Gotham City Garage #3
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Aneke (CA) Rafael Grampá
In Shops: Nov 08, 2017
SRP: $2.99
Dr. Harleen Quinzel was once the architect of Governor Luthor’s mind-controlling ridealong project; now, as Harley Quinn-with her sidekick JØker in tow-she’s returned to the Garden to see her good work burn. The Bat and Batgirl have never forgotten the trouble she’s caused, and her return to the city is their chance for revenge!
Gotham City Garage #2
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Lynne Yoshii, José Marzan, John Livesay, Don Ho, Richard Friend (CA) Jason Badower
RATED T+
In Shops: Oct 25, 2017
SRP: $2.99
Gotham City Garage strategist Barda Free is determined not to let the new kid slow them down. But when her team rolls into trouble in Clayface Valley, will Kara be the only thing standing between them and sudden death?
Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!
Each week our contributors are choosing up to five books and why they’re choosing the books. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.
Joe
Top Pick: Detective Comics #967 (DC Comics) – The alternate Batman version of Tim hanging around is exciting. Seeing him as Batman is as shocking as it was interesting. I’ve heard fans get into it over the years on which Robin would be the best Batman, and Tim is always ignored. Is this a glimpse of the future or a fun what if?
The Flash #33 (DC Comics) – This is another Metal tie in, and everything that’s come out of this event so far has been fantastic. I trust that this will be no different.
Despicable Deadpool #288 (Marvel) – Classic Deadpool vs Cable continues in this fun chase through time as the merc with a mouth has Cable’s arm and with it, his A.I. technology. I can’t to see where this arc goes.
Batman: The Merciless #1 (DC Comics) – Another of the Dark Knights gets their own book and origin story. This time we get Tomasi on writing and the fantastic Manapul on art.
DC House of Horror #1 (DC Comics) – It’s that time of year, Halloween, and with it comes a big book of fright in the DC universe. This looks like it could be spooky fun.
Alex
Top Pick: Eternity #1 (Valiant) – Divinity is one of my favorite series, and judging from the first issue the sequel is going to be glorious. I’ve already read this, but I’m super excited to see the art without the watermarked review copy as we go into the cosmos once again.
Bloodshot Salvation #2 and X-O Manowar #8 (Valiant) – Two of Valiant’s best series are hitting shelves the same week and the’re not my top pick? This is one hell of a week! It’s no secret I love Valiant, so these picks should astonish none of you… but this week’s Valiant offerings have me super frigging excited.
Mr. H
Top Pick: Detective Comics #967 (DC Comics) – Tim Drake: Dark Batman of the Future. I cannot get enough of this story line. I remember when the “Future Titans” storyline ran in Teen Titans it was fantastic. To see the bright team turned so dark was awesome. I have always been a huge Tim Drake fan as he is the natural successor in Bruce’s detective skills. How refreshing Detective Comics featuring a top notch detective. Seeing our Tim Drake meet himself has been too cool. I am hoping we get a Tim as Batman mini – series out of the deal. This is an easy top pick for me.
Batman: The Merciless #1 (DC Comics) – So far these Metal tie ins have been great. I like the idea of Bruce and Diana as an item here and Bruce is treated to more pain by losing his love. The mash up of Batman/ Wonder Woman traits should be very entertaining. I expect another good read here from the Metal tie ins. Just move along to get me to the Man who Laughs! I think Tomasi and Manapul will rock the house here. It’s freaking Metal,man! Rock on!!
WWE #10 (BOOM Studios) – Being a die hard wrestling fan, this series is gold. The way the creative team jumps rope with the line between kayfabe and reality is so terrific. Right now we are in the middle of a story with the spotlight firmly on The Big Dog: Roman Reigns. It should be said that this comic makes me do something that WWE telelvision hasn’t done in a long time: Cheer for Roman. I can’t get enough of this series and I love all the variants as well. Great book. OOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!
