The Weekly Pull: The Amazing Spider-Man, Green Lantern, Something Epic, and More

Jamie Lovett

05/09/2023 04:28 pm EDT

It's almost another new comic book day, which means new releases hitting stores and digital platforms. Each week in The Weekly Pull, the ComicBook.com team highlights the new releases that have us the most excited about another week of comics. Whether those releases are from the most prominent publisher or a small press, brand new issues of ongoing series, original graphic novels, or collected editions of older material, whether it involves capes and cowls or comes from any other genre, if it has us excited about comic books this week, then we're going to tell you about it in The Weekly Pull.

This week, The Amazing Spider-Man celebrates an anniversary, a new Green Lantern series, and the launch of Something Epic at Image Comics. Plus, a new volume of Best of 2000 AD, the return of Gotham Academy, and new collections from Marvel and DC.

What comics are you most excited about this week? Let us know which new releases you're looking forward to reading in the comments, and feel free to leave some of your suggestions as well. Check back tomorrow for our weekly reviews and again next week for a new installment of The Weekly Pull.

The Amazing Spider-Man #25

(Photo: John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna, Marcio Menyz, Marvel Comics)

Written by Zeb Well, Rainbow Rowell
Art by Kaare Andrews, Alvaro López, John Romita Jr.
Inks by Scott Hanna
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics

Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. have made The Amazing Spider-Man a more exciting series than it has been in years, restoring it to a top-tier Marvel book with the same weight as event television. It even took home ComicBook.com's Golden Issue for best ongoing series of 2022 (a surprisingly controversial choice if social media is anything to go by). The series celebrates its 25th issue this week with a story that will reveal what happened to Mary Jane after Spider-Man accidentally left her behind in an alternate, ruined reality. The over-sized issue, featuring guest art by Kaare Andrews, will finally reveal where Mary Jane's kids came from and get readers one step closer to Amazing Spider-Man #26, billed as the most controversial Spider-Man story of all time, and perhaps a greater understanding of why everyone hates Spider-Man these days. The issue has all of that plus a backup story by Runaways/She-Hulk writer Rainbow Rowell and artist Alvaro López. In other words, no comic this week has more anticipation around ti than this one, and fans shouldn't miss it. -- Jamie Lovett

Best of 2000 AD Vol. 3

(Photo: Erica Henderson, Rebellion)

Written by various
Art by various
Published by Rebellion

Best of 2000 AD is back for its third volume this week, offering another installment of the best way to get into the British comics institution's massive catalog of quality stories. We adored Best of 2000 AD Vol. 1 and Best of 2000 AD Vol. 2 and have little reason to believe the quality will this time out. Best of 2000 AD Vol. 3 features a modern Judge Dredd tale by Michael Carroll and Mark Sexton, Gorden Rennie and Frazer Irving's psychedelic superhero saga Storming Heaven, Ian Edginton and D'Israeli's aquatic horror story Leviathan (capably introduced by PanelxPanel co-editor Tiffany Babb), a classic Judge Dredd episode from John Wagner and Ron Smith, and closes out with another page of D.R. & Quinch by Jamie Delano and Alan Davis. A lineup like that should be hard to resist for the 2000 AD faithful and newcomers alike. -- Jamie Lovett

Daredevil #11

(Photo: Marco Checchetto, Matt Wilson, Marvel Comics)

Written by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo
Art by Marco Checchetto, Lynne Yoshii, and Rafael De Latorre
Colors by Matthew Wilson
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Published by Marvel Comics

There are only a few issues remaining in the most impressive, inventive, and impactful Daredevil run since Mark Waid and Chris Samnee last put the series on top of every Marvel reader's pull file. Although the epic battle against The Hand has been fought, with dragons and magic-infused Punishers dispatched, the consequences of Matt Murdock's attempt to revolutionize how "evil" is treated in his world have led mostly to tragedy. With his attempted paradise buried and most of his allies imprisoned, Daredevil is as desperate as he's ever been, and it's anyone's guess where that will lead. From the very start of this titanic run, writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Marco Checchetto have vividly questioned the premises of law and order upon which the superhero genre relies and told an engrossing story filled with memorable characters and new takes on classic concepts. The promise of that potential has been fulfilled with each new climax and promises readers a denouement that may mark this as one of the all-time greats of a series already filled with them. Combine that with a backup story featuring Iron Man and some additional, excellent creative talent, and Daredevil #11 is can't-miss comics for anyone who calls themself a Daredevil fan. -- Chase Magnett

