May 5th, 2021
J.R.'s Picks:
Heroes Reborn #1 – Aaron and McGuinness take us into a world without Avengers in Marvel’s newest event. Blade awakes in a flophouse in London with no idea how he got there. After reaching out to Avengers Tower he realizes a horrible truth- there is no tower. In fact, the Avengers have never even existed. After traveling the globe and interviewing his former teammates, Blade realizes there’s something even more sinister afoot. Someone has taken all the steps to ensure the biggest events that brought the Avengers together never happened and instead planted the Squadron Supreme as the protectors of Earth. The question remains: who did it? A seriously interesting premise with great dialogue and a moving narrative from Blade- this is gonna be a good one!
Star Wars War of the Bounty Hunters Alpha – Boba Fett finds himself in a pickle at the start of this Star Wars event. Taking place just after Empire Strikes Back, Fett realizes quickly that the carbonite Vader forced him to use isn’t sustainable for transporting Han Solo to Jabba the Hutt. Backed into a corner, Boba heads to a planet where he knows a chop shop doctor who could help. Unfortunately for Fett, he can’t foot the bill but the doc has a proposition: kill the leading fighter in the local gladiatorial pits who wronged him and they’re square. With an insight into what happens between the movies and Boba Fett being bad ass as hell in some pit fights, this is a must read for anyone looking for stories from a long, long, time ago.
The Good Asian #1 – History hits hard in the newest story from Pornsak Pichetshote, the writer behind Infidel. Edison Hark is a hard-boiled, Asian American detective from Hawaii who’s called back into California by his adoptive father. The horrible history of America’s Immigration Ban is on full display here as he has to deal with immense prejudice to enter back into the mainland. His father needed him back to track down one of his maids he had fallen for who has gone missing. Reassigned to the Chinatown beat, Edison embarks into a San Francisco who doesn’t want him there. This reads EXACTLY like a hard-boiled detective noir from the 30s and is extremely poignant and tightly written. Highest recommendation to read.
Wynd #6 – Wynd has finally returned after the conclusion of its first arc and with it comes the threat of more adventure! Yorick’s father, the king, welcomes into Pipetown the representatives of the Vampyrium who under darkness are a country of, well, vampires. In exchange for tracking down Wynd’s group and killing all but Yorick, the king has agreed to give the Vampyrium the technology of harnessing the rivers found in Pipetown. Meanwhile, Wynd takes Yorick out flying and after struggling on his back Yorick falls into the ocean. Luckily, the ungrateful prince is fished out of the sea by his cousin who was their contact. Unluckily, death seems to be waiting for them just under the waves…a very welcome return to this wonderfully bright and somehow also dark fantasy story. The first volume is out along with it so grab that and issue 6 to be sure not to miss out!
Diarra's Picks:
Eve #1 - Eve’s a happy-go-lucky girl, who spends her days adventuring. Her father is a professor in charge of research on the private island where they both live. It starts as a typical day for the two when her dad tells Eve she is old enough to help in the island’s vault. That’s when everything changes. Eve wakes up in cryo-tank in a place she has never seen, and the only one that can explain what’s happening is talking teddy bear! The bear is playing it close to the vest, but the bear does explain more about her father’s (his creator’s) research. Eve’s carefree childhood gets turned upside down when she finds out the fate of humanity lies in her hands. Turns out her playtime on the island was training for this task, and even though that was a simulation Eve never turns down an adventure!
Eden #1 - If you’re bummed out waiting for the next issue of your fave series, pick up this one shot! It all starts when a mystery woman walks into Niles’ tattoo parlor. Her name is Eden, and she wants a unique and original butterfly tattoo. Niles gives her a tat she loves and they go their separate ways. His coworkers rag him for not reciprocating Eden’s flirting, but Niles isn’t quite ready to put himself back out there. A couple weeks later Eden comes back for a new tattoo, but Niles notices the butterfly had been removed. This goes on for weeks and Niles can’t understand why she keeps getting more tattoos just to get them removed. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he decides to follow her after an appointment. He figures out what’s happening to Eden’s tattoos and he knows what he must tattoo next.
Wynd #6 - After a long break, Wynd is back! We learn how Wynd came to be raised in non-magical Pipetown, but then the adventure picks up where it left off. The gang’s mission to help Prince Yorik is going well. They even make it to Yorik’s cousin who has agreed to take Yorik’s place in the monarchy. The King is ill and wants his son to take his place, but Yorik doesn’t want the job. Unfortunately, the King isn’t taking no for an answer. We learned the Bandaged Man didn’t just hunt magical creatures, he was a magical creature! Despite his hate for all things magic, the King is desperate to get his son back. That’s when the Vampyrims offer some assistance, and Wynd and his friends have no idea what trouble just his found them.
Stone's Picks:
Heroes Reborn #1 - What would happen if the Avengers never existed, and in their place the Squadron Supreme were Earth's main hero team? I wasn’t expecting it to be bad but it definitely garnered my attention quickly. I’m a sucker for mash-ups of different heroes and villains that create a new character and there was plenty of that going on here. Whether it was Dr. Juggernaut or Black Skull, I enjoyed them all. Blade, however, doesn’t like any of what’s going on as he is the only one who can remember the world where the Avengers existed. The vamp slaying vampire sits center stage in this messed up world, and its up to him to set things back the way they were!
Suicide Squad #3 - For the time being, Peacemaker is the leader of this new Suicide Squad but his position is slowly being challenged by Superboy. I like Peacemaker as the leader. His justice or death attitude is crazy and a perfect fit for this team. There is still no answer to why Superboy is on the team besides the fact that he’s a Superman clone. His motives seem to differ from what Waller expects so I'm looking forward to this reveal. If you are reading Titans Academy you may want to read this as it gives more information as to why the Suicide Squad was attacking at the end of the last issue.
Crime Syndicate #3 - The Starro collective continues its invasion of Earth-3 with only a small number of Meta-humans left to fend off the attack. What is viewed as an attack from the hero's perspective is simply an escape from a greater threat. This issue's back up story focuses on Superwoman, and they continue to be my favorite parts of the issue. Getting a little backstory into each of these characters really shines a light on why they are the way they are. Andy Schmidt continues to deliver a humorous and action packed story. While this is a limited series I would love to see it receive an ongoing as my time spent reading has me appreciating the rottenness of these so-called saviors.