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Well, after some recent world events, comics are here to be one of the few bright spots to look forward to. This week’s New Comic Book Day is especially meaningful to me because it’s my birthday and what better present than most things, and luckily this week there’s plenty to be excited about. With that let’s look ahead to this week’s list.
(Editor’s Note: Solicitations are provided by the Respected Publishers)
Writer: Scott Snyder, Frank Tieri, Tom Hardy
Artist: Ryan Smallman
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: In a future where Earth has become a barren wasteland, Zynitec harnesses the unmatched energy of Kronium to assert its dominion across the stars. When Kai, a rising star Mediator in Zynitec’s army, gets an unexplained message from a mysterious entity, everything he thinks he believes is thrown into question — and leaves him to explore what it truly means to be human in a world where the boundaries of technology and identity blur.
Why it Made the List: Anytime there’s a celebrity name on a comic it can raise a few eyebrows. Is there actual desire to make a comic or is this just a stopgap on the way to making a TV show or movie? Not that having that desire means a comic cannot be good because we have had plenty of comics that fit that label and turned out to be quite entertaining. I am a Tom Hardy fan but have no idea what he is like as a writer. Good thing he has industry veterans Scott Snyder and Frank Tier alongside him for this project. I have said many times on this list I think Snyder is doing some of the best work of his career right now and to prove that this will not be the only time he shows up this week. I do not know what to expect with this series but I am curious to find out.
Writer: Declan Shalvey
Artist: Luke Sparrow
Publisher: Dynamite
Solicitation: Saigon, 1975-The war is winding down, and American forces are in retreat. One G.I. is enjoying his final leave in South Vietnam’s capital city when he is urgently recalled to the front. Back on the line, Private Duggan finds that his sector is being overrun by a mysterious enemy force one that doesn’t operate like any Viet Cong or NVA unit he’s ever faced.
As rumors spread through the ranks about a “one-man Charlie platoon,” Duggan and his squad suddenly come under murderous fire. Through the thick jungle air the trapped men spy their attacker a lone figure, seemingly impervious to bullets and grenades, completely devoid of fear or hesitation. Implacable. Inescapable. Inhuman.
Why it Made the List: The first issue of this series rather surprised me. I was looking forward to it but I was not expecting a one-shot that existed well within Terminator lore without being overly reliant on what came before. Now we are getting a complete new story with Terminator placed within the Vietnam War, which intrigues me. I do wonder if it is a step too far considering how awful the Vietnam War already was in real life. Does adding a futuristic killing machine take things too far? It will come down to execution for sure. Declan Shalvey is a strong enough writer to make it work. Also, the art was overall solid in the first issue. Sometimes things did appear off but the major moments worked quite well. This story will be even more of a challenge for Luke Sparrow to get right.
Writer: Joe Kelly
Artist: Niko Henrichon, Ed McGuinness
Publisher: Marvel
Solicitation: THE 8 DEATHS OF SPIDER-MAN BEGIN! The world has changed, Doctor Doom is Sorcerer Supreme, but he has no plans to spend his time like his predecessor… Each year, Doctor Strange would use every ounce of his power and experience to save the world from an evil god and his scions. This year, Doom is delegating this task to… SPIDER-MAN?! The leader of Latveria has given Spider-Man a new, magic-powered suit and EIGHT EXTRA LIVES with which to save the world?! True Believer, they won’t be enough…
Why it Made the List: Unlike many I did not hate the last run on Spider-Man. Not going to place it among the best but thought the extreme reactions I saw were a bit much. Joe Kelly has proven himself on many occasions as a great Spider-Man writer so I do not doubt that perhaps this can bring back fans who were unhappy with the previous direction. Doctor Doom and Spider-Man do not have a ton of interactions so placing them together is already a change of pace. Usually if ‘Death’ is in the title my interest is limited because of how low impact death is in comics. Eight deaths though? At least we know they are not trying to pretend any of those are permanent. Maybe that is the best way to approach it.
