The Weekly Pull: Green Arrow, Sins of Sinister: Dominion, Killadelphia, and More
Alien #1
- Written by Declan Shalvey
- Art by Andrea Broccardo
- Colors by Triona Farrell
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
- Published by Marvel Comics
If I'm being honest, I haven't found much to love in Marvel's Alien comics thus far, but there's reason to hope that this latest volume, launching as part of the nascent 20th Century Studios imprint, will be different. For one thing, if there's a creator I trust to bring the dark sci-fi atmosphere that is the signature of the best Alien stories, it's Declan Shalvey, the writer of the new series. Based on preview pages, artist Andrea Broccardo and colorist Triona Farrell are doing something a little different with the visuals, contrasting the expected blackness of an alien book with more cartoonish and brightly-colored characters. It's an interesting and exciting new approach, and I can't wait to see how it turns out. -- Jamie Lovett
prevnextThe Creature Commandos!
- Written by J.M. DeMatteis
- Art by Pat Broderick
- Published by DC
The hype surrounding James Gunn and Peter Safran's DCU slate was impossible to ignore — especially because it turned some long-out-of-print collections of its future source material into a hot commodity. A few months after that initial announcement, some of the new printings are beginning to hit shelves. While nearly all of them are worthy of checking out, I highly recommend starting with Creature Commandos — not only because its Max-exclusive animated series will realistically be the first project released on the slate, but because the stories within this trade are truly wonderful. A blend of classic war tales and monster fare, the Creature Commandos stories were something special upon their initial release, and they still remain something special all these years later. — Jenna Anderson
prevnextDeep Cuts #1
- Written by Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark
- Art by Danilo Beyruth
- Colors by Igor Monti
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by Image Comics
Six double-sized issues detailing the tragedies and joys of jazz's history across the 20th century from some of the most acclaimed names working with Image Comics today is about all the pitching that's required for Deep Cuts. Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark's work on the "Massive-verse" have shown their style with the superhero genre, but Deep Cuts threatens to be a much more passion-driven project given its lack of emphasis on the direct market's best-selling fare. Image Comics has a long history of successful adaptations of music to comics, ranging from the likes of Phonogram to recent coups like Blue in Green; Deep Cuts threatens to follow in that tradition and focus on a style of music filled with a modern history tracing the veins of the United States. Artist Danilo Beyruth's work possesses an immediate power capable of translating both the indulgent settings and straining horns of jazz into pages that capture its power. However Deep Cuts may develop, there's little doubt that issue #1 will be worth checking out. -- Chase Magnett
prevnextGreen Arrow #1
- Written by Joshua Williamson
- Art by Sean Izaakse
- Colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Letters by Troy Peteri
- Published by DC
As a massive Green Arrow fan (yes, I love him even more than I love Batman and that says something), Green Arrow #1 is without a doubt the comic I've looked most forward to all year so there was no way this wasn't going to make my recommendation list this week — but that's not just because I'm a huge fan who has had this on my manifestation board for years. Green Arrow #1 promises to be a perfect jumping-on point for readers even if they aren't familiar with Oliver Queen and his story while also delivering to die-hard fans like me plenty to get excited about. It's a book with history, lore, and tons of epic characters all put together on what promises to be a complex and intriguing adventure. And it's written by Joshua Williamson who tends to do a fantastic job with really understanding the characters he's working with. Trust me: this is one you absolutely need to read this week. -- Nicole Drum
prevnextKilladelphia #30
- Written by Rodney Barnes
- Art by Jason Shawn Alexander, German Erramouspe, and Robert Melendrez
- Colors by Lee Loughridge
- Letters by Marshall Dillon
- Published by Image Comics
I have been singing the praises of Killadelphia from the very first issue and once again I am here to put the book on your radar this week. Killadelphia #30 is the eagerly awaited "crossover" with Nita Hawes Nightmare Blog, but there's a lot more in this issue than just that. Killadelphia, at its best, uses its storytelling to not only tell this really interesting horror story about vampires, but it also tells the reader stories about themselves: about our history, our society, and our humanity — and frequently, our lack of it. This issue is no exception and it isn't just a should-read; it's a must-read. -- Nicole Drum
prevnextLegends of the DC Universe: Carmine Infantino
- Written by Various
- Illustrated by Carmine Infantino
- Published by DC
For years, I have been evangelizing to people about how great Carmine Infantino is, and with this week's Legends of the DC Universe collection, I finally have an accessible way to show people how great he is. Infantino's work in the DCU — first as an illustrator, and later as the company's editor — is unbelievably extensive and impressive, and a handful of those highlights are collected here. Come for the first appearances of characters like Black Canary and Barry Allen, stay for forgotten gems like Danger Trail and The Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog. — Jenna Anderson
prevnextSins of Sinister: Dominion #1
- Written by Kieron Gillen
- Art by Paco Medina and Lucas Werneck
- Colors by Bryan Valenza
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
- Published by Marvel Comics
When "Sins of Sinister" was announced to replace the three best ongoing X-Men series—X-Men Red, Immortal X-Men, and Legion of X, obviously—for three months in a crossover event detailing an alternate timeline in which Mister Sinister's machinations ran wild across the universe for a full millennia, I was nervous about the outcome. Now, across three months of stories readers have witnessed an impressive saga detailing grand sci-fi concepts and rooted in character culminating in Sins of Sinister: Dominion this week. Even in the face of a Moira clone wiping this timeline from existence, it has found relevance in its own struggles and promises to tie back into the core conflicts of the X-line. Those who appreciated Hickman's infographics and deconstruction of timelines in House of X/Powers of X will recognize the carefully constructed nature of this finale with the two surviving Sinisters squaring off to control history, but the passion of Storm in Red, the vitality of Nightcrawler in Legion, and complex relationships and motives of Immortal have all gone to shape the story and threaten to steal back the narrative from Sinister. Combine that with splendidly depicted action and Lucas Werneck's outstanding design work, and readers are in for a treat as the grandest mutant dystopia since "Age of Apocalypse" draws to a close. -- Chase Magnett
prevnextStar Wars: Darth Vader - Black, White & Red #1
- Written by Jason Aaron, Torunn Grønbekk, Peach Momoko
- Art by Peach Momoko, Klaus Janson, Leonard Kirk
- Colors by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
- Letters by Joe Caramagna
- Published by Marvel Comics
I was able to screen the second season of Lucasfilm's Star Wars: Visions animated television anthology series early (spoiler alert, it's good). While I'm in my comfort zone as a writer shining a light on the strange and often forgotten corners of Star Wars canon past and present, watching Star Wars: VIsions reminded me of how much fun Star Wars can be when creators are allowed to ignore the continuity and remix George Lucas' ideas and universe in their unique styles. With that in mind, I'm looking forward to Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White & Red #1, the start of a new anthology miniseries from Marvel Comics. Done in the same fashion as Marvel's past Black, White, & Red anthologies, each issue features one chapter of a single story serialized throughout the four-issue miniseries accompanied by two short tales from top creators in the industry who are free to depict the Star Wars universe and the titular Dark Lord of the Sith in their distinctive voices and styles. This first issue features stories by Jason Aaron, Torunn Grønbekk, Peach Momoko, Klaus Janson, and Leonard Kirk, which is quite a creative cast to kick off the series. -- Jamie Lovett
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