The Weekly Pull: Wonder Woman, X-Men: Forever, Dawnrunner, and More

Astro City: Metrobook Vol. 5

• Written by Kurt Busiek
• Art by Brent Eric Anderson with Graham Nolan, Jesús Merino, Joe Infurnari, Gary Chaloner, and Wade von Grawbadger
• Colors by Alex Sinclair, Wendy Broome, and Peter Pantazis
• Letters by John Roshell with Jimmy Betancourt and Albert Deschesne
• Published by Image Comics

When Astro City returned for its third volume during the final days of the Vertigo Comics banner, it made clear the series hadn't lost its deft touch for single-issue storytelling during the years-long "Dark Ages" saga. Nearly every issue (or pair of issues) collected in the fifth Metrobook collection at Image Comics presents a singular story set in Astro City that showcases its own character, concepts, and themes with no additional reading required. The pure storytelling economy showcased in that regard by writer Kurt Busiek and artist Brent Eric Anderson (alongside a bevy of collaborators) makes these must-read issues for modern fans of superhero comics. They are meaningful and personal stories, but also heart-stopping thrillers, and joyful adventures; there is seemingly no limit to the range of what Astro City can accomplish in just more than 20 pages. Even readers intimidated by the five on the front of this fat phonebook of a volume ought to consider it. While these tales come from later in Astro City's history, they are every bit as accessible as the earliest installments introducing the likes of The Samaritan and The Hooded Man. The truth is that this collection is bound to please any reader interested in superhero comics as there are few better examples of the medium or genre to be found. -- Chase Magnett

Dawnrunner #1

• Written by Ram V
• Art by Evan Cagle
• Colors by Dave Stewart
• Letters by Aditya Bidikar
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

Dawnrunner is giving off strong Pacific Rim meets Neon Genesis Evangelion vibes, but for all ages, and as I love Pacific Rim and Neon Genesis Evangelion, I'm all in. For one hundred years since a portal opened over Central America and started spitting kaiju-like creatures called Tetza, humanity has defended itself by building massive mechs called Iron Kings to battle them. Dawnrunner follows a young pilot named Anita Marr, who is tasked with learning to operate an experimental new Iron King design. So yeah, like I said, Pacific Rim meets Neon Genesis Evangelion, but Ram V is one of the most thoughtful writers in comics, which makes me confident that there's more to Dawrunner than a simple blending of mecha tropes from various popular entries into the genre's canon. I'm less familiar with Evan Cagle's work, but the Dawnrunner preview pages are sleek and gorgeous. Consider this highly anticipated. -- Jamie Lovett

DC's Ape-ril Special #1

Written by Various
Art by Various
Published by DC

One of my favorite pieces of comics trivia, which I will dispense at any given opportunity, concerns the DC Universe's love of primates. Julius Schwartz, publisher of DC's books beginning in the Golden Age, famously deduced that covers with gorillas doing unexpected things sold well, prompting full "Gorilla Months" of themed variant covers. It's easy to draw a connection between that and the number of monkey-themed heroes and villains DC has today — and this week's April Fool's anthology, DC's Ape-ril Special, puts them all in the spotlight. For so many reasons, this is a must-buy for my collection. — Jenna Anderson

Man's Best #1

• Written by Pornsak Pichetshote
• Art by Jesse Lonergan
• Colors by Jesse Lonergan
• Letters by Jeff Powell
• Published by Boom Studios

Comic book readers tend to focus on the concept or the creators when considering which new series to read and Man's Best #1 delivers on both accounts. The high-concept of this Boom Studios series is three pets in the far-flung future seeking to save their owners from hostile forces after landing on an alien planet, which delivers everything from simple sentimentality to mind-blowing technology. What's more is that it comes from writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Jesse Lonergan – two of the most exciting creators working in comics today. Pichetshote is best known for The Good Asian, one of the best examples of noir detective and historical fiction in modern comics. He excels at developing rich characters and commentaries within the structure of genre fiction and making stories set far from the modern era about our own world. Lonergan's Image Comics publications are all worth seeking out, but it was Hedra that drew eyes and awards buzz. The issue showcased a skill at using layouts to advance the story and the ability to quickly introduce new ideas and experiment without ever losing the reader's eye. Pichetshote and Lonergan collaborating on a story described as "Homeward Bound on an alien world" is the sort of solicitation that leaves readers no excuse but to see what it's about this Wednesday. -- Chase Magnett

Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant

• Written by Iman Vellani and Sabir Pirzada
• Art by Carlos Gomez and Adam Gorham
• Colors by Erick Arciniega
• Letters by Joe Caramagna
• Published by Marvel Comics

One of my highlights of last year's comics ecosystem was getting to see Iman Vellani, who has portrayed Kamala Khan / Ms. Marvel to great acclaim in the MCU, put her stamp on the character in the comics. The Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant miniseries, which is co-written by Vellani, explores Kamala's newest status quo as a member of the X-Men, and the end result is lively and surprising in so many ways. This week's trade paperback provides an opportunity to experience the entire story in one sitting — something I highly recommend, especially with the sequel, Ms. Marvel: Mutant Menace, already underway. — Jenna Anderson

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan #1

• Written by Erik Burnham
• Art by Mateus Santolouco
• Colors by Marco Leskko
• Letters by Shawn Lee
• Published by IDW Publishing

While Jason Aaron's upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles relaunch generates buzz, plenty of exciting TMNT comics are dropping before July. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan is one exciting example. The series sees writer Erik Burnham and artist Mateus Santolouco, one of the standout artists working on IDW's Turtles line, reteaming to create a follow-up to The Secret History of the Foot Clan, the highly regarded miniseries they created for IDW's TMNT line early in its run. That series revealed the origins of the Foot Clan, Shredder, and the rivalry between Oroku Saki and Master Splinter. More than a decade later, The Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan sees Shredder's descendent, Oroku Karai, leading the Foot Clan and turning to ancient, mystical ninja arts to chart a new course for the organization. The Secret History of the Foot Clan set a high bar in fans' minds, but with the same creative team reuniting, there's every reason to believe The Untold Destiny of the Foot Clan will be as memorable as its predecessor. -- Jamie Lovett

Wonder Woman #7

• Written by Tom King
• Art by Guillem March
• Published by DC

The newest era of Wonder Woman comics has already sold like gangbusters and provoked a lot of conversation — but that's not why I'm excited for this issue. The mere concept of Diana and Superman traveling to the cosmos to find the perfect birthday present for Batman delights me so much that I have to see it through. Given writer Tom King's track record with issues like the Batman/Superman date night from a few years ago, I have faith that this is going to be something delightful. — Jenna Anderson

X-Men: Forever #1

• Written by Kieron Gillen
• Art by Luca Maresca
• Colors by Federico Blee
• Letters by Clayton Cowles
• Published by Marvel Comics

Having received our first look at the upcoming new era of X-Men comics, the reality that the Krakoan age is ending has finally begun to set in. That final chapter began with Fall of the House of X, but there's one more miniseries left to launch in Krakoa's final act. X-Men: Forever sees Kieron Gillen penning four issues that serve both as an epilogue to his excellent Immortal X-Men work while tying into both Fall of the House of X and his own Rise of the Powers of X. That's a tall order, but teaming with artist Luca Meresca, Gillen seems poised to deliver answers to some of the biggest questions still lingering about Krakoa and the Quiet Council. Mark Brooker's bloody cover for the debut issue is eye-catching and, given that the next era is being called "From the Ashes," one has to wonder if the Phoenix is set to return to burn it all down. If you've come this far in the Krakoan saga, you owe it to yourself to check X-Men: Forever out. -- Jamie Lovett