Event Leviathan, Silver Surfer: Black, Jughead’s Time Police & More in Required Reading: Comics for 6/12/2019
Main Art by Alex Maleev
We had a hard time choosing which cover to crop for the main image above this week. Alex Maleev’s Event Leviathan #1 feels like a movie poster straight out of the ‘80s heydey of genre films, while Tradd Moore’s Silver Surfer: Black exudes an otherworldly quality, both for Moore’s irregular shape rendering and the stark black background. Maleev won out, if only because everything Donny Cates touches at Marvel seems to turn to gold—Norrin Radd hardly needs our recommendation. But he got it nonetheless, along with a time-traveling Jughead, a new Image Comics fantasy jaunt, a few deep-cut reprints, the conclusion of the latest Umbrella Academy and more in this week’s Required Reading.
Event Leviathan #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Alex Maleev
Publisher: DC Comics
Brian Michael Bendis and event comics go together like Batman and Robin, but Event Leviathan, despite sporting the word “event” in its title, is no typical line-wide superhero smash-fest. Spiraling out of Action Comics, Event Leviathan starts off with a culling of the DC Universe’s myriad governmental agencies and dark-ops groups, from ostensibly heroic organizations like Task Force X to the purely evil Kobra Cult. From there, an assemblage of the publisher’s greatest detectives comes together to decipher the clues to Leviathan’s identity and true mission. Each lead-in entry to the story has dropped compelling clues, with the DC Year of the Villain short also offering a first look at Alex Maleev’s artistic approach to the book. Bendis has been batting a near-perfect average since jumping ship to Marvel’s Distinguished Competition and Maleev has rarely looked better. There are a lot of events jockeying for your coin this summer, but don’t discount this espionage whodunit. Steve Foxe
Jughead’s Time Police #1
Writer: Sina Grace
Artist: Derek Charm
Publisher: Archie Comics
One of the best parts of the Archie Comics reboot has been the wild, weird and wonderful stories starring the perennial sidekick, Jughead. Between the new #1 from Chip Zdarsky and Erica Hendersen in 2015 and Jughead: The Hunger in 2017, Jughead has enjoyed a slew of adventures that feel fresh and interesting in entirely new ways. The newest adventure starring Jughead is from Sina Grace and Derek Charm, and it takes the titular rascal back in time as he tries to undo the mistakes that led him to be banned from the Riverdale Annual Bake-Off. A book by the same name ran in the early ‘90s, so this new five-issue mini is a return to form for the burger-loving protagonist. It’s also a return for Charm, who worked on the main Jughead title; on both that and The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, he worked with writer Ryan North, and demonstrated a great understanding of the physical comedy and ridiculousness that makes for a great Jughead book. Grace has a host of semi-autobiographical titles under his belt, but is probably best known now for the cancelled-before-its-time Iceman. Especially as a limited miniseries, this is a must-read for fans of the character or the creators, and a great companion to the Jugheads that have gone before, and will go again. Caitlin Rosberg
Moonshadow Definitive Edition
Writer: J.M. DeMatteis
Artists: Jon J. Muth, Kent Williams, George Pratt
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
It’s easy to forget just how much the public perception of comics, particularly graphic novels, has changed in the last couple of decades. Thanks in no small part to the booming growth of YA graphic novels, there’s some base understanding of how these books work, and increasing artistic literacy giving people the terminology to discuss the art inside the covers. Moonshadow is hailed as the first fully painted graphic novel, though it was originally published, and then republished, as individual issues that were later collected. This week, a new definitive edition hits shelves, along with a new introduction by creator J.M. DeMatteis and backmatter that shows off concept art and other early work. Moonshadow is a coming-of-age story as told by a less-than-reliable narrator, full of tall tales and extraordinary adventures through space. The story has a lot in common with Le Petit Prince and Little Nemo, but it’s distinctly and definitely targeting adult readers. Art by John J. Muth, celebrated for work on children’s books as well as The Sandman, as well as additional illustrations from Kent Williams and George Pratt, are a huge part of the draw. The paintings featured in the original comics have all been digitally restored, and the book even includes the Farewell, Moonshadow epilogue that was added when the story was reprinted at Vertigo. Moonshadow is the perfect book for old-school comics fans that want to get a copy of this influential work for themselves, but it’s also an excellent entry point for readers new to mature graphic storytelling. Caitlin Rosberg