June 15th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Grim #2 - Jess has her scythe back but at what cost? It seems that Death himself has come to the world of the living to balance the scales, fitting that he appears at Dia de Los Muertos, the day the living and spirit worlds are closest together, no? And while all this is going on Jess is still trying to figure out why she’s different, why she could touch a living and why only she seems to be the only reaper unable to remember the way they died. Jess being Jess she certainly isn't just going to sit back and wait. So she heads to her boss, Adria, to try once again to get the answers she seeks. And once again she's given the same response: only Death can access those files, and she isn't going to barge into his office and demand answers. Besides, Adria has some…. pressing business to attend to The End, guess Jess will just have to take matters into her own hands once again.
Seven Sons #1 - Set in an alternate reality, religion is somehow even more extreme in this version of the US. The second coming of Jesus is known, announced, and expected. The world is waiting, throwing essentially a festival for the second coming. The Seven Sons, 7 genetically identical children born to 7 virgin women on 7 different continents, have begun passing just as the great Prophet had foretold it, despite everyone ignoring his words. But now six of the Seven Sons have passed leaving just one, the true son of God himself. Despite the best efforts of the prophet to save as many sons as possible from their opposing religious group, Allaha’s Watchmen have been responsible for every single one of these deaths of the sons. Now the coronation day of the final son has arrived, but is he really the last son? The rightful heir? And can we really believe that the Watchmen don’t have something else in the works to mark the special day?
Do a Powerbomb! #1 - What I thought was going to simply be a story about pro-wrestling across a family turned into one of the most emotionally charged and captivating stories I've read in the first issue of a comic. If you’re already a fan of the WWE then this comic is right up your alley but if you’re a skeptic (like me) I still highly suggest you give this book a try. It starts off fun and lighthearted, we see Yua Steelrose backstage before her next big championship belt match. We meet the family and her spunky young daughter, it seems the wrestling is a family affair for them and the excitement they all feel for the match is almost palpable. But things quickly turn sour when Yua appears to be quickly outmatched. Now her daughter wants to make a name for herself and join the Pros, just like her mom. The thing is most people aren’t willing to work with her after everything that happened to her family, but most people aren’t all people. And sometimes there’s an offer just too enticing to ignore.
Moon Knight Black, White, & Blood #2 - The Black, White & Blood series from Marvel have consistently been some of their higher quality books lately when it comes to writing. Maybe it's the short story telling format for the anthology series but I've yet to be disappointed by any of the series, and issue 2 of Moon Knight’s anthology still holds that statement to be true. My personal favorite in this series is the diner scene where Marc comes to his regular spot at the diner for his favorite meal and a chat with his least favorite personalities. He’s littered with far too many injuries for just his memories of the night so it’s time they all had a chat. The game of whose injury is this that follows is a fun look into an average night in Moon Knight’s life as well as some emotional rounding out at the end with a little reveal into Marc’s psyche as well. David People did an excellent job capturing the different tones of each personality and if you enjoy his bit I suggest you grab his current run on Savage Avengers.
Diarra's Picks:
What If: Miles Morales #4 - Ok. So far we’ve visited three different multiverses in which Miles Morales was Captain America, Hulk, and Wolverine, now we meet Miles as Thor! They gave Asgard a makeover “The Wiz” style, and I even enjoyed the stances mixing old English and modern slang. Here instead of Loki being Thor’s adopted brother, he is Thor’s Uncle, but he is as tricky as Prowler and Loki combined. Thor just wants to kick it with his homies three before his dad’s big party. Thor is nervous this will be the gathering Odin will announce Thor as his heir to the thrown, but Thor isn’t ready to give up the carefree life. That’s when Uncle Loki shows up to take Thor on quest to get the perfect gift for Odin. Big surprise, Odin hates it (just like Loki knew he would). After disaster is thwarted, Loki is punished and Thor feels like a real dumb dumb for trusting his Uncle. While Thor and Lady Sif brain storm ways to get back into Odin’s good graces, the Spiderverse appears! Well at least the What If versions. Apparently Uncle Loki has escaped and is causing trouble in the other Miles’s realities and looks like we are getting Avengers assembled by Miles!
