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So this week provided some challenges. With comics, you never know what can happen when it comes to delays, so some books on previous lists are set to be released this week. That includes Deer Editor #1 and Damn Them All #12 which was my number one last week. So instead of just repeating what I said you can check out those past lists to see why I am looking forward to them.
With that said, let’s look at this week’s choices.
(Editor’s Note: Solicitations are provided by the Respected Publishers)
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #147
Writer: Sophie Campbell
Artist: Vincenzo Federici
Publisher: IDW
Solicitation: Armaggon’s intentions are revealed, and it’s worse than Donatello could have ever imagined… The very fabric of reality is at stake-and back in the present, Leonardo’s new protégé is on a path toward destruction! Can Donnie find a way to stave off Armaggon’s attack or is it time for the TMNT? The road to #150 continues here!
Why it Made the List: I have read many of the current IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles although I am far behind. With the news, this will be ending with issue #150 figure I would try to jump in here and see how things go. Now I am certain I will be a bit lost, but sometimes that can be a fun exercise. Plus when Jason Aaron takes over writing duties I should be in a better place. Considering these Teenagers are turning 40 years old this year I am trying to read as much TMNT as I can. If you are a Turtles fan and have not read any of this run I would advise changing that.
Writer: Greg Pak
Artist: Takeshi Miyazawa
Publisher: Boom Studios!
Solicitation: Stanford’s rage skyrockets at Olivia and Felix as the situation on Earth, also vulnerable to an imminent Sharg threat, worsens economically.
Rebellion in the name of helping others and rescuing Franklin and General Park is where Maya and Stanford make their stand. But Felix, in her fury, will do whatever it takes to defend Earth.
Why it Made the List: It’s a great time to be a fan of giant robots in comics. Of course, there is Transformers, Petrol Head, and also on that list is this Mech Cadets series. Similar to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles this was a series I fell off of for a while, but I was happy to get back to this book. After watching the Netflix series, which is quite good by the way, I needed to read more from this world. Takeshi Miyazawa can draw himself some great creatures and robots as well. Plus this is one of the few series I can also read with my kids. If you are a fan of things like Voltron you will find a lot to enjoy with this world.
Writer: Chip Zdarsky
Artist: Jacob Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: Who is Easton Newburn? The startling origin of New York’s most dangerous detective is finally revealed! But with all the cards on the table, is Emily still willing to back him?
Plus: The party enters the dragon’s lair in search of a score in “Loaded Dice” by Chase and Lelay.
Why it Made the List: When it comes to procedurals I am not a huge fan of them when it comes to television, but when it comes to comics I cannot get enough. When you read so many comics in a given week it is nice to have everything in front of you. It helps that you have a character as strong as Newburn. He works with the worst of the worst, which places him in some not-great situations. The enjoyment is seeing him find a way out. This issue is one I have been looking forward to as we get to learn more about what brought us to this place. Why did he go from cop to mob fixer? Looking forward to finding out.
7. Power Pack: Into the Storm #1
Writer: Louise Simonson
Artist: June Brigman
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power are super-hero siblings determined to do their part to protect the world despite their young age. The problem is that their parents don’t want them to have powers—and can’t know that they do. But when their friend Franklin Richards has a premonition of a galactic threat hurtling their way, the Power siblings will have to decide what kind of heroes they want to be—and what they’re willing to give up along the way. Original creators Louise Simonson and June Brigman return to explore an exciting new adventure from the early days of the POWER PACK!
Why it Made the List: Marvel has been doing a lot of these throwback series and I love that Power Pack is getting into the action. Especially when we get Louise Simonson and June Brigman coming back to the team they created. Louise Simonson has been doing a lot of work for Marvel as of late including the Jean Grey book last year which I quite enjoyed. Marvel has tried to make Power Pack work a couple of times in recent years but it simply has not stuck. Maybe bringing back the veterans will show the kids how it’s done.
Writer: Ollie Masters
Artist: Pierluigi Minotti
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Solicitation: After Roxanne and Luke found dysfunctional refuge from their flawed families together, it was one messed up sequence of events after another that brought them to Patti’s house, and the town on fire.
But speaking of a messed up past… Patti reveals her connections to the origin of the fire, and it’s not long before a mysterious set of headlights moves through the mist, coming to pay them a visit in Trier…
Why it Made the List: Ironically last issue things rather picked up for Slow Burn. With this being a five-issue series all this is happening at the right time. I went into this book excited because I enjoyed Ollie Masters’s series Snow Blind. Although this exists within the noir genre it is a much different story. Rather impressed with the range Masters is showing. Also, I have found the moody art of Pierluigi Minotti rather effective.
5. Nightfall Double Feature #4
Writer: Tim Daniel, David Andry, Daniel Kraus
Artist: Maan House, Chris Shehan
Publisher: Vault Comics
Solicitation: Cemeterians: Gargantuan bone monsters now terrorize the world, forcing Alan and Ivy to align with other splinter scientists in a desperate last-ditch attempt to stop the takeover. Only one hope remains: to broker a peace by entering death itself.
