ComiXology has two new digital releases today on its platform. The latest issue of Truth & Justice from DC and a new romance manga from Harlequin is what’s available. Get shopping or check them out below.
Truth & Justice (2021-) #4
Written by Brandon M. Easton Pencils Jahnoy Lindsay Inks Jahnoy Lindsay Colored by Marissa Louise Cover by Emilio Lopez, Khary Randolph Purchase
Prisoners around Metropolis are waking up in their old homes, unaware of how they got there and being accused of escaping from Stryker’s Island. Superman will need to use all of his powers, and his journalistic skills, if he’s going to save the prisoners and get them properly exonerated!
Les Élans Du Cœur
Written by Nalini Singh Art by Tomoko Takakura Purchase
Taylor n’a plus le choix. Après avoir élevé son demi-frère maternel chéri pendant des d’années, son beau-père abusif demande soudainement sa garde afin d’avoir un héritier. Taylor raconte son histoire à son ancien chef, Jackson, qui lui fait une proposition surprenante : que Taylor et lui se marient le plus vite possible pour demander la garde de son frère. C’est vrai qu’avec un producteur de films talentueux et reconnu dans le monde entier pour mari, son beau-père aurait bien du mal à obtenir ce qu’il veut. Mais pourquoi cette proposition ? Leur relation n’a jamais été que professionnelle. Elle comprend très vite lorsque Jackson lui déclare : « je veux avoir un bébé dans l’année. »
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Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph, Deron Bennett, and Emilio Lopez’s Skybound and Image Comics action fantasy series Excellence is getting an exclusive deluxe hardcover, available exclusively through Kickstarter. Comic book enthusiasts can order starting on February 23, 2021.
Excellence: Book One will encompass the first nine issues of the magic series, with additional never-before seen content. The deluxe hardcover is the first release from Skybound Signature, a line of graphic novels debuting on Kickstarter.
Some Future State stories have dealt with dark, dystopian futures, but the lead story in Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 takes it a step further with Diana, the remaining Amazons, and an aging Superman fighting to defend Swamp Thing, the Green, and basically the symbol of life on Earth from both Darkseid and the Anti-Life Equation. Writers Becky Cloonan and Michael Conrad and spectacular artist Jen Bartel tell a story about fighting a war with love to the bitter end as Diana doesn’t want to fight for the dying Earth and instead start somewhere fresh with Swamp Thing and her sisters, but is overridden by the warlike Amazons as well as Darkseid popping in for one last chance to conquer Earth.
Cloonan and Conrad’s writing in Immortal Wonder Woman #1 can be described as truly poetic and matches the emotion-tinged visual from Bartel. The opening sequence has Diana interacting with a hologram of Batman and meditating on their relationship as part of DC’s Trinity’s with Batman telling her that she’s a true symbol of hope to rally around. However, Diana is also a realist about what’s going as she wistfully sees a star blink out of existence, and the story cuts to Apokolips where Darkseid realizes the end aka the Anti-Life Equation is near and abandons his empire, son Orion, and follower Big Barda and immediately heads to Earth. Bartel does a great job of contrasting the Amazons’ perspective of Earth with its reality using an almost beach vacation color palette for when the Amazons decide to defend the planet from an unknown threat to using a dark and rusty one for when Darkseid flies through space to the “husk”.
Jen Bartel is known for beautiful character design and capturing deep emotion out of her figures, but she can also draw one hell of a fight scene when Diana and Darkseid finally throw down with again Superman having one heroic moment and then getting flattened. She channels her inner Jack Kirby with colorful explosions and speed lines every time Darkseid lands a blow, or Diana kicks the Apokoliptian tyrant or gets a grip on him with her lasso. Bartel also uses interesting (or heartbreaking) panel shapes like when she lays one out that looks just like Darkseid’s Omega sanction and ends in a stark, panel of skulls on a stark background. On a more macro-level, Cloonan and Conrad keep the objective of the battle high, yet simple, Diana, the Amazons, and Superman have to protect Swamp Thing from Darkseid and the Anti-Life Equation for a chance at filling Earth (or maybe a new planet) with life again. The stakes of this comic are literally life and death.
The first story in Immortal Wonder Woman #1 is a Ragnarok for the DC Universe courtesy of Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, and Jen Bartel, who makes everyone look epic, pretty, and/or war worn while nailing the look and color palette of utter cosmic darkness too. It’s the last of the old gods battling the embodiment of utter evil with only a small chance for rebirth in the form of Swamp Thing, who is given a frail form and halting speech patterns. It’s also a masterclass in pacing with Cloonan and Conrad getting to the emotional breaking point before hitting that “To Be Continued” with literal tears streaming in the last panel that Bartel draws.
