January 12th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Batgirls #2 - The Batgirls have gotten themselves into a sticky situation, outnumbered and far outmatched by their opponents. So of course they’re going to completely ignore Oracle's warnings and try and fight their way out against 3 highly skilled opponents whose only goal is to end them. One overpowering fight scene later and the girls are running for their lives, The Saints are here and they need a plan. But there's no rest for the wicked, and while the Batgirls are figuring out a plan for how to keep safe, the Saints are regrouping with their leader and planning their next attack. My personal favorite part of this issue is the communicator solution, communicator earrings! And the subsequent scene of a superhero (Cass) being afraid of getting her ears pierced had me giggling, scenes like that make the characters seem a little more relatable to me. Very quickly are those new goods put to the test though, as Babs has a new mission for the girls: placing some tech on the roof! But it's not like they've ever gotten side tracked before, right?
Rain #1 - A beautifully drawn comic that is absolutely heartbreaking. Joe Hill does it again, making you get attached to characters and enjoying their happiness just to rip it all away in the last few pages. This issue just draws you right in with its compelling story, so much so that you forget it's a horror comic until the very end. Honeysuckle and Yolanda are moving in together, today the day Yolands family is driving her and her things up to Honeysuckle's house. Not a cloud in the sky, everyone is out and about having fun as if it were a crime to be inside on such a nice day. Then the crystal shard rain came and in less than 10 minutes thousands of people died in the city of Boulder alone, one of them was Yolanda. One of them wasn’t Honeysuckle.
We Ride Titans #1- What happens when a Titan operator gets drunk on the job? Half a city gets destroyed and his family name is starting to get tarnished. Kaiju are very real in this world and similar to the movie Pacific Rim there are single pilots who operate 'Titans' to fight and defeat the Kaiju to keep the world safe. The Hobbs family has been protecting their city for generations but Dej is royally screwing things up for everyone. After getting a little too drunk on the job one day his sister is called in to clean up his mess. But Kit is somewhat estranged from her family, she's not very interested in her parents' platitudes or kindness. You can only guess how things go when she finds out they want her to take over her brother's old job operating the family Titan.
Animal Castle #1 - The book that the internet can’t seem to shut up about has finally gotten a 2nd printing so if you missed it the first time (like me) now’s your chance to swoop! Think Animal Farm, but instead the setting is a Castle. All the humans are gone and the animals are left to run their own ‘Republic’ within the Castle walls, they are free and safe, for the most part. But step out of line or break the rules and it's to the dogs with you! AFter spending a day with Miss B at work we learn just how hard life is around her for the average animal, and the dogs are as unforgiving as ever. Accidents can happen and when they do its best not to talk back either. How long do you think these animals can be kept down before they revolt? What happens when they do?
Diarra's Picks:
Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1 - If you’ve been keeping up with the Daredevil series, you know Elektra is trying her hand at being a hero. She and Matt got matching fits and have been fighting side by side to keep Hell’s Kitchen safe! Well, that is until Mayor Wilson Fisk outlawed masked vigilantism! Elektra pays Fisk a visit, and leaves Matt home because she isn’t sure if she can keep up with their code. She planned on putting an end to Fisk once and for all, but that’s when Fisk reveals he knows secrets from her past, things Matt doesn’t even know. Now the mission has changed and Elektra has to go visit her alma mater for clues. Looks like The Hand hasn’t quite let her go, but while she is chasing The Hand a familiar face is hunting her!
Rain #1 - Whew, this one really tugs on the heartstrings. Rain is a graphic adaptation of a novella from Joe Hill’s ‘‘Strange Weather’’ collection. The book of novellas is described as post-apocalyptic dark fantasy horror, what’s not to like? First, we are introduced to a young couple, Honeysuckle Speck and Yolanda Rusted, and there is no doubting their love for each other. Yolanda comes from a loving, understanding home, but Honeysuckle’s family were dicks about it. But just as families can be lost, they can be found, and we get to meet the folks in Homeysuckle’s neighborhood that have welcomed her with open arms. Now they welcome Yolanda now, too, because today is the day they finally move in together! Unfortunately, today is also the day the sky decided to rain crystal nails. Yep that’s right, murder shards fall all around the globe. Of course, we are worried about our young couple in love, but what’s happening around the world? The rain stops and the issue ends, and I can’t wait to pick up issue two.
We Ride Titans #1 - The Hobbs family have dedicated their lives to protecting the city of Hyperion. When Kaiju attack the town someone in the family jumps in a giant mech and take it down! The current mech rider is Dej Hobbs, but after his most recent battle, his ability to protect Hyperion is called into question. Now the Hobbs need a new rider, so mama Hobbs heads to find Dej’s sister, Kit, and do her best Vin Diesel impression. This is about FAMILY! Despite Kit’s estrangement from the family, she agrees to come back home, but first she wants to know what the hell is going on with Dej. This series is guaranteed to serve up action and drama!
Stone's Picks:
Dark Ages #4 - Between this and Dark Knights of Steel, Tom Taylor is running the gamut on the alternate universe storytelling. This issue sees us traversing the high seas to Europe on a reconfigured helicarrier. There’s a lot to like in this issue from character interactions like Wolverine and Doom to the new designs some characters sport. Nightcrawler looks particularly awesome with his eye-patch and red garb. Now it wouldn’t be me if I don’t comment on the Ghost Raiders - pirates who sold their souls to Mephisto and became a crew of Ghost Riders. That’s awesome! Marvel seems to be getting Ghost Rider out as much as they can of late in anticipation for the new series out in the coming weeks. A solid middle point for the story!
Batman: Urban Legends #11 - This anthology series has been a real treat to read. The stories that come along with it have been solid, while also building upon the Batman mythos. You get a story involving Batman and Zatanna that may reveal a past affair the two had. You get to learn some more about Wight Witch and her connection to Ghostmaker. Plus, there is an Ace The Bat-Hound story where he takes the role of Robin for some crime fighting goodness. With an ever rotating creative team providing top tier stories there is no reason any Batman fan should have for not reading these great stories!
Buffy the Last Vampire Slayer #2 - I think it was about 5-6 years ago when I binged watched all of Buffy. Sarah Michelle Gellar stole my heart as the badass vampire Slayer Buffy Summers. Then they introduced Eliza Dushku as Faith and suddenly there I was having to choose between the both of them. Luckily, Faith didn’t stick around for too long so my torment was short-lived. Point is, I really enjoyed Buffy so why not see what’s up with the comic. This is an alternate universe where the vampires and humans have struck a tenuous treaty where both groups can’t harm each other, including the Slayer. Willow's daughter has become a slayer and is sent to go train with Buffy who is the only remaining Slayer alive. It’s different, it’s new, it may be just up your alley.