It's the big guns this week with a new comic pull list! I'm back to old habits and am discussing 24 different comics! Seven of the are either first issues or Specials, and at least three are final issues, so it isn't as crazy as it sounds.
Many of the week's pulls are limited series' in some way, as well, making them technically temporary pulls. If you're more into knowing about publishers, nine are Marvel, three are DC, and the rest are spread across independent publishers. These 24 pulls this week are also why some of my ensuing blurbs are a little shorter than normal. Continuing in doing my representation spotlights, I picked out Bitter Root and it's creative team as the spotlight on creators of color. Non-binary artist Jen Hickman is talked about for queer representation, and Spy Island, with it's Man-Eaters team of women, for female representation in the comics industry. Continue Reading to see what kind of amazing comics are coming out this week!
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Spotlight on Creators of Color: Bitter Root by Chuck Brown, David Walker, and Sandford Greene
For this week's spotlight on people of color in the comics industry, Bitter Root was the obvious choice. Not only does this creator-owned comic have an entirely Black creative team, the story is starring entirely Black characters. Some people might not understand why this kind of representation is important in comics and pop culture, and I would direct them merely to their local twitter trends. This past week saw a terrible tragedy for not only Black icons, but for all of comics, when Chadwick Boseman passed away from colon cancer. Boseman played iconic roles such as Jackie Robinson, Thurgood Marshall, Vontae Mack, and of course, King T'Challa of Wakanda. As the Black Panther, Boseman was the first Black hero on our screens in the MCU, premiering during Captain America: Civil War. He played the parts of King and Panther with such grace and skill that was only matched by that of his day to day life. He inspired countless colored children to believe that they, too, can be a hero, an idol, and important to a whole world. While Bitter Root is hardly the pop culture phenomenon Boseman's Black Panther was, it similarly tells the stores of an otherwise marginalized group of people. I was lucky enough to meet Sanford Greene and Chuck Brown in 2019 at a small convention in Charleston, South Carolina, where I first heard of this series. It only took Greene's summary to get me invested: the story follows a family of monster hunters in the Harlem Renaissance. Meet the Sangeyres-- a multi-generational family dedicated to the eradication of evil, in this case coming in the form of white men who's hate turns them into literal monsters. They've been doing it for generations in Harlem, with local cop dropping off their catches for the family to heal and release again. But things are changing in Harlem, and not Black men and women are just as susceptible to their hatred manifesting them into demons as anyone else. A recent development showed that every community of New York has their own name for the beasts and their own family with a legacy of dealing with them. Something is changing, big time, and it just might caused by the actual devil. I don't want to give too much away in this spotlight--it's an amazing series, and I recommend it to anyone a fan of horror comics, 1920's era comics, or supernatural comics. The team even pulls from historical events, such as the 1921 Tulsa massacre on Black Wall Street. It reminds me of several recent TV series' (namely Watchmen and Lovecraft Country on HBO) which spotlight Back American history, and showcase stories told from a Black perspective when hey would have just as easily gone with the white so many are used to seeing. Again, it's so important to show Black stories in pop culture, and Bitter Root proudly does just that. Writer Chuck Brown has been featured in several Marvel and independent comics, with another series in the works at Image, On the Stump, about a modern earth that chooses it's political leaders based on actual fist fights. Co-Author David F. Walker has a large resume of Marvel works, including Power Man and Iron Fist, 2016's Nighthawk, Occupy Avengers, and DC's Naomi with Brian Michael Bendis. His work takes a clear stance of representation and explores ideas about equality and bias in our modern world. The art is as unique as the story is inventive. When I was lucky enough to have met Sanford Greene, I purchased a print of his featuring his connecting covers from the 2016 Black Panther run. Its a stunning bit of artwork, featuring every aspect of T'Challa's life. He's had art featured with basically every publisher and has drawn most your favorite characters at one point or another. When speaking, Greene is equally as humble as he is well-spoken, talking to everyone who stopped at his booth with genuine gratitude. He and Brown held a small talk on being comics creators, and I can attest that they're both incredibly warm guys. They stand for things I want to see in comics more, and they represent their points of view with all the respect they deserve. It was crushing to see the responses to Chadwick Boseman's death, especially from creators like Greene, who felt his success in the nerd community legitimized their being in that same community. There is a place for everyone in comics. Anyone who believes otherwise is choosing to ignore the foundations and beliefs of the comics greats they claim to love. Bitter Root stands for so many good things in comics just by existing, I hope to see more of it in the future.
