The month is over but we still aren't finished talking about what amazing books came out last month. The staff here at Comic Vine has a collection of their favorite books from February and we're to present to you the best of the best that comic books had to offer for February!
Tony Guererro's Picks
Written by Scott Snyder
Pencils by Greg Capullo
Inks by Derek Fridolfs
Colors by FCO Plascencia
Letters by Steve Wands
Just when you think you’ve seen it all in the pages of BATMAN, just when you think Joker couldn’t be more sadistic or cruel, Scott Snyder manages to up the ante. There’s a lot building up in this story and with one more issue left, I’m almost a little afraid of what could happen. Snyder has commented on something big and crazy coming up.
In this issue, Joker does some things and goes some place we’d never thought we’d see. He’s determined to destroy Gotham City as well as cause some personal damage for Batman. With Batman seeking assistance from the Court of Owls and that other group of characters (seen towards the end of this issue), you get a sense of how serious and possible desperate Batman has become.
To top it all off, with Capullo’s art and Plascencia’s colors, this was also a great looking book. The mood and vibe of the story are being captured perfectly.
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by John Cassaday
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos
This is the series that has cranked up my love and excitement for Star Wars all over again. The follow up issue to the debut continues the action started. Jason Aaron captures the feel and voices of the characters nicely. The confrontation between Luke and Vader was unexpected last issue and there are some great moments between the two at this point.
With the events that occur and with John Cassaday’s art, we get some moments where the action feels bigger than what we’d expect in a Star Wars story. You can see that Aaron and Cassaday are taking advantage of what they have to work with in the Star Wars Universe but aren’t pushing things too far to make it feel odd.
Adding in the debut of the DARTH VADER series, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan.
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Wes Craig
Colors by Lee Loughridge
Letters by Rus Wooton
Month after month, DEADLY CLASS remains one of my favorite series. When Marcus got some of his fellow classmates at the King’s Dominion School for the Deadly Arts (as school for assassins) to help him go up against his over the top and insane childhood enemy, the action and violence really kicked into high gear. Simply put, this can be a pretty brutal comic at times. There’s no holding back on Rick Remender’s part and that’s part of what makes it fun and exciting.
Wes Craig’s art and colors just makes this feel like it’s own little world. He keeps the pacing of the story moving with a rapid flow to capture the action. I love how he mixes up the perspective to give us different looks at what’s going on. You can feel the action unfolding. We’ve seen some action in comics that can sometimes feel stiff. With Craig’s art, it keeps going and going, building up into something bigger.
This issue does conclude the second arc with the second trade available this month. But it does end with a doosey of a cliffhanger. The story’s not quite over yet. Marcus is in some pretty deep…poop.
Mat Elfring's Picks
Written by Peter Tomasi
Pencils by Patrick Gleason
Inks by Mick Gray
Colors by John Kalisz
Letters by Carlos Mangual
This volume of BATMAN & ROBIN has been really good, but at no time was it ever a "must have" for me, until now. When Damian Wayne died, I lost a bit of interesting the series, but now, Damian is back and has super-powers.
What really made this issue so awesome was the little things. One of my favorite moments here was the dialogue between Shazam and Damian. Shazam, who is a boy trapped in a man's body, just wants to be friends with Damian, a boy who is a borderline sociopath, but Damian isn't having it. In addition, I really love seeing these characters in Gleason's art style. He brings something special to each book.
In addition, this is just a great story from Patrick Gleason as we get to see how an arrogant character deals with getting an immense amount of power. There's still a respect for Batman there, but it seems like we'll be coming to a head where Damian feels like he may not have to listen to Batman anymore because he's more powerful and that's a scary thought.
Written by Alex Grecian
Art by Riley Rossmo
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Thomas Mauer
That's how you're going to end the first volume? WHAT?! Without spoiling anything, this volume ends at a pretty nuts moment. I've been talking about how great this book is since issue one and now that the first volume is over, now is a good time to catch up, especially because the first trade is coming out soon.
The overall issue is beautiful to look at. Rossmo and Plascencia really put together a visually brilliant book that has Rasputin trying to heal the wounded in time of war. The book takes a really bizarre turn at the end that is completely unexpected too.
RASPUTIN #5 is a pretty fantastic way to end the volume. It's paced and crafted extremely well and the art is gorgeous. It's a great take on historical fiction as well.
Written by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher
Art by Karl Kerschl
Colors by Msassyk and Serge Lapointe
Letters by Steve Wands
This book is pretty rad. It's like Hogwarts without the wizards and Goonies without the goons, wrapped up into one giant blanket of awesomeness. There's actually a ton of stuff revealed within this issue. I want to talk about it, but I'd rather have you read the book so it's not spoiled for anyone!
One of the best parts of the issue is the moment where Olive, Maps, and crew are enjoying a moment with Killer Croc, who is on the run. It's incredibly brief, about two pages worth, but it's a great moment that humanizes Killer Croc and gives the reader a reason to sympathize with him. I love seeing little moments like this in GOTHAM ACADEMY.
This is the biggest stand-out in the newest wave of DC books. It feels like it's in its own little pocket but there's elements here and there connecting the series back to Gotham, which we get here on the last page. Seriously, check this book out. It's pretty dang rad.
