Mike Maillaro
- AVENGERS #675 – Marvel has combined all their AVENGERS books into one weekly event called NO SURRENDER. This is apart from their other weekly event running right now, PHOENIX RESURRECTION (issue 3 comes out this week). It is nice that these books are self-contained at least, not requiring the reader to buy a ton of pointless crossovers, but I still think they should have probably finished PHOENIX RESURRECTION before starting NO SURRENDER. Personally, I wasn’t really enjoying Mark Waid’s AVENGERS, so lumping in Walker’s OCCUPY AVENGERS and Ewing’s USAVENGERS, two really good books, seems like a bad choice to me.
- WITCHBLADE #2 – I actually didn’t realize this series was a complete reboot of WITCHBLADE. I had never read any WITCHBLADE before, but I did enjoy the first issue of the new series. Real curious where this series is heading. I have also heard Image may also be rebooting DARKNESS, another series I was always curious about but never got a chance to check out.
- DEADMAN #3 – To be honest, I couldn’t tell you anything about what happened in the first two issues. Love the art, but Neal Adams’ writing have become dense and impenetrable in recent years. I don’t mind complicated comics, but if you are looking for depth, you are better out checking MISTER MIRACLE #6.
- NINJAK VS THE VALIANT UNIVERSE #1 – This is a tie-in to the online TV series NINJAK VS THE VALIANT UNIVERSE. As far as I know, they still haven’t given a release date for the webseries, so I guess this comic will have to tide us over. The show itself seems to be really well cast. That said, I think maybe they should have delayed the comic until the webseries was up because otherwise, this could create some confusion for the readers.
- GWENPOOL THE UNBELIEVABLE #24 – I am so bummed out that this series is ending with the next issue. They did kind of hint that way in the last few issues, but it was still a surprise to be to hear that it was actually ending. GWENPOOL was a terrific surprise in the last year or so. One of the best comics on the market, and I hope that people check out the trades so this book can come back down the road.
- OLD MAN HAWKEYE #1 – As much as I like OLD MAN LOGAN, I can’t imagine there was a lot of people demanding this 12-issue miniseries. Marvel just cancelled their current HAWKEYE series, so this seems like a unusual choice. OLD MAN LOGAN #33 also comes out this week.
- SUICIDE SQUAD #33 – I really enjoyed seeing the history of TASK FORCE X in the last arc of SUICIDE SQUAD. SUICIDE SQUAD has been one of my favorite books throughout all of New 52 and Rebirth, but it just seems to slip along quietly without getting too much attention. It’s not DC’s flashiest book, but one of my favorites.
- Alters #9
- Monstro Mechanica #2
- Pestilence #6
- Archie #27
- WWE Royal Rumble 2018 Special #1
- Action Comics #995
- Batgirl And The Birds Of Prey #18
- Detective Comics #972
- Flash #38
- Hal Jordan And The Green Lantern Corps #36
- Justice League Of America #22
- New Super-Man #19
- Ragman #4 (Of 6)
- Red Hood And The Outlaws #18
- Scooby Apocalypse #21
- Titans #19
- Wonder Woman #38
- G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #247
- Youngblood #8
- Cable #153
- Daredevil #597
- Despicable Deadpool #292
- Ms. Marvel #26
- Punisher #220
- Runaways #5
- Secret Warriors #12
- She-Hulk #161
- Star Wars Darth Vader #10
- Venom #160
- X-Men Blue #19
- X-Men Gold Annual #1
- Bloodshot Salvation #5
Matt Graham: Witchblade and Darkness are well worth reading. Try for the 2005 stuff. It’s about then it shed the 90s Bad Ass vibe from the franchise (they’re related) and had some cool stories to tell, but I love all of it. Ron Marz’s Witchblade is the hallmark, though. Darkness also had some consistent greatness through the early 2010s until the end.
John Babos: The Ninjak vs Valiant mini is set in the tv continuity not the core Valiant comics one? That appears to be the case, but has Valiant confirmed that?
Mike Maillaro: I don’t know if they have ever really confirmed it for sure, but the way I read all the promos and stuff feels like it is separate. I have the preview copy, but I actually have not read it yet
John Babos
14 new books this week possibly.
- Action Comics #995
- Avengers #675
- Bloodshot Salvation #5
- Detective Comics #972
- Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #36
- Mister Miracle #6
- Ninjak vs The Valiant Universe #1
- Old Man Hawkeye #1
- Red Hood and the Outlaws #18
- Suicide Squad #33
- Superwoman #18
- Titans #19
- Wonder Woman #38
- X-Men Gold Annual #1
This is the most Marvel comics I’ve had in one week for some time. I’m iffy on Avengers, but intrigued by Old Man Hawkeye and the return of Excalibur in the X-Men Gold Annual.
