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Alright, that is more like it. After two weeks of many publishers taking a break for the holidays, we are finally back to a normal week of books. Actually, it’s more than a normal week because we have so many big titles coming out this week with some major new books debuting. So happy to have a week like this again. With that let’s take a look at this week’s list.
(Editor’s Note: Solicitations are provided by the Respected Publisher)
Writer: Cullen Bunn, Justin Jordan, Al Ewing, Dennis Culver, Chris Condon
Artist: Charlie Adlard, Kano, Leomacs
Publisher: Oni Press
Solicitation: WHERE ONCE A CRUEL UNIVERSE BECKONED… NOW A CRUEL KINGDOM SHALL REIGN!
Oni Press is proud to unveil a spellbinding new chapter in the distinguished lineage of EC history! Enter: Cruel Kingdom — EC’s first-ever dark-fantasy anthology conjuring tales of MAGIC, MYTH, and MURDER from forbidden realms long before our own!
Behold the bloody and barbarous age of wizards, knights, and dragons as reimagined in the immutable EC manner as master scribes Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk), Chris Condon (That Texas Blood), and Greg Pak (Darth Vader) couple their forces with iron-wrought artists Kano (Cruel Universe), Leomacs (Ghostlore), and more to forge a terrifying new vision of death, life, and adventure “once upon a time.”
From the twisted minds that spawned Epitaphs from the Abyss and Cruel Universe, steel thyself for 40 pages of fatal fantasy and skullduggerous sorcery in one cursed tome of comic book enchantment!
Why It Made the List: As I mentioned in the opening we have some major new books this week and this includes a new addition to the world of EC Comics. We of course have the other EC anthology books but this one stands out to me because it is rather rare to see a fantasy anthology book. We have had plenty of horror and a few Science Fiction. I cannot think of any fantasy books like this. Looking at the list of talent involved I’m impressed as well. Al Ewing doing a fantasy story should be a good time considering his experience writing Thor. Also, I cannot complain we are getting art from both Charlie Adlard and Kano in the same book. Despite having some lukewarm reactions to the EC books thus far I have hope this one will be a major standout moving forward.
9. Survival Street: The Radical Left #4
Writer: James Asmus, Jim Festante
Artist: Abylai Kusainov
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: Bullets fly and stuffing will spill, in a puppet vs. puppet battle for the soul of S’nuffalapagos. Will it be PARADISE — or TOURIST TRAP?!
Why It Made the List: As the 2024 year ended I took some time to catch up with comic book series I missed or fell behind on. One of those books was Survival Street: The Radical Left. No idea why but for some reason I missed most of it in 2024. Well glad I fixed that because I greatly enjoyed reading those three issues. For those unfamiliar, this occurs in a world where corporations have taken over a dystopian hellscape. So yes, not unlike the world we live in, but the major difference is here characters that look very akin to classic Muppets are real-life beings. Those beings have become freedom fighters against the evil overlords. What I love about this series is that it pulls no punches and is not afraid to be direct. For example, the way it is lampooning someone like David Zaslav I can fully get behind, especially with the recent news that his company will not be renewing their contract with Sesame Street. Not to mention the million other awful decisions he has made. If you have ever felt like the world is run by the worst people ever and there’s nothing we can do about it read this book. Perhaps it won’t fix the problem but it will be a cathetric experience nonetheless.
Writer: Al Ewing
Artist: Carlos Gómez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Solicitation: A.I.M. AND FIRE! A.I.M. are on the hunt for the All-New Venom – and they’re not alone! Who are.. the SYMBIOTE SQUAD? Meanwhile, Dylan Brock’s search for the new Venom host puts him on a collision course with the deadly Madame Masque! And the mystery deepens as one suspect is eliminated… with extreme prejudice!
Why It Made the List: I am not the biggest Venom fan. The only time I kept up with a Venom book was when Ryan Stegman and Donny Cates were on their run, and after they left with King in Black so did I. No idea why but I decided to give All-New Venom #1 to see if maybe I could enjoy a Venom book once again, and to my surprise, I ended up liking it much more than I thought I would. For one, I am rather invested in finding out who this new Venom actually will be. They gave us a few options with issue one but knowing Marvel my guess is it will be someone completely different. I also enjoyed the way Carlos Gómez drew Venom and this new design works for me. I do wonder how long they will let this mystery linger. Could be something that is revealed as early as this week or maybe they give it some time to build up steam. Interested to see how well it is handled moving forward, and if my interest remains after we discover the identity.
