This Wednesday, a whole lot of brand new comic books are going to go on sale. Trying to decide what's worth your money and attention isn't always the easiest decision around, so we want to help you out. The Comic Vine staff has read the latest list of new releases and each of us are going to tell you which comics we're looking forward to and why you should consider giving them a shot. If something you're excited about isn't highlighted below, go ahead and show it a ton of love in the comments. Now, it's time to see what the Comic Vine staff is anxious to read.
Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks
STAR WARS #3
The story continues! Jason Aaron and Marvel have been giving us a reason to continue our excitement for everything Star Wars. Despite the complaint by some for the story to take place between the events of Episodes IV and V, Aaron is cranking up the fun and even surprised us with an early encounter between Luke and Vader.
The Rebel Alliance may have just destroyed the Death Star, but the war is not over. Making their next move against the Empire, we’re seeing there are still risks involved. We may know who will survive each encounter but it’s easy to get pulled into the story and events to simply enjoy the story. And Chewbacca may have been absent last issue but hopefully we’ll get some great Wookiee action here as he makes his move.
SPIDER-GWEN #2
SPIDER-GWEN is giving us the best of both worlds. We finally have Gwen Stacy back but it’s not a typical comic book resurrection. Gwen’s death still stands and we get an alternate reality version. To add some spice to the mix, this version has spider-powers.
From the moment we first set eyes on “Spider-Gwen” (no, she does not go by that name in the comics), we immediately fell for this version of the character. She also happens to have an amazing new costume. How often do we get to see a really great “new” costume for a character? Taking the best out of series like WHAT IF…? or even THE EXILES, it’s an exciting read with the different takes on familiar characters. As much fun as it is seeing Gwen in action here, not knowing where a new version of a familiar character will pop up next makes it all even more exciting.
ACTION COMICS #40
Superman and Bizarro…I’m not really sure what to expect in this issue but because Bizarro is in it, that’s all I need to know. Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder have been doing some wonderful things in the recent issues of ACTION COMICS. Besides the super-beard, they’ve been giving us a great take on Superman and the stories have had a nice and different feel.
I have a real soft spot when it comes to Bizarro. I can’t quite place my finger on it but he’s such a great change of pace for Superman in the stories he appears in. With this taking place in the New 52 Universe, there’s no telling what the angle of the story will be. We did recently see a new take on Bizarro during Geoff Johns’FOREVER EVIL. Bizarro didn’t come out of that story too well so whether or not there’s any connection to him here is curious. Regardless, knowing that Pak and Kuder are taking on Bizarro, I cannot wait to see what happens.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #40
Oh man, it’s the last issue. Van Jensen and Bernard Chang have done wonders in this title. We’ve had some great stories with John Stewart and the other Lanterns. As we head into Convergence for the two months to follow, we can’t help but wonder what might be in store for Stewart. There’s been a lot of shaky times for the Green Lantern Corps and with only two GL titles coming post-Convergence, we have to wonder if there’ll be some clues for the future here.
This extra-sized final issues will deal with John, the destruction of Xanshi, and how he’s been dealing with it. It’ll be hard to say goodbye to this series but with Jensen and Chang, it’s definitely a moment we won’t want to miss.
Man Cave Daily has two more preview pages.
THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #16
Spider-Man survived Spider-Verse and now it’s time to find out what’s been going on since he’s been ‘away.’ The big crossovers can be fun but it’ll be great to see Spider-Man and Peter get back to his everyday life. From the preview, we already see there’s still a bit he needs to clean up since he defeated Doc Ock. Apparently he hasn’t talked to Aunt May in a while and, of course, there’s something going on with his business, Parker Industries. During Spider-Verse, he did make a mention of Parker Industries so it feels like we might be seeing the end of it. We’ll have to wait and see.
There’s also other threads we need to see unfold including whatever Doc Ock set up before being sent to his proper time in Spider-Verse and hopefully we’ll get more on Black Cat’s change.
Honorable Mention: SURFACE #1
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks
BILL & TED'S MOST TRIUMPHANT RETURN #1
It's Bill and Ted. Isn't that reason enough to buy it? Wait, the guy who writes SQUIRREL GIRL and ADVENTURE TIME is doing back-up stories on this book? I'm now double-sold on this now! Ryan North is going to bring that great sense of fun and humor to this book which is what it needs. If you have no idea what Bill and Ted is and you're still reading this, you're nuts. Go watch both the movies right now... I'll wait. You done? Station. Now you know why this is an essential comic. Go get it.
GHOSTED #18
Have you heard about this book called GHOSTED? No, well, this must be your first time reading this list because I can never seem to shut up about it. Last issue left fans with a pretty big reveal and we finally get to see Markus and Jackson face to face once again. The set up for this story line by writer Joshua Williamson was pretty freaking fantastic and I cannot wait to see where we are headed after that. In addition, the newest artist on this book Vladimir Krstic brings a completely different tone and vibe to the book which is a bit of a shock, but really great, nonetheless.
