Major Spoilers Staff Picks for October 28, 2015 #NCBD

IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY! #NCBD

The best day of the week just got a lot better with a new round of awesome comics arriving in stores this week. Staff members at Major Spoilers are here to help you with your comic book selection this week, with their roundup of comics they recommend.

ANGELA: QUEEN OF HEL #1
Writer: Marguerite Bennett
Artist: Julian Totino Tedesco
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: HEL HATH A NEW FURY. Stolen from ASGARD, exiled from HEVEN, and robbed of SERA, her greatest companion – ANGELA plunges into the depths of blackest HEL to save her friend…and once there, the lost princess of Asgard will carve out a realm of her very own. All hail ANGELA, THE NEW QUEEN OF HEL!

RODRIGO: In 2008 President Obama pardoned all the characters from the 90s. But it has been an uphill battle, there have been many challenges. Now though, it seems people are ready to accept your Carnages, Deadpools and Angelas. It’s a brand new day.

BATGIRL #45
Writers: Cameron Stewart, Brenden Fletcher
Artist: Babs Tarr
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: As Barbara’s friends gather for a major celebration, a familiar face from her past returns… and he’s got a lot to say about their future together!

WAYNE: Now that Batgirl has been established in her new situation, it’s time to bring in other members of the Bat-family around her. And Barbara Gordon has always been romantically linked to a certain guy, so it isn’t hard to guess just who’s appearing. However, I will really be interested to see how their interaction works with both of them in new places. Can’t wait!

BLACK MAGICK #1
Writer: Greg Rucka
Artist:Nicola Scott
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: 3.99
SOLICITATION: The hammer falls this Halloween! From New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning writer GREG RUCKA (LAZARUS, Stumptown, Gotham Central) and superstar artist NICOLA SCOTT (Birds of Prey, Secret Six, Earth 2)! Detective Rowan Black works robbery/homicide for the Portsmouth PD, but her greatest mystery is the truth about herself…both who she has been, and who she will become. Yet there are others in Rowan’s world with very long memories, and the power that one person holds, another will always covet. PLUS, each issue also features an all-new work of original fiction by GREG RUCKA! A new gothic-noir ongoing series about legacy, destiny, redemption…and the price of magic.

RODRIGO: I usually won’t automatically pick up something from Greg Rucka, I’ll wait to hear from other people how it’s going. That said, Nicola Scott art is a point for it, so I might just go out and pick it up after all.

STEPHEN: I went into this issue not knowing anything about it, and was blown away by the premise and fantastic Nicola Scott art. Definitely worth picking up this week!

DEATH HEAD #4
Writer: Zack Keller, Nick Keller
Artist: Joanna Estep
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: 3.99
SOLICITATION: The mystery behind ghostly Rosie’s death is revealed, and at the zoo, Justine makes an unnerving discovery about blood. Back in Reyes, Niles attempts to unearth the history of the Plague Doctor, but the sheriff works mercilessly to protect his town’s secret.

RODRIGO: Death Head achieves a good mix, it’s old school horror comics with a modern sensibility.

FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS #2
Writer: Claire Gibson, Marian Churchland
Artist: Sloane Leong, Brandon Graham
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: SLOANE LEONG (Adventure time) CLAIRE GIBSON and MARIAN CHURCHLAND (8house Arclight) return with another issue of the magic war between families.

MATTHEW: I wasn’t entirely sure about the first issue of this series, but issue #1 has stuck with me, and I’m at least willing to see what this one has to offer…

HENCHGIRL #1
Writer: Kristen Gudsnuk
Artist: Kristen Gudsnuk
Publisher: Scout Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Check out the comic that IO9 calls “A terribly fun read”! Mary Posa hates her job. She works long hours for little pay, no insurance, and, worst of all, no respect. Her coworkers are jerks and her boss doesn’t appreciate her. He’s also happens to be a supervillain. Cursed with a conscience, Mary would give anything to be something other than a Henchgirl!

MATTHEW: I know nothing about this series, other than the cute cover and interesting premise, which is a win for these creators either way. I want to read this book, and I hope it’s so good that I continue to want to read it…

JUSTICE LEAGUE GODS AND MEN BATMAN #1
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Fernando Pasarin
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: As the Darkseid War rages on, Batman’s role in Gotham City–and the world–alters drastically as he’s forced to accept his new role as a God of Knowledge.

WAYNE: I love this kind of story because we get to examine Batman and how he would react to new situations. Mr. Tomasi knows him well, so I can’t wait to see what the Dark Knight does with these new-found abilities.

