Pull List Roundtable 9/23/2020 – X Of Swords, Speed Metal, Immortal She-Hulk & More

4 books this week.

Immortal She-Hulk #1 – Al Ewing’s Hulk has been fantastic, but She-Hulk’s absence from his radical rethinking of gamma-based characters has been noticeable. Now, in light of what happened to Jen in Empyre, she gets her own one-shot, by Ewing, and I’m sure it’s going to be interesting.

X of Swords: Creation #1 – I think it might be a little too soon for a line-wide X-book crossover. Many of the third wave of titles are still working to establish themselves (Hellons, X-Factor, and Wolverine), and the main title has been too kaleidoscopic to pull together now. That said, Jonathan Hickman has proven that he can use events as not just an end for themselves, but also as part of an even bigger story, like how he used the Infinity event to build towards his Secret Wars. I trust him, even when I don’t love everything he’s done.

I’m also looking forward to new issues of Daredevil, Doctor Doom (finally), Gideon Falls, Low, Rai, Skulldigger and Skeleton Boy (finally), Star Wars: Bounty Hunters, 20XX, and Undiscovered Country.

Batman Maxx Arkham Dreams The Lost Year Compendium, $7.99 – This is a bit of a strange one. Because it’s been so long since the first three issues came out, IDW is releasing a partial collection of the first three issues to prepare potential readers for when issues 4 and 5 come out. Seems a little random to me…you’d think the people who actually cared about this series probably already bought the first three issues. And those who were waiting for a trade, would wait until the full trade with all five issues comes out (assuming they ever finish the series). This just seems like a real random release and I’m not quite sure who the customer base would be for it. That said, I am a huge Maxx fan, and I did enjoy the first three issues, so this does give me hope that eventually they will finish the series!

Batman Beyond #47 – My favorite DC series! I was sad to hear that they are ending this series at 50. Jurgens is a great fit on Batman Beyond.

X Of Swords Creation #1 – I have really enjoyed Hickman’s run on X-Men, but this crossover seems to be heading towards where most Hickman’s runs lose me. Way too many big ideas and random characters. I have zero interest in this crossover at all, which is a shame since this is the most I’ve enjoyed the X-Men books in a long time.

Dark Nights Death Metal Speed Metal #1 – As I’ve said a few times, Death Metal hasn’t done much for me. That said, I do love the title for this one. Speed Metal. At least it stays on theme.