Hulking & Wiccan #1 - These two have been one of my favorite comic couples for awhile, so I was pumped to hear they were getting another series. Some of the variants give the plot away, and leave us wondering why are these hunky husbands in the arms of different men?! After Hulkling agreed to serve as the King of Space for the Kree/Skrull Alliance, the couple have been overseeing the unified Empire. Wiccan was even given the title of Royal Magician, but until a recent dinner party with old friends, he didn’t realize how much he missed Earth. While Hulkling is off fulfilling some kingly duty or another, Wiccan receives of a gift from a mystery sender. It’s an copyright questionable, Nintendo Switch-esc console with a game featuring himself and Hulkling called “Possibilities”. Wiccan knows this is weird AF, but he’s bored and the game looks cool. What he doesn’t know is the mystery sender is Agatha Harkness, and this is less of a game and more of a way to create alternate realities (Oh, Agatha. Always the little troublemaker.). Wiccan is able to see through the veil, and return he and Hulkling to their reality, but he can’t help thinking about the realities they left behind…
Moon Knight: Black, White, & Blood #2 - If we are being honest, I didn’t care for the first issue of this series, but that’s the thing about anthologies and boxes of chocolate! This issue on the other hand is serving up all the dark, twisted action only a ‘former mercenary with dissociate identity disorder turned moon god avatar’ can dish out! Story one, “The Empty Tomb”, really plays into Marc Spector’s inability to truly discern whether his reality is shaped by the tricks of Khonshu or the tricks of his mental illness. In “A Hard Day’s Night” we, once again, find Marc Spector at Ruby’s Diner to rest after a long night patrolling the streets. Here Marc shares a booth with Jake Lockley, Steven Grant, and Khonshu, as they share all the mischief they each got into when they were controlling the body (mostly because Marc wants to know why he is bleeding so much!). From Khonshu’s run in with The Juggernaut to Lockley reminiscing about getting into scraps during Hebrew school, it’s nice to see all the “alters” sharing with each other. “Blood Red Glider” wraps up this issue with a peak into Marc’s mercenary time, and the mission that brought Khonshu into his life. Nothing like revenge to get you all geared up for the next issue!
K's Picks:
Do a Powerbomb! #1 - This first issue is absolutely awesome! I've been looking for that heavy and gritty style, and this series scratches that itch. We follow Lona Steelrose, an aspiring wrestler who wants to go pro after her mother's passing. With her mother's tragic death haunting her father, she's come across a few obstacles with her dad interfering with her chances of going pro. But this all becomes irrelevant as she is drawn into a dark underground by a necromancer to fight for not only the chance to win the title of the champ, but also the chance to bring her mother back. Daniel Warren Johnson (artist and writer) is amazing at what he does and knowing we have six more issues to go is another reason to pick this one up while it's still hot!
Jurassic League #2 - You guys are truly sleeping on Jurassic League! This has been the most wild and metal series out right now. From prehistoric tools-using Batman to a giant Bizarro Dino Superman I'm really surprised at how well this has all blended together. The run down is Batman came across a human cave kid who acts as a sidekick (of course) and accompanies him to find the source of some strange tremors. This leads him into a fight against villainous dinos and similar prehistoric heroes! I'm a sucker for amazing art and fight sequences and this series is no exception on both. Also, who could pass up on the dinosaur equivalent of the classic trinity!?
Grim #2 - Death is always a touchy subject, even more so when Jessica's scythe was stolen by her last, lost soul. Continuing from a blunder last issue, Jessica is more than a little interested in why a reaper like her can touch and interact with the living world. This is something that is completely unheard of in the world of the dead. With no memory of her cause of death and Adira suspending and ignoring her questions, Jessica has taken it into her own hands to get to the bottom of this. The highlight of the issue is the introduction of her friends and how they bounce of each other they really bring more energy to the pages. Jessica is definitely a character I can't wait to see fleshed out more and for mysteries to unfold in issue three!