Mystery

Izar Lunacek and Jernej “Nejc” Juren are fresh new faces to the English-language comics market, and with “Animal Noir,” they join the list of cartoonists who use anthropomorphic characters to tell stories about the human condition. Private Investigator Immanuel “Manny” Diamond is the star of this crime story, centered, so far, on the theft of some very incriminating tapes. It’s “Zootopia” meets “8mm.” PREVIEW: “Animal Noir” #1 In a world where giraffes are detectives, hippos are the kingpins of crime and zebras make up the oppressed population, things are not what they seem in this animal kingdom. Manny is just a guy trying to close his latest case quietly: his uncle, an influential judge, asked him to look into a robbery. The items stolen are tapes of “hunt porn” — prey fantasy movies where the hunt is staged and one of them possibly stars the judge’s wife in her youth. As if that weren’t enough of a potential scandal, the cops are also looking for the cache after rumors of a snuff

Paul Tobin and Alberto J. Alburquerque’s “Mystery Girl” #1 revolves around Trine Hampstead, a mystery girl in two ways: she can solve any mystery but the one about the origin of her own powers. Tobin leaves the mechanisms of Trine’s powers unclear. Her omniscience seems to be limited to people she sees in person. She hasn’t set up shop on the internet. Despite the seeming necessity of face-to-face contact, she’s more than a mind-reader. She knows things about a person’s life they can’t know themselves, or that nobody else knows, like when she informs a widow of the GPS coordinates of her husband’s body in Vietnam. The warm, chatty opening scene isn’t necessarily what the reader might expect, considering what Trine can do. With her powers, she could be a billionaire, a superhero or a supervillain. Instead, she’s content with a simple life and has a place in a community that wants her, even if they aren’t at ease with her spooky power. Her role is akin to that of a village healer or fo

In the hands of Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti, Sif’s time at the helm of “Journey Into Mystery” has been both beautiful and bizarre — too much of both, it seems, to last in the fickle world of comics. “Journey Into Mystery” #655 is a proper send off for Sif, though it’s appropriately bittersweet. Immonen, for all her skill and humor, is not an easy writer. She packs so much energy and so many layers into each issue that it takes a reader willing to work a little to fully appreciate her stories. Combined with the sometimes-insane Thor-related universe, it’s possible there’s just too much creativity for the average reader. The final issue finds Sif, appropriately, saving the world, with Beta Ray Bill at her side as they try to reason with a Gaea possessed by sentient tech and intent on “fixing” the problems of the universe, rather than letting them evolve naturally over time. There’s lots of punching and rescuing of “damsels,” as well as a scene at an Observatory in British Colu

With a winning creative team like Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti, “Journey into Mystery” #654 is nothing less than spectacular. The issue picks up with Sif’s frantic search for Gaea, paralleled by Beta Ray Bill’s attempts to reassemble the shambles his life has become, as they both slowly realize the presence of another, insidious creature on board the space station. Like the rest of the book so far, “Journey into Mystery” #654 is an absolute joy in its suspense, shocking plot twists and laugh-out-loud humor. Immonen beautifully develops Sif’s character on several different levels, building off the groundwork laid in previous issues. As a warrior, Sif has always made her duty to Asgard and the All-Mother her first priority; so, when her sense of duty and her fighter’s instinct conflict, her struggle between loyalty and what seems right feels genuine. Her confusion and her frustration — exacerbated by Beta Ray Bill’s presence and her feelings for him — are tangible in her dialogue

Gentle reader, what do you look for in a comic book? Good art? Fine storytelling? Bold adventure? Interesting characters? If you happened to say, “yes” to even one of those questions, then why not take a look at “Journey Into Mystery” #653? Written by Kathryn Immonen with enlightened art by Valerio Schiti, “Journey Into Mystery” #653 has all of the above, and more: humor, mythology, pathos and a strong protagonist who just so happens to be female — all requests that fill message boards, tweets and reports from comic convention panels. The most stunning part of all of this is that this regular, monthly comic is still just $2.99 at a time when readers and reviewers don’t hesitate to whine about comic book prices. The cover boasts a space opera contained within this issue and it really isn’t that far off. Two long-lost lovers in the form of Sif and Beta Ray Bill reunite in the midst of total chaos only to find that while things have definitely changed for each of them (and certainly be

