Major Spoilers Staff Picks for August 14, 2019 #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.

BLACK HAMMER/JUSTICE LEAGUE #2
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Michael Walsh
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: DC Comics and Dark Horse Comics present the ultimate superhero crossover event of 2019! After a mysterious stranger warps reality, the out-of-practice Black Hammer heroes must contend with both Starro and the rest of the DC universe. Meanwhile, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Cyborg try to adjust to life on Black Hammer Farm, while Colonel Weird and the Green Lantern try to uncover the secret behind this reality swap and the strange man who started it all.

MATTHEW: The first issue of this was pretty solid, and the question of whether or not that’s Mxyzptlk (Spoilers: I’m certain it is) pales in comparison to seeing the heroes stuck in one another’s shoes. If they can keep up the balance between the original superheroes and the tribute heroes drawn from decades of comics, this one could be epic.

WAYNE: I had to hunt down the first issue of this series, but I’m glad I did! I really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to more! Highly recommended, but I always love Mr. Lemire’s writing!

FLASH #76
Written by: Joshua Williamson
Art by: Gerardo Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona
Cover Art by: Yasmin Putri
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “Death of the Speed Force” begins! With renewed resolve following the events of “The Flash Year One,” the Flash is back with a new mission, a new outlook and a brand-new speedster HQ. But the Fastest Man Alive is slowing down-and there’s only one explanation: the Speed Force is dying. Plus, the Year of the Villain heats up as Captain Cold uses Lex Luthor’s offer to boost Heat Wave to the next level!

WAYNE: The Flash continues to be one of those under-rated (and believed to be over-powered) heroes that some writers have trouble with. Not Mr. Williamson. He’s making some of the best Flash stories I have ever read, and that’s saying something! Highly recommended!

GHOSTED IN L.A. #2
Writer: Sina Grace
Artist: Siobhan Keenan
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Daphne settles into her new life as a resident of Rycroft Manor, and the unique challenge of living with ghosts. Pros: they don’t steal her food. Cons: It’s the first date she’s been on since Ronnie, and her roommates keep popping up all over the place. Literally.

INGRID: This is a delightful tale of a young woman setting out to find herself crossed with a story about literal ghosts who have their own mysteries. The heroine is cute, awkward, and right at the age of making wrong decisions, but maybe rooming with a house full of ghosts will turn out okay.

GO GO POWER RANGERS #22
Writer: Ryan Parrott/Sina Grace
Artist: Francesco Mortarino
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Faced with the terrible consequences of a war they cannot remember, the Power Rangers are left to pick up the pieces of Shattered Grid, but the effect on the Morphing Grid may be more than they can handle. When put to the test, what will they choose-the world, or their team?

MATTHEW: So, the Power Rangers continuity is getting mighty weird, and I couldn’t be happier about it, especially with the quality of BOOM!’s PR material thus far.

HAWKMAN #15
Written by: Robert Venditti
Art by: Pat Olliffe, Tom Palmer
Cover Art by: In-Hyuk Lee
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Following Lex Luthor’s “gift,” the new and improved Shadow Thief toys with the wounded Hawkman. Carter Hall desperately seeks help from the only other shadow mystic more powerful than Shadow Thief: The Shade!

WAYNE: As a long-time Hawkfan, I’ve been thrilled with this new comic! It continues to soar even with a change of artist, so I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a great superhero story! Terrific!

OMNI #1
Writer: Devin Grayson
Art: Alitha Martinez
Publisher: Humanoids
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: A young doctor mysteriously acquires superpowers and quickly discovers that she’s not the only one. There are people all over the planet Igniting with powers, but only her power can answer “why”…
Cecelia Cobbina is a gifted doctor. Vibrant, compassionate and praised by both her peers and her patients. But that was before the incident in Africa. Before she was forced to leave her job at Doctors Without Borders behind. Before she gained the ability to think faster than the speed of light. Overwhelmed with the power to answer almost every question, she must now overcome her own fears and tackle the one code she can’t seem to break: the truth behind the Ignited.

