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Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Posted on February 2, 2021 by Graphic Policy Team

Wednesdays (and now Tuesdays) 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 choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Avengers: Mech Strike #1 (Marvel) – The Avengers face a big threat and decide to suit up in Mechs. It sounds like a toy tie-in and it sounds completely silly. We’re in.

Chained to the Grave #1 (IDW Publishing) – A tail of intrigue, murder, magic, and the wild, wild, west! Westerns in comics have been rare lately, so we’re always interested in checking out a new one.

Deep Beyond #1 (Image Comics) – Humanity has been devastated by a disease and a small group of scientists studies the hidden depths of the abyss. Something there may be even more destructive!

Far Sector #10 (DC Comics/DC’s Young Animal) – The truth begins to be revealed!

Fear Case #1 (Dark Horse) – Two Secret Service agents attempt to track down the Fear Case which appears throughout history at sites of disaster and tragedy.

Future State: Harley Quinn #2 (DC Comics) – Wrapping up the series, the first issue was a neon-infused interesting take on Harley and this second issue delivers the endgame in her situation.

Future State: Swamp Thing #2 (DC Comics) – Humanity has been rediscovered but what does that mean for Swamp Thing ans his people?

Legend of Shang-Chi #1 (Marvel) – With a big movie coming, Marvel is upping the amount of comics starring Shang-Chi. We’re up to seeing what each creative team does with him, especially after the recent miniseries reworking his origin a bit and taking on the problematic aspects of his past.

Luna #1 (BOOM! Studios) – A hippie cult whose leader claims to have met the divine, secret blood rituals, power drugs and sex… yeah, we’re intrigued.

Man-Bat #1 (DC Comics) – A character that has come and gone as far as the spotlight. We get a new take on the character delivering a tragic other side of the coin to Batman.

Maniac of New York #1 (AfterShock) – A masked slasher stalks New York City. He’s inhuman, unkillable, and unstoppable. So, the authorities decided to ignore him. When he returns to kill, two disgraced cops decide to attempt to destroy him.

Redemption #1 (AWA Studios) – A despot rules a town with an iron fist after the apocalypse. A legendary gunslinger is asked to come out of retirement to help save a young girl’s mother.

Sea of Sorrows #3 (IDW Publishing) – The horror series has been great setting up tension and we’re back for more.

The Shepherd #1 (Scout Comics/Black Caravan) – A Professor becomes convinced he can rescue his son’s wandering soul.

Specter Inspectors #1 (BOOM! Studios) – A group of ghost hunters, the comic sounds like the fun goofiness that the television shows on the topic bring.

Star Wars Adventures: The High Republic #1 (IDW Publishing) – The new Star Wars setting has been interesting so far and we want to see what else spins out of it.

Teddy (Dead Reckoning) – A graphic novel about the life of Teddy Roosevelt.

They Fell From the Sky #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – A teenage kid meets an alien and must balance his day-to-day life and prevent an interplanetary war.

Transformers: Beast Wars #1 (IDW Publishing) – The beloved comic series gets a comic celebrating 25 years!

The Walking Dead Deluxe #8 (Image Comic/Skybound) – The series has been fascinating to read again in the age of COVID. A great way to experience the comic for the first time or good excuse to return and experience it again.

Preview: Man-Bat #1

Posted on January 30, 2021 by Graphic Policy Team

Man-Bat #1

Written by: Dave Wielgosz
Art by: Sumit Kumar

For years Kirk Langstrom has struggled with his monstrous alter ego, Man-Bat, and the serum that transformed him. But he’s finally hit rock bottom following a devastating setback, and he’s going to take his anger out on every single citizen of Gotham City. Will the combined might of Batman and the GCPD be enough to stop Langstrom once and for all? Or will this just be the start of Man-Bat’s devastation?

Man-Bat’s Murderous Meltdown Begins in Man-Bat #1 this February

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Graphic Policy Team

In the battle between man and monster…the monster’s winning! Man-Bat, a five-issue series starring the long-running Batman antagonist, debuts in February from the creative team of writer Dave Wielgosz and artist Sumit Kumar!

For years Kirk Langstrom has struggled with his monstrous alter ego Man-Bat and the serum that transformed him. But he’s finally hit rock bottom following a devastating setback, and he’s going to take out his anger on every single citizen of Gotham City. Will the combined might of Batman and the GCPD be enough to stop Langstrom once and for all? Or will this just be the start of Man-Bat’s devastation?

Take a look at the first seven pages of interior artwork from Man-Bat #1, where Man-Bat’s murderous meltdown begins!

And in the following issues, Man-Bat is on the run from the law following a horrific night of blood and mayhem on the streets of Gotham City. But the police aren’t what Kirk Langstrom’s monstrous alter ego should worry about… it’s Task Force X, better known as the Suicide Squad! To undo the damage he has caused, Man-Bat must seek a cure for the innocents he has injured, all while staying out of the deadly sights of the world’s most dangerous mercenaries!

