6.24.15 [#PicksOfTheWeek]

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It’s a relatively small week after two very large weeks in a row, so let’s do something different and give it up for a trade, namely The Massive Vol. 5: Ragnarok (Dark Horse). This is the conclusion of the series, collecting issues 25-30 by Brian Wood, Garry Brown, and Jordie Bellaire, with covers by the ever-impressive John Paul Leon. The Massive was an important entry in a succession of loosely related thematic underpinnings in series like Channel Zero and DMZ, pairing the post-capitalist post-apocalyptic with environmental consciousness in a big sprawling action-adventure.

In terms of singles, I’m most excited for The Legacy of Luther Strode #2 (Image) by Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore. This mini-series is the third leg of a trilogy in the Luther Strode Universe, and while it’s always been a great read with killer art, Moore in particular is really slamming down the gas pedal and outdoing himself, creating these lush intricate pages that are absolutely gorgeous, crammed with so much detail and emotion and depth that makes it look like he works at an insanely large scale and then shrinks it all down or something. I really don’t know how he does it.

I’ll also check out Invisible Republic #4 (Image), which is quality sci-fi world-building with a heavy air of realpolitik to it, from the duo of Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Bechko, The Tithe #3 (Image) by Matt Hawkins and Rahsan Ekedal, a team which seems to get more and more bold with the type of material they’re willing to take on in every outing, and Mulan: Revelations #1 (Dark Horse) by Robert Alter, Marc Andreyko, and Micah Kaneshiro, which I don’t know much about, but Andreyko is usually a solid creator and the preview art by Kaneshiro looks terrific.