November 17th, 2021
Caroline's Picks:
Radio Apocalypse #1 - The story opens with a radio host giving a lovely morning roll call to the town's residents, an easy and effective way to introduce us to the setting of the story and some of its players without being overwhelming. The world as we know it has ended, there's just a few towns left in the world and even less resources to go around. Especially dangerous in this world are the Xinos, these weird mutant dogs that come out and hunt at night making traveling incredibly dangerous and only possibly during the day. Unfortunately for Tan and California there is still a long way out from the nearest rest stop, Cali is injured, and the sun is about to set. Time to split the party for the night but at least our lovely radio host is willing to play Cali whatever song she wants to go to sleep. I'm very excited to see how this story develops, Ram V is one of my favorite writers and after the perfection that was The Many Deaths of Laila Starr I have no doubts this story will hit its stride soon.
Nubia and the Amazons #2 - The Queen is troubled and unsure of what her next move needs to be to keep Themyscira safe from Medusa, the darkness that lurks behind Doom’s Doorway. So Nubia seeks the counsel of the goddesses of Themyscira and shockingly they respond! They offer Nubia the opportunity to ask them any question she likes and each must respond truthfully, but she is reminded the truth isn’t always what we want to hear. After reviving jer unsettling vision Penelope seeks guidance from Hellene, dissecting the vision she saw of the future of Themyscira and what exactly her premonition could mean. They both agree that whatever it means, the fact that the well is front in and center cannot spell anything good for their island. None the wiser to their conversation Nubia is beginning the task of naming her successor as Champion, someone who will stand guard at Doom's Door and keep the Amazon's safe for the future days to come… unless Medusa has something to say about it.
Nice House on the Lake #6 - The last issue we get until March of 2022 and man does Tynion deliver. After the shocking reveal that Reg is alive in the other black house on the lake the ‘family’ is left with more questions than answers. Reg wants to save the world, he knows they still have a chance if the experiment they’re in fails.Turns out when they were younger Walter would confide in him, he trusted and loved Reg the most and was willing to do whatever he could to help prepare him for what's coming, he knew Reg could handle it. But telling all your friends that you’ve known this was going to happen, even if he didn’t really believe it. But the most horrifying revelation from this issue is Walter's ability to make everyone forget, forget anything and everything he needs to help keep them in line and help the experiment succeed. I am absolutely not prepared to wait 4 more months for this series to continue, every single issue makes me want to read so much more!
Eat the Rich #4 - It seems that our dear Jo is finally settling into her routine with the new lifestyle. She's getting along swimmingly with Kitty and managing to keep everything down, both her food and her emotions. But with an early retirement shaking the community things are bound to get a little crazy around here and Jo finds herself finally needing a little break from Astor and his world. A stroll on the beach to clear her mind leads to an unexpected kiss and even more confusion. But Jo doesn't have time to think about that after she sees Pip ready to kill Noreen over a contract dispute, being the good girl she is she inserts herself into the problem and now Pip is after her. Unless Astor has something to say first.
Diarra's Picks:
Legends: Black Panther #2 - As soon as I saw the cover I knew they were going to touch on T’Challa and Ororo Munroe’s relationship, and this issue was everything I needed! Even the way they introduce her stays true to Marvel history. If you didn’t know, Ororo Munroe (the silver haired, girl floating on the cover) is no other than Storm. Although she is known for her key role on the X-Men team, her roots are in Africa and that is where she first meets T’Challa. After the recent passing of his father, T’Challa is doing some soul searching and exploring the continent, but our young prince is being hunted. That’s where Ororo swoops in to save the day! She understands the feeling of losing parents and the two grow close after the incident. As T’Challa is learning more about Mother Africa outside of Wakanda he gets an alarming call from his sister Shuri about the state of his home. While he prepares to return home, Ororo must do the same. She heads back to Kenya to learn more about her past and her powers, but this time together will stay with the young prince and princess. Grab these issues while you still can!
Moon Knight #5 - Marc Spector is really going through it. Part of the conditions required to stay on the “good guy” team is Marc must go to therapy. We all know Moon Knight suffers from D.I.D. (dissociative identity disorder), and although he seems to have a better handle on things, his therapist still believes he is holding back in sessions. While Marc finally starts to open up about his past, his present is being rocked! A recent string of attacks have not been random and he finally finds out who has been setting him up. It’s the last person he expects, and it turns out he has had a traitor in his close circle. The back and forth between his therapy sessions and his investigating really adds to the heaviness of this issue. You really get a sense of what Moon Knight is fighting for and, trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this series!
Superman: Son of Kal-El #5 - This issue has been getting a lot of attention, and the headline “Superman Is Gay” has been all over my timeline. I remember the same uproar with Spider-Man being black, but Miles isn’t Peter, and Jon isn’t Clark. No one is trying to “ruin” your childhood (but to be honest, your childhood was awful). Johnathan Kent is experiencing enough stress taking over his father’s mantle as the next Superman, he doesn’t need your homophobia, people! Honestly, the most exciting part of this issue was his brief make out session with Jay Nakamura (seriously, our super son takes a 9 hour nap). Jon is overwhelmed by the cries for help from world around him, but it looks like foul play is responsible for the sudden loss of control of his powers. So after a spastic morning Jay finally provides Jon with some much needed rest in the form of noise canceling headphones. As fantastical as Jon’s day is, this issue really captures the real world feeling of being overwhelmed and the amazing feeling to have someone in your corner!
Stone's Picks:
Robins #1 - One word to describe the new Robin… Despicable. What she did deserves a one-way trip to Arkham. Those poor birds, and lovers of ornithology. Seriously though, the introduction of this new Robin doesn’t interest me in the slightest. How many times is Batman’s history going to be changed to fit the need of selling a story? The part I like most is when they're all sitting around the table and they discuss how they were all Batman’s sidekick. From those who started it to those who aspired towards it. From feeling like it’s theirs to inherit, or feeling like they were drafted like a soldier. These are the Robins I care about.
Nightwing #88 - The final act in Nightwing's tie-in issues for Fear State. Seer has unraveled Barbara’s network and may be responsible for the deaths of two members of the Bat-family. If Seer can be stopped then they just may be able to bring the shadows back to Gotham, ending the whiteout. To me, it seems like Seer is the biggest threat at this point. She seems to always be one step ahead with an efficiency of hacking into almost anything. A solid issue wrapping up this part of the Fear State event. While not having built upon the threat of the magistrate, Seer looks to be a future nuisance for our heroes. I’m sure she will be making a trip to Blüdhaven sometime soon!
Dark Ages #3 - We are now halfway through Tom Taylor’s alternate universe event featuring some of your favorite Marvel heroes and villains. This series feels like the Marvel version of Injustice. Six issues doesn’t leave a lot of time to flesh out as much as I would want to see in this new, interesting universe. Taylor does a good job at pulling on your heart strings. There are moments in here that are sure to illicit some sympathy if you’ve ever cared about these characters. I'm stoked for the next issue since the ending of this one makes it seem like we will be seeing more of Miles and his awesome symbiote!