The Weekly Pull: Detective Comics, The Amazing Spider-Man, Ant-Man, and More
The Amazing Spider-Man #
- Written by Various
- Art by Various
- Published by Marvel Comics
This week, Marvel Comics celebrates the 900 issues of The Amazing Spider-Man with The Amazing Spider-Man #6 (just roll with it). I might not have paid any attention to the milestone if writer Zeb Wells and artist John Romita Jr. hadn't hooked so well on the current iteration of the long-running series with strong characterizations, clever twists, and absolutely killer artwork. While the continuing Wells/Romita collaboration is the primary reason I'm here, this 60th-anniversary milestone offers multiple stories, featuring creators like Dan Slott, Jeff Loveness, Daniel Kibblesmith, Todd Nauck, Ed Mcguinness, and David Lopez, making it an attractive package for even lapsed Spider-Man readers. -- Jamie Lovett
prevnextAnt-Man #1
- Written by Al Ewing
- Art by Tom Reilly
- Colors by Jordie Bellaire
- Letters by Cory Petit
- Published by Marvel Comics
Artist Tom Reilly recently took Marvel Comics readers by the shoulders and shook them wide awake in the pages of The Thing – a five-issue miniseries following the beloved hero through all sorts of strange settings and scenarios. His characters and sequences are composed of only essential lines that present a clarity of action and form. Whether it's a sorcerous battle in Hell or a slugfest on the streets of New York City, Reilly's vision of Marvel simply reads as being essential. Combine that eye with Al Ewing's knack for weaving continuity and science-fiction into plots of similar substance and it promises pure comics alchemy. That's the duo behind this four-issue miniseries tracing the many people to don the guise of Ant-Man across Marvel history in a story that promises to weave them and their different eras together in surprising fashion. This first issue focuses on Hank Pym and, most likely, the earliest days of the Ant-Man costume. Wherever it starts and wherever it goes, however, Ant-Man promises to be a can't-miss series from two of the best creators telling superhero stories today. -- Chase Magnett
prevnextDC: Mech #1
- Written by Kenny Porter
- Art by Baldemar Rivas
- Colors by Mike Spicer
- Letters by Tom Napolitano
- Published by DC Comics
Superhero comics, at their core, are and have been absurd. It feels like the best comics of the modern era are ones that lean into that mindset wholeheartedly, creating delightful larger-than-life sequences that can't quite exist anywhere else. Enter DC: Mech, a series that takes that mindset to heart unabashedly, imagining a version of the DC universe that has been dominated by Apokoliptian mechs since the end of World War II. If the first issue is any indication, that concept is going to make way for some gleefully fun and well-executed storytelling, particularly with unabashedly cool art from Baldemar Rivas. DC Mech looks like it's going to be a whole lot of fun, which is all you could probably ask of it. — Jenna Anderson
prevnextDetective Comics #1062
- Written by Ram V
- Art by Rafael Albuquerque
- Colors by Dave Stewart
- Letters by Ariana Maher
- Published by DC Comics
Sometimes fans simply know when they're living in a good time for a certain character or comic; it's when a vibe meets history and you realize this concept you care about, regardless of various publishing shenanigans, hasn't been this good for a while. That's what's happening to the Batman line at DC Comics right now and Detective Comics is set to be the crown jewel of a very impressive roster of comics featuring the caped crusader. Writer Ram V's work at DC Comics has been nothing short of stellar – delivering the most critically acclaimed Swamp Thing run since Alan Moore wrote the character; his mastery of thematic plotting and deft character flourishes make for engrossing reads. Artist Rafael Albuquerque has made his style instantly recognizable across a wide array of moody, fast-paced, and always entertaining comics at most notable publishers in nearly every genre and tone imaginable. Paired together, they demand an audience. Combine them with a gothic and supernatural concept on one of the most famed ongoing series to ever exist, and readers everywhere ought to expect magic. It's truly a great time to be a Batman reader, and that's obvious to anyone who's paying attention. -- Chase Magnett
prevnextSuperman: Spage Age #1
- Written by Mark Russell
- Art by Michael Allred
- Colors by Laura Allred
- Letters by Dave Sharpe
- Published by DC Comics
Marvel Comics' Life Story miniseries have been interesting experiments with aging characters in real-time and setting their adventures against real-life history. DC Comics seems to be taking a similar approach with Superman: Space Age, a new three-part miniseries from writer Mark Russell and artist Michael Allred that's a work of historical fiction featuring pre-Crisis on Infinite Earths era Superman. I'm not sure what, exactly, to expect from this series beyond one of the greatest comic book artists of the 21st century drawing classic Superman, which is good enough for me, but Russell also has a stellar track record, recently earning an Eisner nomination for his AWA series Not All Robots. There's a lot of talent behind this project and I'm eager to see what they come up with for the Man of Tomorrow. -- Jamie Lovett
prevnextZatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend
- Written by Alys Arden
- Illustrated by Jacquelin de Leon
- Published by DC Comics
Zatanna has remained a DC character with a wealth of untapped narrative potential, with her blend of relatable charm and larger-than-life magical contexts making way for a lot of wildly different stories. This week's Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend is the latest example of that, placing a younger version of Zatanna in the middle of a story of family legacy, love, and the magic of Coney Island. Alys Arden's work on The Casquette Girls proves she'll be a fun adapter of Zatanna's story, and the art from Jacquelin de Leon looks like a swoon-worthy dream. This book feels like a must-read for Zatanna fans of every age. — Jenna Anderson
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