4.15.15 [#PicksOfTheWeek]

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It’s a relatively small week, but there’s still a few hidden gems to be found! In terms of singles, I’m most curious about RUNLOVEKILL #1 (Image Comics) by Jonathan Tsuei and Eric Canete, based largely on the striking aesthetic qualities of the cover and teaser images. Image Comics is also offering Chrononauts #2 (Image Comics) and Tithe #1 (Image Comics) by Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal. I’m not in love with the humorous elements in Chrononauts, but Sean Murphy’s art alone is usually worth checking out. Hawkins and Ekedal have quite a bit of credibility established with me based on their recent work, so I’ll at least check out the first issue of their new project.

Oni Press has Letter 44 #15 (Oni Press) out from Charles Soule and Alberto Alburquerque, always good for a sci-fi political romp, and I’ll also be picking up EI8HT #3 (Dark Horse) by Mike Johnson and Rafael Albuquerque. I am starting to get worried that the sheer volume of good sci-fi (A LOT featuring dimension/time-hopping alt realities/timelines) coming out of Image and Dark Horse will glut the market, or at least make the better books a little harder to find amid the masses, or at the very least make it harder for me to quickly differentiate all of their current plot threads, but all you can do is vote with your wallet and hope the strong survive.

There’s plenty in the collected editions department, starting with Moon Knight Volume 2: Dead Will Rise (Marvel Comics), collecting issue 7 through 12 by Brian Wood, Greg Smallwood, Jordie Bellaire, and Declan Shalvey (on covers). This run was incredibly strong, and I’m still convinced that Moon Knight #8 deserves an Eisner Award in the Best Single Issue category for its handling of the ubiquitous iPhone in the Social Media Age. I’ll also recommend the Stumptown Hardcover Volume 3 (Oni Press), this one by Greg Rucka and Justin Greenwood, a murder mystery set within the context of an interesting subculture, while slowly revealing more about P.I. Dex Parios and her past.  Lastly, there’s Punks Volume 1: Nutpuncher (Image Comics) by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, the rare humor book that’s actually funny, pushing its bizarre serial killer ransom letter collage motif to make wry social observations amid all the ludicrous character and events.