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Essential Comics for 12-30-15

Here's some comics to check out this week!

Hope everyone is having some happy holidays and before we begin 2016, we have one more week of new comics. However, since this is the last new comic day of the year, it's a pretty small week, so instead of our normal ten picks, we've cut the list back a little this week. Regardless, there's still some great comics books coming your way before you start dating everything "2016."

Tony's Picks

JUSTICE LEAGUE #47

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Publisher: DC COMICS

(W) Geoff Johns (A/CA) Jason Fabok

Geoff Johns has been giving us a great story in the pages of JUSTICE LEAGUE that truly has a comic book event feel to it. We've seen a lot of crazy and over-the-top things happen including pretty much the entire team get turned into New Gods. The death of a major evil force in the DC Universe was just one small part of this overall story. After a couple of issues with Francis Manapul art, Jason Fabok returns and we can't wait to see how the story continues. Two issues in one month is an added bonus!

ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #3

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Publisher: MARVEL COMICS

(W) Tom Taylor (A) David Lopez (CA) Bengal

I've said it before but I have a soft spot for the mutant formerly known as X-23. Laura was cloned from Wolverine and was raised to be a weapon. In many ways she was simply an innocent child who was turned into a killing machine. Laura's come a long way since then and has recently taken on the mantle of her father after his death. As we've seen Laura's character grow, she is more than just a Wolverine clone.

Tom Taylor and David Lopez have made this an intriguing series with great art. Even her relationship with [young] Angel is growing on me. So far in this series we've seen some other clones made from her and as Laura closed in on them, Taskmaster showed up. This should be another fun issue with plenty of action.

BLACK MAGICK #3

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Publisher: IMAGE COMICS

(W) Greg Rucka (A/CA) Nicola Scott

I'm always a sucker for a brand new comic series taking place in a new comic world. When you have a new series by stellar creators like Greg Rucka and Nicoloa Scott, you can almost guarantee it's going to be something spectacular. This series has introduced us to Rowan Black, a police detective who sometimes dabbles in magick. When called into a hostage situation, a bigger story unfolds as a mysterious organization may be targeting Rowan for her abilities.

Too often a new series can sneak up on you. With this being the third issue, do yourself a favor and track down the first two issues at your local comic shop or buy them digitally directly from Image Comics' website.

Honorable Mention: JUGHEAD #3

Mat's Picks

RINGSIDE #2

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Publisher: IMAGE COMICS

(W) Joe Keatinge (A/CA) Nick Barber, Simon Gough

I "fanboy out" a bit about this book because it's a mixture of a couple of my favorite things: comics and wrestling. Wrestling is more than just two half-naked men, throwing each other around. It's a ballet and a storytelling form on its own and what happens outside of the ring is just as interesting as the matches themselves and the first issue of RINGSIDE really nailed that on the head. It was easily my favorite first issue of the year and really pulled me in. We're getting to see an older wrestler's life and Nick Barber takes this sometimes somber story and breathes life into the pages. Pick this issue up for sure. You won't be disappointed.

SQUADRON SUPREME #2

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Publisher: MARVEL COMICS

(W) James Robinson (A) Leonard Kirk (CA) Alex Ross

What an amazing way to kick off the series! Hyperion smashes Atlantis then decapitates Namor? That's quite the memorable start. I like this team. We don't get to see too many super-villain books go the distance and rarely, do we get team books comprised of villains. What makes this book really cool, aside from James Robinson's writing and Leonard Kirk's art is the fact this team remembers Battleworld and the events of SECRET WARS, something no one else knows about. There's got to be some other secrets here as well, right?

BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL #13

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Publisher: DC COMICS

(W) Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV (A) Marcio Takara (CA) Carlo Pagulayan

The past few weeks of BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL have been great. A couple weeks ago, Bluebird got to find out more about Mother and Cassandra Cain, and last week, we learned about the connection between Mother and Batman, which was a pretty nuts trip. We're halfway through this weekly series and it's turn everything we know about the world of Batman on its head. Is Batman truly acting on his own or have his decisions been completely controlled by Mother? Also, why does Cassandra have a Nightwing mask?

That's it for this week and year. Let us know what you are buying this week!