Share this
Looking at this week’s books it is like creating the Ultimate Saturday Morning Cartoon lineup. As someone who is nearing forty not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. I guess it’s a cheap way to try and stay young, but most importantly they are just good comics. So with that let’s take a look at this week’s list.
(Editor’s Note: Solicitations are provided by the Respected Publishers)
Writer: Saladin Ahmed
Artist: MartÃn Cóccolo
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: THE LEGEND BEGINS ANEW IN THE ADAMANTIUM-TOUGH NEW ONGOING SERIES! There’s a killer in the woods — and as WOLVERINE’s attempt at piece is shattered, an OLD ENEMY will re-emerge as a NEW VILLAIN rises who will bring LOGAN to the brink of his berserker rage. But NIGHTCRAWLER knows his old friend is capable of doing what’s right, and before long, Logan will have to unleash his claws, push his healing factor to the limit and demonstrate he’s the best there is at what he does once and for all — nice be damned! The legendary WOLVERINE ongoing series kicks off anew with the superstar creative team of Saladin Ahmed (DAREDEVIL, MAGNIFICENT MS. MARVEL) and MartÃn Cóccolo (DEADPOOL, IMMORTAL THOR) beginning their epic journey with Logan! Collector’s Note: A key FIRST APPEARANCE and a major addition to the lore of Wolverine in this issue!
Why it Made the List: Did we not just have a Wolverine #1? We did but unlike that series, this is going to take place in the proper Marvel Comic book universe. Saladin Ahmed has been all over the Marvel universe including currently writing Daredevil which I feel is an unsung series as of late. Now he is getting a chance to write one of Marvel’s all-time heroes. What really got me interested in this was the preview art of MartÃn Cóccolo as it looks amazing. Also seeing Nightcrawler is playing a part in this story grabs my interest because his relationship with Wolverine is always a good time. Some may take issue with another Wolverine series coming out so soon but I am happy to live in a world where we have two good Wolverine comics simultaneously.Â
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artist: Raül Fernández
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Solicitation: In the penultimate issue of the mind-bending noir murder mystery, the hunt for Will Profane’s author’s killer comes to a head. And with the Red Glove determined to work finally beating Profane into his new, authorless destiny, will Profane make it out on top once again, or finally meet his match?
Why it Made the List: When the first issue of Profane came out I was not fully sure about it. I wondered if its concept was a situation where the snake was eating its own tale a bit too much. Breaking the fourth wall can be a good time but sometimes it can undercut its own drama. It is important to recognize when you are wrong and that was the case here as this idea had far more layers than I realized. This became a story where fiction and reality merged as characters from a series of crime novels came to the universe where they were created. As a huge noir fan, I love what this series is doing with that genre leaning into its tropes and using that to tell its story. Seeming far too on the nose at first but then shifted the narrative to make it more complex than it first seemed. Raül Fernández’s style has worked well for this style of story as well. The more this series progresses the better it has become.Â
Writer: Stephanie Phillips
Artist: Goran Sudžuka
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Solicitation: A PTSD flashback brings Val back to prison, with an intimate look into her character and origins before Florida.
Meanwhile in the present, Leo is in her crosshairs, but the operation will have to be carried out at a place with far too much collateral present…
Why it Made the List: I was excited about this first issue because I was hoping it would bring back a similar feeling to classic Vertigo. That’s a high bar to hit but even if you can get close it’s a good sign. So how’d it do? The first issue was at least a good sign of setting up a story with characters that are easy to invest in and a conflict with great potential. I am just a fan when we get a story focused on human drama that does not force some sort of supernatural element. At least that appears to be the case as the main character appears to be suffering from PTSD causing some sort of visions. Perhaps there is something more than it appears and if it is done well I can live with it. Goran Sudžuka is an industry veteran and showed that with the first issue with quality storytelling with a focus on character. Have a lot of faith in what is being built here.
