Back to the Future #1
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Writers: Bob Gale & Various
Artists: Brent Schoonover, Dan Schoening
Instead of playing with time travel, as you might expect, the new Back to the Future comic takes a different approach. It instead looks at moments in the characters’ lives, like when Marty first meets Doc and when Doc starts being interested in inventing. I like this approach a lot because it fills in details of a story we know and love. New things are happening, but it also has the comforting feeling of getting to know someone better. Overall, it was a great read and got me so excited that I went and watched the movie as soon as I finished the last page!
Cognetic #1
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Eryk Donovan
I have been so excited about this issue since I first heard of its existence several months ago. Tynion IV and Donovan are a power team of awesomeness as I discovered when I read their book Memetic. Cognetic has a similarly apocalyptic vibe, but with less sloths and possibly even more horrifying deaths (is that possible? I think that’s possible, though that flesh tower at the end of Memetic isn’t something I’ll easily forget). This is a seriously strong first issue that sets up the terror of the moment, establishes sympathetic main characters, and looks really really cool. If you’re not reading this, you’re silly.
P.s. The Memetic trade comes out this week too. So also read that, please and thank you.
The Paybacks #2
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Writers: Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal
Artist: Geoff Shaw
This comic is based on the idea that superheroes need to take out loans for all their crazy cool gadgets and lairs and if they can’t pay back the loans, all of their wonderful things get repossessed and they must work off their debts by becoming the repo men themselves. It’s a hilarious concept that is rarely and magnificently even more fantastic in execution. The Paybacks is great. It’s the type of humor that will have you laughing in public and that will warm your comic loving heart.
Giant Days #7
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Writer: John Allison
Artist: Max Sarin
Cover Artist: Lissa Treiman
Giant Days is so fun and so British. It follows the (mis)adventures of three friends in their first year of university. It has the perfect mix of honestly and ridiculousness as the girls grow, change, and learn from their mistakes. The humor is very different than a lot of what I see in comics these days and I love Giant Days for that. I mean they use the word ‘schmoopy’ in the description on Previews. How great is that? In this issue, the students have just returned from winter break and are getting ready for their big midterm exams and not all of them are quite ready to handle the pressure. There is also a shout out to the 3M Corporation, which is from Minnesota, so I got pretty excited about that.