Spotlight on LGBTQ+ Topics: Jen Hickman of this week's Lonely Receiver #1
When writing these spotlights, this is the hardest to find something relevant to talk about. I've written before about Vampirella's sexuality in her book and Sacred Six, and this week's Guardians of the Galaxy actually circumvents it's queer characters entirely. New Mutants is one of the LEAST gay Dawn of X titles, and DC has yet to really get that ball rolling in their court at all. While I'd often prefer to discuss LGBTQ+ topics that arise in comics, this week I've found myself able to spotlight a comic book unicorn--non-binary comics creator Jen Hickman. The comic industry has long-since been known as a sexist beast, making the trail to successful comics creator a lot windier for women than men. That is something that goes without saying, especially these days. But the industry is even more toxic for non-binary creators, those who don't necessarily subscribe to the standard male/female gender bible. With the recent "outing" of many comics creators as toxic to their own communities, many trans and non-binary people in the industry spoke out about their particularly harsh treatment by editors, publishers, and other writer/artists, strictly due to their gender orientation. While I've written before about non-binary writer Vita Ayala, this week I'd like to spotlight Jen Hickmna, non-binary comic artist. Jen graduated from the Savannah College of Art and Design's Sequential Art program, where artists are often picked up by every comics publisher from Marvel to Image, and is one of very few higher education programs like it in the world. Hickman's first published comics started in 2014, when they guest-starred as artist on the final two issues of Buster Jordan's Spread, followed by 6-issue limited series The Dead, alongside James Maddox. Soon thereafter, Hickman was artist to Feathers by Jorge Corona, a six-issue limited series. They've been featured as guest artist in a number of publications since then, including Jem and the Holograms and the Regular Show, and was featured in a few issues of SFSX. More recently, Hickman wrapped up Test for Vault comics last year. This week's Lonely Receiver #1 is the first of a five issue limited series involving a woman who's life partner A.I. dissappears, loosely. Marketed as a horror story, Lonely Receiver sounds like a combination of HER and Ex Machina, two excellent A.I. films with very different outlooks and vibes. With a queer woman as the main character and a non-binary artist, there's only more and more reasons to pick up this first issue this week.
Spotlight on Women in Comics: Chelsea Cain, Elise McCall, and Lia Miternique (Spy Island/Man-Eaters)
For the first time since these spotlights were started, it was actually difficult picking out which female creator/s to spotlight among the many amazing available women in comics this week. From Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda's final issue this year of Monstress, to multi-series star Marvel writer Kelly Thompson's first of Black Widow, to third-generation comic artist Emma Kubert's first comic published as a writer, to Anne Toole and Ann Maulna's Horizon Zero Dawn, to Rachael Stott guest starring as artist for the Sex Criminals Special, there is a lot to be grateful for this week as a woman in comics. When it is all said and done, one fully-female team peaked my interest and passion for celebrating women in comics just over the other. As well as all those other amazing women in comics, this week has the premier issue of Spy Island by Chelsea Cain, with art by Elise McCall and Lia Miternigue--the creative team who led Man-Eaters in 2018. Man-Eaters was a feminist comic in the same way that Sex Criminals might be described as a sex comic. While it fits the bill, there's a lot more to it than that, and a lot of the harder topics are discussed through humor and ridiculous metaphor. Its a format of teaching and discussing difficult and poignant topics while still telling meaty stories. I read Man-Eaters for the first time just a few weeks ago, actually, after finding the first volume at my local comics shop. The plot of the book is one of those ridiculous metaphors from before, taking place in a world where girls turn into actual man-eating wild cats on their period. The situation is so extreme, the governments across the world started putting hormones in the water supply to stop their young girls from ever having periods in the first place. But girls slip through, and big cat attacks cause young girls to be rounded up in