Writer: Jeremy Adams
Artist: John Timms
Publisher: DC Comics
Solicitation: NEW POWERS, NEW MISSION… THE KING IS BACK, BABY! In the wake of Absolute Power, Arthur Curry’s powers have evolved to powerful new heights, and this is one king ready to use them to kick some serious butt. Mammoth water-construct Kaijus have emerged from each of the seven seas, and only Aquaman’s water-warping abilities can stop them — but not if they kill the good king in the process! Enter Dagon, Arthur’s guide on the quest to unlock the secrets of the “blue.” But what deadly secret awaits Arthur on his journey? It’s an all-new era for Aquaman by acclaimed creators Jeremy Adams (The Flash, Green Lantern) and John Timms (Action Comics) that will leave you cheering!
Why It Made the List: Aquaman has his own series again! I do miss the days when all major DC characters had their own book but it appears those days are long gone, but maybe with DC ‘All-In’ we are returning to something similar. I am a fan of Jeremy Adams as a writer. I loved the approach he had on Flash and you can also read my review of his last issue of Flash Gordon to see what I think of that book. He has a knack for capturing that classic superhero feel which should be well for a character like Aquaman. I won’t pretend I have read a massive amount of Aquaman comics so perhaps I am the reason why it has been so long since we got an Aquaman book. Well, I am going to try to right that wrong but sticking with this series. Hoping they can return the favor with a good series.
Writer/Artist: Caitlin Yarsky
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: His life upended, Jerome finds himself with the abhorrent job of Shepherd. The first demons on his list? The Sato Sisters. Jerome must become the thing he once most hated and feared in order to protect his daughter. But can he do what must be done? And who will be next on his list?
Why It Made the List: It may be only the second issue but I have a feeling this will be one of those books that is criminally overlooked. I almost missed the first issue myself but glad I caught up with it because I was impressed with Caitlin Yarsky’s work. I knew her mostly for her work with the Black Hammer universe so that had me interested to see what she could do with her own title. Yarsky’s art is beautiful and she has a gift for character work as well. One of my favorite scenes was Jerome just spending time with his daughter. I appreciated the slow burn of the first issue that let us sit with these characters before it went more into the fantasy elements. Now that we know the premise of this story the true fun can begin. Although the biggest threat Jermone might face is his own wife as she learned Jermone is not of this world. I was glad they dealt with that right away and it was not a secret that kept dragging. Now the truth is out we can see what comes next and how it drives his wife even further into crazy conspiracy theories.
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Gabriel Hernández Walta
Publisher: DC Comics
Solicitation: Absolute Batman has established himself as an extremely large force to be reckoned with. But how did he get to this point? How did he push himself? And how did the tragic events of his childhood, and the advice of his father, shape the man who he became… literally?
Guest artist Gabriel Hernández Walta joins for this essential origin issue of Absolute Batman to explore Bruce Wayne’s past, and his inevitable future to go BIGGER. Don’t miss this pivotal issue!
Why It Made the List: Wait we are only on the fourth issue and we have a guest artist already? Oh come on! DC you were doing so good with this. How can you falter this soon? Wait…it’s Gabriel Hernández Walta? Well, let me just retract everything I just said. In all seriousness, I do wish we could have a consistent artist at least for this first arc, but if you are going to have someone step in for an issue having an artist the level of Gabriel Hernández Walta makes it much easier to digest. I also wonder if the reason is because this will be one of those issues that is different than what came before as it focuses more on the past than the present. Considering the decision Brue Wayne has to make based on the last issue maybe we need to see his past to understand what will motivate his current decision more. Plus there are still a lot of unknowns about this Batman. Many of those unknowns may be revealed with this book.
Writer: Zack Kaplan
Artist: Fico Ossio
Publisher: Dark Horse
Solicitation: For a Viking, anything is possible, if they are only willing to fight for it. After secrets are revealed and prices are paid, Frey realizes she has abdicated her influence in her family’s patriarchal rule for too long. Now, she must oppose her father and brothers alone, and choose the Asvald’s fate, if she can survive the greatest battle yet.