Writer: Chip Zdarsky, David Brothers
Artist: Marcus To,
Publisher: DSTLRY
Solicitation: Join Chip Zdarsky, David Brothers, and Marcus To for a sci-fi adventure that defies expectation and time itself! Meet Blue, a man trapped in the past, which is our present. Sent back in time for a mission he could not bring himself to complete, the former soldier Blue builds a life with Grace, the Sheriff of a small rural town. The pair build a foundation of happiness on a history of bloodshed, as far away from the trigger-happy corporate overlords that used Blue as a human gun. After ten years together, Blue and Grace are on the cusp of taking the next step in their relationship: adoption. Before Grace can fully convince Blue to expand their family, the future comes calling. The overlords want their first deserter and to complete the mission Blue could not. They have one simple rule: kill anyone who stands in their way. The first of four miniseries by Chip Zdarsky from DSTLRY! Every issue from DSTLRY is presented in our perfect bound Prestige format, featuring wraparound covers with spot gloss on robust cover stock, complemented by 48 pages of exquisite interior stock. It’s the DSTLRY
Why it Made the List: This may sound like an odd comparison but DSTLRY feels like an Olympic Team. Like an Olympic team, they get the best talent from across the industry to put together their books. Here we are getting Chip Zdarsky, David Brothers, and Marcus To all on the same book. Now, great talent does not equate to a great book but it is a good start. The next part is the concept I am a big fan of Time Travel stories, and for some reason, they can work well in the comic book format. I think back to the scene in Looper with the ‘Let’s not do diagrams with straws’ because Time Travel stories can get lost within their design. I have faith that these creators won’t get lost in the weeds. Also having the larger and longer format should help a great deal with telling this story.Â
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Publisher: Dynamite
Solicitation: In this action-packed issue, Space Ghost, Jan, Jace, and Blip face the horror that is Zorak and the Cult of Lokar! With Zorak seizing the upper hand, the Guardian of the Spaceways is faced with an impossible battle — one whose shocking ending will leave a permanent mark on everyone involved!
Why it Made the List: There was a time and place when I would avoid Licensed Comics. Mostly because every time I tried them they were awful and clearly just made to try to cash in on fans of the source material. Not sure what happened but that appears to be changing. Maybe I just chose wrong in the past but now as this list attests there are plenty of those books worthy of your time. I was never a Space Ghost fan (Outside of the Cartoon Network Show) but as a fan of David Pepose’s work, I checked this out and have been impressed with what he and Jonathan Lau have done with this series. Slowly building this universe and making Space Ghost into quite the character. The balance is incredible. It takes itself seriously, but not too seriously to avoid coming off as overtly mature. At the same time, it is packed with great space adventure but does not come off as too goofy to undercut its tension. So if you were like me in the past and skipped over Licensed books maybe allow this series to change that.
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Cory Smith
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Solicitation: RETURN TO AVENGERS MANSION! When vampires attacked, a ragtag group of volunteer Avengers changed the tide of battle. And in the aftermath, Captain America has formed the Avengers Emergency Response Squad! Steve’s handpicked team of veterans and newcomers live and train in Avengers Mansion, and when Captain America sounds the mission horn, whoever’s on base has seconds to pack up and deploy. When the Red Skull’s daughter discovers a dangerous artifact, Cap, Wasp, Photon and Shang-Chi set out to stop her – while Hawkeye hosts a poker game for the late arrivals. Will the AVENG.E.R.S. pass their first real test? And did someone say… jackets? Spinning out of Jed MacKay’s AVENGERS, comics powerhouses Steve Orlando (SCARLET WITCH, SPIDER-MAN 2099) and Cory Smith (WOLVERINE, GHOST RIDER) join forces to expand the world of the Avengers!
Why it Made the List: One of the best things about Blood Hunt was the Avengers tie-ins where Steve Rogers put together a ragtag group of Avengers. It felt like an Avengers story we have not gotten since the Post-Avengers Dissembled era. So when I saw this series get announced I was hoping it to could capture a similar tone. Seeing they are bringing back the Avengers jackets along with the Avengers Mansion gives me hope. Now you can certainly see the movie influence with the number of MCU characters that have movies and Disney Plus shows currently making the team, but at the same time appear to be some others filling out the roster as well. I do not blame them because it is smart business sense and if they can find a good balance of old and new maybe this could be something special.Â
Writer: Skottie Young
Artist: Jorge Corona
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: Ryder challenges Death and it accepts, but is she ready to lose what’s at stake if her aim is not steady and true? Will the life she’s led inform the death she wants… or deserves?
