IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
But what to read?
Fortunately, the Major Spoilers Staff have comic book recommendations for you!
13 COINS #1
Writer: Martin Brennan, Michael B. Jackson
Artist: Simon Bisley
Publisher: Titan Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: From Eisner award winning artist, Simon Bisley, and the screenwriters of Hitman: Absolution, comes the story of a new superhero… The story of John Pozner, a tormented ex-con on a quest for vengeance, when he discovers that he is descended from angels, and is the living key to Earth’s future, or Heaven’s fall.
CHRIS: I reviewed the digital version of 13 Coins a long, long time ago (use that search bar kids!) and I remember enjoying what I read. The artwork is the huge selling point for this book because it has been awhile since we’ve seen interiors from Mr. Bisley. The story is entertaining and if they take it into a fresh direction, could become something really cool.
ARKHAM MANOR #1
Writer: Gerry Duggan
Artist: Shawn Crystal
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “When catastrophe strikes Arkham Asylum, where will Gotham City house the world’s most dangerous criminals, and when inmates are found murdered, what is Batman prepared to do in search of justice? Arkham’s madness comes home in ARKHAM MANOR! A bold new series brought to you by the mad minds of Gerry Duggan (Deadpool, Nova) and Shawn Crystal (Deadpool, Wolverine and the X-Men).”
WAYNE: Another first issue in the Batman family! I expect high sales, but I’m also looking forward to the story. It’ll be vastly darker than Gotham Academy or Batgirl, and since it will focus on one of the best rogues galleries in comics history, it should be a great read!
BODIES #4
Writer: Si Spencer
Artist: Dean Ormston & Various
Publisher: Vertigo
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: A night in the pub winds up in two very sticky ends for Whiteman and Edmond, while in 2050 Maplewood and Bounce go up on the roof to wait for the big parade. In the present day, what should be a walk in the park for Shahara leads her straight to the morgue.
CHRIS: I don’t know where Si Spencer is going with this story but I don’t care. There is so much about this book that shouldn’t work: multiple artists, multiple story lines and time periods. Somehow Spencer and Co. bring it all together and I’m thrilled each time an issue is released.
BORDERLANDS FALL OF FYRESTONE #3
Writer: Mike Neumann
Artist: Augustin Padilla
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: It’s time to meet Nine Toes in part three of “The Fall of Fyrestone!” Roland, Lilith, Mordecai, and Brick are armed to the teeth and ready for the fight of their lives. People are gonna die! Lots of ’em! Innocent people are GOING TO DIE in this issue of BORDERLANDS.
ROB: Woo, reliving the first game in canon! Looking forward to more over-the-top ridiculous jokes and violence from the Borderlands universe and hoping this results in us getting info on what happened between the games.
BRAINSTORM #2
Writer: Jeffrey Morris, Ira Livingston
Artist: Dennis Calero
Cover by: Gabriel Hardman
Publisher: FutureDude Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “Things go from bad to worse after the U.S. Military takes aggressive action against Hurricane Brandon. Meanwhile, Cale Isaacs, the man behind the weather-control device, fights an ugly and more personal battle in the shadow of Wyoming’s Devil’s Tower. Featuring artwork by Dennis Calero of Marvel’s X-Men: Noir!”
WAYNE: I’m really enjoying the offerings coming out from FutureDude Entertainment, including this title! Science fiction and comics were made for each other! To listen to my recent interview with Jeffrey Morris, go to this link!
DEATHSTOKE #1
Writer: Tony S. Daniel
Artist: Tony S. Daniel, Sandu Florea
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “The DCU’s deadliest assassin stars in his own ongoing series by writer/artist Tony S. Daniel! See him as never before in this explosive new series, with one surprise after another as we see Slade Wilson in the fight of his life!”
WAYNE: Deathstroke is a popular baddie, having appeared in many comics as well as in the Teen Titans and Beware The Batman animated series’ and even Arrow on The CW. I enjoyed the previous books in DC’s New 52 with Slade Wilson, and I’m hoping this series will take off! Since I particularly enjoy Mr. Daniel’s product, I’m definitely along for the ride!
DRUMHELLAR #10
Writer: Riley Rossmo, Alex Link
Artist: Riley Rossmo
Publisher: Image
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Drum strikes a deal that might keep him alive, but at what cost? The consequences ripple across time and space to affect the living, the dead, and the unborn alike, and Drum learns he might be a pawn in a game of cosmic proportions. Well, at least it’s barbecue season…
BECKY: The art on this looks fantastic, and I’m going to jump in, even though I don’t know anything that’s going on.
FATHER’S DAY #1
Writer: Mike Richardson
Artist: Gabriel Guzmán
Publisher: Darkhorse
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: As a mob enforcer he was called the Eastside Butcher, but twenty years later Silas has found peace. That is, until his abandoned daughter shows up to give him a piece of her mind . . . and unwittingly leads a legion of hit men to settle accounts with Silas!
BECKY: I’ll admit I have a weakness for “person forced out of retirement to kick butt,” even if it’s only to save themselves. I’ve been looking for some shorter series to follow, and that tends to be how I like the “us against the world” stories. I’m also looking forward to see the guy’s daughter bring the awesome, or at least I hope she does.
MEMETIC #1
Writer: James Tynion IV
Artist: Eryk Donovan
Publisher: BOOM Studios
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: A Meme is an idea that starts with an individual, and then spreads throughout multiple persons and potentially entire societies. Richard Dawkins suggests a meme’s success comes from its effectiveness to the host. But history shows that destructive memes can spread just as rapidly through society. MEMETIC shows the progression of a weaponized meme that leads to the utter annihilation of the human race within 72 hours. The root of this apocalypse is a single image on the internet, a “meme” in the popular sense. A meme that changes everything.
