Pull List Roundtable 4/18/2018 – Action Comics #1000, Survival Fetish #1, Her Infernal Descent #1 & More

Columns, Features, Roundtables, Top Story

Matt Graham

  • Survival Fetish #1 – On the fence on this one. I give most Black Mask books a shot, and Patrick Kindlon’s stories always capture my attention. A dystopic military controlled Honolulu is loaded setting, and games like Mirror’s Edge have primed me for political courier action, but the five issue run has me thinking I’ll enjoy it more in trade.

The covers of a gun skyline are right up my sniper alley.

  • Batwoman #14 – With the villain unveiled and Kate en route, I’m hoping this is the slobberknocker we’ve been slow burning for over a year. This is only Part 2 of Fall of the House of Kane, though, so there’s 3 or 4 issues to resolve that.
  • John Wick #2 – Six months later! Not sure what was going on with this book, but October’s debut was an impressive single issue that managed to replicate the pacing and motion of the John Wick films while also playing to the tools of the comic book. With the delays over, now this book is a 5 issue mini. Maybe it always was. Solicits play so coy with that across the publishing houses.
  • Cable #156 – Cable under Thompson and Nadler was a great debut. For a modern Marvel story, I was surprised at how much was packed into just one issue. Penciler German Peralta takes the well paced script and locks it down across the panels so that every spread is dense in detail, but fluid and full of momentum like the story.

I like when teams tackle the wonderful mess of X-Men continuity while still putting a new mark on it, and digging into Cable’s convoluted backstory while reuniting him with daughter Hope and then dropping ally/antagonist/X-Men Bishop on the pair is up my alley.

Oh yeah, those covers by Daniel Warren Johnson are a revelation. Can we see him on an X-Men book?

  • MMPR #26
    Daredevil #601
    Venomized #3
    X-Men Gold #26

James Fulton

  • Black Hammer: Age of Doom #1 – I hate that Jeff Lemire has turned his excellent series into a new universe, with so many miniseries set there, but am very happy to see him back with original collaborator Dean Ormston working on the main event story. This series has been great. I don’t know what’s up with the relaunch, but whatever.
  • Lazarus #27 – It’s been too long since we’ve had a regular issue of Greg Rucka and Michael Lark’s Lazarus. This is such a good, but slow, series.
  • Survival Fetish #1 – I’ve liked Patrick Kindlon’s other books from Black Mask so far, and this one, set in a wrecked Honolulu sounds pretty interesting to me. Black Mask always gets a good look from me.

I’m on the fence about these two debuts:

  • Her Infernal Descent #1 – Thompson and Nadler landed hard on my radar with The Dregs, and I liked the first issue of their Cable run (which continues this week) and their new Black Mask book Come Into Me, but something about this new Aftershock title doesn’t grab me. Maybe it’s because, with the ghosts of Agatha Christie and William Blake featured prominently, it just sounds too much like The Life After.
  • Skyward #1 – The elevator pitch for this book – basically, that gravity has stopped working – sounded interesting, but I was going to pass. Then I read the preview in Image Previews, and I liked it, but I’m still not sure I want to commit. I’m trying to be more judicious in my purchasing, and this is a big week. I’ll probably end up getting it on the strength of Lee Garbett’s art…

Matt: In 2001, when the PlayStation 2 was new, one of the upcoming games was The Lost, a horror-adventure that reimagined Dante’s Inferno, except starring a middle-aged mom who descends the nine circles of Hell to retrieve her daughter. It had some press and screenshots, but faded away into vaporware. In 2008 the game was scavenged and released in India under a new name but with the same story ideas.

Her Infernal Descent reminded me of that, and given in interviews for Cable that I find myself in the writers’ game age group and sharing interests going back to childhood, I had to wonder if this called back to them.

Given how the Dregs handled politics and knowing that they’re aiming to lampoon modern media and culture for the sins, I think this one will be worth the read.


John Babos

7 books this week.

