The Weekly Pull: Batman: City of Madness; If You Find This, I'm Already Dead; Marvel Unleashed, and More
02/13/2024 11:38 am EST
Batman: City of Madness #3
- Written by Christian Ward
- Art by Christian Ward
- Colors by Christian Ward
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by DC
The scariest part of Batman: City of Madness #3's arrival this week is that there won't be any more following this climactic issue. Fans of cartoonist Christian Ward won't be surprised to learn that the artist has delivered a pitch-perfect vision of Gotham City infused with eldritch horrors. Exaggerated forms, dreamlike layouts, and cosmic color schemes enhance a coinciding mood of wonder and terror to deliver an engrossing reading experience. Each new creature and facet of the haunted city proves a visual feast for fans of superhero and horror comics alike. Ward's depiction of familiar characters within that style has exceeded even the highest of expectations as individuals like Two-Face are presented in a fantastic new fashion. After only two oversized issues, Ward has delivered a setting readers won't want to leave anytime soon. However, Batman: City of Madness #3 has framed a battle between two competing visions of Batman that's bound to deliver on all of the promise of the story thus far. It's only disappointing to know that there won't be an issue #4 that continues to deliver upon Ward's wondrous, if terrifying take on Gotham. -- Chase Magnett
Best of 2000 AD Vol. 5
- Written by various
- Art by various
- Published by Rebellion
Best of 2000 AD Vol. 5 offers another sampling of highlights from the British magazine's more than 45-year history. Don't let the "Vol. 5" in the title fool you; each Best of 2000 AD volume is designed to be enjoyed independently, and this installment is no different. Best of 2000 AD Vol. 5's contents include a brand new Judge Dredd story that pits Dredd against the wealthy elite of Mega-City One, as well as a classic and prescient Judge Dredd story, "The Art of Kenny Who?" by John Wagner and Cam Kennedy. The collection also includes the first Zombo story by Al Ewing (The Immortal Hulk) and Henry Flint (Eerie), a Devlin Waugh story by John Smith (Hellblazer), and Sean Phillips' (Criminal), a Missionary Man tale by Gordon Rennie (Doctor Who) and Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman), and the one-shot tale "Tribal Memories," from Peter Milligan and Tony Wright, accompanied by an essay from critic Kambole Campbell providing essential context and analysis. Best of 2000 AD has been rewarding reading thus far, and the fifth volume looks no different. -- Jamie Lovett
The Great Gatsby Illustrated
- Written by F. Scott Fitsgerald, Ted Adams
- Art by Jorge Coehlo
- Colors by Inês Amaro
- Letters by Robbie Robbins
- Published by Clover Press
Now that The Great Gatsby has been in the public domain for a little over three years, it's a little bit easier to wade through the deluge of adaptations and subversions. This week brings the collection of Clover Press' entry into the field, which was originally printed as a four-issue miniseries. Based on aesthetics alone, Jorge Coehlo's art brings a sense of scrappy whimsy that readers of the book will surely recognize, and I can't wait to see how the iconic story translates into a graphic novel format. — Jenna Anderson
If You Find This, I'm Already Dead #1
- Written by Matt Kindt
- Art by Dan McDaid
- Colors by Bill Crabtree
- Letters by Jim Campbell
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
If You Find This, I'm Already Dead #1 checks a lot of boxes for me. Matt Kindt and Dan McDaid? Yes. Journalist protagonist? Definitely. Sci-fi genre? Absolutely. Pulp magazine dimensions? Now you're just showing off. It's like they created a comic book based on a focus group of one, with that one being yours truly, and now I get to read. Of course, there's always some possibility that despite including many things that I crave in my comics, the execution of the issue will fall short of the premise – which sees journalist Robin embedded with the U.S. Marines as they launch into a hostile pocket dimension populated by god-like beings and science fiction wonders – but given the caliber of the creators involved, I'm feeling good about the odds of this issue delivering on its promise. -- Jamie Lovett
Marvel Unleashed
- Written by Kyle Starks
- Art by Jesus Hervas, Juan Gedeon
- Colors by Yen Nitro
- Letters by Joe Caramagna
- Published by Marvel Comics
If you'd told me a year ago that I would think about a Pet Avengers comic more often than I do most currently-publishing Marvel titles, I both would and would not have believed you. And yet, Marvel Unleashed presents a new alliance of the publisher's animal-themed heroes that I have only grown more fond of over time. Kyle Starks, Jesus Hervas, and company balance a string of wild personalities and an expected sense of humor with some truly beautiful moments, which readers will hopefully fall in love with as much as I did. — Jenna Anderson
Outsiders #4
- Written by Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing
- Art by Robert Carey
- Colors by Valentina Taddeo
- Letters by Tom Napolitano
- Published by DC
If you're not already reading DC's Outsiders relaunch, this week's installment might actually be the perfect place to start. It's certainly the perfect advocate for what the series is capable of, conveying Batwoman, Luke Fox, and Drummer's fights against a new version of a familiar character. Beyond that, the issue is a spellbinding take on the highs and lows of anxiety, presented in a way that I found profoundly moving — and that helps cement Outsiders' unique and oft-bizarre purpose in the DC Universe. — Jenna Anderson
The Witcher: Wild Animals #4
- Written by Bartosz Sztybor
- Art by Natalia Rerekina
- Colors by Patricio Delpeche
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
Although I have some passing familiarity with The Witcher as a franchise, I'd never have called myself a fan. I've enjoyed watching my partner play the video game adaptations and even took in the first season of the Netflix series with them, but never sought out Witcher stories on my own. So I think it speaks to the obvious quality of The Witcher: Wild Animals that, as its final issue arrives, I'm already anticipating the next Witcher installment from Dark Horse Comics. This four-issue miniseries presents its savage protagonist, and the complex ethical quandaries he encounters, have been absolutely engrossing. Every character it introduces rebuffs the two-dimensional standards of fantasy to insist, instead, upon their own humanity. It fills the conflicts with sympathy and drama without any obvious solutions. The Witcher: Wild Animals builds upon an outstanding source of lore to craft a tale considering the rights of humans and animals alike, capable of making readers' hearts both race and break. Whatever the final chapter brings this week, I know readers will be left wanting more. -- Chase Magnett