New comic book day is something we can't wait for, but our wallets absolutely fear it. Dozens of new issues will go on sale, and sticking to your budget will likely become a difficult feat as more and more issues hit our eyes with very tempting covers. Luckily for you, Comic Vine has your back and wants to help you narrow down the options. We've reviewed the list of this week's new releases and we've each selected a couple or more new comics that we believe will likely be worthy of your time and cash. Once you're done seeing what we recommend, don't forget to sound off with your own list of "essential comics."
Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks
SILVER SURFER #1
Is there anything that really needs to be said here? I mean, come on. I’m a huge fan of Dan Slott. Talking to him about SILVER SURFER back at New York Comic Con, he said some pretty mind-blowing things. And we’re talking the Silver Surfer. How cool is this character? It’s been way too long since he’s had his own series.
Of course there’s also Mike Allred. He is up there as one of my all time favorite artists. I would buy any title he was working on. The fact that it’s a Silver Surfer title with Slott writing, I am beyond exciting.
The POINT ONE issue was pretty rad as well.
THE WAKE #7
This is another example where the creators could give us a book about working in a grocery store and it would be crazy exciting. Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy have given us an interesting and bizarre story dealing with creatures from below.
Last issue we saw the main story jump forward 200 years. Murphy has created a pretty detailed new world to examine and hopefully we’ll get to see more of the intricate details.
This is one of those series where you have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next and you don’t even want to try to guess. You just sit back and enjoy it all as it happens.
Check out IGN for an extra page.
THE BUNKER #2
Josh Fialkov and Joe Infurnari are also going us a pretty far out story. When a group of friends were about to bury a time capsule, they discovered a buried bunker. Inside were letters from their future selves detailing pretty much the end of the world and how they were responsible. There’s some twists and turns popping in and Fialkov’s story is graced with Infurnari’s hauntingly beautiful art and colors.
If you’ve read the first issue, hopefully you had a chance to listen to the commentary podcast with Fialkov and Infurnari where they discussed where the story came from and different aspects of what happened.
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #30
It’s almost here. The end of SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN. We all know what has to happen. We know Peter Parker is somehow coming back. But there are still a lot of questions (specifically, where did SpOck go when he disappeared in time a few issues ago when Horizon Labs blew up?). Dan Slott has managed to throw curve balls at us even when we’ve been prepared for them.
Now we are in the midst of the Goblin Nation story. Word is, something big will happen here and once it happens, “it CANNOT be undone.” What the heck does that mean?
Honorable Mention: DEADLY CLASS #3
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks
FOREVER EVIL: ROGUES REBELLION #6
Dear Brian Buccellato,
Can you please write and possibly draw an on-going Rogues series? I know that asking for this means you'd have to stop working on other books, but you really have the Rogues down. This mini-series has been a ton of fun.
Sincerely, Mat
Ok, now that my begging for an on-going is out of the way, I can tell you what I really think. This book is a ton of fun (I feel like I've said that already). This issue is where the Rogues will be taking on another one of Flash's enemies, Gorilla Grodd. This is by far the best of any of the Forever Evil tie-ins, and really worth the buy.
AQUAMAN #29
It's first appearance time! We haven't see the New 52 version of Atlas yet; however, this issue of AQUAMAN marks the his first appearance! Ok, maybe that's not the best sell, but it is cool to see this character make his way over to the book. More importantly, Jeff Parker has established this as a very fun book that also takes a look at Arthur Curry's land-loving past. Paul Pelletier continues to be a fantastic artist for this series as well, and I can't wait to see what he brings to the table this week. Plus, it looks like there's going to be crossover with Swamp Thing. I'm prepared, are you?
Visit Ain't It Cool News for one more page.
Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks
DEADPOOL #26
If you could go back in time, would you kill Adolf Hitler? It's a common discussion people have had over the years, but what if the person failed and Hitler got his evil hands on the technology? That's right, ladies and gentlemen, DEADPOOL #26 will have time-traveling Hitler.
