Swamp Thing Winter Special, VS, X-Men Red & More in Required Reading: Comics for 2/7/2018
Main Art by Jason Fabok
Interesting comics hit stands each and every week, but some New Comic Book Days are certainly more stacked than others. Occasionally, we have to reach a bit to find 10 worthy entries for this list that go beyond “part four in a compelling 12-issue story!” This is not one of those weeks. February is off to a riotously entertaining start in the sequential-art world, so much so that books like the delightfully charming Backstagers Valentine’s Day Special, post-apocalyptic epic Niourk, cosmically powered Infinity Countdown: Adam Warlock, roaring-and-swinging The Wicked + The Divine: 1923, skinny-dipping memoir Get Naked and supremely Swedish Red Winter only get mentioned in this introductory paragraph. To see which 10 comics actually made the list, scroll on down—and brace your wallets before heading to your local shop or digital storefront this Wednesday.
Incognegro: Renaissance #1
Writer: Mat Johnson
Artist: Warren Pleece
Publisher: Berger Books/ Dark Horse Comics
While the entire initial slate of legendary editor Karen Berger’s Berger Books imprint at Dark Horse will surely reflect Berger’s long history of taste-making at Vertigo comics, Incognegro: Renaissance carries perhaps the most direct legacy from DC Comics’ mature-readers imprint. Writer Mat Johnson and artist Warren Pleece’s original Incognegro graphic novel (out in a new edition from Berger Books) was first published by Vertigo in 2008, and follows black reporter Zane Pinchback, whose light skin allows him to go “undercover” to investigate lynchings in the 1930s American South. Incognegro: Renaissance is a prequel mini-series set before the events of the graphic novel, as Zane goes “incognegro” for the first time to determine who murdered a black writer at a “scandalous” interracial party in 1920s New York. With Pleece’s skill for period-appropriate art and Johnson’s studied, multifaceted approach to race in the early part of the last century, Incognegro: Renaissance makes for an impressive kickoff to Berger’s new era. Steve Foxe
Mother Panic/Batman Special #1
Writers: Jody Houser, Magdalene Visaggio
Artists: Ty Templeton, Sonny Liew
Publisher: Young Animal/ DC Comics
The Milk Wars story that began in last week’s JLA/Doom Patrol Special continues as one Gotham vigilante meets another. Though praise for Shade the Changing Girl and Doom Patrol has been more vocal, Jody Houser has been quietly keeping her corner of the Young Animal imprint running smoothly and smartly with Mother Panic. The book is an easy sell for some people, flipping the Batman mythos to spotlight a wealthy young woman with just as much money and motivation as Bruce Wayne, but much more anger and different targets. The prospect of pitting the titular character from Mother Panic up against a dogmatic preacher version of Batman is a fascinating one, and the addition of Ty Templeton’s award-winning art only makes this crossover entry that much more tempting. Bat-fans should definitely check this out, and double back to read Houser’s Mother Panic run if they haven’t already. This issue also continues the Eternity Girl backup story by Magdalene Visaggio and Sonny Liew. Liew’s work has been missing from the DC lineup since the end of his run on Doctor Fate, and he and Visaggio have been crafting a complex, retro-tinged story that will soon spin off into its own five-part mini-series. Caitlin Rosberg
The Prince & The Dressmaker
Writer/Artist: Jen Wang
Publisher: First Second
Jen Wang wowed readers with her art for In Real Life with Cory Doctorow, and her latest release sees Wang handling both script and art for an identity-bending romance set in old-timey Paris. Prince Sebastian’s parents are seeking a bride for their son, but Sebastian is much more passionate about his secret life as Lady Crystallia, Paris’ favorite fashion icon. Sebastian lives his fabulous second life with the help of his dressmaker best friend Frances, who keeps his secret but longs for greatness beyond her silent success with Lady Crystallia. Wang delicately navigates questions of personal identity while spinning a charming love story and bringing to life a gorgeously decadent period in French fashion and culture. The Prince & The Dressmaker is a timeless, inclusive fairy tale for the modern age. Steve Foxe
