Pull List Roundtable 12/14/2016 – Holiday Specials, Hawkeye #1, Young Terrorists #2 & More!

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Mike Maillaro

Some really pricey books coming out this week!

  • DC REBIRTH HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1 ($9.99!) – I love Holiday Specials. Pretty much any time Marvel or DC has done one, I have picked it up without even bothering to find out what characters or creative teams were involved. My only issues here is this book is 10 bucks. Yikes! Holding the line…except when it comes to being a Grinch. I get that it’s 96 pages, but that is still a big chunk of my comic budget. Especially when we have quite a few other costly books coming out this week….
  • MICKEY AND DONALD CHRISTMAS PARADE #2 ($5.99!) – I love IDW’s Disney line. Last year’s Christmas special collected a bunch of great Disney comic stories from the past, many of which were never released in America. And this special will be doing more of the same. Can’t wait. But again. $6??? Yikes.
  • GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL MERRY-MIX UP #1 ($5.99!) – Gwenpool has been such a great surprise this year. On the surface, it should be a terrible character, but Marvel has managed to make her compelling and entertaining. Glad to see her getting the focus here. More people need to check out this quirky character. She is consistently one of Marvel’s top books every month.
  • IVX #1 ($5.99) – It’s not just Santa keeping the price of comics up this week. We also get another Marvel crossover with Invaders Vs X-Men. By the way, for those keeping score at home, we are at $28 bucks for 4 comics. Who can seriously afford to keep up with comics these days? I have said this many times, I have no real interest in IVX, though I am hoping we finally get a solid X-Men line back after this.
  • HAWKEYE #1 – Kate Bishop gets her own solo title! To be honest, I’ve really enjoyed the shared Hawkeye books we’ve gotten in recent years, but Kate Bishop has been a great character, so I am looking forward to seeing what she can do in her own book. Part of me is hoping this leads to the Young Avengers returning (we got a tease of this in the last issue of New Avengers). Young Avengers was a great concept that definitely needs to be revisited.
  • WONDER WOMAN #12 – I don’t think I have ever bought 12 issues in a row of Wonder Woman before. Rucka has done a terrific job creating a Wonder Woman story that I really want to read. My only gripe is that it does feel slow at times because it alternates between current and year one stories, but both storylines have been excellent, so that makes up for a lot.
  • DARK TOWER: THE DRAWING OF THE THREE- THE SAILOR #3 – I finally caught up on reading the DARK TOWER comics. I had fallen really behind a while back. What’s interesting is that even though these books are titled DRAWING OF THE THREE, they actually have gone past that book (the second in the series) and are telling the story of THE WASTELANDS (the third book in the series). This could be confusing for some readers, but it’s no big deal. These are terrific adaptations (and extensions) to my favorite book series. Definitely worth reading!
  • NEW SUPER-MAN #6 – This was the Superman series I expected the least from, but I have actually enjoyed it far more than SUPERGIRL and SUPERWOMAN (both of which I had high hopes for, and also both of which are coming out this week). Lots of real good twists and turns in this one, especially as we find out more about the manipulations going on with the Chinese versions of superheroes.
  • Black-Eyed Kids #9
  • Captain Kid #3
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Pink #5 (Of 6)
  • Action Comics #969
  • Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey #5
  • Detective Comics #946
  • Flash #12
  • Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #10
  • Red Hood And The Outlaws #5
  • Scooby Apocalypse #8
  • Suicide Squad #8
  • Supergirl #4
  • Superwoman #5
  • Wonder Woman #12
  • Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #2 (Of 6)
  • Star Trek Boldly Go #3 (Of 6)
  • Uncle Scrooge #21
  • Reborn #3
  • Spawn #268
  • Amazing Spider-Man Renew Your Vows #2
  • Daredevil #14
  • Jessica Jones #3
  • Old Man Logan #15
  • Power Man And Iron Fist #11
  • Spider-Man #10
  • Star Wars Poe Dameron #9
  • Totally Awesome Hulk #13
  • Uncanny Avengers #17
  • Britannia #4 (Of 4)
  • Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior #14

John Babos

10 new books this week, but it could have been 12.

  • Action Comics #969 – Intrigued by the mysterious Clark Kent that isn’t Superman plus Lois Lane’s more prominent role. I enjoy Lex Luthor, but feel he should be anchoring his own title.
  • DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 – I would have liked to have picked this up, but not for $10.
  • Deathstroke #8 – Love me that Terminator.
  • Detective Comics #946 – The Victims SYndicate is so fresh a concept. Also intrigued to learn more more about Time Drake’s whereabouts and what’s next for him.
  • Earth 2 Society #19 – This is the antepenultimate issue of this series. How does it relate to DC’s march to a JSA Rebirth in their main universe?
  • Flash #12 – SHADE! ‘Nuff said.
  • IvX #1 – I would have liked to have picked this up to sample, but not for $6.
  • New Super-Man #6 – Enjoying this fun book about a Justice League of China.
  • Red Hood & The Outlaws #5 – Another fun monthly read starring the dark trinity.
  • Suicide Squad #8 – Everyone, but Harley Quinn is insane? Color me intrigued.
  • Superwoman #5 – A fun and mysterious monthly read. Awesome art to boot.
  • Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #14 – The Immortal Warrior. What’s not to like?