Denizen: Richard, Lily, and Bryan must find a way to free Helene and Maya from the dark force within the camper, but the solution requires an unimaginable sacrifice they may not be ready to make. Sometimes, the only cure is courage.
Why it Made the List: So I started this week’s list talking about books that ended up coming out later than expected. I am running a risk of placing this on this week’s list as this issue has been delayed for some time. To put it in perspective issue three came out in April of last year. Things happen though and delays are a part of life of comic book making. Plus good things are worth waiting for, and this series has been a joy thus far. It succeeds at having that late-night horror double-feature feel, yet original enough so we are not just getting new versions of old stories. Sixty-four pages for $8 is not a bad deal as well. Here’s hoping we get to pull a Cody Rhodes and finish the story this week.
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Ramón Rosanas
Publisher: ARTISTS WRITERS & ARTISANS INC
Solicitation: As eccentric tech billionaire Bob Schrunk publicly shows off his bizarre art gallery on an internet talk show, the prisoners in his “Rumpus Room” hatch one last plan to free themselves. Can Detective Hernandez lead them out of the endless, deadly cycle of voting on who will be the next to be crushed into Schrunk’s special skin cream?
Why it Made the List: Speaking of finishing the story Rumpus Room has its final issue this week. This has been some rather biting satire with some truly dark concepts. I have read a lot of Mark Russell and this may be his most disturbing series. This has also given me a newfound appreciation for the art of Ramón Rosanas. He has done a lot of work for Marvel but was not necessarily a style I noticed right away. He just seems sharper here, especially with his character work. Maybe getting away from the Marvel machine has allowed him to focus on the small details more.
3. Star Wars: Thrawn – Alliances #1
Writer: Timothy Zahn, Jody Houser
Artist: Pat Olliffe, Andrea Di Vito
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: RETURN TO THE SAGA OF THRAWN WITH THE COMIC-BOOK ADAPTATION OF THRAWN: ALLIANCES! Timothy Zahn teams with STAR WARS veteran Jody House to bring THRAWN: ALLIANCES to the pages of comic books! Watch as Andrea Di Vito & Pat Olliffe bring the action to life showcasing the tactical prowess of the galaxy’s most dangerous mind!
Why it Made the List: I have been meaning to reread Thrawn – Alliances for some time now, and now I can in comic book form. I would love brand-new Thrawn stories, but seeing one of the best-expanded universe books in a new medium is not something I am going to complain about. I am no Star Wars expert but even I know how great Timothy Zahn is telling Star Wars stories, and Thrawn is one of his best creations. Jody Houser did wonders with the last Thrawn adaptation and I’m sure the same will occur here.
Writer: Rick Remender, Joe Trohman, Andy Samberg
Artist: Roland Boschi, Moreno DiNisio
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: Levi Cohen’s return home is short-lived as he retreats to the rock he climbed from underneath. But sometimes the rock has different ideas. And I’m not talking about the movie star. What am I talking about? You’ll have to buy this comic to find out!
Why it Made the List: Rick Remender has returned to the world of superheroes and is acting as if he never left. Does this read like a movie script that never got made? Partially, but much of that is simply because this is a creative team that knows how to tell a story. There is more than just a concept here. There is character and purpose. When part of that purpose is hitting white supremacists with a bowling ball it is the right type of purpose.
Writers: Geoff John, Peter J. Tomasi, Ivan Reis, Francis Manapul, Bryan Hitch, Gary Frank, Jason Fabok
Artists: Ivan Reis, Francis Manapul, Bryan Hitch, Gary Frank, Jason Fabok, Lamont Magee
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: A GROUNDBREAKING NEW ERA FOR COMICS, CHARACTERS AND CREATORS LAUNCHES NOW! An all-new powerhouse, creative collective collides into comics with GHOST MACHINE’s 64-page special, introducing its all-new shared universe of strange, fun, exciting and action-packed characters: GEIGER! REDCOAT! ROOK! THE ROCKETFELLERS! AND MANY, MANY MORE! What ties Geiger, Redcoat, Widow X, and the other mysterious, historical heroes of The Unnamed together? Why is Rook the key to saving the war-torn world of Exodus? How will everyone’s soon-to-be-favorite family of the future adapt to a new life in the present?
Why it Made the List: There are comic books this week and then there is Ghost Machine which is perhaps the start of something special in the comic book world. The first of a few new imprints we will be seeing this year. Look at that creator list! A lot of talent has been brought together to make this new world work. Considering the history of Image comics another group of popular and talented creators should betting on themselves is fitting. Why shouldn’t they? They have all proven themselves time and time again. To steal a line from a famous franchise, “May the Odds be ever in their favor’.