MERCURY HEAT #5
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Nahuel Lopez
Publisher: Avatar Press
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Civilization on Mercury has become a mobile frontier town with all the lawless criminal elements of the old west. No one wants the duty of policing the violent miners and cyborgs that populate the territory. No one except Luisa who has dreamed of being a police officer since she was young. But this cop isn’t your regular law enforcement agent. She’s a hardnosed fighter who pulls no punches in Kieron Gillen’s original sci-fi epic!

GEORGE: Oddly under the radar, Mercury Heat is another winner from Kieron Gillen – a fun, cyberpunk murder mystery that makes the most of its interesting setting, while outlining the nightmarish future of the impending gig economy. Good stuff.

PASTAWAYS #7
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Scott Kolins
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: As the Past Aways face a backlash from the U,S, government, resident brawler Marge investigates an immortal teammate’s impossible murder. Meanwhile, a terrifying trio of ultra-evolved sapiens emerges from the timestream to wreak havoc on modern soil!

WAYNE: I love this book! It’s a very creative take on time travelling heroes, so it is highly recommended!

PREZ #5
Writer: Mark Russell
Artist: Ben Caldwell
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: President Ross extricates herself from a civil war via the creative use of kitchen appliances! Meanwhile, a self-aware killer robot goes to church, and a couple of hippies escape Boss Smiley’s gerbil cage.
Retailers: This title now will run six issues.

GEORGE: I’ve been enjoying this, and I’m glad that DC is finally taking chances again. I’m sad this winding down just as the US Presidential race is ramping up. Prez’s salient satire will be needed in the future more than ever, but I can always just re-read it at least.

SECRET WARS OFFICIAL GUIDE OF MARVEL MULTIVERSE #1
Writer: Multiple
Artist: Multiple
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: Worlds are colliding! Both on Battleworld, and in the SECRET WARS OFFICIAL GUIDE TO THE MARVEL MULTIVERSE #1 – a collection of all-new Profiles! Journey through Marvel’s multiverse:

Old Man Logan! The Ultimate Universe’s Spider-Man (Miles Morales)! The Age of Ultron! Weirdworld! The Spider-Verse event! The Age of Apocalypse’s Nightcrawler! Plus: profiles of the characters and events at the core of the Secret Wars: the Incursions of Earths, Namor’s Cabal, the Future Foundation kids and more! Also featuring key participants in previous Secret Wars: Volcana (Marsha Rosenberg), Thunderball (Eliot Franklin), the healer Zsaji, the Dark Elf Kurse, original Battleworld refugee Puff the dragon, and the Secret Wars II event itself! And because we love you: the Pet Avengers’ Throg, Lady Deadpool, Teen Hulk…and Obnoxio the Clown?!

ROB: Not often do I want an “Official Guide”, but Secret Wars has far more than enough going on for me to be willing to pick this up and see what all is actually going on and being referenced for a change.

SPIRE #4
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Jeff Stokely
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Shå is running out of time, and war approaches.

GEORGE: War approaches! Spire is one of the best fantasy comics on the stands right now, and Spurrier and Stokely are a force to be reckoned with. This isn’t another Tolkien ripoff – it’s a fresh, deep world, with all the politics and strangeness you could want.

TMNT ONGOING #51
Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Ken Garing
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: A new age begins for the TMNT. The epic events of TMNT #50 have created new opportunity… and dangers. Will the family stay united in the face of a devastating new foe?
Bullet points:
• New status quo! Great jumping on point for new readers!
• Part of IDW’s Artist’s Edition Month promotion!

ROB: WOO HOO, the series isn’t over! The end of issue 50 was phenomenal, and the set up for future stories is just great. Here’s to hoping the excellent momentum built up continues to build to greatness.

UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #1
Writer: Ryan North
Artist: Rebecca Henderson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Galactus. Thanos. M.O.D.O.K. With her unique combination of wit, empathy, and totally kick-butt squirrel powers, Doreen Green — aka The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl — has taken ALL these chumps down! Alongside her friends Tippy-Toe (a squirrel) and Nancy (a regular human with no powers whatsoever — they checked), Squirrel Girl is all that stands between the Earth and total destruction! Sometimes. Other times there’s no threats and she’s just a regular computer science student. That’s an adventure too though!

MATTHEW: Squirrel Girl is an example of a gimmick-character done well, done right and done with energy and creativity. Frankly, it’s been such fun that I don’t care that “unbeatable” is an untenable long-term expectation for a character, I just enjoy every issue of this book…

ROB: The cover alone here is enough for me to want this title. On top of that though, Squirrel Girl is just a fun and quirky character that is usually well worth reading.