Writer: Tom King

Pencils, Inks and Colors by Mitch Gerads

Publisher: DC

 There are few comics more anticipated this year than the new Mister Miracle title. Not only is the titular protagonist a Jack Kirby creation, but this book is helmed by one of the best creative teams in the industry today. Tom King and Mitch Gerads have already done some great work together on Batman, particularly the Swamp Thing issue; and they continue to amaze readers with their heart-pounding war series The Sheriff of Babylon. Now, the critically-acclaimed duo takes on one of the older and more obscure characters from the DC lore for a 12-issue miniseries.

If you’ve read anything by King, you know how literary his style is. Mister Miracle is no different, utilizing the same kind of Watchmen influence with its nine-panel page layouts and dense text. The story involves Mister Miracle’s resurrection after a near-death experience, but the execution in both King’s script and Gerads’ visuals is so surreal. The magic of this issue is not so much related to the plot, but rather the storytelling itself. It’s a breathtaking experience that also feels like a culmination of everything King and Gerads have done up until now. It has the high-concept surrealist fantasy elements of The Vision, the epic scope of The Omega Men and the grounded thematic material of The Sheriff of Babylon all wrapped into one book.

In interviews leading up to this issue’s release, King said that the concept originated from a near-death experience he himself underwent. Just as he brings his personal experience as an ex-CIA agent to books like Sheriff of Babylon and Grayson, here he delivers an equally personal and human story. This comic no doubt revels in the DC New Gods mythology, featuring characters like Big Barda, Orion and Highfather, but the emphasis is on the human side of our hero.

Mister Miracle #1 is a stroke of genius. It demonstrates what happens when two master storytellers join forces to create a comic that’s alluring, mythic and multifaceted from start to finish. Get it. Take it to cons to get it signed by the creators. Then frame it on your wall and buy another copy so you can reread that one over and over again. DC has been doing great in the last year, but this just might be their best title yet since the Rebirth line began.

 

–Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Mirko Colak
Colorist: Maria Santaolalla
Publisher: Aftershock Comics

Guy Ritchie and Charlie Hunnam aren’t the only ones in 2017 to tackle the King Arthur mythos. Yet whereas the recent Warner Bros. movie offered a more action-packed and swashbuckler take on the iconic story, the new comic from Aftershock is an entirely different and darker interpretation.

In “Unholy Grail,” writer Cullen Bunn offers a more bleak look at the world of Camelot and the events surrounding Arthur’s rise to power. Here, Merlin is not the wise Gandalf-type figure whom he’s often portrayed as, but rather a dark and menacing sorcerer skeptical of Arthur becoming King. Arthur’s ascension to power is marked by bloodshed and war, as the kingdom he inherits is more akin to a wasteland than a fantasy setting. And this issue is just the tip of the iceberg.

If there’s anyone who could produce a book that counters everything about the traditional view of the King Arthur legend, it’s Aftershock. In the past few months alone, they’ve put out comics about crime, artificial intelligence and even the Antichrist. Like the best of indie publishers, the company’s editors and creators are genuinely taking the medium to new heights.

Coinciding with Bunn’s dark world-building, artist Mirko Colak and colorist Maria Santaolalla create a beautifully grim and gory aesthetic. Utilizing double-page spreads that capture the sheer brutality of medieval Camelot, this team knows exactly how to deliver the perfect shock value (pun intended). “Unholy Grail” might not be the next blockbuster movie adaptation of King Arthur, but it sure does make for an excellent horror comic that’s as brutal and engrossing as one could imagine. Pick it up and be prepared to never think of Excalibur in the same way again.

-Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Adam Kubert
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Publisher: Marvel

With “Spider-Man: Homecoming” only a couple weeks away from hitting theaters, it was a given that Marvel would put out a new, yet very old-school, Spidey book to draw in new readers. While Dan Slott’s “Amazing Spider-Man” run is still going strong, “Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man” is all about getting the character back to basics. And though I’ve read my fair share of Spidey stories over the years and there’s nothing terribly surprising about this book, I’m on board for it as long as it keeps this stellar creative team.

After Peter recounts his origin for the millionth time to his longtime friend Johnny Storm/Human Torch, the issue jumps straight to the action as muggers and super villains flood the streets of New York City. Other Marvel heroes like Ant-Man and Captain America (the Sam Wilson version) show up midway through, all the while the mystery of an encrypted Stark phone begins to unfold. Top all this off with a nice twist at the end of the issue, and Marvel has put together quite an entertaining Spidey book.

As mentioned above, what has me sold me on this comic is its creative team. Chip Zdarsky injects it with plenty of irreverent humor and energy, while still keeping it appropriate enough for younger readers. His script offers smart commentary on how Spider-Man has been rebooted dozens of times over the years, and his ability to let himself and his characters have fun definitely comes across. Not to spoil anything, but the guy manages to incorporate a Tinder joke into an exchange between Peter and Aunt May. Keep in mind that this is the same writer who’s worked on “Howard the Duck” and “Sex Criminals.”

