The Weekly Pull: DC Pride: Through the Years, Night Fever, Wolverine: Snikt!, and More
06/13/2023 04:41 pm EDT
COPRA: Round Seven
- Created by Michael Fiffe
- Published by Image Comics
Every new collection of COPRA merits a recommendation considering it's the easiest way for comics readers of so many stripes to seek out the outstanding work of Michel Fiffe; while individual issues are still allotted very limited printings, everyone can pick up each new "Round" of the revenge saga. "Round Seven" merits special attention because it includes many long out-of-print issues. The heart of the collection is the newest set of issues spanning COPRA #42-45 that lay the groundwork for the series finale; the effects of "The Ochizon Saga" spill out into ever more turmoil and even an uprising. Additionally, fans will finally receive both COPRA #25 and all 5 issues of COPRA Versus in a collected edition. The oversized anniversary issue takes readers back to the team's earlier days framing the team's earliest enemies and conflicts. Meanwhile, COPRA Versus provides vignettes from across the series' many incredible settings featuring its many villains. Whether it's exploring the career of a cyborg mercenary or an extradimensional warlord, each installment is thrilling unto itself as detailed by Fiffe's enthralling layouts. COPRA: Round Seven may be the beginning of the end for the series, but it also serves as a reminder that, whether you're reading it for the first or fourteenth time, COPRA is a once-in-a-lifetime achievement in comics. -- Chase Magnett
DC Pride: Through the Years #1
- Written by Various
- Art by Various
- Published by DC
It was already impressive enough for the annual DC Pride one-shot to capture the present and future of the publisher's LGBTQ+ storytelling — but this week's DC Pride: Through the Years provides a necessary look back. Collecting a string of key stories tied to Kate Kane, Pied Piper, and Lee Serrano — as well as a new story starring Alan Scott — the issue showcases just how much the publisher has done for LGBTQ+ storytelling, as well as how much more is left to be done. — Jenna Anderson
Night Fever
- Written by Ed Brubaker
- Art by Sean Phillips
- Colors by Jacob Phillips
- Letters by Sean Phillips
- Published by Image Comics
Ever since the indomitable creative duo of writer Ed Brubaker and artist Sean Phillips opted to focus on whatever projects most interested them under the Image Comics banner, they've been publishing a non-stop string of hits. While much of their recent output has focused on the serialized detective stories of Reckless, standalone volumes like Pulp have provided readers with intriguing tales that pull from long traditions in genre fare but read like nothing else in comics today. That's true of Night Fever, their newest work available this week, which features mundane publishing businessman Jonathan Webb "becoming" Rainer while away in Europe. The story pulls on the most thrilling elements of classics like The Strange Case of Doctor Jekyll & Mister Hyde to craft an original tale in which the line between polite society and violent intrigues grows ever thinner. In addition to being an engrossing yarn, it also provides Phillips opportunities to detail the darkest shadows of European architecture in sequences running throughout an unnamed city with shades of Venice. Whether readers already know to look for any new title featuring the names Brubaker and Phillips or considering trying their work for the first time, Night Fever makes for an irresistible introduction. -- Chase Magnett
Son of Origins of Marvel Comics: Marvel Tales #1
- Written by Various
- Art by Various
- Published by Marvel Comics
There are so many Marvel Comics installments that I wish would always remain in print, especially to provide an easy jumping-on point for newer fans. This week's newest Marvel Tales reprint provides one of the best facsimiles of that yet, collecting early stories of adventures for Thor, the Hulk, Daredevil, and more. This collection is worth it purely to see the now-legendary work of Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, and more. — Jenna Anderson
Star Trek Library Collection Vol. 1
- Written by various
- Art by various
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Published by IDW Publishing
