Rob's Picks:

Blood Hunt #4

The Blood Hunt event enters a whole new level of epicness with the penultimate issue of its core title. Our last issue saw an ancient evil return to Earth, a corrupted Atlantean temple summoned by the lord of the vampires. Blade arrives with T’Challa and the remains of the Bloodcoven to enact the final stage of his grand plan, revealing the true power orchestrating these apocalyptic events. Earth's heroes are setting their own plans in motion on Earth and elsewhere. To bring back the light of the sun, the Sorcerer Supreme must bargain for the mighty magics of… DOOM! The Latverian monarch demands a high price, but with the fate of the world at stake, Doctor Strange can’t afford to haggle. Hunters Moon and Tigra are on a covert mission to Asgard, their goal to release a great but dangerous power from its cage, one that will destroy the swarming hordes of newborn vampires. This event is paying off more than most in recent memory, and this issue is a great example of everything the creative team Jed MacKay and Pepe Larraz have done to make this one so worthwhile. There are some huge reveals in this one, and we finally bridge the gap between this Blade-centric story and his most recent self-titled series. This book is guaranteed to have you hyped up for the big finish in #5.

Absolute Power: Ground Zero #1

DC is pulling together the threads of multiple plot arcs, from House of Brainiac to Suicide Squad: Dream Team and points in between. Across those titles and many others, Amanda Waller has been hard at work preparing her next Machiavellian masterstroke. In this book, the premiere issue for the Absolute Power event, the scheme that’s been building since the end of Night Terrors is set into motion. We begin with Waller doing what she does best: entrapping a metahuman to carry out a plot against another metahuman. With her new favorite goon Peacemaker by her side, she expands the Suicide Squad roster with the addition of Time Commander, and throws in the most recent Batman-Contingency-Gone-Wrong™, Failsafe, for good measure. With them, she secures the last and most powerful piece for her chessboard. This and everything that came before sets the stage for her ultimate victory, the total depowering of all superheroes. Writers Waid, Zdarsky, Maines, and Williamson deliver an issue that is consistent in tone and quality the whole way through, and a very engaging look at Amanda Waller that treats her matter-of-fact approach to arranging metaphorical dominoes in a detached, almost procedural fashion.

Hellverine #2

Benjamin Percy’s follow-up to the incredible Weapons of Vengeance fires on all cylinders in issue #2. Akihiro, the son of Logan, was one of the many victims of the Sabretooth War event until the demonic spirit that once possessed his father gave him a second life as the Hellverine! Resurrection is a messy process and the newly reborn hero has barely begun to piece his mind back together, but the call of vengeance cannot be resisted and his fiery path of destruction has been noticed by Project Hellfire. With Logan in search of his son and the Project hunting a squad of AWOL undead supersoldiers, an alliance of convenience is formed with little trust on either side. Julius Ohta and colorist Frank D'Armata make a fantastic combo on this book. It’s great to see dark, horror-inspired art that doesn’t take the word “dark” too literally and fill panels with black pools or obscure details in shadow. Like anything written by Percy, there’s plenty of pulpy writing and exactly the right ratio of plot to action.

Solomon's Picks:

Zatanna: Bring Down The House #1

Zatanna has FINALLY received a new solo run after years of being stuck as a guest character in other heroes' stories. Given to us by Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodriguez, the book is flooded with personality, and from the first page, you can’t help but be instantly drawn in. After a spell altered the dynamic between her family and peers as a child, Zatara has sworn magic away, claiming that the only thing she deals with are “tricks” on stage. The art is fantastic and vibrant, adding an extra layer of enjoyment to an already wonderful book! I’m looking forward to the rest of this series, and I know there has been a demand for more Zatanna, so make sure you pick this up ASAP!

Jackpot & Black Cat #4

The end of this mini-series hit shelves this week, and it wrapped up beautifully! MJ and Felicia have decided to confront Bandwidth and put an end to the crimes around the city. I loved the conversation between the duo in the beginning, where we see a perfect summary of what the two individually represent as well as why the odd pair works so well. The wrap-up was satisfying, and my only real complaint is that I wish the series ran for one more issue to give Jackpot a chance to shine a bit more. All in all, this series was great and I suggest you give it a try if you haven’t already!

Grommets #2

The new hit skate comic rolled onto shelves this week with its second issue! If the first issue was good, this second issue was fantastic! It does a wonderful job at capturing the community aspects of skateboarding while offering a humorous and relatable book that anyone could enjoy. There were a lot of golden moments in this book, but my favorite portion was definitely when the crew was skating around an empty parking garage and decided to deal with the nuisance security guard. Again, this book is refreshingly good and is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a more toned-down slice-of-life type of story!