And while the writing is a lot of fun and packed with hilarious dialogue, Adam Kubert’s art is nothing short of spectacular. Using a wide range of exaggerated and explosive panels, it’s amazing how much of Steve Ditko’s influence is apparent here. This is the kind of cinematic and cartoonish aesthetic that fans of the 90s animated series, such as myself, know and love. Combine that with Jordie Bellaire’s wonderfully bright color palette, and this is the Spidey comic that coincides perfectly with Saturday morning cartoons.

Again, if you’re a longtime Spidey reader, this book has more nostalgia than new material. Nevertheless, it’s as fun a comic as anything you’d expect from Zdarsky and Kubert, and as long as both of them stay on it, so will I.

-Kevin Schaefer for Ultimate Comics

Writer: Donny Cates
Penciler: Garry Brown
Colorist: Mark Englert
Publisher: Aftershock Comics

A while back, writer Mark Millar and artist Peter Gross explored the second coming of Christ in their critically acclaimed supernatural series “American Jesus.” Now, Aftershock Comics delivers a new title that deals with the birth of the Antichrist in a manner that’s both wonderfully horrifying and engrossing.

Told in flashbacks from the perspective of the Antichrist’s mother Sadie Ritter, “Babyteeth” #1 recounts the bizarre and otherworldly circumstances surrounding the child’s birth. While Sadie is a mere teenager at the time with enough problems and fears already on her mind, she endures even more unimaginable terrors when she goes into labor. It’s here that she encounters a mix of demonic forces, which then pave the way for the post-apocalyptic present which her adult self narrates from.

Creators Donny Cates and Garry Brown handle this material well, particularly with the characterization of Sadie. While the narration is delivered by her as an adult, it’s her teenage self that we see and empathize with as her entire world is flipped upside down. Cates’ script and Brown’s pencils go hand in hand, capturing both the darkest aspects of the story as well as the human themes that really drive it. Likewise, Mark Englert’s colors add a whole other dimension of occult horror to Brown’s already stellar world-building. This issue is as cinematic and eery as one could hope for. Just be careful if you decide to read it before going to bed.

Aftershock has been putting out some great books lately, and “Babyteeth” is no exception. It’s a great time to start adding some of their titles to your pull-list, and you can also meet some of their representatives and creators next weekend in Charlotte at HeroesCon. Come on down and stop by the Ultimate Comics table while you’re there. I’ll be there too, and am always game to talk comics!

-KEVIN SCHAEFER for Ultimate Comics

Written by Chris Sims and Chad Bowers
Art by Mauro Vargas with color by Triona Farrell
Published by Dynamite Entertainment

Longtime friends of Ultimate Comics, Chris Sims and Chad Bowers aren’t exactly stuck in the 90s. But they sure know how to get the most out of their trips there. Over at Marvel, this writing team has done X-Men ’92, a beloved run featuring the characters from that cartoon my generation loved, and Bad Blood, an original graphic novel pulling all the good stuff out of Rob Liefeld’s early work on Deadpool. And this week, Dynamite sends this pair to the video store for a sequel to that 1993 sleepover classic, Army Of Darkness.

The zero issue opens with a helpful recap for folks who may not have seen Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, or Army Of Darkness – Ash is a grimly comedic hero who lost his girlfriend and his righthand to the Deadite zombie forces attached to the hideous spellbook, the Necronomicon. At the end of the third movie, Ash tried to go back to work at a big-box store but ended up shooting a Deadite customer. Yikes.

So with this issue, HR has some stern things to say about public execution of store guests, even the monster ones, and Ash winds up home with a severance package. Swearing off the rescuer gig, he settles in for a beer and TV, but the beautiful Vice Principal of the local high school knocks on his door with some frightening news of Deadite infiltration into the town’s teenagers. So Ash is back in the saddle, and auto shop at Alan Shepard High is going to get groovy.

Fans of the original horror comedy series will love how tenderly this book feels about its source material, and new fans can just laugh at the jokes. You don’t need to see the execution to laugh at a news report quoting, “swapped blenders for a ‘boomstick’ and unleashed a hail of hot lead that has some people questioning the store’s policy of stocking fully-loaded firearms.” Sims and Bowers’ stories are usually very funny, and though they still need to establish their credibility for the horror part of the series, the brief glimpses into the haunted halls of Shepard High are a good start there, too. Ash’s character here is seamlessly part of the man we met back in 1981, and the thought of him in the public school system is already a trip.

Even better, Ulti-fans, writer Chris Sims will be at Ultimate Comics Cary (1301 Buck Jones Rd, Raleigh, NC 27606) this Saturday from 11 to 2, so bring a copy down and see how many times this poor guy is going to have to say “Groovy” for a line of fans. You can also get copies of the Bad Blood novel at any of our locations, and ask a sales associate to help you track down his other work – I haven’t read a bad page out of this guy yet.

MATT CONNER for Ultimate Comics