Man-Bat #1, written by Dave Wielgosz with art by Sumit Kumar, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Tom Napolitano, arrives in stores on February 2 with a main cover by Kyle Hotz and Alejandro Sánchez and a variant cover by Kevin Nowlan.

Review: Justice League Dark #1

Posted on July 25, 2018 by Logan Dalton

Justice League Dark #1 is like the Justice League only weirder and dysfunctional, Seriously, Wonder Woman and Man-Bat are the only two team members until the Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson splash page. In the opening salvo of his series spinning out of the Justice League: No Justice, writer James Tynion IV introduces his main threat both verbally and visually: magic is dying and humanity with it. However, he gives the varied denizens of Justice League Dark humanity and humor and along with Martinez’s engrossing double page spread, keeps the book entertaining and not overwhelmed by the gravity of its stakes like its brother League book.

From the first scene where Zatanna’s simple rabbit in the hat trick turns into a B-horror movie, Tynion and Martinez set up Justice League Dark as a book about the ever shifting and chaotic nature of magic first and punching things later. These priorities are reflected in his choice of cast members, who with the notable exception of Wonder Woman aren’t the team up and fight things type although they are in all out action by the time the final page arrives. Zatanna, who is Wonder Woman’s first choice for her “magical” Justice League team, refuses at first because of complicated reasons like her father’s death and a valid belief that a superhero team isn’t the best way to investigate the dying of magic. In Justice League Dark #1’s first double page spread, Martinez and Fernandez show that Diana and Zatanna don’t have the greatest chemistry with Wonder Woman relying on brute force while Zatanna continues to fall back on her spells even as they backfire in multicolored explosions from Anderson. And the other “members” are even less conventional from Detective Chimp, who is more mopey bartender and comic relief and heavy hitter to Man-Bat,

Speaking of Man-Bat, Dr. Kirk Langstrom almost steals the entire comic of Justice League Dark #1 as he pulls off the whole villain striving for redemption as a hero with humor and quirkiness instead of the cliched brooding darkness. The inviting nature of Man-Bat as a character begins with the visual design with Alvaro Martinez Bueno and Raul Fernandez going for the totally adorable combination of bat head and lab coat and Brad Anderson choosing a more neutral grey instead of going full Goth with his palette. Until the big fight at the end when Martinez and Fernandez make Man-Bat more ferocious and less cuddly with intense line work, they and Tynion craft the character more like Beast from the X-Men and less than the horrific, nocturnal threat of Batman The Animated Series’ pilot “On Leather Wings”. He’s another hit on James Tynion’s “rogues gallery rehab” world tour that kicked off with his heroic and heartbreaking writing of Basil Karlo aka Clayface in Detective Comics. Hopefully, these small moments of Man-Bat obsessively rattling his scientific credentials, Traci 13 jokingly turning Detective Chimp’s beer into apple juice, and heaven and Hell (Aka Lucifer and Zauriel) squaring off in basically a Goth board room setting continue throughout the series as the threat of the Otherkind ramps up.

In Justice League Dark #1, James Tynion takes one part of his tongue in cheek, yet serious exploration of magic and its consequences and complexities in his Hellblazer run, another part the family dynamic of Detective Comics, and gives the book the blockbuster sensibility of co-writing gigs with Scott Snyder and others on books like Dark Nights Metal and Justice League No Justice even going back to his work on the Batman Eternal weeklies and turns into a fairly delightful concoction. He, Alvaro Martinez Bueno, Raul Fernandez, and Brad Anderson create connections between characters before having them punch, bite, or throw tendrils of the Green at things and the philosophy makes the book shine even if the antagonists are vaguer and vague.

Plus Tynion writes Swamp Thing like Treebeard from Lord of the Rings, which is incredibly ingenious.

Story: James Tynion IV Pencils: Alvaro Martinez Bueno
Inks: Raul Fernandez Colors: Brad Anderson Letters: Rob Leigh
Story: 8.5 Art: 7.5 Overall: 8.8 Recommendation: Buy

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Diamond Select In Stores Now: Harley Quinn, Black Canary and Jessica Jones!

Posted on February 3, 2017 by Graphic Policy Team

This week, DST continues their comic shop beautification project by shipping not one, but four amazing-looking products to your local comic shop! From Batman: The Animated Series, the Man-Bat bust and Nurse Harley statue! From Justice League Unlimited, the Black Canary PVC diorama! And from Marvel Comics, Jessica Jones as Jewel!

