Marvel
Staying on top of your favourite comics can be difficult, especially if you have an otherwise incredibly busy life. I know I can barely remember to put on pants when I meet the medicine delivery person at the door (because I also can’t remember to actually pick stuff up when I am out). For those of us with scattered brains and busy lives, trade paperbacks and graphic novels are the best way to enjoy comic books and the medium as a whole.
Among the many trade paperbacks and graphic novels being released this week (February 21, 2018), the following are the ones we are looking forward to the most. Let us know which ones you are eager to pick up, which titles you never miss, and which ones you’d like us to review in the future!
DC Universe by Neil Gaiman
DC Comics
Written by: Neil Gaiman
Art by: Kevin Nowlan, Mark Buckingham, Simon Bisley, Andy Kubert, Mike Allred, and Matt Wagner among others
Coloured by: Alex Sinclair, among others
Neil Gaiman is a master of almost all literary mediums, including comic books. This trade collects several of Gaiman’s best stories for DC, including Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader, Wednesday Comics #1 through #12, Batman #686, Detective Comics #853, and Secret Origins #36 among others. Full disclosure, I’m a huge Neil Gaiman fan, so I may be a bit bias when I say that this is a must own for any DC fan, but it’s not too far of a stretch.
Mother Panic Vol 2: Under Her Skin
DC Comics
Written by: Jim Krueger, Jody Houser
Art by: Phil Hester, Shawn Crystal, John Paul Leon, Ande Parks
Coloured by: Tommy Lee Edwards, Dave Stewart, and Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Mother Panic (aka socialite Violet) is the newest vigilante to hit Gotham’s streets. After a tragic event strikes someone she once saved, Violet becomes introspective, re-examining her mission and revenge-based motivations. As she struggles with this inner conflict and trying to find a murderer, she’s faced with a blast from the past, and upsetting revelations about her mother. Mother Panic Vol 2: Under Her Skin collections issues #7 through #12.
Genius Vol 2: Cartel
Top Cow
Written by: Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman
Art by: Rosi Kampe
Coloured by:
Genius Vol 2: Cartel focuses on the aftermath of 17 year old Denstiy Ajaye’s fight against the LAPD. This trade is a follow-up to Genius Vol 1: Siege, which explored the events leading to the race war between the LAPD and its minority citizens. Siege was widely hailed as a frightening and eerily realistic case of art imitating life. Cartel sees Destiny all but imprisoned at a government institution meant to study (or is it exploit?) prodigies. This volume collects all five issues in this mini series. Destiny first appeared in Pilot Season, also available from Top Cow.
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol 1: Riri Williams
Marvel
Written by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Stefano Caselli
Invincible Iron Man: Ironheart Vol 1: Riri Williams puts a young, incredibly intelligent Black girl into the Iron Man suit. Driven by a desire to change the world, Riri Williams is dubbed Ironheart and strives to use her knowledge, new superhero skills, and existing intelligence to make a difference. This is an amazing collection to pass along to your younger relative interested in STEM, or to kick back and enjoy yourself.
Red Colored Elegy
Drawn and Quarterly
Written by: Seiichi Hayashi
Art by: Seiichi Hayashi
If there is a fan of Japanese comics in your life, or if you are a fan yourself, Red Colored Elegy makes the perfect gift. It was considered a cornerstone of the Japanese comic scene in the 1960s, telling the story of the lives and loves of two young artists throughout their careers. The work captures the passion, heartache, and tenderness of the story’s protagonists. While it has been collected into trade paperbacks before, this particular edition features an essay on the creator’s numerous contributions to Japanese comics, both in the 1960s and today.
While you can find the books listed above on Amazon, you can get the benefit of instant gratification if you visit your local library or your nearby comic book shop. If you’re in Kingston, you can check out Kingston Gaming Nexus, Action Packed Comics, or SBT Comics and Games.
