John Babos
8 to 10 books this week.
- Aquaman #52 & Wonder Woman #52 – Been reading both books since the beginning of DC Comics’ New 52. Will be here for the end before Rebirth.
- Civil War II #0 – Not sure if I’ll pick this up because (1) not a fan of Inhumans, (2) resent Marvel shoving them down our thoughts on TV and in comics, (3) don’t think Captain Marvel has the pop culture gravitas to be Iron Man’s foil in this, (4) don’t like the twice monthly schedule for Marvel minis at a higher price, and (5) don’t appreciate Marvel’s shameless re-use of Civil War name intended to confuse lapsed or new readers who think it’s tied to the Captain America: Civil War film. I’ll leaf through this on the stand and if it seems ok, will buy and sample this zero issue.
- Future Quest #1 – I like the idea for this new ongoing series and I like the creative team. Will at least give the debut issue a try.
- Sinestro #23 – This is best Green Lantern family series on stands and has been for some time. Sad to see it go and while I am happy we’ll see Thal Sinestro and his Corps in Rebirth, but only as a “guest” it seems in the Hal Jordan and GLC’s first arc.
- Squadron Supreme #7 – Loving the creative team’s take on Marvel’s JLA.
- Superman/Wonder Woman #29 – The end of the New 52 Superman seems to happen, in some fashion, here. Does the pre-Flashpoint Superman (re)assume the primary Man of Steel mantle for DC in this book?
- Titans Hunt #8 – Can’t wait for Rebirth’s Titans ongoing series that carries on after this mini ends. This has been a fun read.
- Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #7 – Love reading the adventures of Valiant’s immortal warrior. Great mix of past and present.
- X-O Manowar Annual 2016 #1 – Not sure about this, but will leaf through on stands to determine if it’s worth a buy. I don’t read X-O monthly, but have picked up previous annuals and enjoyed them.
James Fulton
- Civil War II #0 – I did not preorder this comic, and am as yet undecided about whether or not I want to support this thing. I’m really bored of Marvel’s events, and the ridiculous way in which we get FCBD preludes, ‘Road to’ issues of regular series with no apparent reasoning, and then a zero issue, but I also worry that it’s going to be foundational to all Marvel comics for the next few months. Grrr.
- Dept. H #2 – The first issue of Matt Kindt’s new underwater series did a great job of setting up an interesting murder mystery comic. Now I’m ready to sit back and let the story unfold.
- Manifest Destiny #19 – I love this series, which has famed explorers Lewis and Clark facing off against strange creatures, and exploring the mystery of gigantic arches across the American West. This title never disappoints, blending history with great weirdness.
- Spider-Man #4 – The last issue of this series was great. I’m sick of Brian Michael Bendis’s superhero comics, but can’t imagine ever tiring of him writing Miles Morales; there’s something magical about this character for me.
- Turncoat #3 – I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating. This Boom! series is one of the best comics on the stands right now. Alex Paknadel has put together a really interesting world for this story, which is set some years after an alien invasion of the Earth ends, and artist Artyom Trakhanov is absolutely incredible.
Mike Maillaro
- MAE #1 – Gene Ha’s Kickstarter-funded graphic novel has found new life as an ongoing series at Dark Horse. As soon as I saw the solicit, it seemed like something I would really enjoy: “When she was just a girl, Abbie discovered a portal to a fantasy world and for the last couple of years has been having great adventures there: defeating horrible monsters, power-mad scientists, and evil nobles. She was a celebrated action hero! But when she turned twenty-one it all came apart and she decided to return home. Her sister, Mae, has had no idea what happened to Abbie all this time. Her tales are too hard to believe; that is, until the monsters and other terrible creatures start to cross over to our world . . . ” Definitely a breath of fresh air in the “event-heavy” comic industry.
- ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #12, SINESTRO #23 and TITANS HUNT #8 – Pretty sad to see these series end. I see a lot of exciting things coming in DC Rebirth, but I can’t help but complain that most of DC’s most unique titles will be coming to an end. But I do plan on enjoying them for as long as I can.
