The Weekly Pull: Iron First, DC’s Future State, Abbott 1973, and More

It is nearly new comic book day again. New releases are on the way and will hit comic book stores and digital comics platforms and each week in The Weekly Pull, ComicBook.com‘s team highlights some of the new releases that we’re are most excited about getting to read. Those releases might be from the big two publishers or a smaller press, brand new issues of ongoing series, original graphic novels, or collected editions of older material. It might involve capes and cowls or it could be from any other genre. Whatever it is that’s making us excited about comics this week, we’re going to tell you all about it.

This week, DC’s Future State continues with Catwoman, Nightwing, and more. Iron Fist gets a new series legendary writer Larry Hama, Elena Abbott returns to action in a new miniseries from BOOM! Studios, and plenty more good stuff.

What comics are you most excited about this week? Let us know which new releases you’re most excited about 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.

Abbott 1973 #1

• Written by Saladin Ahmed
• Art by Sami Kivelä
• Published by BOOM! Studios

I’m a sucker for stories with journalists as leads, and Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä’s Abbott was an excellent addition to that subgenre. Abbott is set in the 1970s and blends urban fantasy with real social concerns seen through a person of color’s eyes. Elena Abbot is back in action in this week’s Abbott 1973 #1, which sees Elena dealing with new challenges both to her professional life and her calling as the Lightbringer. Based on the first issue, the new series expands Abbott‘s world, setting up this miniseries’ conflict and more stories to come. If you slept on the first Abbott series, now is the time to rectify that error and get on board with the new volume. — Jamie Lovett

Asadora! Vol. 1

• Writing and art by Naoki Urasawa
• Published by Viz Media

Manga master Naoki Urasawa’s latest series, Asadora!, finally begins making its way to English-speaking readers courtesy of Viz Media. Urasawa is a versatile creator, dabbling in genres including adventure and sports, but is best known for mystery thrillers like Monster, 20th Century Boys, and Pluto. Asadora! combines aspects of those stories with the youthful charm of Urasawa’s recent single-volume story Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams. It follows Asa, an often forgotten daughter in a family with 12 children, abducted by a war vet who recently hit rock bottom. When a typhoon strikes their working-class neighborhood, the two bond over rescue efforts, but they also hear a strange sound in the night, like the cry of a wounded animal. Though they brush it off as the sound of the wind, the light of day reveals clues that it is something else entirely.

Urasawa’s impeccable craftsmanship is on full display here. He builds this volume primarily on conversations between Asa and her captor. Yet, the story never drags or bores, thanks to Urasawa’s dramatic and varied panels and the unmatched expressiveness he infused into his characters. The mystery that underlies this story is only beginning to unfurl by this volume’s end, and yet Asadora! Vol. 1 capably stands on its own as a thoroughly thrilling ad touchingly human tale of people at the bottom rising to the occasion. — Jamie Lovett

Crimson Flower #1

• Written by Matt Kindt
• Art by Matt Lesniewski
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

The pitch for Crimson Flower #1 revolves around “Russian folk tales, trained assassins, and government conspiracies”—just the sort of run-of-the-mill comic book that readers have come to expect from Matt Kindt. In all seriousness, every project headed by Kindt brings new ideas and executions that could only exist in the medium of comics and Crimson Flower appears to be no exception. The new series promises readers another story that fuses mind-bending plots with a nuanced appreciation for visual storytelling. If the pitch of a young woman avenging her family’s murder with the use of folk tales and deadly skills isn’t enough to sell you, then perhaps Kindt’s penchant for pushing the boundaries of a standard comic book and artist Matt Lesniewski’s engrossing style will be. It’s a potent cocktail of talent and ambition that appears ready to deliver the same highs found in past works like Mind MGMT and Dept. H. Crimson Flower already seems like a can’t-miss read for those interested in imagining what else comics can be. — Chase Magnett