Green Lantern #1

(Photo: Xermanico, DC)

Written by Jeremy Adams and Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Art by Xermanico and Montos
Colors by Adriano Lucas, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Published by DC

The Dawn of DC initiative has been revitalizing a lot of languished corners of DC lore — and this week, that treatment finally extends to the Green Lantern Corps. In two stories, Green Lantern #1 debuts the new status quos of both Hal Jordan and John Stewart, tales that are sure to mirror their histories with a uniquely modern flair. If the track record of recent Dawn of DC books is any indication, Green Lantern #1 is sure to be something special. — Jenna Anderson

Gotham Academy: Maps of Mystery #1

(Photo: Karl Kerschl, DC)

Written by Karl Kerschl, Becky Cloonan, and Brenden Fletcher
Art by Karl Kerschl
Published by DC

I will never pass up the opportunity to recommend Gotham Academy, which has remained one of my favorite slice-of-life takes on the world of superheroics. This week's Maps of Mystery one-shot provides the closest thing we have yet to a proper Gotham Academy sequel, collecting a recent string of stories returning to the series' world. This includes a few backup stories spotlighting fan-favorite Maps Mizoguchi's efforts to be Batman's latest sidekick, as well as the academia-themed story from DC's recent Saved by the Belle Reve collection. If you fell in love with Gotham Academy years ago, this reprint collection is a must-have for your collection. — Jenna Anderson

The New Champion of Shazam!

(Photo: Evan "Doc" Shaner, DC)

Written by Josie Campbell
Art by Doc Shaner
Letters by Becca Carey
Published by DC

No other DC comic from last year impacted me in the way that New Champion of Shazam! did. Josie Campbell, Doc Shaner, and company's take on the adventures of Mary Marvel — who is thrown into an unlikely hero's journey in Billy Batson's absence — just might be the best Marvel Family story I've ever read. Whether Mary is tackling the latest supernatural threat or dealing with the trials and tribulations of attending college, New Champion finds ways to be hilarious, beautiful, and incredibly profound. You owe it to yourself to read it. — Jenna Anderson

Namor the Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores

(Photo: Pasqual Ferry, Matt Hollingsworth, Marvel Comics)

Written by Christopher Cantwell
Art by Pasqual Ferry
Colors by Matt Hollingsworth
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics

Readers looking for the next big thing at Marvel Comics would be well advised to keep their eyes on both writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Pasqual Ferry, and all of the evidence required can be found in their recent miniseries Namor the Sub-Mariner: Conquered Shores. The story takes place in an alternate timeline where climate change and intergalactic war have devastated Earth, leaving humanity near extinction and Atlantis in control. It follows a semi-retired Namor as he takes stock of his life and surviving friends from a golden age of heroes, and reveals the conflicted, anti-hero that has made Namor such a compelling lead for decades. Both the setting and weary characters filling it build upon the lore of Marvel Comics to tell a sci-fi story that questions how people continue when hope is so sparse. It's a thrilling adventure filled with pathos and wondrous, watery illustrations of newly formed landscapes. Whether readers love a dark, alternate future or new takes on the iconic Invaders, Conquered Shores delivers a standalone story they won't soon forget. While Cantwell and Ferry progress to in-continuity projects with even greater profiles, it's apparent their distinctive styles and approach to superhero comics will infuse Marvel Comics with fantastic new stories for years to come. -- Chase Magnett

Something Epic #1

(Photo: Szymon Kudranksi, Image Comics)

Created by Szymon Kudranski
Letters by DC Hopkins
Published by Image Comics

Szymon Kudranski has been working in comics for 20-ish years, bringing his distinctive, shadowy style to the likes of Batman, Spawn, the Punisher, and more. Now he's launching a series that is all his at Image Comics. Something Epic draws on Kudranski's experience as a creative artist, set in a world where the things people imagine are real. However, few people are capable of seeing or interacting with them. It's a compelling premise, especially as it allows Kudranski to expand beyond his usual, grounded work to different styles, illustrating the variety of beings existing on this creative plane. It's a great pitch, and we're eager to see it executed. -- Jamie Lovett

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