April 26th, 2023

Caroline's Picks:

K's Picks:

W0rldtr33 #1 - The long awaited, and slightly delayed, first issue of James Tynion IV new horror series is finally here and boy does he make a splash with it. Right off the bat you can tell this is going to be twisted. The world isn’t what we thought it was, we’ve all heard of the dark web but there is something far worse out there. Back in the 90s a few friends unleashed something life changing, tragic, and fatal. And they swore they’d lock it up and never let it see the light of the internet again. Now, in 2024, it’s been rereleased back into the world, someone is intentionally trying to incite chaos and gain a following committed to their cause. What that is we don’t know yet. We just know they’re specific, intentional, and willing to kill anyone they need to get the job done and the message across. James Tynion IV is someone who really knows how to dig in and world build incredibly well with a first issue while leaving enough out that you’re immediately curious for more. I can’t wait to see where this story goes and just how far the Worldtr33 reaches.
  
Star Wars Darth Vader Black, White & Red #1 - The incredibly popular Black, White and Red series has finally touched down in the Star Wars universe and they couldn’t have picked a better character to highlight. Darth Vader is the most feared man in the galaxy, he plagues the thoughts and minds of people he's never even met, and those he has are lucky if they live long enough to have any feelings at all. This series really shows just how ruthless and imposing of a presence he is. He is the human embodiment of ‘i’ll do it myself’. Peach Momoko’s short is probably my favorite, once again she lets her haunting art shine and uses no speech bubbles, yet Vader is still a sight of terror for the dreamer of her nightmare. A must read for any fan of the Empire.
  
The Ambassadors #1 - I feel like this series is really pushing the ‘expect the unexpected’ novelty. The people chosen to represent their nations are some of the least likely or expected citizens but they’re all doing everything they can to make their Nations greater and safer once they gain their powers. This issue we see the Ambassador for France, a single mother whose son has been having emotional problems and gaining an unhealthy obsession with weapons and killing. She’s desperate to find a way to connect with him, help him out of his mental state and to become someone who is proud of themselves and her. And so codename France is born, as is her sidekick Paris. The two of them spend an evening bonding and saving lives across France. It's amazing what a little bit of controlled power can do to bring two people together. And the teamwork they displayed was truly incredible to see. Paris may be young now but if he has time to learn he could be the greatest hero yet. Just a few more people are left to be selected for powers now. I'm very curious to see who our next hero is going to be, and what sort of ordinary life they lead.
  
Indigo Children #2 - Things are moving quickly for the Indigo Children. What starts off as a normal day for Fred turns into a therapy session, too many flashbacks, and a sudden resurgence of repressed memories and old friends from his childhood. Everything seems normal, if not a little more tiring than normal, but he keeps seeing these flashes, memories sometimes and others like he’s seeing the world on a whole different spectrum than everyone else. By the end of the days he's exhausted and ready to collapse, but then he starts to see the indigo reality in his own home, finds strangers hiding in a hidden indigo room in his home, and there’s no going back now. And then Alexei shows up, his old friend and fellow Indigo Child is there to save him when he needs it most. Now it's his turn to help, save the rest of the ‘kids’ like him, before they're all hunted down one by one.
  

Doom Patrol #2 - A fantastically sad and real issue for the Patrol this week. Very quickly after defeating the mass known as Degenerate in Gotham, we see there are more meta-humans roaming the streets. Enter Worm and Velvet, the new troubled youth to join the Shelter. This seems all fine and dandy until you realize this was a ploy created by Peacemaker. There’s a lot of callbacks to the history of Doom Patrol in this issue, some more obvious than others. For example, the death of Dorothy Spinner and Dr. Caulder’s historic blunder as the leader. It’s all really good, until we get back to Peacemaker’s twisted plot!
  
Sins Of Sinister Dominion #1 - The epic conclusion to Sinister’s plan has all culminated to this very battle. With the ending of Nightcrawlers, there seemed to be no way possible to raise the bar higher. With only the press of a button the lives of the mutants seem to be nothing more than ash in the wind. After one thousand years of Sinister’s experiments, the Trillions are not subject to the effects of Sinister’s mutation. Ironfire has been shot in the skull, and Sinister’s Dominion is nearly complete. Unfortunately for Sinister, Ironfire won’t stay down no matter the cost. Being shot is not enough to hold down the iron-blooded badass himself! With tensions running high and Moira questioning Sinister's logic on resetting the universe, time seems to come to a crawl as the Namor clones make their way to the fight. Everything finally comes to a head as we see Sinister has no intention of maintaining the trillions of Sinisterized beings. Upon activating his fail safe we see what could only be described as genocide of all meta humans. This was a necessary cause to reset the universe allowing Sinister to seemingly escape his misdeeds. This was short lived as Sinister was captured and trialed correctly, finally! With the ending of Sinister and the Quiet Council losing 5 members, one can only guess what direction is next.
  
Aliens #1 - We return once again to the most terrifying franchise in classic horror! Within the year 2195 we follow a small family on a distant moon conducting research on water conservation. This being a story about the face hugging parasites, we know that there's more threatening matters a foot. We find out very quickly that there’s an entire colony of Xenomorphs encased in ice on this drifting moon and it appears the humans have no idea what they’re messing with. I will also say this, I think it’s obvious to say that if you find a acid-blooded spider creature in a giant ice cube, maybe it’s best to leave it alone. An unfortunate bit of hindsight our main character Zasha hasn’t picked up on! I loved this issue and Aliens always hit the mark for me. I’m glad to see to another run with some interesting takes on everyone’s favorite Xenomorph.
  

Rob's Picks:

Green Arrow #1 - This opening issue from writer/artist team Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse reintroduces us to the whole Green Arrow family. Once again, Oliver Queen washes up on strange shores, but where and/or when is a mystery. Not concerned with giving answers just yet, the main action of this issue follows the rest of the Arrow clan to the streets of Gotham, reminding old readers and informing the new about their history and relationships. During a fight with some out-of-work henchmen, a new hero arrives on the scene, one with their own connection to that shared history. A fun start! Williamson sets the stage for a story of far flung adventure where Green Arrow ponders his legacy, not as a superhero, but as a family man.
  
Venom: Lethal Protector #2 - Eddie Brock takes a job offer in the latest issue of the revival series helmed by original Lethal Protector writer David Micheline. After Venom saved the Wild Pack in the previous issue, Silver Sable is eager to add him to the team. Eddie Brock might not be much of a team player, but a man who spent last night sleeping in a sewer can afford to make compromises. Of course Nick Fury isn’t thrilled to learn that his subcontractor has hired the notorious antihero. This installment features a ton of action, a classic Spider-Man villain, and a huge final page reveal.
  
Alien #1 - Writer Declan Shalvey and artist Andrea Broccardo bring you a new series about isolated scientists, an evil corporation, and xenomorphs. On an icy world known only as LV-695, the Zahn family collects samples and waits for a long overdue ride home. A frozen creature found by daughter Zasha ignites the hidden tensions between her parents, Dayton and Batya. Dayton thinks their discovery is better left forgotten, but to Batya, it is their best chance at getting off this glacial planet. Neither planned for the sudden interest of the Weyland-Yutani corporation. This slow burning start feels like a perfect first act to an Alien story. It establishes both a tone of quiet dread and the human relationships to be tested by the horrors to come.