Why It Made the List: After a one-month break Kill All Immortals is back and maybe better than ever. Issue number four ended with one heck of a cliffhanger that can very much change everything moving forward. My first question is if what we saw actually happened the way it appeared. I do not want to spoil it for those who have not read it but a major character seemed to meet their demise, and that demise was met by a hand I was not expecting. In a way, it feels like it is working against everything the series was working towards, but the beauty of comics is that the story does not end there. I have faith that Zack Kaplan and his fellow creators did not just force a shock moment for the sake of shock. There’s a purpose to what happened and that purpose will be revealed with this issue. And I say all that without mentioning how much great action this book has given us with each issue. So, so much blood. To be fair it is called Kill All Immortals. It should clue us into the fact that these Vikings do not mess around. It’s not Lightly Maim Immortals.
Writer: Daniel Warren Johnson
Artist: Jorge Corona
Publisher: Image
Solicitation: Autobots vs Decepticons vs SPOILER!
Why It Made the List: Now that we are entering year two of Transformers it has me thinking we will start seeing more interaction with the rest of the Energon universe. Looking at the Solicitation (how little that is there) makes me think something major will be happening with this issue. Daniel Warren Johnson has also said he would be doing up to issue number twenty-four so are we heading into his final arc? Even if there is not something shocking revealed each issue has been so much fun filled with exciting and beautiful action. The character work has been superb as well, and I have become emotionally invested in the fate of Transformers in ways I did not think was possible. When this series came out there was much fanfare and excitement and someonehow that has maintained to this day. Not often do you see a book this popular and well revied so happy anytime it happens. Transformers has made the world of comics better showing it is true that they are ‘ More than meets the eye’.
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Ryan Browne
Publisher: Image Comics
Solicitation: Good Omens meets CURSE WORDS in this new series from the duo behind smash-hit EIGHT BILLION GENIES!
THE LUCKY DEVILS is a tale of two rebellious demons who decide to start a revolution in Hell — and the two ordinary, 20-something humans they’re going to manipulate to do it. A cheeky, satirical look at Good and Evil, THE LUCKY DEVILS explores Faustian bargains and temptation in a rip-roaring, hilarious new way.
Why It Made the List: I try to keep up with new books as much as possible but I still tend to miss things including this book was happening. I enjoyed Charles Soule and Ryan Browne previous work a great deal so seeing them come back together gives me a reason to get excited. Also, love that the Solicitation for this has them comparing this book to their past work to let everyone know that if you enjoyed Curse Words you have to check out this comic. It also makes sense because their work together does have a very distinct feel and look to it so there is not much else to compare it to behind their past work. Something we need more of in comics right now is funny books. When I look at the landscape of comics right now I do not see a lot of books that have a major focus on comedy. We of course of a publisher like Ahoy Comics that specializes in comedy books but even they have moved away from doing just that. So if this can add some more laughs into my new comic book day I will be a very happy person.
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Bengal
Publisher: Image
Solicitation: Can Agents of Truth bring reality to Sam’s everchanging Jacob’s-Ladder life of auto-renewing fantasy before the manufactured memories and twisted déjà vu come together and break him apart?
Why It Made the List: When I first made this list I had a different number book at this spot but then it got pushed back a few weeks. So when that happened I had to examine this week and try to figure out what should be placed in the number one slot. After thinking it through and trying to determine what book I am most excited about eventually my mind went to Napalm Lullaby #8. If you saw my video where I named my favorite writers of 2024 you would have seen Rick Remender top that list. So would seem wrong if I placed anything but this in the first slot. Part of the reason why I was so high on Remender’s work was how all his series got better as the year went on, especially Napalm Lullaby. I liked it from the start but admittly it was a slow burn in how we were brought into this world. That slow burn became an inferno the past two weeks and it also went in a direction I was not expecting whatsoever. Remender is king at making you think he is giving you an answer to a very easy question only to reveal the truth is far more complicated. If you started this book and thought it was just another take on a Superman mythos idea or it was a massive slight of organized religion I implore you to come back because the bigger picture is much more compelling. Also with Bengal on art duties, it has remained great to look at since the start.
