Pick Of The Week: Three New Comic Book Recommendations From This Past Week In Comics

End of the week and, after a week off, we’re back with three recommended reads for you to look out for on your next trip to your local comic book store. Starting with The Encyclopaedia Lumberjanica from BOOM! Studios and recommended by Rachel Bellwoar:
 

The Encyclopedia Lumberjanica (BOOM! Studios)
Written by Susan Coiner-Collier
Illustrated by Kanesha C. Bryant, Kaiti Infante, Alexia Khodanian, and Julia Madrigal
Spot Illustrations by Brooklyn Allen, Dozerdraws, Kat Leyh, and Ayme Sotuyo
Encyclopedia Lumberjanica is the book I wish I had in grade school when we were asked to do a project on a historical figure. Every year the same names would crop up and I remember being extremely picky and searching the library for someone I didn’t recognize.
Because of the title I was expecting Encyclopedia Lumberjanica to be more of an A to Z guide to Lumberjanes for fans of the comic book series created by Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Noelle Stevenson, and Brooklyn Allen. Instead you have a book featuring fifteen female role models, both living and dead, that any reader can pick up and enjoy.
While there are illustrations, this isn’t a comic book and there are more words than pictures, but if you love history or reading stories about amazing women that aren’t necessarily the first names that come to mind this would be a great book to pair up with Pénélope Bagieu’s Brazen or the anthology, Femme Magnifique, edited by Shelly Bond. – Rachel Bellwoar
 

Adler #5 (Titan Comics)
Written by Lavie Tidhar
Illustrated by Paul McCaffrey
Fast paced action across the streets and skyline of London sees Sherlock Holmes’s Irene Adler team up with several iconic literary ladies to take on the might of Ayesha; an Amazonian powerhouse out to take on the might of the British Empire. A rollicking good read that’s beautifully illustrated throughout by McCaffrey.
It’s the end of the century and the dawning of a new century that will see great strides made for women’s rights and technological advancement, all of which are foreshadowed throughout this stunning looking series. Adler and the gang embody this new age magnificently as sisters already doing it for themselves, and saving the Empire in the process. – Olly MacNamee
Read a full review here.

‘Monster Next Door’ from the Death of the Horror anthology (A Wave Blue World)
Writer: Vita Ayala
Artist: Raymond Salvador
Letterer: Chas! Pangburn
Luna is especially quiet at dinner. A bully at school told her that a monster would be coming to their house that night and while her moms try to reassure her, she can’t stop thinking about it. Ayala’s story tackles racism and homophobia with a supernatural twist that’s extremely cathartic. The color scheme by Salvador feels inspired by those thermal images of the body that pick up on temperature. Not only does it stand out, but it creates a scale for how tense things are, with red being the worst.
I also love the details Salvador draws attention to, like when Luna is brushing her teeth you see her mom’s reflection in the mirror as she’s standing in the doorway. It’s such a concerned mom move, and you really become attached to this family in a short amount of time. There’s a comfortableness and openness between them that’s expressed by Pangburn’s letters. They’re not putting on airs and Luna isn’t trying to hide the fact that she’s scared from them. Salvador also attempts a Rick Baker-esque transformation sequence and that’s all I’m going to say on that. – Rachel Bellwoar