This Wednesday, dozens of new comic books will go on sale. Which ones are worthy of your time and money? It's a difficult question many comic book fans have to face on a weekly basis, so we're here to help you out! The Comic Vine staff has reviewed the latest list of new releases and each of us are going to tell you what we're anxious to read and why. If possible, we'll even include the comic's preview. Once you're done seeing what we recommend, don't forget to share your own list. Now, let's see what the staff is excited to read!
Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks
AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #7
AFTERLIFE is back this week. It feels like it’s been a while. Issue 6 came out in October but that was the sort of intermission story dealing with Sabrina. Issue #5 was released back in May! We know the surviving members of the Archie gang were set to leave Riverdale after the zombie infestation broke out. We can’t wait to see what happens next, who they might run into, and who will or won’t survive.
What really concerns us is the name of the storyline, “Betty, RIP.” The great thing about this story is you never know what’s going to happen. It’s clear no one is safe. Will Betty truly meet her end as the title suggests? Would they give that away? We’ll obviously have to wait and see. There is a lot that is disturbing about the story but Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Francesco Francavilla have us hooked on this series.
Go to USA Today for the rest of the preview.
THOR #3
There seems to be a difference of opinions when it comes to this series. Many are enjoying the change and the fact that this is a comic book storyline while others are trying to find the proper words to express their unhappiness over what has happened to the character we used to know as Thor. We’ve seen characters go through big changes before. There’s been deaths and falls from grace. Mixing up the status quo is what allows for different takes on stories, just as we’re also seeing in ALL-NEW CAPTAIN AMERICA and SUPERIOR IRON MAN. But as the majority that took our poll on the new directions of these titles, we can’t help but be excited over seeing this new chapter in the mythology of Thor.
Jason Aaron has given us a new character to handle the power of Mjolnir. It’s always fun to see a new person rise up to handle the odds stacked against them. While many have their theories as to who the mystery lady is, part of the fun is not knowing for sure, even if some guesses might be more obvious than others. Russell Dauterman’s art and Matthew Wilson’s colors make this a great looking book. It’s safe to assume the changes going on here won’t be forever. We’re just going to sit back and enjoy them while they last.
Check out our Preview Theatre video preview.
UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #1
What happened to Eva Bell? When Cyclops started his own group of X-Men, he found and took in some new mutants. One of them was the young mutant from Australia. With the power to create time bubbles, something happened to Eva and she returned older. She somehow spent an unspecified amount of time in the far off future. This is the issue we get to find out what happened.
Future stories are always fun because anything can happen. We’ve lost track of how many different versions of the future Marvel Universe we’ve seen, especially in the pages of X-Men comics. To make things even better, Andrea Sorrentino is handling the art here. If you’ve read I, VAMPIRE or GREEN ARROW at DC with Sorrentino’s art, you know we’re in for a visual treat.
BITCH PLANET #1
Kelly Sue Deconnick’s books are always an automatic read. She’s written many great comics but there always is something fascinating when writers get to unleash themselves in a creator-owned series. BITCH PLANET is the latest comic from Kelly Sue and Image. If you’ve heard Kelly Sue talk about the premise, you know we’re in for a treat. This won’t be a comic like many others. There’s different ways you can take the story. Is there a message being delivered? Perhaps. Some will catch on as to what is being said here. For others, it’s another great Image book for you to sink your teeth into. This does fall into the mature category, obviously. The title itself should be a pretty good clue. There will be nudity and profanity but it’s appropriate for the story. This is a series you should check out. Try something different this week to find out what “Bitch Planet” is all about.
SAVAGE DRAGON #200
SAVAGE DRAGON has reached its 200th issue. There aren’t many series these days that boast that number. Erik Larsen has been consecutively working on this series for the past 16+ years. That is simply incredible. To celebrate this milestone, we’re getting a super-sized issue. Yes, the issue costs $8.99 but look at how many pages you get. We’re talking about 100 pages for your money.
As for the story, you might be aware that the original Savage Dragon is in prison. His son, Malcolm has been the lead character for some time. We see some developments in Malcolm’s life as week as what happens when the original Dragon is broken out of prison. Who broke him out? Why did they free him? You’ll have to read to find out. There’s also a bunch of other creators contributing to this issue such as Herb Trimpe, Chris Burnham, Ron Frenz, Chris Eliopoulos, and more.
Honorable Mention: SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS HC
Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks
PUNKS THE COMIC #3
Do you like jokes involving kicks to the male anatomy? How do you feel about dog-men filling up an entire house with urine? How about Abraham Lincoln? You cool with him? If you answered either yes or no to all, some, or none of those questions, the PUNKS is the comic for you!
The book is a lot of fun and exceptionally funny thanks to the irreverent and off-beat humor from Joshua Fialkov. It's unlike anything else on the shelves, and if you're looking for something really weird but really awesome, with some insanely cool cut and paste art from Kody Chamberlain, then you should give this book a shot.
Also, pick up this book if you're an aging punk rocker. You'll like it. It's silly fun.
GHOSTED Vol 3
Volume three of GHOSTED was pretty awesome. While one of my favorite characters still didn't return as a ghost (I'm waiting...), we did get to see the son of a recently passed character become the center focus of the story and the concept of this story, involving Death Wishes, is pretty dang awesome.
Also included is the stand-alone issue #11, all about Anderson, which is a great issue which ties the rest of volume three together and it gives certain items a nice little backstory. Writer Josh Williamson continues giving readers a fun heist story, after the heist is done, but the book still has a great feel of adventure and fun to it. There you have it. GHOSTED is a book with a bunch of death that's fun. It continues to be one of my favorite books to read on my pull list.
Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks
TMNT #41
The buildup in IDW's TMNT has been phenomenal. Some may think the Ninja Turtles franchise is just silly fun and action, but the creative team behind this run is doing some brilliant work. It's a character-driven story that's full of twists, gorgeous visuals, and all kinds of excitement. Everything here has been brought to a whole new level. Krang is finalizing his attack. Donatello has reached out to Shredder. The Ninja Turtles have joined forces with the Mutanimals. Casey Jones is bonding with April's dad. So many different arcs have been put in motion and the way they've been connecting is legitimately impressive.
Yes, it's a bummer Mateus Santolouco didn't work on this issue, but Cory Smith is handling the art and, as we previously saw, he's an excellent and completely fitting replacement. His work is just as lively as Santolouco's and it's full of creative angles. Just look at that close up of Krang's eye in the preview; it really hits you with just how twisted and driven the alien can be. Plus, Ronda Pattison is still on colors and she's played a huge part in making this series look so good.
Even if you consider yourself just a casual fan of the franchise, please do yourself a favor and pick this comic up. It's technically a jumping on spot and you'll see there's so much more to this comic than just catch phrases and ninja action. Seriously, it's awesome and continues to surpass my expectations.
DEEP STATE #2
The X-Files meets Men in Black meets Justin Jordan's writing. If that interests you -- and it really should -- you need to check out this new BOOM! Studios series. We're only one issue in and I already want to know more and more about this sci-fi story. What other conspiracy theories will be addressed? How will this situation with the creature from the moon play out? Will we ever learn more about this shadowy organization or will we mostly be kept in the dark, just like virtually everyone else? With just one issue, Jordan has my interest in this world and its two leads. If you're looking for something new -- something that's full of sci-fi, horror, mystery, and occasional laughs -- you've got to give this a chance. You have until Wednesday to read the first issue, people.
AXIS: CARNAGE #3
This series has been such an unexpected treat. Even if you don't care about Carnage or think he's uninteresting, this limited series will make you want to see more and more of the red symbiote. It's full of superb comedy and each issue will keep you laughing. There's some slaptick humor that'll appeal to everyone and that works well, but the whole new approach to Carnage and getting a look into his head has been a delight. How does he talk himself into doing the right thing and then, once he knows what should be done, how does he handle it? His ridiculous methods continue to shock and keep me cracking up. It's too bad this is just a limited series because the combination of a legitimately hilarious script and consistently solid visuals has turned AXIS: CARNAGE into a memorable and oh-so-fun experience. Love or hate Carnage, you'll want to read this if you enjoy laughing.
THE VALIANT #1
If you've been reading Valiant, then you know the publisher's doing amazing things. This new limited series, THE VALIANT, is looking like it'll be yet another exceptional series. I mean, we have Jeff Lemire AND Matt Kindt writing this one! How awesome is that? As if that wasn't enough, Paolo Rivera's handling the art.
If you've been loving Valiant's work, the chance to see these characters interact and witness how it expands Valiant's evergrowing universe makes this an obvious purchase. More Eternal Warrior is never a bad thing, after all. If you've made this mistake of not reading Valiant's titles, this is your chance to fix that massive mistake. Not only is this designed to be new reader friendly, but it's also looking like it'll do a solid job introducing you to several of the publisher's popular characters and maybe -- just maybe -- that'll motivate you to check out some of the publisher's other great titles. Set aside $3.99 for this one, readers, because it's definitely looking like this will be yet another one of Valiant's must read comics. If you're still not sure about this one, you can check out the 8 page preview below.
Honorable Mention: DEADPOOL'S ART OF WAR #3
Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #11
Despite the confusing nomenclature designating which title is the "main" title in the event, Spider-Verse marches on and maintains a level of quality that most events, particularly with this many tie-ins, tend to lack. But tie-ins can only take a series so far without a solid foundation, but that's exactly what AMAZING SPIDER-MAN is: a solid foundation. Superior and vanilla Spideys have had enough of one another, particularly with Superior's arrogance and immediate deflation last issue against the Inheritors, and it looks like things are about to devolve into a good ol' brawl. With Olivier Coipel drawing it, whether or not the two finally come to an interdimensional/time-jumping blows, it's going to look amazing.
BATGIRL #37
When the New 52 first launched, there seemed to be a bottomless well of Batman titles and accompanying Bat-family titles that corresponded in terms of both tone, tenor and subject. Eventually some of the core titles fell by the wayside and the Family titles started to strike out on their own, realizing that very few people seemed to want "Batman-lite." No title, perhaps, has broken away as much as BATGIRL. Cameron Stewart and Brenden Fletcher give us the most tech-focused Batgirl's been since she regained the use of her legs and Babs Tarr has given us visuals to match, full of whimsy and bright colors that are still capable of telling a mature, serious story. The last two issues have proven this creative team has their own vision and it's one that I am on-board with reading, particularly when the plot takes off as it seems this issue will.
Visit CBR for the rest of the preview.
SPIDER-VERSE TEAM-UP #2
And SPEAKING of tie-ins that are better than they have any right to be: we have THIS title! Two Ultimate Spider-Mans/Men from two DIFFERENT Ultimate Universes...yep! And one of them is from the animated show! In a comic...which is odd, I'll grant, but last issue was fun enough to make the seemingly disparate elements to make them work. Christos Gage and Gerry Conway will also be bringing us a tale of Spider-Gwen and a dark, lost Parker who never found any kind of closure with her death which...this story should be a great one, but can you imagine if she learns about the whole "Clone Saga" thing? I'm not familiar with the artists, but looking at their past works I have every confidence in David Williams and Steven Sanders' abilities to make this issue look great.
Honorable Mention: AVENGERS #39