By Joe C.
Just looking at the lineup this week has my head spinning. We get deadly poultry and an undead milestone from Image, Dark Horse gets its Creep on, and IDW resurrects a classic series. This one’s gonna get weird.
Feathers, Rage and Hate! Get excited, because those four words can only mean one thing: Poyo! Everyone’s favorite cybernetic rooster luchador is back today in the Chew: Secret Agent Poyo one-shot. Based on his rabid fan base (seriously, just google “poyo” and you’ll see), I’m not alone in saying I would gladly buy a Poyo solo series, so I hope this one-shot thing becomes a bit more frequent. In case you missed it, he’s a rooster in a luchador mask. Think about that for a second. Now think about the fact that he’s shrouded in legend and once pecked a man’s heart out. Poyo! (Sorry, that slips out whenever I think about him for too long.) If for some strange reason, you’re not reading Chew yet, you’re missing out on one of the most original comics published in recent memory. With all the talk of turning this series into a TV show, you know you’re going to start reading it eventually, so grab this one now or you’ll regret it when you finally get caught up. I’ve recommended this series to countless people since it started, and no one who’s picked it up has regretted it. I can also guarantee that you won’t find another book on the shelves today featuring a homicidal luchador rooster. Poyo!
Hey, have you guys heard about this Walking Dead series? No? It hasn’t received much attention, so I can understand how you might’ve missed it. Oh, so you were one of the millions of viewers who watched the premier episode? And you’ve seen the trades for sale EVERYWHERE? And you spend hours talking about it with your friends online and you text each other constantly during each episode? OK, then you’ll be happy to know Walking Dead No. 100 comes out today, achieving yet another milestone for the little indie comic that could. This one took everyone by surprise, and while I don’t read it personally, anything that generates this much positive attention for the comic medium is OK with me. Whenever I see a newbie walk into my local shop, this is inevitably the first thing they ask for. Everyone’s been talking about how good The Avengers movie has been for the industry, but it’s my guess that this series has single-handedly propelled more new customers into local comic shops over the past few years than all of the Marvel movies combined. And hey, if nothing else, you can probably turn around and sell it for a profit on eBay.
I’ve been waiting a long time for this next collection, and this week Dark Horse finally releases Creepy Presents: Richard Corben. Corben’s art makes me really uncomfortable, and I love him for that. His style is as distinctive as it is disturbing, gracing the pages of everything from mainstream comics to issues of Heavy Metal magazine. There’s no one else quite like him. Readers of this column will already be familiar with Corben’s art from the recent Ragemoor series, and being familiar with it you will undoubtedly be as excited about this collection as I am. If it’s anything like Dark Horse’s Eerie Presents: Hunter collection, it’ll be a steal at $29.99. For an oversized hardcover, especially one as well put together as this, that’s not bad.
I don’t honestly know how I feel about this next one, but if I didn’t mention it my 16-year-old Goth self would travel into the future to kick my ass. IDW releases Crow No. 1 today, launching a new installment in the long-lived Crow franchise. There’s not much for me to say because if you’ve walked into a Hot Topic or Spencer’s at ANY MALL ANYWHERE over the past 15 years, you’re already more than familiar with The Crow. What you might not realize is that there’s more to it than that movie where that guy totally died during filming and you can see it happening if you stop the DVD just right. James O’Barr’s original series remains a classic, and whether or not this one comes anywhere near that level, there’s a part of me that’s just happy to see it on the shelves. Put on some Joy Division and call it a guilty pleasure.