vans and tested. Even parents will turn on their own daughters if they fear they're "infected." Children start being taught in school the dangers of having feline pets, and the dangers of being alone with a girl of pubescent age. Certain behaviors are widely marketed as being "warning signs" of girls becoming man-eating cats, including having their own opinion, talking back, any sort of strong emotions, the list goes on. Meanwhile, the men and boys of this universe are touted as being brave survivors and victims, and even get special treatment with "untainted" water and their own "safe spaces" to do "boy things" away from the potentially deadly girls. The metaphor, as I said, is extreme, but it gets the point across. And in the end, the world changes permanently for the better for their young girls. But there was so much to enjoy from Man-Eaters besides the plot. It was a 12-issue max-series, with vastly different cover designs and a plethora of additional internal visual design. Each comic contained articles, documentation, and other background details that not only filled out their unique world, but gave the reader further material to absorb outside of a standard comic bubble format. In short, Man-Eaters was a creative comic book gem, one that I would recommend to young girls, new parents of daughters, and anyone who wants a different perspective on female issues. Spy Isand is being done by the same creative team, so I'm looking forward to a similar sort of comic book set up. The series is only a third of the length as their last, so I'm not expecting it to be a life changing story, but great comics often come in small packages. Writer Chelsea Cain is a New York Times Best-Selling novelist, with a few other comics under her belt, such as Mockingbird and 2016's Hellboy Winter Special. Elise McCall and Lia Miternique have only worked on comics together in the past, covering all the Man-Eaters and Spy Island issues. This is a team I've read before and have quickly grown to trust, so keep an eye out for SPY ISLAND this week!
Black Widow #1
At long last, Black Widow is here! This first issue was originally solicited for May, I believe, before the Diamond Distributors shutdown that pushed back every comic for weeks. This comic is another written by Kelly Thompson, who also writes Captain Marvel and Deadpool at Marvel. Her track record for the publisher is stupendous, having created fan-favorite characters and being critically acclaimed on her Deadpool run since the very first issue. This series is taking Natasha west, to San Francisco! As someone very familiar with the city after living there for almost five years, it's exciting to think about what a comic taking place out west can bring. Cape comics are traditionally taking place in New York, so the change is well suited. For myself, I'm hoping this series will be a little stronger on it's own feet than some of the other recent Black Widow minis. Natasha is a fan favorite character who tends to have a hard time getting her books sold, so maybe this creative team will get the ball rolling for her this time. As a fist issue of a new ongoing series, Marvel has released a plethora of comic variant covers for this one, as well! Hit up your local comic shop for covers by Adam Hues, J Scott Campbell, Peach Momoko, Kim Jacinto, and more. I'm looking forward to this new era of Black Widow comics!
Sex Criminals: Sexual Gary Special #1
It's totally like Matt Fraction and Chip Zdarsky to cling to a random joke of a character and give him a full series special. With Sex Criminals ending in the next issue, I don't expect this particular comic to do much by way of moving the plot forward. You can guarantee, however, that it will do a lot in terms of world building, which seems to be the creative team's favorite thing. But before I get ahead of myself, Chip isn't the artist on this special. This time, there's guest artist Rachael Stott, known for her covers across a multitude of publishers. If I had to guess, this "Sexual Gary" is likely a wounded soul, depressed man, or otherwise scarred person hiding behind his sexual front. Matt and Chip spent 30+ issues of Sex Criminals ultimately discussing the psychology of our lives and our sexual experiences and sexual tastes, so I can see them further going into the "happy front" metaphor. The last issue of Sex Criminals is premiering at the end of the month, September 23rd, with a NSFW variant by Jamie Mckelvie and a mysterious "Matt and Chip Chum" NSFW variant, as well. Needless to say, I'm going to be hunting down both.