Dryad Vol. 1

• Written by Kurtis J Wiebe
• Art by Justin Osterling
• Published by Oni Comics

If you haven’t met the Glass family yet, they happen to be one of the most compelling families in comics, and now you can catch up on their crazy adventure in one handy place with Dryad Vol. 1. The new trade collects the first arc by writer Kurtis Wiebe (Rat Queens), artist Justin Osterling, and colorists Justin Barcelo and Meg Casey, and features a unique mix of fantasy, magic, sci-fi, and family drama. You’ll discover the mysterious pasts of Morgan and Yale and learn the true origins of Griffon and Rana, and every new revelation has ripple effects across the entire family, and that’s before we even get to the big city, where things quickly go off the rails. Trust me, if you give Dryad a chance you’ll likely find yourself wanting to ride along on this one of a kind adventure. — Matthew Aguilar

Future State: Catwoman #1

• Written by Ram V
• Art by Otto Schmidt
• Published by DC Comics

I’ve already been excited about the vast majority of DC’s Future State titles, but I’ve been particularly looking forward to the event’s take on Catwoman. Ram V has been doing a stellar job of telling Selina’s stories in the present-day Catwoman book, which makes the idea of him crafting a futuristic neo-noir story for her and an eclectic supporting cast of DC characters all the more exciting. With Otto Schmidt – whose work on Green Arrow still remains some of my favorite things from DC in recent years – on the art, the book becomes a can’t-miss title, especially given how epic and sleek his redesign of Selina’s costume is. This is definitely a book I’ve been eager to check out, and hopefully, a lot of DC readers will feel the same way. — Jenna Anderson

Future State: Nightwing #1

• Written by Andrew Constant
• Art by Nicola Scott
• Published by DC Comics

Future State has taken a major toll on the Batman family, especially Nightwing, who has taken it upon himself to continue Batman’s mission and lead the resistance against the Magistrate. As a result, he’s the most wanted mask in the city, and writer Andrew Constant and artist Nicola Scott introduce us to this new reality and the meeting we’ve all been waiting for since Future State started, which is the meeting between this supposed new Batman and the man who knew the original. Suffice it to say this is not a book any Nightwing fan will want to miss. — Matthew Aguilar

Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon #1

• Written by Larry Hama
• Art by David Wachter
• Published by Marvel Comics

There is an abundance of superstars from comics in the 1970s and 80s who are still creating new stories today, but very few of them have been able to maintain the quality that made them recognizable in every shop across the United States. Larry Hama is an exception to this rule and his return to Marvel Comics this week with a new Iron Fist tale is an excellent proof point. The Living Weapon of K’un-L’un is forced to confront a new threat to the Heavenly Cities as a mysterious attacker seeks to kill the dragons that protect each. This story provides a back-to-basics approach emphasizing Danny Rand’s origin, eclectic allies, and unique martial abilities in the face of a daunting threat. It’s a comic that pulls its appeal from the character’s earliest appearances without ever feeling dated. This is in no small part due to Hama’s collaboration with artist David Wachter who provides some outstanding action sequences and a modern approach to storytelling. Iron Fist: Heart of the Dragon is sure to provide fans an enthralling new tale and new readers an understanding of why this character can be considered truly immortal with talents that merit a similar description. — Chase Magnett

Justice Society of America: The Demise of Justice

• Written by John Broome, Paul Levitz, and Len Strazewski
• Art by Rick Burchett, Frank Giacoia, Mike Parobeck, and Joe Staton
• Published by DC Comics

The Justice Society of America is finally starting to get their due in DC once again, with major appearances in both Stargirl and the upcoming Black Adam movie. There are a lot of good entry points to dive into the team, and this collection of The Demise of Justice is a pretty unique way of doing so. The main story, which was released in the 1990s, set out to revisit the Golden Age era of the iconic team and did so in an inspired way. Between that and reprints of two actual Golden Age JSA stories, this collection showcases what has made the JSA so special for so many decades. — Jenna Anderson

Yasmeen #6

• Written by Saif A. Ahmed
• Art by Fabiana Mascolo
• Published by Scout Comics

The final issue of Yasmeen arrives this week. One of the best comics of 2020 and quite possibly of all time, this final chapter brings Yasmeen’s story full circle, bringing closure to both the dramatic turn her story took in Yasmeen #5 as well as this entire chapter of her life. While this is certainly a comic that needs the context of the issues that preceded it, Yasmeen #6 has some powerful truths and deeply moving moments that every reader will be moved by. This comic is, as far as I am concerned, essential reading and this issue specifically so. — Nicole Drum