Staff Picks of the Week – February 10th, 2017

Staff Picks of the Week – February 10th, 2017

It’s Friday! I’m preparing the Staff Picks of the Week as I sit here and watch 50 Shades of Riverdale. Seriously, Betty is wearing a black wig pouring maple syrup on a guy handcuffed inside a hot tub! Riverdale is an interesting show to say the least! Anyway, let me break down how the Staff Picks of the Week works!  Each week a select few of our staff share with you what has been keeping them entertained. But first, let me share with you guys what has been going on at Rogues Portal this week.  Check out our comic book reviews for Paper Girls #11, Rat Queens #1, Batman Detective Comics Vol. 1: Rise of the Batmen, Motor Crush #3, and Angel City #5, plus our own Sunny and Owl Girl! Also make sure to check out Stephanie Pouliotte’s interview with the creative team behind Image’s Glitterbomb, Jim Zub and Djibril Morissette-Phan! This week in TV and movies we review the second episode of Riverdale, The Take on blu-ray, and take a trip to the theater to review A Cure for Wellness. Stephanie Cooke has her latest entry into her Know Her Name series. This week Stephanie takes a look at the works of Raina Telgemeier, Cat Staggs, and more! The latest episodes of Comicsbound, Scooby Dos or Scooby Don’ts, and The Comics Agenda are out, give them a listen! Put your feet up and make yourself at home, it is time for the Staff Picks of the Week!

John’s Pick of the Week –  There are two movies I’m hotly anticipating this week–The LEGO Batman Movie and John Wick Chapter 2. While I’m fairly confident that I can recommend either one sight unseen, I’m going to go with the one I’ve actually seen already and that’s John Wick Chapter 2. To put it simply:  if you liked what the first movie brought to the action film genre, this one is going to be just as enjoyable, in so far as a lot of people being killed at point-blank range with gunshots can be “enjoyable.” This is a heavily violent film, but one that carries a certain degree of realism that’s missing from most shoot-em-up action movies. One of the most interesting aspects of John Wick was the network of assassins present throughout that first film; the sequel expands on that notion by introducing even more intriguing elements. It’s maybe not the best movie to see if you’re looking for something whimsical to get your mind away from the current state of the world, but if you want to be flat-out entertained this weekend, go see John Wick Chapter 2.

Christoph’s Pick of the Week –  My pick of the week is the DC comic run, Injustice: Gods Among Us. I know, I know, I am probably four years late to the party. But, better late than never. Along with the first Injustice console game, the comic gives the reader a  detailed description of how Superman rules with an iron fist. If you want a great story where the author doesn’t have to think about any continuity and is just having some fun with our beloved heroes and villains, this is your story. The most surprising part was how flawless and plausible the actions of our heroes are. It’s not just a story to put hero against hero, Brian Buccellato and Tom Taylor are paying attention to the details. Take Batman for example. You would expect him to lose in a fight against Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Cyborg and a few others. But he IS the greatest detective and comes up with some pretty bold moves to always be a few steps ahead (most of the time at least). And just to be clear, if a character dies, he or she stays dead. There are no second chances in Injustice. It’s tragic, honest, uncompromising and sometimes hard to read, but in the end, it’s worth it. But it’s not just the story, the artwork is fantastic as well. The action easily flows from panel to panel and even if there are dozens of characters involved in an epic battle of the gods, you don’t get lost. I read through every single issue and the story clearly profits from several binge-reading sessions. In a few months the second iteration of the Injustice hits the stands and I am eager to see, how the story continues. In addition to that, we get another Injustice game as well. So, what are you waiting for? Read the first five years of Injustice and get sucked into a world, where no one is safe. Where everything is possible. And where the mightiest of heroes crumble against the power of Zeus…

Josh’s Pick of the Week – My pick of the week is CW’s The Flash! I may be a little bias since he is my favorite superhero, but the show has really been picking up, especially with Wally and Iris’s story lines. The show is almost everything you could ask for out of a superhero TV show; from colorful costumes to outlandish beings to time travel and a multiverse. The show does well sticking to the tone of the character while making many of their own creative choices. The show is fun and full of life, you can really tell the cast and crew really put their all into this series and it pays off massively. The direction the show is going in right now has me pumped for whatever comes next. The first two seasons are on Netflix already so if you haven’t been watching, now is your chance to fix that!

Heather’s Pick of the Week –  Do you like anthologies? Do you like comics created by women? Then you should definitely consider picking up my staff pick this week! Graham Crackers Comics, a chain of 9 locations throughout Illinois, hosts a monthly Ladies’ Night. These amazing ladies do more than just discuss comics or their latest projects. My pick is their newly released  fourth volume of collected works entitled, Eat it Up. This volume contains short comics from 25 female creators and an adorable cover by Jenn St-Onge (Jem: The Misfits, Finding Molly). The comics range from topics on love, ethnicity, sexual orientation with the underlying theme of something that unites us all no matter what: food!  Let this anthology interest you for no other reason than it contains a comic about a lab octopus with a love of Swedish fish. If you need another reason, there is also a comic about tea people. Yes – people made out of tea.  Eat it Up is deep when it needs to be, but has that charming levity you would expect from comics centered around yummy things to nom on. Ladies Night Anthology: Eat it Up can be found here.

Stephanie Pouliotte’s Pick of the Week – Birthright has been around since 2014, but it wasn’t really on my radar (though I have no idea why, it’s really good). I received the first volume as a birthday gift a little over two weeks ago, and by the last page I was completely hooked. I blazed through the next three volumes so I could be caught up for the release of Birthright #22 this week, and it’s been a dizzying and wild ride. Written by Joshua Williamson (Ghosted, Nailbiter) with epic artwork by Andrey Bressan, this original series turns fantasy into reality as a young boy, Mikey Rhodes, is pulled into the realm of Terrenos to fulfill his destiny as the saviour who would finally defeat the evil God King Lore. On Earth, his family is torn apart by his disappearance, but no one is prepared for Mikey’s return a year later, as a fully grown man and self-proclaimed hero of Terrenos. Mikey’s father and brother are dragged into helping him complete his mission on Earth, to hunt down the war criminals who fled to Earth after Lore’s defeat. However, there’s more to Mikey than his birthright foretold. He never killed the God King, he is enslaved to him. This darker take on the traditional hero’s journey makes for a thrilling read. I don’t want to say anything else, it’s a magical story. Go read it!