November 15th, 2023
Rob's Picks:
Superior Spider-Man #1 - Dan Slott shook up the spider-verse with the original run of Superior Spider-Man. Now he’s returning to the fan favorite title and bringing his newest creation, Spider-Boy, along for the ride. We begin with some street-level crime fighting, providing a much needed glimpse of the evolving relationship between Peter Parker and his new/old sidekick. They seem to be finding common ground as they reckon with the aftershock from The End of the Spider-verse. Another seismic event in spidey history intrudes on the present in the form of Supernova. This new villain was unleashed in the Superior Spider-Man Returns one-shot, a creation and prisoner of Doc Ock during the time he controlled Peter's body, who wants revenge on the one she thinks is responsible. The Doc watches the fireworks as the two collide in the A story of the issue. We’re then treated to a side story set during the original Superior series in Spider-Boys timeline. A fight with Mister Negative causes the young side-kick to suspect that something has changed his mentor for the worse. This series has to clear the high bar set by the acclaimed first run, and this feels like a worthy start.
Blade #5 - Marvel’s horror inspired works are having an incredible year, and Blade has become the most satisfying of the bunch. Fast paced but never rushed, epic but not grandiose, the creative team of Hill and Casagrande has every part of this story dialed in to perfection. Last issue's confrontation with the Adana ended badly to say the least. A very displeased sorcerer supreme reveals the consequences of failure to the Daywalker; across the world dormant supernatural forces are awakening, turning people into monsters, and his ally Tulip has been possessed by a demon. Dr. Strange advises caution, but Blade isn’t one to stand by when attack is an option, and chooses a one on one confrontation with the mother of darkness. To ensure victory, Blade reaches out for guidance from an unlikely source, ending on a surprise cameo (maybe not too surprising if you’ve been following Marvel’s Dark What If… series.)
Lotus Land #1 - Eisner award winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest (Little Bird) pens a moody sci-fi noir from BOOM! Studios. Vancouver, year 2648, is a sight familiar to any consumer of cyberpunk fiction. A rainy, neon lit cityscape dominated by towering futurist architecture. Even centuries from now, the hardships of the human condition remain and technology promises changes that may never arrive, nor be evenly distributed. The newest hope for mankind is the Keeper Program, which offers to evolve mankind through technology. When the Program is threatened, detective Bennie ‘magic hands’ Wickstrom is brought out of retirement in the country. The beats of this story and its themes make for an obvious comparison to Blade Runner, but Poelgeest affirms the protagonist's humanity rather than question it.
Solomon's Picks:
The Ministry of Compliance #1 - This extra large debut issue was spectacular! From legendary writer John Ridley and sensational artist Stefano Raffaele, is a brand new epic sci-fi series titled “The Ministry of Compliance”. The story is about an alien task force who has infiltrated Earth and is attempting to assimilate the planet into their order known as The Devotion. Unfortunately for the leader of The Ministry and our cutthroat main character Avigail Senna, just as the mission is scheduled to be completed a shocking twist forces their plans to be postponed and forces her to partner up with a character she previously swore off. There is so much heat packed into this one issue but the writing is coherent and never feels overwhelming. Even when I noticed I had a string of questions, the way the story is presented it’s very easy to put certain pieces together if you keep a close eye on the dialogue, body language, and particular actions of the many characters. It does a wonderful job at using every single moment to tell a deeper story that connects to the grander scheme, and you’ll realize just how sucked into the world you are midway through the book. I highly recommend this book and can almost guarantee you’ll want to add it to your pull list, so come grab a copy right now!
PeePeePooPoo #80085 - Caroline Cash is back with another hilariously relatable entry into a favorite of mine: PeePeePooPoo. I will always recommend this book when they release as for me it captures what initially made me fall in love with the world of visual storytelling. The ability to to capture exciting, mundane, or emotional moments and translate them into a digestible visual body of work has always been admirable and she does this extremely well. My favorite story in this book would definitely be “Danny’s” as that entry felt extremely grounded and I loved the tone. The bittersweet reflection of a bar shut down is a story I think many of us can connect with, and the moments she discussed laying on the couch in the back and forgetting about the world was such a relatable feeling. Cash’s art style is very eye-catching and nostalgic (Depending on your age) and I always enjoy seeing how she draws the world and people around her. If you’ve heard me speak about this series in the store then you know that I’ll always say the theme of these books is very “Be Gay, Do Crime!” and if that doesn’t sell you on them then I’m not sure what will. Grab a copy today!
Star Wars Visions: Peach Momoko #1 - A new entry into Star Wars: Visions sees the illustrious Peach Momoko at the helm and she did not disappoint! Surprisingly, this issue is completely silent, but the story is sure to impress new and old fans alike as her refreshingly unique art style and the clever world building is enough to immerse you into this wonderful entry. The story follows a Sith Cult, a lightsaber-wielding young girl and her droid companion- past that I will allow you to come to your own conclusions on what you think the story is about as pretty much everything else is up to interpretation. Momoko delivers some of the most disturbing imagery I’ve seen in Star Wars by far, which is not a complaint in the slightest. Visions has done an excellent job at keeping this series fresh and exciting, and projects like this are exactly what we could use more of! If you’re a big Star Wars fan like me, do yourself a favor and pick this book up. I don’t think I’ve seen anything like this from this franchise before and I was thoroughly impressed to say the least!