On the Valiant front, not sure if Ninjak vs Valiant is the TV continuity or the comic book continuity, but will pick up Bloodshot Salvation for sure.
DC Comics dominates this week again. Stoked for more time broken adventuring in Action Comics with Superman and Booster Gold. Wonder Woman, Titans and Red Hood and the Outlaws are usually at the top of my to read pile when they’re out. I think this issue of Superwoman follows last week’s Cyborg as the next Rebirth Era cancellation.
This is the largest week in some time for me. Wow. What a start to 2018.
Matt Graham
- Harley Quinn: Be Careful What You Wish For Special Edition #1 – I had no idea about this, but this comic was in a Loot Crate. Now it’s reprinted. I don’t care about that part. I care about this part: ” an additional eighteen (18!) pages of brand-new story and art by Amanda Conner!”
Sold.
- Gwenpool #24 – Second to last issue. How cruel that the Legacy recap for Gwenpool prompted people to buy the first trade and pre-order the book when it was a dead title walking. I’m bittersweet about her future. I’d like to see her return, but it’s hard to imagine anyone but Christopher Hastings pulling it off. His approach and the psycho-drama-comedy-tragedy made the character and I like to think he has a good ending for it all. I don’t want to see her thrown into Champions or Avengers as a dank meme character. Yet, Marvel has thrown a lot of merch into her (I get two figures of her this year, plus I own a few shirts, I’m not complaining), so I think she has a future somewhere.
- Witchblade #2 – Witchblade was at its best as a supernatural crime thriller. New Witchblade wielder Alex is tied up in a mess of corrupt cops that can strike a timely political chord, and they probably have Hell or black magic behind them, because it’s Witchblade. Sounds about what I want from the title.
Caitlin Kittridge writes a well paced script and Roberta Ingranata’s art goes a long way to brighten up the moody title, with character designs and body language that inform the story like a comic should.
- Barbarella #2
- Daredevil #597
- Return of Jean Grey #3
- She-Hulk #161
- X-Men Blue #19
- X-Men Gold Annual #1
- Bloodshot Salvation #5
Joe Smith
- Action Comics #995 – This issue has Booster Gold in it ‘nuff said.
- Mister Miracle #6 – This book continues to excite me because it’s an original and innovative story. Tom King can do no wrong as of late.
- Phoenix Resurrection #3 – I gave up on X-Men comics some years back…I’m giving this mini a shot and I’m hoping that I’ll get back to reading X-Men again.
James Fulton
- Eternal Empire #6 – I’m glad to see this book returning to the schedule. Joshua Luna and Sarah Vaughn are doing an interesting take on a fantasy/Game of Thrones world, and their stuff is always cool.
- Mister Miracle #6 – Half-way into the best series of the year!
- Port of Earth #3 – This Top Cow book is a great science fiction series that reminds me a little of that District 9 movie.
- Punisher #220 – I’m enjoying Matt Rosenberg’s take on Frank Castle, with the War Machine amor, more than I expected to. 2018 is Rosenberg’s year it seems.
- Royal City #9 – This might be Jeff Lemire’s best work yet. 90s nostalgia, experimental layouts, and characters I’ve grown to care about.
Phil Allen
- Action Comics #995 – I like where all this “Oz Effect” aftermath is going, and I still hope Booster Gold will stick around for a while.
- Batgirl and The Birds of Prey #18 – The last arc was the best in BoP yet, and I’m excited to see where the series goes from here.
- Coyotes #3 – I didn’t know what to expect when I first picked up this series, but I have been pleasantly surprised so far.
- Detective Comics #972 – Solid as ever, and I’m liking the story build we’re getting for Tim. There’s definitely something big coming for everyone.
- Eternal Empire #6 – Glad to see this returning! I really enjoyed the first arc, and things should only get better from here.
- Mister Miracle #6 – I’m still an issue behind, but I have no doubt it’s as good as ever.
- Port of Earth #3 – I can’t pinpoint what it is exactly, but something is making this one of my favorite new series already, and we’re only two issues in!
- Sleepless #2 – Similar to Coyotes, I wasn’t sure of what to expect going in but I really liked the first issue. The structure of the characters’ relationships, the artwork, seemingly all the necessary background info in just a few pages, everything was great.
- Other issues I’m looking forward to:
- Hal Jordan & The GLC #36
- Justice League of America #22
- Mech Cadet Yu #5
- Ms. Marvel #26
- New Super-Man #19
- Royal City #9
- The Flash #38
- The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #28
- Wonder Woman #38
