What To Look Forward To – 04/08/15 – Plus Highlights Of Convergence Week One

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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 a breakdown of a few Convergence titles and their corresponding pre-New 52 stories.

Copperhead #6 – Written by Jay Faerber, art by Scott Godlewski Copperhead_06-1

  • A new story arc begins for this critically acclaimed series from Jay Faerber and Scott Godlewski. By the time I caught up to reading issue #1, #3 was already out and I couldn’t be more grateful because I dug out the next two issues and read them twice. I couldn’t get enough. I haven’t read this issue yet, but it appears to be a fine jump-on point for new readers. If you missed issues #1-5, Vol. 1, A New Sheriff In Town, is out now.

Descender #2 – Written by Jeff Lemire, art by Dustin Nguyen

  • #1 hit like a storm last month and #2 looks to do the same. After reading #1, I was reminded of how much I love seeing Nguyen’s water colors. I like all his art, don’t get me wrong, but when he gets to paint he reaches an entirely different depth. If you like it too, check out Batman: Lil’ Gotham.

Rebels #1 – Written by Brian Wood, art by Andrea Mutti

  • Brian Wood returns to Dark Horse after his hit series, Star Wars and The Massive ended last year, with a story of America’s first militia fighting for independence in 1775. I liked his Star Wars run, he can obviously handle someone else’s property fine, but I like best when he works with his own characters, such as in Demo. This should be interesting.

Reanimator #1 – Written by Keith Davidsen, art by Randy ValienteReanimator01CovBFrancavilla

  • Dynamite revives the cult-classic in this new limited series. Valiente’s art is sure to bring enough ‘creep’ vibe to the book, but check out the covers by Francesco Francavilla and Jae Lee. Spooky.

All-New Hawkeye #2 – Written by Jeff Lemire, art by Ramon Perez

  • Lemire and Perez started an explosive arc last month in a similar vain to Matt Fraction and David Aja’s critically claimed and award winning run. The interchanging art sequences to convey timeline was interesting, and it was nice to get some Clint and Barney’s back story for those who are unfamiliar with it. I don’t read a lot of Marvel, but I’m in on Hawkeye.

Saga #27 – Written by Brian K. Vaughan, art by Fiona Staples

  • Because it’s Saga.

Howard the Duck #2 – Written by Chip Zdarsky, art by Joe Quinones

  • Waugh! I mean, wow! After his rising fame with Sex Criminals, it’s great to see Zdarsky stepping into the writers chair and bring the funny. Quinones’ art is a great compliment, and the team together make this another stand out on the shelf this week.

Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman TPB – Various creators

  • A great series similar to Legends of The Dark Knight and Adventures of Superman, Sensation Comics is loaded with non-canonical, non-chronological, self-contained, no-need-to-read-ten-years-of-comics stories of the Princess of Themyscira. Perfect for any reader, new or old. This TPB collects issues #1-5, with creators such as Gail Simone, Ivan Cohen, Amy Mebberson, Marcus To, and Ethan Van Sciver.

Convergence:

It’s here! The cross-multiverse event of the year has begun, and it seems like there’s a little bit of reading to catch up on for new fans. Some of these stories go back only a couple years, others go back decades. It seems that Kingdom Come and Flashpoint will have heavy roles in Convergence, so while that’s not a bad place to start, here a are few more to be aware of.

Convergence Batgirl 1

Batgirl – Written by Alisa Kwitney, art by Rick Leonardi

  • Not only is Stephanie Brown flying under the guise of Batgirl again, but Cassandra Cain makes her debut post-New 52! Brown has only shown up in Batman Eternal so far, but it looks like she may be here to stay; as for Cain, it’s not quite clear yet. For those unfamiliar, Stephanie Brown stepped up as Batgirl after Bruce went missing following Final Crisis. Though it was a short run (only 24 issues) Stephanie left her mark in the Bat-family not soon forgotten by many fans. Check it out if you can.

Batman and Robin – Written by Ron Marz, art by Denys Cowan

  • I’m always up for a Damian/Jason fight. It’s not clear which pre-New 52 stories will be tied into this, but we’ll see…

Harley Quinn – Written by Steve Pugh, art by Phil Winslade

  • Unless I’m forgetting something, this is the first time Harley Quinn, Selina Kyle, and Poison Ivy have teamed up since Gotham City Sirens pre-New52. And they’re teaming up to fight…Captain Carrot? Should be interesting.

Convergence Question 1

Nightwing Oracle – Written by Gail Simone, art by Jan Duursema

  • Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon together again!

Speed Force – Written by Tony Bedard, art by Tom Grummett

  • The first family of speed loses their powers as they square off against Flashpoint‘s Wonder Woman, plus a member of the Zoo Crew. Another Captain Carrot appearance?

The Question – Written by Greg Rucka, art by Cully Hamner

  • Greg Rucka returns to pen short-lived but fan-favorite Renee Montoya as The Question while one universe’s Harvey Dent/Two-Face takes on another. Rucka previously wrote Montoya as The Question in backups of Detective Comics #854-867 (pre-New 52).
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