The Weekly Pull: Uncanny X-Men, The Power Fantasy, Gotham City Sirens, and More
A new Avatar: The Last Airbender graphic novel and more in this week's best comics.
Betty and Me #16
Betty and Me #16 cover
- Dan DeCarlo, Archie Comics)- Written by Various
- Art by Various
- Published by Archie Comics
After nearly a century in the comic book space, Archie Comics has presented some wacky and memorable pieces of pop culture — and this week, one of them is immortalized in a whole new way. The publisher's newest facsimile issue celebrates 1968's Betty and Me #16, the cover of which has become infamous for its accidental double entendre. Even beyond the cover, I am definitely looking forward to experiencing this one-of-a-kind issue as it was originally printed. — Jenna Anderson
Birds of Prey Vol. 1: Megadeath
- Written by Kelly Thompson
- Art by Leonardo Romero
- Colors by Jordie Bellaire
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
- Published by DC
The world of comics always feels a little bit brighter for me when a Birds of Prey series is being published, and this past year has been no exception. Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, and company have joined forces to throw the DC team into a new era, with an unpredictable roster that includes Black Canary, Big Barda, Cassandra Cain, Zealot, Harley Quinn, and more. The first arc, subtitled "Megadeath", is an exhilarating, endlessly impressive example of what modern comic books are capable of, and I'm so excited for readers to experience it in a new way in this collected edition. — Jenna Anderson
Cruel Universe #1
- Written by various
- Art by various
- Published by Oni Press
Cruel Universe #1 cover
- Greg Smallwood, Oni Press)Look, I know I just wrote about Oni Press reviving the EC Comics brand a couple of weeks ago when the publisher released its first EC title, Epitaphs From the Abyss, and I stand by that, but that was a horror comic and, if I'm being honest, I've never really been the biggest horror fan. I'm more of a sci-fi person. That's is why I'm even more excited about Cruel Universe #1, the second EC series debuting from Oni Press. As you've probably guessed, Cruel Universe is a sci-fi anthology, and it's set to run for five issues, but don't think that the genre means you're not going to get that distinct EC Comics flavor. EC was well known for its share of sci-fi thrillers, and I expect no less from Cruel Universe, which should deliver plenty of ironic endings to cap off its spacefaring, technology-tweaking plots. To back that up, as with Epitaphs From the Abyss, Cruel Universe is drawing a high caliber pool of creative talents for its tales, including Matt Kindt, Corinna Bechko, Kano, Jonathan Case, and more, suggesting it should be well worth any sci-fi fans' attention. -- Jamie Lovett
Gotham City Sirens #1
- Written by Leah Williams
- Art by Matteo Lolli
- Colors by Triona Farrell
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by DC
I would already be excited enough by the prospect of a new Gotham City Sirens miniseries, but having it hail from a creative team as excellent as Leah Williams and Matteo Lolli makes me infinitely more excited. The four-week crossover event is set to throw Poison Ivy, Harley Quinn, and Catwoman into a wild and relevant new fight, which promises to deliver an equal blend of action and cheesecake. This is sure to be something special. — Jenna Anderson
The Power Fantasy #1
The Power Fantasy #1 cover
- Caspar Wijngaard, Image Comics)- Written by Kieron Gillen
- Art by Caspar Wijngaard
- Colors by Caspar Wijngaard
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
- Published by Image Comics
If you don't pay attention to international affairs, expect this recommendation to raise your blood. The Power Fantasy #1 presents readers with an Earth populated by six "superpowered" humans, each of them capable of enacting global annihilation. It's a potent analog for the state of nuclear weapons in our world with a handful empowered to potentially end all life. Given the current state of the Doomsday Clock with expanding wars in both Europe and the Middle East, it's an obviously relevant metaphor. In the hands of unskillful creators, it might become a painfully obtuse examination of the very real threats defined by concepts like brinkmanship and mutually assured destruction, but there are few more skillful individuals working in comics today than Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard. Gillen is renowned for his skill in examining grandiose concepts through deeply personal character studies; Wijngaard's kinetic forms and impactful designs can make any scale of action fascinating on the page. Together, they're prepared to deliver readers a "superhero" story unlike any they've read before, one that examines the true costs and impacts of violent power upon a planet with no replacement. -- Chase Magnett
Red Before Black #1
Red Before Black #1 cover
- Goran Sudžuka, Ive Svorcina, Boom Studios)- Written by Stephanie Phillips
- Art by Goran Sudžuka
- Colors by Ive Svorcina
- Letters by Tom Napolitano
- Published by Boom Studios
Long-time Wednesday warriors like myself will still talk about the spirit of Vertigo Comics—the rebellious blend of mature themes and experimental genre storytelling that defined series like Sandman, Hellblazer, and 100 Bullets—even if it has been nearly 20 years since Vertigo presented that ethos. It's a style and an idea, and it's one that many of Boom Studio's current series deliver. Red Before Black is set to join the likes of Something is Killing the Children and Once & Future, as the newest addition to that spirit this week. The series' first issue from writer Stephanie Phillips and artist Goran Sudžuka introduces readers to a crime saga featuring disgraced veterans, drug runners, and FBI operatives in the American South. It has all of the signifiers of great pulpy crime fiction and the sort of talented creators capable of backing up that potential. Sudžuka's extensive work on horror and crime comics, including some Vertigo classics, has proven him to be a masterful storyteller, especially when delivering tension and thrills. Phillips's own work on superhero comics is consistently impressive but also reveals a writer interested in moving beyond capes. Their collaboration on Red Before Black promises that the spirit of Vertigo is still alive and well, and fans of crime comics need to look no further for the next big thing. -- Chase Magnett
Uncanny X-Men #1
- Written by Gail Simone
- Art by David Marquez
- Colors by Matt Wilson
- Letters by Clayton Cowles
- Published by Marvel Comics
Uncanny X-Men #1
- David Marquez, Matt Wilson Marvel Comics)Marvel is bringing back Uncanny X-Men, the book that – in the minds of many fans – will forever be the flagship title in any X-Men comics line or era. To lead Uncanny X-Men in the "From the Ashes" era, Marvel has recruited Gail Simone, a writer with a rarely matched knack for writing endearing characters, and David Marquez, an artist who knows how to draw epic scale and intimate emotion with equal grace. Simone and Marquez's talents combined with a relatively grounded premise that sees this team of X-Men – Rogue, Gambit, Wolverine, Jubilee, and Nightcrawler – making a new home in New Orleans should help distinguish Uncanny X-Men not only from the more bombastic X-Men ongoing series that debuted last month but also from the Krakoan era that often required readers to look past the surface level societal storytelling to find the heart of the characters underneath. This is by no means a pure throwback series, and as the classic lineup would attest, any fan looking for a character-driven X-Men series should check here first. -- Jamie Lovett
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