Enlarge / Super Sons is actually about Super Pets. And that’s a good thing. (credit: DC Comics)
Comic book news this year was dominated by which major characters from DC and Marvel died, which turned evil, and which did one and then the other. Big events are a lot of fun and give us a chance to see iconic characters in new ways, but it’s also worth taking a look at the smaller-but-still-awesome stuff going on in comics. Here are some of the one-shots, the less widely promoted series, and the just-plain-weird comics that you might have missed during the last year.
1. Redlands
Redlands, Florida, is a small town with no shortage of darkness. Whether more of that darkness comes from the coven of witches trying to take control of the community or the conduct of the ordinary citizenry is for you to decide. This horror comic starts out with a siege on the town’s police station that leaves the reader unsure of who is more frightening but with little sympathy for either side. And things get scarier from there. The writing, by Jordie Bellaire, doesn’t give us any easy answers. The art, by Vanessa Del Rey, is reminiscent, with its muddy murk and startling colors, of 30 Days of Night. It gives us the impression that every scene is lit incompletely by flashlight and that anything could jump out of the darkness. You can pick up the floppies—issue five comes out on December 20—or make a note to get the first trade in March.
2. Punisher: The Platoon
Punisher: The Platoon is Garth Ennis’ return to the character he made famous. He did this in part by using the Marvel Max imprint to separate the Punisher from most of the rest of the DCU and add the kind of explicit content that anyone living in the Punisher’s world would come across. He also did it by giving Frank Castle a history that included more than just his family getting shot.
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Source: Ars Technica – 10 excellent comics that flew under the radar in 2017