Rob's Picks:

Absolute Batman #20 Another milestone issue for the Absolute universe as the Robins take to the streets of Gotham and Bruce confronts his secret origin. The shocking death of Jim Gordon has turned the tide of public opinion away from Batman in favor of Jack Grim’s prepackaged teen hero squad, sending our hero and his allies back into the shadows. With the disappearance of Martha Wayne and the revelations hidden within Gordon’s secret files, Bruce reaches a whole new level of brooding, locking himself away in a bunker while Alfred and Harley try to pull him back into the fight before even more ground is lost. He finally leaves the cave to get answers from the man who started it all, Joe Chill, breaking into prison only to find Scarecrow waiting in the shadows. Scott Snyder has done incredible work reinventing the classic rogues gallery, from his Nosferatu-inspired Mister Freeze to the queen of body horror Poison Ivy, but this version of Dr. Crane might be his greatest reimagining yet. The character’s calm menace sets him apart from the barely contained rage of Bane, and every word he speaks is perfectly chosen to twist the metaphorical knife and push even the iron-willed Bruce toward the edge. The redesign by artist Nick Dragotta is no less compelling. There’s something deeply unsettling in the contrast between Crane’s sharply tailored suit and the ragged, button-eyed mask, mirroring the way his erudite speech gives way to horrifying actions. Also, who walks around a cornfield or prison cell barefoot? Gross. The mecha-inspired twist on the Robins was as unexpected as anything else in this series, but once they finally challenge Batman directly, we see these characters are still true to form — especially the trigger-happy Jason Todd. Absolute Batman #20 raises the stakes once again, but this issue feels less like another escalation and more like a full evolution, ensuring this remains the most dynamic ongoing title at DC Comics.

Barbara Gordon: Breakout #1 She’s been Batgirl, Oracle, and now Barbara Gordon takes on a new role: inmate. Mayor Isley and Commissioner Vandal Savage declared war on the Bat-Family, firing the first shot with a city-wide raid in the latest issue of Matt Fraction’s Batman. Getting caught in the dragnet and becoming the fall guy might seem like bad luck, but for Babs it’s all part of the plan. Savage has been locking away a bizarre mix of hardened criminals and former city officials who may hold clues to his larger scheme. As the daughter of Jim Gordon and a known accomplice of Batman, Barbara enters the Supermax facility with enemies to spare and must fight for survival from the moment she arrives. The punchy pulp narration by writer Mariko Tamaki carries the story at a fast pace, and I’m excited to see the return of Die from last year’s Two-Face: Trial Separation as an antagonist here. Artist Amancay Nahuelpan keeps the style visually consistent with the mainline Batman title, selling the claustrophobic prison atmosphere while bringing the same eye for hard-hitting action seen in the recent TMNT: Casey Jones miniseries. Breakout #1 places a sharp focus on Barbara Gordon as a veteran hero shaped by years of experience — fully confident in her abilities and determined to succeed even while stripped of every tool except her fists and her wits.

The Fury of Firestorm #2 Take a journey through time, following the chain of cause and effect that led Ronnie Raymond and Professor Stein to become Firestorm. When we last saw the man with the burning head, he was remaking the town of Bedford, Colorado and its citizens at the atomic level in what appeared to be a fit of madness. The U.S. military stood helpless, watching in horror until some kind of internal conflict brought him to a standstill. Now Jeff Lemire dives deeper into the fractured mind of Firestorm, where Ronnie Raymond is trapped within a maze of memories. To break free and regain control, Ronnie must uncover how the Firestorm persona seized power and what happened to Professor Stein’s side of the equation. The issue jumps back and forth across Ronnie’s life, from his first meeting with Stein to moments from childhood and everything in between, connecting the dots between a lifetime of choices that ultimately fused two people into one nuclear-powered superhero. Lemire plays directly to his strengths with this rewinding, jump-cutting narrative, exploring how emotions shape our decisions and how those decisions lead us to unexpected destinations. The present-day storyline outside the flaming head takes more of a back seat until the issue’s final pages, which end on a cameo-filled cliffhanger. The Fury of Firestorm #2 delivers the kind of sincere, snark-free storytelling that modern superhero comics rarely embrace anymore, and seeing a master of the slow burn working with this much intensity only two issues in has me beyond hyped for #3.

Solo's Picks:

Destination Kills #1 Set 99 years in the future, Destination Kills #1 is a fantastic and stylish new story from Joe Palmer about the dangers of privatization, automation, and just about everything else we’re dealing with in the 21st century. The story follows Serene, an officer of the law who is hunting an anarchist group made up of former working-class citizens named The Builders. The gang is taking up arms and attempting to slow the development of The Loop, a transport system that promises to bridge New York to New England, with the teeny-tiny drawback of millions of human beings losing their jobs in favor of automation. While this book is absolutely a satire piece, it still does a great job at being a mystery-thriller in its own right, delivering several entertaining and hype moments that any reader would love. My favorite section of the book is a moment in the middle where Serene is attempting to board a train and take a vacation before the Builder Gang arrives and begins opening fire on hundreds of civilians. I love this book’s art style, which looks like something straight out of the pages of Hellboy or older shows like Samurai Jack and Sym-Bionic Titan. While the characters and overall lore are not insanely fleshed out quite yet, the bits we have been shown already have me completely sold on picking up the rest of the series. I have no doubt that some of the grittier moments we see here are going to define the tone of the book moving forward. All in all, this was such a nice surprise this week, and I definitely recommend it to everyone!

Excommunicated #1 A nun performs an exorcism and gets shamed by the Catholic Church in Jeremy Robinson’s latest title! During the opening pages, I was a bit skeptical of this book, assuming it was going to be another clone of The Exorcist in comic form due to some striking similarities between the two. However, it finds its own identity shortly after our protagonist, Josephine, expels the demon and gets shunned from her community. She was considered the best of them, though, so the people surrounding the church come together to gather funds and provide her with a place to stay while she figures out her future. In the middle of the night, an intruder barges into her home, and old demons come racing back. I loved this book — the art is jagged, rough, and perfectly matches the haunting tone established in the opening pages of the issue. There aren’t many complaints I have other than the fact that it felt like it wrapped up a few pages too soon. Other than that, this was a solid title that I’m excited to continue reading, and I encourage you all to pick this up today!

Showdown #1 After the tragic death of her brother, Trish Sullivan leaves her hometown and attempts to start over. Almost a year later, after many sleepless nights, she realizes the only way she can truly move forward is if the person responsible for his death is murdered by her own hands. This first issue serves as a strong foundation, explaining what created this blood feud in the first place in a way that feels natural without ever becoming boring. The town whispers different stories that hint at what could have caused her brother’s untimely passing, and the context you’re given places you directly into Trish’s headspace, making your mind wander to the furthest and darkest corners as you try to uncover the truth about that unfortunate night. The melodramatic feeling this book gives off, paired with an almost Archie-style art direction, kept me oddly hooked throughout the debut issue. While a bulk of the story is focused on introducing readers to the world and conflict, what we’ve been shown so far has me excited to get my hands on the next issue!