The Weekly Pull: DC Pride, X-Men, The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, and More

Black Cat Vol. 4: Queen in Black

• Written by Jed MacKay
• Art by Various
• Colors by Various
• Lettering by Ferran Delgado and Dave Sharpe
• Published by Marvel Comics

It's delightful seeing Felicia Hardy rise to a more prominent role within the Marvel universe, and nowhere is that on display quite like this volume of Black Cat. The collection uses the recent King in Black event to create a unique arc for Felicia, one that involves her orchestrating a heist against Knull himself. What unfolds from there is purely, unabashedly entertaining, and chock-full with new costume upgrades, Easter eggs, and a pivotal showdown with Queen Cat. Black Cat is one of the most genuinely fun books in Marvel's arsenal right now, and this is an excellent jumping-on point for anyone who wants to join the ride. — Jenna Anderson

DC Pride #1

Written by Various

Art by Various

Published by DC Comics

Happy Pride Month! This month is a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and if there is one comic you're going to check out this week, DC Pride #1 should be it. Packed with many beautiful stories featuring LGBTQ+ characters brought to life by creators within the community, the whole book is not only a beautiful volume of representation from cover to cover but there are stories here that speak to the broader sense of self no matter who you are and how you identify — especially the Batwoman story that kicks off the book. While the LGBTQ+ community deserves more representation every month, DC Pride #1 is absolutely beautiful and a welcome addition to the Pride Month celebration. -- Nicole Drum

Heroes Reborn: Night-Gwen #1

• Written by Vita Ayala
• Illustrated by Farid Karami
• Colors by Erick Arciniega
• Lettering by Cory Petit
• Published by Marvel Comics

One of the biggest appeals of the Heroes Reborn event has been seeing its unexpected takes on both DC and Marvel canon, with mashups of characters and concepts that feel almost obviously perfect. It certainly looks like Night-Gwen — a one-shot that mashes up Gwen Stacy's status quo with the world of Barbara Gordon's Batgirl — will be among the best implementations of that. In their own universes, both characters are geniuses with fathers in law enforcement, who create their own significant legacy in the shadow of a more well-known male hero. In Night-Gwen, that concept is sure to be taken to some genuinely cool heights — especially with Vita Ayala and Farid Karami at the helm. If you love Gwen and Barbara, this feels like a must-read. — Jenna Anderson

Invisible Kingdom Vol. 3

• Written by G. Willow Wilson
• Art by Christian Ward
• Published by Dark Horse Comics (Berger Books)

I'm cheating a little bit with this one as Invisible Kingdom Vol. 3 actually debuted last week, but I somehow got my dates mixed up and I'm excited enough about its release that I still want to mention it here. If you missed it in issues, Invisible Kingdom is G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward's sci-fi series examining how our personal relationships help buoy us against the strife caused by institutions, be they economic or religious. The basic premise is "what if space Amazon and space religion were in bed together," and it an interesting one, but it's the strength of the character aboard the Sundog and Ward's luscious cosmic artwork that makes the series stand out. After the first two arcs of the series, publisher Berger Books decided to forgo serializing the final act of the story and release it as a fully-formed graphic novel instead. The goods news there is that the entire story is now available to read in three volumes and read it you should. -- Jamie Lovett

The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #1

• Written by Kyle Starks
• Art by Chris Schweizer
• Colors by Chris Schweizer and Liz Trice Schweizer
• Published by Image Comics

If you don't already recognize the names Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer, you won't miss them again after reading The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton. Starks is one of the funniest creators in comics as amply evidenced in works like Sexcastle and Assassin Nation. It's work that delivers multiple laughs on seemingly every page, revels in the idiosyncrasies of American popular culture, and still discovers levels of sincerity within itself at the most surprising opportunities. Schweizer possesses a keen eye for graphic design with instantly recognizable characters and dense pages. It's what has made him a skilled comics historian (as in, a historian operating in comics) and killer storyteller. Combine these talents on a series about six former sidekicks of a (very recently) deceased television star trying to solve the mystery of their mentor's death and you've got quite a comic book on your hands. If you've read Starks or Schweizer before, then you already know this is a can't-miss debut from Image Comics. If you haven't, get ready to order a lot more comics as soon as you finish issue #1. -- Chase Magnett

Sweet Tooth Compendium

• Written by Jeff Lemire
• Art by Jeff Lemire
• Colors by José Villarrubia
• Letters by Pat Brosseau
• Published by DC Comics

Netflix subscribers (along with their friends and family) went wild for Sweet Tooth this past weekend, and for good reason. The television adaptation of Jeff Lemire's magnum opus captures so much of what made comics readers fall in love with Gus and Jeppard more than 10 years ago. I still recall discovering the series during undergrad. It plays like an optimistic refrain to Cormac McCarthy's The Road with an apocalyptic elimination of human civilization shared with an acknowledgment that life finds a way, even if it is not with humans. Now new fans of the Netflix series can discover the complete source material in this affordable compendium containing all 40 issues of Sweet Tooth. This oversized paperback fits the sweeping adventure perfectly and will make for some excellent summer reading—perfect for several hours swinging in a hammock. Whether you're looking for more after streaming or just finally tackling one of Vertigo Comics' last great series, don't miss this stupendous compendium. -- Chase Magnett

X-Men #21

• Written by Jonathan Hickman
• Art by Russell Dauterman,Nick Dragotta, Sara Pichelli, and Lucas Werneck
• Colors by Frank Martin, Matthew Wilson, Sunny Gho, and Nolan Woodard
• Letters by Clayton Cowles
• Published by Marve Comics

This week, as the Hellfire Gala gets into full swing, one of the most unusual versions of X-Men comes to its end. For 21 issues, Jonathan Hickman and a variety of artists have told X-Men stories without there actually being an official team of X-Men. That changes here as a roasted of elected mutants take their place as heroes of Karkoa. Hickman puts the finishing touches on his statement about what being one of those heroes means, thus tying the whole series together. It's an obvious inclusion on any X-Men fans list this week. -- Jamie Lovett