James Fulton

  • Deathstroke #8 – It’s hard to express how happy I am that Christopher Priest is back writing comics, and that it feels like he hasn’t missed a beat while he was gone.
  • Moonshine #3 – It’s too early to make comparisons to 100 Bullets, but Moonshine, by Azzarello and Risso, is a great new title set in Prohibition Appalachia.
  • Motro #2 – I really liked the first issue of Ulisses Farinas’s new Oni title, and am looking forward to reading this. This is a hard title to describe – it’s about a kid with abilities and his little pet motorcycle who go around destroying Mad Max rejects and their pet tanks. Trust me, it’s good.
  • Namesake #2 – Likewise, the first issue of this Boom! title written by Steve Orlando really caught my attention. There are some great independent books bubbling around just under the radar these days.
  • Young Terrorists #2 – Now here’s a real Christmas present, as I didn’t think I’d ever see this book get published. The first issue, which I read a year and a half ago, was excellent, and was supposed to be the start of a monthly title. Obviously that never happened, but I’m a patient person, and am looking forward to diving back into this series about off-the-grid activists looking to make change in the world. It’s weird that when this comic was originally designed and written, Trump wasn’t even thinking of running for President yet…

Matt Graham

  • Young Terrorists #2 – Black Mask Studios first lured me their punk rock, DIY aesthetic and counter-culture concepts. From We Can Never Go Home to Jade Street Protection Society, BMS hasn’t been shy about putting politics and society at the forefront of their books, and Young Terrorists is the most enthusiastic one in the circle pit.
    I came into this book late, which is okay, because the first issue dropped 18 months ago. On the other hand, each issue is about an 80 page trade, so you’re getting something for your hard earned time and money. Young Terrorists is about a too well reflected near future where megacorporations oppress and dehumanize the world. Sera is a young woman who has escaped the system and sows the seeds of revolution. Christopher is a fixture in the controlling regime who is piecing together the power that binds. It’s about being angry and fighting back. It’s about standing together against the boot that stamps on our faces. It’s an old tale, but always one worth repeating.
  • MMPR Pink #5 – My favourite Ranger’s mini is winding down.
  • Red Sonja #0 – For 25 cents, there’s no excuse to pass up Red Sonja’s next chapter. Aneke and Marguerite Bennett’s Red Sonja was one of my favourite minis of the year, and if Poison Ivy: The Circle of Life is any hint, Amy Chu is going to take that torch and douse it in dragon fire. The art by Carlos Gomez I’ve seen has been vivacious and violent as the series’ pulp roots demand. I’m also intrigued to see that Sonja is back in the two piece armour so soon.
  • Reborn #3 – I sort of cooled on this mini since it’s only a 6 issue proof of concept for the screen, but it’s not like it’s bad. It’s just the excellent art and an intriguing sci fi set up deserve a longer form series.
  • Gwenpool Holiday Special Merry-Mix Up #1 – Gwenpool is one of my favourite things out of Marvel these days if only because it feels rebellious and irreverent from ink stroke to word bubble. It’s less Deadpool and more Nextwave. An anthology of Gwen Poole tales by various creators is just what I need as the holidays loom.
  • Hawkeye #1 – I like Kate in Hawkeye, but I never liked Hawkeye (either) as much as I did after Fraction ended his stint with the pair. Kelly Thompson and Leonardo Romero seem to have recycled and reformulated what worked for me, if the preview of the first issue is any indication. It still looks like its emulating the original series, but that’s what I’m after, at this point.
  • Also grabbing All New X-Men #16 and Daredevil #14.

Phil Allen

  • Batman & Robin Adventures Vol. 1 – Between this, finishing The Batman Adventures TPBs a few months ago, watching the animated series lately, and the Batman/TMNT series (see below), I’m in full-blown 90’s nostalgia mode!
  • Batman / Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures #2 – I can’t remember the last time I watched a TMNT show, but the first issue was a very fun debut. And it’s always great to expand upon the Batman: The Animated Series universe.
  • DC Rebirth Holiday Special #1 – I’ve said it before, and I stand by it: I miss the old DC Holiday Specials! Hopefully we’ll be getting plenty more in the future with Rebirth. And who could pass up a new Harley Quinn story by creator Paul Dini? I’m very much in.
  • Foolkiller #2 – I was unfamiliar with Foolkiller (in any incarnation) before last issue, and so far I’m intrigued to read more.
  • The Fuse #24 – Arc conclusion! This series is one of the most consistently satisfying books I’m reading now, and these last few issues especially have had me on the edge of my seat. Can’t wait to see what’s in store for my favorite space station detective duo!
  • Hawkeye #1 – I’ve really liked the various recent Hawkeye series; in fact, before Fraction and Aja’s run a few years back, I wasn’t reading any Marvel. But every series that’s come up since, I’ve been waiting for Kate to take the wheel. And now she is! Hooray for Katie-Kate-Hawkeye!
  • Other issues I’m looking forward to:
  • Action Comics #969
  • Descender #17
  • Detective Comics #946
  • Hadrian’s Wall #4
  • Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #10
  • Moonshine #3
  • Motor Girl #2
  • Reborn #3
  • Rockstars #1
  • Star Wars: Poe Dameron #9
  • The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #15
  • Wonder Woman #12
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.