Brett
Top Pick: Verax: The True History of Whistleblowers, Mass Surveillance, and Drone Warfare (Metropolitan Books) – Everything you need to know as to why this is at the top of my list is in the description. Pratap Chatterjee, journalist sleuth, dives deep into the world of electronic surveillance and introduces its cast of characters: developers, companies, users, government agencies, whistleblowers, journalists, and, in a leading role, the devices themselves. He explains the complex ways governments follow the movements and interactions of individuals and countries, whether by tracking the players of Angry Birds, deploying “Stingrays” that listen in on phone calls or “deep packet inspection” that mines email, or by weaponizing programs with names like Howlermonkey and Godsurge to attack the infrastructure of states such as Iran and remotely guide the U.S. missiles used in drone killings. He chronicles the complicity of corporations like Apple, Verizon, and Google, and the daring of the journalists and whistleblowers who made sure that the world would know.
Action Comics #990 (DC Comics) – “The Oz Effect” shouldn’t work, but it totally does as things devolve even more and the confrontation between father, son, and son happens. I have no idea where this is going but it feels like it’s building up to something big.
Gotham City Garage #2 (DC Comics) – DC characters reimagined as bikers fighting a fascist government in a dystopian world. What’s not to like?
First Strike #6 (IDW Publishing) – This comic is every battle I made up as a kid where my toys fought each other on the basement floor (with Cybertron as a replacement for my LEGO city).
Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight #1 (IDW Publishing) – The classic kids books come to comics for a whole new generation and a generation that’s nostalgic to check them out again.
Gotham City Garage #1
(W) Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly (A) Brian Ching (CA) Rafael Albuquerque
RATED T+
In Shops: Oct 11, 2017
SRP: $2.99
A new series inspired by the DC Collectibles statue line! It’s been decades since Governor Lex Luthor turned Gotham City into a modern utopia, saving his people from the devastation that made the rest of the continent a wasteland. But his city isn’t paradise for everyone. If the Lexes network misfires, and a citizen wakes up and steps out of line, the Bat and his minions are brutal in restoring the status quo. So when young Kara Gordon, whose ridealong tech has never functioned optimally, rushes headlong into the Freescape, she’s shocked to find Gotham City Garage-where new friends might become family, if she lives long enough.
It’s been decades since Governor Lex Luthor turned Gotham City into a modern utopia, saving his people from the devastation that made the rest of the continent a wasteland. But his city isn’t paradise for everyone. If the Lexes network misfires, and a citizen wakes up and steps out of line, the Bat and his minions are brutal in restoring the status quo. So when young Kara Gordon, whose ridealong tech has never functioned optimally, rushes headlong into the Freescape, she’s shocked to find Gotham City Garage-where new friends might become family, if she lives long enough.
The digital series comes to print as we get a look at a dystopian future that’s pretty relevant for today. Writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly give us a little antifa with Gotham City Garage #1 an issue that doesn’t completely focus on Harley Quinn unlike what the cover shows.
Instead, the comic is about Kara Gordon who knows something’s not right with the fascist world she lives in and eventually escapes the madness coming across Quinn and her biker gang who are here to kick ass, chew bubble gum and they’re all out of bubble gum. The comic feels like a dystopian version of the popular DC Comics Bombshells where the setting switch is key and the bad guys won.
The comic is an interesting one delivering lots of action and twists and turns that up the ominous feel of it all, especially the ending which hints that some of our assumptions might not be correct. That’s all intriguing and to see these kick-ass women kicking ass is an entertaining escape of the real world. It’s entertainment with an underlying message.
The art by Brian Ching is top notch and the two main settings are a sharp contrast which tell you almost everything you need to know about the world. The designs of every character are great and detail is solid. I’m loving the look of it and it reminds me a lot of cover artist Rafael Albuquerque or Sean Gordon Murphy.
Mixing entertainment and politics, Gotham City Garage is a fun escape where you get to see fascists get their ass kicked as they should. The politics aren’t in your face and the comic can be read as shallow or as deep as you’d like. No matter your choice, the comic is entertaining fun, which is the most important thing about it.
Story: Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly Art: Brian Ching Cover Art: Rafael Albuquerque
Story: Art: Overall: Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Based on the DC Collectibles line of the same name, Gotham City Garage is the new digital first series that follows a diverse group of rebels with one cause: freedom for all.
At San Diego Comic-Con 2017, I got a chance to talk to the writing team of Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly where we talk its influences and its anti-fascist anthem.
Gotham City Garage debuts August 16th with a new chapter released biweekly through October 2017 and weekly thereafter, with print issues available in October. The series will have rotating artists, beginning with Brian Ching and followed by Lynne Yoshii of the DC Talent Development Workshop.
