Reynolds Rap: New Releases December 03, 2009

* For those of you who don’t regularly visit the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find blog, Dollar Bin contributer Shawn Reynolds writes up her spotlight picks of the week every release day.  We’ll be double dipping the write ups here as a Dollar Bin Quick Hit every week as well, so check back on release day for your weekly heads up. - Always Alerting Adam

1) Jonah Hex #50

Darwyn Cooke and Jonah Hex together again. And it feels so right.

2) Marvels Project #4

Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting make quite the team! I am amazed at how well-written and well-drawn this book is. The story is interesting and fresh, despite the fact that it is a retelling of the origin of superheroes in the Marvel Universe. You don’t need to know everything (or anything) about Marvel to enjoy this book. It is a great WWII/crime/espionage story, not just a story about superhuman people doing superhuman things.

3) Glamourpuss #10

This book is part cultural criticism and part history of cartooning. Dave Sim learns the techniques of the greats by recreating their art. He then uses what he has learned to illustrates fashion models. I am still trying to figure out the deeper meaning hidden underneath this book. He can be insightful and thought-provoking when he isn’t making you slightly uncomfortable. But I still don’t know what he is trying to say about women. I do know that I learned way more about Margaret Mitchell than I cared to know. And what more do you want from a comic than that?

4) Siege: Cabal

The Dark Reign is winding down with Marvel’s latest crossover: Siege. Norman Osborn attempts to overtake Asgard and mayhem ensues.

5) House of Mystery #20

House of Mystery is a horror comic with a dash of horror anthology thrown in for fun. There is a larger story that acts as a framing device of sorts and within this larger story one of the characters tells a story. Typically the short stories have been illustrated by a guest artist. This issue the guest artist is Michael Wm. Kaluta. Matthew Sturges has been does a phenomenal job weaving the stories and plots together. All the short stories have been great and the main story keeps getting better and better. And as a Sandman fan I am delighted that Vertigo is revisiting some of my favorite characters. For instance, Merv Pumpkinhead made a guest appearance in the Halloween Annual.