The Podge Cast

Mini Marvels: rock, paper, scissors by Chris Giarrusso

Chris G’s brilliantly adorable series of Marvel characters as children had previously been found scattered throughout various Marvel titles. But this collection gathers them up in one slim $10 volume. Thrill to Spidey and Venom’s paper delivery adventures. Wolverines quest for his favorite cereal. The Human Torch learning a valuable lesson about courtesy. And of course the most perfect adaptation of the World War Hulk story-arc…

Chris G’s all-ages comic never fails to make me laugh. Plus Elephant Steve. The Marvel universe could use more Elephant Steve.

Yotsuba&! vol. 1 by Kiyohiko Azuma

I’m not normally a big manga reader. But there is something perfectly charming about this series. Its cute and funny and I found myself picking up all five volumes as well as picking them up for my nieces…

The series is about a strange green-haired girl named Yotsuba. She moves to a new town with her adoptive father. In the first volume she befriends her neighbors the Ayases. Especially the Ayase daughters, Fuku, Asagi and Ena. She also goes to the market. And goes cicada catching with Ena and her father’s best friend Jumbo. Yotsuba zooms from one idea to another. Watching the simple joy everything brings her always brings a smile to my face…

Nocturnals: Black Planet by Dan Brereton

Dan Brereton creates a world of gene-crafted humanoid animals, android-hired torpedos, and supernatural pulp heroes. The Nocturnals are led by Doc Horror of the heroic cursed genius and two-fisted guns variety. He fights the evil of the Narn K Corporation and the alien Crim with his crew of undead gunsels, freed hybrids, and pyschics.

Brereton’s signature painted style brings out the best for his post-dusk setting. Lots of shadows and moonlit settings. Brereton crafts an excellent mash-up of scifi, Lovecraftian and gangster tropes into a pulp noir story.

A Distant Soil: The Gathering by Colleen Doran

Within the first dozen pages of Doran’s sci-fi/fantasy/romance epic you get a brother and sister with mysterious powers and the villainous Martin Institute. Then soon after that, you get the aliens. Beautiful, human-looking aliens and weird, hulking ones both. And more psychics. And a cynical but heroic cop. And a gang-banger with a good heart. And more beautiful alien psychics. And Sir Galahad of Avalon. And alien revolutions. And an alien threat to Earth. And a plan to gather heroes to stop it. And a were-panther/alien. And evil dictators who aren’t. And so on…

Colleen Doran manages to somehow blend together all these disparate elements into a cohesive and compelling story in a A Distant Soil. Even the Faerie. Did I mention the Faerie? Yeah, from what could easily be a giant mess, Doran creates a world and tale that lives up to the description of epic.

Laika written and drawn by Nick Abadzis, colors by Hilary Sycamore

Laika follows former political prisoner who was one of prominent engineers in the Russian space program, Yelena a veterinary technician and Laika the dog aboard the second Soviet orbital launch. Having to meet Premiere Khruschev’s deadline of only a month to launch Sputnik II means that some things have to be cut. Like any means for the satellite to return safely to Earth. Abadzis mixes the available facts together to create a sad but touching story.

Poor, brave little dog…