September 28th, 2022
Caroline's Picks:
Briar #1 - Don’t let the bright and colorful first few pages of this story fool you, its anything but. Sleeping Beauty, or Briar Rose, has fallen into her deep prophesied slumber but this time around her Knight in shining armor isn’t such a loving man after all. She’s left asleep for a thousand years, her world as she knew it completely gone and her story long forgotten. Until one intruder takes it upon themself to change the course of history. Now she’s awake, barely more than skin and bones and she needs to find anyone willing to help her. Rather immediately she’s going to realize just how terribly unprepared for the world she is, and that seeking help is her only option. But running around claiming to be a princess long forgotten isn’t likely to get her any help, kidnapped perhaps is the more likely outcome.
Tim Drake: Robin #1 -This miniseries follow’s up the Tim Drake Pride Special that came out earlier this year. Tim Drake has moved out from under the thumb of Bruce Wayne. Now he’s living on his own, making his own suits and weapons, and finding his own chosen family to surround himself with. He’s got a hot date and good friends, what more could a Robin need? But nothing good ever lasts too long for the Bat-family, and when someone attacks Robin’s neighbors he’s determined to find the culprit and bring them to justice. In keeping with the one shot that started this story Tim and his companions deal with a literary ‘villain’, putting his detective mind to work to solve the problem. Good thing he’s got plenty of friends looking out for him.
Flawed #1 - A full-time Psychiatrist who just so happens to specialize in part-time vigilante revenge for her patients was not what I expected when I started this series but Dr. Gem Ezz is impossible not to like. She’s a take no shits, direct problem solving pro and she always makes sure to be as quick and quiet as possible when helping her clients. This time around though she takes a different approach, she intends to leave a very public display after someone has been brutally murdering young, female, African American children and a message needs to be sent. She doesn’t usually take such a direct approach but this is one case she’s taking personally and she intends to follow all the leads she can find, and not so nicely coerce out of people, to end every last person involved.
Old Dog #1 - Jack Lynch is just your average CIA agent and boy is he bored. Stake-outs can only be so fun and he’s reaching the end of his career. But he’s still got a few more missions left in him, and despite being told to wait in the van the man is determined to rush in and save lives. But in the end he might be dooming everyone, including himself, to a much darker future. This first issue is told between 2 points of view, switching between the past and the present. There’s a good bit of twists and turns throughout the issue that you can never quite guess exactly what Jack is going to do next. And when we meet him in the future for the first time it's clear the world isn’t what we expected. But now is his chance to right his wrongs and to try and save the world before things get even worse. Of course there’s going to be a few surprise along the way as well though.
Diarra's Picks:
Detective Comics #1064 - Since the new creative team took over at issue #1062, they used the first 3 issues, subtitled The Gotham Nocturne Overture, to deliver us to a new Gotham and introduce us to a new Batman. There has been a shift in Gotham, and Bruce isn’t the only one who has taken notice. In the first issue, the Bat family gets the skinny on some funny business down at the docks, but instead of the usual goons, Batman finds something he can’t explain. Just when things couldn’t get stranger, former lover/date-raper Talia Al Ghul, shows up to save Bruce and deliver a super vague warning of impending doom. Our favorite detective isn’t going to take that sitting down, but every clue just leads to more questions. There must be a reason The League of Shadows are in Gotham, and after what he saw on the docks, Bruce knows he needs to put an end to this before no one is able to stop it. He even visits his old friend Harvey Dent to see if he has heard anything, but Harvey has put Two-Faced and his criminal connections behind him...or at least he’s trying to. There are more nefarious characters at play than Bruce knows, new and old, but Bruce isn’t the only one on the case. Each issue features another mini story ‘The Coda’ where another team of creators follows retired Commissioner Gordon, who doesn’t need a badge to care about Gotham, and he might have just found the key to saving Gotham!
Old Dog #1 - We got our first sneak peek into the Old Dog universe in the current Image anthology 12-issue series, Image!, featuring new stories from some of our favorite creators. Between this series and the new DC Horror: SGT Rock vs The Army of the Dead, we are getting served classic, ‘super soldier with a tortured past’ realness. While SGT Rock delivers a twist on that classic 50s comic with SGT Rock’s platoon going up against zombie Hitler, Old Dogs brings us to a more modern battlefield. Jack Lynch is a former CIA agent whose special gifts have forced him to return to the fight after years of retirement. We get a glimpse at Jack’s early days on the force, and the accident that changed him forever. While he was the best agent in his heyday, the department has changed and they partner him up with their new top agent..his daughter! This issue has grit up the wazoo with just enough of a moral compass you see past the machismo, and I can’t wait for more of this Father of the Bride meets Bourne Identity spy series!
