This week’s “Five and Three” is being written in the lobby of the Davis Conference Center during the setup of the 2014 SaltCON Convention. Big Shiny Robot will be here all weekend to shoot the breeze and accept challenges to gaming contests. We’re more comfortable around a controller or a joystick but that doesn’t mean we can’t roll the dice with the best of them. This week was another huge week for comic releases. I know this because my wallet is a little more empty than usual. That and it was a tough week to choose my favorites from all the books – but I did my best.
Starting us off on covers this week is a twisted take on Leonardo Da Vinci’s “The Vitruvian Man”. With the Starz series kicking off this past week, and the spookiness of what that cross indicates, I couldn’t resist picking the cover to “Crossed” issue 50.
I went with another spooky pick this week when I saw “The Devil Fish Project” on ComiXology. The deep red tone grabbed me and didn’t let me go. I wouldn’t picked a double page spread of Red for the panels but unless you’ve read “Origins II” issue 4, the reference wouldn’t hit like turning that page did.
If you’ve hated “Superior Spiderman”, you’re not alone. You are, however, wrong. Not about “what should happen” or how the “character should be treated”, but about the book being terrible. Dan Slott has written an amazingly entertaining take on Spiderman, even if it has kinda ruined Parker’s life. That being said, the only defense I have for Slott that I’m sure I’ll be hearing about later is: Having Pete’s mind taken over by Doctor Octopus sounds just like the Parker luck to me. I digress though, because the point of “Five and Three” is the art and the panels, not a diatribe on Spock vs. Spiderman. For anyone counting, this is the issue you NEED to pickup if you’ve been waiting until the book changes back to The Amazing Spiderman. Besides, look at the cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli, it’s terrific!
“Savage Wolverine” issue 16 by Richard Isanove gets the last Marvel pick this week. I love this cover and I don’t have much more to say.
It’s clear that “The Sandman: Overture” is a story told by rock-stars. J.H. Williams III couldn’t knock it out of the park any more unless there was a neighboring park. Neil Gaiman is beloved even if you can’t understand the story. He is because of what he represents to modern comic book history but also because he’s an interesting personality. That’s not what draws the eye in to “The Sandman: Overture” issue 2 though, it’s Williams III art. I really couldn’t just written one word because one or man, neither will do the cover any justice. Wow.
Another wow could be uttered for Panel Syndicate’s “The Private Eye” issue 6. The story for Brian K. Vaughn, Marcos Martin and Munsta Vicente has made it a year. The release time of these issues leaves much to be desired but only because I can’t get enough. That being said, I would wait twice as long for another tale of PI. If you’re looking for more of Martin’s work, visit the issue announcement here on this site.
I didn’t include the double page spread from “Origin II” issue 4 but I really wanted to. Instead, I included a panel that espouses my take on life. I am loving this book so far and I think it’s been a great sequel to the wonderful book that came before it, “Origin”.
The final panel this week comes from the pencils and the colors of an Allred. The team of Mike and Laura Allred make some beautiful art. Together with Dan Slott, the Marvel NOW! “Silver Surfer” is a book to watch out for. Based on the first issue, this book is going to give every other book on the stands a run for your money.
That’s it for this week. Come down to SaltCON and visit me but beware. To challenge me to a game brings almost certain defeat! Well, for one of us (probably me). For more “Five and Three” you’ll have to either come back next week or visit last week here. Don’t forget to gripe about my picks in the comments. If you have compliments, my Twitter handle is @MarkAvo and I’d love to hear from you. See you next week!