Spera: Ascension of the Starless Vol. 1
So what’s going on this week? Spera makes a comeback, plus a few debuts, and three (yes, three comics) from DC & Marvel. Also, AdHouse announces some exciting titles for 2015, Roman Muradov & Kelly Leigh Miller have some new comics, and Rafer Roberts & Giles Crawford are working on an exciting project.
Reading List
Spera: Ascension of the Starless Vol. 1 – Archaia is responsible for many gems, and one of them is Spera. The creation of Josh Tierney, its three published volumes have featured many talented artists, Afu Chan, Kyla Vanderklugt, Hwei Lim, Emily Carroll, Olivier Pichard, Giannis Milonogiannis, Timothy Weaver, Michael Dialynas, Meg Gandy, Cory Godbey, Amei Zhao, and Sam Bosma. It has also told a fun all ages story featuring an excellent cast of characters, from the perseverant princess Lono, to the brave Pira, and stalwart fire spirit Yonder. So far, both in print and online (where one can find yet more amazing artistic collaborations), it has introduced us to the world, its intrigue, developed characters and relationships. However, all of this has been prologue. It all began with an invasion, one orchestrated by Pira’s mother, the Starless Queen, and now all of this will finally catch up with the protagonists. Both a perfect starting point for new readers, and a culmination, this one is a must read. Featuring the artistic talents of Afu Chan, Giannis Milonogiannis, Atelier Sentô, Mindy Lee, Sourya Sihachakr, Valentin Seiche, and more besides. You cannot miss it!
Intersect #1
Intersect #1 – Ray Fawkes is one of those talents whose art I’ve admired, but whose creator-owned work I haven’t really sampled yet – which makes this new ongoing the perfect opportunity to change that. Written & illustrated by Fawkes, Intersect will be a fully painted endeavor which will deal with themes of change, madness, and death. Surely the solicits have been rather mysterious, but nonetheless the gorgeous covers have intrigued. Definitely worth sampling!
Superman/Wonder Woman #13 – When it first launched, I stayed away from this comic – in spite of Charles Soule being associated with it. In short, I disliked the premise. The Superman/Wonder Woman pairing is one born of fan-boyish fantasies, rather than actual storytelling logic. However, the new creative team has me intrigued. Peter Tomasi has more than proven himself on a team-up book (Batman & Robin), while Doug Mahnke is one of my favorite artists working for DC. For now, I will give a shot.
Sensation Comics: Featuring Wonder Woman #4
Sensation Comics: Featuring Wonder Woman #4 – On a more positive note, I’ve recently started picking up this series, after initially dismissing it like most of DC’s other digital-first endeavors. While I swear by the anthology format elsewhere, on these titles it has not proven so. Perhaps it has something to do with the stilted format designed for computer screens utilized in some stories, or perhaps the lack of creative consistency from issue to issue. Either way, they did not work for me, that is, until now. The creators on this title got my attention, plus with Azzarello & Chiang’s run on Wonder Woman ending, there was a gap in my pull list. This issue will feature work by Neil Kleid, Rob Williams, Gilbert Hernandez, Dean Haspiel, and Tom Lyle. Check it out!
Spider-Woman #1 – This comic-book was at the center of some controversy not so long ago. Pair that with my usual disinterest in Greg Land’s artwork, and I was sure to skip it. Not even Dennis Hopeless‘s writing was enough to change my mind, and yet I did change my mind. How come? For that, you can thank all things Spider-Verse, the event that got me caring. What can I say, I’m really enjoying it. Something about all the Spider-guys & gals in one place just makes me happy (even though it’s proven rather gruesome for some of them). So yes, may be worth a shot in spite of all of the detractors.
Sophie Goldstein, The Immonens & AdHouse in 2015
AdHouse Books has released its schedule for Spring 2015, and among the titles announced are Sophie Goldstein‘s The Oven, as well as Kathryn & Stuart Immonen‘s Russian Olive To Red King. Goldstein’s work on Darwin Carmichael is Going to Hell and House of Women was extraordinary, so this new title is absolutely exciting. As for the Immonens their individual work has been great, and I cannot wait to see what this collaboration yields. Definitely two comics to keep an eye out for!
New Roman Muradov!
I loved Muradov’s (In A Sense) Lost and Found, so I’m definitely excited to see new work posted on his blog. These are the “first four pages of a new constrained noirish story about the illustration industry called Jacob Bladders & the State of the Art.” It was initially pitched to Papier 4, but rejected, and for the time being Muradov is planning on posting it four pages at a time on his blog. Also, a big thanks to Comics & Cola for actually drawing my attention to this, after initially glossing by it.
Read Kelly Leigh Miller’s Comic!
Kelly Leigh Miller has a new comic, Mass Exodus, and the preview looks great! For now you can only buy a digital copy, but perhaps that will change soon.
Rafer Roberts & Giles Crawford’s The Immortal Time Traveler
Speaking of new comics, Rafer Roberts & Giles Crawford are working on an exciting new project! Roberts posted the following on Facebook:
Plus there’s also a process post on Crawford’s blog. It seems like a very fun story in the works, and one that I sincerely hope gets picked up, so indeed fingers crossed.
For the curious, Roberts is responsible for the likes of Plastic Farm (which I’ve recently caught up on, and is an insane story that you should read), as well as Nightmare The Rat & Thanos and Darkseid: Carpool Buddies of Doom. Crawford has done animation work, as well as commercial illustration, and of course comics! Notable projects include FUBAR Historical Zombie & Atomic Robo: Last Stop.