We Only Find Them When They're Dead #1
I first heard about this series when variant cover artist Jenny Frison posted her cover for it on her Instagram page. I've been following Frison's art career since probably 2014, and have been deeply enamored since the very beginning. Her career has been a pleasure to watch, spanning across every publishing house that makes comics, it would seem. She's become known for her spectacular variant covers, and I'm proud to collect her art in any way that I can. WOFTWTD, as we'll refer to it as, is solicited to be perfect for fans of Johnathon Hickman's Decorum or James Tynion IV's Something is Killing the Children. While I don't read the latter, I've hears rave reviews--even by readers who critique his other work. The minds in charge of WOFTWTD are Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo, another promising aspect, the the two are the creative team on Marvel's upcoming Immortal She-Hulk. As nervous as I am for that issue, I have to believe Ewing, with his track record on Immortal Hulk and many others (minus Empyre), will do her right. I haven't ready anything by Di Meo yet, but if her cover for Immortal She-Hulk is any indication, I am already a big fan of how she makes comics. Involving space exploration, alien gods, and big-bang cosmic adventure, so it's safe to say this comic is going to be right up my alley. Its an ongoing series, and the first issue is a whopping 32 pages, with variant cover not only by Jenny Frison but Peach Momoko, Christian Ward, Toni Infante, and more, so don't miss out!
Hellblazer Rise and Fall #1 (of 3)
I wasn't sure about reading this story until I saw it was DC Black Label title by Tom Taylor, author of DCeased and it's following comics. He as proven himself excellent with horror comics, which is exactly what a Hellblazer comic should be. Rise and Fall is meant to be a new origin for John Constantine's Hellblazer identity, telling the story of how this user of the mystic arts became known as one of the best in the business. I may not be the biggest fan of Constantine, but I have enjoy his character when written well and have a good grasp on what that entails. I'm not sure what his origins are in the current canon, so this will be new story for me altogether. I'm still hoping to see cameos from other mystic characters, such as Zatanna and Etrigan. As a three issue Black Label series, this is almost bound to be great. With Tom Taylor writing, that makes it's potential even greater. This series just might make me a Hellblazer sweaty!
Spy Island #1 (of 4)
As a big fan of witty feminist dialogue backed by creative visual designs, I know this is going to be a mini-series I won't want to miss. I already wrote about the creative team and why I'm so excited about their involvement in my Spotlight on Women in Comics, so I'll go over more plot points here. This four-issue mini follows a modern day super-spy to her next mission: an island paradise filled with tourists, spies and "evil villains set on global domination." To make it more intense, the island is in the Bermuda Triangle, which is long rumored to have mystical and confusing qualities. No doubt the protagonist, a Nora Freud, is going to have her hands full keeping a handle on the local goings-on. This creative team is already known for their ability to tie humor and artful design with poignant commentary on societal standards, so I'm looking forward to seeing what this comic is truly about, aside from the solicited plot.
Inkblot #1
Inkblot is a series I'm thrilled to pick up and add to my pull list. It's the first comic written by third-generation comic artist Emma Kubert, granddaughter to Joe and daughter to Andy Kubert. As the female heir to an American legacy, I'm proud to support her work. Kubert is writing the series, with artist Rusty Gladd alongside her. The plot is something like a cross between an Adventure Time episode and one of Terry Pratchett's Discworld books, and sounds like exactly the kind of weirdness being lacked from my pull list as Ludocrats ends. From the solicitation, the comic will follow, "a powerful sorceress attempting to correct her greatest mistake-the creation of a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. The cat threatens to unravel the fabric of the universe, doesn't care, and just won't listen!" It sounds bonkers, and I'm excited to read it! Inkblot is also solicited to be an ongoing series, so here's to hoping it will be a long and successful run!
Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1 (of 4)
Sometimes, "big two" publishers like to imitate one another when they come across an idea that catches on with fans. Last year, DC put out Tom Taylor's DCeased, and it caught on like wildfire, spurring two spin-off series. Marvel has now put out their own zombie comic, titled by the more obvious Marvel Zombies. And keep an eye out for DIEnamite, Dynamite's zombie event later this year. This series technically started last October with the first Marvel Zombies; Resurrection #1 by the same creative team of Philip Kennedy Johnson and Leonard Kirk. This one-shot showed a mass of the Earth heroes travelling deep into space on a rescue mission, only to all end up as zombies themselves. It ended with Galactus' infected corpse hurtling towards the Earth, and for a very long time it seemed that Marvel would stop the story there. Now, almost a year later, Johnson and Kirk are back to finish their morbid story in a four-part mini-series. Covering the events on Earth after Galactus' arrival, there aren't many A-List hereos left to help out. I expect a lot of deep cuts, a lot of brutal losses, and a lot of laughs in this issue, which includes variants by Peach Momoko, Stephanie Hans, Inhyuk Lee, and many more!
Lonely Receiver #1 (of 5)
Lonely Receiver is an exciting second step into horror comics for me. As a very picky fan of horror movies, I recently started checking out some horror comics. The only one I've kept on my pull list so far is the limited UpShot series by Benjamin Percy, Devil's Highway, which follows a woman investigating a string of murders tied to secret trucking cults. It's a wild story, and Percy writes horror well. Lonely Receiver is something like a cross between the movies HER and Ex Machina, where a woman marries a life-partner robot. But the robot disappears out of the blue decades later, leaving her wife to pick up the pieces. Since this is a horror comics, I have no doubt there will be much more to the plot, and I can't wait to watch it unfold! Written by Zac Thompson and art by Jen Hickman, Lonely Receiver is set to be a five-issue series.
Horizon Zero Dawn #2
If you haven't read my ongoing review of the Horizon Zero Dawn comic, including the Free Comic Book Day prequel issue, you can check that out here, in a new tab. The beginning of this comic immediately made me mournful of it's short four issues. The art fits the world so perfectly, and with an actual game writer on the script, it feels like another story out of the game. This issue will continue where the last left off, in a flashback to Talanah's first encounter with the new and more dangerous machine types. They've taken one of the down, but the other already took out a travelling caravan, and it;s up to the two warriors to save the last survivor. I imagine the flashback will wrap up in this issue, and the story will go back to Talanah and the man in the woods. He wants her to stop hunting the metal beasts, because of the backlash that comes after, but Talanah believes its up to her to stop this new threat before it becomes a bigger problem. I'm looking forward to catching more tidbits of the Horizon Zero Dawn world in this comic, and expanding Talanah's world. This comic comes with stunning variants by Peach Momoko and Loish, so there's plenty of goodness to choose from!
Sacred Six #2
Sacred Six is Christopher Priest's Vampirella spin-off comic. While it does have six lead women, the Six in the title actually refers to an "evil" organization called The Six. The Sacred, meanwhile, refers to the town of Sacred, GA, where the story takes place. Vampirella's mother, Lilith, has used Vampi's ex-girlfriend to create a brand new vampire, Drakulina. She's taken her baby vampire, as well as a half vampire called Chastitiy, to the city of Sacred for her own agenda. She's being hunted by daughter of Chaos, Nyx, one of my favorite of Priest's characters (I know he didn't create her, but he seems to have perfected her), in revenge. That leaves Pantha, who I admit to being unfamiliar with, and Vampirella, who may not have been dragged fully into the situation yet. With a cast of characters like this, I really don't want to drop this series due to Dynamite's ideals. It would feel like removing support for women as well as people of color to take it off my pull list over a corporation's mistakes. For now, it stays. I can't hide how much I am already enjoying this series, and Priest's stories only get better as they go on! Check out this GORGEOUS variant from Meghan Hetrick!