7. Black Hammer: Spiral City #1
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Teddy Kristiansen
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: The Eisner Award-winning superhero saga is back in this earth-shattering story that’s essential for all super-hero and Jeff Lemire fans!
From the ashes of Black Hammer: The End comes a new era and a brand-new cast of heroes struggling to survive in a chaotic new world set to destroy them.
A bold new vision for the Black Hammer Universe by series creator Jeff Lemire and legendary artist Teddy Kristiansen (The Sandman).
Why it Made the List: Black Hammer is back! This franchise has given us so many great comics over the years in a large variety of genres and styles. I am not fully sure what the direction of this book is going ot be. The cover gives me a Post-Apocalyptic vibe along with a noir atmosphere. That could be an intriguing combination. I have not seen a lot of Teddy Kristiansen’s work, however, Lemire being an artist himself knows how to pick the right people for these stories. Despite the long history of the Black Hammer universe, this mini-series is often new reader reader-friendly. So if you have ever been thinking of jumping into this universe this is a good opportunity. Or you can just back back to the start and read some of the best takes on Superheroes we have gotten in comics this decade.
Writer: Joe Henderson
Artist: Lee Garbett
Publisher: DSTLRY
Solicitation: Owen’s assembled his crew of the damned to steal their souls back. One problem: first, they need to rescue Carlie from the insane asylum. But what if she doesn’t WANT to be rescued? And is there a traitor in their midst?
Why it Made the List: The first issue gave us plenty of reason to be excited. If you are a heist fan there’s a lot to like it feels familiar but not repetitive. The cast of characters has a lot of promise, and the supernatural element helps distinguish it from similar stories. So far that supernatural element has been a soft touch, which made sense for an introductory issue. My hope is it will truly expand upon that with this issue to make it stand out even more. I have found series by Joe Henderson and Lee Garbett tend to get better as they get going so I would assume the same will happen here. Allow that concept to creep up more and more after you set the foundation for the character work.Â
Writer: David Pepose
Artist: Jonathan Lau
Publisher: Dynamite
Solicitation: In this issue: Our human heroes find themselves trapped on a mysterious jungle planet where they face The Creature King, who commands a host of beasts to do his nefarious bidding. In their most desperate hour of need, the team turns to the one member who can save them-Blip!
An all-new arc begins for the phenomenally successful series as acclaimed author DAVID PEPOSE and virtuoso artist JONATHAN LAU continue their exploration of the wonders (and dangers) of the galaxy with help from space- age cover artists FRANCESCO MATTINA, JAE LEE & JUNE CHUNG, BJORN BARENDS, and ANTHONY MARQUES!
Why it Made the List: There are so many comics based on classic cartoons right now and one of the downsides to that they can easily get lumped together in terms of quality. That’s not fair because it does not take long to see which belong in the ‘S’ tier as the kids call it. Comics like Space Ghost are far superior to plenty of other current series that have their creativity end at the title. Issue five of this run raised the stakes to a degree I was not expecting and that has just continued with the last issue. I continue to be impressed with how this can reimagine so much of the Space Coast lore in a way that feels both new and fitting for a classic title. Jonathan Lau has settled into this world and made it his own as well. Not often in today’s world where we get an artist to stay on a book this long without major delays between issues. That’s a big reason this is a step above other similar books. The creators are invested in its creation and it shows up in how well the series has been crafted.Â
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jason Howard
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: THE FATE OF STARSCREAM REVEALED
Everything has changed for the most conniving Decepticon the universe has even seen. And hell hath no fury like a Starscream scorned…
Why it Made the List: So everything about what I said regarding why Space Ghost has been such a great series can be repeated with this book. This seris started around the time I began doing these lists and I am pretty sure each issue has shown up with it hitting number one on plenty of occasions. So yes I am running out of things to say about this. Although this run has shaken things up a bit giving us more flashbacks of the past rather than plainly focused on the present. Also not going to complain when we get an arc focused on one of the best Transformers ever. On a side note, I finally caught up with the Transformers One movie this weekend and it has excited me even more to jump back into this franchise. I have suddenly become a major Transformers fan. With stuff this good it’s an easy thing to do.Â
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Publisher: DC
Solicitation: Batman was born out of violence – a horrible tragedy that shaped the trajectory of his future. But when a vigilant MI6 agent starts tracking the lonely life of Bruce Wayne, he discovers the interconnectivity between a hero’s shell life and the many layers of the Black Mask Gang. It’s Batman versus Alfred Pennyworth!
