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.
Mass Effect Homeworlds #2
Written by ME3 writers Mac Walters and Patrick Weekes with art by Chris Staggs, the second issue of this tie-in comic focuses on everyone's favorite Quarian. The solicit info promises a story that focuses on discrimination, and I'm hoping that it revisits the tortured history that the Quarians and the Geth share. That allegory was my favorite theme from the Mass Effect series.
Superman Family Adventures #1
I talked earlier today about Lego Batman 2 and how it might pull in younger readers to actual comics. This comic is part of DC's publishing outreach to the same thing and it's a charming bit of Kryptonian adventure that succeds largely due to the goofy plot and cartoony art style. The writer/artist du working on this Super-title previously did the Tiny Titans kids' comic so this should be just as good as that excellent book was.
Batman: Death by Design
Vanity projects can be a tricky dice roll in a medium like comics. Either you get too much of a prime mover's sensibilities in a way that doesn't let things mesh together or not enough to distinguish it from other things. I've already read and liked this graphic novel by design luminary Chip Kidd for the way it meshes love of old Hollywood, architectural creativity and, of course, Batman with a retro-future sci-fi tinge. Dave Taylor's art makes everything feel glamorous, too. Bravo to all involved.
America's Got Powers #2
I loved how the first issue of this series by Jonathan Ross and Bryan Hitch started off with a grounded, producer's-booth-view of a superhero reality show. Even as it played out some familiar plot beats, AGP created a sense of internal scope and spectacle that felt like you were getting the benefit of Ross' own celebrity status. Here's hoping the second issue follows this trend.
Double Jumpers #1
A quartet of players finds themselves swapping consciousness with the characters they control in an online game, meaning that their bodies are now host to digital warriors from a WoW-style universe. This indie comic written by David Dwonch and drawn by Bill Blankenship looks like it might channel the sometimes obsessive love gamers have for old-school experiences into a funny, self-aware story.