It’s almost another new comic book day, so new releases are hitting stores and digital platforms. Each week in The Weekly Pull, the ComicBook.com team highlights the new releases that excite us most 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.
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This week, Monstress returns, X-Men: Before the Fall spotlights the Sinister Four, and DC”s Knight Terrors event begins. Plus, a new Image Comics series from the writer of Ice Cream Man, DC’s Clark & Lex graphic novel for younger readers, and more.
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.
Barnstormers #1
- Written by Scott Snyder
- Art by Tula Lotay
- Colors by Dee Cunniffe
- Letters by Richard Starkings
- Published by Dark Horse Comics
The prospect of Tula Lotay doing interior art on any book will make it a must-read for me, but there is so much about Barnstormers that I’m excited to catch up on. One of several titles in Scott Snyder’s slate at Comixology, Barnstormers promises to be a gorgeous portrait of love and loss in the time of World War I. I’m ashamed to admit that I haven’t started this series yet, but I’ll be using this new collection as an excuse to catch up. — Jenna Anderson
Clark & Lex
- Written by Brendan Reichs
- Art by Jerry Gaylord
- Published by DC
While there are countless interpretations of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor’s lives (including James Gunn’s now-casting film reboot), the conceit of Smallville will always have a special place in my heart. Introducing Clark and Lex into each other’s lives as teenagers brings a wealth of narrative potential, and this week’s Clark and Lex graphic novel carries on the tradition. As the two meet amid a LexCorp internship, Brendan Reichs and Jerry Gaylord seem to be delivering a lovable, but no less thrilling, new take on the rivalry. — Jenna Anderson
Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale: Spider-Man Gallery Edition
- Written by Jeph Loeb
- Art by Tim Sale
- Colors by Steve Buccellato
- Letters by Wes Abbott, Richard Starkings
- Published by Marvel Comics
Spider-Man: Blue — the most popular of Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb’s Marvel “Color” series, which also includes such fan-favorite stories as Daredevil: Yellow, Hulk: Gray, and Captain America: White — gets a new printing this week in Marvel’s art-focused gallery format. Spider-Man: Blue sees Peter Parker, now married to Mary Jane Watson, thinking back on his relationship with long-dead Gwen Stacy, retelling the events of some classic Spider-Man comics with new twists and perspectives and a strong character focus. While Spider-Man: Blue has long been a sacred text among Spider-Man fans who believe Gwen to be Peter’s one and only, Sale’s artwork makes the series appealing to any reader. Thus, this new oversized printing — billed as Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale: Spider-Man Gallery Edition — is arguably the best way to read the story. Past installments of Marvel’s Gallery Edition series have enhanced the experience of comics like X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills and Wolverine: Weapon X by allowing fans to more easily pour over the details that artists Brent Anderson and Barry Windsor-Smith, respectively, put into their panels. Sale’s softer, bolder style is just as likely to benefit from the bigger page dimensions, though for different reasons, emphasizing the gracefulness of his linework and the expressiveness of his characters. Whether a longtime fan or a newcomer, this looks to be the definitive edition of the classic Spider-Man tale. — Jamie Lovett
Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy #1
- Written by G. Willow Wilson
- Art by Atagun Ilhan
- Inks by Mark Morales
- Colors by Arif Prianto
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by DC
When reading through the massive list of Knight Terrors miniseries hitting DC over the next two months, one title stood out to me like a blinking neon light: Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy. After already adoring G. Willow Wilson’s narrative for Ivy’s solo series, I would follow her stories with the character virtually anywhere. But when you factor in Harley Quinn and a WandaVision-esque twisted take on 1950s domestic bliss, Knight Terrors: Poison Ivy might be one of my most-anticipated stories to still dive into this year. — Jenna Anderson
Swan Songs #1
- Written by W. Maxwell Prince
- Art by Martin Simmonds
- Colors by Martin Simmonds
- Letters by Good Old Neon
- Published by Image Comics
There are few, if any, writers working in mainstream comics today who are as rewarding to follow from issue to issue as W. Maxwell Prince. Their work on both Ice Cream Man and Haha has revealed an artist engaged in stretching and testing their chosen medium with every opportunity presented. Prince’s approach to single-issue storytelling is centered in Swan Songs, a miniseries about endings featuring a new artist and story in each issue; it begins with The Department of Truth‘s Martin Simmonds presenting a vision of “the end of the world” in Swan Songs #1. Simmonds sets a high bar right at the miniseries’ start, although the inclusion of Caspar Wijngaard and Filipe Andrade promises every issue will be a wonder. Their work twists reality and presents layers and depths in a single page that leaves readers spellbound. Combine that with whatever idiosyncratic new concepts Prince has cooked up to consider this particularly potent sort of ending, and Swan Songs #1 promises to be an essential read for July. Whether you’ve followed the likes of Prince and Smmonds for years, like myself, or are just growing interested in their work, consider this standalone issue an absolute steal at its price. — Chase Magnett
Sword of Azreal
- Written by Dan Watters
- Art by Nikola Čižmešija
- Colors by Marissa Louise
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by DC
Even as a longtime Azrael skeptic who thought—outside of a reliably dope costume design—the character’s best moments had passed decades ago with “Knightsend,” Sword of Azrael turned me around and made me a believer; an appropriate accomplishment for a series focused on a devout Catholic and the dangerously crazed Order of St. Dumas. Writer Dan Watters dives into Jean-Paul Valley’s past in order to redefine their history beyond Batman for current readers. Although the connections to Gotham City remain, he makes clear that Azrael is a compelling anti-hero without ever touching Batman’s mantle. Additions from the Fourth World and lore dating back to the Crusades makes for a compelling story that pulls as much from historical fiction as superheroes. When you combine that story with Nikola Čižmešija’s impactful artwork and stunning mythological design work as accompanied by Marissa Louise’s gorgeous colors, you have a surefire winner. Sword of Azrael turned me around on a now-classic DC character and made me want to find more of their story. With more promised in the future, now is the perfect time to catch up on the most recent chapter of Azrael’s story in this excellent collection. — Chase Magnett
X-Men: Before the Fall – Sinister Four #1
- Written by Kieron Gillen
- Art by Paco Medina
- Colors by Edgar Delgado, Photobunker
- Letters by Ariana Maher
- Published by Marvel Comics
My jaw dropped when X-Men first revealed who was beneath Doctor Stasis’ mask. Mister Sinister has been running around for decades with that inexplicable diamond on his forehead. How did it take this long for someone to get the idea to build upon that random detail? The creators working in the X-Office have done just that, introducing Doctor Stasis, Orbis Stellaris, and Mother Righteous as Mister Sinister’s rival suits. As the Krakoan era approaches the Fall of X in the wake of the Sins of Sinister event, and with Mister Sinister now defeated (in more ways than one) and imprisoned in the Pit beneath Krakoa, Immortal X-Men writer Kieron Gillen teams with artist Paco Medina for X-Men: Before the Fall — The Sinister Four #1, an issue that promises to dive deeper into who these characters are and what their plans for Dominion look like. The revelations about Mother Righteous that have already shown up have been fascinating enough. With this creative team at the helm, a deeper dive into the Sinister Four’s secrets should be a site worth seeing. — Jamie Lovett
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