Do you like comics about video games? I sure hope so, because there are a lot of new ones this week, and not many interesting new comics that aren't about games.
Here are this week's notable releases...
Comics You Should Consider Buying
Knight & Squire #6 This clever series about England's version of Batman and Robin has turned grim as its has approached this finale. Following the cliffhanger of issue 5, The Joker's come to London. He's comic in England intending to murder all the odd British heroes we were introduced to in the first five issues, and he's going to make the seemingly harmless British version of the Joker watch. This series has been superb and the issues have been self-contained enough that you could probably jump into this final one with minimal confusion.
Time Lincoln: Cuba Commander Look, this week is lacking in promising new releases, so maybe go out on a limb and try this? Warning: it might suck. But do consider the official description: "Time Lincoln [continues?] his Travelers Team journey to the Bay of Pigs on April 1st, 1961 to face Cuba Commander and his Chronocommunists! The villains plan to have their own monstrous agents replace key CIA operatives who are running a secret mission in Cuba, turning the whole country into a massive atomic 'time bomb' factory. Things turn sour for both Time Lincoln and Void Stalin when Cuba Commander double-crosses his leader and traps everyone within a paradoxical vortex. Now Stalin's only hope for escape is the Travelers Team, and Lincoln's salvation lies with the Chronocommunist cabal!" You did see that they have a character named Void Stalin, yes?
Comics With Video Game Connections
Deus Ex #2 Our very own Brian Crecente loved the first issue. Official summary of the second: "Haunted by the ghosts of his past, Adam Jensen purses an augmented terrorist group and learns that, even in a world of superhuman enhancements, the female is still the deadliest of the species…"
Dragon Age Another trade-paperback collection of a video game mini-series. If only the official summary told us anything about what's in the book: "In a time lost to history, a war ravaged the land. Mages, incredibly powerful wielders of magic, ruled the world through mastery of dark arts and forbidden spells. Their lust for power almost destroyed all existence, and unleashed an unholy pestilence, the Darkspawn, to plague mankind, trolls, faeries, and all the inhabitants of the realm. Now magic is carefully controlled, taught behind the sacred walls of the Circle of Magi, and monitored by the ever-vigilant Templars. It is in this arena that a new generation of Mages in training will arise, warriors of sorcery who will defy the rules of the Templars and change the course of the world forever." At least I can tell you that Orson Scott Card wrote some of it.
Gears of War #16 I guess I can't speak Gears of War, because this… what does this mean? "Best-selling novelist Karen Traviss (The Wess'har Wars, Star Wars novels) takes readers back to the Pendulum Wars, spotlighting a younger Captain (now Colonel) Hoffman. Assigned to a high-risk mission and determined to assemble the best team possible, Hoffman turns to the fearsome Pesang troops. But the COG top brass isn't too happy with his ideas regarding commando units."
God of War This is a $15 trade-paperback collection of the six-issue God of War mini-series written by former Teen Titans writer Marv Wolfman. More Kratos back-story, if the many God of War games didn't sufficiently fill those blanks in for you.
The Guild: Tink Official summary: "Felicia Day returns to her Internet and comics sensation The Guild with a story spotlighting the Knights of Good's most mysterious member, Tinkerballa! While some of the other Guild members have gotten a little too involved in each other's offline lives, Tink has fiercely guarded her privacy, and the Knights of Good still know almost nothing about her. When they begin to pry, the Guild gets more than they bargained for-but is any of it true?"
Sonic Universe #26 Official summary: "Fractured Mirror' Part 2. Silver the Hedgehog is stranded on a strange, dark version of Mobius and fights stranger, darker versions of heroes you know and love! Perhaps he can get a little help from the all new, all different Freedom Fighters? But will they be enough against the terror of Enerjak?"
And Over On The iPad…
Not a whole lot on the iPad this week. No new comics from DC as of 3pm ET, even though they're usually up by noon. Very few from Marvel. The Comixology's Comics app is light on stuff as well, though I'd recommend anything Paul Grist has written and drawn. Two recent issues of his British super-hero series Jack Staff were added this week, though you might as well start with the first issue before buying the subsequent 13. The Jack Staff series contains a bizarre and enjoyable mix of mystery, super-hero and fantasy styles, all bundled into stories that shift from scene to scene with dazzling speed. Somehow, Grist's comics always come together by the end. He's an inventive creator and well worth your time following. Sadly, his work comes out infrequently, so don't schedule your meals by the release of new Paul Grist comics.