Today, we celebrate... our Independence Day! Ok, so that's still a few days away, but when else can I forcibly quote the movie Independence Day? Anyway, it's time to check out what books are essential this week as picked by the staff of Comic Vine. Hello boys! Did ya miss me? Sorry, one more and I'm done... Welcome to Earth.
You can find the complete list of comics coming this week HERE.
Tony's Picks
SECRET WARS #4
(Marvel)
In some ways it seems like we know how SECRET WARS will end. We have a good idea how it needs to end. We know what needs to happen before we can get to the “All-New, All-Different Marvel” continuity. At the same time, this is being written and guided by Jonathan Hickman. He’s been working on this for some time before we even heard a peep about it. It’s safe to say we have no idea what will happen as we move throughout this story.
We’re seeing some interesting developments. We’re seeing the different players take the stage with the revelation of some survivors from before the incursion becoming aware of what has been created and set up on Battleworld. There is a big feel to the story and we know this has to be building up to a nice juicy big battle with everything at stake.
Click here for the solicit. The preview is below.
DEADLY CLASS #14
(Image)
This remains one of my favorite comic titles month after month. Rick Remender and Wes Craig keep cranking up the action and continue to throw crazy twists and story developments at us. It’s refreshing having a series where you don’t know what’s going to happen. You don’t know what characters will be “safe.”
There’s been a great mix with the action, violence, humor, and even some romance. Things may be taking a dark path in this latest issue. With the “Holy $#!&” ending in issue #13, it almost seems like the only way it could go.
DETECTIVE #42
(DC)
We have a new Batman in Gotham City and it’s a little different from past “new” ones. We’ve already seen him put in a few different appearances in different titles (it’s one thing any Batman needs to be able to do). Each appearance has shown us almost a different look at him. With this series’ focus on Harvey Bullock and the return of Renee Montoya, we have a great angle plus some sort of crazy mystery going on within the GCPD.
It doesn’t appear that Francis Manapul is doing the art again, as originally solicited. Sure that’s a bummer but we have to move on. The story does have a nice hook and it’ll be fascinating to see how everything unfolds, especially with what we saw in the Sneak Peek in May.
AIRBOY #2
(Image)
Oh dear lord. There’s almost no preparing yourself when you read this series. As with the first issue, this second one opens with a scene you won’t be able to soon forget.
The idea behind the story is James Robinson (the writer) and Greg Hinkle (the artist) star in the actual comic. James had been assigned to write a series on the public domain character Airboy. What we see is a bizarre and sometimes disturbing semi-autobiographical look into James’ life. What James and Greg will soon discover is, somehow, Airboy is real and they will find themselves somehow transported to his world. It’s crazy.
As with the first issue, this is not an all-age book in the slightest bit. Pretty much anything inappropriate or what some might find offensive could happen.
A-FORCE #2
(Marvel)
The first issue of A-FORCE was a bit of fresh air. We’re getting a nice mix of different types of Secret Wars tie-in books. This series does remind us of how many really great female characters Marvel has. If we can get so many books with a bunch of super-dudes, why not one with a bunch of super-ladies?
As with some of the other Secret Wars books, there is the mystery of how much the characters know about Battleworld and what lies beyond the boarders of their domain. The first issue did capture my attention and I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Click here for the solicit. The Preview is below.
Honorable: MICKEY MOUSE 1
Mat's Picks
PUNKS: CBLDF Special
(Image)
I've always been a fan of the history of comic books and how they've come about and one of the things I'm secretly obsessed with was how long the Comics Code Authority lasted and the rules contained within. It's totally nutty.
This week, the gods of comic books smile upon me as every rule from the CCA gets broken in the last issue of PUNKS: THE COMIC. As fun as that sounds, that's an insane task to break every single rule, so more than anything else, I'm curious to see how Josh Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain are going to do it all. That's a pretty big task.
PUNKS was a book, and I say "was" because it's pretty much done, that was a lot of fun, quirky, and a real stand out book because it was so absurd and out there. It sucks to see it go, but at least it's going out with a very large bang.
