Our pals at GodHatesGeeks shared their choices for the best comics to pick up in the current Previews. We thought we’d share their choices here.
I’ve been told I’m the Son of the Devil. Then, I go and read the solicit for Sons of the Devil #2, which states that “Travis tries to move on with life.. after the suspicious murder of his friend.” Whew. Do I become the devil? Or, at least the very fucked up son of one? I was just thinking the other day on how I’m not huge into horror movies, but VERY much into “grounded, character-driven psychological horror” in my comics.
As for Squadron Sinister #1 — another comic barreling out of the now-not-so-very-Secret Wars event — Marvel is at least digging deep in its archives for its latest reimaginings. While I’m not entirely sure the late Mark Gruenwald would be thrilled with it, Marvel enlisted recent X-Men scribe and Arrow executive producer Marc Guggenheim to head the World’s Greatest.. Villains. It will be interesting to see if and how the Avengers mesh with Marvel’s evil version of the JLA, especially seeing how big of a presence Hyperion has had with the team in recent years.
Finally, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t enamored with the new Bat-Tank Garb from Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo on BATMAN #41; but my DC solicit for June has to be Constantine: the Hellblazer #1, even if the TV show is in executive network purgatory at the moment (and never really lived up to my expectations). Thing is, as unfamiliar with @MingDoyle‘s work as I am, the content appears like it will hit close to home– and that home is GHG.
-Travis Moody
Even if it’s just for the sake that I’ll be pretending that I’m watching John Carpenter doing a version of Escape from New York featuring the X-Men, I have to solicit Marvel’s Years Of Future Past#1. Try not to have a synthy, throwback eighties sci-fi soundtrack in your head when you’re reading about Kate Pryde leading the X-Men to survival in a world ruled by Sentinels. A future dystopia just might be the only thing that can make an X-Men comic even cooler.
Since my entire family are aliens from another country I’m going to go with the JLAlien from another world and pick Martian Manhunter #1 as my DC solicitation. Having just binge watched Young Justice for the first time and seeing the hurt a Martian’s abilities can bring, I scrambled to find anything other work I could about the heroes from our fourth planet. Sadly, the most definitive books I could get my hands on were John Ostrander’s first two volumes of Martian Manhunter that started a whole 17-years ago! Now that he’s going to have his own series again, I can’t wait to see if Rob Williams (Star Wars: Rebellion, Judge Dredd) can give the most underrated JLA member the iconic treatment he deserves.
After getting to review the pulp-y goodness that is Image Comic’s Rumble book, I personally can’t wait for people to get caught up on the whole story so far with Image’s Rumble Vol. 1: What Color of Darkness? Think of getting served a dish with all the nutrients of The Sandman that smells likeArmy of Darkness and tastes like Hellblazer. The just-trippy-enough surrealist art mixes well with the graphic violence and subversive fantasy storyline. Just like the craziest of dreams, Rumble is a (somewhat) familiar story told in a nightmarishly unfamiliar world.
– Myke Ladiona
To paraphrase Roland Deschain, “I have not forgotten the face of my father”. Nor have I forgotten how awesome the literary version was of the action to ensue. This should be the issue of Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three – House of Cards that Eddie Dean proves himself a Gunslinger, dealing out blinding hot fury as naked as the day he was born. For me, this was a pivotal point in the novel where readers gained a new-found respect for one of the major characters by rallying behind his cause, while the comic incarnations have amped up the tension just like the drugs coursing through Eddie’s veins. The artwork of Piotr Kowalski brings the imagery of Stephen King to life while writersRobin Furth and Peter David condense a ridiculous amount of exposition into palatable dialogue, but more than anything, this should be a fire-fight to remember.
Holy Freakin’ Spectre! So far, writer Ray Fawkes and artist Ben Templesmith have slowly and deliberately developed the unique personalities of the Midnight Shift setting up for this! Well, more likely issue Gotham By Midnight #5, which has yet to debut, but idea is the same. The Spectre is lose and evil everywhere is in danger. Including his own team. So, who better to tackle this exponentially increasing supernatural situation? Batman, that’s who! The fact that the Bat-signal illuminated the final frames of issue #4 not only served to expand the universe, but also set up the potential for some of Gotham’s most notorious figures to show up later. Or at least a battle royale with the Dark Knight. In any case, the Spectre has been one of my favorite DCU characters pre-New 52 and the current incarnation is cultivating nicely. He’s like a Humphrey Bogart, film noir style of antihero who could probably scare the living shit out of the Joker, though I’m still a little iffy on “the rules” between Corrigan and Spectre. Issue #6 will hopefully do some ‘splaying’ and make the battle for Gotham’s soul one for the ages.
