By John Seven

Air  Vol. 2: Flying Machine by G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker (Vertigo)

Just about the most accessible mainstream comic around, Air follows the adventures of stewardess Blythe as she is swept into a world of international conspiracy involving terrorism, Aztecs, Amelia Earhart, and Information Theory. It’s all blended agreeably into some comic book fun — nothing pretentious here and it’s all the better for it. If you’ve ever felt that comics can get away with more than television or movies, then this is the book for you. Wilson does wonders at seamlessly mixing up the corny and the esoteric into something original and exciting.

Ball Peen Hammer by Adam Rapp and George O’Connor (First Second Books)

Ball Peen Hammer moves from the dark allure of post-apocalyptic science fiction into an unrelentingly grim realm populated by unexpectedly noble characters. The stereotypes are turned inside out, victims of their own personal failures, as humans face a monumental and deadly challenge — and at the center is the sad and too easy decision to exploit children and in the process not only kill hope but create heaps that stand as sad reminders of moral failure. As depressing as it sounds, that’s what makes it worth recommending.

Breathers 0-4
(Just Mad Books)

If you want to read the best science fiction comic around, don’t look in any of the obvious places — Breathers is a self-published work by Wisconsin resident Justin Madson that concerns a gritty world of tomorrow that isn’t so far removed from today. In Madson’s scenario, the air we breathe has been infected with a virus for the last 40 years and people use stylish respiratory masks called “breathers” to stay alive. Madson weaves the tales of several people together in a series of shorter entries that create a wider tapestry of this future. Some are concerned with their own problems wrought from the situation, while others grapple with larger one — is the virus even real? Check it out at justmadbooks.com.

Little Mouse Gets Ready by Jeff Smith (Toon Books)

If you’ve never considered that a children’s book about a mouse getting dressed would charm you into giddy happiness, you might want to pick this up. Combining the sweetness of old style Golden Books with a modern twist of a punchline, Smith has crafted a fun and funny little sequential picture book here — and Toon Books never disappoints, anyhow.

Wet Moon Vol. 5 by Ross Campbell (Oni Press)

Campbell’s ongoing series of graphic novels follows a loose group of industrial-goth art school students in a mysterious Southern swamp town. Based on his own experiences at the Savannah College of Art and Design, Campbell weaves a network of gossip, doubt, and confessions that creates a mystique of experience in those transition years between high school and adulthood. Campbell shows an uncanny respect and sympathy for every character who enters the story, which keeps it down to earth even as the strange feeling in the air begins to wrap mystery around the story in ways you can’t quite put your finger on.

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