April 13th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
A Town Called Terror #1 - At first I thought our man in the hazmat suit was there to inspect a dead body, but it turns out he's there to put his boss back together. A sudden post marital interruption later and Henry is being attacked, taken from his wife and thrown in the back of a van. His father (the boss) is ‘dead’, again, and he’ll be lucky if he ever sees his bride again. Looks like he’s going home to Terror. Henry is going to have to face his father and the demons from his past if he ever wants to get through this and see his bride again. And while he’s gone she seems just as determined to figure out who took him, and where.
The Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country #1 - James Tynion is back and just as good as ever with his latest adventure in the Sandman universe. Luckily for us you don’t need to have an expansive working knowledge of the Sandman Universe to jump right in and enjoy everything this new series has to offer. Do you remember your dreams? The opening line triggers a wonderfully vivid opening monologue and the theme of nightmares brings together our cast for the story all meeting at The Corinthia: the man who isn't a man with mouths for eyes who haunts humanities dreams for fun. This issue immediately drew me in and gives the reader an incredibly immersive experience, I'm already waiting eagerly for the next one.
Captain Carter #2 - Peggy is back as Captain in full swing! Fighting several attacks from H.Y.D.R.A. since she re-emerged from the Ice it seems like they’re never going to relent. And the human toll of these attacks is starting to weigh on Peggy. H.Y.D.R.A. has new weapons with tech they never should’ve been able to obtain, now Peggy and her team are needed to do whatever it takes to keep more of them from getting into the hands of H.Y.D.R.A agents, a little stakeout never hurt anyone, right? Turns out it isn't weapons but people, and the Prime Minister has her painted as the hero in the newspapers while sending everyone back to their home countries. Peggy is about to get some first hand experience in how England handles ‘illegal immigration’ into their country in the 21st century, and she isn’t too happy about becoming a pawn for the government either.
Image 30th Anniversary Anthology #1 - There's a little something for everyone in this new Image series. To honor 30 years they choose different artists and authors from throughout the years to write short stories and this is only the first of many to come (12 issues in total)! This is one of the quickest and most enjoyable reads I've had from an anthology series in quite some time. Each story is short enough that you don't get distracted but plenty have already left me wishing we’d get a whole series out of them. It's nice to see authors and artists paired together that we haven’t seen before simply because they share the Image comics connection. I'm personally (impatiently) waiting to see if they get Kieron Gillen to write something for the series.
Diarra's Picks:
X-Men ‘92: House of XCII #1 - The discovery of the Island of Krakoa has been a game changer for the mutant world, and now we get an alternate story about how it all began…90s style! The X-Men are on a mission that will end the Sentinel threat once and for all. If they can destroy this space station all blueprints will be lost, but our heroes might’ve arrived too late. Meanwhile on Earth, Psylocke is meeting with ambassadors to convince them to honor Krakoa as an independent nation. There is an attack on the Krakoa embassy in New York, but with gates to Krakoa around the world, help is never far away. While the X-Men try to gain trust from the world, there are some big secrets they are keeping from each other!
Flashpoint Beyond #0 - Flashpoint is an iconic DC tale/fan favorite and now there’s more! If you’re the one person who’s never read Flashpoint (or seen the animated movie), Barry Allen uses the speed force to go back in time to save his mom’s life, thus rewriting history. In this new universe Thomas Wayne becomes Batman after losing his son, Bruce. It takes some convincing, but Barry gets Thomas agree to fix things. Thomas would do anything to create a world where Bruce was still alive, even if that meant he isn’t. They set things back to normal…or so Thomas thought. When he realizes the time line has been altered again he goes to find this world’s Barry Allen, but he doesn’t think anything is wrong. This universe didn’t have a Flash so when Barry first saved his mom he had to recreate the accident that gave him super speed. Thinking it would finally convince him to help, Thomas try’s to return his speed but something goes terribly wrong. Now Thomas has to crack skulls until he gets to the bottom of this! (Sidenote: Batman: Flashpoint is available in single issue if you want to really dive deep into this intense universe!)
Image! #1 - In celebration of their 30th year in the publication game, Image is dropping this 12 issue anthology showcasing some of the best in the biz! From a crime horror featuring Andrea Mutti’s watercolor crime scenes to Skottie Young’s autobiographical one shot about his “creative process”. Some of these stories even tie into a couple current Image runs (Radiant Black, Rogue Sun) and previews of what’s to come (new Declan Shalvey!). The issues also feature biographies for all the creators. I always say, anthologies are the perfect way to figure out what you like. Humorous horror? Sexy sci-fi? It’s all here and so much more. This is definitely a must for Indie fans!
Stone's Picks:
Midnight Rose (One Shot) - I will be hard pressed to find another comic on the shelf this week that can deliver the way this book just did. It was brutal. It was honest. It did what I wish every comic could do when I reach the end and that’s to audibly say, “wow”. I’ve only ever read Jim Starlin’s superhero tales, but this darker, horror-esque take on Poison Ivy was truly a breath of fresh air.
Batman Flashpoint Beyond #0 - Everything should have changed. Thomas Wayne sacrificed himself to save his son Bruce, yet he awakens to find himself back in the twisted reality he desperately tried to change. Someone knows what’s going on, and it’s the Clockwork Killer that Batman has his sights on to tell him what he wants to know. If you haven't read Flashpoint, which I don’t know why you would be reading this book if you hadn’t already, they do a fairly decent job at summarizing past events. A solid one-shot Batman story!
A Town Called Terror #1 - I’m not really sure what’s happening in this book beyond some dude has daddy issues. There’s this town called Terror A.K.A Halloween town, and this guy with the daddy issues escaped to live with humans thinking that would be the end of it. This dude isn’t the least bit surprised when ghoul team six raids his house and kidnaps him, but is surprised at having to return home. There’s also the wife who is searching for her husband and not one cop will do anything cause of that stupid 24 hour rule for missing persons. Her arc might be the most interesting since it was the one you could actually understand was was going on.