The Weekly Pull: Dark Knight Returns, Annihilation, Star Trek: Voyager and More

Annihilation Scourge: Beta Ray Bill

Written by Michael Moreci
Art by Alberto Albuquerque
Published by Marvel Comics

It's only fitting one of the former Annihilators gets a one-shot in Marvel's new Annihilation revival. Fresh out of the pages of Guardians of the Galaxy, we've been a bit short on BRB stories of late and maybe — just maybe — this will springboard into a larger run. -- Adam Barnhardt

Annihilation Scourge: Silver Surfer

Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Paul Davidson
Published by Marvel Comics

At long last, Marvel cosmic icon Dan Abnett is returning for this one-shot and it's bound to be a doozy. Judging by the Paul Davidson preview art Marvel's already released for this book, things are shaping up to be a gnarly trip through dimensions. -- Adam Barnhardt

b.b. free #2

Written by Gabby Rivera
Drawn by Royal Dunlap
Published by BOOM! Box

b.b. free is dealing with some big changes in her life, mostly stemming from the reveal that her father is not exactly who she always believed him to be. Now that she's got this information a secret organization is after her, somehow linked to her father, which would be enough of an issue if she wasn't also dealing with new abilities that she doesn't understand. In short, it's a lot, but seeing how she overcomes all these setbacks is part of what makes this series so charming, and if you're willing to give something new a chance, we couldn't recommend it more. — Matthew Aguilar

Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child

Written by Frank Miller
Art by Rafael Grampá
Published by DC Black Label

Describing the many sequels to Frank Miller's genre-redefining classic The Dark Knight Returns as uneven might be generous. Each installment, ranging from The Dark Knight Strikes Again through The Master Race, has been met with its fair share of criticism and none have met the expectations set by the original. However, every installment has been a fascinating and artistically challenging piece of work. Even if the comics themselves fail, they do so in a fashion that challenges and engages readers like few other mainstream superhero works are capable. That promise is reason enough to check out The Golden Childen, but the inclusion of Rafael Grampa makes this a must-buy. No matter what genre he's engaged with, Grampa is one of comics' most innovative artists and, arguably, its most effective conveyor of action. The pages of this issue are bound to be compelling and unlike anything else on shelves this year. If the story and ideas beneath the depiction are even half as competent as Grampa's work, then this is liable to be the best sequel to The Dark Knight Returns since 1986. -- Chase Magnett

Far Sector #2

Written by N.K. Jemisin
Art by Jamal Campbell
Published by DC/Young Animal

Far Sector is a Green Lantern fan's dream, and issue #2 only continues that momentum. Jo is a fantastic addition to the Green Lantern Corps, and writer N.K. Jemisin has brought back the more investigative elements of the GL premise while delivering a fresh and oddball world to get the most out of them. It's also worth mentioning that the book is absolutely stunning from beginning to end thanks to artist Jamal Campbell, and it all makes for a book that you need to add to your pull list ASAP! — Matthew Aguilar

Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey

Written by Various
Art by Various
Published by DC Comics

We're just a matter of months away from the release of Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn), a female-fronted ensemble that is set to bring something new to the comic book movie world. If you're finding yourself wanting to know more about the film's ragtag ensemble, DC's newest trade paperback is here to help. The gorgeous movie tie-in cover from Joelle Jones is worth the price of admission alone, but the collection assembles essential stories involving Black Canary, Huntress, Cassandra Cain, and more. — Jenna Anderson

Pearl Vol. 2

Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Michael Gaydos
Published by DC Comics/Jinxworld

Pearl, which reunites the Jessica Jones team of Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, is easily one of the most underrated comics DC has put out in the past year. This new edition, which collects the second half of Pearl's story thus far, dives head-first into the world of the yakuza — and the titular character's connection to it. The end result is gorgeous, breathtaking, and genuinely hilarious, and definitely deserves to be added to your collection. — Jenna Anderson

Rumble Vol. 6: Last Knight

Written by John Arcudi
Art by David Rubín
Published by Image Comics

Rumble is one of the best series to emerge from Image Comics in a decade filled with noteworthy accomplishments, but it has largely flown beneath the radar. The story collected in this sixth collection provides an ending of sorts for the narrative to date and highwater mark for the contributions of the series' second ongoing artist David Rubin. It grapples with the complex relationships developed so far, offering a denouement for both the classic man and his dog tale, the unexpected romance at its heart, and the many variations on brothers-in-arms. These are all depicted in surprising and engrossing fashion through a series of battles with apocalyptic figures who reshape the very world occupied by its rich cast of characters. Emotionally and visually compelling, this volume could be called Rumble's best to date, but the competition is far too stiff to make that an easy decision. No matter what, this remains a must-read series that continues to grow and change with each new collection in a variety of fascinating fashions. -- Chase Magnett

Star Trek: Voyager: Mirros and Smoke

Written by Paul Allor
Art by J.K. Woodward
Published by IDW Publishing

Star Trek: The Original Series introduced the Mirror Universe to the franchise. Deep Space Nine, Enterprise, and Discovery have each played in that universe since then. IDW Publishing gave fans a trilogy of comic book stories featuring the Mirror Universe versions of the Star Trek: The Next Generation crew. Now the crew from Star Trek: Voyager gets their turn in the Star Trek: Voyager: Mirrors and Smoke one-shot.

In an inversion of Voyager's premise, the one-shot sees Janeway and her crew once again alone in the Delta Quadrant. In the Mirror Universe, rather than desperately trying to get home, Janeway has become a pirate queen terrorizing the quadrant's locals. Voyager fans shouldn't miss this twisted spin on the show's mythology. -- Jamie Lovett

Supergirl #37

Written by Jody Houser
Art by Rachael Stott
Published by DC Comics

Year of the Villain continues in Supergirl #37 as well as sees a new creative team on the title. Given the direction that Marc Andreyko took the heroine during his run, it will be interesting to see where things go with Jody Houser (and Rachael Stott's art) now that Kara is among the Infected and faced with a whole new set of challenges and choices. It's a situation that has the potential to be very interesting and exciting which makes it a perfect time to pick up the book just to see where the heroine's story goes. -- Nicole Drum

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #100

Written by Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman, Bobby Curnow
Art by Dave Wachter, Mike Dialynas
Published by IDW Publishing

IDW Publishing's reboot of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is reaching its milestone 100th issue, which will also see Tom Waltz, who has written all 100 issues, departing the series. The IDW series is now the longest-running Turtles comic ever and it's also one of the most consistently fun, entertaining, quality comic book reads of the last decade. The issue will bring the epic "City at War" story to its end and tie up some threads that have been running through the series since its first issue. While there are exciting things on the horizon for IDW's Turtles, this issue will be a bittersweet end to a most excellent era. -- Jamie Lovett

Titans: Burning Rage #5

Written by Dan Jurgens
Art by Scot Eaton
Published by DC Comics

I feel like I recommend this title every time a new issue is released, but really, it's just that much fun. Dan Jurgens consistently brings action-packed, large-scale, classic-feeling Titans adventures to this title and that makes it a great choice for when you just want to have a fun, almost nostalgic read. This issue offers part five of the "Streets of Blood" arc, one that will see the Titans face off with some of their friends so you can safely expect some major action. It's a book that is just reliably fun and interesting and really, what more could a reader want as the holidays get closer? It's definitely worth a spot on your list this week. -- Nicole Drum