IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
But what to read?
Fortunately, the Major Spoilers Staff have comic book recommendations for you!
ALEX + ADA #9
Written by: Jonathan Luna, Sarah Vaughn
Art by: Jonathan Luna
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Ada explores life without Alex and discovers just how dangerous it is to be a sentient android out in the world.
WAYNE: It’s really great how this comic has made me feel not only for the human Alex, but also the android Ada. It’s gripping storytelling the way I love it, with an underlying focus about relationships that has me anxious for this title to hit the stands each and every time it comes out! Don’t miss it!
THE ART OF THE BOOK OF LIFE
Writer: Jorge R. Gutierrez, Paul Sullivan, Guillermo del Toro
Artist: Jorge R. Gutierrez, Paul Sullivan
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $34.99
SOLICITATION: To determine whether the heart of humankind is pure and good, two godlike beings engage in an otherworldly wager during Mexico’s annual Day of the Dead celebration. They tether two friends, Manolo and Joaquin, into vying for the heart of the beautiful and fiercely independent Maria, with comical and sometimes dangerous consequences.
BECKY: As a huge Guillermo Del Toro fan, The Book of Life has been on my radar since I’ve heard of it. And this book promises tons of vibrant colors, which I’m looking forward to.
RODRIGO: I’m very interested in Book of Life, but even if it turns out to not be that great the art direction looks really fantastic. This is a coffee table must-have for me.
BRIDES OF HELHEIM #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Joelle Jones
Publisher: Oni Press
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Years have passed since Rikard’s victory over Bera and Groa. In defeating the witches, Rikard saved his people. And yet he cannot rest. He is still denied the promise of Valhalla. The warrior is condemned to wander the living world as an undead draugr. Now, a new challenge lies before Rikard: to face the demon beast Mórðvíg in a brutal conflict.
BECKY: I’m always looking for a good jumping-on point, and I’m loving the character designs as well as the clothing. Really hoping with a title like “Brides of Helheim” there are going to be some super awesome ladies kicking butt and taking names here.
CLOAKS #2
Writer: Monroe, Caleb
Artist: Navarro, Mariano
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICTATION: After the shocking reveal of what truly happened to his mentor and father figure Blackstone, Adam reluctantly agrees to join the ranks of the CLOAKS blackops organization and is immediately thrown into his first mission: hunting down his predecessor on the team, someone who Adam can’t help but find familiar…
ASHLEY: I really, really loved the first issue of Cloaks and am very interested in seeing where the series progresses to. BOOM! has been putting out a lot of great series this year and Cloaks is shaping up to be another success.
CONCRETE PARK: R-E-S-P-E-C-T #2
Writer: Tony Puryear, Erika Alexander
Artist: Tony Puryear
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
SOLICITATION: An exile on a strange new world, Isaac plunges deeper into danger with the slippery Silas, a nonhuman gang leader. Luca is hunted by the monstrous Potato King, and war engulfs Scare City! Concrete Park—a sexy sci-fi thriller by Tony Puryear (Eraser) and Erika Alexander—continues in this “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” arc!
BECKY: So I’ll admit I know absolutely nothing about the series except the cover’s been able to grab me, instantly. Green non-human dude dressed like he’s just chilling and looking like he’s going to conduct an orchestra? Also stuff is on fire? Yeah this is worth looking into. And if I like it, the first trade came out this week, too!
EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #4
Writer: Clay Mcleod Chapman
Artist: Garry Brown
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • A radioactive spider bites a high school nerd who is already something of a monster. • Novelist Clay Mcleod Chapman (The Tribe) takes you to a universe where the story you know becomes as horrific as possible.
ROB: So far, so good. Edge of Spider-Verse has given us a look at a few interesting variations on the idea of Spider-Man, and I think this was one of the most logical extensions, going from a super hero book to a horror book even hearkens back to the classic Marvel days of yore.
GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #2
Writer: Ryan Browne
Artist: Ryan Browne
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: The best comic that your mom probably won’t want to read just got bester!
With an army of space crabs about to launch, we take a second to look back and reflect on why those darn space crabs are so crabby! CRABS!
GEORGE: Ridiculous, stupid, filthy and entertaining, God Hates Astronauts is a bizarre story of illegal space farmers brewing up rocketships in their barns, animal-headed superheroes and tigers eating cheeseburgers. This book is in poor taste and it’s crazy and I love it. Tell 3D Cowboy I sent you.
GOTHAM ACADEMY #1
Writer: Cloonan, Becky
Artist: Kerschl, Karl
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: WELCOME TO GOTHAM ACADEMY! Gotham City’s most prestigious prep school is a very weird place. It’s got a spooky campus, oddball teachers, and rich benefactors always dropping by…like that weirdo Bruce Wayne. But nothing is as strange is the students! Like, what’s up with Olive Silverlock? Is she crazy or what? Where did she go last summer? And what’s the deal with her creepy mom? And how come that Freshman MAPS is always following her around? And is she still going out with Kyle? P.S. Did you hear the rumor about the ghost in the North Hall?! GOTHAM ACADEMY is a new, monthly teen drama set in the shadow of Batman and the craziness of Gotham City, with new characters and old plus a secret tie to Gotham’s past
ASHLEY: This issue has been toted as Harry Potter meets Batman and I don’t know if I could be more excited!
RODRIGO: This book looks really, really good. I think the only thing that would make it better is if we took out the whole Batman part.
STEPHEN: From the very first image that surfaced regarding this title, I have been anxiously waiting to get my hands on this book. TODAY IT IS HERE AND I CAN’T WAIT TO READ IT!
