BITCH PLANET #1 (Image): It’s hard to ignore a book called BITCH PLANET. It’s even harder to ignore something that throws gender and racial expectations under the bus so readily without becoming plotless rhetoric. This is an effective and disturbing science fiction story. One of the reasons we love Sci-Fi is that it allows us to examine real problems under the lens of dystopian extremes, and in BITCH PLANET, Kelly Sue DeConnick has created a world in which women are actually shipped off to outer space unless they are “compliant” with male-dominated society (as it says in a fake ad on the back: “Hey kids, patriarchy!”). Valentine De Landro’s angular and jarring illustrations pair well with De Connick’s bait-and-switch storytelling tactics—giving readers a reason to expect one thing before upending the situation into the jaw-dropping futuristic “standard”. Revolt, revolt! 9/10
THE OCTOBER FACTION #3 (IDW): What works so well about Steve Niles’ new ongoing is the relatively basic treatment of family drama juxtaposed with Niles’ affinity for werewolves, vampires, and Damien Worm’s irrefutably horror-ready artwork. Marital squabble? Blame the wife for waking up a timeless monster. Social stigma? Only because you can actually see the ghosts haunting your friend. This issue is arguably the best yet, with impeccable pacing and a truly creepy “villain” (we’re not sure yet) called Robot Face who just… well, you can probably imagine what he looks like. Also featuring several moments of adorable familial bonding and a shocker of a last page—which sounds like a strange combination, but the overall result is actually charming. 8/10
MEMETIC #2 (Boom! Studios): The first issue of MEMETIC was a clever and amusing/horrifying satire of how internet memes have come to rule our lives: the “Good Times Sloth” meme takes over the world, and subsequently destroys it, when everyone who’s laid eyes on the image starts screaming and bleeding from the eyeballs. This second issue digs deeper into the emotional lives of the surviving protagonists, which is accomplished with intense grace by writer James Tynion IV, and ensnares us in a kind of technological horror akin to the fear of television in RING or fear of the internet in PULSE. The reader and the characters realize how pervasive screens have become, that looking in any direction could be a risk. The two main characters are survivors because one, retired Colonel Marcus Shaw, suffers from macular degeneration; and the other, college kid Aaron Sumner, has a laundry list of health problems that include optical ones. Eryk Donovan’s art is just the right balance of surreal and sympathetic to pin down the premise, and the cliffhanger of how the meme “develops” is a total zinger. Don’t miss this series, people. 9/10
WOLF MOON #1 (Vertigo): New takes on horror icons are all well and good. After all, who wants to retread the same material time after time with the same monsters? That said… sometimes I just want a fun, bloody werewolf romp. And that’s exactly what this first issue of WOLF MOON is—opens with intestine-gutting action and doesn’t really let up. Cullen Bunn knows his werewolves, and his simple truths (“It’s something corrupt and twisted… something nature choked on and vomited up”) are punctuated by Jeremy Haun’s near-perfect werewolf design and truly unsettling imagery. Lee Loughridge tops it off with his always-stellar coloring style. As someone who appreciates storytelling but often just wants to see a werewolf mercilessly killing people, I enjoyed the hell out of this issue. Hope the quality continues. 8/10
TOE TAG RIOT #1 (Black Mask): The response to anything zombie-related these days has become almost as disdainful as the response to vampires—that is, NOT AGAIN. GROAN. So why should you pick this up? Because it’s bloody brilliant. Not only is it about a punk band who transform into zombies when they play, but Matt Miner’s narrative naturally and cleverly tracks the personal growth of singer Dickie as he experiences diversity in new surroundings. Granted, the zombie stuff is still hilarious—particularly when part of Dickie’s face falls off and he tries to attach it back on with a safety pin. But don’t mistake TOE TAG RIOT for big dumb fun, because it’s not dumb at all. Sean Von Gorman’s subtle, almost Fantagraphics-esque facial detailing even brings an indie flavor to the panels that I haven’t seen before in horror comedy. Unique and refreshing. 9/10
