Rob's Picks:

The Deadman #2 - The cycle of life, death, and rebirth has been disrupted, and only the Deadman can save the souls of the dead from a hungry demon. Boston Brand searches for a man who can identify his infernal opponent in Gotham, where Batman and Plastic Man are working their own investigation. After a brief detour through the psyche of Bruce Wayne and a flashback to his first meeting with Deadman, the heroes join forces to thwart Mister Bloom, who is somehow not the most niche cameo in this issue. The Silver Age hokeyness that Martín Morazzo and W. Maxwell Prince indulged in with Superman: Kryptonite Spectrum is back with a vengeance, especially in Plastic Man’s fourth-wall-breaking quips. Touches of horror punctuate the story, but the tone leaves the stakes feeling light, and new villain Professor M. doesn’t get much development. This series is a fun caper masking a dark underbelly, very much in line with this team’s work on Ice Cream Man, with an extra streak of esoteric philosophy, almost like a comedy punch-up of Ram V’s Laila Star.

The Shaolin Cowboy: Staying A.I.Live #1 - YEEHAW! The post-apocalyptic, martial arts, spaghetti western, genre-blending comic phenomenon rides again. In the western wastes of Amerigunn, our ex-monk-turned-vagabond hero has his solitary meditations interrupted by the discovery of a message in a bottle, sent by a runaway child to their mother. After considering the letter’s contents, and the advice of some talkative lizards, our hero determines that fate has placed this message in his hands, making him the postman of destiny. For the first time in a long time, he walks out of the wasteland and into the savagery of civilization, or what passes for civilization in Amerigunn. The funhouse-mirror exaggeration of modern American culture hits closer to home than ever: loud, crowded, angry, expensive, trashy, racist, and violent. But despite our national transformation into living self-parody, Shaolin Cowboy manages to have its fun without overdoing it. Creator Geof Darrow knows how to balance narrative and action, understanding when to let the art do the talking. Trading the wide-open western vistas for close-packed urban streets packed with background detail gives this limited series a distinct look from previous runs, but cinematic kung fu action is still Shaolin Cowboy’s greatest strength.

Supergirl: Survive #2 - The last rocket from Krypton makes a detour on the way to Earth, landing Kara-El and her infant cousin in a hive of scum and villainy. We last left Kara and Kal stranded on a rocky planetoid with a hostile alien, where they are found by a team of Lanterns who arrived too late to save anyone else. Rescued from immediate danger, the cousins are once again adrift as interplanetary refugees looking for passage to safety. As the last Kryptonians, the two are suddenly a valuable commodity to the enterprising criminals of the Lobo Gang. Hunted and captured, Kara schemes an escape attempt that ends in an epic Lantern vs. Lobo shootout. Artist Rod Reis puts a western spin on the Lobo Gang and this issue’s main setting, a gritty boomtown, a fun change-up from the futurism of Krypton and the spotless gleam of the Lanterns. She’s still a long way from unlocking her powers on Earth, but Kara manages a surprising super-feat that could divert the course of this Elseworlds adventure even further.

Solo's Picks:

Killer Influences #1
Joey Esposito and Valeria Burzo have delivered a very unique and mesmerizing horror book inspired by modern-day true crime content! Killer Influences follows an aspiring true crime host named Kylie, a young woman from the desolate industrial town of Eden County. She’s stumbled onto a strange string of crimes that local law enforcement is hell-bent on writing off as coincidences, but Kylie suspects she’s uncovered a serial killer—and her ticket out of this backwater town. We see her bravado lead her into the killer’s lair, witnessing just how dedicated she is to achieving success, even if it means striking a deal with the Devil of Eden. I loved the art in this book, and the tone reminded me a lot of Dexter and last year’s Slasher’s Apprentice/Murder Podcast, so if either of those were standouts to you, then this will definitely be right up your alley!

Sonic X DC: Metal Legion #3
The Legion of Doom has a serious infighting problem, and this issue was a blast as we watched the effects of that blow up in Luthor and Eggman’s faces. Following the end of the last issue, we see the villains celebrating their worldwide rule over both Earth and Sonic’s world, Mobius, after the protagonists end up trapped in a pocket dimension thanks to L.E.X.E.G.G. technology. The humor in this issue feels like the main focus, as we watch the heroes react in a nonchalant manner to the villains’ convoluted plans while the Legion of Doom is busy pointing fingers and trying to "outsmart" one another their way to success. This results in a hilarious, high-energy issue that still manages to push the story forward, even if it isn’t to the same extent as the last two issues. The fun never stops with this crossover, and you gotta go fast if you want to pick up a copy, as it has been selling out just as quickly as it comes in!

What If: Secret Wars #1
The Ultimate Universe wrapped up but is still delivering surprises with this thrilling What If storyline from the brilliant minds of Alex Paknadel, Cafu, and David Curiel! The team did a fantastic job of making this feel like it came straight out of the 2000s, from the look of the book down to the dialogue, and readers who grew up with this run are sure to get a strong sense of nostalgia as Peter Parker describes the events that led to him returning to Earth-1610. I loved the Scarlet Spider spin they put on this story, and Peter’s interactions with The Maker make the book worth the price of admission for lines like, “A butterfly flapped its wings, and now I’m God.” It was great to dive back into the original Ultimate Universe for a few pages and see what could’ve been! If you’re still grieving the end of this Ultimate Universe, or the original has a soft spot in your heart, then definitely pick this up, as it beautifully teases the future of Ultimate Comics on the final page!