A lesson on being a badass at the end of the world with your professor, Frank Castle.
A comiXologist recommends:
Pax Romana
by: Mike Isenberg
“Who is this Jonathan Hickman guy, why haven’t I heard of him, and what else has he written?” – my reaction on first reading Pax Romana #1 back when it released in 2007.
Today, of course, anyone who follows comics knows the name Jonathan Hickman. Tapped by Marvel to helm some of their biggest series and major events (including the universe-shattering Secret Wars, which launches next week), Hickman has become something of a comic book superstar almost overnight. And for anyone who had a chance to check out his earlier work, such as Pax Romana, it’s come as no surprise at all.
In Pax Romana, the scientific research wing of the Catholic church discovers the secret of time travel technology. The church decides to use this gift to send a modern military force back to the year 312AD, in order to support Constantine The Great, and make all of history more Catholic.
The book focuses on the men and women chosen for the mission, the extremely high-stakes ambition of their cause (shaping and manipulating the development of humanity itself), and the conflicts and temptations they encounter among the way. The story is very smartly written, featuring a heavy emphasis on philosophy, ethics, and sociology, as the time-travelers debate amongst themselves over the righteousness of their path, and the duty they feel they owe to mankind.
Hickman’s art for the book is also quite stunning, with a consistent design sense permeating each page, and a narrative style that makes bold use of multimedia: besides the standard comic book scenes, the story is also told through the use of maps, timelines, scraps of data from Papal archives, and a handful of important conversations presented in the form of written transcripts.
In lesser hands, these transcripts might feel like lazy comic craft (“Is this just the script? Did you run out of time to draw it?”), but it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into when to use them, and for what sort of content; they break up the pacing in a way that is surprisingly refreshing, and give Hickman the space he needs to really get into the meat of the “Temporal Crusader” thought experiment that is Pax Romana without bogging down the overall story, which tends to move at an exciting, breakneck pace.
Pax Romana is smart, mature science fiction that makes masterful use of the comics medium and is incredibly difficult to put down. Highly recommended.
[Check out Pax Romana on comiXology]
Mike Isenberg is an Associate Production Coordinator at comiXology, co-writer of First Law Of Mad Science, and contributor to the New York Times bestselling FUBAR anthology series. He lives in Harlem with his cats, Tesla and Edison.
The Manhattan Projects #4 - Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra
Before we kick off day two of the #GeekStageGiveaway, how bout you check out this awesome Hickman Sale we’ve got going on. Includes East of West, Manhattan Projects, and more!
A comiXologist Recommends: The Dying and the Dead
Harris Smith recommends The Dying and the Dead #1
For nearly a decade, Jonathan Hickman has been creating some of the most challenging, esoteric and original science-fiction stories that comics have ever seen. Like the great Grant Morrison (and maybe just as great in his own right), Hickman bends and toys with the conventions of established genres while drawing upon a variety of influences, some pop cultural and others more academic, ranging from cultural theory to metaphysics. In creator owned titles, like The Nightly News, The Manhattan Projects and East of West, and mainstream comics like FF and SHIELD, he’s explored dystopias, westerns, time travel, alternate histories, media theory, cult behavior and many other Big Ideas. That said, Hickman is never dry or boring. His work bristles with energy, violent action and sardonic humor.
His latest is the Dying and the Dead, a creator-owned title from Image. The first issue establishes the threads of what promises to be a sprawling, epic mystery, featuring espionage, secret societies, conspiracies, clones, hidden cities and the suggestion of something otherworldly, all tempered with smaller, more emotional moments that give the characters some meaty pathos. The plot establishes both global and personal stakes for the main characters, meaning the stakes are high on every level. The main theme of the book seems to be about choices and paths taken, paths abandoned. One decision I can promise you won’t regret is reading the Dead and the Dying, it’s got just about anything you could ask for in a comic.
Read The Dying and the Dead #1 on comiXology
Harris Smith is a Brooklyn-based comics and media professional. In addition to his role as a Senior Production Coordinator at comiXology, he edits several comics anthologies, including Jeans and Felony Comics, under the banner of Negative Pleasure Publications. He’s also the host of the weekly radio show Neagtive Pleasure on Newtown Radio.
The final free issue of our #12daysofFreeComics is our staff-voted writer of the year Jonathan Hickman (pronea)!
