The Weekly Pull: Saga, X-Force, Super-Pets, and More

New comics this week include a new Batman collection, a TMNT anthology, and more.

By Jamie Lovett - July 30, 2024 04:50 pm EDT

It's almost another new comic book day, which means new releases hitting stores and digital platforms. Each week in The Weekly Pull, the ComicBook team highlights the new releases that excite us most about another week of comics. Whether those releases are from the most prominent publisher or a small press, brand new issues of ongoing series, original graphic novels, or collected editions of older material, whether it involves capes and cowls or comes from any other genre, if it has us excited about comic books this week, then we're going to tell you about it in The Weekly Pull.

This week, Saga returns, a new X-Force debtus, and the Super-Pets get a special. Plus, another issue of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White & Green anthology, a new collection of the earliest issues of the Batman epic unfolding in Detective Comics, and more.

What comics are you most excited about this week? Let us know which new releases you're looking forward to 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.

Detective Comics Vol. 1: Gotham Nocturne - Overture

Written by Ram V. and Simon Spurrier
Art by Rafael Albuquerque, Dani, and Hayden Sherman
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Ariana Maher and Steve Wands
Published by DC

Just as Ram V. and his outstanding collection of collaborators' run on Detective Comics prepares for its final act, the very first chapter "Overture" is released in trade paperback format. It's the perfect invitation for trade-waiters to finally jump in as the titanic ambitions found in these pages have been borne out across more than two years of stellar stories and backups. It's also an excellent chance for fans of the monthly grind, like myself, to pick up copies for rereading and loaning to friends as this saga secures its place in the Batman mythos. Potential readers of Batman or DC Comics will have already heard all they need to know about this run defined by its historic sweep, gothic moods, rich character work, and atmospheric renderings of Gotham and far-flung settings. It's the release of a trade, easy to carry and share, that's most exciting this week as "Gotham Nocturne" sings out to be passed between new and old fans of Batman alike – a truly modern epic that embraces so much of what makes Batman a timeless figure in superhero comics. And the promise of many volumes around the corner ready to fill out bookshelves makes this first step seem to be a must-buy. -- Chase Magnett

Final Fight #1

Written by Matt Moylan
Art by Matthew Weldon
Colors by Espen Grundetjern
Letters by Marshall Dillon
Published by UDON Entertainment

I love a good beat'em up. For a good chunk of my childhood, when I thought of video games, I thought of scrolling horizontally across the screen and mashing buttons to beat on street thugs in games like Streets of Rage, Double Dragon, and Final Fight. No one should come to Final Fight #1, UDON's first issue of a new comic based on the popular Capcom video game series, expecting a lot of depth. What they should expect, if UDON's other comics inspired by Capcom franchises like Street Fighter and Darkstalkers are anything to go by, is a fun and kinetic action comic that does justice to the game's varied cast of characters and vibrant visuals. For those unfamiliar with the Final Fight saga, the story begins with former pro wrestler Mike Haggar becoming mayor of Metro City and cleaning up the city streets. The criminal Mad Gear Gang strikes back by kidnapping Haggar's daughter, Jessica. Haggar recruits Jessica's boyfriend Cody, a capable fighter, and Cody's friend Guy, who happens to be a ninja in training, to rescue Jessica. Expect colorful characters in over-the-top action from start to finish. -- Jamie Lovett

Justice League of America #1

Written by Gardner Fox
Art by Mike Sekowsky, Bernard Sachs
Letters by Gaspar Saladino
Published by DC

DC's Justice League truly revolutionized comics as we know it, introducing the most ubiquitous alliance of superheroes. This week's new facsimile reprint of the team's first issue provides the best (and most cost-effective) opportunity to experience the magic as it was originally printed. I already have this issue in multiple collected editions, but I can not wait to pick up this single-issue copy as well. — Jenna Anderson

Saga #67

Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples
Colors by Fiona Staples
Letters by Fonografiks
Published by Image Comics

Nearly a year after the release of issue #66, Saga returns to comic book store shelves this week with its newest arc focused on the early adolescence of a rapidly growing Hazel. Even after years of delays and hiatuses, readers of the series know it's still impossible to resist Saga's essential charms – elements that make clear this modern comics standard is worth the wait. Fiona Staples arrives ready to introduce readers to new environments, roles, and supporting cast members with fantastical designs. The tragedy and heartbreak seeded in the most recent volume (and so many volumes before) will unfold to grip readers' hearts and certainly squeeze out a few tears before the newest arc is done. But for all of the promise of the new holds in Saga, it's the return of Hazel's family and those who both love and hate them that makes the arrival of Saga #67 irresistible. Robust and richly detailed characters—in every sense of that description—are what made the series a hit and their evolving journey is what maintains interest between months and years alike. Saga is back and that's still as exciting in 2024 as it was in 2012. -- Chase Magnett

Super-Pets Special: Bitedentity Crisis #1

Written by Various
Art by Various
Published by DC

Honestly, the pun of Bitedentiy Crisis was enough to sell me on this one-shot, but the stories within sound nothing short of delightful. Nightwing's trusty pup Haley joins a roster of familiar Super-Pets in an array of wacky tales. With creators that include Kyle Starks, Tony Fleecs, Dan Watters, Mike Norton, and more, I am extremely excited to experience the charm of this one-shot. — Jenna Anderson

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green #3

Written by various
Art by various
Published by IDW Publishing

I keep recommending each new issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green because there always seems to be at least one artist whose style I can't wait to see applied to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. In Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green #3 that's Wesley Dodds: The Sandman artist Riley Rossmo. Based on preview pages, Rossmo is going full Frank Miller Sin City style, and that should be a sight to see. That's not to diminish the other talents working on this book, Jock (Gone, Batman: One Dark Knight), Cameron Chittock (TMNT/Stranger Things), Dave Wielgosz (Man-Bat), and Alex Ziritt. With those names in the credits, there should be something in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Black, White, & Green #3 for every reader. -- Jamie Lovett

X-Force #1

(Photo:
X-Force (2024) #1 cover
- Stephen Segovia, Bryan Valenza, Marvel Comics)

Written by Geoffrey Thorne
Art by Marcus To
Colors by Erick Arciniega
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Published by Marvel Comics

The new "From the Ashes" era of X-Men concludes its first month with the launch of a new X-Force series from writer Geoffrey Thorne and artist Marcus To. This X-Force series has a pitch that is both familiar and different. A proactive mutant strike force embarking on unsanctioned, covert missions? That's familiar. A rotating spot on the team that will feature special guest stars from across the Marvel Universe? That's new, though calling in Deadpool for the debut is hardly a stretch (future guest appearances by Black Panther and Man-Thing are much further afield). This X-Force's leader is Forge, who's coming off a rough experience with the previous, Krakoan iteration of the team under the guidance of a fully fallen Beast. With Captain Britain, Askani, Surge, and newcomer Tank at his side, can Forge restore X-Force's good name? Or at least bring it back to as close as "good" as it ever comes? Thorne's recent John Stewart-focused Green Lantern run suggests he's the right person to pen a series about a paramilitary mutant strike force; Marcus To's history of stunningly rendering the adventures of Betsy and Rachel suggests he's the right artists to bring Thorne's scripts to life (though, frankly, I'm game to look at whatever To wants to draw). With that in mind, we're hoping that "From the Ashes" can end its first month on a strong note. -- Jamie Lovett