Pull List Roundtable 4/11/2018 – Domino #1, Crude #1, Brothers Dracul #1, Resident Alien: An Alien In New York #1 & More

Columns, Features, Roundtables, Top Story

Matt Graham

  • The Archies #6 – It’s going to be hard to pass this up just for the cover with Betty, Ronnie, and guest star BLONDIE. Amazing.
  • X-Men Blue #25 – Both Blue and Gold have debuted new rosters as the book’s original lineup gets sidelined. Blue is the field change I was looking forward to, as Polaris takes charge of Jimmy Hudson , Bloodstorm, Daken (yeah, two Wolverines on one team), Xorn (which one?), and Gazing Nightshade, all with nice new black and blue uniforms.There’s talk of Blue and Gold ending at #30, so I do wonder what this is all leading to. Or it’s more I wonder what’s getting rushed to climax thanks to Uncanny’s return.
  • X-Men Red #3 – Anyone annoyed old Jean, Gambit, and Cassandra Nova are back can know I’m one of those readers who’s been waiting for this sort of pandering. Tom Taylor and Mahmud Asra on this book is just icing. Of course, the real dream is Gambit and Rogue returning to an Uncanny X-Men roster by Kelly Thompson.
  • Domino #1 – Domino has always been one of my favourite X-Force characters. I just got her new action figure, of course I’m getting her book. Gail Simone is a writer who has astronomic highs and ocean trench lows for me, with little in between, so here’s hoping Domino captures that Secret Six magic and not Batgirl levels of bland. Having seen a few interior pages from artist David Baldeon, I’m reminded of Tony Daniel on X-Force – never a bad thing.
  • Deadly Class #33 – Of all the 80s period pieces going on right now, this is the best of them. It may even be the best comic on shelves. Last issue kicked off a new arc. I’m behind and have to catch up because one of my favourite characters is back. This is a book I let myself fall behind on because reading it moment to moment is excrutiating. I need to binge it, but maybe I’ll follow this arc in real-time as soon as I catch up. Entirely reasonable given the book’s schedule.
  • Animosity Evo #5
  • Barbarella #5
  • Bloodshot Salvation #8
  • Venomized #2

John Babos

  • Bloodshot Salvation #8
  • Brothers Dracul #1
  • Detective Comics #978
  • Flash #44 (TBD – not sure)
  • G.I. Joe A Real American Hero Vs The Six Million Dollar Man #3
  • Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #42
  • Immortal Men #1
  • Justice League of America #28
  • Ninja-K #6
  • Red Hood and the Outlaws #21
  • Suicide Squad #39
  • Titans #22
  • Trinity #21
  • Wonder Woman #44
  • X-Men Red #3

James Fulton

  • Crude #1 – I’ve not been all that impressed with Steve Orlando’s JLA, but his earlier creator-owned and independent comics have been very good, so I’m down to check out this new Image book he’s doing with the always-dependable Garry Brown.
  • Resident Alien: An Alien in New York #1 – I’m so glad to see this occasional series of mini-series return! Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse have made this a wonderful mashup of genteel small-town mystery and science fiction comics, as a stranded alien poses as a small-town doctor who solves crimes. It’s wonderful.

This week features second issues for three new Image series. The high profile Gideon Falls and Oblivion Song both grabbed my attention with their first issues, and I’m looking forward to getting to know these books better. Prism Stalker, by Sloane Leong, blew me away with its inventiveness and complexity, so I can’t wait to sink my teeth into its second issue.


Phil Allen

  • Action Comics #1000: 80 Years of Superman – With the milestone issue out next week, it’s no surprise there’s a new collection of Supes’ best moments only a while after the 75th Anniversary hardcover. I’m betting they’ll share many of the same stories, so I’m still up in the air about getting this for myself. If you missed the festivities back in ‘13, you’ll probably want this for your collection though.
  • Detective Comics #978 – Only a few issues left for Tynion IV’s run, some of the best Batman stuff in a while for my money. I’ve not read much of Bryan Hill (taking over starting #982) but given the reception I’ve heard from his other works, it should be pretty interesting.
  • Gideon Falls #2 – I like most of Jeff Lemire’s writing work I’ve read, he has varying levels of “trippyness”. So far Gideon Falls is less so than others (Trillium, for one example) but if you’re a fan of his more far-out stories, this is balanced nicely with recurring creative partner Andrea Sorrentino’s art. The pair have some mega-hits on their hand, and I wouldn’t be surprised if this will be added in their ranks.
  • Immortal Men #1 – These new line of DC Heroes have been hit-or-miss for me; The Terrifics are great, Silencer is okay, but I’ll probably drop Sideways soon. But given that I’m a big Tynion fan this is one I have been waiting for more than others.
  • No. 1 with a Bullet #6 – The finale of an all-too-real future. If you missed these issues, be sure to pick up the trade out in June.
  • The October Faction: Supernatural Dreams #2 – The third arc is off to a good start, dealing with the aftermath of Dad’s decision in the finale of last and possibly some dissension in the family. Should be a good ride.
  • Other issues I’m looking forward to:
  • Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #21
  • Eternal Empire #8
  • Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #42
  • New Super-Man & The Justice League of China #22
  • Sleepless #5
  • The Flash #44
  • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #31
  • Trinity #21
  • Wonder Woman #44

