The Weekly Pull: Punchline, Marauders, Power Rangers, and More

It is nearly a new comic book day once again. New releases are on the way and will hit comic book stores and digital comics platforms. Every week in The Weekly Pull, ComicBook.com‘s team highlights some of the releases we’re most excited about that will be arriving in stores. Those releases might be from the big two or a smaller publisher. They might be new monthly issues, an original graphic novel, or a collected edition. It can involve superheroes or come from any other genre. Whatever it may be that has us excited, and if it goes on sale this week, then we’re going to let you know all about it.

This week, Punchline gets the spotlight in her own solo special, new eras begin for titles like Hellboy and the BPRD, Resident Alien, and Power Rangers, the Dark Nights: Death Metal event gets taken into an even more absurd direction, some long-awaited trade paperbacks hit shelves, and more.

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.

Dark Nights: Death Metal: Infinite Hours Exxxtreme! #1

• Written by Various
• Art by Various
• Published by DC Comics

Admittedly, there are parts of the Dark Nights: Death Metal event that are still boggling my mind — but seeing more and more corners of the DC universe be folded into it has been a delight. The latest one-shot within the event is this week’s Infinite Hours Exxxtreme!, which is being billed as a trek throughout the Dark Universe with the help of Lobo himself. Given his punk-rock aesthetic and sensibility, it felt like it was only a matter of time until Lobo properly made his way into the Death Metal event — and here, he appears to do so with outrageous and campy ease. One sequence in the issue – which saw Lobo teaming up with another DC character in the most unexpected of locations – proved just how much celebratory and ridiculous potential these one-shots can have. Regardless of however you feel about the Death Metal event, this feels like a single issue that’s worth checking out, both for its reverence for the DC canon, and its all-star roster of creatives. — Jenna Anderson

Hellboy and the BPRD: The Seven Wives Club #1

• Written by Mike Mignola
• Art by Adam Hughes
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

Any one-shot with the title Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. at the top of its cover is an instant-buy in my book, but The Seven Wives Club even has me a bit more excited for more Mignola-verse than usual. Artist Adam Hughes, beloved for his pinup-style, showcased how well he could tackle monsters and horrific tones in the Hellboy story “Krampusnacht” and he’s reteaming with Mignola for another terrifying tale here. This one drops the seasonal sensibilities in favor of some disturbing tropes in a ghost story that occurs in an abandoned medical school, which would be bad enough even without the grisly murders that occurred in said school. It’s a dream team pairing between two of American comics most recognizable artists delivering a perfect single-session of reading to pair perfectly with the fall season. The names Mignola and Hughes are a powerful endorsement, but when you put them together above a Hellboy title, that makes any issue a must-buy new release. — Chase Magnett

Girl

• Written by Peter Milligan
• Art by Duncan Fegredo
• Published by DC Comics

Originally published in 1996 as a three-issue series for DC’s now-defunct Vertigo imprint, Peter Milligan and Duncan Fegredo’s Girl is out in trade paperback for the first time this week and despite the story having first debuted nearly a quarter-century ago, Girl is a comic that is both of its time and of the present. The story follows 15-year-old Simone Cundy who lives in the fictional English Bollockstown who is mostly just trying to make sense of her rather grim and dull life until she meets a “blonde version of herself” in Polly. From there, the line between reality and her imagination begins to blur all while she tries to find purpose, meaning, and even a measure of control over her world. It’s a fantastic book full of universal themes as well as some very surreal moments. It’s a quick, but meaningful read and it’s one you should absolutely check out. — Nicole Drum

Marauders #15

• Written by Gerry Duggan and Benjamin Percy
• Illustrated by Stefano Caselli
• Published by Marvel Comics

Some of the best chapters of “X of Swords” have occurred in Marauders, and that definitely went for the last issue, which ended with a huge cliffhanger. The follow up in Marauders #15 should be just as entertaining, especially if that cover is anything to go by. Plus, how do you follow up a dance in the water and someone getting skewered with claws? We’re sure the team will top themselves in some way, so if you’re going to miss an issue of the mega X-Men saga don’t let it be this one. — Matthew Aguilar

Planet Paradise

• Created by Jesse Lonergan
• 
Published by Image Comics

I’m always down for stories that redefine the tropes of sci-fi, and the pastel-hued, earnest journey of Planet Paradise feels like no exception. This graphic novel follows two unlikely survivors of a ship crashed on an alien planet, who are forced to face unspeakable odds with the help of each other. Everything I’ve seen of Planet Paradise thus far looks and feels gorgeous, and like the kind of incredibly human sci-fi story that will stick with you long after reading it. If Planet Paradise isn’t on your radar just yet, you might want to fix that. — Jenna Anderson

Power Rangers #1

• Written by Ryan Parrott
• Illustrated by Francesco Mortarino
• Published by BOOM! Studios

Mighty Morphin #1 was the first part of a bold new era in Power Rangers, and now the new era is complete with the launch of Power Rangers #1. Ryan Parrott, Francesco Mortarino, Raul Angulo, and Ed Dukeshire lead the Omega Rangers into a time of uncertainty, as a new cosmic threat requires they get help from perhaps the biggest Ranger villain ever, Drakkon. That’s not going to go over well with the Mighty Morphin team, but then again, there is a mysterious new Green Ranger running around there too, so maybe both aren’t as far apart as they think. — Matthew Aguilar

Punchline Special #1

• Written by James Tynion IV and Sam Johns
• Art by Mirk Andolfo
• Published by DC Comics

To be very honest there’s only one real reason that I’m recommending Punchline #1 this week and it’s Harper Row/Bluebird. The one member of the Bat-Family who was largely absent during “Joker War”, the issue is as much a Harper story as it is a Punchline story. There’s also some great general themes of glamorization of and fascination with criminals and how media can be used to manipulate as much as inform which, love her or hate her (and I err on the side of a strong dislike) Punchline is a perfect character to explore those themes with. Mirka Andolfo’s art is also pretty fantastic as well. It’s worth checking out, even if you’re well over “Joker War”. — Nicole Drum

Resident Alien: Your Ride’s Here #1

• Written by Peter Hogan
• Art by Steve Parkhouse
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

 I came to Resident Alien late, first discovering it in a short-lived Dark Horse anthology, before jumping in to review the series penultimate chapter, “An Alien in New York.” It takes a high-concept—an alien resembling the standard “gray” left stranded on Earth and trying to get by before finding some way home—and infuses it with small moments of humanity. Much like Concrete, it emphasizes daily life above the often absurd images that tell the story. It’s an incredibly endearing narrative and one that provides its characters ample space to breathe, regardless of their planetary origin. Now it appears that the story is prepared to conclude with the aptly named miniseries “Your Ride’s Here.” It’s a bit bittersweet to discover a comic just in time to see it end, but it also seems that Resident Alien is prepared to go out on a high note, staying true to the tone and approach that made it so easy to access and enjoy. This final story promises to provide a proper farewell and assemble a complete arc for future readers to discover for themselves as they can start at the beginning and read all the way through to the end… coming very soon. — Chase Magnett