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Essential Comics for 8/5/15

These are comics to keep your eye out for this Wednesday

Every Wednesday, tons of new comic books come out and we have to figure out what to buy as our wallets to empty from all the awesomeness modern comics have to offer. To help ease your mind, the staff at Comic Vine picked some books out they can't wait to read. Let's get right down to it and see what books are essential.

Tony's Picks

DEADLY CLASS #15

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Written by Rick Remender

Art by Wes Craig and Lee Loughridge

I can’t get enough of this series. Things are in a bit of a flux for Marcus Lopez. He’s barely had a chance to recover from two huge battles. Now his place among his friends has become questionable and he’s sinking back into bad habits. Normally this would just be something that would pass with time but at the Kings Dominion School of the Deadly Arts, you have to constantly be on your toes. It puts the phrase “Never a dull moment” in a different light.

Last issue gave a little down time as Marcus deal with a missing friend and a seemingly betrayal from others. It’s inevitable that situations and the action are going to get cranked up before he even has time to prepare for it. Rick Remender and Wes Craig always have something up their sleeves and you can bet things are going to get pretty crazy very soon. The solicit says a battle is coming. As if things weren’t bad enough for Marcus, it sounds like they’re going to get a lot worse.

WE STAND ON GUARD #2

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Written by Brian K Vaughan

Art by Steve Skroce

Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce’s first issue introduced us to the strange notion of the U.S. and Canada having gone to war. In the continued aftermath, we got a brief chance to get to know Amber, a young woman growing up during this wartime. Vaughan did a great job establishing what life was like out in the wilderness of Canada as we saw some of Canada’s freedom fighters. Of course it wouldn’t be an issue with just a bunch of people standing around talking. The action did pick up and we saw some twists and turns happening. Now that the story has been set up, it’s time to find out what’s going to happen next.

It’s great seeing Steve Skroce on another title. His art is pretty great and Matt Hollingsworth’s art gives it such a nice shine. It’ll be interesting to see what’s coming up and where they’ll all take us in this story. There may have been some quiet moments in the first issue between the action but I have a feeling they’re just warming us up for what will happen next.

DARTH VADER #8

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(Marvel)

Written by Kieron Gillen

Art by Salvador Larroca and Edgar Delgado

When we were introduced to the new character, Aphra, in this series, she didn’t make a huge impression on me. Because the series is tied within a specific moment on the Star Wars timeline (between Episodes IV & V), there’s the feeling that any “new” characters that might appear won’t have a lasting impact. Kieron Gillen is looking to change that line of thinking.

Aphra is becoming, more and more, an intriguing character. Her fascination and willingness to work for and with Darth Vader is something we haven’t really seen in the Star Wars universe. It’s also starting to appear as if there might be more to her than we thought. Throw in Vader’s quest to discover who was the pilot that destroyed the Death Star (what will he do with this information now?) and the appearance of several bounty hunters, each issue contains the fun and excitement Star Wars fans would want. Throw in Salvador Larroca’s art and Edgar Delgado’s colors and it’s almost everything you could ask for in a Darth Vader comic.

THIS DAMNED BAND #1

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(Dark Horse)

Written by Paul Cornell

Art by Tony Parker and Lovern Kindzierski

Rock and Roll in 1972. That doesn’t sound like something you’d expect to see in a comic book. Paul Cornell and Tony Parker take us back to see the story of a 70s rock band in a documentary-style fashion. What makes this band stand out is they pride themselves as being a band that ‘worships Satan.’ We’ll see how the band performs on stage and presents themselves to the cameras in order to keep up their schtick. The kicker is they’ll soon discover they actually are worshipping an evil force.

Having had the chance to read the issue, Cornell does as you would expect from him. He introduces us to the characters and this world in a seamless fashion. It’s not just the band members we’ll see. We also find out about everyone else involved from the manager to the groupies. Parker’s art and Lovern Kindzierski’s colors captures the time period perfectly. If you’re looking for something different, don’t miss out on THIS DAMNED BAND.

Honorable Mention: AMERICAN VAMPIRE SECOND CYCLE #9

Mat's Picks

CIVIL WAR #2

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(Marvel)

Written by Charles Soule

Art by Leinil Francis Yu, Gerry Alanguilan, and Sunny Gho

The first issue of CIVIL WAR was one of my favorite SECRET WARS tie-in books. While everything happening in here takes place in Battleworld, it really felt like a sequel, with a few changes here and there, like Captain America never dying, taking place in the future of this never-ending war.

There were a lot of things that were teased in the first issue: elements that the reader read about in dialogue but didn't truly see, and I'm hoping we'll get to see some of that in the second issue. In addition, there's a mystery to solve, since you can't have a murderer running around all scott-free.

I'm a huge fan of Leinil Francis Yu's artwork as well, this book has a lot going for it that I can really get behind. It's nice to see this amazing 21st century Marvel story get a continuation that really worked with the first issue, so I'm truly pumped to keep on reading.

BLOODSHOT REBORN #5

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(Valiant)

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Raul Allen

BLOODSHOT REBORN is the first time I've ever cared about Bloodshot, as a character. It may sound harsh, but it's entirely true. What Jeff Lemire, Mico Suayan, and David Baron have done with the first 4 issues was completely outstanding.

I've always been a fan of redemption stories, especially if there's a twist to them, and here, Bloodshot seems to be losing his mind, seeing an ex of his and a cute little guy name "Bloodsquirt," an idea that is so ridiculous that it just works out.

The big change on this issue is that Raul Allen is going the art. Allen is mostly known for his cover art for Valiant books, which is super-pretty looking stuff. However, he takes over on interiors for this issue and I cannot wait to see what he delivers for this month's issue. You really need to check out this series.

NAILBITER #15

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Written by Joshua Williamson

Art by Mike Henderson and Adam Guzowski

NAILBITER is twisted and full of secrets and mysteries that are revealed as the series goes on. The whole element of the tunnels under the graveyard and the town was a really cool recent addition to the book. Every issue leaves you wanting more, no matter how demented the events get in the book, and sometimes, they get pretty crazy.

Full disclosure, I already read this issue and it was fantastic. The issue throws the reader through a ton of loops as Finch, Carol, and Warren get closer to this new serial killer and it's some thrilling stuff.

Mike Henderson and Adam Guzowski provide some great art to this series and it's a great driving force for this story as the art may depict some incredibly dark moments, but because of the art style, it comes off a bit lighter. Anyway, NAILBITER keeps delivering awesomeness.

GREEN LANTERN #43

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(DC)

Written by Robert Venditti

Art by Ethan Van Sciver and Alex Sinclair

The post-CONVERGENCE GREEN LANTERN has been right up my alley. I really love the direction for Hal Jordan and we're seeing some elements from "Godhead" come back into the fold. This book was going to be on my picks for this week regardless of anything else...

Then I saw Ethan Van Sciver was rejoining the book for this issue, I was all-in. I'm not taking anything away from Billy Tan who has really been the glue for this series, but getting to see Van Sciver take on Black Hand again is going to be awesome.

Plus, Relic is on the cover and he's been a big part of what's going on in Green Lantern's world, believe it or not. I love the character, even though there's some haters out there, so this issue is looking to be something spectacular. Plus, Black Hand is turning everything into the Source Wall! Can he be cured?

Honorable Mention: THE BUNKER #13

That's it for this week's edition of Essential Comics. Let us know what your books you're super-duper excited for this week in the comment section below!