It's time! It's time! It's essentials time! Each week, tons of comics are released into wild comic book shops across the country and it's your job to catch them like Ash Ketchum, but just make sure to pay for them first. The staff of Comic Vine is coming together to let you know what you should pick up this week.
Tony's Picks
ART OPS #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
(W) Shaun Simon (A) Michael Allred, Matt Brundage (CA) Michael Allred
It’s a great feeling being able to read a brand new series with a really great and different premise. ART OPS gave us a bizarre look into the world of art and the secret protectors of classic masterpieces. Figures from works of art being able to come out of their frames is just one of the triply aspects of the book. With Reggie current situation and new responsibilities, we have a cool story along with fantastic art by Mike Allred and colors by Laura Allred.
ALL-NEW WOLVERINE #2
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Tom Taylor (A) David Lopez, David Navarrot (CA) Bengal
X-23 is trying to move forward with her life and honor the memory of the original Wolverine by taking on his mantle. She recently discovered she still can’t escape her past after an encounter with other clones of herself. It’ll be interesting to see what Tom Taylor has planned for her and the art by David Lopez and David Navarrot really works for the series.
SUPERMAN: LOIS AND CLARK #2
Publisher: DC COMICS
(W) Dan Jurgens (A) Lee Weeks
When we first heard the news of a married Lois and Clark ongoing series with their son coming out of Convergence, we were pretty intrigued. When we discovered they’ve been living in the shadows on Earth Prime with the rest of the heroes, we were kind of blown away. The big question is, what has this version of Superman been doing? Lois has been trying to keep the secret as well but she’s now become a target for Intergang. The secret may be over. Dan Jurgens and Lee Weeks have captured the feeling of the classic Superman and Lois story and there’s no telling where it’s going to go from here.
SILK #1
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Robbie Thompson (A) Stacey Lee (CA) Helen Chen
The introduction of Cindy Moon in the pages of THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN was cool although we couldn’t help but wonder if we already had enough Spider-characters. Despite this feeling, we grew more and more attached to Cindy and what she went through after gaining her powers. With some of the secrets to her missing parents revealed in previous volume, Silk was also dealing with Black Cat slowly becoming her major enemy. As the new series begins eight months after Secret Wars, we discover Silk is now working with Black Cat. Thankfully Robbie Thompson and Stacey Lee are back writing and drawing the series. They’re definitely going to have some explaining to do.
ARCHIE #4
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
#LipstickIncident. This is where it’s revealed. If you’ve checked out this current volume of ARCHIE, you probably have found yourself invested in the slightly updated versions of Archie, Betty, Veronica, and friends. From the first issue, there’s been a big mystery—the Lipstick Incident. This is what broke up Archie and Betty. As we get the answers, there’s still Veronica’s arrival and the Archie’s growing interest in her. Mark Waid and Annie Wu are delivering the answers this week.
Honorable Mention: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #52, SONS OF THE DEVIL TPB
Mat's Picks
RINGSIDE #1
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
(W) Joe Keatinge (A/CA) Nick Barber
It's no secret that aside from comics, and the Chicago Bears football team, one of my favorite things is wrestling. I write this as I have last night's Survivor Series playing in the background, next to a pile of Shimmer DVDs. Now that I've established credibility, I have not been this excited about a series in a long while. I got a chance to read RINGSIDE, which mixes wrestling and the politics of wrestling, a while ago and I was really impressed. This book has legs and is a compelling look into the people that make up the world of wrestling. In addition, I'm really enjoying what Nick Barber did with the art here. This book is more than just for wrestling fans though.
DARTH VADER #13
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Kieron Gillen (A) Salvador Larroca (CA) Mark Brooks
Last week was the first issue in the first Star Wars crossover event, "Vader Down," and it did not disappoint. In fact, it had the best space battle sequence in comics history. Vader is out to find his son, Luke Skywalker and this story is too big to tell in just one series. We got to see Vader take down a whole bunch of Rebels on his own and I'm guessing more of that will happen in this issue as well. If you're loving the Marvel Star Wars books, this is a must have.
DARK KNIGHT III: THE MASTER RACE #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
(W) Frank Miller, Brian Azzarello (A/CA) Andy Kubert, Klaus Janson
There's a ton of hype behind this book with good reason. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS was one of the greatest Batman stories of all time. It's one of DC's best stories. And now, part three of this saga is coming out this week. I'm really digging the creative team behind this book, with Frank Miller returning to write with Brian Azzarello. Klaus Janson returns as well, with Andy Kubert doing the art. This is a great mixture of talent with an iconic story.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #2
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Brian Michael Bendis (A) Valerio Schiti (CA) Arthur Adams
I was never the biggest Guardians of the Galaxy fan. I didn't know a lot about them, and the cosmic Marvel world never really interested me, aside from Galactus, up until Brian Michael Bendis relaunched this team a few months back. It's been a ton of fun and while there's been a lot of changes to the team the past few months, I really enjoyed where everything was at, especially with Peter Quill as a President of a planet. In addition, we get art from Valerio Schiti and his style really gives the book and entertaining look.
GHOSTBUSTERS ANNUAL 2015
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Erik Burnham (A/CA) Dan Schoening
Oh... Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening are doing another Ghostbusters book? Sold. That's all I really need to know. When I think "Ghostbusters," I think about this artist and writer because they've really defined the Ghostbusters for this current generation, even though there's probably a ton of Ghostbusters fans not ready this book. Schoening has such a great artist style which lends well to the comedic writing Burnham throws in, and man, every time I see them working on a new book together, I'm so pumped.
That's it for this week! Let us know what you're excited about.
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