New comic book day approaches! As always, the Comic Vine staff wants to make sure you're ready for the latest onslaught of brand new issues. We know many of you are working with a budget and that can make narrowing down the options pretty tough, so we'll do our absolute best to makes sure some of the biggest and most promising titles are on your radar. We've reviewed the complete list of new releases and each of us have highlighted some of the books we're looking forward to reading the most and we'll explain why they're worth considering. Once you're done see what we can't wait to check out, head to the comments and share your own list of "essential comics" with the world.
Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks
BATMAN #34
It’s a bummer Zero Year is over. I suppose that’s good news for some. For those wanting a little breather before the next epic story arc, Scott Snyder is taking us a little into the future. What?
If you heard anything about issue 34, or if you saw our interview with him at SDCC, Scott mentioned the events of this story will actually take place after the events of BATMAN ETERNAL. Sounds crazy to us. There’ll have to be some tricky dancing going on to avoid major spoilers for the rest of ETERNAL.
Greg Capullo is taking a well deserved break on this issue. Well, he’s probably working on the next arc and not lounging around a beach or something. Matteo Scalera is handling the art on this issue. This is super-exciting. If you’ve seen his work on BLACK SCIENCE or DEAD BODY ROAD, you know we’re in for a treat.
And if this has any clues to what’s coming up in the Fall, you won’t want to miss it.
Check out USA Today for more.
STARLIGHT #5
I’ve really been digging STARLIGHT by Mark Millar and Goran Parlov. It takes the idea of a space hero from Earth, venturing out to another planet and saving the day. What happens after that? We’ve seen Duke McQueen’s return to Earth wasn’t as glamorous as you would think. He lived the next few decades in an average life with no one believing his exploits actually happened. When a spaceship lands in his backyard, he is needed once again. Now we’re seeing that even though Duke appears to be out of his prime, he still has quite a bit of spirit kicking inside him.
Millar’s been giving us a story with a lot of heart and spirit. Goran’s art has created the perfect vibe for the story and you look forward to seeing more fleshed out with each issue. It’s just a bummer that there’s only one more issue after this one.
ORIGINAL SIN #7
We’re used to seeing big comic book crossover events. There’s been a lot lately and it’s pretty much one leads right into the other. The other thing we’re used to is the events sort of fizzling out towards the end of the story. It’s almost as if the writers run out of room to fully complete the story or the need to set up the next arc gets in the way of fully fleshing out the original tale. That hasn’t really been the case with ORIGINAL SIN. Jason Aaron’s story has had us hooked from the beginning. Do we know exactly who killed the Watcher just yet? There are still answers we need, including what will be the fate of Nick Fury Sr.? There’s only two more issues left so who knows what craziness we’ll see.
How about the art? Mike Deodato has been killing it. It’s been amazing having the same artist work on the entire crossover story. Too many times in the past we get the distraction of another artist taking over or telling parts of the story. Bravo to Deodato for constantly kicking butt on this series.
UNITED STATES OF MURDER INC #4
Have you been reading this series? If not, you’ll want to rectify that immediately. Don’t wait until the series gets too far into the story.
In this comic book world, the mob has had some major victories and now control a large portion of the United States. We’ve seen some flashbacks on how different key events played out differently to give them their edge. The story also focuses on Valentine, a kid who just became a made man. That might be a moment to celebrate but his mom dropped a pretty big bombshell on him. It also appears he might have been set up and is sort of on the run now with Jagger, a female enforcer that has been pulled into this mess as well.
Bendis and Oeming have done wonders on POWERS and now they’re exploring another type of story. Don’t miss out on this.
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks
GHOSTED #12
A brand new arc is here! The last issue of this series, which was more of an Anderson origin than anything, really set up the idea that there's something following Jackson, something supernatural and it's been around for quite some time. I can't wait to see where this story is headed next. This may not be the best place for new readers to jump on, but it's a good start. I still recommend trying to catch up in trade as well.
FANTASTIC FOUR #8
I think this is the last of the Original Sin tie in stories, but who knows. What I do know is that the past two issues have been a ton of fun and I can't wait to see how this concludes. The solicit has Ben Grimm in chains and asks the questions if he's a murderer or not. Who does he kill? The lead up with finding out what Human Torch did to Ben has been extremely awesome, so I'm very excited to see how the rest of this plays out.