DCeased: Dead Planet #3 (of 7)
Tom Taylor can easily be credited as the mind behind the recent influx of zombie material in comics. After the success of DCeased, Marvel started back up their Marvel Zombies title, and Dynamite recently announced upcoming event DIEnamite, as well. Dead Planet is actually the third series to come out of Taylor's DCeased universe, this time covering the events after the surviving heroes who left Earth return to try and save the day again. It goes without saying they were terribly wrong, and suffered immediate and brutal losses. The last issue of Dead Planet revealed another sanctuary, like the one set up by Poison Ivy, on the other side of the world. Now, it's up the Constantine, Swamp Thing, and a few heroes left to check it out and try to help it out. If I had to guess, this is all a trap and will end in nothing but unhappiness. The solicitation also notes that this issue is the start to the road to Earth War, whatever that is. My guess here is a fourth DCeased book, or possibly just the final arc of Dead Planet's title.
Cable #4
This Cable series might star a time-displaces, younger version of the mutants hero than readers are used to, but writer Gerry Duggan makes sure there's something for every fan of the character. Duggan spent many years writing Deadpool before Kelly Thompson (and Scottie Young, but we don't need to talk about that travesty), so he already has a firm grasp on Wade, his motives, and his relationship with the "normal" Cable. Issue #3 of Cable saw Duggan fully bring Deadpool into the Cable storyline. It turns out, Deadpool stole the buried body body of Earth-616's Cable, killed by the new version. He did this at the deceased version's request, more or less, and keeps the body encased in a glass table. The encounter/reunion was a fun read for fans of the two characters both new and old. While Cable is technically the son of the clone Madelyne Pryor himself, the one thing I still hope to see in this series is Cable's own clone, Stryfe. Stryfe is a crazy-looking X-Men villain that you might visually compare to Odin's Destroyer combined with J.R.R. Tolkein's Sauron. He's a deep-cut fan favorite character, but there's more reason than that to expect him in an upcoming issue, as he's been brought up by Deadpool in the previous issue, #3. Whether Stryfe shows up in this week's comic, X of Swords, or after, I have no doubt Duggan and the team will make it as entertaining of a debut as important. In any case, this week we are wrapping up the story arc involving Cable and the Rom Space Knights! Cable technically stole one of their crazy swords, and they want it back. The following issue is the first official tie-in for X of Swords for this series, so I have no doubt the sword will come into heavily, then.
Wolverine #5
The last issue of Wolverine left Logan in a bit of a difficult position. Initially caught by a group of mutant killers, he's evntually taken by Omega Red, who kills the humans. Red has been working for Dracula for some time, and it looks like the infamous vampire has decided its time to leave the shadows. It isn't clear what Dracula would want to Logan, but Omega Red is certainly hanging on to him to keep draining his power, as that's how Omega Red feeds. The solicitation this week teases an unlikely alliance, which is surely to be another surprise character from the X-Men's history. Benjamin Percy writes an incredible Wolverine, even in a bit of a lame duck storyline such as this. The next Wolverine issue #6 is part three of X of Swords, so its a quick in-and-out with the vampires before moving on to bigger and better things!
Strange Adventures #5 (of 12)
The last issue of Strange Adventures came with a wild reveal--the creatures the reader was left to believe were the villains on Rann were actually Adam Strange's allies, at least at one point. The story has become suddenly much more complicated, and it makes me excited to see where Tom King, Mitch Gerads, and Doc Shaner are headed with this wild, yet supremely calm, story. I went on a bit of a rant in my last blurb on Strange Adventures, going off about how I think Adam's wife is the real villain of the story. That week's issue #4 did nothing but solidify my theory, and make me more certain something nefarious is afoot. Mister Terrific, on the other hand, is quickly becoming my favorite character at DC, let alone in this comics. The way King writes him is incredible, with outstanding intelligence far superior to what you or I could even begin to imagine. While the last issue had him smacking knowledge on Rannians, this issue will have Terrific back on Earth, continuing his investigation. As Strange's side of the story plays out across from Terrific's investigation, we've started to see the cognitive dissonance between what Strange is reporting and what really went down on Rann. As the story further expands and unfolds it's many wrinkles, I cant wait to find out what this stupendous creative team has in store.
