Wednesday Number Ones is a weekly feature here at Comic Pants. We take the books that are premiering a first issue from that week and give a quick opinion on them. From time to time we may also include more than issue number ones in this feature. If a noteworthy one-shot or the first issue of a new story arc is released, we may talk about it in this feature.

This week we will cover Awakening #1 of 10, Clockwork Girl #0, Inannas Tears #1 of 5, Iron & The Maiden #1, Killing Pickman #1 of 6, Metal Men #1 of 8, Outsiders Five Of A Kind Week 1: Nightwing Boomerang #1 of 5, Shanna She-Devil Survival Of The Fittest #1, Spider-man/Red Sonja #1, and Starkweather Immortal #0 of 4.

Nick Budd Read and Thought:

Outsiders Five Of A Kind Week 1
Writers: Nunzio Defilippis & Christina Weir
Artist: Freddie Williams II
Company: DC Comics

Have you heard that Batman is now running the Outsiders? What’s that, you want to be on the team? Well, to do that you have to do what everyone has to, try out. That in a quick nutshell is what the Outsiders Five Of A Kind miniseries is all about. This opening issue in particular throws together the superhero badass that is Nightwing and the slightly annoying “Kid” Captain Boomerang, and has them fighting the spawn of Chemo on a spaceship in deep orbit. There’s an old school sci-fi vibe that’s neat to see in the superhero scene, but yeah, the overall story isn’t really anything to write home about as most of the story centers on the feelings of the characters and puts the action, which could have been really worth while, on the back burner. Williams’ art is nice, similar to the Justice League cartoon, but it alone can’t save the book from the snoozer of a story that’s being told.

Metal Men #1
Writer/Artist: Duncan Rouleau
Company: DC Comics

I am stoked to see DC finally put out a Metal Men comic. They were used especially well during the recent hit series 52 and really, they’re a team whose concept and overall look are extremely cool. What’s even better is that this Metal Men comic is one that is damn good. Duncan Rouleau was the perfect choice for the job as he brings a set of sensibilities to the table that are all but lost these days. Being one of the creators of the hit kid’s television show Ben 10, Rouleau brings a sense of action and adventure, not to mention good old fashioned humor and a dash of science for the kids, that hits all the right notes in all the right places. The characters, whether they’re fighting huge monsters or attending a science fair, are all engaging. His Will Magnus in particular is perfect. Speaking of perfect, his art is gorgeous too. His sprawling action scenes and his intricate robot designs are all a treat for the eyes to devour. All in all, this is a jam-packed first issue that has something for everyone. Highly recommended.

Dave Farabee Read and Thought:

Spider-Man/Red Sonja #1
Writer: Michael Avon Oeming
Artist: Mel Rubi
Publisher: Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment

A harmless bit of fun, that’s what this miniseries is serving up so far. It’s a sequel of sorts to an old Red Sonja/Spider-Man team-up from Marvel. I never read that story, but I DID read the kick-ass Uncanny X-Men from the 80s where the new mini’s bad guy - ancient sorcerer Kulan Gath - showed up to turn Manhatten into a little slice of the Dark Ages. That was by Chris Claremont, who probably wrote the original Spidey/Sonja team-up too, and this seems to mostly follow in its footsteps: Kulan Gath…awake in modern times…New York getting medieval again. The twist, and this seems to relate to the original Spidey/Sonja adventure, is that there’s some sort of link between Red Sonja and Mary Jane, but until I know why it didn’t strike me as a particularly notable hook. The incidental writing’s passable, though, and the art’s good. For me, it falls far short of the menace Gath projected in that X-Men story, but if the concept intrigues, you might give it a look. Or just track down the X-Men story. It’s in Essential X-Men Vol. 5 and I will vouch for it.

Iron and the Maiden #1
Writer: Jason Rubin
Artist: Francis Manapul with Joel Gomez
Publisher: Aspen Comics

Hoo, not so good! Steeped in schticky writing and cliche, Iron and the Maiden imagines an alternate 1930s Earth with futuristic technology and a three-way power struggle between the government, the mob and the church. Why? Couldn’t say. Seems like these might’ve been arbitrary choices to let the artists draw mobsters and floaty gangster cars. In the end, it’s one more story about a badass hitman with a heart of gold. He gets betrayed by his own, gets his arm shot off so’s he can get a cool robot arm next ish, and will shortly have a hot chick partner (the woman whose family he tried to save). I can roll with cliche and world-building inanity if the incidental writing is good, but Iron and the Maiden is more on the Danger Girl level - trite and kitschy. There’s some criticism of institutionalized religion sort of sneaking through, but it shares time with lines like, “Bring me his balls. It’s time this bitch got a new pair of earrings.” So, yeah. The only readership I’d potentially recommend this to is hardcore fans of the Joe Madureira/Humberto Ramos school of bigfoot cartooning. It’s got their style and, uh, the coloring is real shiny-like.