– Ryan Ford
It’s safe to say most Tomb Raider fans have grown fond of the new, or should I say old Lara Croft that was brought to life for us in the reboot of Tomb Raider in 2012. The game left us wanting more of Lara, and our needs are being met with the new Rise of the Tomb Raider. With that being said Dark Horse Comics made a strong choice in giving fans the chance to follow the story in Gail Simone’s depiction from #1-6. However, it’s been increasingly disappointing once Rhianna Pratchett began to share in the writing at #7 and now has taken over the new continuation with Tomb Raider #17. Most covers have been great up to date, but there is more and more disconnect between the cover art and story. Please Rhianna prove me wrong and give Lara the respect she deserves.
Then, the inner Political Scientist in me is somewhat perplexed by this new teen rated comic Prez #1 that is part of DC’s new antics to cast out a wider audience. I’m completely unfamiliar with Mark Russell’s writing (and unsure if this will even be interesting), but if this first teenage president Beth Ross is anything like the surprise we had when Emma Watson spoke to the UN — whether we agree with her or not — then I’m happy to see a strong female character come to play. On the other hand, if she’s a whiny teenage girl looking for the popular vote, you can bet I won’t be voting for this mini-series to come back. Here’s to hoping for better leadership in DC’s political universe.
Secret Wars hits again! In Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1 (and #2!), there are so many questions arising since all the alternate Universes have confused us. Mary Jane and Peter Parker’s marriage is no longer erased? And who is this “daughter”– Mayday Parker perhaps? Or yet another Secret Wars twist? All we know, is that they need each other to “make ends meet”. Ahhh… child labor at its finest.
– Stephanie Panisello
#TheTravelingNerd started off in the world of nerd culture somewhere, and that was with X-Men ’92 #1. Oh, just sitting back and daydreaming of all the fun our favorite mutants got into, brings back childhood memories of happiness. Every Saturday I would sit in front of that boob-tube and relish in the adventures of Morph, Jubilee and my favorite Gambit! Even going so far as to try to impress the ladies with my best Creole accent at the skate rink. Ahhh.. the memories. No wonder I wasn’t popular. So now that the Marvel Universe is in chaos with Secret Wars – and who knows whats going to happen — my childhood is brought back. Hopefully, to finish off where the series ended all those years ago.
Now for my second June solicit, we go to the halls getting all the grief over a certain Joker/B atgirl cover. For starters, who isn’t excited about the new new DC un52? We will have everything Marvel never gave us: A fully clothed (and far more modest) Wonder Woman, a bare-knuckled, medium-t-shirt-wearing Superman (straight out of a frat-boy bar), and the blue Ironma.. err.. Batman. And that Batman #41 is still thankfully run by Scott “Don’t call me Zack” Snyder, so you know the Comic Caped Crusader still in good hands– even if he did play the chicken card and just make The Joker an immortal. But if this is anything like I think it will be, memories of Azrael taking up the cowl and Bruce fighting to get it back, then I am more then enough excited for this than anything Supes or WW throws at us.
Finally, who’s pickle hasn’t been a bit tickled with all the stellar indie comics hitting our shelves in recent years? Well my third has to come from the halls of BOOM! Studios with Strange Fruit #1 from the minds of Eisner award winning Mark Waid (Kingdom Come) and J.G. Jones (Y: The Last Man)! Set during the Mississippi flood of 1927, it tells of a possible second coming in painted glory. Savior or threat? We will find out in — okay so I cheated — July!
– Lance Paul
So Robert Venditti is bent on changing everything he possibly can about Green Lantern during his run, and overall, he’s not doing a bad job. As the current arc is clearly heading, and the cover art teases, in Green Lantern #41, Hal is ringless, corps-less, and has basically no one to turn to. Which begs the question: is this dude even a “Green Lantern” anymore?If there’s anything Venditti has proven so far, it’s that status quo is for losers, and comics with meticulous, complex worlds and characters deserve to be torn apart month by month for the sake of a damn good story. Count me in.
Oh Amy Reeder, I’ve become addicted to your art. Even though the story towards the last few issues got a little convoluted, and the payoff of the first arc was a little lacking, you’re damn right I’m buying Rocket Girl #7. I revisited the book a few times during the hiatus, and although it didn’t leave me aching for more, and it frankly left me with more questions than interest in answers, the fluid and dynamic pages of Rocket Girl keeps it on my pull list.
– Gabe Carrasco
So, yeah, there is nothing that makes me feel more normal than reading about a character that has a duel personality. I am already a big fan of Chuck Palahniuk’s work. NOW he’s doing COMICS!??!? He has the gift for description that can make you feel sick — along with his amazing mind for storytelling. As far as Fight Club#2, hell, I can’t wait to see what Tyler Durden has been up to since we last checked in with him (and Jack)! Shhh… don’t talk about it.