BECKY: I was initially interested because I saw the Cover B variant, which has the image of the actual meme (a sloth in front of a spiral background), and was willing to give it a chance on that alone. But to hear that the end of the world might be caused by memes, now I can’t resist. I wouldn’t really call it morbid curiosity, because I do enjoy a good meme, but I’m wondering how these two ideas are going to combine together.
STEPHEN: I already reviewed this book on the Major Spoilers Podcast, and if you like a different take on the zombie genre, and fear what will happen when technology is used against us, then this book is really worth checking out.
WAYNE: I love it when comics creators experiment, and I’m fascinated by this book’s concept, especially in this era of social media. I gotta read this one for sure! To hear what Mr. Tynion has to say about this new series, listen to my interview with him during a recent Wayne’s Comics Podcast episode!
MULTIVERSITY THE JUST #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Ben Oliver
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: The next chapter of the greatest adventure in DC’s history is here!
When they last collaborated, Grant Morrison joined artist Ben Oliver (LOBO, BATMAN/SUPERMAN) for the acclaimed ACTION COMICS #0. For their next team-up, the two superstars take a spin around the self-obsessed Earth-16 – a.k.a. Earth-Me!
With all of the world’s threats having been handled long ago by their parents, the next generation of supers – including Chris Kent, Damien Wayne, Alexis Luthor, Offspring, Megamorpho, Donna Troy and more – find themselves labeled as superstars more often than super heroes. But with that fame comes complacency, and when a massive threat unlike anything they’ve ever seen surfaces, this pampered crew finds themselves in way over their head. What secret is Damien keeping from Chris that could tear the world’s finest friends apart? Who is the mysterious killer lurking behind the scenes among these spoiled super-children? And what chance do they stand against the monstrous villain that’s murdering its way cross the Multiverse? All that and more in this exciting stand-alone issue which also acts as chapter three of the MULTIVERSITY saga. Join us, if your dare, for THE MULTIVERSITY!
CHRIS: While Marvel and DC continue to poke the bear with their $4.99 cover price, I’ve found that Multiversity is at least giving me my money’s worth. It’s every bit as loopy as I want a Grant Morrison DC comic to be. I’m amazed people are digging this but also quite happy.
ROB: So far so good on the weird front of Multiversity. Exploring the new multiverse is just interesting and I like seeing some of the more unique worlds coming to light because of it. This one draws me more as a likely extension of what the second generation of heroes could become.
PREDATOR FIRE AND STONE #1
Writer: Robbie Morrison
Artist: Dave Taylor
Publisher: Titan Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: As the Perses begins her long journey home, a deadly stowaway forces the crew into a savage conflict! While the crew defend themselves against this unseen predator, the hunter itself stalks a much more substantial game!
MATTHEW: It’s been a while since we’ve seen Predator without crossovers, and Dark Horse has done some great work with the property before…
SHE-HULK #9
Writer: Charles Soule
Artist: Javier Pulido
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: THE GOOD OLD DAYS, PART 2
• It’s Jennifer Walters versus Matt Murdock in the trial of the century!
• Someone from Cap’s past has come back to haunt them all…and She-Hulk might be his only hope.
• Guest starring Steve Rogers and Daredevil
GEORGE: Soo… this title just got canceled? More’s the pity, but I will enjoy it while it lasts. Soule has been writing an awful lot of books, so something had to give. I wish it wasn’t this entertaining, funny She-Hulk series.
TMNT GHOSTBUSTERS #1
Writer: Erik Burnham, Tom Waltz
Artist: Dan Schoening, Cory Smith, Charles Paul Wilson III
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: When a new invention goes haywire, the Turtles are sent to a whole new type of New York City. One with a whole lot more ghosts… and Ghostbusters! The two teams will have to learn to get along quickly, because a new foe from the Turtles past has followed them and aims to conquer NYC!
MATTHEW: The 80s meet the 90s? Sell me a ticket!
ROB: Two of the more entertaining properties IDW has going for them right now are going to collide, and it should be fun. With the Ghostbusters ending last month I’m glad this is getting them a bit more time in the spotlight before completely closing them down.
WICKED & DIVINE #5
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie/Matt Wilson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: The mystery is solved. But does pop-god Lucifer like the answer? The answer is a word that rhymes with “Go”, “Blow” and “Pro”. If you think the answer rhymes with “Cow” I applaud you for your unconventional nature. It’s good to experiment.
GEORGE: Gillen and McKelvie are a wonderful duo, and The Wicked and The Divine really shows it. With Lucifer deciding that no jail cell can hold her (and her desire for coffee), things are about to get real. I can’t wait.
MATTHEW: This is a very weird and very likable series featuring a lot of very hip and pseudo-trendy people. It makes me feel young and cool again, and it’s an interesting rumination on the nature of fame…
ZERO #11
Writer: Ales Kot
Artist: Ricardo Lopez Ortiz
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Cover Image:
SOLICITATION: Iceland, one year later. Zero’s past comes knocking.
GEORGE: Truth be told, I am getting a little tired of Kot’s over-philosophizing in the pages of Zero, especially at the expense of the plot. But with its rotating cast of artists, Zero is a reliable delivery system for ambitious, interesting art, and is worth picking up solely on those merits alone. And when he wants to, Kot can still spin an interesting spy yarn.
