Click here for a full list of this week’s new releases
Alexander Lucard
- G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #210 – Really waiting to see what wacky things happen with the Return of Serpentor. I never thought Hama would bring him back.
- Gotham Academy #4 – Cute and very outside the box for DC. It’s like a Manga, yet it is not.
- Gotham By Midnight #3 – Good stories, good art and it has John Corrigan in it.
- Justice League Dark #38 – The only series of the original “New 52” I’ll still be getting once Swamp Thing is cancelled. It’s by far the best of the JL brand comics with a great cast of characters. I will admit I’m looking forward to the time displacement story finally being over though.
- Unity #14 – Unity vs United is a fun storyline.
- Quantum and Woody Must Die #1 – My second favorite Valiant comic gets a mini-series. Why it’s not part of the ongoing series (which is on hiatus), I will never understand but hey – it’s more Quantum and Woody!
- X-O Manowar #32 – the Flagship title for Valiant keeps on trucking.
- Showcase Presents: Blue Beetle – the entire Blue Beetle series from the 1980s? It’ll look great next to my Showcase: Booster Gold. Len Wein + Ted Kord = pre-ordered since Septemeber. Comixology and Amazon says this doesn’t come out until 2/2, but since it’s on the list for this week’s comics I’m putting it here just in case.
Joe Smith
- Aquaman #38 – This title continues to roll along for me. I was intrigued by the whole is his mother alive or not thing, BUT DC went ahead and killed that reveal for me
- Batman #38 – This will probably be the first book I read this week.
- Gotham by Midnight #3 – I’m enjoying this title.
- Flash Gordon #8 – This is the last issue of this series. I liked it overall, but the next Flash Gordon ongoing I would like it if they left the confines of Mongo, etc. I feel like I’m reading different versions of the same story, but I really liked the cliffhanger in the previous issue (had me really looking forward to the issue this week).
- Bitch Planet #2 – I may/may not pick this one up. I’m going to look at my stack and see where it’s at. I don’t feel like I need to pick up this book, but it depends on how my wallet is doing and how light my reading stack is.
- Quantum and Woody Must Die #1 – The creative team for this book has me intrigued with what they’re going to do with these characters.
- X-O Manowar #32 – This one is in my file and I’m looking forward to reading this issue. I’m starting to read some of the 90s Valiant stuff and have just read some of the Armorines story.
John Babos
- Batman #38 – Scott Snyder + Greg Capullo; what’s not like?
- Deathstroke #4 – Really enjoying and perplexed by creator Tony Daniel’s take on Slade Wilson and his alter ego. Awesome art too.
- Earth 2 World’s End #17, The Multiversity Guidebook #1 & New 52 Futures End #38 – The road to Convergence blazes a path through DC’s multiverse.
- Flash #38 – Really enjoying the Future Flash story and Brett Booth’s art.
- Infinity Man and the Forever People #7 – Jack Kirby inspired goodness in 2015.
- Secret Origins #9 – Liking the extended looks at DC characters in the New 52 despite not liking this book’s price; $4.99. Really?
- Sinestro #9 – I enjoy villain centric books. Sinestro has a sympathetic streak too.
- All-New Invaders #14 – Writer James Robinson really does Golden Age heroes in modern day well. First at DC with the JSA and Starman and now at Marvel with the Invaders.
- Unity #14 – A great team book from Valiant.
- X-O Manowar #32 – Armorines!
Wow. 12 books this week. That’s by biggest haul in a few weeks. We’ll, 5 of the DC titles are wrapping up or are being cancelled, so this is a $hort-lived issue.
Mike “Skitch” Maillaro
- Previews #317 – One of my greatest joys pretty much as long as I can remember is sitting down with a copy of Previews and writing a list of what comics to watch out for each month. To this day, I still keep a running “Preview” list in Google Docs. BUT, I have a major issue with Previews. I really don’t have a local comic shop anymore. I would love to buy Previews digitally…but the catch is you can only do that by buying a digital code from a physical retailer. Let that bounce around your head…I am WILLING to give them money each month for a digital version of their catalog, but they refuse to take it. I have to find a local comic shop…WHICH I DON’T HAVE…and if I did, I would just buy a physical copy. So, I have to admit, each month I end up bootlegging Preview to do my lists. I don’t want to, but Diamond seems determined not to give me a better option.
- Multiversity Guidebook #1 – Multiversity produced some of the best comics in 2014. The Thunderworld story in particular was just brilliant. This Guidebook will probably go a long way towards spelling things out for Convergence. BUT, does this book really need to cost 8 bucks? I would rather get two new Multiversity stories for that price instead of a guidebook.
- Thor #4 – New Thor vs Old Thor! I am really looking forward to this one. Thor has never really been a comic I’ve followed all that regularly, but I have enjoyed this new series. New Thor has definitely caught my attention. I wonder what’s going to happen to her with the shadow of Secret Wars promising to give us a big restart of the Marvel Universe.
