July 6th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Poison Ivy #2 - Ivy is still firmly committed to her mission, it doesn’t matter how much she loves the green or Harley, she’s determined to fix the plague of humanity that has taken over the world. Her call out on the extreme vegans and vegetarians and how they can also be as destructive as the meat industry to the local ecosystems all for the sake of profits. And Ivy cares deeply about keeping the ecosystems of the world in check, predators and all. A few fun chats with strangers in a truck stop about the humans origin story from the Norse mythology has her considering if what she’s doing is right, just for a moment, before she regains her composure and really knocks her attack up a level. She’s been going for rather bold attacks lately but this time she’s picking the path of the silent killer, for now. Though she never could resist saving a pretty girl with blue eyes, could she? But is it really salvation if death is just staved off for a few hours? Doesn’t matter, Ivy has work to do and if she’s not careful someone will catch on to her plans.
Starhenge #1 - This book is absolutely stunning, if you're a fan of the DIE series with art by Stephanie Hans then this is easily going to be another of your favorites. Set about 100 years in the future humanity has figured out how to travel faster than the speed of light and has begun exploring our solar system. Landing and living on planets and expanding our universe as we know it. One planet in particular is extra interesting to the researchers working to find planets humanity can colonize. Alpha Centauri B. When the astronauts land on the planet and wake up the AI everything changes. The machines ries up, take form meant to imitate and intimidate humans, and once they’re ready they go to war with humanity. Our story is being told in two separate timelines however, the war against the machines and now, our time, flashing between the two as the narrator begins to explain how magic came to be the greatest weapon against the machines. But right now humanity is losing the war, across all fronts at all times. The future Queen is about to make the greatest sacrifice a mother can for the future hoping to make the greatest impact in the past. Now it's up to her son to save the world.
The Closet #2 - Thom is a mess, he’s barely hanging in there for the sake of his own sanity. The drive across the country, to a new home and new life, with his kid who is terrified of the monsters in his closet back home following everywhere they go. I can relate, as a military kid I constantly moved states and it never got less scary or easier the next time. But this is different, Jamie's monsters have promised to be there, waiting for him. Thom hopes a quick pit stop and his best friend Mack’s will help them both settle down. Thom is prepared for Jamie to be needy and clingy, what he isn’t ready for is his best friend to perfectly call him out on his BS. Mack doesn’t waste a second laying into him, probing into why he’s really here and why he’s been so consistently distant during the past few years. It’s a real and honest moment between the friends, even if a little bit hostile we see Thom lay it all out and have to open up and be honest about some things he never thought he’d have to. It's unfortunate that all this bonding is happening at the same time Jamie is desperately trying to escape his monster.
There's Something Wrong With Patrick Todd #1 - Weird things are happening in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Recently there have been a string of bank robberies after which all the robbers turn themselves in and admit to their crimes, all their crimes, even those not related to the bank. Yet something isn’t quite right with each of them, the robbers all claim that they weren’t in control, someone must’ve drugged them or hypnotized them to get them to commit the act. Now the police are trying to find the thread that ties them all together: Patrick Todd. He is the young man responsible for all the robberies, he simply speaks and they listen. They follow his every command from entering the banks to making sure no one lets a peep slip about him, he’s incredibly thorough. All in the name of love. His mothers specifically. His father however is nowhere to be found, the best excuse in the book right. My dad sent me to pay, to pick this up, to visit my mother, etc. How long do you think he can keep this up before someone catches on?
Diarra's Picks:
Mind MGMT: Bootleg #1 - Since the first issue premiered in May 2012, Matt Kindt’s Mind MGMT series has been a major hit! You don’t have to read the original series to enjoy Bootleg, but it will definitely make you feel all fuzzy inside. In the OG series, while investigating a plane crash, a true crime writer stumbles across the super secret government agency of Mind MGMT filled with super-spies, psychics, and national secrets. The series ends when a rogue agent succeeds at dismantling the organization…or so we thought. Now Kindt’s is revisiting this world under the new Flux House Publishing umbrella. Flux House has promised to deliver “untraditional stories” so I’m ready to see where this series, post events of the original, takes us. The poly bagged variant even includes a card that is playable in the Flux House board-game! Anywho, the events that caused the destruction of Mind MGMT also damaged surrounding areas, but since secrets were their business, everyone just believes it was a freak accident dubbed the “Zanzibar Natural Disaster Confluence”. Now the locales are trying to rebuild, and among them is Kito and his rodent companion. Kito has adapted pretty, but the skills that have been keeping him successful in this post apocalyptic world might be meant for bigger things…and turns out the folks at Mind MGMT have something in mind.
