Walske Suggests: February 19, 2020

Jared started reading comics in earnest in late middle school/early high school when he found out that you could get collections of them at the library and read them for free. This was later compounded by learning that there was a comic book store called “Comicopia” near his high school that stocked superhero comics and indie books and manga and all sorts of neat stuff. Really, he had no choice but to commit himself to the medium then and there. He also like weird movies, semi-obscure music, and having too many hobbies at the same time, and if he let him he will tell you about all of it in appalling detail.

Archie Meets the B-52s by Alex Segura, Matthew Rosenberg, Dan Parent, J. Bone, Glenn Whitmore, & Jack Morelli

    This is probably one of the silliest things I have ever read and I mean that with the absolute highest praise. It is worth reading for the scene between Fred Schneider & Jughead alone, never mind the many other delightfully ridiculous moments it contains.

Plunge #1 by Joe Hill, Stuart Immonen, Dave Stewart, & Deron Bennett

    The newest series from DC’s Hill House line of horror comics curated by Joe Hill. A great start to the series that builds up the atmosphere while giving a taste (but not too much) of the horrors to come. The character writing is sharp and distinct and Immonen’s art and Stewart’s colors are as fantastic as always. And really, you can’t go wrong with a comic that starts with a shoreline full of dead, giant sea life and then just goes from there.

DCeased: Unkillables #1 by Tom Taylor, Karl Mostert, Trevor Scott, Neil Edwards, John Livesay, Rex Lokus, & Saida Temofonte

    The sequel to last year’s surprise hit “zombie apocalypse in the DC Universe” series, this time focusing on characters who were absent from the original series. Unkillables continues the first series tradition of being deeply entertaining, off-the-wall in the exact way you’d want it to be, and generally better than a “zombie versions of famous superheroes” story released in this day and age has any business being. Plus, it opens with Deathstroke obliterating a hoard of zombified neo-nazis and who doesn’t want to read about that?

Skull-Face Bookseller Honda-san by HONDA (Translated by Amanda Haley and lettered by Bianca Pistillo)

    More delightful and hilarious tales of that retail bookstore life from everyone’s favorite apron-wearing, skeletal salesperson. In this volume, Honda-san deals with odd-ball customers, the trials and tribulations of the stockroom, and, of course, children in bookstores. Though the 3rd volume in the series, Honda-san is light on continuity and easy to jump into for a new reader. We give it two boney thumbs up.