July 28th, 2021
J.R.'s Picks:
Superman Son of Kal-El #1 – Jon Kent is taking over his father’s mantle and he won’t be punching aliens in the face, he’ll be punching climate change! Tom Taylor takes us through a beautiful introduction about the day of Jan’s birth which Superman almost missed because of an attempted alien invasion. Luckily, his Justice League friends took over and told him to be with Lois. The narrative then jumps to modern times where Jon heads to California to stop a wildfire started by a man who couldn’t control his superpower. After saving him, Jon makes the tough call of turning him over to the government and realizes that in doing so, he’s just holding up the terrible status quo. An ingenious way to tackle Superman’s morals which goes the distance and hopefully will continue to off of this strong start.
Icon and Rocket Season One #1 – Another amazingly strong series in the Milestone lineup thanks to Reginald Hudlin and Doug Braithwaite. After an alien spaceship is destroyed by an unknown terrorist, the ship’s attempted savior crash lands in Georgia in 1843. After being discovered by slaves attempting their escape, Icon is raised by his newfound parents and lives a grand life throughout the decades of American history. Cut to Dakota City in modern times where, put up to do so by some shitty dudes, a young woman named Raquel robs Icon’s house. After learning a tough lesson from the ageless alien, Raquel returns with a tough lesson of her own for him. A fantastic first and more proof that Milestone is back in the biggest way.
Wonder Woman Black and Gold #2 – I love, love, love an anthology issue and luckily this one has a story or two about love too! Mariko Tamaki and Jamie McKelvie kick off the book without a story of Eros ripping his own heart out just to get Diana’s attention. It’s a little more potent of a way since doing so shuts off love around the world. Che Grayson brings us a story of Zeus’s nameless son poisoning Queen Hippolyta which Diana quickly informs him you should never do. Every story in here is beautifully rendered but the absolute stand-out is a two-word masterpiece from Tillie Walden which is worth the price of admission alone. Another excellent entry into this series.
Department of Truth #11 – Ready to have your gut wrenched? That’s what you’ll have to prep yourself for with the ending of Tynion’s Bigfoot two-parter for DoT. Through stained and broken journal entries, Simmonds and Tynion are able to piece together a life that’s been broken in pursuit of evidence of the Sasquatch. As fascinating as the journal entries are, the deep lore-driven narration by one of the Department’s field agents of how these Wild Fictions and the real-life history behind them is absolutely fascinating. By the end of the issue it’s amazing to think that such a heavy story finds a worthy conclusion within this brutal series. Expertly written and expertly executed. This here’s the masterclass, folks.
Diarra's Picks:
The Last Book You’ll Ever Read #1 - The title of this book may sound a bit braggadocios, but this isn’t the book in question. Olivia Kade is the author of the new bestselling book, Satyr, a “treatise on the decline of humanity and moral value in society”. Just another book psych book full of theories about why we do what we do, but these ideas have caused quite a buzz. The more conservative crowd is calling it blasphemy while others are adopting the lifestyle with open arms. The book claims humans are regressing back to a more animalistic nature, and after a string of attacks made by readers, it’s only gained more of a following. One of these high strung readers attacked Olivia at a recent book signing. A guard got in the middle of the two, but what she said to Olivia leads us to believe there is something else motivating these attacks. Despite the danger, Olivia plans to keep touring and getting this book into as many hands as she can!
Icon & Rocket: Season One #1 - Milestone has dropped another series! The issue starts in 1843, when an alien shuttle lands on a plantation and is found by a pair of slaves. After further examination it opens and they discover a baby. Then we are brought to present day, where four teens are planning a robbery. They’ve been scoping out an old mansion that appears to be abandoned, but upon entering they quickly learn they were wrong. The super ripped homeowner confronts them and one of the teens shoots him. A young woman amongst the teens was apprehensive from the start and this was the last straw. Imagine the surprise when the man gets up, unaffected by being shot point blank. He gives the kids a stern talking to, makes them promise to keep his secret, and sends them on their way. The next day the young miss from the group arrives on his doorstep with a plan to change the world!
Robin #4 - Damian left home to compete in a tournament to the death on Lazarus Island. You can imagine the kind of contestants at a place like this, so it’s isn’t unexpected when he is double crossed and left for dead. That’s when his pop-pop comes to his rescue! Yep, Ras Al Ghul tends to his wounds and tries to convince him the League of Lazarus can’t be trust and tells Damian to withdrawn from the competition. Of course, Damian disregards this but now he has to sneak back onto the island. He gets to a near by coast where League members come for supplies and he plans to use that as his way back. He notices they aren’t just collecting rations, but what appears to be sacred text. Before Damian can swoop in and investigate, a flock of robins come to call him home! I’ve been loving this series, come scoop the earlier issues before they are all gone.
Stone's Picks:
Amazing Fantasy #1 - This was a weird read that didn’t start to make sense till the end, but the potential for an interesting new entry into the Amazing Fantasy series involving some of Marvel's biggest heroes is definitely there. You got Captain America, Black Widow, and making his return from whence he came, Spider-Man! Each of them are thrown into this new world; thrust into the unknown. I enjoy the fact that the heroes are from different time periods of their respective characters. Cap is from World War 2, Spidey is from his 60s era and Black Widow is from her time she spent in the red room. So how will they react when they meet up? Do each of them know who the others are? Their interactions in the future will surely be something to look out for. I also really enjoyed the different art styles for each characters part of the story. It helps to distinguish the vibes of each character from serious to lighthearted.
Barbaric #2 - Surrounded by corpses with a demonic cloud hanging over their heads, the great Barbarian Owen along with Soren decide now is the best time for a drink. It’s during this time of rest that we learn more about Soren and what led her to almost be burned alive in the first issue. Their quest leads them into a deadly situation involving possessed abbots and specter warriors. Ghosts mean no blood, and that does not make for a happy axe. The death in the area is effecting Soren in more ways than one, and that puts Owen in quite the predicament. Another humorous, mayhem filled issue that leaves you wanting more. Also there was a point in this issue that did nothing to help with my distaste for snakes. I could only imagine the pain!
Batman Reptilian #2 - Batman is hitting the streets looking for any clues he can to track down this new threat that is tearing its way through Batman’s rogues. A blood sample taken from Penguin reveals some surprising information on the culprit. Garth Ennis is delivering on suspense and writing a thrilling Batman story that has you wanting to know more with every turn of its pages. The story continues in a dark, creepy direction that is bolstered by the gritty and nightmarish art by Liam Sharp.