Comics this week

Astro City #15- I will admit I was secretly hoping that harmless-looking Ellie was some retired supervillain but the end of this issue will do just fine. Writer Kurt Busiek finished his story of little old Ellie and like always, it was a treat. Special mention is needed for artist Brent Anderson who managed to show the steel behind the frail old woman. I mean even when Ellie managed to show up Vivi Victor and the Honor Guard (Samaritan, Winged Victory, American Chibi etc), you never forget the fact that when we first met the lady, she was a forgetful kind old lady. Brilliant!

Copperhead #1- As a general rule, I’m not a fan of cross-genre stories. If they managed to do it right, it could be good but most of the time, stories that cross genres are just messes. That should also tell you how good the debut of Copperhead is when I find it both interesting and well-written. Yes, writer Jay Faerber ticked a lot of boxes in the story (protagonist with a past, cute kid, slimy businessman etc) but the space western still feel fresh and new. Artist Scott Godlewski must take a lot of the credit for this as his version of the world managed to feel both western and high tech at the same time. This is just #1 so a lot of things can still go wrong, but this is one hell of a promising debut.

Hinterland #11- Give writer Ian Edginton credit. Every time I think I got a handle on the story, he pull the rug right beneath me. Just when we expect the Centaur Tribe to launch holy righteous vengeance on the Vampire Nation, the leader of the centaur instead make the smart long-term play of an alliance against a mutual (more powerful) enemy. I admit the scene of Hobbs just giving info to the vampires smell of an info-dump but even if you count that in, this was a very good issue. Edginton is putting his pieces in play for a grand ending to this arc. I'll be there for it!