TOY STORY #1: The “first” issue of this ongoing delightfully follows up on the zero issue… However, a quick note before continuing: if you haven’t read the zero issue, go back and pick it up first. For some reason, rather than the usual zero issue which just functions as a simple intro/tease, in this case it really was the first issue of the series. This #1 picks up right where the last left off, and if you haven’t read it, you’re missing out. So! That bit of business out of the way, writer Jesse Blaze Snider continues to find fun, original ways to play with the Toy Story concept, essentially delivering what might as well be Toy Story 3. It’s fun, funny, and got a lot of heart. And while this second issue (yeah, I know, it’s confusing) is very much getting us from point A to point B, it’s a joy to read while we’re getting there… And the Point B promises delirious fun for the next (third? second?) issue.

KILL AUDIO #5: Who would have thought that physically representing the eternal battle between art, music, and commerce would look so insane? Well, probably anybody, and it’s certainly crazy to look at here. This series focuses on its own internal logic, letting the ideas and images flow together like the audio of its title, and it makes for a unique comic book reading experience. If anything, I’d put it somewhere in the same realm as Grant Morrison’s “The Painting Who Ate Paris” arc on Doom Patrol, though even less grounded than that. Like I said, it does have an internal logic at play, and though occasionally the panel flow is a little bit off in this issue (scenes crest or start in the middle of a page, or on the last panel), for the most part, it flows and sways like a good piece of music. It’s not for everybody (you’ll have to be very into surreality to enjoy this), but there’s also nothing else like it on the stands.

DINGO #3: I’ll be honest, I haven’t read the first two issues of this series, but if they’re as gleefully violent, creative, and propulsive as this one, I’ll definitely be going back and checking them out. The Sin City meets Greek Myth/Horror vibe is creative enough, but paired with Michael Alan Nelson’s pitch perfect noir narration it goes to a whole new level. I didn’t know these characters, but I felt every punch, understood exactly who they were at what they wanted, and how high the stakes were with no prior knowledge. Picking up the third issue of a series blind and coming out with everything clear, and as exciting as the author meant it is a true accomplishment. And Francesco Biagini’s art is the perfect compliment… His creature design, in particular, is unique and terrifying: there are at least two splash pages in here that mix action and horror to a degree I haven’t seen since Gabriel Rodriguez’s work on Locke & Key. Consider this added to my pull list.