This Wednesday, a glorious amount of brand new comics will go on sale. In fact, there's so many that it might be difficult to choose how to distribute your money and attention. Well, fear not, reader, because Comic Vine has your back! We've reviewed the full list of new releases and each of us have picked a couple or so that we really want to check out. We'll say why we believe they're worthy of your attention and hopefully that'll make things easier for you on Wednesday. Once you're all set seeing what we're going to read first, go ahead and share with us your list of essential comics.
Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks
DETECTIVE COMICS #32
There’s a lot going on in Gotham City these days. DC has been giving us choices in the way we read our Batman comics. We have Bruce’s early days being told in Zero Year in BATMAN and are seeing a big crossover story happening in BATMAN ETERNAL. But over in DETECTIVE COMICS, we’re getting to see some pure Batman/detective adventures unfold.
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato have brought over their style to Gotham and we are in the midst of a mystery. It’s up to Batman and Harvey Bullock to get to the bottom of a recent murder as well as prepare for the menace of the new crime boss, the Squid.
Check out IGN for more pages.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #28
I’ve probably mentioned once or a dozen times how much I’m digging Brian Michael Bendis’ ALL-NEW X-MEN. I still think the idea of the original X-Men being pulled from the past into the present is crazy but the story has kept me hooked. Seeing what Raze and Xavier, from the future, are cooking up means even more trouble for the X-Men. And that’s why we read comics, right? We want these sort of crazy conflicts to keep us on the edge of our seat.
And with the synopsis teasing more developments with Jean Grey plus art by Stuart Immonen, this will be one of the first comics I read this week for sure.
STARLIGHT #4
I’m totally loving what Mark Millar is doing with STARLIGHT. Seeing an intergalactic space hero from Earth, years after his heyday, get pulled back into the action has been a tremendous amount of fun. This is far from your typical sci-fi action story but, then again, we wouldn’t expect anything typical from Millar.
Duke has found himself in a bad situation with no easy way out. As the action heats up, we’ll get to discover more of the world he hasn’t seen in forty years. Goran Parlov’s art is perfect for this comic.
Honorable Mention: THE UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC #2
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks
ARMOR HUNTERS #1
I woke up thing morning wondering to myself "What if Aric had to fight a bunch of different aliens that hunted X-O armors?" Well, this Wednesday, my questions will be answered as ARMOR HUNTERS is released. Writer Robert Venditti has spent quite a good deal of time building up to this event and done so incredibly well. We've seen months upon months of previews for the book as well, and frankly, I'm incredibly excited about it. Company events don't always deliver; however, Valiant has done extremely well with their events, so this is one you want to pick up... Plus, they have chromium covers.... They're back!
MANIFEST DESTINY #7
MANIFEST DESTINY is a book that really makes me happy. It's so different from everything else available on the shelves and the story is just so interesting. Lewis and Clark head to America and find everything there is very foreign, like giant buffalomen running around or plants turning people into zombiesque creatures. Nothing is what it seems. The mixture of American history, lore and mythology, and fantastic storytelling is what makes this a stand out series. This is one I'd highly suggestion you pick up in trade before jumping on. Give MANIFEST DESTINY a chance and you will not regret it.
Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks
DEADLY HANDS OF KUNG FU #2
Shang Chi, the Master of Kung Fu, deserves your attention. Why, you ask? Well, did you happen to see the part about how he's the master of kung fu? Shang Chi is an awesome and severely underused character, so it's great to see Marvel's taking a bit of a risk and giving him a chance. And the best part of it all? They aren't forcing A-listers into this book. It's not "Shang Chi teams up with insert popular character here." Instead, writer Mike Benson clearly has faith in Chi's own world and is jumping right into it. The first chapter didn't exactly blow me away, but it established the basic premise behind this story and I'm certainly interested enough to see where it goes next. Plus, more kung fu is never a bad thing, yes?
DEADPOOL #30
Deadpool's a man with a very, very rough history. But, according to the new series, we have yet to see the truth and it's all because of that jerk we know as the Butler! This Original Sin tie-in will apparently change that and pull back the curtain on Wade's origin story. On top of that, it'll also dive back into the question of whether his daughter is still alive. If you read The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (and you really should), odds are you've been wondering about that. Plus, who can resist a team-up between Deadpool and Dazzler?! I won't lie: I'm not the biggest fan around of the artwork, but the intriguing story counters that and then some. Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn have yet to disappoint. They really are a great fit for the Merc with a Mouth.