JONATHAN: Some of the individual issues have been hit and miss, but I’m still really interested by Humanoids take on a shared universe with their H1 line. Each title seems to be playing a specific role in the universe and I’m curious to see which one this title will play.

ONCE AND FUTURE #1
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Dan Mora
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: When a group of Nationalists use an ancient artifact to bring a villain from Arthurian myth back from the dead to gain power, ex-monster hunter Bridgette McGuire escapes her retirement home and pulls her unsuspecting grandson Duncan, a museum curator, into a world of magic and mysticism to defeat a legendary threat. Bestselling writer Kieron Gillen (The Wicked + The Divine, Star Wars) and Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Klaus) explore the mysteries of the past, the complicated truths of our history and the power of family to save the day…especially if that family has secret bunkers of ancient weapons and decades of experience hunting the greatest monsters in Britain’s history!

INGRID: You had me at, “escapes her retirement home.” I don’t mind reading another modern take on Arthurian myth, but this one sounds exciting and like it’s really going for a different kind of take. Like monster hunters, for example. Who doesn’t love a good monster hunter?

STEPHEN: I’m down for this if nothing else than to see a new take on the Arthurian legend.

THE ORVILLE: NEW BEGINNINGS #2
Writer: David Goodman
Artist: David Cabeza
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: After crash-landing on a desolate planet, Ed and Gordon are taken in by some friendly locals who reveal an unexpected food source. Then, while investigating the cause of their crash, the fate of a long-lost Union vessel is revealed. Will a dark history repeat itself as Kelly and the Orville crew search for the missing pair?

MATTHEW: I wasn’t sure what to expect from a Star Trek homage created by the dude from ‘Family Guy’, but it’s rapidly become one of the best science fiction shows on the air. The first issue of the series kept up the good stuff, so I’m interested to see where this goes.

POWERS OF X #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: R.B. Silva
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: As Xavier sows the seeds of the past, the X-Men’s future blossoms into trouble for all mutantdom.

CHRISTOPHER: I am enjoying what they are doing with the X-Men right now. I am hoping that continue their momentum and tell great stories.

SILVER SURFER: THE PRODIGAL SUN #1
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Francesco Manna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: CHAPTER 2 OF 3! Continuing Prodigal’s journey home from FANTASTIC FOUR: THE PRODIGAL SUN #1, the one individual who can aid him in accomplishing it is the Silver Surfer. But Prodigal has a history with the Surfer. Witness that now as we see the Surfer, back when he was still the herald to Galactus, as Prodigal battles him to prevent Galactus from destroying an entire world because of his unending appetite.

CHRISTOPHER: I wasn’t sure what looked interesting to me this week but I can’t go wrong with the cosmic lore that Marvel has set up.

STRAYED #1
Writer: Carlos Giffoni
Artist: Juan Doe
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: In the far future, a military-industrial complex reigns over all humanity and actively destroys distant alien worlds. The galaxy’s only hope can be found through an unlikely pair: an astral-projecting cat named Lou and his loving owner Kiara. Trading nine lives for the well-being of billions, their revolt is a battle for love, friendship, compassion, and the soul of humanity.

STACY: A story of a woman and her cat, seems a little bland, no? NO! This is high science fiction mixed with a heart-wrenching story. Really took me off guard on how much I liked it.

XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS #5
Writer: Vita Ayala
Artist: Vasco Georgiev, David Mack
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Xena’s World Tour rolls on! Next stop… ROMANIA! Women and children are disappearing from a “haunted” village. Xena and Gabrielle must confront an Old God, one of malice and blood sacrifice, who craves a return to prominence, and will stop at nothing to gain new followers to carry out his awful bidding! By VITA AYALA (Black Panther, Shuri) and VASIL GEORGIEV!

STACY: The television series had a particular voice, mixing modern with mythical, and Ayala catches that voice perfect. Fun issue and a great jumping on point.

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