November 9th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Gospel #1 - Lots of first issues dropped this week! Gospel follows the story of the original split that led to the creation of the modern Catholic Church, showing how the average citizens of England lived day to day during the poorest times they’d ever seen. Our main character Matilde is running around trying to be a hero in the new age, but really she’s just making a name for herself as a troublemaker. And Pitt is essentially the town crier, giving the people the news they need to hear and keeping them as up to date as possible. But just because he delivers the news doesn’t mean he has to agree with it. It seems like almost everyone in their little town dreams of getting out, leaving the thumb of the Church and its taxes and starting anew. Pitt wants to leave but doesn’t know how or where to go, Matilde is determined to make a positive change to her town now while she can. But things don’t go according to her great plan, and there’s an ever bigger threat in town than the Church.
Fantastic Four #1 - There’s been so much new Fantastic Four content lately. The New Fantastic Four series, the Full Circle Alex Ross graphic novel and now the next volume of their story is here with a fresh first issue. Makes you wonder just how close we are to seeing them realized in the MCU. This issue is a nice little somewhat self contained Groundhog Day episode. Taking place after Reed destroyed New York City, Ben and Alicia are on the road. The day is getting pretty late so they stop at the first surprise town they see, the only thing is the GPS says it's just supposed to be a bunch of farms and fields out there. It’s only after they turn in for the evening that weird things start happening, and in the morning the man behind the desk claims he's never seen them before. And Ben does not have a face one easily forgets. A little bit of digging from Alicia and we learn everyone in town suddenly vanished one day, its supposed to be a ghost town. Insert one wonderfully fun montage of their attempts to get the people of the town to realize what’s happening leads them to find their cause. Now Ben and Alicia just have to hope they can make their powered culprit listen to reason and save his town.
Specs #1 - You know those old ads in the back of comics where you’d clip the thing out, mail it and with the money and then get some janky toy in the mail. Well Kenny finds one in one of his brother's old comics for “Magic Specs’ that will grant you anything you wish. Now you’re 17, a junior in high school, constantly being bullied and your best friend, only friend really, is always getting in trouble sticking up for you. If you were Kenny what would you wish for? His best friend Ted has a whole list, faster pitches, more muscle, more money, his brain won’t stop spinning with possibilities and he practically begging Kenny to order them. So when the glasses suddenly show up at Kenny’s door the next day at 3 in the morning like an Ad on Facebook for a product you were just talking about what do you two high school boys do? They give them a test spin, or a dozen, of course they’re going to test the limits and see what these babies can actually do! After all they’re just gag glasses from the back of a comic book, they can’t really be that powerful. Can they?
Traveling to Mars #1 - The year is 2048 and the Earth has finally reached the end of its natural resources and humanity needs a last ditch effort to save everyone as fast as possible. Turns out one of the Mars rovers found a pretty hearty pocket of natural gas just below the planet's surface, waiting for humans to come and take it to save the Earth. The problem is who owns it? Who gets to claim the rights to a planet no human has ever touched? According to humanity it's going to be the finders keepers rules, first person to touch down claims all the rights to the entire planet for whatever Nation, or Company, they work for. So the next space race begins! Scientists have long figured out how to get someone to Mars, the problem is getting them back after. Enter Roy Livingston, the most average man you could possibly think of, self described as ‘the guy you imagine when you try to picture all the losers you went to high school with’. He was chosen for one reason and one reason alone: you don’t need to worry about bringing someone back if they’ve got terminal cancer and will die just after they arrive. Now all Roy has to do is step foot on the surface and claim ownership of the planet for the Easy Beef Corporation and then the rest of his short life is his to do with as he pleases.
Diarra's Picks:
Traveling To Mars #1 - Roy Livingston is going to tell us the tale of how he went from being a pet store manager in Alabama to the first man to walk on Mars! Roy’s first hand account is one you have to read yourself to really get all “the feels”, but after a terminal cancer diagnosis he decides a one way trip to Mars isn’t the worst way to spend his last days alive. The space race has become literally that after the decision that whatever country/company gets there first will be granted ownership of its resources. The ethics of a suicide mission aren’t something Eazy Beef Corporation (the ones finding Roy’s trip) want to discuss publicly, so Roy can’t tell anyone about their deal or say goodbye. Roy doesn’t mind, heck most people in his life don’t even know he is sick. It’s launch day and Roy says goodbye to earth, but is almost immediately filled with regret. I haven’t gotten the feels like this from a sci-fi since Black Science, and I definitely plan on sticking with this series!
