Seems like this is said a lot, but it’s a great time to be a comic book reader. There’s no shortage of quality books from week to week — this week was something else, though. Coming up with this week’s must-read comic was as challenging as ever. Ultimately, the top issue went to the last one I read for the week, AWA’s Hit Me #1.
AWA Studios
Written by: Christa Faust
Art by: Priscilla Petraites
Colors by: Marco Lesko
Letters by: Andworld Design
As much as Christa Faust’s writing left me wanting more after the first issue of this five-part story, Priscilla Petraites and Marco Lesko were the ones who got me to lock in on the first page. Petraites has an edgy style that fits the story’s main character, Lulu, so well. But in that first page, Lesko’s work on the bruises are the ones that stuck with me. Color work is important in any comic, but it’s not often that aspect of a book impacts me the way it did in Hit Me #1.
Given the story Faust wrote, Lesko’s work is immensely crucial to this story. Petraites makes sure readers all know Lulu is a badass, but Lesko reminds them how she came to be so tough.
As good as the art was, Hit Me #1 gets top billing this week because it’s a story unlike any other in comics. That’s AWA’s M.O. — tell new stories — which is why you always have to consider giving their first issues a look week-to-week.
And I was won over by Faust’s story even before reading her letter in the back. Naturally, the note only enhanced my feeling about Hit Me #1. If you’re looking for something new with a badass female character at the center of things, pick this up at your local comic shop.
Hon Men: Seven Secrets #15, Punisher #1, King of Spies #4, X Deaths of Wolverine #4, Sweet Paprika #8, Little Monsters #1
Looking for more comic book content? Go check out the latest episode of Geeks WorldWide Radio‘s TLDR podcast, where Joseph Gilmore and Nick Friar discuss comics weekly and talk to creators from the industry — available on SoundCloud, Apple Podcasts and Spotify! And if you want to learn more about AWA Studios specifically, be sure to listen to TLDR‘s interview with AWA’s Chief Creative Officer, Axel Alonso — where he also talked about his time with Vertigo and Marvel Comics.