July 12th, 2023
Caroline's Picks:
The Hunger and The Dusk #1 - G. Willow Wilson is finally writing Indie comics again and I am so excited for this series. If you’ve been reading her Poison Ivy series then jumping into this fantasy store will feel familiar to you. Her writing shines as the first issue explores the history of our new world of Orcks, Humans, and plenty more people we haven’t even met yet. For as long as anyone can remember the Humans and Orcks have been fighting, they used to live well enough apart from each other in their own lands but circumstances have caused both to venture inwards into the others territories. With a peace agreement set between a clan from each side it seems like things might finally be looking up for everyone. But that’s never how these stories start.
Sirens of the City #1 - This new Boom! Studios series is a not so modern day monster story, set in New York in 1987. Told mostly in black and white with intentional use of sharp, bold colors, the style immediately captured my attention. Humans and the ‘uncanny’ live together in this world, the uncanny seem to pass as completely normal to those who aren’t looking or don’t know any better. Layla is just one of these uncanny, only problem is she has no idea. She was abandoned as a baby, left with nothing but a weird pendant. Now she’s 16, pregnant, and living on the streets. She’s looking for any clues she can find as to where she comes from and what her history might be. In an attempt to get away from him she runs right into the center of an uncanny house party, and right into the line of fire of one of the worst of the worst in the city. But she’s managed to make a new friend, the next step is new information for where to go from here.
Antarctica #1 - This new sci-fi series had me immediately hooked in the previews: family drama, Arctic science, and some fantasy elements mixed together has me already itching for the rest of the series to drop. Hanna hasn’t had the most consistent life, the one exception is that every time her father left her to go on some mystery mission he came back. Every single time. Until he didn’t. Often left to her own devices while he was away Hanna simply became even more uninterested in the world after his disappearance. Now an adult and homeless, Hanna is doing what she can to get by: sleeping on random corners, stealing wallets, and even making a friend who truly wants the best for her. This time around when tragedy strikes she’s refusing to sit back, she might not be able to help her friend but she’ll be damned if she gives up on her father just yet. So she sets her sights on the Arctic. Not to get distracted, Hanna is determined to be the best employee and find her father at the same time. But what was that purple flash? And will she even find any clues about her father in the icy wasteland?
Fishflies #1 - The first issue of the new highly teased Jeff Lemire 6 issue horror mini series is finally here! We got a few pages from the FCBD issue and with Lemire being one of those writers I will read anything he does, you could say I was a little excited. He’s telling a new monster story between a young misfit girl and her giant mutant fly friend. We open on a group of kids teasing each other and making dares and then we get an immediate left turn into a very dark story. One figurative of the law and two murdered bodies later Franny has found an interesting visitor in her dad’s barn, not that he’ll notice. Turns out she’s got a pretty bad life at school and an even worse one at home. Maybe that why she’s so nice to her new friend. Let’s hope he’s nice back.
Rob's Picks:
Knight Terrors #1 - The world and its mightiest heroes are trapped in a never-ending nightmare. Fortunately for them, the dead don’t sleep. Following directly from Knight Terrors: First Blood #1, Deadman is face to face with the new villain Insomnia. This confrontation gives us our first hints at Insomnia’s origins and identity. He is searching for the Nightmare Stone, an object connected with golden age DC lore. Desperate for more answers, Deadman reaches out to a founding member of the JSA for help. The pulpy writing of Joshua Williamson keeps this largely expository issue fast moving and engaging.
The Hunger and the Dusk #1 - Ancient enemies, apocalyptic threats, desperate alliances. New series The Hunger and the Dusk has so many things we’ve come to expect from fantasy stories, but writer/artist team G. Willow Wilson and Chris Wildgoose deliver something that feels incredibly fresh. On a dying world, where orcs and men battle for what little remains, a new threat has arrived, a mysterious force that comes at dusk to slaughter humans and orcs alike. United by a common foe, the human warrior Callum and orc healer Tara join together to save their people. This introductory issue capably sets the stage and gives a taste of the sword and sorcery action to come.
Knight Terrors: Zatanna #1 - As the Knight Terrors event continues to unfold, Zatanna takes her first turn in the spotlight. While Deadman confronts Insomnia, Zatanna races to save Wonder Woman and Detective Chimp from his monstrous lieutenants. A magical call for aid leads to a fun cameo from Doom Patrol's Robotman. The mismatched pair engage in some fun banter while battling their bad dreams. Zatanna definitely has a big part to play in this event. While most of DCs heroes are threats to be eliminated, Insomnia sees her as a potential tool for his purposes.
Solomon's Picks:
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles X Stranger Things #1 - TMNT X Stranger Things is…here!? This was probably my favorite collaboration TMNT have done recently and it was a pleasant surprise to see it was with our favorite young detectives. The Stranger Things crew is on a field trip to New York when strange things (sorry) start happening around them. They’re discouraged at first, as this field trip was supposed to be a vacation from the paranormal activity in their hometown. After they run into the Turtles who were hunting down Mousers (turned out to be Demogordon fused Mousers- Demomousers), they realize the Upside Down is everywhere. After that realization settles in, the Turtles offer to help them deal with their shared issue and they split off into teams suited to their individual strengths. There were several moments that left a smile on my face in this issue, especially with the Turtles emphasizing how important the masks they wore and their moral code are to the gang. The art inside the book is great and fits the vibe perfectly, and the covers are absolutely sick!
Sirens Of The City #1 - If you’ve been craving a bold, new story then Sirens of The City is perfect for you. Set in a city filled with supernatural individuals during the late 80’s, Sirens Of The City offers an interesting story with an even more interesting cast. The story follows a young siren named Layla, a teenager who was recently cut out of her foster family and finding herself surviving on the streets, alone again. She’s decided to get an abortion and is struggling with the societal and personal pressures that come with that. While pushing past a crowd at an anti-abortion rally, one of the protesters antagonizes her and we see for the first time that her words have the power to influence others in very drastic ways. Her design, along with the majority of the cast, are incredible. The art is phenomenal all around, from the world, the characters, the colors/lighting, etc. Combine these with a great story and this is a very stylish and immersive comic that I can't wait for more of!
Fishflies #1 - This is great. The vibe of this story is really the selling point for me. It’s subtle, it’s weird, it’s uncomfortable at times. It takes place in a small town during summer, where the town is experiencing a uniquely annual event where “Fishflies” hoard and cover everything. It opens up with three kids witnessing their local corner store being bombarded by the pests and daring each other to walk through barefoot. Once one of them takes the dare, they make it into the store where an adult male, one of our main characters, is holding the store at gunpoint. The man makes it out of the store, not without making a major mistake and being stung by hundreds of the insects. He lands in the yard of our other protagonist, a young snot-nosed girl (literally a defining trait of hers) who wants to help the man for no other reason than it’s the right thing to do. The girl doesn’t have a great home or social life, but it looks like she still tries to see the best in the world and in others. The man is experiencing very grotesque symptoms following the fishfly bites, and after a while, we see that he turns into a large, mutated fishfly. Or, maybe it’s a metaphor. Either way, this story promises to be a good one so grab your copy!