Flawed #1 - Woah, this book just jumped to the top of my must read list! I fell for Chuck Brown’s work after reading ‘Bitter Root’, a supernatural tale that takes place in the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. My first intro to Italian artist, Prenzy, was a team-up with Brown in ‘On The Stump’, a hyper violent story that fits a little too well into the capitalist structure. Now the two are back together to deliver a new horror series with a twist! This book begins with an ominous introduction to the town of Setham, home to psychiatrist Dr. Gem Ezz. We pop in on Dr. Ezz in the middle of a pretty intense therapy session with a woman whose sister was murdered by uncaught, serial killer “The Skinwalker”. I’m sure the stories all mental health workers hear weigh heavy on their hearts, but Dr. Ezz plans to do something about it. She hunts down The Skinwalker to finally deliver justice, but who she finds doesn’t seem human. Ezz needs more answers, and leaves a beaten up Skinwalker for the cops to deal with...but someone even more sinister wants him back! I hope Ezz is up for the can of worms she just opened, but that’s not the only reason I’m subbing this series. Since Biden recently announced the new program where victims and their families can apply for the federal government to come investigate cold
cases/unsolved crimes, I’ve been doing a lot of research into cases involving women of color, and this issue definitely brought up a bunch of feelings. I couldn’t help being reminded of Captain Nieves Fernadez, the Filipino woman who became a hero in WWII by freeing “comfort women” from Japanese soldiers, or the series ‘Reservation Dogs’ that touches on crimes against Indigenous women that go uninvestigated due to Reservation Laws. This is what I love seeing in media and this issue goes above and beyond with the next issue featuring special guest content on psychiatry and mental health. Between this and Megan Thee Stallion’s new website badbitcheshavebaddaystoo.com, which features mental health resources for people of color with a range of topics, my little heart is full. Pick Up This Issue!!
K's Picks:
Avengers AXE #1 - Finally, we get more into the mind of the invincible genius himself! Last time we left off things went horribly. heroes were being vaporized by the progenitor and we were left with "how the hell will we fix this mess?" The heroes decide to travel into the Progenitor to stop its constant, unruly judgement on earth and its mightiest defenders. Moments after entering, we're left with an encounter inside the interior of the Frankenstein Celestial. Tony Stark is infected and immobilized by this weird mind altering defense system within the progenitor, and is faced with his past. We learn how he feels about creating the progenitor, how he feels guilt for the people he hurt and why he likes redheads? Trust me, it makes a whole lot more sense when you read it. It's downright phenomenal the time spent with just Tony and how he feels about everything so far, and it really reminded me how this event hits the notes I've always loved.
Afterschool #3 - If you love Scream and Home Alone then you'll love this story! Sympathetic Ear has easily taken the spot as the best concept for a Afterschool plot. I may be a little bit biased because of my love of grounded horror, but it doesn't change the fact that it's still an exceptional read. We follow two sisters, Lyda and Izzy, with Lyda being the oldest and very much upset with her bratty little ankle-biting sibling. Despite all that, there's clearly a deep loving trust between the two of them, something that is masterfully implemented with just a glance in the later half of the issue. I don't want to get too deep into it but it gives me a feeling of vulnerability in how the circumstances are played out. I just wish we hammered harder on the Scream slasher feel and the Home Alone feel. Still, a very awesome issue. Give this one a read; it's like a really well rounded horror short.
Damage Control #2 - I'll say it, Gus is not a "people's person" and I love it! This classic style art style really suits the zany vibe of the story. We have a family turned microscopic in this issue! To give you the run down, Gus has been moved to another branch because his screw up lead to a Skrull invasion in the last chapter. It's wild and honestly really reminiscent of The Office, just with less deadpan humor, which is something I'm conflicted about. I want more scenarios with more heroes! We had a good run in the first issue with all the hero cameos. Let's go full on balls to the walls I want to see some crazy shenanigans!