Why it Made the List: All good things come to an end. This is the last issue of this series and I am extremely curious how they are going to end this. Will Ryder get her redemption? Will she see her family again? This series has worked well to get me invested in the answers to those questions. Issue number four was mostly a silent issue where Jorge Corona showed how much his storytelling evolved. Do not think he gets enough credit for being one of today’s best artists, especially considering this will not be the only comic he is on for this week. We do not get a lot of Western comics so was happy to see this creative team work within that genre. Rather impressed with the range this creative team has shown every time they have done a comic book together.Â
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Carlos Gómez
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: When an excursion to Latveria magically sends the Fantastic Four to an alien world, they have to work just to survive — and to make their way back to Earth! But that won’t be easy on a world so unlike our own and with an alien civilization hundreds of years behind where we are… and it’s not made any easier when JOHNNY STORM hooks up with one of the aliens there! And that’s BEFORE this world’s terrible secret is revealed… and billions of lives depend on what the Fantastic Four decide next! The Fantastic Four go cosmic in this extra-large spectacular!
Why it Made the List: Marvel’s best current comic is starting a new arc. The best thing about that is the last arc was only two issues as it keeps the story moving. The Fantastic Four is a family focused on adventure and this run has remembered that. Every time you pick up an issue you are never sure the direction it will go. One issue will be them going to a dimension where everyone is a dinosaur and another will have them stopping a potential alien invasion. It’s a comic that loves being a comic. One downside is that this marks the end of Alex Ross’s Covers for this run. No disrespect to Joshua Cassara as this is not a bad cover, I just love the consistency we were getting and Alex Ross’s style fits the Fantastic Four so well. At the end of the day though what’s inside is the most important part. That’s true for people and comics.Â
2. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
Publisher: IDW
Solicitation: Michelangelo is living in Tokyo, where he’s become a big TV star. It’s a pretty cool life, full of fame and fortune, but if he’s being honest, Mikey misses his brothers and the sense of purpose they had together. Well, in a classic case of “be careful what you wish for,” that old life looks like it’s coming to find him when ninjas show up in his apartment armed to the teeth!
Continuing the all-new ongoing series from writer Jason Aaron (Action Comics, Thor), this time joined by Detective Comics and American Vampire artist Rafael Albuquerque, this spotlight story on everyone’s favorite jokester puts the second piece of the puzzle together for the future of TMNT.
Why it Made the List: I really enjoyed Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 last month. Being able to focus on one Turtle with tremendous art by Joelle Jones as Raphael is stuck in jail, or at least appears to be stuck. Now we get a new Turtle and a new artist. Rafael Albuquerque drawing the Turtles should be a good time. Joelle Jones changed up her style a bit for the previous issue and I wonder if that will be the same for Albuquerque or if he’ll just stick with what he knows best. Curious to see how Jason Aaron takes on the character of Michelangelo. He can be a hard character to write correctly because some lean far too much into the comedy. Do not believe that will be the problem. He is the heart of the team and that will no doubt be the focus of this story.Â
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jorge Corona
Publisher: Image
Solicitation: The fate of two worlds is decided here, as the Autobots and Decepticons make choices that will change the universe forever.
Why it Made the List: So why is Transformers back at the top spot this week? We are heading to the end of this arc and I could not be more excited. The first arc hit top gear out of the gates but this arc took a little longer to get there. The last few issues though the scope of this story has expanded to a massive degree as a doorway to Cybertron has been opened. The phrase ‘change the universe forever’ usually would not mean much but I believe it with this run. Will a major character die? I could see it happen. Will something be revealed that would set the course of this newfound universe? That is a major possibility. We got word that Daniel Warren Johnson will most likely end his run at issue #24 so that makes me think we will enter into the second major half of what he has planned. This is also the last issue Jorge Corona will be drawing at least for a while. As mentioned with Ain’t No Grave #5 he has grown into quite the storyteller and he has also made this book his own as well. I was worried when Daniel Warren Johnson stopped being the artist that this series would not be nearly as good. Now I am worried about Jorge Corona’s absence. Jason Howard has big shoes to fill but so far there’s been no reason to believe he would not be able to fill them.