Dan Grendell Read and Thought:

The Clockwork Girl #0
Writers: Sean O’Reilly and Kevin Hanna
Artist: Grant Bond
Publisher: Arcana Comics

I’m a little confused by this book. I’m really looking forward to what looks like a fun all ages title, starring a robot girl and a frankensteinien boy becoming friends despite the rivalry of their creators. This zero issue suffers from the same problems that most do, unfortunately, and focuses entirely on setting up the real story that will kick off in the first issue. We meet the two scientists and Huxley, the monster boy, but there is only a glimpse of the title character. Instead the focus is on the moments of her creation. The story and sketches here do a good job of priming interest in the series, but not much in the way of satisfying on their own. If you are already interested, you can skip it.

Killing Pickman #1 of 6
Writer: Jason Becker
Artist: Jon Rea
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

Jason Becker has an intriguing story of a demon-worshipping child killer who may be more than he seems here. It pulls you in right away and forces you to look even as you want to walk away, like a horrible accident. The real key to its draw, though, what ensures that a chill runs down your spine as you read, is Jon Rea’s painted art. Filled with sharp edges and harsh lines, it refuses to allow concessions- you are in fact seeing what you think you are seeing, and there’s no escaping it. The blues and grays sell a feeling of inescapable despair, and creative layouts make this seem more like a picture book in your mind than a comic. In short, it feels all too real, and that reality makes Killing Pickman a superior read.

Randy Lander Read and Thought:

Awakening #1 of 10
Writer: Nick Tapalansky
Artist: Alex Eckman-Lawn
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

Yes, it’s another zombie book, but when Archaia publishes something, I take notice. Tapalansky has an interesting take on the zombie invasion, starting not with the rapidly escalating apocalypse but with a small, key murder mystery and a federal agent sent in by a strangely interested Department of Defense. The vibe is more akin to 30 Days of Night than The Walking Dead. The art, by Eckman-Lawn, is also very much in that Ben Templesmith/Ashley Wood vein. It took me a while to warm up to both of those gents’ talents, and the same may be true of Eckman-Lawn, because my first reaction is that the storytelling is damn near impossible to follow. Tapalansky’s narrative captions make the story clear, but Eckman-Lawn’s art is generally too abstract for my taste. This is a slow start, and it’s hard to fairly judge the book without seeing a little bit more of where it’s going. I’m mildly intrigued by the story and mildly put off by the artwork, but there’s enough of interest to at least earn it a few issues’ grace period with me.

Shanna The She-Devil: Survival of the Fittest #1 of 4
Writers: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Artists: Khari Evans & Jimmy Palmiotti
Publisher: Marvel Comics

I have to admit, I had little interest going in, and didn’t really expect to enjoy this as much as I did. Shanna is essentially a modern pulp adventure, with pirates, gangsters, dinosaurs and a hot jungle babe who happens to be the perfect action hero for the setting. Palmiotti, Gray and Evans serve up a fast-paced raid on a cruise ship that turns into a stranding on a deserted island full of dinosaurs, and it’s got all the right hallmarks of Peter Jackson’s King Kong and any given James Cameron/John McTiernan movie, down the memorable if roughly sketched personalities that make up the good guy and bad guy crews. Evans art, with Palmiotti’s inks and colors by Paul Mounts and Christina Strain, is beautiful to look at and features strong storytelling and imaginative layouts at the same time. Plenty of action, lush backgrounds and a fast-paced story make for good, light, entertaining fare.

D3 (David Martindale) Read and Thought:

Starkweather Immortal #0 of 4
Writer: David Rodriguez
Artist: Patrick McEvoy
Publisher: Arcaia Studios Press

An interesting zero issue with a full size story and lots of extras, but I just couldn’t escape the feeling of boredom. I’m not saying it’s a bad book, but it certainly didn’t grab my attention. The art and writing were both competent, but both had serious flaws. The art has an appealing painty look, and the storytelling is tight. The perspective, anatomy, and characterization in the art were all just fine as well. Unfortunately, at no point was the art exciting even during action sequences. The biggest problems with the writing may not be the writer’s fault since he seems to be doing a pretty accurate adaptation to comics of the Piers Anthony short story, but the dialogue and the characters’ motivations all seem unconvincing and random at times. Oh, and “hell” and “yeah” are used on almost every page by the male protagonist… it gets annoying and repetitive. This appears to be Archaia’s first stumble. Worth a flip through.

Inanna’s Tears
Writer: Rob Vollmar
Artist: mpMann
Publisher: Archaia Studios Press

This one has some really nice looking art. Archaia continues to bring us smart, entertaining stories that may have never seen the light of day at other publishers, and as always, the production value is incredibly high. It’s an ancient Sumer-esque story of personal drama and political intrigue centering around the goddess Inanna, her priests and priestesses, and the enemies that envy her follower’s riches and power. This first issue does an excellent job introducing the reader to the fragile political situation and setting up the event that tips the scales. Just flip through it once, and you will buy it.