WAYNE: I have to follow anything that happens in Gotham City, so I’m going to check this book out! I also think it’s a smart idea to attract teen readers, so if the story is good and the art is eye-catching, I’m there!
GUARDIANS 3000 #1
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: Gerardo Sandoval
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • Dive right into the action as the original Guardians of the Galaxy—Vance Astro, Yondu, Martinex, Starhawk and Charlie-27–try to save the future universe from the menace of the Badoon.
• But what happens when the Guardians discover something behind the Badoon…something even worse than they could have ever imagined?
• The very future itself is in danger, and the only possibility of salvation relies on the shoulders of this ragtag, bombastic group of underdogs. Thrown together by fate and fighting against intolerable oppression, how can they even hope to survive the first issue?!
MATTHEW: The original Guardians are back? I’m interesting in seeing how this plays out, especially with movie Yondu’s appearance in the GotG film, but worst case scenario, we can all have fun with the name “Charlie-27.”
LOBO #1
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Artist: Reilly Brown
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The all-new Lobo brings the ultraviolence to his new ongoing series! If the first few blood-soaked pages of this issue don’t shock you – nothing will!
RODRIGO: I’m pretty sure those pages are not actually going to shock me. But I’ve been curious about new Lobo for a while.
WAYNE: I’ve enjoyed the Lobo character for a long time now, and Mr. Bunn sure knows how to make the bad boys shine, so I’m sure this comic will be an excellent change of pace from the rest of the superhero comics. I’ll be there, spelling “mnemonic” correctly every time!
RAT QUEENS #8
Writer: Wiebe, Kurtis J.
Artist: Upchurch, Roc
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: ‘THE FAR REACHING TENTACLES OF N’RYGOTH,’ Part Three If your enemy is just too damn strong, well…when you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. And then from the safety of their trust, that’s when you kill ’em with a good rusty blade to the spine. Rat Queens style. COVER SWITCHEROO! PETER PANZERFAUST’s TYLER JENKINS draws this issue’s cover, while RAT QUEENS’ ROC UPCHURCH draws this month’s PETER PANZERFAUST cover! Plus a special incentive B cover diptych for BOTH books by MICHAEL AVON OEMING!
ASHLEY: DnD, swearing and badass ladies – what more could a girl want out of a comic?
SPORTING SALT #2
Writer: Yuko Kubota
Artist: Yuko Kubota
Publisher: Shounen Jump
Cover Price: $0.99
SOLICITATION: The JUMP START initiative continues with Sporting Salt, a manga series about the exciting world of sports…medicine? Hiroyuki’s on a mission to become the best sports doctor around! Can he do it?!
BECKY: The first chapter was cute and wonderful and I can only hope for more in chapter 2. More introductions are on their way, I’m sure.
STAR TREK GOLD KEY ARCHIVES HC VOL 02
Writer: Len Wein
Artist: Alberto Giolitti
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $29.99
SOLICITATION: Boldly going… where it all started! Presenting the first comic book adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise and her crew! Fully re-mastered with new colors, this volume collects issues #7-12, including stories such as ‘The Voodoo Planet,’ ‘The Legacy of Lazarus,’ ‘The Brain Shocker,’ and more.
MATTHEW: These stories are the ones that first made me interested in Star Trek, and they’re among the few lost stories of the Final Frontier. Plus, the art is phenomenal for the time period, and still holds up today…
STEPHEN: When I was young, my friend and I constantly “borrowed” the Star Trek Gold Key collections back and forth with one another for years. Loved the stories that were so different than anything on the television, and they were stories I could read again and again, instead of waiting for Sunday morning when the local television channel would rebroadcast the classic series. I’m getting this one for sure!
TMNT ONGOING #38
Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Old Hob has perfected the art of making mutants! With the ranks of his mutant gang swelling, the Turtles will have to determine if they can truly trust Hob against the Foot. Throw in Alopex’s return to New York and the mutant mayhem will only get crazier!
ROB: More mutants means more chances to bring some of the weirder parts of the Turtles 30 year history into this new story, and I am more than happy to come along for the ride as mutants continue to show up.
THOR #1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Russell Dauterman
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • The great hammer MJOLNIR lies on the moon, unable to be lifted by anyone in all the heavens! Even THOR! • Something dark has befallen the God of Thunder, leaving him weakened and for the first time in forever… UNWORTHY! • But when Frost Giants invade the Earth, the hammer will be lifted and an all-new Thor will arise! A Thor unlike any we’ve ever seen before! • Who is this new GODDESS OF THUNDER? Not even Odin knows! • JASON AARON teams with hot up-and-coming artist RUSSELL DAUTERMAN (CYCLOPS) to create a bold new chapter in the storied history of Thor!
GEORGE: I like Thor’s new hat.
MATTHEW: The secret of what made Thor unworthy is still untold, but there’s a new Thor in town, and I’m interested in seeing what her deal is…
ROB: I’m just going to preempt the initial question here and say 6 months. However, that should be an interesting six months as we find out who is donning the guise of Thor to take on the latest threats to the Marvel Universe.
WOODS #6
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Michael Dialynas
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: As the crew continues to track down their kidnapped classmates and the mysterious Hunters in the woods, we flashback to Calder on the opening night of Bay Point’s rendition of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
GEORGE: The Woods keeps on getting better and better. Lord of the Flies by way of Lost In Space, this sci-fi/horror/adventure book lathers on the mystery while looking simply gorgeous. Plus I was in a high school rendition of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and also was mysteriously transported to an alien realm, so this issue will really take me back to my teen years.
