Here’s some titles I think you should try out. These books aren’t getting the love in the sales column, and they really should. Some of the books have been written about here on The Bleed, some haven’t (but are on The List). The following are in no particular order: Note: This will only mention series that are still releasing issues. Some of the books from the past few months that I’ve gushed over will not be included because of that caveat, like Potter’s Field.
1. Atomic Robo - Red 5
2. Fall of Cthulhu - BOOM!
3. Criminal - Icon
4. She-Hulk - Marvel
5. Clockwork Girl - Arcana Studio
6. Hybrid Bastards! - Archaia Studios Press
7. Dan Dare - Virgin Comics
8. G.I. Joe - Devil’s Due Publishing
9. Blue Beetle - DC
10. Immortal Iron Fist - Marvel (Yes, I know. But this is a title that needs to be #1).
This is a comic I could well have missed, and am glad that I haven’t. Archaia Studio Press runs with a very familiar conceit: that the Greek God Zeus would attempt to impregnate anything that moved. Thus was born many of our favorite mythological figures; Hercules and Perseus just to name a couple.
Where Hybrid Bastards! runs with this idea is original: one night, Hera got her second cousin Hypnos (god of the mind) to put the whammy on the king of the gods. For one night, Zeus would be attracted to inanimate objects instead of females.
Zeus, being a god after all, was able to impregnate these objects, and 18 years later his fruit is coming of age (very literally in one sense).
Hybrid Bastards! is a three-issue mini according to Archaia Studio Press’ website, and I’d recommend it to anyone with a sense of the bizarre. Zeus’ ill-gotten offspring are, as revealed in this issue: a cloth patchwork named Cotton, Carmine — born from an automobile, Walter — an ambulatory belligerent pile of bricks, and Corey who is the son of Zeus and an apple tree. Panos is the wannabe leader of this crew, and his birth circumstances are not readily apparent in this first issue.
The art as done by Kate Glasheen is reminiscent of Grecian frescoes where it needs to be, and has a modern slant where required — in some parts reminding me strongly of Keith Giffen’s art in his Trencher phase, which is definitely apropos to some of the subject manner. The colors are faded watercolor-esque, and bring out the artwork well.
Tom Pinchuk has the writing credit, and a very modern voice throughout; the only question I have is how does one “smell placenta?” (This question arose very quickly in the book; a throw-off comment between two characters present at Carmine’s birth, but having never been present at a birth except my own, I would not know if placenta has its own unique aroma.)
Check this out — this is a brash title, and well worth the cover price.
I’ve been a bit effusive in my praise for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier. There is so much material and content in this book there could be quite a bit of discussion on all of the references contained therein.
Wait. There is.
I recently discovered this page, which gives a lot of the references within the book. This is a Good Thing — why? Because there’s so many easter eggs and hidden gems of information to be found, that very few people can catch them all. This is a group effort, and it’s well worth reading to discover some of the treasures of the book.
Worth reading enough that it made me post on a Sunday.
This week, if you’ve been keeping up, I have been thoroughly charmed by three books. One of which was cute, one of which was fun — and then there’s Arcana Comics’ Clockwork Girl. This comic book has charmed me and I am a believer.
From the setup this issue, I am led to believe that this will be a tale of Romeo and Juliet with liberal dashes of Pinocchio mixed in; maybe toss in the Hatfield and McCoys as well. You have two inventors: Dendrus the Grafter, who experiments with nature, hybridizing and mutating things that occur in the natural world; and you have Wilhelm the Tinkerer, who is a (not-so) mad scientist that is creating automatons and machinery.
Dendrus has a young mutant boy named Huxley aiding him, and Wilhelm is the creator of the title character, the Clockwork Girl.
The series starts out at a science fair — where the scientists of this world go to show off their creations and be judged on the quality of them. This sets up the rivalry between Dendrus and Wilhelm (which is only natural given their areas of expertise) and the introduction of the Clockwork Girl.
Huxley catches a glimpse of the Girl on stage, and is immediately smitten.
This book is good for all ages — there’s nary a bit of condescending attitude, the script is well-written by Kevin Hanna and Sean O’Reilly and Grant Bond and Hanna’s art invokes the epic cartoons we so loved as children.
This is a book that I am going to be following as close as possible. It charmed me to no end and it put a smile on my face a few times while reading.
Atomic Robo, from Red 5 Comics, was first released on October 10th. From an independent publisher, however, something this good is easy to miss. Too many people go into their LCS with their pre-defined pull lists and don’t browse the shop.
I’ve seen this. This isn’t a Good Thing.
Written by Brian Clevinger (8-Bit Theater, Nuklear Age) this series follows Robo, a creation of Nikolai Tesla that has achieved sentience. And was drafted. Funny and full of anachronisms, Atomic Robo is well worth picking up if the LCS still has a copy, or ordering through the LCS for the upcoming second printing, if able. 
The art by Scott Wegener is very clean and sharp, providing a good mixture with Clevinger’s story. I enjoyed myself while reading this book, and laughed at a few parts. It’s rare when a book can do that, and I believe this book will make a fine addition to any collection. Well, if you like humor books. But a robot punching Nazis. It’s really a can’t-miss kind of premise there.