Sea of Stars #6
The glorious return of Sea of Stars! Written by Jason Aaron and Dennis "Hopeless" Hallum, this creative team has already proven themselves with the first crazy arc of Sea of Stars. The story followed Gil, a space trucker, who gets in an accident and loses his son, Kayden. Kayden gets involved in his own adventure, but Gil spends much of the first five issues searching the stars for his boy. When he believes Kayden to be dead, he looses all hope, just as he and Kayden wind up on the same planet. They were reunited in the end of the last arc, but there's going to be a lot of trouble for them here on out. Kayden now possesses the power of some ancient god, and no doubt will need time to learn how to control it. His last "saviors" already tried to stab him in the back, literally, and trick him into being a sacrifice for their priest's ultimate power. With that in mind, there will no doubt be many other parties throughout space looking to get their hands on the power Kayden holds. With art by Stephen Green and color by Rico Renzi, this is a perfect jumping on point for anyone who missed the first arc.
Empyre #6 (of 6)
At last, the final issue of Empyre. This event has done nothing to impress me, and appears to be run in complete chaos and lack of communication. In this main event mini-series, Al Ewing has done a shockingly terrible job of making the reader care about literally anything going on, and has handled several key moments as if he's never written a word of English before. In all honesty, I only kept up with this series to be on the same page when the Immortal She-Hulk book drops later this month. Pray he doesn't destroy that, as well. From scandalizing a same-sex marriage to killing She-Hulk and making no one notice for weeks, Ewing just hasn't been on his game in this series. It's been an absolute disappointment, one that I can only hope this issue gives some semblance of fixing.
Guardians of the Galaxy #6
Just after I'm getting really into Guardians of the Galaxy, the story arc changes and its on to an entirely new book, almost. When we last read this series, it was following the main team of heroes, and showcasing some of the complicated history between Moondragon, Moondragon, and Phyla Vell. Unfortunately, instead of continuing on there, Al Ewing has chosen to write more about Nova, and only Nova. In the recent Marvel mini-event, Annihilation: Scourge, Nova was killed, and then immediately brought back. He's gone through some immense traumas, and now Ewing is going to waste our time showing them all to us, again. Nova is hardly the most interesting character on the current Guardians team, so I expect this issue to be a complete snooze.
Hawkeye: Freefall #6 (of 6)
Another series wraps up this week with Hawkeye: Freefall #6. This mini-series has easily been the only other to stand next to Matt Fraction and David Aja's legendary Hawkeye series. We've followed Clint Barton as he doubles down on time displacement, steals a robot copy of himself, hires a Skrull to imitate him, breaks a bunch of Avengers rules, lies to Spider-Man, and break up with his girlfriend, Night Nurse. All in five issues so far! As the series wraps up, we'll see what Clint is going to have to do to make up for all he's done. Sure, he's lost friends, but there will be consequences for going against the law so far. Matthew Rosenburg has done a great job of intertwining plot with comedy in this series, with the ever-impressive Otto Schmidt on art. Schmit is one of my favorite comic artist, which would have been good enough reason to keep up with the seires, even if the writing was trash.
Bitter Root #10
The story of the Sangeryre family wraps up in this week's Bitter Root #10. Bitter Root is easily one of the more inventive comics on my pull list, so I'm keeping all my fingers crossed we'll see it back before too long. From the setting to the characters to the plot, nothing else in comics comes anywhere near to what Bitter Root puts out. As the final issue in this story arc, we should be seeing a lot of action in #10. The Sangyre family is split up across the east coast, all dealing with their own demons--both literal and metaphorical. While some members take up arms with other hunting families in New York, the rest of the clan is back in Atlanta, Georgia, about to face Adro herself. Or is it himself? Adro is basically the devil, feeding on the pain and suffering of the local community to gain power. It'll be up the the family and their few remaining allies to atop Adro before she/he turns the entire eastern seaboard into hateful demons.
