Pick Of The Week: Comics To Consider From This Past Week Of New Books
by Olly MacNamee
Another week almost over, but come the weekend many of you may think about new comics to pick up at your local store. Well, here’s what we’ve been reading worth recommending:
2000AD Prog #2196 (Rebellion) “Finder & Keeper: The Curse of Kreepindeth”
Written by John Reppion
Art by Davide Tinto
Colors by Jim Boswell
Letters by Simon Bowland
Along with “Cadet Dredd,” “Finder & Keeper” is becoming a regular staple of these all-ages progs. Reppion, who co-wrote the series with Leah Moore, gets a solo writing credit this time as Meera and Eliot attend a school trip to the natural history museum. They’re meant to see the Egyptian exhibit, but it’s closed when they get there, so Meera and Eliot decide to sneak inside. “Finder & Keeper” started in Prog 2130, yet Reppion and Tinto only need two panels to bring readers up to speed and what’s cool about this story is how it incorporates the past and the paranormal in an adventure that’s only ten pages long. Being that economical requires strong color and letter choices, and Boswell and Bowland make it possible for Reppion and Tinto to switch back and forth in time, so there’s a real sense of history repeating itself unless Meera and Eliot break the curse. – Rachel Bellwoar
Billionaire Island #5 (AHOY Comics)
Written by Mark Russell
Art by Steve Pugh
Colors byChris Chuckry
Lettering by Rob Steen
In this issue we finally get the story – the secret origin, if you like – of Freedom Unlimited island from the lips of its architect and island stowaway, Falco Jakes… One rule for us, and one rule for them. Usually written by them, in favour of them and their interests too.
The prisoners trapped in their human hamster cage still believe they are truly free, with one bleating she is not a prisoner, but an executive trainee! We are all slaves to our pay-masters at the end of the day, aren’t we? All running on our own metaphorical hamster cages that Russell so knowingly makes a reality in Billionaire Island #5.
The ending of this penultimate issue suggests that it’s always darkest before dawn, but what the new day will bring is a question to be answered in the series’ finale, next issue. Unlike in life, I do hope these social elites meet with a fate worthy of their crimes agents humanity. After all, it’s only in our media that these lot get any sort of comeuppance they deserve. At least Russell and Pugh have us laughing. After all, what’s the alternative? – Olly MacNamee
Daredevil Annual #1 (Marvel)
Written by Chip Zdarsky
Art by Manuel Garcia, Le Beau Underwood and Chris Mooneyham,
Colors by Rachelle Rosenberg
Lettering by Clayton Cowles
This is easily the most daring comic to come from Marvel this year. It’s smart, it’s bold and it could have failed horribly. But it didn’t … I’m thrilled to see where Zdarsky goes from here. – Tony Thornley