The second story in Immortal Woman #1 is written by LL McKinney with art from Alitha Martinez, Mark Morales, and Emilio Lopez, is set earlier in the Future State timeline, and features Nubia, an Amazon who has taken up the mantle of Wonder Woman while an off-panel Diana is queen of Themiscyra. Like the lead story, its plot has a world-ending conflict as Grail, the daughter of Darkseid, is stealing parts of an artifact connected to various gods that if put together could rip a hole in time and space. Most of this is explained in many expository text boxes by McKinney, who seems to be trying to fit a 4-6 issue miniseries in two issues.
A feeling of being overstuffed aside, “Nubia” is not without its charms. Martinez and Morales are veteran storytellers, who excel at everything from an exciting bout of close quarters combat between Grail and Nubia with a poster-worthy splash of the protagonist saying, “I am Wonder Woman” to capturing Nubia’s pained facial expressions when Aunt Nancy asks her for a favor in return for helping her solve the mystery behind these artifact thefts. Speaking of Aunt Nancy, McKinney’s background writing YA urban fantasy comes in handy with some of the little world-building touches like having her run a night club called the Ebony Web with a spider on the door and with a (quite handsome) minotaur bouncer. With her punnish name, knowledge of almost everything, and propensity for single malt whisky, Aunt Nancy has a lot of personality and would be an intriguing permanent edition to Nubia’s supporting cast, or the Wonder Woman side of the DC Universe as it’s good to see a god from West African folklore pop up. Also, I think this might be the first time that the wonderful city of Atlanta has popped up in a DC comic that I’ve read.
However, Nubia’s heroism and Aunt Nancy’s charisma don’t completely make up for a story that is mostly telling and not showing with L.L. McKinney basically undercutting the two page vision that Alitha Martinez and Mark Morales draw earlier in the story by explaining it all in a wall of text. On more of a new reader front, she also doesn’t really introduce Grail except that’s she strong (By defeating Nubia in combat.), generically evil, and wants the artifacts. If I hadn’t (unfortunately) read Geoff Johns’ Justice League run, I wouldn’t know that she was Darkseid’s daughter and basically the Anti-Life version of Wonder Woman. I mean, this is the comic book equivalent of a two episode mini Big Bad arc on a CW show so we don’t need a super deep villain, but including this context could deepen the threat against Nubia and reality. I really wanted to like the Nubia story and look forward to McKinney’s graphic novel take on the character, but it was disappointed and definitely felt like a first published comic.
Overall, Future State: Immortal Wonder Woman #1 has one strong, epic story and another story with potential that it doesn’t fully live up to that also shows the difficulty of transitioning from prose fiction to comics. However, this book is definitely worth picking up for Jen Bartel’s career best take on the final battle between good and evil in the DC Universe with punches that make galaxies trembles and facial expressions that will make you tear up while Becky Cloonan and Michael W. Conrad write a Diana, who is trying to cling onto hope in an utterly no-win situation.
Story: Becky Cloonan, Michael W. Conrad, L.L. McKinney Art: Jen Bartel, Alitha Martinez with Mark Morales Colors: Jen Bartel, Emilio Lopez Letterer: Pat Brosseau, Becca Carey Story: 8.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
DC has announced a new digital-first series, Represent!, launching with “It’s a Bird” by Christian Cooper, Alitha E. Martinez, Mark Morales, Emilio Lopez, and Rob Clark Jr. This first chapter is available now, offered for free on participating digital platforms including readdc.com, Comixology, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and more. Additional chapters of Represent! will be available digitally in 2021.
In the announcement executive editor, Marie Javins said the digital series will showcase and introduce creators traditionally underrepresented in the mainstream comic book medium. “It’s a Bird” is a semi-fictionalized account of Christian’s very real evolution from a kid with a pair of binoculars to a man in an unexpected media spotlight after an altercation with a woman walking her dog in Central Park.
In Cooper and Martinez’s story, Jules, a Black teenager, is given a pair of old binoculars as he heads out for a morning of bird-watching.
ComiXology has your digital hookup today and that includes a surprise Fortnite and Marvel crossover digital comic! Check out all of what you can get here or the individual issues below.
