BOOM!

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Will BOOM! Studios Be to the 2020s What Image Comics Was to the 2010s?

Ravings

In the early 2010s, Image Comics launched a plethora of kick-ass, hype-generating monthly comics series, written by a murderers’ row of writers pulled from Marvel and DC. Those series, including but not limited to East of West, Lazarus, Sex Criminals, The Wicked + The Divine, and Bitch Planet, quickly became the books I was most excited to buy each month (or every six months, for those I bought in trades).

At the time of this writing, most of those early 2010s Image hits have either ended, gone on hiatus, or shifted to irregular release schedules. And while I love plenty of Image’s current output, as a whole, those series are not generating the same amount of hype or sales (maybe arguable, but I looked – compare Image’s market share from 2014 and 2019) as Image’s early 2010s line-up.

So where did that heat Image Comics had at the start of last decade go? Well, in the 2020s, there’s another indie publisher that’s pumping out hit after hit written by some of Marvel and DC’s current top writers – and that’s BOOM! Studios.

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That Time I Mentioned the Hodag While Interviewing James Tynion IV

Ravings

Over at Multiversity Comics, I recently got the chance to interview writer James Tynion IV and editor Eric Harburn about their new ongoing horror series, Something Is Killing the Children.

Because Tynion IV is a fellow Sconnie (and Something is set in Wisconsin), we briefly talked about the 90 minute drive that connects Madison to Milwaukee, the book Weird Wisconsin (which was written by an author from my hometown), and the most fearsome critter to ever stalk Wisconsin’s Northwoods.

No, the hodag does not appear in Something Is Killing the Children. Don’t worry; the book’s still great.

If you’d like to read the full interview, just click this link. And to check out the first issue of Something Is Killing the Children (which was quite good), click here.

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Jason Wordie’s Colors Make Abbott Supernaturally Good

Reviews

I’m STILL catching up on comics I missed from 2018, which is how I happened to find myself reading BOOM! Studios’s Abbott a few weekends ago. And while writer Saladin Ahmed and illustrator Sami Kivelä delivered a heck of a supernatural crime thriller, it was colorist Jason Wordie’s work that blew me away.

Look at those textures! Look at that blending!
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Klaus Featured Image Dan Mora - Matt Reads Comics

Working at Yuletime: “Klaus” Review at Multiversity

Reviews

Hey all, Merry Christmas (or wintertime celebration of your choice)!

I’m taking the week off from writing to celebrate with family. But if you’re looking for your normal dose of comics nonsense, I’d encourage you to check out my recent review of Klaus at Multiversity Comics. Klaus is one of my Christmas favorites; I’ve made a point of re-reading it each winter since it came out. I may even be reading it now, as you’re reading this!

If you’re a regular reader, thanks for taking the time to peruse the blog in 2018. And if you’re just popping by for today, thanks for being here! From me to you, I hope you have a great rest of your holiday season, and that your New Year starts out right.