October 28th, 2020
J.R.'s Picks:
X of Swords: Stasis #1 Part 11 – This X-boy is just too damn excited about his X-books. X of Swords continues this week with a look at the other side of the tournament: the ancient mutants of Arakko. First though we get a look at Saturnyne’s council of worlds meeting to see who wants to watch this tournament of power. I could read books on just the few pages as Larraz’s art takes us through each one. Once the council ends, we get our look at Arakko’s champions. The standout by far is Pogg Ur-Pogg, the six-armed crocodile beast. Beautiful. There’s also more insight into the White Sword of the Ivory Tower who was there when Okarra split and hates those he fights with as much as the X-Men. I can’t wait for next week and the next parts of X of Swords it brings!
The Department of Truth #2 – Tynion is on fire with his stories these days and this one is heating up already. Cole has now just joined the Department of Truth and now is wondering if a haunting tale from his childhood has sprung to life as well. During the Satanic Panic in the 80s, Cole was one of the children interviewed by investigators. As a child, he said he saw a man with a star carved into his face eating babies. Now Cole wonders if Starface was real because of what he’s learned about conspiracy theories. Luckily, his new partner Ruby recognizes his distress and treats him to pancakes…and more secrets. It’s a wild ride that’s takes us deeper into the Department so jump into this story now!
Colonel Weird Cosmagog #1 – The Black Hammer mythos grows more in size! Poor Colonel Weird. While all his friends were trapped on a farm this poor dude was trapped everywhere. After he finds a portal to some unknown on his space travels, Col. Weird experiences all of time and space all at once. It’s driven him mad and yet he continues onward for something that he doesn’t even know at this point. This issue follows him as he hits different points of his life all out of order. It’s ambitious storytelling and once again Lemire pulls it off beautifully. Even if you’re new to Black Hammer this will still give you an engrossing story that you can latch onto.
Wynd #5 – Told ya Tynion was on fire. Wynd wraps up its first arc with this extra large fifth issue. Wynd bravely runs off into the woods to protect the prince and Thorn from the Bandaged Man. This leaves Thorn and the prince enough time to have a little chat about how unappreciative the prince is towards his rescuers. Meanwhile, the Bandaged Man catches up to Wynd to try and make a deal. He even unbandages himself which is definitely a shocker. It’s a pretty tempting offer to be sure, especially with the way the prince has been acting. A great ending for this first part of the story, it’s going to be hard to wait until May 2021 when it all starts back up!
Diarra's Picks:
Department of Truth #2 - It’s Cole’s first day in the Department of Truth. He can finally get answers to all the conspiracy theories he has studied, but only one thing is on his mind. When Cole was young he was visited by a man with a pentagram on his face who then proceeded to eat a baby in front of him. The mystery man reassured Cole he was just having a dream, but it felt so real. The spooky guy threatened to cause real world harm to Cole and his family if he told about this experience, and Cole has been waiting his whole life for this boogey man to reappear. So when he finds a case file on this creature with a child’s interview from this year, Cole knows he’s found his first case in the Department of Truth!
Wynd #5 - It’s the end of the first arc and I’m in love. In a world where humans and magical beings must live separately we follow the story of Wynd. Wynd has magic blood in him, but lives in the human world, unknown to the folks around him. He wishes he could be a “regular” boy, do normal things like date and not have to hide his pointy ears. Turns out things are changing in the human world and the young prince wants to bring peace to all the lands. In order to do that he needs some help and Wynd and his friends begin their dangerous journey out of the human world. Looks like that’s all Wynd needed to embrace his magical side, but their journey is far from over.
Giga #1 - One day, after a Great War, the gods of this world decided to take a knee. These gods are more like giant robots, known as Giga, so it’s less gory when the people decide to live in their bodies. They created living spaces and mechanical resources, and the people worshipped them even more. Out of the blue someone tries to destroy the old gods, and the truth behind the attack is still unknown. Evan Calhoun believes in the scientific advances that can be developed for these unused robots, and he knows there is more going on. He chooses to live the noble life of a scraper, although he could be an elite member of society in the inner fold. He has a robot companion, Laurel, (another no-no) and when it has a malfunction Evan heads to find new parts from an old bot. Unfortunately, Evan isn’t the only scrapper out today.
Stones' Picks:
Batman Three Jokers #3 - The search for the remaining two Jokers leads the bat family to Blackgate Prison. Batman discovers that Joe Chill has been taken by the Joker to Monarch Theater, which is the theater that Bruce and his parents went to the night of their murders. The Joker has big plans for both Mr. Chill and Batman. Will the Man who created the Batman succumb to the actions of the Joker or will the Batman be able to look past what Chill has done and save his life? There’s more happening inside the book then just this but you’re going to have to read it to find out, and trust me you don’t want to miss the revelations in this comic!
Dark Knights Death Metal Rise of the New God #1 - The fight between the Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua has kicked off. The only person with a front row seat is a new character called Chronicler whose job it is to record the histories of dying multiverses. As the grudge match between cosmic entities rages, the Chronicler visits characters who have acute knowledge of the wonders and happenings of this multiverse. Through his collection of this multiverse's history he sees the beauty and wonder that exists throughout. Can the potential of this multiverse to be something greater sway the Chronicler from being a passive observer and have him lend aid to hopeless heroes, or is there nothing that can be done?
TMNT: The Last Ronin #1 - the long awaited story by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Tom Waltz has finally arrived! In the future, the last surviving ninja turtle is on a quest for revenge. Armed with all the weapons of his brothers, this turtle will fight his way through whatever obstacles come his way to avenge his family. He will infiltrate a city in pursuit of its ruler, Master Oroku Hiroto, Master Shredder's grandson. This last turtle will stop at nothing to put an end to this age old feud between the foot clan and the turtles by whatever means necessary. We have plenty of copies of this comic - check it out!