The Weekly Pull: Green Arrow, Universal Monsters: Dracula, Hellcat, and More
Dracula, Giant-Robot Hellboy, Detective Chip, and then some.
Dark Spaces: Dungeon #1
- Written by Scott Snyder
- Art by Hayden Sherman
- Colors by Patricio Delpeche
- Letters by AndWorld Design
- Published by IDW Publishing
Scott Snyder and Hayden Sherman's Dark Spaces: Wildfire, the inaugural release under Snyder's Dark Spaces mini-line of comics, blew me away. Snyder paced the story around the stages of a wildfire, and Sherman's artwork creates the surreal sense that readers were viewing the story through heat vapor. The duo is reteaming for a new series as part of the same line, Dark Spaces: Dungeon. The series focuses on a father who moves his family to what he believes is an idyllic new home only to discover that someone has built a depraved dungeon on his grounds and a threatening note compelling him to keep his mouth shut. Naturally, the father investigates, hoping to find whoever is behind the note and the dungeon. Snyder is one of the comics' top writers, and Sherman is a talented artist who deserves more attention. Hopefully, Snyder's name on the cover gets more eyeballs on Sherman's work. Beyond that, they're both great storytellers, and after seeing what their collaboration can produce with the excellent Wildfire, I'm excited to see this partnership blossom further, and you should be, too. -- Jamie Lovett
prevnextThe Detective Chimp Casebook Vol. 1
- Written by John Broome
- Art by Carmine Infantino
- Published by DC
Detective Chimp is one of those characters who I am consistently marveled by – he shouldn't exist, but he does in an absolutely bizarre glory. This week's Detective Chimp Casebook chronicles some of the DC character's weirdest adventures, as well as various pieces of backmatter to help you get better acquainted with him. The novelty of seeing some of these stories back in print is more than enough for me to get hyped. -- Jenna Anderson
prevnextGiant Robot Hellboy #1
- Written by Mike Mignola
- Art by Duncan Fegredo
- Colors by Dave Stewart
- Letters by Clem Robins
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
Even with Hellboy's saga complete—including a cycle of death and rebirth for the hero and planet Earth alike—there's still lots of fun to be had with Big Red. However, the best one-shots and miniseries today are focused on the oddest aspects of creator Mike Mignola's sprawling supernatural lore, examining Hellboy's childhood and quirkiest encounters as opposed to the nuts and bolts of the B.P.R.D. Giant Robot Hellboy presents just such a story as it's inspired by a set of Mignola's drawings that proved too popular to resist developing a three-issue miniseries. Whatever Mignola's story has devised to explain the appearance of a massive mechanical Hellbot, the inclusion of artist Duncan Fegredo guarantees both excellent appearances by aspects of mad science and even more stunning depictions of the eponymous giant robot Hellboy. Whether readers possess only a passing interest in Hellboy's comics or are deeply invested in decades of outstanding publications, Giant Robot Hellboy promises them an adventure that will be both easily accessible and instantly entertaining. We can only hope that Mignola, Fegredo, and their collaborators continue to serve up the strangest possible tales from Hellboy's history. -- Chase Magnett
prevnextGone #1
- Written by Jock
- Art by Jock
- Colors by Jock, Lee Loughridge
- Letters by AndWorld Design
- Published by DSTLRY
DSTLRY is the hot new publisher in comics right now, and it's coming strong out of the gate with Gone, its first series following the stellar The Devil's Cut sampler. Gone is a new series from Eisner-winning artist Jock, and while he's handled writing and art duties together for comics at Marvel (Savage Wolverine) and DC Black Label (Batman: One Dark Knight), Gone is the first time he's written, drawn, and colored (with Lee Loughridge) a brand-new concept. DSTLRY is pitching Gone as a story that will appeal to Andor and The Hunger Games fans. It follows a young girl, Abi, from an impoverished planet that services luxury liners for the galaxy's rich and powerful. On a routine trip to scavenge food and supplies from one such ship, Abi gets mixed up in an act of political resistance and finds herself inadvertently stowing away. Now caught between the best security money can buy and the political revolutionaries still hiding aboard the ship, Abi has to survive and navigate her new reality and longing for home. Let's see if the book can live up to the hype. -- Jamie Lovett
prevnextGreen Arrow #5
- Written by Joshua Williamson
- Art by Sean Isaake, Phil Hester
- Inks by Ande Parks
- Colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Letters by Troy Peteri
- Published by DC
We're nearing the halfway point of DC's latest Green Arrow run, and this week's issue is poised to take an examination of Oliver Queen into a whole new territory. The promise of the issue's cover, which shows an array of different Green Arrows assembled together, should pique your interest in and of itself. But the story that Joshua Williamson and Sean Isaake are continuing to spin offers some intriguing and heartfelt moments for multiple members of the Arrowfam while laying the groundwork for the future. — Jenna Anderson
prevnextHellcat
- Written by Christopher Cantwell
- Art by Alex Lins
- Colors by Kike J Diaz
- Letters Ariana Maher
- Published by Marvel Comics
I could spend days singing the praises of Christopher Cantwell's Iron Man run, but one element of it was uniquely revelatory — Cantwell's approach to Patsy Walker, one of Marvel's longest-running and weirdest heroines. Luckily, that run was soon followed by a brief stint of Cantwell and artist Alex Lins on a Hellcat solo title, which gets collected into a single volume this week. These five issues are a weird, stunning portrait of the many roles Patsy has played over the years, and they absolutely deserve your attention. — Jenna Anderson
prevnextUniversal Monsters: Dracula #1
- Written by James Tynion IV
- Art by Martin Simmonds
- Colors by Martin Simmonds
- Letters by Rus Wooton
- Published by Image Comics
I'm ashamed to admit that I only began reading writer James Tynion IV and artist Martin Simmonds' The Department of Truth this summer after witnessing all of the (much-deserved) hype. The only disappointment was that after reading nearly 20 issues of conspiracy-infused madness, there was no set date for the series' return. Luckily, that's for good reason as the collaborators step away from modern horror to examine a classic figure in the four-issue miniseries Universal Monsters: Dracula. Simmonds' artwork has proven to be incredibly potent in creating tension and summoning some of the most unsettling images in comics; combine that with Tynion's status as the new king of horror comics and readers should have sky-high expectations for what's to come. The duo are returning to one of the most iconic movie monsters in the world to tell their own version of the Count's familiar tale. Given the lack of constraints that come with a public domain figure, it's also clear that there's abundant room for invention and upset reader expectations – a common accomplishment in the pages of Department of Truth. Whether readers are seeking out a great vampire comic or, like me, desperately want more of that Tynion and Simmonds' magic, they're in for luck this week when they pick up Universal Monsters: Dracula #1. -- Chase Magnett
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