The most brilliant part of Daomu is definitely the art. The art team was led by Ken Chou, the creative director of James Zhangs Concept Art House, whose name you might recognize from their work with the World of Warcraft and Magic the Gathering franchises. Every panel is incredibly detailed, to the point of creating a cinematic effect. It would be easy to translate this book into an animated series or film without having to change the style.

Being an academic nerd, one of my favorite parts of this issue (and apparently every issue to come) is that there is an essay at the end of the comic. In this months issue, the essay is In a Feminist Mirror, Darkly: Reflections On Cultural Misconceptions of Feminism. It may sound like a bore, but its a quick read that helps give context to a lot of the issues the comic is trying to get at, but at far less exaggerated degree.

Jamie McKelvie continually delivers fantastic art, and this issue is no exception. The Tron inspired costumes Woden and the Valkyrie wear are really cool, and the scenes in the convention space portray the busy, claustrophobia of conventions well. The only page I didnt really enjoy was the page with Laura and Baphomet taking the stairs into the Underground. Theres a lot of black space and even though Laura states she wouldnt be able to find her way back up the stairs, I dont think this layout shows that. Matthew Wilson's coloring is maybe one of the biggest draws of this series. The colors on every page pop, and this issue is no exception.

Tess Fowler does a phenomenal job in this issue. She draws Braga with a really gentle face that reflects her peaceful leanings and sets her apart from the other orcs. That doesnt stop her from kicking ass, though, or from being incredibly sexy in the beginning and end of the issue. Fowler and Wiebe tackle transgender stereotypes by making it clear that now, to the reader and to other characters in the story, Braga is a woman, and shes a desirable woman, too.

Naifehs art paired with Wucinichs coloring is phenomenal, and it has been consistently awesome from the start. The action scenes in this issue are awesome, especially the panels where you can see the fire in lgas eyes as she is fighting. The more she fights and becomes comfortable in her own skin, the closer she comes to truly accepting herself, and Naifeh makes sure you can see it in her facial expressions as well as in her dialogue.

Adrian Alphonas art in this issue is solid. His action scenes are good, but he really shines in close-ups of characters. There were also a couple of visual jokes sprinkled through the issue, which was fun and fits in well with Wilsons writing.

Andrei Bressans art is great in this issue, and the way his style flexes between Terrenos and Earth is flawless. There is realism and darkness on Earth, and Terrenos is alien and vast, with strange clothing and strange creatures. Bressans linework is bold and sharp, and in combination with Adriano Lucas coloring, it sets the mood for both lands perfectly.

There is one negative thing about this comic, and its that I cant stand the artists facial renderings. Christopher Mittens has clean, sharp lines and there is a ton of detail in his work, but the faces lack depth and character. Its hard to tell who characters are from one page to the next, with Cal McDonald being the exception. I want to like the style, with the colors all dark and muted and line work a little wild, but the lack of detail in the characters faces really kills it for me.

The art in Oddly Normal has come a long way from its origins. Framptons drawings from the original web comic were very cartoony, complete with oversized feet. Now, Oddly Normal is a lot more stylized, though it maintains a sort of cartoon, all-ages aesthetic. Framptons drawings are detailed, and Oddly stands out in most of the pages, as shes a little bit more colorful than everything going on around her.

The art in this book is pretty much exactly what youd expect from a zombie comic: its dark, lines are thick and sketch-like, and theres a gritty quality to it. I am not familiar with the other 68 Zombie comics, but I assume the art and story here are consistent with the rest of the series, because Kyle Charles has the zombie art style down pat.

While each comic has an entirely different artist, the styles are so similar (and maybe even limited because of the technology of the time) that they fit together pretty seamlessly.

The best part of Tech Jacket is the art. Keatinge constructs an entertaining story, and Khary Randolph takes it above and beyond with the art. The armor is cool, the ships are cool, the aliens look nuts: its everything you want from a sci-fi comic. The anime style he employs does not get old, and its clear that Randolph is drawing inspiration from anime classics like Akira. The vivid color palette used by Dave McCaig makes the whole story pop.

Shanower has included many elements of McCays original comic, from the bed moving on a track to it being turned into an elevator of sorts, much like how the original comic has Nemo riding his bed through town while it walked on elongated legs. At the same time, Shanower has created many of his own elements. The worlds James Nemo and Bon-Bon encounter on their way to Slumberland are unique and spectacular, definitely the stuff of dreams. Shanower has also made a point to include the fact that James Nemo Summerton is not the original Nemo, but there is a chance the two are related.

