Pull List Roundtable 6/21/2017 – Batman #25, Archie #21, Weapons Of Mutant Destruction, All-Star Batman #11, Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 & More

Columns, Features, Roundtables, Top Story

John Babos

6 new books this week.

  • Cave Carson has a Cybernetic Eye #9
  • Green Arrow #25
  • Green Lanterns #25
  • Rapture #2
  • Super Sons #5
  • Trinity #10

Mike Maillaro

  • ARCHIE #21 – I am not all that sure how I feel about OVER THE EDGE. The first issue really felt out of character for so many of the characters here. I think there is a lot of ways to tell a strong ARCHIE story with more adult themes and real consequences, but so much of the first part of this arc felt like a stretch just to get all the pieces in the right place. I will definitely wait and see.
  • DOCTOR STRANGE #22 – Loving the weird cast of characters in this book. Daredevil, Spider-Woman, and Kingpin aren’t normally in a DOCTOR STRANGE story. Curious what favor Kingpin is going to demand from Doctor Strange. Dennis Hopeless is one of my favorite comic writers, and I can’t wait to see what he can do with Strange, especially once SECRET EMPIRE is done.
  • BATMAN #25 – Last issue’s proposal was a nice surprise. This time, we start THE WAR OF JOKES AND RIDDLES. Not sure if we need another flashback story, but I did enjoy ZERO YEAR, so I will certainly give this a try.
  • DAREDEVIL #22 – I think Charles Soule has a great vision for DAREDEVIL, but I think it might be a little too big. Last issue, Daredevil teased that he had a plan on how to end all crime in New York. Since that would basically end the comic series, I think we can all assume he won’t be successful, but the ride should be entertaining.
  • LUKE CAGE #2 – Last year, I had said that David Walker was my favorite writer in comics, and he’s been really amping that up this year even more. OCCUPY AVENGERS is by far Marvel’s best team book, and the first issue of LUKE CAGE grabbed me even more than Walker’s LUKE CAGE AND IRON FIST had been. Walker has pushed Luke Cage out of his comfort zone and is expanding on Luke’s past. The end result was a terrific first issue.
  • HIGHLANDER THE AMERICAN DREAM #5 – This was a great way to bring HIGHLANDER back. So much of HIGHLANDER outside of the first movie and the TV series was kind of awful, but I really enjoyed this one. Hopefully IDW will be doing more with HIGHLANDER real soon.
  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #16
  • Batwoman #4
  • Green Arrow #25
  • Green Lanterns #25
  • Lobo Road Runner Special #1
  • Nightwing #23
  • Super Sons #5
  • Superman #25
  • Trinity #10
  • Wonder Woman Tasmanian Devil Special #1
  • Nancy Drew And The Hardy Boys The Big Lie #4
  • G.I. JOE #6
  • Mickey Mouse #21
  • Revolution Aw Yeah #2
  • Star Trek Boldly Go #9
  • Uncle Scrooge #27
  • I Hate Fairyland #13
  • Invincible #137
  • All-New Guardians Of The Galaxy #4
  • Captain America Steve Rogers #18
  • Iceman #2
  • Invincible Iron Man #8
  • Man-Thing #5 (Of 5)
  • Mighty Thor #20
  • Monsters Unleashed #3
  • Nick Fury #3
  • Secret Empire Brave New World #2 (Of 5)
  • Secret Empire Underground #1
  • Silver Surfer #12
  • Spider-Man 2099 #24
  • Star Wars Darth Maul #4 (Of 5)
  • Star Wars Darth Vader #2
  • Star Wars Poe Dameron Annual #1
  • U.S.Avengers #7
  • Ultimates 2 #8
  • Weapons Of Mutant Destruction Alpha #1
  • X-Men Gold #6
  • Britannia We Who Are About To Die #3 (Of 4)
  • Rapture #2

James Fulton

This is kind of a weird week, with no debuts, and not much that really stands out.

That said, the following titles are excellent reads:

  • Black Hammer #10
  • Black Monday Murders #6
  • Dept. H #15
  • Old Guard #5
  • Royal City #4

Phil Allen

  • All-Star Batman #11 – News hit a few days ago that this series is ending with issue #14 (September) and I honestly have mixed feelings about it. On one hand, I was just starting to warm up to it with the second arc, but on the other hand Snyder has said he is continuing Bat-related work with more artists in different formats (which will probably be announced soon). So, losing a good book from good creators but getting more under a different name soon-ish.
  • Batman #25 – “The War of Jokes and Riddles” begins. With a description like “in the spirit of YEAR ONE and THE LONG HALLOWEEN”, that really sets the bar high. But Tom King’s work lately has been opening the door for bigger world stuff, so this could be pretty cool.
  • I Hate Fairyland #13 – We finally get a closer look at Larry! I used to wonder how long this series would remain interesting but it shows no sign of stopping any time soon.
  • Lobo / Road Runner Special #1 & Wonder Woman / The Tasmanian Devil Special #1 – The next round of DC/WB crossovers, and these should be pretty cool. The idea of Lobo hunting down the Roadrunner is hilarious, and I like picturing Taz as a giant mythological monster like Diana has faced countless times before.
  • Odyssey of the Amazons #6 – This was an interesting mini-series, with crossing mythologies and meeting many new characters from Wonder Woman’s home.
  • Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man #1 – I’ve never been a regular Spider-Man reader, but with what Zdarsky has been a part of recently (Howard the Duck, Star-Lord) there is no way I can pass on this.
  • Star Wars: Poe Dameron Annual #1 – Part of me can’t believe this series has lasted this long (I assumed it was going to be a mini, 6 issues max) but the other part is glad that it has. In addition, this is a big Star Wars release week, with Darth Vader #2, Darth Maul #4, and Doctor Aphra Vol. 1.
  • The Old Guard #5 – First arc conclusion! Interesting story idea and great art, I cannot wait for the second arc!
  • Other issues I’m looking forward to:
  • Archie #21
  • Batwoman #4
  • DC Comics Bombshells #29
  • Green Arrow #25
  • Injustice 2 #4
  • James Bond: Felix Leiter #6
  • Justice League #23
  • Royal City #4
  • Super Sons #5
  • Superman #25
  • The Black Monday Murders #6
  • Trinity #10
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.