The Weekly Pull: Batman: City of Madness, Space Usagi, Marvel Age, and More

Are You Willing to Die for the Cause?

• Created by Chris Oliveros
• Published by Drawn and Quarterly

If history helps us to better understand our present moment, then the fraught circumstances and conflict surrounding the Quebec sovereignty movement in the 1960s offers many valuable lessons and parallels for our present moment, especially for non-Canadians who may be entirely unaware of its existence. Even as there are rumblings of (an incredibly improbably and unlikely) secession in states like Texas, we fail to remember that it once seemed a very real possibility in the French-Canadian province of Quebec. It was a complex and heated affair, leading some members of the sovereignty movement to engage in political violence, including multiple bombings over the course of nearly a decade. Cartoonist Chris Oliveros, a native of the region, charts that history utilizing a wide array of resources, including a number of overlooked sources. Are You Willing to Die For the Cause offers readers a thorough understanding of a fraught moment, the movements that led to it, and how it was resolved (or, at the very least, returned to a peaceful status quo). It makes for essential reading in 2023, providing lessons from our past as political violence is on the rise and readers seek to understand our present moment. -- Chase Magnett

Batman: City of Madness #1

• Written by Christian Ward
• Art by Christian Ward
• Colors by Christian Ward
• Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
• Published by DC

Batman and Lovecraftian horror may not be the most common pairing in superhero comics, but whenever it appears, it's a must-read scenario. Ever since Mike Mignola and Tory Nixey's Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham has become a cult favorite for good reason as it features a frightening vision of Gotham's underworld turned literally monstrous with implacable horrors savaging the city's heroes. Now, a new comics master arrives to provide a new spin on the idea as Christian Ward summons his (long-threatened) vision of Gotham City haunted by eldritch terrors. Ward's fluid style has made him one of the most aesthetically intriguing artists working in the direct market today; his panels flow effortlessly together reshaping pages into compelling wholes that shift and twist the reader's perspective. This approach has offered astounding results in narratives set both deep in space and below the ocean and Black Label's Aquaman: Andromeda made clear just how spine-chilling that work could be. So to finally receive Ward's vision of Batman's world stalked by ancient, mad gods bent on twisting reality itself in time for Halloween is simply too great of an offer to forego. Horror fans and Batman readers alike will want to run to their comic book stores today to discover what may be the best of both worlds in comics this year. -- Chase Magnett

Chilling Adventures Presents... Welcome to Riverdale #1

• Written by Amy Chase
• Art by Liana Kangas
• Colors by Liana Kangas
• Letters by Jack Morelli
• Published by Archie Comics

The CW's Riverdale might now be over, but the latest in Archie's string of horror one-shots is filling the void. The latest installment, Welcome to Riverdale, reintroduces the long-forgotten protagonist Ginger Snapps, in what is described as a Pleasantville-esque take on Archie's Americana roots. That concept alone is definitely appealing to me, but when you fold in the creative team of Amy Chase and Liana Kangas, this becomes a must-read for me. — Jenna Anderson

Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord

• Written by Dan Slott
• Art by Christopher Jones, Matthew Dow Smith, Mike Collins
• Colors by Charlie Kirchoff, Mariane Gusmão
• Letters by Richard Starking
• Published by Titan Books

They finally went and did it. They finally let Dan Slott write Doctor Who. It is no secret that Slott, best known for his work on Spider-Man, is a diehard Doctor Who fan. Nowhere is that clearer than in his work writing Silver Surfer from 2014 until 2018, essentially turning Marvel's lonely cosmic wanderer into a stand-in for the Doctor, even giving Noran Rand an Earthling traveling companion. Now Slott gets to write the genuine Time Lord article in the first in what was announced as a series of three special one-shots. The premise of Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord is that Martha Jones (set during her time as the Doctor's companion) is accosted by aliens who feed on the energy of stories and has no choice but to satiate them on tales of the Doctor's escapades until he returns to rescue her. The issue also has a bonus story about Rose Tyler and the Ninth Doctor that should give any fan their fill.

This recommendation does come with a caveat. Titan Comics first solicited this issue for release a year and a half ago, charging about $8 for 64 pages. Now they've made the one-shot a hardcover with the same page count but a bumped-up $18 price tag. I'm still listing it here because I can't help being fascinated by what Slott's Doctor Who might read like, but it is hard to seriously recommend anyone pay that price, even with the hardback treatment (and even less so the digital edition, which is only $1 less!). However, that hardcover format means it could end up on library shelves. If you can find a legal way to read it without breaking the bank, do it. Otherwise, maybe wait and hope for a more affordable reprint. -- Jamie Lovett

Marvel Age Omnibus Vol. 1

• Written by Various
• Art by Various
• Published by Marvel Comics

I am an absolute sucker for anything that preserves comic book ephemera, especially given how much of it has been lost to time. This week, Marvel gets in on the game with an omnibus collection of Marvel Age, the company's official promotional magazine that began in the 1980s. Within these pages are countless interviews, house ads, and other bits and pieces that fans enjoyed across the decade, and I can't wait to see them in all their glory. And, honestly, the collection is worth it just for the reprints of Fred Hembeck's endearing Marvel-themed cartoons. — Jenna Anderson

Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter #1

• Written by Stan Sakai
• Art by Stan Sakai
• Colors by Emi Fujii
• Letters by Stan Sakai
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

Usagi Yojimbo is best known as a samurai adventure comic with some light fantasy elements. However, like many similar self-published sensations of the 1980s, it did venture into sci-fi territory with Space Usagi, a glimpse at a possible spacefaring future for Miyamoto Usagi's descendants. As part of Usagi Yojimbo's return to Dark Horse Comics, the publisher will reprint the original Space Usagi miniseries next month and, for the first time, in color. However, fans can get their first taste of Space Usagi in this week's brand-new one-shot, Space Usagi: Yokai Hunter. In addition to being the first new Space Usagi story since 1996 (which also, coincidentally, was the first Usagi Yojimbo material published by Dark Horse Comics), the issue is also the first appearance of Stan Sakai's newest addition to the Usagi Yojimbo universe, Akemi. I love Usagi Yojimbo and space opera stories, making this book an easy sell to me, but given how good Sakai is consistently, it should be an easy pickup for longtime fans and newcomers alike, serving as a perfect Space Usagi sampler before the colorized reprints start arriving next month. -- Jamie Lovett

Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1

• Written by Robert Venditti
• Art by Riley Rossmo
• Colors by Ivan Palscencia
• Letters by Tom Napolitano
• Published by DC

Robert Venditti and Riley Rossmo could partner on a book about any DC property, and it would probably be a must-read for me. Luckily, they're joining forces for Wesley Dodds: The Sandman, a new noir following the original Golden Age holder of the mantle. Based on what we've seen thus far, the first issue looks like it perfectly fits into the fold of Wesley's past, the weirder lore of stuff like The Sandman, and the larger New Golden Age initiative as well. — Jenna Anderson