5/27/20
J.R.’s Picks
Marauders #10 – X-books are back! Marauders picks up where it last left off so long ago on the continuing adventures of the best pirate superhero team. The issue starts with the greatest use of mutant ability ever: Tempo’s power to age whiskey 50 years after it was newly made allows for the best tasting booze that Hellfire Trading can export. The Quiet Council convenes to go over an incident where a Russian freighter has taken control of Forge’s old tech to dampen mutant abilities. The Marauder sets sail with three Omega level mutants in tow and Magneto’s orders to leave none to tell the tale. Shit gets wild fast and in an extremely epic way. Tune in to watch bigots get what they deserve courtesy of mutants!
King of Nowhere #2 – This book is a head-trip and I’m loving where it’s taking me. At the beginning of this issue we get a little more to go on about Denis. His dreams take him to a more normal world where it seems like he has an infant daughter with his SO which could explain him trying to escape with his alcoholism. When he wakes up from this, his fish-pal Jed takes him over to the hardware store to get some freelance work chopping wood to buy more booze. They begin cutting up some stuff in the woods but because this is Nowhere, they run into a talking tree named Tree-Greg who has a problem with them cutting his dead relatives. This is just a book you gotta see for yourself so you too can enjoy Tree-Greg.
Star Wars Doctor Aphra #1 – Aphra returns! It’s been too long since the greatest character created in a SW comic has graced a page and it’s so good to see space Indian Jones make her return. The issue starts with the Doc and her crew stealing a rare fossil from Hoth just after the rebel base had been sacked (see Empire). While celebrating in a bar, the team is approached by a grad student who once saw Dr. Aphra lecture. Naturally, she comes to her with information about a dangerously powerful artifact her university is willing to shell out beau coup bucks for. The only thing standing in then way out it is a former colleague of Aphra’s who knows her tricks and a spoiled rich a-hole who destroys unique things. A great start to a series that’s sure to take off.
Alienated #3 – Samantha gets her spotlight in this issue and shines like the star she is. Samuel makes an internet video in which he wears a mask again about how their right-wing bully was vaporized and he comatose-ed a girl who was kinda mean to them. Samir and Samantha both agree that is was a dumb-shit thing to do if they don’t wanna get caught, especially since Samuel’s mom is…the freaking sheriff. Seriously, that kid is unlikable as all hell. Samantha starts to better understand Chip the alien’s powers as not only can he create telepathic links and disintegrate things, he can also create portals to different places and pocket dimensions. The way in which she uses this not only highlights the enormous struggle of her past but brings her clarity and understanding. A beautifully thoughtful issue about a hungry alien awaits you here.
Diarra’s Picks
Outer Darkness/ Chew #2 – When we left, Colby was doing a little snooping and learned some not so good news about their captors. Knowing what the The Charon gets into after reading the Outer Darkness series, who knows what terrible information he discovers. Tony and Colby were brought onto this ship via time travel to help Captain Rigg and his crew barter a deal with life forms that only communicate through food. Since Chew took place in the 21st century and Outer Darkness hundreds of years in the future, Tony and Colby are convinced what they say is true and agree to help. But Colby finds out how they really came to be on this ship…and where they are really from. In order to get off this ship, Colby and Tony are going to have to “summon” some friends ( and our favorite badass chicken! ) if they plan to face off with the crew of The Charon. (P.S. There is a book from the Chew universe coming out in June—we probably won’t be seeing our old Chew favorite characters, but I’m sure Layman won’t let us down, despite what Colby and Tony say about him!)
Basketful of Heads #7 – Book 7 o’ 7, wrapped up a pretty crappy couple of days for our friend June. She has been pretty badass through it all though. After her boyfriend, Liam, is kidnapped, she uncovers a crime network in her town that has even infiltrated the local police department. It wasn’t easy but a magical axe she finds is just the tool she needs to protect herself and still get answers to her questions. One by one, they try to stop June from finding her boyfriend and blowing the whistle on their whole operation, and one by one her basket of heads fills. When she finds Liam turns out he isn’t innocent in this whole thing, and it looks like June might need a bigger basket! After washing her hands of Liam, mystical axes, and this whole corrupt town, she finds out someone else was watching these folks too and justice will get served after all!
Alienated #3 – Sam, Sam, and Sam are three high schoolers who, after a chance encounter in the woods, are psychologically linked with an alien. It was all pretty innocent until a local bully came across their secret alien friend and threatened to blow the whistle. It’s isn’t until he threatens their lives does the alien step in, and the bully evaporates away. The 3 Sams assume the worst and know, now more than ever, they have to keep their secret. Some of the group have been using the alien in some pretty messed up ways (messed up like using it for revenge, no aliens were harmed in the making of this comic). All the while the local police are on the hunt for the missing child and other unexplained crimes surrounding the alien. The case is cold until videos online surface of a masked figure discussing the missing boy and other details on the case that only the police and the suspect would know. The worst part is the detective closing in on the truth is the mother of a Sam, and I don’t think the Sams can keep their secret for much longer.
Stone’s Picks
Dead Day #1 – Once a year the dead return. Some of them participate in wholesome family fun while others yearn for revenge. This comic reminds me of the purge in that this event only takes place once a year and people seem to have varying attitudes toward it, with those who are alive either celebrating the return of their loved ones or made to fear dead day all together. The comic focuses on a family who is preparing, like all others, to experience dead day. Mom seemingly has other plans besides hiding away in the house for the safety of the breaking dawn. An interesting take on the zombie genre that I enjoyed enough to give issue #2 a read.
