What To Look Forward To – 04/29/15 – Plus highlights of Convergence Week Four

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Happy New Comics Day and welcome to What To Look Forward To!

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Here is a quick look at some highlights on the shelves this week, plus another breakdown of a few Convergence titles. Fifth week is upon us, which publishers usually use to give themselves a little break, but it looks like DC is still plugging through and Image is having a good week so let’s take a look…

Batman #40Batman #40 Spoilers Preview 2Written by Scott Snyder; Art by Greg Capullo

  • The conclusion to “Endgame”! One of Batman’s biggest and baddest fights in recent years comes to an end, and things are looking to change for the Bat-family. (If you’ve seen the spoilers online, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, don’t go looking!)

Multiversity #2 – Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Ivan Reis

  • I’ve been kind of on-and-off of Grant Morrison the last few years, but the Multiversity books have been some of his best work recently. Really a standout since the New 52 began.

Superman #40 – Story and art by John Romita Jr.

  • Romita Jr. flies solo to tell a story of Superman’s newfound power. Goeff Johns was previously writing for the series, but announced he was stepping off with issue #39. A short run, but a big deal since it was Romita’s first work on DC ever. This looks to be a standalone issue and may be a good jumping-on point for new fans.

Vertigo Quarterly SFX #1 – by various

  • This is Vertigo’s second run of a quarterly book recently, the first being CMYK. I enjoy books like this because it’s a great way for the reader to get introduced to new creators they may have never otherwise read.

Bitch Planet #4Fuse 12Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick; Art by Valentine De Landro

  • Artist Valentine De Landro returns!

Fuse #12 – Written by Antony Johnston; Art by Justin Greenwood

  • The conclusion of the second arc, Gridlock, which started in issue 7! This is a book I feel isn’t getting enough attention. It’s not like mind-blowingly amazing and I’m not saying EVERYONE SHOULD BE READING IT RIGHT NOW but I think it’s understated among Image’s other top books. Give it a shot, the first TPB, The Russia Shift, collecting issues #1-6 is out now.

Rumble #5 – Written by John Arcudi; Art by James Harren

  • The conclusion to the first arc! I will admit that I am an issue or two behind in reading this series, but I’ve loved what I have read so far. It’s actiony, funny, and a bit off-the-wall. Get started now if you can, and the TPB should be coming soon.

Silver Surfer #11 – Written by Dan Slott; Art by Mike Allred

  • I don’t read a lot of Marvel and I haven’t read the last few issues of SS, but this looks to be a very special issue. Might want to check it out.

CONVERGENCE

This is the final week of new Convergence titles, next month is all issue #2s. I’ll keep running this section, but mostly with reviews of issues #1 and thoughts of #2s going forward.

Action ComicsConvergence ActionWritten by Justin Gray; Art by Jean-Claude St. Aubin

  • The Cold War continues! Superman and Power Girl are caught between Lex Luthor and Stalin, and his right-hand Superman of Moscow, and their nuclear arsenals. Red Son is one of my favorite Superman stories, and this is a series I’ve been excited about since the announcement.

Detective Comics – Written by Len Wein; Art by Denys Cowan

  • Helena Wayne and Dick Grayson of Earth-2 must decide who will take up the mantle of Batman as they fight their chosen nemesis under the dome; possibly Superman of Moscow, according to an early preview.

Plastic Man and the Freedom Fighters – Written by Simon Oliver; Art by John McCrea

  • Even if it wasn’t tied to DC, I’d be picking up this book. Uncle Sam teams up with the robot superheroes/villains from Future’s End to fight Nazis in New York City. Nazis vs. Robots? Yeah, I’m in.

Shazam – Written by Jeff Perker; Art by Evan “Doc” Shaner

  • The Marvel Family takes on the world of Gotham by Gaslight! As a Batman fan, this is another I didn’t see coming but can’t wait for.

That’s it for this week, happy reading everyone!

Phil started reading comics in 2008, and it has been his passion since. Enjoying titles ranging from Batman to Sex Criminals, Y: The Last Man to Samurai Jack, and The Wicked + The Divine to 100 Bullets, Phil will read just about anything. Have a recommendation? Looking for one? You can reach him on Twitter @4ColorPhil