TMYN’s Comic Book Buy Pile 7/22/15

Myles: Archie vs Predator #4

It always had to end like this. No story detailing a clash between the denizens Riverdale and the Predator could sing its swan song without coming down to a battle between the alien menace and the dynamic duo of Betty and Veronica. Alex de Campi revs the story into full Grindhouse mode with her art team of Fernando Ruiz, Rich Koslowski,  and Jason Millet.

Throughout the 4 issue run, Archie vs Predator has been a treasure trove of glorious insanity, and the finale sticks the landing in spades. De Campi’s maniacal writing consistently stayed true to Archie’s characters and archetypes while placing them in an outlandish (and bloody) scenario. Maintaining the visual style of an Archie comics was a masterstroke as it gave a sense of authenticity to the story. It may be a crazy crossover, but you can bet your bottom dollar, despite the grisly deaths, it’s still an Archie comic. The art team saw to that, and should be commended for how they handled ever gory detail de Campi through at them.

I don’t want to give away too much of the plot of the finale as its fun lies in viewing it for yourself. Just know that de Campi and company continued to up the ante with each issue, and the final did not disappoint at all. It’s the most fun comic you’ll read this week by far.

 

Patrick: ‘Fight Club 2’ #3

My pick this week is “Fight Club 2” #3, the continuation of Chuck Palahniuk and Cameron Stewart‘s delve into the medium with the anarchist generation of fatherless sons who like to fight, from Dark Horse Comics. I was extremely excited about this series before its publication, and you can read my review of the first issue here. I guess that I should first explain again that I am biased here, as a huge fan of Palahniuk’s writing, and have an entire shelf dedicated to the multiple copies of books my wife and I own. If you are a fan too then not only do you already own the previous couple of issues of this comic, but you are of the same mind that this book is great, and has a lot of promise for future issues.

First off, I will start with my complaints, and they are few and far between. I think that this issue makes for an important read, as we are getting a lot of set-up for issues to come, and a lot of the mystery seeds surrounding Tyler’s plan are being sown here. Unfortunately I think this issue suffers when compared to the previous two in this light, mainly because they were both really knock-out, but there is still a lot to enjoy here. Secondly I think that this book is a bit crazy for someone stepping into it without re-reading (or re-watching) Fight Club before saddling up with the comic sequel.

That being said so far this series has everything that I want as a Palahniuk and Fight Club fan. In this issue we get the return of Project Mayhem, and the blood-curdling antics of the author’s shock-horror like his tales in the book “Haunted“. We also get more of the Tyler personality coming forth and directing his army personally, as the ‘Sebastian’ side falls asleep outside the soap-factory mansion. Cameron Stewart’s art and the violence represented therein are still bloody and sharp. I haven’t read a book in a while were there are as many subtle references and tricks at play inside the panel since “Watchmen“. Coupled with Palahniuk’s dense dialogue I feel slightly off-balanced after reading — in a good way, like when you go to sleep after a day in a theme park riding roller coasters. Less than a third of the way through this arc and I am still pleasantly surprised that not only do I not know where it’s going, but I am still happy to pick it up each month and delve back into it. “Fight Club 2” issue 3 is on the stands today.