Justice League Dark #21 – Between the hype I’ve heard regarding the new DC animated movie Justice League Dark: Darkseid War and what I just read in this issue, the only thing I can say with certainty is that I need to be experiencing more Justice League Dark. I don’t know what the circumstances leading up to this issue were but the problems these heroes face seems to be more than they can handle. Between a grotesque infection and the rise of a new villain, will the Justice League Dark find any answers to getting out of this mess? According to John Constantine’s findings all they need is a little ayahuasca.
Rogue Planet #1 – A planet abandoned in the darkness of space may become the final resting place for these unfortunate souls. Classic space salvagers end up on a planet with an unfriendly alien species. It seems very reminiscent of Alien. What makes this comic really feel different is the pure savagery I witnessed only two pages in. I wasn’t ready for it. This comic was easy for me to read since I enjoy most things having to do with aliens viciously dispatching a space crew. The threat to this crew is something that is truly horrific and seems to be capable of much more than just killing.
5/20/20
J.R.’s Picks
Ludocrats #1 – Following up on the success of Die, Gillen comes to us with a book that makes no sense but that’s kinda the point. Ludocrats follows Otto and Hades, two friends who are high ranking officials in a world where your utter lunacy and ludicrousness is the only thing that keeps you in the correct standing and alive. After a wedding in which the groom was killed quickly so the bride could gain his inheritance, the guests retire to a pseudo-reality tearoom in order to await the arrival of Otto’s brother, the eldritch pope. Unfortunately, the pope sends a group of robotic killing machines to dispose of them as he deemed them un-ludicrous (they most certainly were not). Tons of zany cartoon action and a guest appearance by a hopefully familiar Image face.
Dceased Unkillables #3 – The Unkillables have held themselves up inside a school bus in order to save the lives of the children they stumbled across. Little did they know though that zombified Mirror Master was still lurking about and he starts to snatch kids from the mirrored windows. Luckily, Cheetah dispatches him quickly before more unnecessary child death occurs. They’re making their way to Poison Ivy’s magical Eden which supposedly holds back the horrible forces but many sacrifices are to be made along the way. A satisfying ending to all those craving to watch heroes and villains alike ripped apart into bloody shreds.
Diarra’s Picks
DCeased: Unkillables #3 – I really enjoyed DCeased, so I was really excited about this series and it didn’t disappoint. While our heroes raced to the front lines and got infected one by one, the villains laid low and were left to pick up the pieces. When we last left our misfit crew it was comprised of Solomon Grundy, The Creeper, Cheetah, Lady Shiva, Cassandra Cain, Slade & Rose Wilson, Jason Todd, Jim Gordon, and like 8 kids. They began with more ‘heroes’ standing and the series, unfortunately, ended with less. When their hide out is compromised, they have no choice but to travel back to Gotham where there is rumored to be a safe haven. It’s smooth sailing, until a bloody thirsty Wonder Woman shows up. Everyone is sure she will infect them all, but to much surprise, someone has been holding back a secret power of their own ⚡️. I got a little misty eyed at the end of this book and I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say the villains are the heroes today!
Joker/Harley: Criminal Sanity #4 – When Black Label put out three Harley/Joker books at the same time I was concerned we’d get bored, but they were all unique takes on their stories. This series gives off heavy CSI vibes, with Doctor Harley Quinn as a crime scene investigator. Joker is still a homicidal madman, but he adds a bit of artistry to his murders ( he also reminds me a lot of The Crow, maybe it’s the duster). This issue he ruins Christmas and leaves the police with another beautifully staged crime scene and no clue to his whereabouts. Harley is sure she is close to finding the Joker, but turns out, he found her first!
Disaster Inc. #1 – Disaster Inc. is an adventure tour group lead by Paolo Alighieri and his assistant Abby. Disaster Inc. is like any other tour group… if the areas were highly dangerous and you could get arrested just for being there. Due to the nature of their trips, Paolo has extremely strict rules for his small groups, from running background checks to collecting passports before their adventures. For this tour they are headed to Fukushima, Japan, home to one of the world’s largest nuclear accidents caused by an earthquake/tsunami in 2011. The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant has been abandoned ever since and a significant part of the surrounding area has been cleared due to radiation. Paolo, being the canny tour guide he is, isn’t concerned and has brought radiation suits for his group. So, our adventurers are off in hopes to see devastatingly sad rubble and some mutated animals, I guess. What they don’t know is other people have made this trip before them and run into something much worse than radiation in this disaster zone. They just want to snap some pics and get some thrills, but there seems to be something lurking in the devastation, and they don’t tolerate visitors.
Stones’s Picks
DCEASED UNKILLABLES #3 – The final issue for Unkillables had the undead breaching the building that our survivors were trapped in, forcing them to flee to the Gotham jungle and their only chance for survival. There were some horrific deaths in this issue – yay! The relationship between heroes, anti-heroes, and villains over the course of this series has flourished into a true family. That sentiment is evident in this issue, making the moments of loss that much more meaningful. Some of the interactions between characters were cheesy, but in the middle of the apocalypse I guess everybody gets a pass while you wait for your untimely demise.
