The Weekly Pull: Batman, X-Men Red, Golden Rage, and More

Avengers Epic Collection Volume 8: Kang War

Written by Various


Art by Various


Published by Marvel Comics

This new Epic Collection of Bronze Age Avengers stories truly could not be arriving at a better time, following the recent announcement of the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty movie. This collection of Avengers and Avengers-adjacent stories showcase just some of the tyranny that Kang the Conqueror is capable of, pitting him against Earth's Mightiest Heroes in a battle throughout space and time. Some of these issues, including the "Celestial Madonna" storyline and the fight against the Squadron Sinister, are quintessential Avengers stories for me – and they should be for you too, before The Kang Dynasty rolls into theaters in a few years. -- Jenna Anderson

Batman #126

Written by Chip Zdarsky

Art by Jorge Jimenez, Belen Ortega

Published by DC Comics

Chip Zdarsky taking on Batman may be one of the best moves for this title in years and that absolutely continues in this week's Batman #126 which is precisely why it's my main recommendation. We've got a new villain that is pretty much unlike anything we've seen before, complicated connections to the past, and a backup story that is possibly even more intriguing than the main. This best Batman and Gotham have been for a very long time so this is a must read title. -- Nicole Drum

Frankenstein: New World #1

• Written by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Thomas Sniegoski
• Art by Peter Bergting
• Colors by Michelle Madsen
• Letters by Clem Robins
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

Mike Mignola's Hellboy saga ended in apocalyptic conditions and a radical rearrangement of all life on the planet, but it wasn't the end of Earth's story. Humanity was driven underground into the Hollow Earth while frogs and other creatures came to dominate its surface. One of the most prominent survivors is the being formerly known as Frankenstein who carries memories of the world before far into the future. That's the foundation for this new Mignola-verse miniseries featuring the iconic undead creation, and it provides quite a potent setting. Readers were only provided the briefest glimpses of the Earth post-Ragnarok at the end of B.P.R.D. and the opportunity to see more, centuries after the disaster, is very promising. This iteration of the monster has always provided plenty of sympathy for readers to observe and a powerful form that's a wonder to behold when drawn by artists like Peter Bergting. Wherever this new journey leads Frankenstein and whatever remains of humanity beneath the Earth's crust, it's bound to provide a fascinating, dark adventure for readers everywhere. -- Chase Magnett

Golden Rage #1

Written by Chrissy Williams
Art by Lauren Knight
Colors by Sofie Dodgson
Letters by Becca Carey
Published by Image Comics

Just when I think I've heard it all with regards to indie comics, I find out about a book like Golden Rage, which is self-described as Golden Girls meets Battle Royale. The first issue of this five-issue miniseries proves that proof of concept in spades, depicting a world in which women of a certain age are abandoned to an island where they must fight to the death. Golden Rage #1 is as charming, bizarre look at female expectations and dynamics, and I can't wait to see how it unfolds from here. — Jenna Anderson

Killadelphia #24

Written by Rodney Barnes

Art by Jason Shaw Alexander

Published by Image Comics

This week's issue of Killadelphia in many ways feels like the most ambitious yet, but it's also the most action-packed and pulls together so many threads of the entire series to now that if you are already even just a casual reader of this series, you'll want this in your hands immediately and if you aren't reading yet, this one might be the thing that brings you over. The battle for Philadelphia is here and there's a lot of weaving of the supernatural lore of this series with history and cultural experience and it's just absolutely not to be missed. -- Nicole Drum

Sacrament #1

• Written by Peter Milligan
• Art by Marcelo Frusin
• Colors by Marcelo Frusin
• Letters by Sal Cipriano
• Published by AWA Studios

There are few fusions of genre elements that provide the same promise as science-fiction and horror. The realities of our universe, especially those found in the vacuum of space, combined with all of our darkest impulses and imaginings make for a potent premise, regardless of where it's directed. That's the heart of Sacrament, a new series from AWA Studios featuring writer Peter Milligan (Hellblazer, X-Statix) and artist Marcelo Frusin (Hellblazer, Loveless), as they follow a disgraced priest beyond the year 3000 after humanity has abandoned Earth. The prospect of a nomadic human race trapped amongst the stars could be sufficiently terrifying, but in Sacrament, we've also brought the spiritual horrors of Earth with us. With exorcisms, nightmares, and the Devil themself filling the void, it guarantees a spine-chilling read. That guarantee also stems from Milligan's long catalog of work featuring horrifying elements from a variety of different genres and a genuinely wondrous imagination and Frusin's dark figures, intimidating forms, and style that can read as pure nightmare fuel. With creators and a concept like this, there's no way horror fans should miss the debut of Sacrament this week. -- Chase Magnett

Sword of Azrael #1

• Written by Dan Watters
• Art by Nikola Cizmesija
• Colors by Marissa Louise
• Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Published by DC Comics

One of my favorite, under-the-radar series of the past year was Arkham City: Order of the World, a limited series about the patients and one particular practitioner at Arkham Asylum after the big breakout of A-Day. Writer Dan Watters, working with frequent collaborator Dani, brought a distinctly '90s Vertigo Comics sensibility to the book, something I didn't know I was missing until then. One of the best parts of the story was the role of Azrael, another '90s fixture and Bruce Wayne's one-time replacement as Batman, in the role of delusional urban crusader of a very different practice than Gotham's more famous Caped Crusader. I was then delighted to learn that Watters, this time teaming with artist Nikola Cizmesija, is launching a follow-up series, Sword of Azrael, furthering Jean-Paul Valley's story. As a bonus, DC is also this week releasing Sword fo Azrael: Dark Knight of the Soul, a one-shot collecting Watters and Cizmesija's Azrael stories from Batman: Urban Legends, which lead into this new miniseries. If you have a taste for the 1990s, either superhero or Vertigo style, or maybe have a soft spot for Azrael or other dangerously unpredictable antiheroes, then this is the new release for you. -- Jamie Lovett

X-Men Red #5

• Written by Al Ewing
• Art by Stefano Caselli
• Colors by Federico Blee
• Letters by Ariana Maher
• Published by Marvel Comics

Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli's X-Men Red series has been one excellent issue after another. Any single issue of this series could have been worth a recommendation. So why X-Men Red #5 this week? Last month, Marvel kicked off its Judgement Day event, a crossover between the Avengers, the Eternals, and the X-Men. The issue ended with [SPOILERS] the genocidal Eternal called Uranos razing Planet Arakko, the terraformed Mars made into a home for the mutant population of Arakko, Krakoa's missing half. As our critic noted, the problem with the issue was that it didn't offer an Arakki perspective on the events, turning the horror into little more than a spectacle meant to draw eyes toward the crossover. X-Men Red, being set on Planet Arakko, has the opportunity to rectify that oversight. We look forward to seeing what Ewing and Caselli bring to the event.