  • Action Comics #1000
  • Amazing Spider-Man #799
  • Batman #45
  • G.I. Joe A Real American Hero Vs The Six Million Dollar Man #3 Justice League #43
  • Mister Miracle #8
  • Super Sons #15
  • Rough Riders Ride Or Die #3

Mike Maillaro

  • ACTION COMICS #1000 – Wow. 1000 issues and 80 years. That is just amazing! This also marks the start of Bendis working for DC Comics. I am definitely curious to see where he will be taking the character moving forward.
  • DAREDEVIL #601 – MATT MURDOCK IS THE MAYOR OF NEW YORK!! Didn’t see that coming!! I have no idea where this story is going, but Charles Soule has been killing it on DAREDEVIL. I have also loved seeing the ramifications of this Kingpin story in other books like OLD MAN LOGAN and the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN FCBD preview.
  • HER INFERNAL DESCENT #1 – A mom goes into hell to try and rescue her family. Aftershock continues to put out very new and unique comic series, and I am at the point where I pretty much just pick up every issue 1 they do. I am rarely disappointed.
  • MS MARVEL #29 – The most recent arc with Kamala missing might have been my favorite MS MARVEL arc yet. G. Willow Wilson really has a great sense of how to build a supporting cast and world around her characters which makes MS MARVEL stand out. Haven’t heard what the status of this book is with Fresh Start…I will be very sad if I don’t get my regular MS MARVEL fix.
  • IRON FIST #80 – I hadn’t been reading IRON FIST before DAMNATION. The last few issues with the fighting tournament has been really good though, so I may have to add this book to my pull list on a more permanent basis.
  • Jughead The Hunger #5
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #26
  • WWE #16
  • Batman #45
  • Batman Creature Of The Night #3 (Of 4),
  • Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II #6 (Of 6)
  • Future Quest Presents #9
  • Green Lanterns #45
  • Mister Miracle #8 (of 12)
  • Nightwing #43
  • Super Sons #15
  • Superman #45
  • Sonic The Hedgehog #3
  • Star Trek Boldly Go #18
  • Uncle Scrooge #34
  • Uncle Scrooge #35
  • Walt Disney Showcase #2 (Mickey Mouse)
  • Curse Words #13
  • Kick-Ass #3
  • Mage The Hero Denied #8 (Of 15)(
  • Amazing Spider-Man #799
  • Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #18
  • Avengers #689
  • Cable #156
  • Incredible Hulk #715
  • Infinity Countdown #2 (Of 5)
  • Star Wars Poe Dameron #26
  • Tales Of Suspense #104 (Of 5)
  • Venomized #3 (Of 5)
  • Weapon H #2
  • Weapon X #16
  • X-Men Gold #26
  • Ninjak Vs The Valiant Universe #4 (Of 4)
  • Quantum And Woody #5

James: Too bad Iron Fist is canceled with this storyline then…

Mike: That figures. LOL!

Matt: Marvel, baby!


Phil Allen

  • Action Comics #1000 – If/when time travel becomes possible, someone go back to 1938 and tell Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster that their caped hero will not only see the next century but will lead to the printing of 1000 regular issues of A.C. I’ll bet you the $7.99 cover price they won’t believe you.
  • Batman #45 – I’m glad to see Booster Gold returning after his recent appearances in Action Comics. It should be interesting to see Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea back on a Bat-book too, even if only for a few issues.
  • Curse Words #13 – This continues to be one of my favorites from Image and Charles Soule. If you get a chance, check out his novel “The Oracle Year.” Not related to Curse Words or any of his comic writing at all, but also a very good read.
  • Jughead: The Hunger #5 – I’m starting to consider dropping this one. It was a fun idea as a one-shot, but the on-going isn’t holding my interest. It’s not bad, just not great either, makes me wish we had Afterlife and Sabrina back (I know, there goes that broken record again…)
  • Lazarus #27 – It’s been just over a year since #26, thankfully we had X+66 to keep us going though.
  • Star Wars: Poe Dameron #26 – Simultaneously taking place after The Last Jedi and filling in the gaps of The Force Awakens, and another Charles Soule hit.
  • Other issues I’m looking forward to:
  • Babyteeth #10
  • Batman/TMNT #6
  • Batwoman #14
  • Bombshells United #16
  • Mister Miracle #8
  • Moonshine #9
  • Rumble #5
  • Super Sons #15
  • Superman #45
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.