Batman: The Adventures Continue (2020-) #11
Written by Alan Burnett, Paul Dini Pencils Ty Templeton Inks Ty Templeton Colored by Monica Kubina Cover by Emilio Lopez, Khary Randolph Purchase
Batman’s clash with Jason Todd continues as he hunts for information on his former boy wonder. Meanwhile, Alfred recounts Jason’s last days as Robin to Tim.
Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds, is on a mission to consume the universe’s most powerful energy sources. Thor, the King of Asgard, has reluctantly agreed to serve as Galactus’s herald in order to stave off an even greater threat. But when the two discover an extremely powerful, mysterious source of energy known as the Zero Point, it will take more than the mighty Thor to save reality from Galactus’s deadly conquest! Prepare for an epic battle that will shake the foundations of the Marvel Universe and Fortnite!
A Marriage Fit For A Sinner
Written by Maya Blake Art by Rie Nakamura Purchase
In order to save the Pennington family from financial ruin, Eva reluctantly agrees to an arranged marriage. But on the night of the engagement announcement, a helicopter lands and out climbs Zaccheo Giordano, the man Eva’s father framed and imprisoned. The first step in Zaccheo’s plan for revenge after finally regaining his freedom is the ruin of his former lover Eva. He steals a kiss from her right in front of everyone, including her fiancé, and carries her away!
The Bedroom Business
Written by Sandra Myles Art by Kanako Uesugi Purchase
Investment broker Jake McBride lacks nothing when it comes to women and money. He is very open about the fact that his dates are nothing serious and that he’ll never have a lasting relationship. That’s why he’s never thought of his secretary, Emily, as anything more than a talented but slightly plain and uninteresting little sparrow. But when he sees a man ask her out, he gets irritated for some reason. Suddenly wanting to be closer to her, Jake becomes an instructor in love for innocent and shy Emily. He teaches her about clothes, shoes, hairstyles…and even how to kiss!
Spider-Man by Mark Millar Ultimate Collection
Written by Mark Millar Art by Frank Cho, Terry Dodson Cover by Terry Dodson Purchase
Collects Marvel Knights Spider-Man #1-12.
Peter Parker’s worst nightmare has come true: One ofSpider-Man’s enemies has learned his secret identity and is using that knowledge to strike at Peter’s family. Now, his Aunt May has been kidnapped — and his wife, Mary Jane, may be next. Forced into a personal battle against a mysterious foe devious enough to ensnare him in a vicious game of cat-and-mouse, Spider-Man must battle more than a dozen of his deadliest enemies to rescue his aunt. With the clock rapidly ticking down, will Spider-Man earn his greatest triumph or suffer his greatest defeat? In a spellbinding story superbly illustrated by fan-favorite artists Terry Dodson and Frank Cho, best-selling writer Mark Millar presents his definitive take on Marvel’s greatest hero — reinterpreting classic Spider-Man foes such as Dr. Octopus and the Vulture, and introducing an all-new Venom!
Spider-Man And Power Pack: Big-City Super Heroes
Written by Marc Sumerak Art by Gurihiru Cover by Gurihiru Purchase
Collects Spider-Man And Power Pack #1-4.
Zero-G! Lightspeed! Mass Master! Energizer! Together, they are Marvel’s youngest super heroes: Power Pack! When the Power family returns to New York for another exciting adventure, it isn’t long before our super siblings find themselves fighting side-by-side with everyone’s favorite wall-crawler, the Amazing Spider-Man! Featuring the villainy of Venom, the Sandman, the Vulture and more!
Spider-Man And The Fantastic Four: Silver Rage
Written by Jeff Parker Art by Mike Wieringo Cover by Mike Wieringo Purchase
Collects Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1-4.
Two great tastes that taste great together! The world’s greatest super hero and the world’s greatest super team collide for an adventure set nowhere near a Civil War (and upon which we will not put a CIVIL WAR tie-in label)! After a visit by the Impossible Man, your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man is faced with a dangerous new alien threat for which he has only one recourse…call in the Fantastic Four. Separately, Spidey and the FF are the foundation of the Marvel Universe. Together…they just may save it!
Spider-Man Family: Back In Black
Written by Sean McKeever, Paul Tobin, Fred Van Lente Art by Pierre Alary, Terrell Bobbett, Leonard Kirk Cover by Marcelo Di Chiara Purchase
Collects Spider-Man Family (2007) #1-3.