Why it Made the List: Told you Scott Snyder would show up again. To make this universe work it needs to be different enough to justify its own existence so it does not come off as just another reincarnation of the same stories with different aesthetics, but at the same time not betray the ideals characters are founded upon to the point where characters are unreconcilable.Â
It’s a very thin line to thread so it makes sense to get a veteran in the field like Scott Sndyer to do it. There are so clear differences with this Batman as he is not part of a wealthy family rather has parents there we teachers and Civil servants, of course, he looks like a cross between Bock Lesner and The Mountain, but some of the smaller choices I found the most compelling. For example, how he makes his big introduction to Gotham in the daylight rather than hiding in the shadows, while the action brings the excitement it was the character work that stood out the most.
Now with the second issue, it becomes less about what this isn’t and instead what this is. That’s the true test if this universe can sustain itself for the long term will not be known until we are deeper into this run. Issue two won’t give us a full picture but it will set things in motion at least. One thing I can say is that Nick Dragotta’s art was as good as I was hoping for.
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Tom Reilly
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: Conrad Hauser, Codename DUKE, has assembled a special force known as G.I. Joe to battle the rising power of the mysterious COBRA in the aftermath of the Autobots and Decepticons’ arrival on Earth.
But the enigmatic Cobra Commander has unleashed the power of Energon like never before!
Featuring many familiar faces and the first appearance of an ALL NEW character, this is the comic that will change everything you think you know about G.I. Joe… and that’s only half the surprises in store from the chart-topping Energon Universe dream team of JOSHUA WILLIAMSON and TOM REILLY!
Why it Made the List: This was the right call. Instead of jumping out of the gates with G.I. Joe #1 we got a few mini-series that focused on major characters within the G.I. Universe first. One of which was Duke which Joshua Williamson and Tom Reilly did and thus far it’s my favorite thing to come out of this new launch. So in my opinion they are the right choice to put on the main book moving forward. I do wonder how this group gets together based on when we saw these characters last, but also love myself a ‘Getting the team together’ story. I grew up a big G.I. Joe fan so that is why it ranks higher than the other books.
Writer: Tom King
Artist: Bilquis Evely
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: From the Eisner award-winning and bestselling creative team of Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow — source of the upcoming film from DC Studios, comes this Gothic sword and sorcery epic that’s Conan the Barbarian meets The Wizard of Oz.
Helen relives her final adventures in the fantasy world riding sharks like horses into the sunset and battling dangerous sea men as everything comes to a a final conclusion in this hit series from Supergirl’s Tom King and Bilquis Evely.
Why it Made the List: So in week of some really fun books Helen of Wyndhorn #6 tops the list. Why is that? Well, it may not have the popcorn fun of some of the other books in this week’s list when it comes to craft it is leagues above nearly all comics coming out today. Bilquis Evely draws a world with such beauty and eloquence. The only downside is now we are now heading to the final issue of this series. Really going to miss turning the page and seeing more and more of this world. Going into this I was not sure if Tom King could work within the fantasy genre but his knack for craft worked well and made it unlike the plethora of other fantasy books that are out right now. This will go down as one of the best books of the year so if you missed out I would highly advise picking it up when it hits trade.
