Phil Allen
DC – More Rebirth titles coming this month, but it’s All-Star Batman I’m really looking forward to. Fan-favorite Bat-scribe Scott Snyder returns with a team of artists including John Romita Jr, Jock, Declan Shalvey, and that’s just for the first issue! Many more to come in the future. Batgirl and the Birds of Prey should also be good, and I’m interested to see if they pick a new Oracle and who it will be.. I’m excited to check out the new Blue Beetle series, as I don’t think he appeared much in the New 52, if at all. I haven’t been the biggest fan of this new Harley Quinn, but I can’t pass up her taking on a zombie apocalypse. I enjoyed Tynion, and Doyle’s Constantine run before ‘Rebirth’, I’m hoping this new one will be about the same. Plus, John Ostrander returning to Suicide Squad for a special one-shot? Yes please!
Marvel – I’m skipping Civil War II as I haven’t read the original and I tend to not go in for the big Marvel events. I’ll be picking up various tie-ins that are already on my pull list, i.e. Captain Marvel & Ms. Marvel etc. Otherwise, nothing new for me this month.
Image – Between East of West and Dying and the Dead, I’m becoming a big fan of Hickman’s work at Image. His new series The Black Monday Murders with artist Tomm Coker looks to be about on par with the rest. Dream-team Brubaker and Phillips return for Kill or Be Killed which looks great. Saga returns for their next arc!
Dark Horse – Lady Killer returns! I was surprised how much I liked the first series, so I’ll be glad to see this tale of a fifties housewife/contract killer back on the shelves! I like big collection books with various contributors so I might have to check out The Secret Loves of Geek Girls.
Others – March Vol 3 from IDW is definitely on my list, though I haven’t read vol 2 yet. I’m a James Tynion fan, so Backstagers from BOOM! looks pretty interesting, as does Marguerite Bennett’s Animosity from AfterShock, her second original series from that publisher.
Matt Graham
DC – Supergirl: Rebirth is the one that I’m most anticipating. Hard to believe we’ll be 5 issues deep into Wonder Woman by August. Will Rucka’s improbable return last that long? I’ll be dipping into Birds of Prey, both Deathstroke issues, Harley Quinn (plus her Little Black Book), and Suicide Squad.
- This time next month we can talk about those Rebirth spoilers that are circulating as you read this and how they influence me.
Marvel – Civil War #0 didn’t impress and I’ll catch up on the event in trade outside of Bunn’s X-Men series, so #3 is a lock. Any tie-ins I do get will be part of the usual purchases (Black Widow, Daredevil, Panther), though I’m sad that Captain Marvel’s original team is gone. Spider-Woman looks to be interesting because she’ll be pitched against Captain Marvel, and that’s a seamless flow to the title without Civil War.
- Echo in the Daredevil Annual? Bought.
- All-New Wolverine Annual really pushes things by shoving Spider-Gwen into Laura with Wolvergwen and Spiderine, but let’s see what Tom Taylor does with it.
- Gwenpool teams up with Miles Morales, and that could be a trip.
Image – New Saga arc with a Fiona Staples wraparound. Paper Girls always tops my pile as the first read of Wednesday when it drops. Nothing else too exciting. The Black Monday Murders is yet another idea from my notebook, so —- me, I guess. It’s okay, as Hickman is great when he’s doing his own thing. Kill or Be Killed looks good.
Dark Horse – Lady Killer will be amazing. The Secret Loves of Geek Girls is an anthology with Marguerite Bennett, Marjorie Liu, and Carla Speed McNeil, but also Margaret Atwood. Ordered.
BOOM! – Are they joking with that MMPR Annual price? I’ll put a pin in it. I’ll be following MMPR: Pink because Kimberly was the best Ranger. Also the main series.
IDW – Archangel #4 of 5 hits.
Aftershock – Marguerite Bennet hasn’t let me down (I don’t read Angela), and Animosity looks like she mashed up Animal Farm and The Road on my bookshelf and asked me if it was okay if Rafael de Latorre could draw it. Of course it’s okay.
James Fulton
DC – I’m still feeling very hesitant to commit to anything to do with Rebirth, but there are books I intend to check out. All-Star Batman, with art by Declan Shalvey and Jock, with Sean Murphy and others set to come onboard in the future, interests me, but the inclusion of John Romita JR with such great artists gives me pause. I loved JRJR back in the day, but it’s been at least fifteen years since I’ve enjoyed his work. Also, I’m not a huge fan of Scott Snyder on Batman. $5? Never mind, I’m passing.
- I’d be all over Blue Beetle Rebirth because I loved what Keith Griffen did with the character pre-52, but again, Scott Kolins is an artist I tend to avoid. (I didn’t hate his Pastaways, though, so we’ll see).
- Priest writing Deathstroke is either going to be the best thing that comes out of Rebirth, or a huge disappointment.
- I wouldn’t normally give a Supergirl book a shot, but I’ve liked everything I’ve read from Steve Orlando so far.
- I’m definitely passing on Suicide Squad. I’m not even likely to pick up the John Ostrander-written one-shot, because I don’t like what’s been done with the team. I was enjoying Seeley and Ferreyra’s work on the title right now, but just like when DC got Ales Kot to write it for a little while, they’d rather give it over to a “bigger name” who I don’t really care for.
Marvel – I hate redacted solicitations, like Marvel is doing for The Fallen and The Accused. I buy creators more than characters; if I knew who was writing and drawing, I might be down without any more information (if it’s someone I really like, I don’t even read the solicitation texts).
- Civil War is tying into way too many titles I buy. I hate that, because Marvel hasn’t given many of these books enough time to establish themselves on their own before shoving them into another event.
- Chris Sprouse is drawing an issue of Black Panther? Interesting…
- I’m going to be sad to see Darth Vader‘s title end, but always admire the fact that Kieron Gillen never outstays his welcome.
Image – There are a couple of new titles that I don’t need to know a thing about past the creators’ names to know I want them. Jonathan Hickman and Tomm Coker on The Black Monday Murders? Sold. Brubaker and Phillips return with Kill or Be Killed? Sold.
- I’m always so happy to see a new issue of Island get solicited.
Dark Horse – Brian Wood has a new title about US secessionists? Briggs Land sounds like it’s just my kind of thing.
- I’ve been moving away from Mike Mignola’s titles of late, but a new Witchfinder miniseries might be just the thing to draw me back in.
Valiant – I’ve found lately that Valiant has been moving towards using television writers, and so I’ve been more hesitant to pick up their new titles. Fred Van Lente, of the wonderful Archer & Armstrong and other great things, is writing a new series featuring the Generation Zero kids. I’m down for that.
- Is Imperium done or on hiatus? I love that title…
That’s everything I have to talk about now, without a copy of this week’s Previews in front of me yet. I am looking forward to a number of the titles that Black Mask has announced for the rest of 2016, but don’t know when we’ll be getting them.
