Treasures From The ComiCombs

This week I have a nice mix of books to check out. From murders and monsters to the very first (and very likely last) pick from Marvel. We’re finally at the end of the month and that means we'll wrap up Spread Volume one: No Hope. Be on the lookout as I will be giving away my copy. Does that mean it’s a collection worthy book or am I just pushing it off on one of you unlucky followers? Read on to find out!

Wolf (Image Comics)

Writer –Ales Kot

Artist – Ricardo Lopez Ortiz

Colortst – Lee Loughridge

A new story arc and a new artist find their way into issue #5 of Wolf. This was a bit of a surprise book for me, issue #1 wasn’t my favorite but this book found its stride quickly thereafter. The art in issue #5 is a great start to the new arc. This is an enjoyable read so check it out!

The Drawing of the Three: The Lady of Shadows (Marvel Comics)

Writer – Robin Furth, Peter David

Artist – Jonathan Marks

Colorist – Lee Loughridge, Jonathan Marks

The next entry in the comic book translation of some of Stephen King's greatest work, The Dark Tower. Enter the third member of the ka-tet, Odetta Holmes. This book has been something great in an otherwise overflowing catalog of “tactical armor” wearing superhero books from Marvel. If you haven’t read any of the Dark Tower comics, start from the beginning. Like the novels, these comics should not be slept on.

Monster World (American Gothic Press)

Writer- Steve Niles, Philip Kim

Artist- Piotr Kowalski

Colorist – Dennis Calero

I have been trying really hard to find a good horror book that Steve Niles isn’t writing. Fortunately for horror fans, that’s not an easy thing to do. Private investigator over his head, Murder on a horror movie set, moral ambiguity and monsters. All of this in just two issues. Pick this up, it’s a fun read and I mean come on, Steve Niles.

Spread Volume one: No Hope

Writer – Justin Jordan

Artist – Kyle Strahm

Colorist – Felipe Sobreiro

So we have come to the end of the book. Though issue 6 was very light on plot, it was heavy on action and gore. While reading this book and wondering just what exactly the spread is, I couldn’t help but be drawn into the beautifully disgusting artwork that represents it. Kyle Strahm does an excellent job creating something gross enough to stick with you, which was the high point in the book for me. In my past reactions, I praised the pacing of the first 3 issues in this series, but it took a bit of a turn and started to drag a bit in the last 3. While the first half of the book is near perfect when it comes to establishing a world and developing its characters, the second half didn’t really have much of that and instead traded it in for action and gore. Awesome action and gore. The characters are intriguing and I want to see more of their story. The post apocalyptic setting is one that has been done time and time again in a way that’s hard to separate one book from the next. Spread takes that setting and does something different with it; that’s where it shines. For a book that has a protagonist who rarely speaks and does most of his talking though his actions, it’s hard to really dock this book for the amount of action scenes.
My main problem with Spread is how significantly different the first and second half are in their telling of the plot, but otherwise I really enjoyed this book. This was a pretty good setup for the rest of the series and, if nothing else, a taste of what the team is capable of in terms of storytelling and art. If you ever find yourself wandering through the comicombs you will definitely see this book on one of the shelves. 

4 of 5

- The Creature of the ComiCombs