April 19th, 2023
Caroline's Picks:
The Mighty Barbarians #1 - If you've been enjoying the ongoing Barbaric series/universe then this new series is the next read for you. Written by ichael Moreci, the same author and creator of all the Barbaric stories, it’s definitely going to fill that blood thirsty fighter spaced hole in your heart each week we go without a new issue. But that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Instead of being cursed to save the world and kill people deemed worthy of murder by Axe, this series focuses on a band of Mighty Barbarians: a band of individuals with next level strength and abilities that allow them to truly be indestructible forces of terror. The land is under siege and the greatest Wizard of their time has joined forces with the evil side, now zombie-like creatures are springing up and attacking anything and anyone they can. King Arthur can’t have that in his kingdom, and Morgan agrees, so she set out to gather their warriors. She’s determined to convince them to join their side, whatever it takes to save the greater good and all that.
The Expanse Dragon Tooth #1 - The Expanse remains to this day one of my favorite Sci-fi series. The show on amazon is everything I wanted when looking for something new to bing a few years ago and I’ve been hooked on anything and everything Expanse since then. The show is over but this new series looks to bring everyone right back into the action and drama of the new ring space. We meet back up with the Rocinante crew, the UN, and even my favorite Belter: Kamina Drummer. It's nice to get a little post series update of where everyone has been since we last saw them. The Earth is still in disarray after the attack by the Free Navy, refugees are crossing into the Ring Space, and everyone is just a day closer to starvation. There were so many stories left open for later expansion and this series has me incredibly excited to dive back into this expanded universe once again. For now our crew are all together, reminiscing and remembering how they got where they are but also ready for the unknown that lies ahead. I’m hoping we get to see them actually stay together for a little bit, working together with their friends made throughout the series to bring prosperity back to the universe. If you’ve been looking for a good space/sci-fi series to really dig your heels into I cannot recommend you get started on The Expanse series and comics soon enough.
All Eight Eyes #1 - Vin is, well he’s a screw up. No job, no friends, no family, nothing and no one to fall back on when things get tough. He’s just been kicked out of his apartment, in front of a date no less, and now he’s just wandering around Central Park killing time until he can figure out his next steps. So of course he stumbles upon a situation that would send most people running to the cops, or at least back to their apartment. But Vin, well Vin wakes up somewhere under the park, in the presence of a potential murder and his dog. Obviously he doesn’t take this well, he takes the truth of the situation even worse. Giant Spiders. They exist and they’ve been slowly killing humans for decades and Reynolds, the old homeless man, has been doing his small part to try and kill every last one of them. After a rather manic night out and one… accidental fire Vin is faced with the choice: Join Reynolds or go back to his ‘normal’ life. Easy picking if you ask me.
DC Silent Tales #1 - This issue was definitely the surprising pick of the week for me. I genuinely love a low to no dialogue comic, the art is always what I focus on first and what will instantly draw me into a series, so the idea of little vignettes of DC characters told with no word bubbles and solely through the artist's capabilities was one I immediately got behind. Whether it's Harley going about some totally normal errands or Superman creating a constant cycle of problems for himself each of the stories was able to highlight the more fun aspects of the boring day to day life of our favorite heroes. Cyborg cills to vinyl like your typical hipster and even Zatanna can’t say no to her favorite pet. There’s a story for everyone's tastes in here and I'm seriously hoping that we get plenty more issues like this from DC.
K's Picks:
Warlock Rebirth #1 - Adam Warlock is back and with a huge development to shake things up! Before we get to Adam, we focus on the Legacy of Captain Mar-Vell’s cosmic son, Genis-Vell - a character we don’t really get to see a whole lot of. With intentions of finding more info on his late father he sought Warlocks help after traveling to earth. After encountering the Infinitywatch things seem to run relatively smooth, that is until we find a nearly defeated Warlock. With tensions running high we encounter a cocoon very similar to Adam’s, one holding a being that has a huge impact on marvel in the best way of possible. I don’t want to get too into it but damn was it a good first issue nonetheless!
All Eight Eyes #1 - Nobody knows where they came from, or how long they’ve continued to creep the night, but one thing is certain, they’re the new Apex predator! All eight eyes is a honest love letter to all facets of spider horror, drawing it’s inspiration from many classic arachnophobia driven films! Things start out off pretty real as we we see our main character Vin, a unemployed stoner who seems to be lacking in the responsible department, just got kicked out. While wandering in the park to collect his thoughts he encounters what seems to be a crime scene, at first glance of course but upon further inspection we see the lifeless corpse was that of a giant spider. Vin’s life seems to take a turn as he eventually gets involved in a world of spider hunting. Pretty good stuff so far, the art triggers a weird creepy crawly feeling, and it captures that feeling of those older spider movies really well.
Superboy The Man Of Tomorrow #1 - The DC Universe has been rewritten, which in most cases would only do so much to the world at large. This time we see how it effects a classic hero! Conner is a clone of Superman and what’s more, he’s this universe’s Superboy. Unfortunately for him, he’s alone in a world full of different versions of the people he once trusted and grew with. After finally finding his place, he’s had it all taken away. With some thought and realization Conner figured he should expend a bit of energy and find his place beyond just earth! Encountering what seems like a galactic cake has only lead to a deadly encounter with mutants, clones, crazy aliens known only as the "Cosmoteers." All in all, it’s a great first issue and amazing introduction to what might be a new promising league of heroes!
Rob's Picks:
All Eight Eyes #1 - Writer Steve Foxe, art by Piotr Kowalski. Beneath the streets and in the shadows, predators stalk the people of NYC, and the only ones fighting back are the people the city tried hardest to ignore. Enter Vin. Kicked out over his unpaid rent, this less than responsible young man stumbles upon the hidden world of giant arachnids and those who fight them. Writer Steve Foxe and artist Piotr Kowalski give this tale of oversized animal horror a surprisingly grounded tone.
Bishop: War College #3 - Krakoa is under threat from the forces of Orchis, and just when the students of his war college need him the most, Bishop is lost in yet another alternate timeline. Their powers disrupted by Blightswill, the war college students struggle to prevent the Struckers from poisoning Krakoa itself. Meanwhile, Bishop confronts a vision of himself as he might have been. Though this new earth seems to be a better one for mutant kind, even here not all is well. Solid writing from J. Holtham keeps this eventful issue fast and fun. Artists Hill, Nava and Grundetjern give the two earths distinct styles.
Darkwing Duck #4 - Diebert and Lauro continue to deliver on their revival of the beloved 90’s cartoon. Drake Mallard tries to enjoy his retirement from crime fighting, living a quiet suburban life with daughter Gosalyn and his girlfriend Morgana, but for superheroes retirement never lasts. When old foe Bushroot threatens returns, Drake stops mowing lawns and starts getting dangerous. Full of the punny humor and genre skewering irreverence of the classic series, this is a great title for kids and older fans of the show.