0
0
This time I’ve got spoiler-free capsule reviews of The Spirit, Prez, Archie and Lando!
The Spirit #1 – This series from Dynamite celebrates the 75th anniversary of Will Eisner’s classic character. My own history with The Spirit is pretty spotty. I’ve read stories here and there and have almost always enjoyed them, I just haven’t read a ton. But I was intrigued to see what they would do there. Obviously, telling a Spirit story is always going to involved stepping into some big shoes, but the story uses the main plot (the disappearance of the titular character and how it affects his supporting cast) to re-introduce the character to new readers. Which, frankly, was helpful for me. I liked the story well enough, and the art and colors had a pleasing, stylized look. I nabbed the Alex Ross cover, which looks gorgeous. I’m definitely going to check back on issue 2.
Prez #1 & 2 – I mostly remember Prez from a “Crazy they made that” sort of mention in a book about the history of comic books I read as a kid. When i heard that DC was bringing it back, I thought it sounded fun. But I heard enough good things I decided to check it out. So glad I did! This book is a LOT of fun. I didn’t realize it was actually taking place in the near-future. It’s a funny/sad satire with some vibrant, flowing art. Really hoping this one catches on. DC are taking some risks with their newest batch of books. I hope readers reward it.
Archie #1 – So, Archie mostly passed me by. I picked up a few of the digest issues as a kid and enjoyed them, but they were never really my thing. I did read the Kevin books in trades for a while. As likable as Archie has always been, in some ways it kind of felt like they were this thing that’s always been there and will always be there and is probably telling the same stories over and over. I don’t know if that’s a fair assessment, but that’s how I felt. But, Archie Comics has been trying some really interesting stuff lately. Various quirky crossovers. Afterlife with Archie. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which I love. And now this relaunch with Mark Waid and Fiona Staples. I love Staples work in Saga. She works wonders here, honestly. Instantly you start to see the Archie characters as real, believable people rather than iconic characters. At least, for me that’s what happened. I really liked this first issue and look forward to the next. Also, Zdarsky’s Jughead? I’m there.
Lando #1 – Oh man, Marvel has just been killing it with their Star Wars titles. The only have one I haven’t checked out yet is Kanan (not sure why not, I am a Rebels fan… I’ll get to it eventually) but all the rest have been great. Lando keeps the track record going. The opening scene is perfect, and perfectly Lando. I really did not know much about Lobot other than what we saw in the movies, which isn’t much. So I’m not sure if casting him as Lando’s partner is a new idea or an old one. Either way, it’s genius. The set-up is excellent, here, as Lando gets himself into a world of trouble by issue’s end.
