Aaron's Pick of the Week

Pretty much every comic shop I've ever been to has a little feature known as a "pick of the week," where each employee offers their opinion on which books are not to be missed. I figure it would only be appropriate for me to do likewise.

Here's what I loved for the week of September 19:

Captain America #30

by Brubaker (w), Epting (a), and Perkins (a)


Why is it that, despite the fact that I never much cared for Captain America, despite the fact that I never much found the Red Skull to be a terrifying villain by any means, and despite the fact that the lead character's been dead since March... why is it that this book is so good?

Well, there are various reasons, not least of all the beautiful artwork, engaging dialogue, as well as surprising plot twists (at least two of which can be found in this issue). However, none of these elements, noteworthy though they may be, impress me as much as Brubaker's characters.

Where Brubaker really impresses me is in his ability to treat even the most ridiculous characters with dignity. And this applies to everyone, whether it's Captain America's best friends, formerly goofball villains such as Doctor Faustus and Armin Zola, or even (and perhaps most appreciatively on my part) Tony Stark (aka Iron Man), who since Civil War has been portrayed as the Idiot King of the marvel universe. In this issue, we see why he's Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Though I touched on this earlier, it would be a crime for me not to mention the art at least once more. While Brubaker can, as I said, make any character engaging through dialogue and actions, it would all be for naught without Epting and Perkins breathing cool into their designs. I mean, they even made this guy look cool.

In this particular issue, I was struck by Brubaker, Epting, and Perkins' ability to completely shift tones on a page-by-page basis. In the blink of an eye, the comic would quickly go from intense to sombre, from pensive to terrifying, from awesome to... well, it never stopped being awesome.

Knowing the trend in comic books, to state that Captain America's return is definite, even as soon as within the year, would be no great claim. One argument for his imminent return is the fact that there is still a Captain America series. "You can't have a Captain America series without Captain America," they'd logically argue. However, as this title proves, these people are dead wrong.


Also recommended

Groo 25th Anniversary Special: Hilarious. The only reason this one isn't my pick of the week is because it actually came out on the 12th.

World War Hulk #4 (of 5): Seriously, pick up this book. Not a fan of the Hulk? That's no excuse. Not a fan of super heroes at all? Again, not good enough. You aren't able to read? Okay, that's an adequate excuse.


Not recommended

Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus #1 (of 5): The name aside, I found this to be surprisingly lackluster, especially considering how much I love Mignola's other works (Hellboy, sure, but especially B.P.R.D.). I'm not sure exactly where the book lost me. Oh wait, it was with this line: "Germans? Jeez! I don't know much, but I read the papers. That Hitler looks like trouble, and I bet he'd love to get a hold of this suit." Hopefully the book will pick up. I, however, will not be sticking around to find out.