Saturday 10 January 2015

My first comics of 2015!!

So the first Wednesday of the new year has been and gone, and with it the first new comic book day. I have started 2015 with good fortune as my new job is a brisk walk away from my local comic shop, meaning that I can pick up my new comics on the day they come out.

For me, it was a doubly good day as two of my new books were issue 1's as per my resolution to try out one new book a month (though I thought I'd come out of the gate hard with two instead) along with two of my already established (on my pull list anyway) books.

So, this week's stash were:

Ant-Man #1 - when this was announced I was in two minds. One one hand, it was an obvious cash cow to milk the upcoming film. On the other, I REALLY like the Scott Lang character and given the creative team, I expected good things from this book. Unfortunately, despite a cool premise/story and gorgeous art, this opening issue just didn't deliver the 'wow' factor I need from my comics. A big issue was Cassie's unexplained return (I had to go look it up) not to mention Scott's character regression compared to FF, which ultimately affected my love of the character. It was still a nice issue to read but it cost more than it was worth and I'm not convinced it'd be worthy of my time going forward.

Earth 2 #30 - Oh, how the mighty have fallen. A few months ago, if I were asked the best book I pull each month, I'd have said Earth 2 with little doubt (or a close 2nd place maybe). Unfortunately since Taylor and Scott's departure and the beginning of World's End, this book has become superfluous to requirements and this issue is no exception. The art is good and the writing fine, but I don't care about filler material; I want story and there was nothing that affected one here. I should drop it but with only two issues left, I might as well finish things off.

Earth 2: World's End #14 - Now, while Earth 2's quality appears to have waned, World's End seems to have actually improved some as the series gets ever closer to it's conclusion. This issue saw the heroes working hard to save the world (naturally) with half protecting the survivors and half woroing to destroy apokolips. Whereas early issues felt very disjointed in its depiction of multiple story threads, the consolidation of these into only two interlocking parts allows the book to feel much more fluid in its reading and easier to follow, thus more enjoyable. Also the art, while not great, is looking much better and more consistent between artists work, which helps my enjoyment level. While not the best book I get, it's nice to see it improve, so will hopefully end on a high note at this rate.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1 - The second of my new issue 1's for this week, I have to admit I was a bit unsure of picking up Squirrel Girl based on how.... silly it looks (which, given its about a character called 'Squirrel Girl', silly might be what you should expect). However, both the story, about Dorreen Green starting college and attempting to maintain a secret identity, and the art are incredibly light-hearted and mimic Batman '66 and the new Batgirl run in trying to deliver that hip and fun essence. This is a book which is a very enjoyable read and but, much like Ant-Man, doesn't deliver anything which makes me want to come back for a second time.

So, the releases of this first week didn't really blow my mind, with nothing more than books being 'ok' across the board. However, I'm glad I got the new books read early as I can now plan ahead as to what I can buy in the months ahead. Also, it means I can be ready for next week and new issues of Lazarus, Copperhead and Daredevil.

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