Batman The Animated Series Man-Bat Resin Bust

A Diamond Select Toys release! Beware the Man-Bat! The newest resin bust in the epic line based on Batman: The Animated Series depicts scientist Kirk Langstrom as his monstrous alter-ego, the Man-Bat! Measuring over 6 inches tall and approximately 8 inches in diameter, this detailed bust is set on top of an art-deco base inspired by the show’s distinctive architecture. Limited to only 3000 pieces, it comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color box. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (Item #AUG162554, SRP: $59.99)

Batman Animated Series Premier Collection Nurse Harley Quinn 12” Resin Statue

A Diamond Select Toys release! Hello, nurse! On the TV classic Batman: The Animated Series, Harley Quinn played dress-up almost as often as she wore her now-iconic jumpsuit. And this all-new 12-inch resin statue depicts one of her most memorable clothing swaps – a nurse’s disguise! Nurse Harley blows a kiss to her next patient while wearing a short, white mini-dress and standing on a logo disk base. Limited to only 3,000 pieces, this statue comes packaged with a certificate of authenticity in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Clayburn Moore! (Item #AUG162553, SRP$ 149.99)

DC Gallery Justice League Black Canary PVC Figure

A Diamond Select Toys release! The heroines of the DC Animated Universe are expanding their roster! As seen on Justice League Unlimited, this 9-inch scale PVC figure of the Black Canary depicts Dinah Lance unleashing a sonic scream at her opponent, wearing her classic, comic-inspired leather jacket and tights. Figure is in scale to all Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures, and comes packaged in a full-color window box. Sculpted by Varner Studios! (Item #AUG162555, SRP: $45.00)

Marvel Gallery Jessica Jones as Jewel PVC Diorama

A Diamond Select Toys Release! Before she was a hard-boiled detective and the star of her own TV show, Jessica Jones was Jewel, an up-and-coming superhero, part-time Avenger and full-time fashion plate! This 9-inch scale PVC diorama of Jewel depicts the superheroine with her purple hair and white jumpsuit, blowing a kiss of purple stars. In scale to all Gallery and Femme Fatales PVC figures, Jewel comes packaged in a full-color widow box, and features a detailed sculpt and paint applications. Sculpted by Alejandro Pereira. (Item #NOV162441, SRP: $45.00)

Review: Gotham Academy #8

Posted on July 8, 2015 by

Since her introduction to the pages of Gotham Academy, Olive Silverlock has been an engaging yet mysterious main character. While her supporting cast has been fun and quirky, it is her around whom the series focuses. Despite that, there has been a definite lack of Olive recently after her introduction. Since the break for Convergence there was an Endgame tie-in, although this was mostly a ghost-story issue more in line with the horror titles of the 1970s than what we expect from the series. The return of the series last month was without the series main character, and so it has been the case that this is the first appearance of the character after four months.

With that kind of a break, it would seem that there is some necessity to do something bigger with the character, and it is here. Despite her return though, this issue mostly focuses on a different problem. Despite already having Damian Wayne on the school grounds (though he is absent here) this issue reveals that Tristan is more that what he seems, as he is afflicted with some kind of lycanthropy, specifically the kind that seems to turn Dr. Kirk Langstrom into a bat as well. It is an interesting sub-plot to the story, especially so that Langstrom shows up here as the new science teacher who is keen to help the student. While they deal with this, there is a darker path underway for Olive which is revealed at the end of the issue.

While the tone of the series has changed a little bit with this issue, as well as the focus, it still maintains its same high standards that it has proven so far. The sub-plot with Tristan is distracting in a way, but then the idea here was not to bring back the series’ protagonist with a flash but rather with a slow burn. It is an effective way to pave the way for what will be Olive’s future, but as a good story should do, it is taking its time and not rushing in, and this issue is better for it.

Story: Becky Cloonan and Brendan Fletcher Art: Karl Kerschl
Story: 8.9 Art: 8.9 Overall: 8.9 Recommendation: Buy

New DC Universe Lego Sets for 2014

Posted on December 8, 2013 by Brett

2014 will bring numerous new Lego sets for their DC Universe line. Not only are there new sets, but new figures and characters who haven’t been offered to date. Here’s a run down of what you can expect next year!

76010 Batman: The Penguin Face Off – Not only do you get a new Batman figure in a diving suit, but also the Penguin!

76011 Batman: Man-Bat Attack – Includes a standard Batman figure, but also Man-Bat and Nightwing!

76012 Batman: The Riddler Chase – I saw this set in person at San Diego Comic-Con and it looked really solid. Not only do you get Batman, but an awesome Riddler figure as well as the Flash!

76013 Batman The Joker Steam Roller – The set looks interesting, but the highlight isn’t Batman, Robin, Joker or the Joker’s henchman, it’s Batgirl!

10672 Defend the Batcave – Lego is putting out “junior sets” which are supposedly easier to put together. They still look pretty solid.

(via BrickHeroes)