The Weekly Pull: Batman: The Knight, Miracleman: The Silver Age, Hellboy in Love, and More

Batman: The Knight #10

• Written by Chip Zdarsky
• Art by Carmine di Giandomenico
• Published by DC

It's no secret that there are a lot of Batman and Batman-adjacent books out there right now, which means that when they're something special, it's a cause for celebration. Batman: The Knight, which puts out its tenth and final issue this week, has been worth celebrating through and through. Chip Zdarsky, Carmine di Giandomenico, and company's take on the lesser-known points of Bruce Wayne's origin story have been a downright revelation, peeling back the narrative onion of aspects of his character that we've taken for granted. Along the way, the book has made Ghost-Maker so much more significant, introduced some entertaining new characters, and laid the groundwork for Bruce's dynamic with Zatanna and Talia al Ghul. Even just looking at the cover for this week's finale gives me chills, and I will definitely be unsurprised if the contents of the issue make me feel the same way. — Jenna Anderson

Hellboy in Love #1

• Written by Christopher Golden and Mike Mignola
• Art by Matt Smith
• Colors by Chris O'Halloran
• Letters by Clem Robins
• Published by Dark Horse Comics

Christopher Golden and Matt Smith are consistent producers in Mike Mignola's sprawling Hellboy universe. They've developed the B.P.R.D. era of Hellboy's career to tremendous success – showcasing new monsters and the development of everyone's favorite red-skinned, devilish good guy. Placing romance in the title is a new look for these comics, however, and it makes for an intriguing proposal. Anastacia is an archaeologist confronted by goblins in the English countryside in the back half of the 20th century; it's a perfectly fine Hellboy plot until you suggest they make googly eyes at one another, then it seems like a lot more fun. Whether it's the antics of goblins robbing trains or Big Red attempting to ask someone on a date, in spite of his horns and Red Right Hand of Doom, Hellboy in Love promises readers plenty in the way of antics. If Golden and Smith's past successes are any indication, there will be plenty more for readers to mine beneath the surface along the way. -- Chase Magnett

Miracleman: The Silver Age #1

• Written by Neil Gaiman
• Art by Mark Buckingham
• Colors by Jordie Bellaire
• Letters by Todd Klein
• Published by Marvel Comics

Miracleman: The Silver Age is a story 30 years in the making. Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham's Miracleman story -- building on Alan "The Original Writer" Moore's saga that saw the eponymous hero grow from a simplistic, four-color hero into a godlike superbeing -- came to an abrupt and premature end mid-plot when the publisher when bankrupt in 1994. The character spent two decades in legal limbo, but in 2013, Gaiman aided Marvel Comics in obtaining the full rights to publish Miracleman stories. After a false start in 2014 halted by further legal wrangling, Gaiman and Buckingham are free to tell the rest of their story. The creators are picking up right where they left off with The Silver Age, the second arc in their planned three-arc epic, but if you want to catch up, Marvel is also releasing a trade paperback collecting their first arc, The Golden Age, this week. (If you want to start at the beginning, and you should, Marvel will publish the Miracleman Omnibus, collecting the entire preceding Miracleman run next week. It comes highly recommended, though you'll have to settle for Marvel's modern recoloring of the original art.) Miracleman: The Silver Age #1 is the first of two issues reprinting the previously released issues of the arc but with Buckingham remastering his previous artwork to match his current style, offering something even for returning fans. -- Jamie Lovett

Revenge of the Librarians

Created by Tom Gould

Published by Drawn & Quarterly

There are few things I enjoy more than having guests visit and pick up a collection of Tom Gauld cartoons from our coffee table. Whether it's over coffee in the morning or beers in the evening, Gauld's incisive sense of humor lands at all times of day. Each page in a new collection offers abundant wit and an acerbic take on western literature ranging from classics in any high school English class to modern highlights. His work is bound to delight any engaged reader and deliver plenty of punchlines demanding they be shared. Over the years, I've looped Gauld's cartoons into lesson plans and sent enough via text to test my wife's tolerance, but they always deliver a laugh and, nearly as often, a raised eyebrow. All of that is to say, it's thrilling to have another collection of wit and humor from one of today's funniest observers of storytelling. Bring on Revenge of the Librarians. -- Chase Magnett

Sonic the Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island #1

• Written by Daniel Barnes
• Art by Jack Lawrence
• Color by Nathalie Fourdraine
• Letters by Shawn Lee
• Published by IDW Publishing

Sonic the Hedgehog's comic book adventures have been delightful since IDW Publishing took over the license (and long before then too). This month, IDW is getting Sonic in the mood for the spooky season with the debut issue of Sonic: The Hedgehog: Scrapnik Island. The four-issue miniseries from Daniel Barnes, Jack Lawrence, and Nathalie Fourdraine pits Sonic and Tails visiting a nightmarish island and battling against enemies new and old, including Mecha Knuckles. Fans of Sonic probably don't need me to tell them to check this one, but newcomers should find this miniseries a bite-sized sampling of the abundance of charm these comics have in abundance. -- Jamie Lovett

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendium Vol. 1

• Written by Peter Laird, Kevin Eastman
• Art by Peter Laird, Kevin Eatman, Ryan Brown, Michael Dooney, Eric Talbot, Steve Bissette
• Published by IDW Publishing

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to interview Kevin Eastman, co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I decided to do some homework by revisiting some of his original work with Peter Laird on the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series. I quickly realized that the popularity of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles animated series from the late 1980s and 1990s, and the subsequent success of the franchise built upon it, had obscured the greatness of these original Turtles comics. Eastman and Laird are both gifted cartoonists, and there's a raw creative energy to their early TMNT work that is hard to find in today's direct market, similar to what Michael Fiffe brings to Copra these days. IDW Publishing has previously published volumes collecting the essential issues of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic, those that Eastman and Laird worked on and that built the core narrative of the series. The new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Compendium volumes are larger (this first one coming in at more than 800 pages) and more expansive, including the Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles stories that other members of the Mirage Comics stable created. These issues may not be as essential reading as Eastman and Laird's comics, but they introduce some of the Turtles' most recognizable allies and enemies. It's about as comprehensive a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles package ever produced. -- Jamie Lovett

Wonder Woman by George Perez Omnibus

• Written by George Perez and Len Wein
• Art by George Perez and Bruce Patterson
• Published by DC

Perez's Wonder Woman run is one of those things that should always perennially be in print — but in the meantime, I'll absolutely take the win of this new omnibus collection. The legendary artist's stint on the title in the 1980s succeeded in both taking Diana Prince "back to basics" and allowing her to grow to new heights, adding an elegance and sense of adventure that still reverberate into her adventures to this day. If you don't already own this series in your collection, use this as an excuse to fix that as soon as possible. — Jenna Anderson