The Underwater Welder
Written and drawn by Jeff Lemire

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Pages: 224
Price: $19.95

I love Jeff Lemire, but I never thought he would be able to come close to writing anything as beautiful and well crafted as the award-winning Essex County. Essex County took years to write and draw and now Lemire is under contract with the machine that is DC and cranking out multiple stories to meet deadlines as fast as he can. Not that that is bad since his creator owned Sweet Tooth and the half a dozen other books he writes (Animal Man, Justice League Dark, etc.) are such top notch. I just know to really create a masterpiece it needs to be a passion project that is free from rushed deadlines. Luckily for us The Underwater Welder by Jeff Lemire is just such a book.

The story follows an young underwater welder named Jack Joseph who lives in a small town off the coast of Nova Scotia. He lives there with his wife and they are expecting their first child. Jack is scared about the possibilities of becoming a father and uses his work on the oil rig to run away from his fears. But as he dives he begins to find his fears are much bigger than he can hide and has something he can’t explain happen that leads him on a path of discovery that teaches him about life, memories, and his relationship with his own father.

I was not surprised at all to learn Lemire spent four years between projects working on writing and drawing this book. Reading The Underwater Welder I was amazed at how well crafted it was. Lemire fills his characters with so much emotion and truth that any reader could find multiple things to relate to. Lemire also goes back to his roots and abandons color in favor of black-and-white. His line work is really on display here and I forgot how much I loved his brush strokes and the way he renders his characters. He also uses an ink wash on certain pages as a story telling device which really help create a specific tone for his story.

The Underwater Welder is filled with everything fans of Essex County will love. While Essex County might always be the work that Lemire is most remembered for, it is nice to know Lemire is still doing work that is really close, if not equal to, the caliber of rich and layered storytelling he won so many awards for. Everyone owes it to themselves to check out The Underwater Welder.

-Sean Leslie

Order The Underwater Welder from instocktrades.com.

The Mire
Written and drawn by Becky Cloonan
Self-published
Price: $5.00

The Mire captures one of the things that has always drawn me to medeval fantasy. The sense of the unknown, the darkness that exists just beyond the wall, over the hill, through the woods. As I write this I look out the office window and I see the cityscape, and beyond it the mountains, but I know exactly what’s on the other side of those mountains. I know what roads and trails cut through the wilderness. I know where I can find a campsite with a picnic table and a pre-made fire pit and I know full well, to my eternal dismay, that there are no abandoned castles out there waiting to be found.

In the world of Becky Cloonan’s The Mire, an unnamed medeval setting reminiscent of Arthur’s England, there are unexplored and unmapped places that could hide supernatural dangers, the kind of places where a castle could be abandoned and not discovered for years. I needn’t explain the plot here other than to say that the 28 page self-contained story follows a boy on an errand. Within those 28 pages Cloonan perfectly depicts the spirit of the young, inexperienced adventurer in over his head, the forebodingness of the unknown, and delivers some truly unsettling scares and an emotional payoff.

And the visuals! This is a damnably attractive package. It’s a mini-comic, with a silk-screened cover that’s pleasing to the touch and incredibly pleasing to the eye. The colors on that cover pop in a way that a typical mainstream comic’s colors never can. Inside is the rich, inky black-and-white that fans of Cloonan’s work on Demo will recognize and enjoy.

I recommend The Mire without caveat. Pick it up here. 

-Bryton SeaGull

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils: Mark Bagley
Inks: Danny Miki
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99

I understand the reason for existence of Avengers Assemble.  After all, the Avengers movie is going to be the biggest superhero movie of the year so why not launch a new book to try and get some more interest in the Avengers and possibly pull in some new readers? You can maximize their exposure by having  it be the same roster that will show up in the feature film. Sadly, I cannot believe that with such a big launch, it’s a sub-par effort right out of the gate.

Brian Bendis has had the reigns of the Avengers franchise for some time now. Currently, he’s working on 3 Avengers titles and I guess that when you’ve probably written all you can about these characters, you have some duds here and there. This issue is exactly that. A book that doesn’t make a lot of sense and has some of the most uninteresting villains featured in the Zodiac, which is a group of 12 made up of each of the symbols of the zodiac. Thankfully, the one good thing is that it’s 12 superhumans and not just 12 guys in costumes for their sign. With a book that is clearly based on the soon to be summer blockbuster, why not go with something a bit more recognizable. The involvement of the Hulk seems to not fit with what is going on in Jason Aaron’s Hulk title. Are we working with dumb brute Hulk? That certainly doesn’t match what Aaron is doing with the Hulk. It’s the little inconsistencies like that which take the fun out of books like this.

The art is by Mark Bagley, who has worked with Brian Bendis on Ultimate Spider-Man. If you are a fan of his art, then it’s the same thing as with any other book. Bagley’s art is a good match for the action of the story.  His art doesn’t really blow anyone away, but he’s consistent and his style is perfect for super heroes.

