THIS WEEK IN PANELS: March 7, 2012

THIS WEEK IN PANELS features the best in comic book panels each week. No criteria, no rhyme, no reason. Excelsior! (Click pictures to embiggen)

Swamp Thing #7 by Scott Snyder & Yanick Paquette; DC 2012

Snyder and crew absolutely killed it this week in Swamp Thing. Paquette's art here is the best we've ever seen, its beautiful and gruesome (that child's head on the Rot's abomination) and minutely detailed in all of the Green fauna: the sunflower in panel border bloom, Swampy's cabbage coccoon, the psychedelic haze, leaves, and distortion of the Rot borders. J.H. Williams III better come back from his break on Batwoman with a vengeance because Paquette's progressive page designs are giving him a serious run.

Oh, and did I mention Swampy? This is the issue we've all been waiting for. Although I could have posted any damn panel here there was only ever one. The beast is back.

Venom #14 by Rick Remender & Tony Moore; Marvel 2012

Venom's "Circle of Four" story arc finally comes to a close, paving the way for Venom's recruitment into the Secret Avengers which we already saw in SA #23. Marvel really needs to tighten up their chronology. This run was really fun, aside from the horrific "point" numbering system and the sometimes mismatch-y art and writing styles utilized to pump this story out in under two months. Moore's art suits the grimey, camp tone of the story perfectly and I love his take on several of Marvel's characters (especially Rulk and Capt. America) so let's hope to see more of him.

And is it just me, or did the Hulk/Venom/Ghost Rider Hellspawn seem to resemble... Spawn?

Action Comics #7 by Grant Morrison & Rags Morales; DC 2012

Morrison seems to want his cake and eat it too with Action Comics. On one hand we get the ape-shit meta-superhero time-shift craziness of the past two issues and the other, we get the pretty bland universe building semi-retread of the present Action timeline. This issue pumps a little comic book-y fun into it, though, with a classic "Save A or Save B" conundrum. Let's hope for more action like this, here on out. And please, no more Steel.

Uncanny X-Men #8 by Kieron Gillen & Greg Land; Marvel 2012

Namor gets down like a freaky Sea King in Uncanny X-Men, where its all unwives and happy endings. None of this makes any sense, I'm sure. Just read it.

Age of Apocalypse #1 by David Lapham & Roberto De La Torre; Marvel 2012

Marvel continues to kick it 90s nostalgic with a new title set in the Age of Apocalypse universe. Picking up after the events of Uncanny X-Force, Prophet and the X-Terminators hunt the Logan-pocalypse and run into an evil other-world version of Daredevil. De La Torre's art is gritty and great and its all surprisingly fun. I'll be sticking around this crazy, messed up world.

Hell Yeah #1 by Joe Keatinge & Andre Szymanowicz; Image 2012

Manhattan Projects #1 by Jonathan Hickman & Nick PItarra; Image 2012

Image launches a few new creator-owneds this week. Hell Yeah takes a new spin on the post-superhero reality made famous by Watchmen but more more resembles Pixar's Incredibles, that is, until the red red kroovy flows. Seriously, folks, its ultra-gory.

Eisner Award winner Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News) tells the untold story of the covert underground bunker experiments of the Manhattan Projects. In this issue we meet the sibling devouring Joseph Oppenheimer, Zen-powered Death Buddhists (!!!), and a mysterious Albert Einstein focused on what looks like 2001: A Space Oddyssey's HAL.

Totally hooked.

List'nin': The Men > Open Your Heart | BADBADNOTGOOD > BBNG & Rotten Decay Single