Batman Beyond: Neo-Year #4 - Who doesn’t love seeing Terry McGinnis in print form? This random tale from the current Batman: Urban Legends anthology inspired this mini series. Bruce Wayne is dead, and Gotham’s underground are fighting over the city. The new GCPD has basically turned Gotham into a police state, and a seasoned Barbara Gordon is using lower crime rates as an excuse to retire. As Terry’s only friend in GCPD, he tries to convince Barbara to stay, and it’s not just to keep the force off his back. Turns out this low crime rate is just false data being fed to public by the real villain…Gotham! Terry discovered this after intercepting a shipment of drugs entering Gotham’s harbor, and The Light of Gotham appeared! What separates this from the usual drug bust, The Light wanted to distribute the drugs as a means of population control. They are taking more of an unnatural selection route, and no one is the wiser. It’s like Oracle got into the wrong hands or something and Terry is having a wicked hard time remaining undetected. We all love the tech-filled Gotham City that Terry McGinnis trained in, but with all the security measures around the city (and his billionaire sensei dead) Terry has to go back to the basics. Things get more complicated this issue, when he realizes The Light can take over anyone in Gotham and it goes after the last honest cop left!
Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 - Mark Millar and Netflix teamed for the original Prodigy run. We know Millar can weave a tale, but with Netflix on his side, we are guaranteed a story that will transcend off paper and to a broader audience! Prodigy surrounds Edison Crane, super-genius businessman, that gives off hard Mr. Terrific energy. He is basically the perfect man, but his gift can sometimes be a curse. When your mind is constantly problem solving, you keep looking for more problems. This need sends Edison straight into a trap, but he wasn’t the one they wanted to lock up. The Icarus Society is gathering all the brainiacs for their new club, but the mad scientist they sent to recruit Edison didn’t leave a great impression. Edison is more a lone wolf anyway but this growing secret society already knew that, and have a more forceful plan in the works!
K's Picks:
The Closet #2 - So I had thoughts on the previous issue and this destroys any doubts I had in my mind. Real talk, the conversations and characters felt fleshed out and I love and adore it! Last time we left off, our lead Thom has been a little more than stressed, and drinking hasn't really been treating him well. With his wife holding him accountable for getting his life together, he's been a less than adequate father to his son Jamie, who's another can of worms. Simply put, there's something in Jamie's closet and it seems to have followed them to their next destination. With those culminating we are left with a tense and real conversation between Thom and his old friend Mack - one that has opened a lot of doors and made real troubles for Thom and his son.
Flashpoint Beyond #3 - Alright, I'll be the one to say it, Thomas Wayne has been one of the most compelling Batmen to date! So, Reverse Flash messed with time and created this new dark timeline - one where Thomas Wayne is wearing the suit, and boy am I happy he is. Last we left off, Subject 1 (AKA Superman) cornered Thomas requesting help from an unhinged Batman, so you can guess where this goes. Simply put, Batman isn't down to help and we are left with info that the corpse of Reverse Flash has been found. I'm so here for this and at every corner the story and art keeps me on my toes.
Dark Crisis #2 - So I'm not the most knowledgeable on the dark crisis verse but that doesn't change how the fact that as a newcomer I'm enthralled. With disappearance of the justice I assumed that things would be your typical young justice approach, but no this is way more and a lot darker, than I expected. So back in issue I was shocked at what seemed to be the fall of the titans, but with this new development we are approaching a new direction with the young heroes, and honestly Deathstroke has been killing it in this run so far, literally in fact. Back to the story at hand its more or less following up the previous events, it's adding a lot to Nightwing and allowing Kal to realize that this hero business isn't so easy, at least with the help of Black Adam. All and all give this one a read I want to throw a lot at you but I genuinely feel like this is something you have to experience your self!