Honorable Mention: ARMOR HUNTERS #3
Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks
TMNT #37
A huge moment has finally arrived: General Krang and Shredder are discussing a possible alliance! They had a not-so-friendly encounter in THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE FOOT CLAN (a great limited series, by the way), but that was hundreds of years ago and the situation has changed greatly since then. Will these two villainous leaders be able to cast aside their differences and work together? Will Oroku Saki discover Krang's ultimate goal and aid the Turtles in taking him down? These questions will be answered in due time, and considering this series' strong track record, you can bet it's going to be a totally engrossing and gripping journey. If you're even remotely interested in the heroes in a half shell, you need to be reading this series.
DEATH VIGIL #2
I've never been all that into the fantasy genre, but Stjepan Šejić's newseries, DEATH VIGIL, really won me over. The concept is simple (the forces of good attempt to protect the world of the living from evil), but it shines for two very important and very appealing reasons: lively artwork and likable characters. It's a consistently gorgeous book and the first chapter gave us a good read on who the key characters are and why they're people we'd want to pay attention to. The combination of a charming tone and spectacular artwork means I'm absolutely sticking around for the next chapter and I'm very interested in seeing what comes next.
DEADPOOL #33
The latest story had a bit of a mixed start, but now that the focus is on Deadpool's daughter and his history, I'm thrilled and ready for more. Co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn have more than proven they can switch gears from over-the-top fun to compelling material, so I'm extremely curious to see how this Original Sin tie-in will play out. They've been building-up some major reveals and I'm beyond anxious to see how they'll be handled. We know they can handle the gore and comedy, but I'm really looking forward to seeing them add a little more depth to Wade. Sure, I have mixed feelings about the artist (although, colorist Val Staples rocks), but it really delivers with the more exaggerated material and my faith in Duggan and Posehn's writing helps compensate for the panels I'm not the biggest fan of.
UNITY #10
Valiant continues to earn my support and it's for one very simple reason: they focus on quality over quantity. With this title -- which is basically a twisted version of the Avengers or Justice League -- writer Matt Kindt makes the read is always packed with a generous dose of epic action and engaging character dynamics. I'd love to see Eternal Warrior do more than reflect on the past, but it's a minor complaint and mostly countered by how consistently thrilling and amusing this series is. Also, these Armor Hunters tie-ins haven't come off as forced or lacking. They're always adding a little more development to the bigger picture and find entertaining ways to reel in all of these characters. So, I'm more than happy to see more of this new Unity roster taking on the latest threat to hit Valiant's Earth. Bring on the chaos.
Honorable Mention: NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #2
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #5
Black Cat's been my favorite Spider-Man supporting character (and erstwhile romance) in his entire cast and any story that focuses on her already has my attention. What got my interest was this new, darker take on the character and while I always liked her bubbly, playful personality, if there's one thing that Dan Slott has shown himself capable of it's reimagining Spider-Man characters in new ways that benefit the character long-term. We've got Humberto Ramos on the art, meaning that whatever befalls Spidey and his new ally Silk, it's going to look kinetic, energetic and detailed.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #34
A shocking twist behind Fatality's identity was revealed last issue and it absolutely rocked John Stewart to the core of his being. It's a horrible thing that's happened to him and he already seems to be feeling the emotional scarring, but one question remains: the fate of the real Fatality. Van Jensen has done a great job threading the needle on making the story character-driven with Stewart as its focal point, but also letting the threads of the massive events that have been swirling around it ultimately guide the ship. Now that the war's over, we'll get to see how Stewart copes and what his next move is, and with Bernard Chang on visuals, it's bound to look great.
Man Cave Daily has more.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #6
She tried to be nice. She tried to play it cool. She tried to be diplomatic. But now the gloves are off and Carol Danvers is ready and willing to cut loose. And an entire fleet of hostile Spartax ships may be in the way. Kelly-Sue DeConnick looks poised to unleash some serious, cosmic action in this title and I can't wait to see how she does it because, oddly enough, it's gonna be a fun time regardless. This book has been a delight from issue 1 (and even before) and Carol's first storyline may end with this, but I'm hoping some of these new supporting characters stick around for future adventures. David Lopez's art has tied this arc together like a well-worn, but attractive, throw rug and I have confidence he'll be finishing up an arc worth remembering and returning to.
Honorable Mention: ALL-NEW X-MEN #30
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