Crime... Terror.... Horror.
GREEN LANTERN #42
(DC)
The last issue left the reader at a really weird place. Hal finds that all of the Green Lanterns are gone, as Hal has become this bounty hunter, of sorts.
Everything has changed for Hal Jordan and the new direction is pretty freaking awesome. Robert Venditti, Billy Tan, and Mark Irwin take this book in a bold new direction with a bold new look and the first issue of this story really worked out well. It's actually pretty refreshing for the character, who felt like he got stuck in a little bit of a rut since the New 52 came around.
This issue promises that Hal will be hunted down by a new criminal gang and in addition, something or someone is turning entire worlds to stone. That seems like a pretty nutso baddie to deal with.
ACTION COMICS #42
(DC)
So far, throughout all the books is goes into, "Truth" has been a really cool storyline. More than anything else, I've been enjoying the ACTION COMICS side of things the most though.
While SUPERMAN covers the events before Clark was outed at Kal-El, ACTION COMICS covers the aftermath. He's not the same super-powered being we all know and love, but he's not completely de-powered either. Also, the final pages of the last issue leads up to something pretty nuts and Superman will be taking on the local authority.
I'm really excited to see where this story is going, above the other issues. Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder have done some amazing things on this book, with this character and they've delved into a lot of different genres as well. It may be a bit different, but it's really good.
X-O MANOWAR #38
(Valiant)
Guess who is getting married? X-O Manowar is, ya sillyhead. It's also the wedding of the centuries! This super-sized issue should be a lot of fun, since X-O MANOWAR has been a blast to read since the beginning.
Writer Robert Venditti is killing it, month after month, on this book, and I'm really curious as to how this issue will play out, as Aric shouldn't be flying around, punching people. He'll just be hanging out marrying a woman he loves, which has been a nice backbone to the book as the series has moved forward.
I've been loving this series from the start and while recommending a wedding issue sounds a bit weird, you still really need to be reading this, for real.
Check out the preview below.
Honorable Mention: NAILBITER #14
Corey's Picks
BATMAN BEYOND #2
(DC)
It's difficult to talk about how you'd like to see a little variety in comics if, after getting just that, you refuse to give it a chance. Such was the dilemma I was faced with when BATMAN BEYOND #1 came out. Gone were the cyberpunk trappings and most of the characters that had made me fall in love with the series originally, replaced with a grittier tone emphasizing despair. But the creative team managed to sell me, at least on the concept, and give me good reason to look forward to the next issue to see what would happen next. Dan Jurgens and Bernard Chang have a clear vision of where they want the book to go, and it's likely going to be worth looking into.
YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #2
(Marvel)
The SECRET WARS tie-ins continue to provide some of the best WHAT-IF...? stories ever written, and one of the most fascinating has to be this look at the dark, distopic X-Men future. There's a glimmer of hope after last issue's guerrilla tactics seem to have paid off and liberated the mutants of their power-suppressing collars and giving them a weapon to combat President Kelly and his legion of sentinels. Stories of desperation and pulling out all the stops trade on a lot of intensity, which is why it was smart of Marguerite Bennett and Mike Norton to give this story a solid core of character development. I cannot wait to see comes next for this team, particularly with the darkness they're forced to confront daily.
Click here for the solicit. The preview is below.
RED SKULL #1
(Marvel)
The Red Skull. One of the Marvel Universe's most loathed villains in the Marvel U and rightly so. He's a unrepentant Nazi behind the assassination of the superhero symbol of America. And that's just in the last decade. So Josh Williams and Luca Pizzari bring together a who's who of Marvel's most vicious villains, it truly is the case of sending monsters to stop a much greater monster. Seeing more extreme versions of characters like Magneto or Winter Soldier is a notion that is chock full of potential and setting them in a land of nothing but cabin fodder is just icing.
Click here for the solicit. The preview is below.
Honorable Mention: DARTH VADER #7
That's it for this week! Let us know what books are essential to you in the comment section below and we'll see you next week!
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