Mike Maillaro

  • AFTERSHOCK SHOCK ANTHOLOGY HC – $35 for 160 pages is a pretty big investment for a book that Aftershock hasn’t promoted all that well. It has some real top name creators, but it’s not all that clear what you will find here. I love Aftershock, but I just can’t bring myself to drop this much money on a blind purchase, even with Neil Gaiman and Jim Starlin’s name on it.
  • DOMINO #1 – I am real surprised to see Domino headlining her own solo book, especially an ongoing. But Gail Simone is a great choice for this book, so it is definitely the book I am most hyped for this week.
  • EXILES #1 – Always been a fan of EXILES, and it’s great that Marvel is giving this book another shot. Hopefully they will give it some time, the last few EXILES series have been pulled away too fast, so it doesn’t feel like Marvel (or the audience to be honest) is always supportive of EXILES.
  • SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #2 – I almost didn’t pick up the first issue, but I thought my son might enjoy it. And he definitely did! Nice that we get the second issue a week later. Not quite as good as the older Archie stuff, but still a fun read.
  • GIDEON FALLS #2 and OBLIVION SONG #2 – Picked up the first issue of both of these series on a whim and loved them both. Image continues to put out a lot of really unique, smart comics, and both of these titles are worth checking out.
  • NEW SUPER-MAN AND THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF CHINA #22 – This might be DC’s most underrated title. It kind of slips below most people’s radar, but DC seems to be willing to stand behind it, since it is approaching 25 issues. I love the fresh take on many of DC’s classic characters, and we have even seen some of these characters pop up in other books (JLC’s Flash is a mainstay in THE FLASH for example).
  • CAPTAIN AMERICA #700 – I really enjoyed the first few issues of Waid’s run, but tossing Cap into the future just hasn’t worked for me. It was like when they dropped Cap in Dimension Z, these just aren’t the type of Captain America stories I am that interested in reading. But happy 700th issue Cap…just in time to get relaunched with a new #1 in a few months. That’s Marvel for you.
  • CHAMPIONS #19 – New creative team takes over, and CHAMPIONS desperately needs it! It feels like I am taking cheap shots at Mark Waid this week, but that is not my intent. He is still one of my all time favorite writers. But Champions have been much more engaging to me in their guest appearances in other books than in their own book most of the time. I did enjoy the last few issues about Val Vision, but it was still time for a change.
  • BROTHERS DRACUL #1 – Another new book from Aftershock. Kind of an origin story for Vlad the Destroyer by Cullen Bunn. I am really curious about this one!
  • Animosity Evolution #5
  • Cold War #3
  • Archies #6
  • Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey #21
  • Detective Comics #978
  • Flash #44
  • Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #42
  • Immortal Men #1
  • Red Hood And The Outlaws #21
  • Scooby Apocalypse #24
  • Sideways #3
  • Suicide Squad #39
  • Titans #22
  • Wonder Woman #44
  • Legenderry Red Sonja #3 (Of 5)
  • DuckTales #8
  • Avengers #688
  • Ben Reilly The Scarlet Spider #17
  • Despicable Deadpool #298
  • Doctor Strange #388
  • Falcon #7
  • Old Man Logan #38
  • Star Wars Darth Vader #14
  • Venomized #2 (Of 5)
  • X-Men Blue #25
  • X-Men Red #3
  • Bloodshot Salvation #8
  • Ninja-K #6
Mike Maillaro is a lifelong Jersey Boy and geek. Mike has been a comic fan for about 30 years from when his mom used to buy him Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Adventures at our local newsstand. Thanks, Mom!! Mike's goal is to bring more positivity to the discussion of comics and pop culture.