IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
Major Spoilers runs down the comics we are looking forward to, and recommending, this week.
BLACK SCIENCE #1
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Matteo Scalera, Dean White
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Grant McKay, former member of The Anarchistic Order of Scientists, has finally done the impossible: he has deciphered Black Science and punched through the barriers of reality. But what lay beyond the veil was not epiphany but chaos. Now Grant and his team are lost, living ghosts shipwrecked on an infinite ocean of alien worlds, barreling through the long-forgotten, ancient, and unimaginable dark realms. The only way is forward. The only question is how far are they willing to go, and how much can they endure, to get home again?
Join writer RICK REMENDER and the superstar art team of MATTEO SCALERA & DEAN WHITE for this face-melting science fiction epic spanning the lifetimes of a cast of dimensional castaways lead by the man that caused it all.
GEORGE: I love me some super science and I love me some Rick Remender. I’ve heard a lot of positive buzz about this book, and I’d be lying if I didn’t have high expectations. Hopefully, those expectations will be fulfilled.
STEPHEN: I have no idea what this series is about, except for the teaser images and the above solicitation information – but it is the art and the solicitation that makes me want to pick this book up this week.
CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT #5
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Eduardo Francisco
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “As Agent Jones investigates the mysterious Black Sky, Captain Midnight’s on the clock as a time bomb ticks down to destruction! Can our hero save the day before he’s out of time?! Introducing . . . SKYMAN! A brand-new artist! Eduardo Francisco (Mass Effect: Homeworlds) flies with Captain Midnight!
WAYNE: This book just hit the ground running and hasn’t let up since! Looking forward to seeing the new artist’s work and the Steve Rude cover! Oh, and the Joshua Williamson script will be terrific, as always!
GHOSTBUSTERS #10
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist: Dan Schoening
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Happy Horror Days continues with the Day of The Dead! Melanie Ortiz returns to NYC just in time to help the Ghostbusters track down a ghost that is going to extremes to drive its family away from New York!
ROB: Luckily enough I got caught back up with Ghostbusters this week and it’s still as fun as it’s been the entire time. This month we get one of the interesting newbies back too, so that should provide some extra fun.
HAWKEYE #14
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: David Aja
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: THAT THING THAT HAPPENED TO KATE IN THE ANNUAL IS TOTALLY FOLLOWED UP ON!This one has it all! Characters! Plot! Story! Dialogue! Theme! Meaning! Message! Action! A little exposition! Fire! Arrows! Criminals! Neighbors! Large bodies of water! Clients! Cops who don’t care! A system that victimizes the victims! The dog!In a broken town where cynicism and apathy has its claws around the throat of the good and decent, LADY HAWKEYE is the only hero you can trust!
STEPHEN: Yup, I’m still reading this book and picking it up each time a new issue is out. You should, too. The series is really that good and deserving of awards and praise.
RAT QUEENS #3
Writer: Kurtis Wiebe
Artist: Roc Upchurch
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: “GOLD, GUTS AND GROG,” Part Three
One tablespoon of cayenne peppers, 2 ounces of 100 proof vodka, and 3 ounces of tomato juice makes one fantastic Bloody Murder. So does double-crossing the Rat Queens and foolishly thinking you can get away with it. Drink up!
GEORGE: Rat Queens has been dirty, murderous fun. The four foulmouthed protagonists at the core of Rat Queens are some of the most engaging antiheroes I’ve read in some time. It’s reminiscent of an R-rated Skullkickers – fantasy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but still delivers in character and story.
SAGA #16
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Two war correspondents stumble onto the biggest story in the universe.
ROB: Last issue has been my favorite issue of this series so far, giving us some insight into every single character having been used. This issue looks to focus on the least known quantity of that equation.
THE MAXX MAXIMIZED
Writer: Sam Kieth, William Messner-Loebs
Artist: Sam Kieth
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Sam Kieth has long been renowned for his stunning artistry and insightful and quirky stories. Now, IDW is proud to present a re-mastered edition (complete with new scans of all Maxx pages from the original art) with revised coloring, all overseen by Kieth.
The Maxx tells the story of a homeless person who lives in a box and moves back and forth between our reality and “The Outback,” a heroic fantasy realm. He is aided and accompanied by Julie Winters, a social worker in our world and a beautiful jungle princess in The Outback.
GEORGE: This may be pure childhood nostalgia, but the Maxx has always been one of my favorite heroes. The series itself is a heavy dose of the 90s – lots of grungy, teen angst, fitting in perfectly with its adaptation as a mid-period MTV animation experiment. But even if the angst may be dated, the art will never lose its charm. I will be curious to see if the recoloring is an upgrade or a mistake.
TALON #13
Writer: James T. Tynion IV
Artist: Emanuel Simeoni
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “Sebastian Clarke’s endgame for the Court of Owls is unleashed upon Gotham City, with thousands of lives in the balance. How can Talon stand up and finally become the hero he never wanted to be?“
WAYNE: Talon continues to be one of the best books produced today, so be sure to pick this issue up so you can keep up with the latest from the Court of Owls!
THUNDER AGENTS #4
Writer: Phil Hester
Artist: Andrea Di Vito
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “The first arc reaches its soul-searing climax as the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents battle the might of the Subterranean Army for control of The Judgment Tower, but while they struggle, the Tower itself unleashes its unholy wrath. How can T.H.U.N.D.E.R. save humanity when they can’t even save themselves?”
WAYNE: I’m always a sucker for group books, and this one is fast becoming a favorite! Mr. Hester can write up a storm, and he’s producing great work on this title! Glad to see this team back in action and doing well!
TMNT ONGOING #28
Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The epic conclusion to City Fall is here! With the heads of the New York underworld gathered, Shredder stakes his claim to rule the underworld of NYC! But the Turtles, along with their allies, aren’t going down without a fight! What role will Leonardo play? It’s all been leading up to this major battle — don’t miss it!
ROB: Another series I just got caught back up on. I timed some of this stuff perfectly. Every relevant character in the series is going to be in this issue so it looks to be just wall to wall action as we get a conclusion to the biggest story line to date.