– Jennifer Flatebo
THE END IS NIGH!! Or at least that’s what Marvel says. I find these “it’s all coming to an end” deals hard to get excited about; however — despite having been once a skeptic during Rucka’s departure — I’ve loved Nathan Edmondson’s Punisher run since its inception. This Cardinal has no problem putting the title up there with Matt Fraction’s Hawkeye and Mark Waid’s Daredevil; Punisher has been that good, and just like those other two books, it’s been the secondary characters that have been making the title a great read. Although I have a feeling who is going to “fall in the line of duty”, these Last Days see Frank Castle stepping back into the War Zone (hell, has he really ever left the War Zone?). Sheeeettt.
– Robert Bexar
Having not been too caught up on the comings and goings of Kamala Kahn, I’m interested to see her further enter the larger Marvel Universe in Ms. Marvel #16. The series is one of the more diverse, rich, and satisfying titles out right now, and it’ll be great to see where she goes here on out. The balance between character development, social commentary, and action has never let down since the title began, and now that the Secret Wars are gearing up for this new incarnation of Ms. Marvel, it’s going to be interesting to see her face the challenges.
I’m also looking forward to The Punisher #19. Punisher is one of my favorite comic characters, and when in the right creative hands, has some of the best, most misanthropic stories out in the industry. (And any Punisher comic that comes with a parental warning sets my hopes for something as rich and satisfying as Garth Ennis’ run back in the early 2000s). I’ll always have a soft spot for that run, but will love to have something come close. Maybe Nathan Edmondson’s story will be it!
– J.L. Caraballo
I need to start with Marvel’s Age Of Ultron Vs. Marvel Zombies #1. What?! Yes, please! Its as if one day the creators at Marvel were having coffee and said “What is something that terrifies all humans? Oh, I know! An unstoppable robot invasion!!!” Then, someone said “Let’s go even more terrifying… ZOMBIES!” Now, we get to combine the two and pit them against each other while helpless exiles from Battleworld are caught in the middle?! Who doesn’t want to read this? I mean, come on!!!
Next up, but just as fun, we have Harley Quinn And Power Girl #1. Now, I have never read a Power Girl comic (shame on me), but Harley is my all time favorite Bat-Villains. I didn’t read Harley Quinn #12, page 20, panels 3 and 4, but apparently it’s an epic panel gutter that left everyone in the world going, “WTH???” There’s nothing more exciting than finding what happens in a mysterious gap between just 2 panels. Not only does hearing about this make me want to read the Harley Quinn and Power Girl #1, but now I want to go back and read all of Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner’s Harley series.
Last, but certainly not least, we have Image’s Starve #1. As a fan of cooking shows, and Gordon Ramsay, your Apostolic is really looking forward to reading this tale of a TV show gone wrong and one lone chef who must stop this evil show. I’m hoping Brian Wood’s imagination is exactly what I would believe it to be: TV goes crazy with power, creates the Hunger Games of cooking shows, and only one crazy foul mouthed chef can stop them. Death, mayhem, and maybe a good quiche recipe. Um, did I just say Hunger Games?
– Jimmy Cupp
I, much like everyone else, was shocked when Marvel announced they were making a movie about a gun toting raccoon and a talking tree. But this Sermonizer fell in love with that tree Godamnit, so Groot getting his own book is awesome. Though, one does imagine the writing staff — Jimmy Kimmel Live‘s Jeff Loveness gets off a bit easy there. We are Groot!
Godzilla seems to really only work on the big screen for most, that’s why most of his comic book adventures have been one offs or short runs, but Godzilla: Rulers of the Earth is going up to 25 issues for The King of the Monsters longest run ever! And now that it’s over, you bet your ass I’ll be grabbing that variant cover right off the stands.
Mordecai and Rigby represent the spirit of the Saturday morning cartoon alive and well. That being said, it should surprise nobody that Regular Show works so well as a comic book. So, when #24 hits stands my guess is it will secretly be one of the best books out that week.
– Ryan Scott
Since discovering Guardians of the Galaxy and thoroughly enjoying the movie, I’ve now re- visited the GOTG comics. But! My interest is sparked with the emergence of a comic solely for GROOT #1. Yes, the lovable branch of life who leaves his enemies in the dirt. The comic community now gets to see Groot’s adventures as he — being one with nature — pursues blissfulness, and also gets paid for collecting galactic bounties and, sometimes with a little help of his friendsss, saves our galaxy. I’m proud to say I’ve been one of the family… For Bishop: I AM ZOM!
– Richard Zom