The dialogue in this issue gets a little weird and is definitely for mature audiences, I was a little surprised that the Morrigan has a much dirtier and violent mouth than Baphomet. Its a little silly, but I suppose it fits the Underworld.

The other aspect that lends to the comic a youthful feel is the art. The lines in this comic are heavy and it definitely looks cartoon-ish and animated. Betsy Gonia uses a lot of incredibly bright (in my opinion, rather obnoxious) colors, like lime greens and royal blues. The colors stand out, thats for sure. The issue is split into two chapters, and there is a different artist for each one. The sixth chapter was drawn by Tina Valentino, and there seems to be a lot of unnecessary line work happening. It makes the pages really busy and the action a little confusing.

The dialogue in this comic is always so great. Even if there have been some missteps in some of the characterizations, the dialogue has always made me laugh. Something about princesses saying Burned! and Oh snap! just tickles me. The humor becomes a little more situational in the second half of this issue, with Princess lga and Lady Julifer getting their butts kicked by Julifers unicorn. Moments like these start to move Julifer beyond the stereotype of a shallow, vapid girl and into the realm of real character. Its becoming apparent that many characters are getting tired of Julifers constant judgment and overwhelming fakeness.

This comic doesnt look like a lot of other comics on the market. Greg Tocchinis art is entirely unique, and his bold color choices (mostly green, orange, and red) really jump off the page. The whole issue is gorgeous, but the first few pages really stand out they are intimate, and the holographic galaxy that Stel is looking at creates a really cool effect in the way its drawn over their bodies.

Jacob Wyatt did a great job of picking up on Adrian Alphona left off in the art. Its a seamless transition between artists, and he still captures Kamala Khans essence. He does draw her without irises in a lot of the panels with her mask on, but it mirrors Wolverines face, so I was almost wondering if it was just a physical reaction from Kamala being so excited to meet him.

She is confronted by the Generals wife and proceeds to fight her in an action scene that is mostly cleavage with a side of violence. After she kills the Generals wife with the ax and flees with the soldier, they end up kissing before she runs off, putting on the Zorro mask. Yep, the soldier she absolutely hated and wanted nothing to do with in the beginning of the issue is suddenly making out with her, and its made to be totally okay.

Wiebe does a fantastic job balancing and connecting plot points. Dees religious doubt and feelings for her home and family become more than just personal obstacles she needs to overcome. Her and her husbands knowledge of the artifacts and glyphs that Gerrig has stolen will be pivotal to saving Palisade in the coming issues. From the brief inclusions of Violets brother and Hannah and Tizzies constant bickering, I think its pretty obvious that Wiebe has plans involving each girls history and relating their personal struggles to real, monstrous threats in the future. This is definitely a well-thought out story.

Keatinge also moves the plot forward more than some introductory issues do: weve already been introduced to a mysterious villain, Mr. Crowe, who is building a mecha army, and Zachs Geldarian girlfriend is already in danger off on Mercury. The plot is simple and it builds off of a lot of well-established tropes, the villain with the super army and the damsel in distress, but its appealing and well-paced.Randolphs art in this issue is really great. Its consistent with the art in the Invincible universe, but Randolph makes Tech Jacket his own, combining the Invincible style with the sort of style you might see in a mech manga or anime show. The colorist, David McCaig, does an absolutely phenomenal job. The colors are rich and vibrant, and they do a great job of establishing the setting by using warm, orange tones for scenes on earth and brilliant blues and greens for the space scenes.

All of the stories are intended to seem absurd and the humor in these issues is supposed to lie in the fact that things have changed so much since then. I certainly got some chuckles out of some of the dialogue, especially in the third story Slave to Despair, about a stand-up girl who is lured into the dangerous world of narcotics use and ends up in an institution. Bosco Plays Matchmaker is definitely a stand-out. Bosco is a bear in the Brooklyn Zoo and he brings two lonely New Yorkers together, despite their initial distaste for each other.

Overall, I think we have a lot to look forward to in this comic, and I am very excited to see where this series goes. The nine years Higgins has put in to developing this story and these characters is bound to pay off, and this is a good intro to the sort of action, corruption, and subversion that a superhero labor union 1960s Chicago has to offer.

Trees #1 definitely leaves the reader with a lot more questions than answers, and I am definitely looking forward to seeing where Ellis and Howard take this one.