This book does seem more in the all-ages vein. While I do like the darker tones of the more sophisticated material, it’s good that there’s material like this too. Marvel has struggled to keep an all-ages line that has seen various reboots over the years. This is a title in the current Marvel continuity and it’s a good title for younger kids to pick up. One can hope that the story works out a bit better in the next issue because the first issue isn’t anything spectacular and certainly not up to par with some of the other Avengers stories that Bendis has written.

Avengers: X-Sanction #1

Writer: Jeph Loeb
Penciler: Ed McGuinness
Inker: Dexter Vines
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99

In a few months, there will be a huge crossover between the Avengers and the X-Men. If you want to find the no-nonsense doorway into this, pick up Avengers: X-Sanction.

The book opens with the Avengers fighting the Lethal Legion after they’ve escaped the Raft, which is a super-villain prison that everyone in the Marvel Universe can break out of all of the time. While rounding up the bad guys, the Falcon ends up shot and Captain America, after handing Whirlwind his ass, goes to investigate his teammate’s disappearance.  Upon locating the Falcon, Cap winds up in a fight with Cable. After explaining some future scenario, the book ends with Cable having beaten Cap and putting a gun to him.

The biggest problem I have so far with the premise of the story is that Cable, who’s so much of a soldier and sometimes an actual thinker, cannot go to people he’s fought beside and explain why he is back from the future and what he’s seen, but instead, shoots the Falcon and hold him hostage while waiting for Captain America to show up so he can act like the bad guy. For such an interesting character, he just comes off poorly in this. I didn’t expect much from the Jeph Loeb script, because his work nowadays tends to not be very good, but I do remember a time when he wrote books that were very entertaining and well-written. It’s hard to think that this was the guy who wrote The Long Halloween and Dark Victory.

The art is the saving grace of this book. Jeph Loeb’s long-time collaborator Ed McGuinness handles the art chores on this book and with any book he does, it’s up to you to decide if his art is for you. I have always enjoyed his style and it’s a book that looks and feels like a super-hero book. His style is perfect for these types of stories. Sadly, his involvement in this story is easily my favorite thing with this.

There’s a lot going down in the X-Universe right now that’s loads better than this. If you hate the Avengers and want to see them on the losing side, then this might be the book for you. This book is just a precursor for another project that’s coming down the line and this may have lots of implications for that series. Unfortunately, this is not a book that I feel I could recommend to anyone.

-Josh

Running out of ideas on what to ask for Christmas this holiday season? Or maybe you don’t know what to get your best friend who is a comic book enthusiast but has everything. Well the Fight for Comics Holiday Gift Guide Graphic Novels is here to help. Here is a gift guide comprised of the latest original graphic novels that have been released within the last six months. All are self contained stories come with the Wednesday Warriors highest recommendation.

Habibi

Writer: Craig Thompson
Artist: Craig Thompson
Publisher: Pantheon
Price: $39.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 672

Craig Thompson’s new masterpiece is a moving tale about two orphaned refugees struggling to survive in the Middle East. This graphic novel is moving, thought provoking and every bit a worthy successor to Thompson’s Blankets, (which is also available now in an all-new hardcover edition for those that have not read that essential graphic novel yet).

Rust: Visitor in the Field

Writer: Royden Lepp
Artist: Royden Lepp
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Price: $24.95
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 192

One of the best graphic novel debuts this year from new writer/artist, Royden Lepp. Lepp delivers a thrilling story about how one farmers life is changed when a robot from a distant war crashes into his barn. Part Rocketeer and part Iron Giant, this is a book that will have readers talking about it in years to come. Jump on the bandwagon now so you can say you were there first.

Infinite Kung-Fu

Writer: Kagan McLeod
Artist: Kagan McLeod
Publisher: Top Shelp Productions
Price: $24.95
Format: Paperback
Pages: 464

No other graphic novel put a bigger smile on my face this year than McLeod’s Infinite Kung Fu. Get ready for flying fists and martial arts action as Lei Kung goes on a quest to fight those who have been poisoned with poison Kung Fu. Supernatural elements and zombies are also thrown into the mix to crank this book’s fun level up to eleven. And for those that have still not seen the amazing Infinite Kung Fu trailer, check it out here.

Petrograd

Writer: Philip Gelatt
Artist: Tyler Crook
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $29.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 264

This is well-researched historical fiction about the international conspiracy behind the murder of Gregorii Rasputin. But what makes this a must read is perfectly executed Gelatt and Crook are able to recreate an amazing story that surrounds the real events. Plus it satisfies an itch in the international spy genre that no book has been able to satisfy since Queen & Country ended.

Batman: Noël

Writer: Lee Bermejo
Artist: Lee Bermejo
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $22.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 112

Batman finds himself being confronted by villains from the past, present, and future in this fun retooling of A Christmas Carol. Usually Marvel and DC only put out a 64 page Holiday Special that is usually only short stories. Hats off to DC for getting such a high profile like Lee Bermejo to give us a tale that I am sure will start becoming a regular must-read every holiday season, (right behind Lobo’s Paramilitary Christmas Special).

Any Empire

Writer: Nate Powell
Artist: Nate Powell
Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Price: $19.95
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304

This is the follow-up graphic novel to the Eisner award winning Swallow Me Whole. This coming of age story follows three childhood friends and how violence redefines their friendship once they meet each other again as adults. Thought provoking and beautifully told, Any Empire is a tremendous achievement from Nate Powell.