The action begins with a feature-length tale starring Spider-Man’s alien costume and guest-starring the Sandman! Peter Parker would love nothing more than to get a good night’s sleep, but his sleek, symbiotic suit has plans of its own…and no one is gonna get in its way! Next, Venom is back in town, and he’s on a rampage…but it has nothing to do with his vendetta against Spidey? What could be so important that Venom doesn’t have the time to torture his nemesis? Peter Parker is determined to find out, but first he’ll have to match journalistic wits with none other than Eddie Brock! And finally, remember back in the day, when super heroes would fight other super heroes? What? That still happens? Civil…what? Well, ANYway…we’re taking you back in time, when Spidey was pretty new at all this super hero stuff, and would make silly mistakes, like, oh, say…knocking out the Invisible Girl! I think her friends might want to have a talk with the web-crawler. Plus: backup stories featuring the Lizard and TWO Scorpions!
Spider-Girl Presents Wild Thing: Crash Course
Written by Larry Hama Art by Ron Lim Cover by Ron Lim Purchase
Collects Wild Thing #0-5.
Daddy’s little girl, just like dear old Mom: The daughter of Wolverine and Elektra! A few years in the future, Wild Thing has to fight like there’s no tomorrow against demons, droids and desperados! Guest-starring Wolverine, Elektra and Jubilee of the X-People!
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Marvel’s Voices is an Experience, capital E. It’s the first comic I know about that adapts the concept of a podcast into a comics anthology collecting stories from black creators giving their take on the Marvel universe.
The book’s title carries over from the podcast it’s based on, which is hosted by Angélique Roché. The list of creators includes Vita Ayala, Damion Scott, Kyle Baker, Brian Stelfreeze, Roxane Gay, Method Man, Alitha Martínez, among other notable industry names. What’s interesting about the project, though, is that it embraces its multimedia roots by featuring essays from other creators accessible via Marvel’sVoices online page.
Two particular essays grabbed my attention: Regine L. Sawyer’s “Growing Up Marvel” and Karama Horne’s “The Legacy of Isaiah Bradley: The First Black Captain America.” (Disclosure: Karama and Regine have both contributed to our site – ed.)
Sawyer’s essay is about her origin story into comics through a less conventional avenue than most other stories of the kind: X-Men trading cards. I don’t want to spoil the essay because it is a fascinating and well-written story, but it is wonderful to get this look at how comics allow for multiple entry points given it’s an entire cultural package. It made me remember my card collecting days growing up, both the same X-Men cards Sawyer collected and the classic Pepsi Cards I religiously hunted down back when they came out in Puerto Rico. I still have them with me and they also helped me embrace comics.
Horne’s essay is about two comics: Truth and The
Crew. Each one stands as some of Marvel’s best comic book offerings. They
were subversive and hard-hitting, daring enough to give Marvel a black Captain
America (in Truth), complete with an exploration of the tragic treatment
black heroes get using real-life black history as the basis for the problems
each character faces (which is expanded upon in The Crew).
The essay is a great and concise history of these comics, but it also serves as a lesson on visibility. That Marvel hasn’t reprinted these stories or released newer editions of the paperbacks brings up more questions than it should. I think Horne’s essay makes a strong argument as to why we need these comics back on the stands.
On the comic’s side of Marvel’s Voices, we get a strong if a bit uneven set of short stories that are personal, celebratory, and thoughtful as to why Marvel characters mean so much in the struggle for more diverse voices in the industry. Kyle Baker, for instance, produced a one-pager Ant-Man and Nick Fury story titled “Perspective,” about Fury’s problem with depth perception. It’s a quick hit but the art on display here is impressive enough to make anyone want to see Baker do more Marvel work.
Geoffrey Thorne, Khary Randolph, and Emilio López’s “Top of the Key,” on the other hand, is a one-pager on Mosaic story (a character Marvel has severely underused, in my opinion) that would’ve benefited from an additional page or two. It feels more like a setup for a larger story and we only really just get a taste of it.
Rob Markman, Damion Scott, and Dono Sánchez-Almara’s “What a Wonderful World” stands as one of the most impressive stories in the anthology as it offers a well-rounded look at a Marvel character with outstanding art and a clear message to boot. It centers on a troubled Silver Surfer, comparing Marvel’s biggest villains with humanity’s own villainy when it comes to protecting the environment. No panel was spared, no color was misplaced, and no bit of text hung without intent. Just a really good two-page story.
The best story in the book is without question “Inspiration,” by James Monroe Iglehart, Ray-Anthony Height, and Emilio López. This 4-page tale gives the radioactive spider that gave Peter Parker his powers a much-deserved platform to contemplate his role in the grand scheme of things. The script showcases an interesting play on what a superpowered spider is supposed to be and how much of its natural instincts define its actions. It’s simply unforgettable and truly worthy of getting its own comic book series.