- DEADPOOL LAST DAYS OF MAGIC #1 – I am such a glutton for punishment. I have been enjoying the LAST DAYS OF MAGIC, but this crossover is just a bizarre attempt to cash in on Deadpool’s success. I really can’t imagine many Deadpool fans care about Dr Strange…and this is the second expensive special we’ve gotten for LAST DAYS OF MAGIC in the last few weeks. I will probably end up picking this up, but I don’t have any real reason for that…
- CIVIL WAR II #0 – Ah, Marvel’s next big crossover. Right on the heels of Avengers Standoff. Civil War II seems like it could be based on a cool premise…but so did the original and that ended up being a real train wreck. And I am a little weirded out that Thanos seems to be a big part of this story. That seems like a hell of way to muddle up what will already likely be a real muddled crossover.
- KARNAK #4 – I’m glad that they finally got this book back on schedule. I usually am not big on Inhumans, but I love Warren Ellis, and this book has not let me down. A real unique book!
- CITIZEN JACK #6 – As we get closer and closer to election day, the idea of demons manipulating the political process seems less funny to me. I have to admit, it would explain a lot about this inexplicable election season…Just saying…
- BLACK-EYED KIDS #2 – The first issue of this new Aftershock series was pretty damn creepy. I love a good horror story, and Black-Eyed Kids is shaping up to be pretty bad ass. Definitely worth checking out!
- SABRINA #5 – I honestly don’t remember the last time I saw an issue of Sabrina. I love this series, but the horrible release schedule (issue 1 came out in October 2014) makes it real hard for me to follow this book. But it’s still an awesome comic, and ALMOST worth the annoyance.
- X-O MANOWAR ANNUAL 2016 – X-O is one of my favorite books from any comic company. I don’t usually like Annuals, but Valiant has actually done a fun job with their annuals and specials, so I will likely grab this one, even with the $6 cover price.
Phil Allen
- Future Quest #1 – The wait is over! Since the announcement, I’ve been excited this series more than the others announced. I hope this is the first in a wave of classic Hanna-Barbera comics to come.
- Injustice: Gods Among Us, Year Five #10 – We’re heading into the home stretch! Only a few issues left and while I’m bummed it’s ending I’m glad to have had it; for my money, it’s one of the best series DC has put out on the last few years.
- Jughead #6 – In case you missed it, Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson are ending their run with issue #8 as Ryan North and Derek Charm take over for #9! Zdarsky & Henderson have been great and I’m excited for the next team!
- Mae #1 – Gene Ha’s new series focuses on the adventures of a girl who has returned from a magical land to a sister who doesn’t believe her until the beasts come back too.
- Sabrina #5 – Another long-awaited return! The last issue was out in July and if I remember right it was a bit of a cliff hanger.
- Snowfall #4 – I finally read the first issue of this series, and I liked it at first but the last couple pages lost me. But I am interested to see where the series goes for awhile.
- Other issues I’m looking forward to:
- Dept. H #2
- Doctor Fate #12
- Lucifer #6
- Martian Manhunter #12
- The October Faction #16
- Xena: Warrior Princess #2
Matt Graham
- Dept. H #2 – I had high hopes for the first issue and Matt Kindt didn’t let me down. This will be a treat/torture to read monthly.
- Red Sonja #5 – One of my favourite titles out there right now. Sword and sorcery is one of my comfort things, and Bennett and her artists deliver one of the pulp fantasy tales since Cary Nord was on Conan.
- Mae #1 – Gene Ha’s tale about the adult return of a child fantasy hero is straight from my idea drawer, so I owe it to myself to read it and feel bad about how slow I am on the draw.
- Marvel Zombie-ing:
- All-New Wolverine #8 – Not as good as Marjorie Liu’s X-23 series, but Laura has stepped into the Wolverine role with gusto, and I will support her to the end. Hopefully there isn’t an end for a while, because this is a good compliment to All-New X-Men.
- Power Man and Iron Fist #4 – This book has delivered what I was expecting, but I’m not sure I’ll stay on after the first arc. Nothing against David Walker and Sanford Greene, but comic money is tight with DC Rebirth around the corner.
- Spider-Woman #7 – I think we’re free of Spider-Women by now. I hope? Not the best crossover for Marvel’s best book.
- Uncanny Avengers #9 – I caught up on this due to Standoff and came away interested enough to add it to my list. A half-X-Men book focused on cleaning up the Red Skull/Xavier plot works for me.
Mike: Re: Spider-Women. Sadly not. Spider Woman is last issue of Spider Women (other than omega)
Matt: Noooooo.
