Friday, March 6, 2015

3 Non DC/Marvel Books to check out!


Three books came out this week that caught my attention and I think one, if not all three, should be given a chance if you haven't already, or were hesitant to.



The first book I read this week as soon as I could was Robert A. Heinlein: Citizen Of the Galaxy. As soon I saw this in Previews for IDW comics a couple months back I knew it was an autosub, reason being is Heinlein is one of my favorite authors - who has always done great science fiction stories - and this is one of those stories. 'Citizen of the Galaxy' is a story about a young boy named Thorby who recently was taken into slavery and transported to a new planet to be sold at an auction. This is where we, the reader, are brought in. Without giving away the story there will be interstellar travels, espionage, and of course action and adventure. I really appreciated this adaptation since they are trying to keep the same level of literary quality that Heinlein was known to bring to the Sci-Fi genre.The art for this book by Steve Erwin doesn’t amaze me but it doesn’t detract from the core of the book and gives all the characters some pretty good life. Overall, if you are going to check out any book, make it thin one. Especially if you are a sci-fi lover.

Speaking of great writers, the next writer, of whom I'm a big fan of almost all of his current works, is Warren Ellis. His book out this week from Dynamite is Blackcross. Ellis, along with artist Colton Worley, do a great job of creating an eerie atmosphere that carries on throughout the story. Not a lot of story is actually explored in this first issue, we are just introduced to our cast of characters: a fake Medium, a man in the Witness Protection program, feds investigating a ritual we see in the beginning of the book, and the mysterious individual, 'American Spirit'. With how it was all told and how the story progressed I am hooked on this first issue, and very excited to continue to see where the rest of this story will go. If there was one thing wrong with this book, it's that I felt the first issue was a little too short and wanted just a bit more, but I guess I can wait until next month.

This last book, 'Never Boy' from Dark Horse comics, had such a cool idea of a story I knew I was going to have to check it out. Going into this book all I knew was that the main character is Imaginary, and to stay in our physical world, and be a part of it he has to take drugs, unlike everyone else who takes drugs to escape. The art and colors by Tyler Jenkins and Kelly Fitzpatrick, respectively, is colorful and imaginative and the story for this first issue sets up the reader nicely to keep them hooked, and leaves them with questions; like can Neverboy escape the men trying to bring him out of reality? How long can he last without drugs? And can he find a way to stay permanently? Wherever the story goes it seems like it will be a fun ride and a cool new twist on trying to be a normal person with a normal life.

So with the three books I read this week we have a sci-fi adventure, a haunting american tale, and a fantastic character trying to be normal. If you can, check out all three of these great titles and add them to your pulls, because they should be great reads.

- Matt Dempsey
@MeetMy_Phantoms