Marvel Voices #1
is the type of book Marvel needs to invest more on. It shows just how important
it is to bring in other perspectives into this superhero universe and just how
different it can all turn out to be. It speaks to the power of voices hungry for
diversity in storytelling. And that, in itself, is a beautiful thing.
Writers: John Jennings, Anthony Piper, Luciano Vecchio, David Betancourt, James Monroe Iglehart, Evan Narcisse, Vita Ayala, Regine L. Sawyer, Brian Stelfreeze, Brandon Montclare, Tatiana King Jones, Karama Horne, Kyle Baker, Roxane Gay, Yona Harvey, Don McGregor, Geoffrey Thorne, Rob Markman, Method Man, Daniel Dominguez, Charlamagne The God, David F. Walker, Chuck Brown Art: Anthony Piper, Luciano Vecchio, Ray-Anthony Height, Jahnoy Lindsay, Bernard Chang, Brian Stelfreeze, Natacha Bustos, Kyle Baker, Brittney L. Williams, Khary Randolph, Damion Scott, Alitha E. Martinez, JJ Kirby, Sanford Greene Color: Anthony Piper, Luciano Vecchio, Emilio Lopez, Marcelo Maiolo, Brian Stelfreeze, Tamra Bonvillain, Kyle Baker, Rachelle Rosenberg, Dono Sánchez-Almara, JJ Kirby, Matt Herms Letterer: Travis Lanham Writing: 9 Essays: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy and make sure to bag and board it.
Image Comics and Skybound Entertainment has announced that every issue so far of the all-new fantasy action seriesExcellence by Khary Randolph and Brandon Thomas with colors by Emilio Lopez and letters by Deron Bennett will be rushed back to print in order to keep up with its growing demand. Issues #1-3 will be available this August.
Excellence introduces Spencer Dales, a young man born into a world of magic. His father belongs to a secret society of magicians ordered by their unseen masters to selflessly better the lives of others—those with greater potential.
Now Spencer must follow in his father’s footsteps, but all he sees is a broken system in need of someone with the wand and the will to change it. But in this fight for a better future, who will stand beside him?
Excellence #1, third printing (Diamond Code JUN198683),Excellence #2, second printing (Diamond Code JUN198684),Excellence #3, second printing (Diamond Code JUN198685) hit comic shops on Wednesday, August 28. The final order cutoff deadline for retailers is Monday, August 5.
Written by VITA AYALA Art by KANO Letters by SAIDA TEMOFONTE Cover A by KENNETH ROCAFORT Cover B by PAUL RENAUD Cover C by RAHZZAH Pre-Order Edition Cover by KHARY RANDOLPH with EMILIO LOPEZ $3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | On sale JULY 24th
Wanted fugitive Livewire reveals that the Psiot Security & Education Program is the evil organization OMEN to the world!
Will Phoebe Daniels choose to defend OMEN or go with Livewire and fight?
Find out in the climactic final issue of the second Livewire story arc, “Guardian”!
Excellence #2 continues the entertaining tale that began in the first issue. Mixing action with emotion it keeps the story focused while still revealing so much more.
The issue revolves around Spencer Dales as he deals with his grandmother’s illness. Spencer is convinced there’s magic that can help her. But, the use of it breaks the established rules. While what follows is a bit cliche, writer Brandon Thomas delivers a story that stands out.
Excellence might be a spin on magic in the modern world but underneath it’s about family and expectations of a father for his son. Thomas infuses that with emotion as we’re again shown Spencer’s life through flashbacks that explain his current attitude. He’s brash and headstrong and a character we’ve seen so many times before. But, there’s still something fun about it all. There’s something we all can relate to and that’s due to the comic’s focus on family.
Thomas is also able to use the narrow plotline to still introduce us to Aegis and this new world. The comic does an excellent job of giving us new details so that we can learn more about the rules and this secretive organization. That introduction also includes a character who is most likely the main antagonist.
The art by Khary Randolph is fantastic. Along with colorist Emilio Lopez and letterer Deron Bennett, the visuals pop and stand out as unique. The characters and world presented stand out as both grounded and magical. New takes on a simple thing like an elevator makes the comic really stand out as unique. There’s thought put into it all. Every detail, especially in the character designs, helps tell the story and help fully realize the world.
Excellence #2 is a solid read. The issue adds depth to a fantastical world. It also makes sure to keep the series focused on an emotional connection we can all relate to. This is a series that’s a must get.
