All-New Hawkeye #1

Did the previous series ever get an ending? I could’ve sworn it still had one more issue to go…

At any rate, here’s the new Hawkeye series, this time by Jeff Lemire and Ramon Perez. We get a couple criss-crossing stories — one set when Clint and Barney Barton were kids getting shuffled from one foster home to the next, amusing themselves by catching frogs and goofing off during the day and getting beaten by their abusive foster parents at night, and the other in the present as Clint and Kate Bishop are raiding a HYDRA base, fighting their way through an army of HYDRA goons, and eventually discovering something terribly unexpected.

Verdict: Thumbs up. We can’t really tell much of where we’re going with the plot yet, but the art is whooo-doggy amazing. You’ll want to pick this up for that reason alone.

Lady Killer #2

This is a whole month old, but the local shop’s shipment of this issue were all damaged, and then Diamond never bothered to ship replacements. (Diamond is kinda a dick to the folks running my local shop.)

So here’s Josie, 1960s housewife and professional assassin. She’s been ordered to dress up as a Playboy bunny to kill her latest target, and Peck, her handler, is treating her like he thinks she’s his own personal plaything. After she eliminates the bloke in the bunny bar, Josie is ordered to a meeting with the head of the agency. He clearly doesn’t like her, partly because she’s a woman, partly because she has a family. And he gives her the next assignment — a target it’d be hard for anyone to agree to.

Verdict: Thumbs up. Wonderful ’60s style, nice action, scarier politicking than you’d expect for an espionage comic.

Lady Killer #3

Josie learns that her resentful mother-in-law suspects her of wrongdoing, though she only thinks she’s carrying on an affair. The head of the agency thinks Josie is a liability and wants Peck to eliminate her. Meanwhile, Josie goes to take down her latest target — a 10-year-old boy whose parents had already been killed by another assassin. Can Josie bring herself to kill the kid? And is she prepared for her own employers to turn on her?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Again, a really wonderfully stylish story. Joelle Jones’ art is entirely to die for.

Today’s Cool Links:

• What if Wes Anderson directed an X-Men movie?
• Warner Bros. wants their DC Comics movies to be edgy, mainly because they don’t understand comics, superheroes, movies, or edginess.
• Ladies and gentlemen, meet Arkansas state Rep. Justin Harris, the worst person in America.

Munchkin #2

More anthology comedy from the “world” of the Munchkin card game. Spyke and Flower go out seeking adventure and loot, and must contend with harpies, Bigfoot, a dragon, and more — all while mysterious skeletons plot their ultimate downfall. Our second story is a study on what exactly is the terrifying monster known as the Floating Nose.

Verdict: Thumbs up. No serious plotline, but no one plays Munchkin for a serious plotline. You’re in it for jokes, puns, and mayhem, and this has all of that in abundance. And hey, free Munchkin card inside!

Clive Barker’s Nightbreed #10

While Lori grows more concerned about her new illness after being turned into a supernatural creature, the rest of the ‘Breed make preparations to travel to their new Midian. Rev. Ashberry adopts Dr. Decker’s mask as his own and sics his pet Berserkers on Boone. Can the rest of the Midianites save Boone? And can Lori hold her own against the Nightbreed’s greatest enemy?

Verdict: Thumbs up. Nice developments to the story, along with hidden and unexpected depths in Peloquin’s personality. The gore is maybe a bit un-subtle, but that’s a minor criticism for a horror comic.

Today’s Cool Links:

• Everybody say hi to the first winner of the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity.
• So in the comics stores, it’s all dudebro superhero books. In the bookstores, comics focused on women and children audiences dominate. (On the other hand, brick-and-mortar bookstores are dying — but comics stores aren’t all that healthy either…)
• There’s nothing more thoroughly delightful than hardcore DEA agents getting freaked out about the possibility of stoned bunnies.

The Wicked + the Divine #8

Dionysus is the new god in town, and Laura has invite for his first big party. Dio is a cool cat with a wreath tattoo and the ability to give anyone he touches an intense but safe high and a minor hivemind with everyone else at the party. And just about everyone is at the party — most of the gods are there, all tripping on Dio’s power. Will Laura find out anything, or just get lost in the party buzz? And what’s Dionysus’ angle?

Verdict: Thumbs up. We talked a bit last issue about how great Matthew Wilson’s colors are, and they’re even better in this issue. Heck, without Wilson’s colors, this comic wouldn’t be nearly as awesome as it is. The “1, 2, 3, 4” theme that runs almost all the way through this issue is also really fun. And the non-high moments frame some really great story moments, too. Only thing that bugged me was that I haven’t been able to figure out who Dionysus is supposed to be. Lucifer was Bowie, Baal is Kanye, Inanna is Prince, Sakhmet is Rihanna — Dio has to be someone in the music biz, but I’m not familiar enough with the electronica/rave scene to identify him.

Gotham by Midnight #4

Gotham City is under attack by demons being fueled by alcohol, and Corrigan is finally induced to release the Spectre, who intends to subject them to his style of divine judgment — unfortunately, that may be exactly what the demons want. They want the Spectre to judge Gotham itself for its untold sins…

Verdict: Thumbs up. Not my favorite issue, but we finally get to see the Spectre, and it looks like Batman is going to be showing up next issue, too.

Today’s Cool Links:

• Leonard Nimoy was an awesome guy, and his very last tweet helps show how great he was.
• Holy cow, they may be making a movie of Alfred Bester’s classic sci-fi novel “The Stars My Destination“!
• Here’s a fantastic article about the very first museum dedicated to slavery in America.