October 27th, 2021
Caroline's Picks:
House of Slaughter #1 - FINALLY! I have been not so patiently waiting for this series to come out. Something is Killing the Children is one of my absolute favorite indie series so to be delving deeper into this universe and learning more about the past of the House of Slaughter is something I've been wanting since we first caught a glimpse of them so many issues ago. This series focuses on our ill-fated friend Aaron, we get to see him as a young man just beginning to find his place in the order. But a new roommate (and potential friend?), a transfer from another house who seems hellbent on breaking all the rules might throw a wrench or two into that plan. You don’t need to have read the Something is Killing the Children series to enjoy this book but it definitely helps build the excitement for all the things this series is going to uncover.
Pop Star Assassin #1 - An Elvis impersonator walks into a club with the knowledge of a secret conspiracy theory, stop me if you've heard this one before. This book feels a little like the Department of Truth on acid. Our main character Bruce seems to have uncovered a massive conspiracy theory involving his father, and G-Men, the C.I.A., the F.B.I., we're talking White house levels of highly classified and now people are after him and his briefcase. The visuals are high contrast and bold colors to draw you into the feel of the story while the actual plot itself involves Government men in black suits and mobsters determined to make things difficult for everyone. The dialogue in this gets messy and confusing at times given its intentional decision to not follow the natural flow of speech bubbles comics usually do.
DC vs Vampires Issue #1 - Talk about a well-timed seasonal release, this issue is a perfect pickup to get you in the mood for Halloween! Tynion is being let loose on this by DC and he is ready to go wild. The Queen of the Vampires has been murdered and now they’re free to do, and kill, as they please. The plan? The complete genocide of the human race. Now Andrew Bennet is in a race against time to find help from whomever he can but the Legion of Doom are gone and Hal Jordan is the only member of the Justice League on planet… right? This series seems like its going to be a fun read with the subplot of who is and isn’t already turned making you start to question each and every character you meet. If you enjoyed DCeased then this is another one you should pick up.
Task Force Z Issue #1 - DC really hit the nail on the head with the Spooky Season theme for their comics this week. We’ve got Jason Todd back in action working with a new ‘team’, a team of undead villains from his past that he has to keep in check. This new Task Force is going out after their own big bads, trying to get information back to Crispin and up first is Crazy Quilt (easily mistaken for Polka Dot Man upon first interaction). After barely making it out of their first mission alive and without eating each other Task Force Z is back at it again, but how long can one man really handle a bunch of zombies? I have a feeling this is going to be a bit of a Suicide Squad style free for all on the characters and I’m very curious to see who gets brought in next.
Diarra's Picks:
Swamp Dogs: House of Crows #1 - Something strange is happening in the swamps of Louisiana and our story begins at the end of the Civil War. We don’t get much info before we flash back to present day, but we get to see some scummy Rebel trash slaughtered in a swamp (fun for everyone, am I right?). Now it’s present day Baton Rogue and a Halloween house party is raging. Ayana sneaks off to…have some alone time, when a lost Violet stumbles upon her. While the party continues downstairs, they have a good ol’ fashion house party hook up. What none of them know, is trouble is brewing out in the bayou and the past is coming back to haunt them…and by haunt I mean murder!
House of Slaughter #1 - The Something Is Killing Children series became a fast favorite. I mean with a title like that, how could you not take a look inside. Turns out it’s monsters killing children, and the secret organization tasked with stopping them is the House of Slaughter! …I mean anyone who kills a kid is a monster, but we’re talking full on behemoths here. This series is a closer look at Aaron, a member of the black flag branch of the organization. Each branch has their own focus of study, but black flags learn how to hunt alone. Aaron was recruited when he was just a boy, and I’m sure we’ll learn about that most likely tragic story later. Now, fifteen years later, Aaron is one of the best hunters there is, but there are worse things than monsters. If you haven’t read Something Is Killing Children you will still enjoy this story, but if you want to see how this all began, we have all the trades to make catching up easy!
No One Comes To The Lake Anymore - From his comics The End of The Fucking World to Slasher, Charles Forsman knows how to make us enjoy being uncomfortable. This silly one shot is right on time for spooky season, and we get to see a softer side of our favorite slasher. Turns out hot and clumsy teens have finally learned their lesson, and have been avoiding Camp Crystal Lake. Now Jason has some time to reflect and he really takes a look inside…too bad he doesn’t like what he sees. This is just a silly zine to bring you some holiday cheer, and you get a sick sticker when you pick one up!
Stone's Picks:
Deathstroke Inc. #2 - I may have been unimpressed on the 1st issue, but I must say that this second one I really enjoyed. Maybe it was the Darth Maul cosplay Deadpool was trying to pull of with that double-sided lightsaber that just had me enthralled with the space madness. There’s also a really cool moment in here where the Weird, yes that’s his name, discharges his power and you sorta get a glimpse of different things that are happening, or will be happening in the future of the DC universe. Arguably it’s those moments that make me add things to the pull with the thinking that something big will happen in this comic. Who’s to know if that will be the case. So hyped for the next issue! Hail Queen Cheeta.
Task Force Z #1 - I was unsure how much I would like this comic. The zombie thing has been done so often that any new attempt to incorporate them into a story feels like a last-ditch effort of sorts. Maybe that’s what they were thinking by putting Jason Todd as the leader. They don’t know what they want to do with his character so why not have him lead this undead task force since he’s no stranger to being dead. Honestly they might have pulled a Suicide Squad and killed off most of the people that are on the cover. They’re zombies so maybe they can return, but the healing factor that would be needed for some of those injuries isn’t present in those characters alive or otherwise.
Cross To Bear #1 - So I’ve recently been playing a lot of Red Dead Redemption, and the fact that this comic takes place in the 19th century, and provides a feeling similar to the games, made it immediately approved to be read. The premise of the book is similar to others I’ve read, but that didn’t make it any less enjoyable. Honestly I think if you’ve played the game The Order 1886 then you will understand what this book is trying to set itself up for. Secret organization that’s been around forever protects the unaware from the forces of evil. It was a solid read that won’t hurt you to pick up and give a try.