Fantastic Four #1 - It may be Fantastic Four number one, but we are going on a romantic getaway with Ben Grimm and his wife, Alicia. The couple stop at the Cedar Grand Motel, and some how the giant rock man isn’t the strangest thing in town. The Grimms just think the town is going for a retro feel, but on their second day they realize they might be stuck in time, literally. After a quick google search, they learn this town was wiped off the map in 1947 after a nuclear explosion, and they are standing in a ghost town stuck on a loop! They think maybe if they add enough chaos/disturb the daily routine, maybe that will set things right, but everyday is the same. While causing a scene at the town’s bar they notice a young man making a wish “to get a redo” and they realize he is the one resetting the town. Something about the timing of the nuclear event lined up with the wish and made it come true, but not even the young man knew he was doing it. Stanford was just trying to get back the girl who broke up with him, and now he gets dumped everyday. When the Grimms explain this to Stanford he isn’t ready to give up on his gal, but after a few toxic loops they convince him to move on. The town can finally rest and the Grimms move on too, but they aren’t headed back to the FanFour Fam quite yet. Reed is known for fucking up the lives of his loved ones in the name of science, but after a recent mistake the rest of the world might not be so forgiven.
Specs #1 - Whether it’s newspapers or comic books, old ads are a good way to get a sense of life at the time. DC and Marvel have been putting out a bunch of facsimile issues lately with the ads from the issues, and they are a hoot. One that really stuck with me was “How To Be Taller” just send in five cents, and they’ll send you…I’m not sure. So when our main characters, Ted and Kenny, see an ad for “Magic Specs” in the back of a comic they just laugh it off. They’re high school boys in 1987 and they have other things to worry about. Kenny has been dealing with a homophobic bully and Ted, one of the few black students in their small Ohio town, has been met with hostility from the faculty. The two bffs have each other’s back, and when a pair of Magic Specs arrive at Kenny’s door he is sure Ted sent them, but he swears he didn’t. So they figure what’s the harm in trying them out, and they work! The wishes have their limits, but for the most part these boys are having the best week of their lives. When a bully attacks Kenny with a knife, Ted has on the glasses and wishes the bully would leave Kenny alone forever. Then poof! He disappears before their eyes, but the two never thought the glasses could do anything that major. Ted, Kenny, and I don’t know what will happen next, but I bet it’s going to get weird!
K's Picks:
The New Golden Age #1 - Phenomenal, dark, and a huge step forward for DC! Saying this issue is dense would be a vast understatement; with a little over double the length of a normal issue there's a lot room for different perspectives and styles in one book. Honestly, I was impressed with how each time period had a different style while still maintaining that classic dark DC tension. We see Doctor Fate in every period really go through it. There's a page that's just a mountain of Doctor's bodies - it's wild! We also see Batman's daughter, Helena Wayne. I love the call back to most of the past Robins in this one, like we see that Damien is long gone. Besides the art and wild story I think it's a pretty solid one-shot. It's hard to wrap your head around the first half, but it really picks up when you get why this is happening to both heroes, Doctor Fate and Huntress to be exact.
Gospel #1 - The best comic I have read in a while, nothing has kept me so captivated like Gospel. Two things I've really grown to appreciate is cinematography and direction in cinema. There's so many different styles and vibes to getting the right shot and it's quite impressive when you're really paying attention. To that end, this comic feels like a movie. Will Morris is someone I have to look out for, his art is so energetic and dynamic, with writing that has some amazing dialogue. The story takes place in 1500's England, a time full of religious nuts, storytellers and rumors that stretch far and wide. We follow Matilde and Pitt, a young lady who wants to create a spectacular story to redefine myth and a young man who's telling stories of her hair-brained make-believes. A duo I never knew I needed! Definitely give this one a read, I suggest it for fans of all kinds of genres.
Do a Powerbomb #6 - The plot thickens each and every issue in this body slamming series! With last month's development, we see Sun and Steel lose to the ferocious FYSO in a bloody barbed match. The ring stays heated as FYSO fight amongst themselves to see who gains the championship belt! There's so much that happens in these few pages and so much badass art to compliment the stellar storytelling. We start things off with some cool flashbacks that go hand and hand with the present. We are presented with Cobra's past and some (halfway) closure for the crazy reveal last issue. If you're a fan of detailed, gritty art, intense drama, and battles that break the pages in weight and style this series is for you.