Comic Pick of the Week

I'm a little slow on this, but better late than never, right? One reason that I'm late posting this is because it's taken me this long to actually pick my favorite. I don't buy TONS of books, but the ones I have on my list seem to all be really good.

So, this last week was:

1. Aquaman #5

2. American Vampire #23

3. All Star Western #5

4. * Batman & Robin #1

The rundown. All good books and great art. I love Scott Snyder and the new 50's story arc. I couldn't stand the Beast Cave story, only because of the art. I wasn't a fan of Jordi Benet's cartoony style. I know, probably sacrilege, but it just took away from the story. Now that Rafael Albuquerque is back, it's good again. I really like this book because it uses the idea that vampires are immortal. The story arcs jump from the old west, to WW2, to the 50's James Dean style. Lots of potential.

All Star Western is a book that I am really rooting for. Great art, kind of wood-blocky. Fits perfect with the old west theme. The setting of Gotham is what sold me on it, hoping for some ties to the Batman world. This story arc is called "Inside the Bat Cave". All right!! Finally some bat connections. Maybe this issue was just a tease though. Jonah and Amadeus Arkham are on the trail of the child kidnappers. They bumble the take-down though, and get tossed into the cavern whirlpool under Gotham. Down here they run into treacherous falls, cowardly partners, a lost Indian tribe, and finally BATS. I just hope there ends up being some kind of lead in to the future of Batman.

*Batman & Robin #1 are on here because I finally decided to pick it up. I've been hesitant because I've never been a fan of Robin, and the books seemed to be less serious than the stand alone batman books. BUT, this series has gotten great reviews, it looks great, and the story has tons of tension in it. I'm going to pick up the back issues and add it to my monthly list.

The winner? AQUAMAN #5. Why? I guess the deciding factor was on the way home Friday I picked up my daughter Molly. During our conversation I showed her the books and joked around with her about them. The book that created the most stir was Aquaman because, what is Aquaman going to do in a DESERT!? I was that interested myself to bring it up with her, and she actually had to think about it and showed a little interest. The art is beautiful and well thought out. The first four panels make you wonder. If you don't cheat, the first two look like Aquaman is swimming. Then by panel 3, you realize he is bracing for an impact because that blue surrounding him is not water, it's SKY! Classic THOOOM! as he hits the deck. The spread page above has kind of a "Stargate" feel to it too. There are a couple of other nods to sci-fi movies in the book too, particularly Star Wars. This book has been awesome so far. Just the right combination of superhero heroics and comedy. Every book still contains a little dig at the watery prince, which keeps the balance. So far, the story has moved fluidly (haha). Plenty of action and enough cliffhanger-ness every week to keep you excited for the next one.