BLOODSHOT & H.A.R.D. CORPS #23
I can always rely on Valiant to deliver the goods and this latest Bloodshot story is off to a very, very strong start. This new arc is able to juggle the supporting characters, but still put a majority of the focus on the super-soldier with a crazy healing factor. The opening chapter was insanely gripping and packed with action, so you can bet I'm stoked to see what'll unfold in round two. Sure, it's a book that's loaded with shootouts and explosions, but it's well-written and does a great job fleshing out its cast. It's entertaining and smart. What's not to love?
Honorable Mention: SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #9
Jen "MissJ" Aprahamian's picks
LUMBERJANES #3
Boom! is really knocking it out of the park lately, and LUMBERJANES is such a shining example of that. The creative team is working in perfect sync, this comic has a distinct voice, and deserves every bit of traction it's gaining (and more!). It's quirky, it's relatable, and -- most importantly -- it's fun to read. Sign me up for camp and get me something to sew badges to; LUMBERJANES is an essential on my pull list.
RED CITY #1
Space. Noir. Image Comics. These are a few of my favorite things, and I've been impressed by Image's offerings in both the sci-fi and crime genres for the past few years. Pinned as “Ellroy and Chandler shaking hands with Bradbury," RED CITY seems like a great genre blend that appeals to a variety of readers. I'm super amped for this hardboiled crime drama -- complete with mobsters and femmes fatales -- and even more excited to see what Daniel Corey and Mark Dos Santos do with the Martian setting.
Honorable Mentions: FIGMENT #1
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #32
The lost Corpsman Sodam Yat has RETURNED! Sodam may have started as a throwaway character from an Alan Moore 80s one-shot, but over the course of the last several years, he's evolved into one of the more impressive characters in the DCU...until he somewhat mysteriously vanished and I feared he'd fallen through a retcon crack. But Van Jensen is here to save him and bring him back into our hearts as well as the Corps. Uprising continues and Bernard Chang returns to lend his ultra-detailed, cartoony look to the title. The visuals on this title are more critical than many others, and Chang has always been up to the task during both calm and storm.
Visit CBR for an extra page.
STAR WARS #18
Politics! Intrigue! Betrayal! Exploration! Star Wars?? Brian Wood has redefined the norm of the kind of stories that Star Wars can tell. Though it's unclear exactly how much time it's taking VS how much they have left (it takes place between a New Hope and Empire), but I'm hoping it's a great deal longer, OR that we get to see another saga between Empire and Jedi (besides Shadow of the Empire). It's incredibly refreshing to see some subtlety and character development in this franchise, and the direction last issue was going leaves a TON of open questions and some amazing potential. Stephane Crety and Julien Hugonnard-Bert's return is great news as I've loved their visuals flairs on the title.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #4
Last issue, Captain Marvel learnt that solving the problems of Torfan aren't just going to be solved by a superhero swooping in and waving a magic wand to make everything better. Kelly-Sue Deconnick is keeping things light and breezy, but knows exactly when to dive into the mud and get dramatic and we're definitely swinging that direction now. According to the solicit, we'll also be revisiting another character from Carol's past and, based on the last time we did this, it'll be a strange, obscure and ultimately vengeful one and, based on the last time, I can't wait. David Lopez continuing on the book he's helping define the tone and tenor of is still more great news. I can't imagine anyone else drawing this title.
NEW AVENGERS #19
As we're not likely to get another Amalgam or crossover comic between Marvel and DC, stories like this, where the Illuminati faces off against a cadre of interdimensional heroes that roughly mirror the Justice League/Society (with some callbacks to the Squadron Supreme, themselves a League analog). Jonathan Hickman has done an amazing job of hyping up this battle, the first time the Illuminati will not only be against a noble planet, but a planet that has, so far, successfully fought off every Incursion they've faced. Valerio Schiti transitioning to the title has me massively excited. His art on Journey into Mystery was some of my favorite breakout talent in a long time and I've been tracking his work since. Him being on a title like New Avengers is great, great news.
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