Star Trek comics have a weird and tumultuous history going back to the original Gold Key-published comics that barely resembled the show. After that, they bound from Marvel Comics to DC for over a decade. DC shared custody with Malibu Comics for a few years before reverting to Marvel for 18 months. Star Trek returned to DC via WildStorm for a few years before the license went dormant. In 2007, after years with no Star Trek comics at all, IDW Publishing began releasing new Star Trek comics and the publisher has been Star Trek's comic book home ever since. IDW has published over 400 comic book issues featuring stories from the Star Trek universe. That's a lot of comics to keep track of, which is how we get to the Star Trek Library Collection, a series of thick paperbacks where IDW plans to collect its first 400 Star Trek comics in an easily readable order and format. They're starting with a volume that collects the Star Trek miniseries tied to 2009's Star Trek movie. Star Trek: Countdown and Star Trek: Nero both are prequels that were once considered canon since Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman penned their stories, while Spock: Reflections is held in high regard by fans as a definitive look at the life of Mr. Spock. If classic Star Trek is more speed, then know that the already solicited Star Trek Library Collection Vol. 2 will reprint IDW's first Star Trek: The Next Generation stories. Whether you're a completist or simply interested in cherry-picking volumes, any Star Trek comics fans should keep their eye out for more of these releases. -- Jamie Lovett
Teen Titans Academy Vol. 2: Exit Wounds
- Written by Tim Sheridan
- Art by Various
- Published by DC
The Teen Titans have been a conduit for some fascinating status quo changes in the DC Universe, and Teen Titans Academy might be one of the most unique examples of that yet. The ongoing series followed multiple generations of Titans training the young heroes of tomorrow, and in this week's second volume, that involves some impossibly-charming adventures. A lot of people slept on Teen Titans Academy when it was first released, but this reprint provides a prime opportunity to give it another shot. — Jenna Anderson
Wolverine: Snikt!
- Writing and art by Tsutomu Nihei
- Colors by Guru-eFX
- Letters by Cory Petit
- Published by VIz Media
I've long felt that the best Wolverine solo stories are the ones that give him distance from his adventures as part of the X-Men (or, occasionally, other superhero teams) and treat him like a pulp adventure character in the same vein as Conan. Dropping Logan off in an unfamiliar and dangerous environment full of hostile enemies working for a villainous-overlord type tends to be a recipe for success (see Wolverine: The Jungle Adventure for the best example). The 2003 miniseries Wolverine: Snikt! takes that concept in a sci-fi direction and then elevates it. Tsutomu Nihei, the manga artist known at the time for Blame! before later creating Knights of Sidonia brings a style that is far removed from what Marvel has ever typically published and stands out even in the manga landscape for its starchy lines, giving his work the look of storyboards for a kick-ass sci-fi movie (as Nick Dragotta alludes to in his introduction to this new volume). Wolverine: Snikt! has long been out of print, making one of the best Wolverine comics ever created difficult for fans to find via legitimate means without spending an absurd amount of money. Luckily, Viz Media has come to the rescue with this new reprint. Readers and Wolverine fans especially should not pass up this opportunity to discover a hidden gem. -- Jamie Lovett
Xino #1
- Written by Chris Condon, Jordan Thomas, Melissa Flores, Phil Hester
- Art by Phil Hester, Shaky Kane, Daniel Irizarri, Nick Cagnetti
- Published by Oni Press
I am fascinated by comic book anthologies and their place in the industry. 2000 AD has long been an institution in the British comics landscape, and Japan has an abundance of manga magazines focusing on different age groups, with Weekly Shonen Jump being the best known among American fans. In the United States, Dark Horse Presents introduced readers to the worlds of Concrete and Sin City for the first time. However, there hasn't been a true successor to Dark Horse Presents since it ceased publication. Heavy Metal (an English-language spinoff of the sporadically published French Métal hurlant anthology) is still around yet lacks the visibility and prominence of other such magazines in their respective markets (though Heavy Metal is headed for a relaunch soon). This is a long walk to talking about Xino #1, Oni Press's new limited sci-fi anthology that looks to showcase talented creators telling weird sci-fi stories. The preview art has an underground vibe, and while it's only slated for a three-issue run, I'm already hoping for an extension or future iterations. Xino looks to be a tasty sampling platter of talented creators and bite-sized genre fiction. -- Jamie Lovett
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