ANT-MAN #3
Any time I think about ANT-MAN, I get a little sad because SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN isn't around anymore. However, ANT-MAN is really freaking good. Plus, fans of Taskmaster are going to be in luck this upcoming week because guess who is going to be taking on Ant-Man? Spoiler alert: It's Taskmaster, but you probably already figured that out. I love ANT-MAN because it's different. It's funny but actually pretty depressing and entirely about a man trying to redeem himself. Nick Spencer can do no wrong at this point.
SOUTHERN CROSS #1
Ever since I saw her art on DEMO, I've been a little bit of a Becky Cloonan fanboy. GOTHAM ACADEMY has been pretty freaking fantastic, so why not try this out, right? I really enjoy a good mystery, but not in the traditional sense. If it's a bunch of people standing in a room screaming, "WHODUNIT" I am not amused. There needs to be something else there to grab my attention and from the sounds of the solicits, SOUTHERN CROSS has what I'm looking for. Yeah, there's a lot of good books to read this week. I'm going broke, but I don't care. I'm going to be happy.
Honorable Mention: FANTASTIC FOUR #644
Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks
NINJAK #1
When Valiant releases a new series, you'd be wise to pay attention. When that series is about the publisher's coolest character, you have no choice but to buy it. Seriously, it's mandatory. Having Ninjak -- the amazingly badass and interesting character -- front and center is a strong enough selling point, but just to play it safe, Valiant made sure Ninjak's solo series was worth the wait. With Matt Kindt, Clay Mann, and Butch Guice creating the story, it's highly unlikely this new series is going to disappoint. We know Ninjak can be the ultimate combatant, but now we're going to get a great insight into the guy, too. Unless you absolutely despise action, you need to give this a shot. The world is more than likely going to be a better place with NINJAK in it. Here, enjoy the gazillion page preview Valiant released.
DEADPOOL #43
Round 2 of Deadpool vs. Omega Red? Sure, why not? The promise of seeing these two characters duke it out is appealing enough, but what I really love is how this story is beginning to show more depth. It began as silly fun, but based on the preview, it's looking like the story is about to get more serious and pretty heavy. Co-writers Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn have no problem bringing the fun, and history shows they can tell more compelling stories, too. Here's hoping we get a bit of that while Deadpool's in the middle east. It's too bad this series is racing towards its end (thanks for that, Secret Wars), but I have nothing but faith in Duggan and Posehn as they bring us to the end of this tale. Plus, Salva Espin and Val Staples' visuals are such a delight.
THOR #6
I'm still feeling pretty confident about who's behind the Goddess of Thunder's helmet (and odds are just about everyone who read THOR: GOD OF THUNDER is as well), but that doesn't stop me from being hooked on Jason Aaron's latest THOR title. The preview shows that Thor Odinson's search for the truth is an entertaining journey and Heimdall reminds us just how many different conflicts Aaron has created in this universe. Also, if Russell Dauterman's illustrating, I could watch Thor punch trolls all day.
BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE BY BOLLAND
Do I have room in my budget to buy this? No, but there's a chance some of you out there are walking around with a budget that would make Tony Stark say, "not bad." If that applies to you, I want to put this awesome statue on your radar. Batman isn't striking an action pose or doing something overly dramatic. It's simple a stance, and with Brian Bolland's style, it looks exceptional. In a perfect world, everyone would have one on their desk.
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks
HOWARD THE DUCK #1
Fresh off a one-off bit at the end of a hit sci-fi movie, Howard the Duck explodes back onto the pages of his own solo comic series. Howard hasn't been a Marvel mainstay since his run-in as a superpowered zombie exterminator, and it's hard to imagine a mind better suited to bringing him back than the co-architect of SEX CRIMINALSChip Zdarsky to bring us the further adventures of the Mighty Marvel Mallard. Joe Quinones has shown himself to have an incredible versatility with his visuals and that will definitely serve a title like this one well.
MORTAL KOMBAT X #4
Licensed tie-in materials have been a dicey proposition in the past. For every great Mass Effect comic, there have been three...well, not so great Mass Effect comics, and a comic based on the backstory of a fighting game sounds like the DICIEST of propositions, which is what made the Mortal Kombat X tie-in such a pleasant surprise. While it's not precisely high art, MK has always had one of the clearer, more involved mythologies and it's become apparent that Shawn Kittelsen not only knows his way around it, but is invested in bridging the previous game with the current one in a way that's both interesting and true to the hyper-violent tone of the game series. And with Dexter Soy and Daniel Sampere on visuals, that violence is brought into beautifully vicious relief.
Go to 13th Dimension for one more preview page.
BATMAN ETERNAL #49
We are very close to the end of BATMAN ETERNAL, and somehow it's still managing to stay innovative and, perhaps more shockingly, logically connected almost fifty issues later. It's almost surreal going back to the earlier parts of the series both for how different it was, but more for how everything actually does logically fit together and make sense. The team of writers had a clear vision from the start (or if they didn't, they were great at faking it until one became apparent) and they have delievered on it. Alvaro Martinez and Raul Fernandez both have solid track records as artists, and while the door on this series may be revolving, it's still had plenty of opportunities for the various artists to leave their marks on it.
Honorable Mention:MS. MARVEL #13
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