- Quantum and Woody Must Die #1 – The original Quantum And Woody series was always hit or miss for me. But, current Valiant’s Quantum and Woody series has always been one of my favorite books. It’s kind of odd that they ended the series just to bring it back as mini-series (Delinquints and now Q+W Must Die), but as long as I’ve getting a regular Quantum and Woody fix, I can’t complain all that much.
- X-O Manowar #32 – The end of last issue with the Armorines was pretty bad ass. I love how they figured out how to take X-O down. These guys really laid out their reputation in the Valiant universe and I can’t wait to see where this story goes from here.
- Uncanny Avengers #1 – Does it make a lot of sense to relaunch this series when the Marvel universe will be vanishing soon? Just following typical Marvel fashion, I can easily see us getting a new X-Men/Avengers series during or right after Secret Wars. Which makes this renumbering really ridiculous. Despite that, I think Remender did a terrific job with this series, so I am glad it’s back.
James Fulton
- Casanova: Acedia #1 – Now here is a book to get excited about, as Matt Fraction, Gabriel Bá, and Fábio Moon return to the insane world of Casanova for a new mini-series. Fraction is being joined by novelist Michael Chabon (who wrote the amazing Omega series at Marvel), so my hope is that the book will stay on schedule. Casanova has more ideas per page than most comics company can manage in a year, and with the twins on art, it’s gorgeous. I have been waiting for this for a long time now.
- The Dying and the Dead #1 – This is a new Jonathan Hickman series coming from Image. I don’t know what it’s about, except that it’s got something to do with the ‘Greatest Generation’ and it’s drawn by Ryan Bodenheim (who was brilliant with Hickman on Red Mass for Mars, and very good on Secret). I don’t need any more to tell me that I want to read this.
- Thor #4 – I wouldn’t have thought I’d be interested in Thor, but there it is. Russell Dauterman’s art is blowing me away, and I like the way Jason Aaron is writing the new Thor. I’m curious to find out who she is – so much so that I’m considering adding this title to my pull-file list. The last time I bought Thor monthly, I think I was still in high school.
- Effigy #1 – Here’s a new Vertigo series by Tim Seeley (whose Revival is a great read) and artist Marley Zarcone. It’s about fame and stuff – I don’t remember what the solicitation said. I’ve liked Zarcone’s art since I saw it on Nick Spencer’s early series Forgetless, and I’m down for this book based on that alone.
- They’re Not Like Us #2 – The first issue of this series written by Image publisher Eric Stephenson struck me as a very fresh take on the X-Men, and I’m excited to learn more about it.
- Hate Zone: I pre-ordered Uncanny Avengers #1, but the thought of reading it is filling me with dread, because it looks to be very focused on Scarlet Witch, who Marvel has been determined, over the last decade, to make me hate. I don’t like what was done with her and Quicksilver in Axis, and really don’t want them to be the centre of this new title. I hope Rick Remender doesn’t let me down here. The only thing this book has going for it right now is that the Vision is on the team, but when Remender wrote him recently, he was all jokey, and it kind of hurt my heart a little.
Paul Miranda
- AQUAMAN #38
- BATMAN #38
- BATMAN ETERNAL #43 (of 52)
- CATWOMAN #38
- DEATHSTROKE #4
- DYING and the DEAD #1
- FLASH #38
- GOTHAM ACADEMY #4
- GOTHAM by MIDNIGHT #3
- MULTIVERSITY GUIDEBOOK
- NEW AVENGERS #29
- POWERPUFF GIRLS SUPER SMASH-UP #1 (of 6)
- SECRET ORIGINS #9
- SPIDER-MAN 2099 #8
- UNCANNY AVENGERS {2nd Series} #1
- VERTIGO QUARTERLY: BLACK
- DEATHSTROKE #4 – Tony Daniel is a true tour-de-force. I adore his art but also enjoy his turns as scribe to the Bat-Universe. Coincidentally, Batman & Harley Quinn guest-star in a two-parter. I’ve been collecting the second volume since the series launched in October. It’s be a full-on fist-fight with these three in play. Plus, I find Tony’s done more for this current volume than the previous one. His sense of direction is quite clear.
- DYING and the DEAD #1 – Jonathan Hickman is fortunate enough to be so prolific that churning out comics is easier than butter!! I’ll be truthful here. I’m only being the first issue but I’ll definitely read it. I’m getting slowly more into the indies, and Image is sovereign of that domain.
- GOTHAM ACADEMY #4 – I never thought I’d dig a “cutesy” book so darn much. Guilty pleasure!! I’m genuinely intrigued by the hauntings of the school. This is its own thing. I don’t see any comparisons to Harry Potter nor need there be.
- POWERPUFF GIRLS SUPER SMASH-UP #1 (of 6) – I fully accepted the request to critique/review this. Why not?!? Although I never watched the ‘toon I’m familiar with the 3 B’s (no naughty words here). My mind is wide open!
- UNCANNY AVENGERS {2nd Series} #1 – Rick Remender can’t stop stirring the pot to stoke controversy. I love the Avengers brand and am curious to see how the “No More Mutants” will play out especially with the twin siblings set to hit the big screen in two months’ time. The line-up itself raises a few eyebrows and gets the heart racing.
