemic themed drama, The Resistance #1 by J Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato. If you haven’t read it yet, then maybe you’ll find the time today by checking it out here.
2. Vault Comics – one of the leading publishers when it came to offering support to bricks and mortar stores (with DC Comics still woefully quite on this subject, merely offering up an inexpensive online Kids’ Camp) – offered up two free floppies, delivered to your door, if you bought a gift card from your LCBS and showed the guys at Vault proof of purchase.
3. With the return of the king in Kieron Gillen, Dan Mora and Tamara Bonvillain’s Once and Future #7 from BOOM! Studios out the week, we posted another set of annotations to help readers get the most out of this exceptional fantasy series which still seem to prove popular with readers. But then, I’d like to think we do attract the more educated, tolerant and open-minded readers to our site. Read up on the origins of Arthurian temptress, Nimue here.
4. Good news for UK comic book fans as 2000 AD promised to keep publishing with many a shop over here in the UK still able to stock ‘essentials’ which often means they have newspapers, magazines and the odd comic too. But, maybe all ahead and ask for your local newsagents to keep you a copy. In my experience, 2000 AD can be hard enough to find outside of a comic book stores these days than truffles. Check out more details on this story here.
5. Sadly, we lost another comic book legend this week with the passing of Albert Uderzo, co-creator of Asterix the Gaul. More here.
6. IDW were another publisher doing their bit in this time of crisis with the suspension of titles, extension to their no-fee returnable policy and more. Read up on their promises here.
7. BOOM! Studios also caught to alleviate some of the concerns too with their own initiative. Seems all the hard work is being done by the smaller comic book publishers, doesn’t it? Something to remember when it comes to reassessing my pull list.
8. Of course, whatever indie publishes could do was trumped by Diamond Comic Distributors decision to shut up shop, which you can read about here. Then they started sacking people. Great move and an even better look there, Geppi. Not.
9. As the realities of the COVID-19 crisis begin to sink in with the public, I wasn’t surprised to see our mammoth reading list, from last week’s Super Sunday supplement, being a popular read. Maybe worth looking over it again here?
10. On the review front, it would seem it was a good week – and a final hurrah for now? – for comic books, with indie comics The Führer and the Tramp #1, Canopus #2, all being popular reviews that seem to land with you the readers. Which is good thing as we will be looking to support creates in our own little way here by shining a spotlight on a number of independent comics out there that you can purchase directly from the creators and or their publishers.

We’ll leave you with a link to Tito W James’s piece offering up all readers a link to Samurai Jack on You Tube, with all episodes and series’ Friday yo watch and all for free. Enjoy it here.