May 3rd, 2023

Caroline's Picks:

Star Wars Lando #1 - With all the rumors going around the past few weeks about a potential series in the works following young Lando, aka Donald Glover, I could not have been more excited to see this series kicking off. And on May the 4th week no less! This time around Lando and Chewie are teaming up to save Han. With the usual ‘brains’ of the operation captured and stuck in Jabba’s palace, the duo have to be smart about their plan to try and avoid drawing even more attention than usual. So of course Chewie goes for the smash and yell route, maybe not the best idea when working with questionable shop-keeps. But Lando has a backup plan, Sabacc! He’s got some old friends around and they might not be the most willing to help but when Chewie puts himself on the line, well who could turn down work from a Wookiee, and the game begins. This issue was tense and sarcastic, Lando’s wit and sass come across exactly in line with his live action counterpart. It was a perfectly fun way to celebrate his character and kick off a new adventure we’ve yet to see in his life.
  
Shazam! #1 - Mark Waid has been let loose on this new Shazam series and he is already having a ton of fun the first issue in. We’ve got alien dinosaurs having a tea party and some superhero hangout hijinks all within the first few pages. Waid really seems to understand how to portray that youth and childlike fantasy and excitement over superheroes and powers and how to present the fully grown Shazam as a kid in an adult body. He’s fun, quippy, and his internal monologue is exactly what I’d expect to hear in the mind of a kid. But Waid does have some serious material to cover too. Following the aftermath of the Lazarus Planet even the rules of magic in this world have changed. His superfamily is no longer super with him, only one has managed to find her powers again while the rest are returned to their normal human being status, and for some of them it's a much bigger return to reality. This issue is a great introduction point for anyone who isn’t familiar, Waid does a nice job summarizing the important events and people in Billy’s life up to this point. Now we just have to wait for the next issue to see how Billy can fix a rather unfortunately viral moment.
  
Astrobots #1 - This series feels like an epic mashup of Transformers and the Avengers meets an end of the world scenario. The Earth is dying, unable to maintain human life for much longer. So humanity created highly intelligent AI robots and sent them off into space to colonize worlds for humanity to land on and continue living. Their prime directive is to serve humankind. When we meet up with Atlas, the leader of the bots and the leader of the new planet, everyone is busy with final preparations for the first ship carrying humans that is set to finally land in less than 24 hours. The robots have been working hard to colonize the land and environment to make it stable for humanity. But it doesn’t seem like all the robots are too excited for the coming arrival of humans. And when a surprise guest from the ‘dead zone’ out in the middle of the planet shows up well after his programming should’ve shut him down. Well, Atlas has plenty of questions he’s looking to get answered. And fast.
  
Peacemaker Tries Hard! #1 - This was definitely the week of fun reads. Kyle Starks really leaned into the tone of the Peacemaker show and Suicide Squad movies for the personality of Peacemaker. He’s still willing to do whatever it takes to bring peace, whether it be to kill or eat nasty food, he’ll do it, with nominal questions asked. And it's not just because he can't come up with any to ask either. So its no surprise that even though he’s not a part of the Suicide Squad anymore he picks up a job for Amanda Waller, in the name of peach and killing some terrorists. But somehow this seems like it isn't enough for him anymore. He’s been used as a tool to point and shoot, kill when and where it was needed for everyone else, maybe it's time for him to take a little break. Watch some movies, throw a party, adopt a dog. Normal people stuff. But when The Brain kidnaps his dog while he’s on a grocery run, Peacemaker is ready to go all John Wick on the world. Perhaps he should have a chat with The Brain first though, after all not everyone wants to fight him, he’s a hero after all. People come to him for help.
  

K's Picks:

Peacemaker Tries Hard! #1 - Peacemaker has been captured perfectly in comic form! Christopher Smith, aka Peacemaker, has finally freed himself from Waller’s control. If you know anything about Waller, you’d know that probably never the case. Waller needs Peacemaker’s incredible peace-loving talents to bust a terrorist group! Things seem fine and dandy until Peace finds the cutest stray puppy amongst the terrorist group. With loneliness kicking in, Peace finds that there is no other choice but to take the newly-named Bruce Wayne under his wing. Considering the original source material, the comic has replicated the humor and energy of an episode of Peacemaker quite well. He looks just like John Cena! Give this a shot if you are a fan of the DC show and you want more.
  
Cult Of Carnage Misery #1 - Normie isn’t the only one getting a shot at using the crimson Symbiote! Liz Osborn’s life has been forever changed with the death of her husband and the tragic realization of his identity as the Goblin. We see her slowly lose trust in the world around her. It seemed like she didn’t have it all together, but we see her jump back really quickly. She’s a fighter even if she doesn’t think so and it really builds up her later “control” of the new Misery Symbiote! Honestly, I'm not the biggest fan of the design but hopefully it fleshes itself out more with some later appearances. A pretty good issue despite the look of the Symbiote.
  
Carnage Reigns #1 - Carnage has returned and blood will be shed once again! Carnage has never been more terrifying. Absolute carnage did elevate the danger to the crimson Symbiote. I don’t think after going so hard with a character like Kassidy that Marvel could ever really dial it down! The brutality and fear he brings to our heroes and villains alike is ridiculous. It's put on full display when Miles suffers from the shock of being infected by the Symbiote. Having encountered Carnage once again, it becomes a fight for his life as Spider-Man is shredded bit by bit. It’s an insane read and there really seems to be no way to permanently put Carnage down, let alone the Murderous Cletus. Seeing Miles and Scorpion team up is wild especially with the history the two have with Carnage. It’s just an amazing story all around! Definitely give it a read if you want more after Absolute Carnage.
  

Rob's Picks:

Hairball #2 - Things have only grown darker and stranger for Anna since taking in Bestie, the malevolent cat. Her fathers injury at the hands of Bestie has only deepened the resentments dividing their home. After a cat induced calamity sends Anna to her aunt’s quiet home in the country, she decides to take drastic actions to get rid of her evil pet. An eventful issue for Kindt and Jenkins’ macabre family drama.
  
Groot #1 - A new story about the early days of the galaxy's favorite talking tree from writer Dan Abnett and artists Couceiro and Milla. In this tale Groot is a sapling, living on a lush forest world alongside his friends Gleef and Tweeg. This idyllic childhood is cut short when their home is attacked by fire breathing chainsaw dinosaurs! Things look dark until Mar-Vell (who is a long way from making captain) arrives on the scene. An adorable and action packed first issue.
  
TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo: WHEREWHEN #2 - Stan Sakai’s crossover event continues to please. The Turtles arrive just in time for a scuffle with kappa hunting samurai, which leads to a reunion with their old pal Usagi. Meanwhile, Dr Wherewhen has used his head start to construct an army of robotic samurai, as well as make an alliance with a clan of ninja moles. Sakai’s attention to character is on display as this issue gives the four brothers lots of opportunities to interact with the Usagi Yojimbo clan.