One Soul

Writer: Ray Fawkes
Artist: Ray Fawkes
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $24.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 176

Every once in a while a comic breaks new ground and pushes the envelope to really stretch and showcase just what the medium is capable of. One Sould is just such a book. Ray Fawkes writes 18 different people’s journey from birth to death all in a two page spread divided up into 18-panel grid. All of these characters never live outside their own panel and they do not even live in the same time period as the rest of the characters but readers will be moved to find out just how similar everyone’s life really is. Every bit as poetic as a Terrence Malick film, One Soul is fine art at its best.

Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand

Writer: Jim Henson and Jerry Juhl
Artist: Ramón Pérez
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Price: $29.95
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 152

An unproduced screenplay that Jim Henson never had a chance to make before he died gets adapted to comic form. It stars Mac who wakes up in an unfamiliar town, and is chased across the desert of the American Southwest by all manners of man and beast of unimaginable proportions.

Bad Island

Writer: Doug Tennapel
Artist: Doug Tennapel
Publisher: Graphix
Price: $10.99
Format: Paperback
Price: $24.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224

I wish every creator seemed to be having as much fun as Doug Tennapel seems to have with all his stories. The Earthworm Jim creator’s second color graphic novel from Graphix follows a family who gets shipwrecked on a mysterious island. Crazy things happen as they slowly begin to solve the mysteries or the Island. Sound familiar? The Lost comparisons seem unavoidable but where Lost left most fans confused and angry, Bad Island will have readers of all-ages satisfied and loving every minute of it.

Anya’s Ghost

Writer: Vera Brosgol
Artist: Vera Brosgal
Publisher: First Second
Price: $15.99
Format: Paperback
Price: $19.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 224

Anya’s Ghost marks another stunning debut from an emerging writer/artist in the comic field. Vera Brosgol delivers a delightful tale about a young girl named Anya who befriends a ghost her same age after she falls down a well. Could this be her new BFF or does the ghost having something else in mind? Find out what happens in the book that Neil Gaiman has declared, “A masterpiece.”

Hellboy: House of the Dead

Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Richard Corben
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Price: $14.99
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 56

Here is something we have never had before. An all-original Hellboy graphic novel by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben. While some may balk at its 56 page count and argue it is just a two issue story put out under the guise of a graphic novel, it still doesn’t change how awesome of a story it is. We find Hellboy in a Mexican bar where he is recruited to step into the ring for a wrestling match with a Frankenstein monster. Fun from start to finish.

MetaMaus: A Look Inside a Modern Classic, Maus

Writer: Art Spiegelman
Artist: Art Spiegelman
Publisher: Pantheon
Price: $35.00
Format: Hardcover (plus bonus DVD-R)
Pages: 300

In MetaMouse, Art Speigelman takes a look back at his Pulitzer Prize winning graphic novel, Maus. Everything is covered here, from personal and in-depth interviews to early sketches. Plus it has a DVD-R that references even more Maus material. This is the perfect chance to go back and revisit a classic. And for those that have yet to eve read Maus, it has just been released in a stunning new anniversary hardcover that matches MetaMouse in design.

- Sean Leslie

Writer: Scott Snyder
Penciler: Greg Capullo
Inker: Jonathan Glapion
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99

One of the bigger enjoyments I have gotten out of DC’s New 52 is Batman. So far, we have a secret organization that bases itself off the owl and they are up to the dirty work of assassinating important people around Gotham City so naturally, they tried to take out Bruce Wayne. This issue follows up with Batman beating up subway thugs and diving deeper into the mystery of the Owl organization and trying to find their base of operations.

The one thing that’s driving me a bit crazy is that I’m not sure what the established continuity of Batman really is. Are we in a new universe or is this the previously established post-Crisis universe? The introduction of a secret society that has been in Gotham since the earliest days is something that if this was the old continuity, would be a tricky thing to work in. They seem like they have influenced Gotham this much and that Batman would have had a lot of run-ins with them over the years.  I guess I’m willing to look past that because it might be the fanatic in me needing all answers when truthfully it takes nothing away from the story, one way or another.  Scott Snyder writes Batman like a seasoned pro and I hope that he’s on the book for some time. It seems like all the books he is working on are good, such as American Vampire and another New 52 title, Swamp Thing. Also, this book actually takes some time to read. It’s not the kind of thing you pick up and are done within a few minutes. This book feels like things are being fleshed-out and not rushed. It makes the $2.99 you spend on it feel like it’s actually worth it.

I’ve always been a bit of a fan of Greg Capullo’s art since his days on Spawn. I think his pencils work very well in a Batman book but one problem I have with Capullo’s work is that sometimes, it’s hard to distinguish one person’s face from another’s. In this issue, Bruce Wayne and Lincoln look about the exact same in the face. But, that in itself is a small complaint. The action in the book looks great and the coloring sets the perfect mood.

There’s a lot of monthly Batman titles but this one feels like it’s ahead of the pack. Now is a great time for jumping on the title. With a solid creative team, it’s only up from here for Batman.

- Josh