Each week, a massive number of comics are released. Determining which titles are worth checking out can be a daunting task, especially if you're trying to keep your spending under a certain limit. We've gone through the list to help you decide which books you need to read on Wednesday, February 3.
Can't get down to the comic shop every week? In addition to single issues, we're also throwing some collections of stories at you as well.
Tony's Picks
Uncanny Avengers #5
With many of the All-New, All-Different Marvel comics, the 8-month gap after the events of Secret Wars has left us wondering what many of the characters have been up to. When it comes to a character like Gambit, it’s been even longer since we've seen him. His past with Rogue should make his return interesting. Chances are his return won't be as simple as a casual visit. We also have Cable sticking around after the conclusion of the first arc. Gerry Duggan has taken a fairly odd mix of characters and put them together on this team. Duggan has been doing a fantastic job with Deadpool, and he's making Deadpool as an Avenger work.
Paper Girls #5
Paper Girls has been a strange and captivating series. Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang have taken us back to the '80s with the story of the lives of four paper girls doing their job the morning after Halloween. What we've seen is a story that has gone in a completely unexpected direction. We have a lot of questions as it seems the girls have been transported to another world or possibly another time. We've seen them get seriously injured and there's no telling what might happen next. Although this issue does promise some answers as it concludes the first story arc. Vaughan and Chiang's names alone were all many fans needed to know to when the book was first announced.
Eighth Seal #3
One can only imagine how stressful being the President of First Lady might be. We've seen the First Lady suffering from visions of an evil monstrous entity inside her. Along with the visions, there have been dark urges and fainting spells. With all eyes on her, there's been a struggle to ensure she's doing alright along with avoiding the negative press the incidents could bring. After a sleepwalking incident resulted in the First Lady carving a strange symbol on a desk, we discovered that there are those that know more than they're letting on. James Tynion IV has made this an intriguing story with some pretty horrific moments. You start to get a little queasy as you see the bad things coming along with not knowing how dark the situation in the story might become. There's been hints of the creepiness in the previous issues. Just wait until you see what this has in store.
Midnighter #9
Steve Orlando has made me a Midnighter fan. With this new series, we've been getting a good feel for the character. Orlando has been showing us the hidden layers to Midnighter, and there's been plenty of action-packed moments. With ACO back on art and the Suicide Squad making an appearance, we know it's going to be a messy good time. If fighting the Suicide Squad wasn’t enough, Midnighter has also agreed to work with Spyral, the possibly evil spy organization Dick Grayson has infiltrated.
Uncanny X-Men #3
This isn’t the sort of X-Men team you're used to. Cullen Bunn already showed us his take on the complexity of Magneto in the previews Magneto series. This new team led by Magneto and including mutants such as Psylocke, Archangel, M, and Sabretooth, we know they're not going to do things the traditional way. Their current mission is to protect mutant healers from the Dark Rider, and we've yet to see what Mystique's role in the book and team will be. To complicate things further, Fantomex is making an appearance along with a character we "thought [we'd] never see again." Who could it be?
Giant Size Little Marvel AvX Hardcover
There's been a crazy mix of Secret Wars tie-in miniseries. Skottie Young’s Little Marvel variant covers have been a favorite among fans the past few years. A miniseries focusing on a conflict between the Avengers and X-Men was every bit as delightful and hilarious as you could hope for. Just about all your favorite characters from both teams appear along with wacky appearances from some unexpected ones. It's great to see this is getting a hardcover treatment and a bit surprising, since it was just a four-issue miniseries. Included with that series is also A-Babies vs. X-Babies #1. The hardcover retails for $24.99.
Mat's Picks
Spider-Man #1
The team behind Miles Morales: The Ultimate Spider-Man is back with a new series with a few familiar faces. Writer Brian Michael Bendis, artist Sara Pichelli, and colorist Justin Ponsor bring Miles Morales to the main Marvel universe for his new solo series. Miles has to deal with living in a new universe, as a teenage super-hero, while working on teams like the Avengers. This is a great jumping-on point for new readers, who missed out on the previous couple of volumes featuring Miles. See what all the fuss is about with this new series.
Vision #4
The new Vision series, by Tom King and Gabriel Walta, is not the traditional super-hero book. While the titular character is off, fighting with the Avengers, his robotic family has been involved with a few things not as heroic, like killing off an intruder. What's been great about this series is that it's tonally different from everything else at Marvel, bridging on the horror genre. King and Walta have really redefined this character and made him fresh again.
Nailbiter #20
Apparently, this is going to be a huge issue, according to the solicitation. Someone big is going to die in this issue and it's going to be very bloody, like every death in Nailbiter. Fans expect nothing less than blood and gore from a series which is based around a town that produces the most serial killers in the world, but the question is, "who's going to die?" Leave it to writer Joshua Williamson to surprise readers this month. This is a must-read series.
Unfollow #4
The last issue of Unfollow really gave readers an idea of where this series is going: everyone is going to die, eventually. Rob Williams new series from Vertigo, a DC Comics imprint, is starting to develop a "last man standing" feel to it. Readers are getting to know all the characters involved and what type of people they'll turn out to be. Artist Michael Dowling provides some really cool art to the series, and this book as a grim look and gritty feel. If you're looking for something a bit different, then Unfollow is worth checking out.
Green Lantern #49
If you're interested in something a bit more down the traditional super-hero road of comic book reading, then Green Lantern is where it's at. For the first time in quite a while, Hal Jordan is back on Earth and dealing with a classic DC villain, revamped for a whole new area. Writer Robert Venditti is great at delivering new stories with new threats, and this one is close to home for Hal. This is the final issue of the arc and it's leading up to something huge for issue 50.
Manifest Destiny Volume 3
Collecting issues #13-18, this third volume of Image Comic's Manifest Destiny continues the adventures of Lewis and Clark across early America, where they come up against some mythical beasts and a new civilization of bird-people. This imaginative series by Chris Dingess and Matthew Roberts is a fantastic historical fiction series and one of Image's most under-rated ongoing series. The volume is priced at $14.99.
Superior Foes of Spider-Man Omnibus
In the past couple of years, one of the coolest series to come out of Marvel was Superior Foes of Spider-Man. This comedic book by Nick Spencer and Steve Lieber took a look at the lives of the C-List villains in Spider-Man's world. The series was out there and hilarious, with a refreshing art style from Lieber. This omnibus contains the entire 17-issue run in a nice collected hardcover, for $49.99.
Prez Volume 1
The reimagining of the classic DC character thrusts readers into the future, where the social media has elected a new President of the United States, and she's just a teenager. Writer Mark Russell and artist Ben Caldwell take a satirical look at the electoral process, in the near future, and what would happen when someone who has accidentally become Internet famous became head of the country. For those who have become disenchanted with American politics, this is the perfect read. This volume contains all 5 issues and will cost $14.99.
That's what we can't wait to read. What are your essential comics?
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