Greg Katzman's Picks
Written by Joshua Dysart
Art by Doug Braithwaite
Colors by Brian Reber
Letters by Dave Sharpe
At this point, no one should be surprised when Valiant produces an awesome new title. IMPERIUM, though? This seems like the beginning of something truly special. Don't get me wrong, I'm loving the other new titles, but a story all about Toyo Harada? Hell yes! Harada isn't your ordinary villain and if you've read at least HARBINGER #0, you know he's a really compelling character; one who absolutely deserves every second of the spotlight the publisher is giving him. He has the power to change the world and, now that humanity knows of his surreal abilities, he's done trying to create change from behind the scenes.
This series is off to a brilliant start; one that tells you everything you need to know about its big character while also offering some twisted action and a whole lot of intrigue for what's to come. How far would you go to change the world? For Harada, he'll stop at nothing and it has the potential to be a great story. Thankfully, it's off to a hugely promising start.
Written by John Arcudi
Art by James Harren
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Chris Eliopoulos
A badass warrior from the past has his soul trapped in a scarecrow and now he joins up with two silly humans to take on all kinds of crazy threats as he tries to reclaim his former body. Go on, tell me you're not interested in hearing more. Fine, I'm sure some of you probably aren't, but the rest of you really should consider giving this Image title a shot. The script is full of personality and fun.
The mythos continues to take huge and interesting steps forward and the dialogue will have you hooked. There's unexpected laughs scattered throughout, awesomely illustrated action sequences, and, simply put, a ton of entertainment. Drop one of the gazillion books you're following and give this a shot. It'll be worth it.
Written and art by Lee Bermejo
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Jared K Fletcher
SUICIDERS is on here because its artwork is freaking phenomenal. Sure, the concept is interesting (huge earthquake struck Los Angeles, now the city is run by the rich and shallow and they love futuristic gladiator fights), its themes have potential, and its a well-executed introduction to this new world, but man, Lee Bermejo and Matt Hollingsworth's pages are stunning.
Give your eyes the gift of SUICIDERS and they'll forever be thankful. The script does enough to get you invested in the story and its few leads, but these visuals are jaw-droppingly impressive. Everything here just delivers, people.
Corey's Picks
Written by Jason LaTour
Art by Robbie Rodriguez
Colors by Rico Renzi
I'll say it until I'm blue in the face: a well done alternate dimension/history story is one of my absolute favorite things in fiction. It takes something familiar, even safe, and turns it completely on its head, so there's still the happy twinge of recognition, but it's juxtaposed against how different, and often frightening, everything has become. This is often embodied, in the Marvel Universe, by the WHAT IF...? series of standalones and one-shots, but those often have an incredibly dark, dour tone, implying that if everything didn't go exactly as it did, it would turn out worse for everyone. Which is why SPIDER-GWEN is such a breath of fresh air. Jason LaTour has taken a seismic shift in one of the most well-known, well-established characters and crafted a world that still pays homage to that character while changing JUST enough to come off as entirely fresh and new. It's sadly difficult to sell a character who's entirely new to the comics crowd, which is why alternate dimension stories done THIS well are so important. Robbi Rodriguez's art is also to be praised, as he interprets pre-existing characters in new, interesting and incredibly dynamic ways. The Vulture hasn't been this frightening since Mark Millar dressed him in Big Red Machine colors in a Spidey Spin-off, and THIS title actually does something entirely different with the character, and that's ultimately what makes this book the quality title that it is.
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Salvador Larroca
Colors by Edgar Delgado
If there's a single character who's had more interpretations than Darth Vader, then they probably have the name William Shakespeare credited to them. Which is why of all the titles that Marvel unveiled, DARTH VADER was perhaps the biggest wild card, even despite the solid creative team, as the character had the most storied past in the Star Wars universe, both good and bad. A veritable tank in the movies, many portrayals had him performing acrobatic feats that would have been impossible given the original production's limited means, but it often came off feeling like a case of simply because one CAN, doesn't automatically mean one SHOULD (add lots of hemming and hawing to that and create your very own Jeff Goldblume!) and that seems to be Kieron Gillen and Salvador LaRocca's takes on the character. He is stoic, powerful, dignified, and rather than rising to the pace of a given conflict, he dictates how it goes. It also fleshes out his character, showing the conflict that would come to define him in the final film without getting too ham-handed with his doubts and concerns.
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Chris Samnee
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Striking at a hero through their loved ones is one of the oldest tricks of the villainous trade, so it's truly refreshing to see Mark Waid and Chris Samnee take that well-worn, dusty trope and give it a beautiful, new, fresh coat of paint. This issue of Daredevil does more than simply turn a cliche on its head, though, it helps define why Kirsten McDuffie and Matt Murdock work as a couple in ways that invest the reader emotionally in not just what Murdock's going through, but what McDuffie is too. It's told from his perspective, but written well enough that we get a lot of insight into her side of things as well, in addition to teasing a tremendous, slow build of the return of the newly powered Owl. Waid's already shown himself more than capable, over this series and the last, of redefining villains and this one is shaping up to be both his slowest build and, likely, the greatest redefinition yet. Owl's been a solid villain since the Bendis/Maleev run, but after this it looks like he may become a real contender.
That's it for the best comic of the month! We'll see you next month with a whole crop of new books. Let us know in the comment section below what books blew your mind for February.