Expert Opinion: Jo Schmidt of Collector's Edge
Decider tracks down a comic-book guy and humbly asks for his recommendations
The Walking Dead
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Say what you want about snobs, but they always point you in the right direction. In Expert Opinion, Decider seeks out Milwaukee’s self-appointed tastemakers for recommendations in their chosen field of knowledge. This week, we go comics shopping with Jo Schmidt of Collector’s Edge for the best new titles.
The Walking Dead
For the novice: A comatose ex-cop awakens to a post-apocalyptic world overrun by zombies.
Jo Schmidt: Not only the best zombie book out, it's easily one of the best books out, period. It's a zombie movie that doesn't end. It's a cliché, but literally no one is safe in this book, not even the main characters. It's very smart and well-done. There are so many cliffhangers, every issue is shocking. The book has been out for five or six years, and it's built into something incredible. It's been an absolute wild ride. Issue 54 came recently, but I highly recommend picking up the trade paperbacks. It’s been absolutely incredible since the beginning.
X-Men: Magneto Testament
For the novice: This miniseries reveals the archvillain’s traumatic childhood as a Jew in Nazi Germany.
JS: It's basically an Auschwitz World War II story. It's not really an X-Men book; it's more like Maus. The rumored Magneto: Origins movie that's supposedly coming out? They should adapt this book. If more people were reading it, this book could easily go down as one of the best series in the past 10 years. Most people think it's just an offhand X-Men series, when it's really not. It's an incredible portrayal of Magneto as a teenager during World War II. It's brilliant.
Batman: Cacophony
For the novice: Writer-director Kevin Smith returns to comics for a three-issue Batman miniseries.
JS: Kevin Smith is back to comics, bringing back a semi-obscure villain called Onomatopoeia, and dealing with the Joker. Smith is writing it, so it's going to be big. The last time he wrote a miniseries (Spider-Man/Black Cat), it took him forever to get it done. He's turned in all three scripts already, so this one should actually be out on time—that's a plus for a Kevin Smith book.
I Kill Giants
For the novice: A young girl battles giants, bullies at school, and her own psychosis.
JS: The writer Joe Kelly is really well-known from his X-Men run in the '90s. He's a fan favorite from years ago. I Kill Giants is about an adolescent girl who believes that she is an offspring of a god, destined to kill giants. She wields her mighty hammer, given by the gods, to stop giants from destroying the Earth. Something has happened to her mom—she's raised by her sister—and she has personality disorders. She's crazy—she sees fairies, she sees these demons she needs to stop. At the same time, she has to stop bullies at school who think she's full of BS. It's a fantastic series, really out-of-nowhere. Not only does the art fit the story, it enhances the story.
