December 16th 2020
J.R.'s Picks:
Second Coming: Only Begotten Son #1 – Marc Russell returns with his satirical skewer of saints, sinners, and superheroes! Sunstar has always been the stand-in for Superman in this series and his origin is no different. Hailing from the planet Zirconia, this issue sees Sunstar’s father returning home from work to inform his wife that the planet will explode that night. For years Zirconia was overmined for a cheap resource sold to its civilians for capitalistic gain and because of this, the planet will implode at 9 PM. To say that Zirconia is a stand-in for Earth is a given at this point, but the saddest part is Sunstar’s parents sending him to Earth to hopefully avoid that kind of greed and destruction. Another beautifully poignant and heartfelt takedown of the system we’re in by Russell. Pick up the first collection of Second Coming and this one now!
Post Americana #1: Steve Skroce brings the heat in the most interesting apocalyptic comic I’ve read in a while. As a Reagan-esque dipshit takes what looks like a very militaristic approach to rebuilding a new America from a bunker in a mountain, two traitors to this cause highjack a jet fighter and blow most of it up. Once they escape from inside this bunker dubbed The Bubble, they find mutated chickens from ag-grow farms, cannibals, a man in a tech-suit named the Flying Fuck, and a lone bad ass who sees the next coming of America for the threat that it is. The jokes are hilarious and the art is superb- do not miss your chance to start this one on the ground floor.
Blade Runner 2029 #1: I’m just gonna say it: at this point Detective Ashina has more character and drive than Deckard ever had. In this newest installment of her story, a flashback provides us with some needed info for down the road. In 2017 a replicant by the name of Yutan was able to escape from her double-barreled shotgun and showed her mercy when he could have killed her. Now in 2029, Ashina has learned what replicants deal with and help to find them better lives when her high command tells her to pull the trigger. After tracking a replicant down though, he says Yutan’s name which sets off the powder keg in a deeper mystery of replicant rights. Another fantastic entry in this already great series.
We Only Find Them When They’re Dead #4: The best book with the longest title continues this week and is a tour de force once again. Last issue, Paula blasted the Vihaan II’s crewmate Alice into space. Captain Malik refuses to leave her even while under attack from Paula so he leaves the confines of the ship in order to grab her with a spare jet suit. As he does, the sibling duo of Jason and Ella bicker about leaving them in space. Malik wants to meet the god they’ve found with Alice but the two left on the Vihaan II make it a lot harder for them to do so. You’ll want to see this to believe it so open this one up as soon as you can.
Diarra's Picks:
Post Americana #1 - Civilization has fallen, and it’s more like post apocalyptic Americana. The wealthy have created an enclosure, called The Bubble, with all the amenities one could ask for. Their plan was to live the rest of their days in peace and comfort, but new leaders want to reclaim the land outside. Unfortunately for them, that wasteland has been taken over by the people who couldn’t afford to buy their way into The Bubble, and they’ve gone full Mad Max out there. A Bubble resistance fighter recently escaped the enclosure, and accidentally finds himself captured by the people of the wastelands. They think he is crazy for leaving such a cushy life, but he is here to save those very people from the leaders of The Bubble’s plan to enslave them all. Lucky for the him, Carolyn has been hanging out with these wastelanders, but as a spy. She saves his butt and after a bit of back and forth, they decide to work together...well that’s before they get trapped by cannibals.
Taskmaster #2 - Last issue we saw Nick Fury recruit Taskmaster for a very hush-hush mission. Taskmaster is perfect for the job because he can impersonate the people Fury can’t let in on his plan. Before Taskmaster can copy someone he must see them in action. First person they track down, Agent Phil Coulson. Coulson is a seasoned agent and realizes Taskmaster is following him, but after a scuffle Taskmaster escapes with what he needs. Unfortunately, back up is on the way in the form of Hyperion. Normally Taskmaster would be no match for Hyperion’s unworldly strength, but he and Fury planned for this and now it’s on the next. What they haven’t accounted for is Black Widow on Taskmaster’s tail, and she won’t stop until she gets revenge.
The Expanse #1 - If you’ve been keeping up with the TV show, The Expanse, here is something to read between seasons! Chisjen Avasarala, former Secretary General of the United Nations, is now working as lead on a plan to expanded human reach into space by terraforming a new base. She insists the technical demotion doesn’t bother her around family, but she misses her former status. That’s where former marine Bobbie Draper comes in. Avasarala has been using Draper to investigate an elusive smuggler ring. Putting an end to arms dealing and/or finding out how high this conspiracy goes, will put Avasarala back on the top. Draper gets another job offer from and old friend (possibly more than friend), but decides to focus on a new lead. Things go south and Avasarala loses contact with Draper. I can’t wait to see how they wrap this up in this for issue mini series!
Stone's Picks:
King in Black: Black Cat #1 - In the middle of a heist, a symbiote dragon crashes down on Felicia and her crew. She awakens to find that the Avengers have lost and Knull is winning the battle for Earth. After escaping a fight that leaves Dr. Strange severely incapacitated, she makes her way to Alchemax where she recruits a doctor familiar with the symbiotes to help her perform a heist on Knull. It’s a handful of regular people about to steal from a cosmic being hell bent on casting the universe in to darkness. I’m sure they got this!
The Immortal Hulk #41 - Dr. McGowan has made her way to a shadow base site in Arizona that's under construction and uses it as a safe house. It will be the staging area for her to start fighting back and help the Hulk. Meanwhile, on the east coast, the Hulk and the Thing are trading blows at Coney Island. The Thing notices that Hulk isn’t as strong as he usually is, and takes the opportunity to repay him for the thrashing he received at Hulk's hands during his honeymoon. It’s Clobberin’ Time!
Taskmaster #2 - In order to gain access to the Rubicon Trigger, Taskmaster will have to copy the kinesic signatures of three of the worlds most dangerous people. First up on the list is Phil Coulson, the director of the Squadron Supreme. Taskmaster thinks he can mess with Coulson unscathed, but he’s in for a surprise when Hyperion shows up. With nothing but his courage and some intel from Nick Fury, it’s the copy cat king versus a god-like being.