PREVIEWS: What’s New for Wednesday, October 5, 2011?

Several  mini-series I’ve been following have new issues this week:

RED SPIKE #5 OF 5  (Image/Benaroya)  Story:  Jeff Cahn.  Art:  Mark Texeira, Salvador Navarro, Ifansyah Noor.  Cover:  Mark Texeira.

RedSpike#5_Cover

I thought last month’s cover with it’s imagery of the Lincoln Memorial busting up was dynamic - - - I think the cover to Issue #5 of RED SPIKE actually tops its.  Nice work by Mark Texeira with a subtle tip of the hat to the style of the 1960’s mens’ magazines cover style.  The impact  impression/indentation in the concrete wall is the topper.

The first story arc comes to an end here, as we learn that no one leading secret military projects or in the federal government overseeing them is free of corruption (not that any of us are surprised by that!).  Colonel Moyer gets his day in front of the Senate investigating committee on the Red Spike project and bolts out of the hearing in an angry hissy fit.  He’s determined to protect his pet project and go down fighting if he can’t save it, regardless of anyone else who gets swept up and damaged by his actions.

Things come to a head rather quickly, as the rest of the back story on project Red Spike is revealed and the threat to break it up is thwarted and apparently over for now.  Good soldier Matt seems the only member of the adrenaline-augmented Red Spike team left to carry on.  The last several pages hint at the future and things don’t seem too safe at all. 

The art team does an incredible job this issue.  There are plenty of facial close-ups and the expressions of intensity, anger, fear and outrage are spot-on perfect.  Hope you were along for the ride. It was worth it.  Bring on RED SPIKE Volume 2.

MARKSMEN #3 OF 6  (Image / Benaroya)  Script: David Baxter.  Art: Javier Aranda, Garry Leach & Jessica Kholinne.  Cover: Tomm Coker.

Marksmen#3_Cover

If you enjoy G.I. JOE you will love this issue of MARKSMEN.  There is more than enough military choppers, armored vehicles and jeeps, orbiting platforms and tech around to satisfy.  The Trojan Horse maneuver of the fanatical would-be conqueror Duke comes off as planned and his forces gain access to the inside of fortress New San Diego.  Some key personnel are taken hostage after sufficient damage to New San Diego’s high tech is suffered.  Drake learns some truths about his heritage, and is dispatched to head up the rescue/recovery mission.

The scope and scale of the military forces on both sides as artistically portrayed by the art team is just perfect.  It’s mostly an all-action issue and a fun and quick read.  For those craving a little more, there is some nice interplay between the forces of faith-based religion versus hope-based science that whet the appetite for more conflict.

THE RINSE #2  (BOOM! Studios)  Written by Garry Phillips.  Drawn by Mark Lanning. Colors by Darwin Moore. Cover by Paul Azaceta. Letters by Steve Wand. 

TheRinse_02_CVR

There’s just not a whole lot I can say about this issue without being a real spoil-sport for your fun. You will enjoy this book, provided you like your crime stories told in a similar fashion to the way the  master (Ed Brubaker) tells them.  This is on a  par with the best of the CRIMINAL series, but provides insight into the world of a very professional and high stakes money launderer  (a subject I don’t believe Brubaker has touched on very much). 

Master money launderer Jeff Sinclair may have made a big mistake when he agrees to hide a middle-aged sad sack of a casino employee and help move the money he stole from the mob owners through the usual back street channels.  Things get complicated when the employee’s girl friend shows up, who just happens to be the wife of a prominent member of the mob family.  Things get complicated even further when the IRS agent Della Dash  (great name!)  gets aggressive and ramps up her investigation into possible tax evasion by Sinclair.  And some psycho nut job with a vendetta is out there trying to get his revenge and take out some of the major players.  The two enforcers the mob dispatch are also nut-jobs and very dangerous and brutal in their methods.

I’m also reminded of the way that the excellent television series BURN NOTICE provides insights via narration.  Captions and thought balloons narrated by Sinclair give similar insight into the ways of the money laundering world.  THE RINSE is a good book, and worth checking out.

OTHER BOOKS WORTH A LOOK  THIS WEEK:  ACTION COMICS #2, ANIMAL MAN #2, CALIGULA #4 of 6, iZOMBIE #18, MORIARTY #5, NEAR DEATH #1,  ROGER LANGRIDGE’S SNARKED #1, STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE #1, SUPERIOR #5 of 6.

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