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Mankind has argued over the existence of gods since the dawn of time. In modern eras it’s been fashionable to mock religious believers with taunts of scientific testimony and fact. But when the gods of old begin to reappear on earth and claim the domain of man for their own the world is thrown into a state of utter anarchy. Now Horus walks the streets of Egypt Zeus has taken over the Sistine Chapel and Odin is coordinating the dissection of the earth among the returned deities. Mankind held sway over the world for thousands of years and their hubris over that time has made them powerful but when faced with the divine can mortal weapons put an end to the second coming of the gods?
Get the first 15 issues of Jonathan Hickman’s (pronea) God Is Dead for 74% off with our limited time bundle.
Shane’s Picks of the Week (10/16/13)
- PICK OF THE WEEK: Hawkeye #13 - I couldn’t wait to read this before I made my picks so I read it and it’s great and bromazing and brobrobrobrobro. So glad it’s back. <3 u fraction.
- Six-Gun Gorilla #5 (of 6) - I don’t know what I’m going to do when this one ends, it’s been my sleeper hit of the year.
- Avengers #21 - I would be entirely okay if this issue is just 22 pages of people high-fiving Thor for his awesome display of radness in Infinity #4
- Sheltered #4 - It’s come to my attention that no one I know is reading this title and I on the other hand am sitting over here loving it. Can one of you check it out and talk to me about how neat it is?!
Shane is the social media dude at comiXology and still can’t feel his legs since NYCC2013
$@#%! Yeah Avatar Press!
Welcome to comiXology.
Click here to read the full Press Release
Click here to read 20 Avatar Press Comics that are just “Too Extreme For Mobile”
Shane’s Picks of the Week (9/25/13)
- PICK OF THE WEEK: Saga #14 - Because duh.
- East of West #6 - I only just started reading this when the trade came out the other week, and I really really dug it. It’s got western stuff, its got sci-fi stuff, its got apocalyptical stuff. So it’s got pretty much everything good.
- Rat Queens #1 - If you know me you’ve probably heard me talk about this book a bunch. I’ve been really excited for this for a while and not just because I enjoy girls who enjoy magic and adventure and drinking… but mostly because of that.
- Sex Criminals #1 - I actually already read this and I fell completely in love with it. If I made a wishlist of two things I would want in every comic ever it would be Vladimir Nabokov references and crudely drawn doodles of people having sex in various positions. It’s like Fraction read my dream journal or something…
- Deadpool vol. 4 #17 - This new arc, The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, is so freaking good. Seriously, go back two issues to #15 and pick it up because it’s incredible. Shalvey’s art is just spot on. Best Deadpool I’ve read in a long time.
Shane is the marketing assistant at comiXology and can’t wait to try out the Fleshy Lightswtich.
Shane’s Picks of the Week (9/11/13)
- PICK OF THE WEEK: TEOTFW - This is one of strangest graphic novels I’ve read in a while. Simplistic yet wholly engrossing and definitely unpredictable. Also, rumor has it that TEOTFW is in the process of being turned into a web series, so that’s pretty neat!
- East of West vol. 1: The Promise - I’ve been wanting to get into this series for so long, but I just haven’t had the time. Well that time is now! Very exciting. Hickman has been everywhere lately, eh?
- FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics #3 - The last issue ended with quite the twist, and I’m so stoked on the concept of alternate universes, that doesn’t have to do with time travel.
- X-Men #5 - Speaking of time travel! I’m kind of crazy about Battle of the Atom so far, and it’s probably because Jason Aaron had a large part in coming up with the event, and I sure do love anything Jason Aaron touches. Even if you’re not caught up with the whole X-Men universe, this event is a great place to jump in!
Shane is the marketing assistant at comiXology and is attempting to grow a glorious beard just like his hero Jason Aaron.
A one of a kind creator deserves a one of a kind sale. When Jonathan Hickman revealed the Secret Warriors to the world, the Marvel Universe was never the same again. When he opened the doors of the FF for the first time, something down right special happened. When he assembled the Avengers fresh for 2013, he didn’t just rebuilt the iconic team. He made it bigger and better than ever.
Today, all roads lead to Infinity, tomorrow… this sale ends! So you better grab these half-price issues while you can!
