If you're here in the Panel Discussion programming block, you might be a lapsed comics reader, trying to find a way back to the JLA Satellite. Or you might someone killing time until you pick up your weekly Wednesday pull list. Or maybe you've said goodbye to dozens of longboxes to embrace the promise of digital comics. Whichever it is, you're still interested in the good stuff.
Welcome, then, to the Panel Discussion Dozen Quintet, where I pick out just-released or out-soon comics that I think are worth paying attention to. Ready? Then, let's meet the sequential art that'll be draining your wallet this week. Be sure to chime in with the books you'll be picking up or that you think everybody should be ready in the comments.
Action Comics #13
As a concept, Krypto shouldn't work in modern-day comics. Oh, sure, the idea of an animal test subject getting fired into space before a human subject makes sense. But the idea of a super-powered dog being a kindly crime-fighting sidekick is hard to swallow in the modern-day. Yet, Krypto is a favorite character of mine. Not because of any nostalgia but because of how Krypto highlights and alleviates Superman's loneliness. This should be a good one.
Detective Comics #13
A few years ago, John Layman's Chew became a sensational hit from Image Comics. Now he moves to Batman, in a new storyline that has the Penguin ruling Gotham's underworld with a rough hand. It's a nice talent addition that should give readers a different take on the Dark Knight. We'll see if Batman starts solving murders by eating random foods.
Black Kiss II #3
Comics legend Howard Chaykin understands sex. From American Flagg to Blackhawk, he's drawn and written stories that show a deep understanding of why people want it, how they use it and the joyous and ugly before-during-after timeframes surrounding intercourse. The first Black Kiss series was controversial because of how explicit its sexual portrayals were, but there was a turbulent subtext about power and repression amidst all the garter belts, too. This sequel follows suit. So, don't let that cover fool you. You might not wind up getting turned on at all.
Avengers vs. X-Men #12
You all saw what happened last issue, right? Given that we've seen some of the Marvel Universe's immediate future, we can rule out certain outcomes in this last issue of the publisher's crossover. Still, it's going to interesting to see how much reckoning happens here and how much set-up for the new status quo happens here.
Halo: Fall of Reach
The miniseries that offered insights into the Spartan program and Master Chief's past gets collected into a nicely presented hardcover this week. Just the thing to tide you over until Halo 4 comes out.