The flashback issues crammed between every new arc in Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn's series have been all kinds of absurd and hilarious. From Deadpool with an afro to "the white man" to the sheer randomness of the Wakandan Vacation issue, these leaps into previous decades have consistently delivered an amazing amount of laughs and fun on every single page. And considering the premise for this one, it definitely seems to be every bit as crazy as the previous flashbacks. Plus, it's almost guaranteed we'll get a Cap inspired panel of Hitler getting punched in the face by Wade. And honestly, who doesn't want to see that?
DEAD BODY ROAD #4
If you enjoy R-rated heist/action movies -- and somehow I think many of you do -- then Justin Jordan and Matteo Scalera'sImage book is most definitely worthy of your attention. Now, jumping on with this chapter probably isn't the best idea around, but you should totally catch up.
Jordan's plot is simplistic yet still remains gripping and has a pace that absolutely refuses to slow down. These characters and the story are something we've seen a gazillion times before (so far, at least), but it's all presented very well and always leaves me waiting to see what he'll hit us with next. In the script, he creates plenty of high-speed and intense moments for Scalera to tackle and the artist does so with extreme talent. Together, these two are creating one hell of an enjoyable book.
ETERNAL WARRIOR #7
Greg Pak's story of the Eternal Warrior Emperor in the future continues! If you've read some of Pak's other work (e.g. PLANET HULK), then you know the guy is immensely talented when it comes to setting brand new and completely fascinating stages. Well, this is yet another one of them. Humanity's future in the Valiant-verse is a familiar scenario, yet Pak's putting just enough change here and there to keep things interesting. To top it all off, the core of this story revolves around Gilad's heartwarming connection to his granddaughter. Yeah, I bet that wasn't a dynamic you'd expect in a book called "Eternal Warrior" right? The relationship is adorable and makes for a powerful element in this otherwise brutal and character-driven title.
Honorable: TMNT: NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES #9
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks
RED LANTERNS #29
And so the saga of #FiveStarMustache continues unabated! Last issue might have been some weird, inverted, double-issue, but its events still counted and now we get to see Kara Zor-El written by Charles Soule, which fills me with hope. He's proven his ability to take super-serious topics and make them hilarious (see: the book you're reading about), but still maintain an amazing level of drama. Alessandro Vitti keeps knocking it out of the park with the visuals of this book, and I'm absolutely ready to get onboard with anything he's planning.
Go to Man Cave Daily to read more.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #13
The Trial of Jean Grey comes to a close. This has been a fun, low-impact arc that affected only two titles, which, to some, may be one too many and I generally agree that crossovers aren't great as they exclude the reader that is interested in only one title. But this actually had a fairly firm line of delineation and while the last two issues played off each other very, very significantly, Brian Bendis still played it fairly standalone. This issue also features Sara Pichelli on art which...I mean that's enough, isn't it? I know this book will spin off into at least one title, but I'm not entirely sure what will happen at the end of this one, and that, as always, has me excited.
ALL-NEW X-FACTOR #5
Oh All-New X-Factor, who loves you as I do? No one, that's who! After the last two somewhat standalone arcs, I am ready for a third, particularly as the roster still isn't fully filled. Peter David will have his hands full juggling these characters, particularly another establishment-needing Danger after last issue. He'll have the incomparable Carmine Di Giandomenico still holding it down on art, making sure all the faces are EXACTLY as expressive as they need to be. From where I've heard this book is heading, I'm absolutely thrilled to follow it along. Even IF this write-up is brought to you by Serval Industries.
THE X-FILES: CONSPIRACY #2
You know what I absolutely adore about IDW? Their willingness to let all of their franchises play together with little-to-no explanation. Sure, they had a zombie plague sweep through some of their biggest titles followed by the Great Old Ones of Lovecrafian lore, but then they lost their minds in the best way possible: having Mars attack the likes of Popeye, Judge Dredd and more. With X-Files: Conspiracy, they've actually been fairly serious, the Lone Gunmen under the watchful eye of Paul Crilley's writing trying to prevent a plague that makes The Stand look like Chicken Pox. Having visited some amateur ghostbusters, a group of mutant turtles, a collection of vehicular transforming robots and an avian spirit of vengeance, they are, hopefully, prepared to put the pieces together and save the world along with Mulder and Scully. Not that anyone will thank them for it!
Honorable Mentions: KRAMPUS #4; AVENGERS #27