Bizarro #4

I was not 100% in love with this book at first, to be perfectly honest. I love that each issue has a guest artist for one illustration (this issue has a Darwyn Cooke-drawn Zatanna poster!) But the story, while fun and light-hearted, and the art, though loose and cartoony, have both been a bit on the weak side. But darn it, I keep getting sucked into this book, with its deep, deep DC universe references and it’s heartfelt emotional appeal. I’m bummed that it looks like the next issue is the last one.

Jem and the Holograms: Outrageous Annual #1

I bought this for my seven year old daughter and, to be honest, she hasn’t really let me get my hands on it. It’s a framing story of a slumber party for the Holograms (though they’re sisters who live together) where they all have different dreams. The dreams include a horror movie/teen wolf homage, a Mad Max mashup, a riff on Star Wars, and of course Jem and the Hologram babies. It’s fun and looks great! I just wish that it was a bit cheaper; it’s relatively short and nearly $8! (Maybe I’m just spoiled with Island’s page count at the same price point.)

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #3

Ryan North, writer of Squirrel Girl (and the early issues of Adventure Time, The Midas Flesh, and Dinosaur Comics) is one of my all-time favorite internet people. His writing style somehow is one of the smartest and silliest, simultaneously. I love Erica Henderson’s cartoony art, I think it fits the book perfectly. This book does for the Marvel universe what the Bizarro book tries to do for DC. It’s a lot more fun and exciting though.

From Under Mountains #1

This book, written by Marian Churchland and Claire Gibson and with art from Sloane Leong, exists in the same universe as the 8House series, and it will eventually cross over. It’s beautifully, dreamily-drawn high fantasy that starts right in the middle of things with no explanation whatsoever. I’m still sucked in and planning to keep reading, but some of this book is a bit impenetrable. That stabby ghost monster, though. I can’t wait for more.

Godzilla in Hell #3

This series is a treat. It’s just wall-to-wall action of Godzilla battling and destroying monsters. This one has a crazy crystal-infected moon Godzilla (uh, I don’t know much Godzilla lore) battling our hero and it’s crazy. It’s crazy!

Over the Garden Wall #2

The Over the Garden Wall animated television miniseries is really an incredible achievement in American animation and this book is perfectly timed for this fall. Series writer Patrick McHale expands the show with a great side story from a formerly-honest horse that gets right into that sweet spot between funny and spooky without being too obvious about it.