New Mutants #12
Although I full expect this issue to be filler, I'm still really looking forward to reading this week's New Mutants. Ed Brisson is one half of the trading-issues writing team, across from Head of X, Johnathon Hickman. While Brisson's issues are slightly less than Hickman's, this one is solicited to star Magik, one of my all time favorite characters. The last time we saw the New Mutants, they were in a non-sanctioned country, trying to save a young mutant child from her local government's interference. They eventually save the girl, who honestly has one of the cooler designs of newly created characters. Issue #13 of New Mutants fits in the X of Swords event, hence assuming this issue is filler. The cover features Magik slicing the heads off a bunch of reporters' microphones, which, crossed with a solicitation mentioning the New Mutants fighting back, makes me think this will be a classic New Mutants getting up to shenanigans issue. Magik's gruffness is one of my favorite features of her, so I'm excited to read her getting into some trouble this week!
Vampirella #13
If I'm not mistaken, this is the last issue of this arc of Christopher Priest's brilliant new Vampirella series. The last issue left us with a massive cliffhanger: Vampi's therapist being kidnapped by her mother, Lilith! To make matters worse, Vampirella has been outed in every way possible by her former lover, now going by Drakulina. To get revenge on Vampi, she allowed herself to be turned by Lilith, then wrote a series of tell-all articles talking about their former sex life, her alien heritage, and linking her "vampire" persona to hr real world one, wrecking Vampi's work as a school teacher. She's been backed into a corner from every direction possible, and the corner doesn't even seen to be accommodating. This issue, I hope, will feature the furious vengeance of Vampirella as she rescues her new therapist and settles the score with her mother. Issue #14 starts a new story arc for this ground breaking series, so it'll make an excellent jumping on point if you want to start the series fresh. It's no surprise I've been really enjoying what Priest is doing with Vampi, and I can't wait to see what the future holds.
Red Sonja #19
If you've ever wanted to read Red Sonja, this is a perfect jumping on point! The last issue saw Sonja take down the ridiculous King, for whom Sonja was leading his armies. The King had slaughtered his pubescent army in a feeble display of power, against General Sonja's recommendations. Upon seeing the devastation, even the King's lifelong advisor agreed that he needed to be taken out of play. With the King out of the picture, Sonja was able to finally rescue her people and send them the supplies they need to live. But trouble is still on the horizon for Sonja the Red. The last Emperor she slaughtered had a son, and that son has been on a hunt to find her (see: Killing Red Sonja). No doubt more formidable than when his father was killed, Sonja will have to face him, and the consequences for her brutal actions.
Fantastic Four #23
This issue of Fantastic Four is another tie-in to the Empyre event, and will likely be seeing Franklin and Valeria Richards in charge of saving the day on Yancy Street. More exciting to me than this issue, though, is the future of the Fantastic Four. After this week's #23, there will be the likely filler #24, covering apparently flashback story to when Iceman replaced the Human Torch on the team. After that likely entertaining adventure, though, is a new era for the team! Now, I know all too well that comics publishers have a bad habit of claiming crazy things like that all the time, which usually end up being nothing much to speak of. Not only does #25 kick off a new artist, RB Silva, for the book, it brings in two new villains. One, Helmsman, is more of a mystery, but the other, Victorious, seems to have something to do with the human torch. And the Kree/Skrull children seem to tick around, as well! Its an exciting time for the Fantastic Four, once they get past Empyre.
Monstress #30 (finale)
I'm somewhere between melancholy, excited, and in denial about this final issue of Monstress. I discovered the series in college, and have been collecting it annually as trade paperback. This last volume, however, I've gotten all the issues as they've come out from my local comic shop, and still plan on collecting the volume when it releases later this year. There is so much to take in about this series when you read it, from the creative world, the art style, the intricate details, the gruffness combines with empathy of the lead, the wildness of the characters, and so, so much more. Monstress is a comic I would recommend to anyone, and should be enjoyed by readers everywhere. This last issue is sad, true, but also exciting in that questions from the very first issue are finally going to be answered. There will be big reveals, a final battle to be won, and loyalties to be discovered. Creative team Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have built an absolute masterpiece, unparalleled in style and quality. Congratulations to them on completing their journey, and to the fans for seeing it through.
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