Beta Ray Bill is on the cover of “Journey Into Mystery” #652, but his relative absence in the story isn’t a huge loss thanks to the stellar work of writer Kathryn Immonen and artist Valerio Schitti. Don’t read too much into that though, because while Beta Ray Bill does make an appearance, albeit late in the issue, he definitely makes his presence known once he arrives. This issue sets up Bill’s return to Earth and reunion with the Asgardians, but before it gets there, Immonen delivers a challenge that requires Sif to use her noggin instead of her blade. In place of the recap page, cover artist Jeff Dekal provides a graceful, stunning splash page that could serve as a poster or cover in its own right. Instead, it is delicately sprinkled with text that tells you everything you need to know before turning the page. Of course, Immonen’s story provides much more depth and wonderful characterization. Gaea of the All-Mother takes ill and Sif is tasked with making her well once more, or at t

The advent of Kathryn Immonen and Valerie Schiti on “Journey Into Mystery” also signaled a shift in focus to Sif. It is Sif’s shift to the background in this issue and guest artist Pepe Larraz that keep issue #651 from being as good as the rest of the run, but it’s hopefully a minor blip in an otherwise stellar “new” book. Immonen does a pretty good job of telling a satisfying one shot here, focusing on Fenris Wolf and Volstagg’s young daughter Hilde as a re-invented Little Red Riding Hood of sorts. The story is packed to the gills with side characters from Thor and Sif to Volstagg, Fandral, and Hogun, which, though fun, doesn’t leave a lot of room for anyone to shine. Unfortunately Sif as a lead is missed and that, combined with a confusing ending, makes the book the lesser of Immonen’s recent offerings. The lack of clarity at the end of this issue is a shared failing of both the writing and art, as either could have saved the story from confusion, but neither manage it. Larraz’s

Sif and her berserker variation of the Warriors Three — Einhar, Bodvar and Svip — are turned loose in New York City through the work of writer Kathryn Immonen and artist Valerio Schiti in the pages of “Journey Into Mystery” #649. The effects of their presence spreads throughout Midgard as a number of beasts from the Isle of Exile materialize or reawaken. Immonen provides wonderful smile-inducing entertaining scenes with characters from Marvel’s past such as Rorgg, Gomdulla, Emperor of Mars, Spragg, Goliath and Rro. The Rro scene is especially comical, adding more levity to a comic that is refreshingly amusing despite the astonishing amount of fighting with sharp weapons. Immonen uses the location of New York as an opportunity to include an appearance from the Superior Spider-Man, which the writer then spins into even more comedy as Rorgg, King of the Spider-Men, raises havoc while the Superior Spider-Man tries to determine the best measure for working with Sif. In addition to the wal

Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti’s “Journey Into Mystery” #648 continues to be an incredibly adept book that’s simply a joy to read. While this issue doesn’t feel hugely important in the grand scheme of things, it sets Sif up well for her continued adventures and is still hugely fun. Immonen’s Sif is bold and ballsy. She’s full of honor and can’t get enough action (the words piss and vinegar come to mind — but in the best possible way). She’s nearly impossible to resist, an almost accidental charm that’s in full effect in this issue. Whether she’s decapitating monsters or calmly telling a Bezerker not to touch her breast, she does it all with the same verve. In this issue Sif destroys one monster and then another, before meeting some new “friends.” There’s some limited and necessary backstory in this issue, but Immonen cuts it wisely short. She only gives readers what they need, keeping things simple, and not flashing out of the current time frame, instead just letting her characte

“Journey Into Mystery” #647 by Kathryn Immonen and Valerio Schiti, with colors by Jordie Bellaire and Asgardian lettering by Clayton Cowles, is one of those comic books that is just so damn good it makes you sit and reflect for a moment, taking stock of everything else you’ve read that day. Or week. Or month. Sif, to me, has always been a fancy supporting character, more prone to appear as Thor’s lover than partner, more apt to be relegated to assisting an adventure than leading one. Yes, that notion is squarely placed on my shoulders mostly for not reading more “Thor” comic books than I did as a youth, but back then Thor simply didn’t appeal to me. Of course, back then Thor and his supporting crew could barely support one title, let alone two or more. With the Marvel NOW! shuffle, “Journey Into Mystery” swapped Kid Loki out of the starring role and dropped in Sif. Unlike most other titles, this one retained its original numbering, hoping to keep longtime readers engaged while lurin