Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!
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!
We’re bringing back something we haven’t done for a while, what the team thinks. Our contributors are choosing up to five books each week and why they’re choosing the books.
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.
Mr. H
Top Pick: Spider-Man #1 (Marvel Comics) – Finally Miles Morales in his own stand alone book in the Prime Universe! Very excited for this one. With Peter Parker as his mentor will the old Parker luck rub off on our hero? Or will he reach new heights? Maybe an internship at Parker Industries awaits? Come and see Web heads!
Action Comics #49 (DC Comics) – Did Clark survive his Kryptonite overdose? Can he stand up to Vandal Savage? Find out here…
Green Lantern #49 (DC Comics) – The race to 50 is on.. is Hal ready for the coming of Parallax?
We are Robin #8 (DC Comics) – More like we are Joker this month. Let’s see how the social media treats a gang of villains rather than the fledgling heroes. One question needs to be asked “Why so serious?”
Ashley
Top Pick: The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 3 (Image Comics) – Initially thought to be a low arc due to the use of guest artists, the “Commercial Suicide” arc ended up being a brilliant and heartbreaking arc that focused more on the other characters we don’t get to see as much of in the bigger scheme of WicDiv. Exploring issues of fate, misogyny, pop stardom, cultural appropriation, and death, this experimental arc demonstrated WicDiv’s staying power.
Batgirl #48 (DC Comics) – There’s only two things I know about this issue. One, Black Canary is back in town and teaming up with Babs. Two, BABS TARR FINALLY GOT TO DRAW A LUCHA BATGIRL. Kalisto is US Champion, Lucha Underground is back, and there is an actual Luchador Batgirl costume now. What a time to be alive.
Captain Marvel #2 (Marvel) – Exhale everyone, Carol is just as lively and hardheaded as ever in the hands of Butters and Fazekas. Not to mention those abs by Anka. While it hasn’t made me cry yet, the series has me intrigued with its new use of Alpha Flight and the mystery reveal of the skeleton crew from the last issue. It’ll be interesting to see just what is in store for Carol at this “desk job.”
Pretty Deadly #8 (Image Comics) – I have a special place in my heart for the Deconnick/Ríos/Bellaire supernatural western, but this arc has been breathtaking both in story and art. Now, we finally get to meet the Reaper of War and maybe figure out just what his deal is.
Rocket Raccoon and Groot #2 (Marvel) – The first run at the Rocket Raccoon comic was an absolutely uproarious affair that made it one of my favorite Marvel titles. Skottie Young and Filipe Andrade seem to be taking a slightly different route this time with Rocket not knowing who he is after his death in Secret Wars, but the humor still seems to be there.
Alex
Top Pick: Johnny Red #4 (Titan Comics) – I love this series, and I’ve been counting down the days to each issues release. It is a fantastic World War II era story that highlights the struggles faced in Russia around that time, coupled with some truly stunning visual techniques.
Howard The Duck #4 (Marvel) – If not for Old Man Logan, this would be the only Marvel book I’d be reading, and that’s thanks in a large part to writer Chip Zdarsky’s occasional digs at Marvel’s reboots and events over the past year or so. I’ve been told that this series doesn’t hold up quite as well as Steve Gerber’s first volume, but if you don’t have that basis for comparison (and I don’t, yet) then the current run on Howard The Duck will be highly enjoyable.
Klaus #3 (BOOM! Studios) – Talking about visually stunning, Klaus is fantastic. It may be billed as an origin story for Santa (and it is), but this comic is so much more than that. There’s a warmth here that you really must experience.
Swamp Thing #2 (DC Comics) – When I was initially getting this list ready, it never occurred to me that Swamp Thing #2 would be one of my top five picks this week. But then I saw the comic listed on Previews website a coming out and I got unreasonably excited to read it after I remembered the slower paced, modern feeling with almost classical twist of the first issue. Who’da known?
X-O Manowar #44 (Valiant) – I wasn’t, honestly, all that impressed with the last issue of this series. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t as good as it has been lately. Hopefully it was a slower start to the new arc and not something indicative of a trend. This issue will go a long way to assuaging my fears, so I’m eager to get a chance to read it.
Madison
Top Pick: Pretty Deadly #8 (Image) – Pretty Deadly is one of my forever favorites. Emma Ríos’s art is otherworldly, and I’m excited to see where the story goes as they continue to develop the new arc.
Batgirl #48 (DC Comics) – This week’s Batgirl looks especially promising–it has both the return of Black Canary and one of the cutest covers possibly ever.
Paper Girls #5 (Image Comics) – Paper Girls might take an issue or two to really get into–the action starts quickly and doesn’t stop when four girls are attacked on their paper route. However, as with most Brian K. Vaughan stories, it’s worth seeing through.
Shutter #18 (Image Comics) – Shutter is a great subversion of the adventure genre, but the real draw for me was the art. If you haven’t read Shutter, you might recognize Leila Del Duca from the recent and absolutely gorgeous Morrigan-centric issue of The Wicked + The Divine.
Paul
Top Pick: A-Force #2 (Marvel) – A-Force is assembling and I’m excited to see them together again. True, it won’t be no holds barred like it was in Secret Wars, but it looks like it’s going to be a fun ride; and I’m really enjoying seeing things from Singularity’s point of view; she wants her friends back and is doing what she can to find them, even with a big bad energy monster on her tail. To paraphrase Iron Man, she’s bringing the party to them!
Scarlet Witch #3 (Marvel) – I’m not all in on this title going into the third issue. Yes, I love Wanda. She is one of my favourite characters. The debut issue was alright, and issue two was less than that. So why is this on my pick of the week list? I’m holding out hope this title picks up, and I do have a soft spot for Wanda. There are some good ideas here, and I hope it gets a little more interesting.
Uncanny Avengers #5 (Marvel) – It’s no secret to many how I feel about this title. So why is it on my list? Gambit is on the cover. That is the only reason I’m looking forward to it this week. I’m curious to see what role he’ll play with the team and with Rogue.
The Vision #4 (Marvel) – Still the surprise hit, for me, from the All New All Different launch. Vision just wanted to live a life with a wife and kids, what could possibly go wrong? The reader is given very grim hints that plenty goes wrong. Not to mention Vision’s own wife and kids have things happen to them, which they keep from him, that show us that they are a lot more like us then people would think. It’s a great read that I highly recommend.
Javier
Top Pick: Sheriff of Babylon #3 (DC Comics/Vertigo) – Tom King has had the Midas Touch, as anything he writes turns into liquid comic book gold. This militaristic detective story is a solid read.
Bad Moon Rising #5 (451 Media) – The end is near. Only two issues left in the series. It’s Werewolves versus full automatics and Silver Bullets. I got five to one odds on the Biker Werewolves.
Paper Girls #5 (Image Comics) – I’m just waiting for one of the Paper Girls to be like, “I want my two dollars!!” They deserve a little more, after all that they’ve been through so far.
Unfollow #4 (DC Comics/Vertigo) – Bruce Lee’s Game of Death meets Social Media as the Chosen gather together to thin the herd. Or will they rise above their human faults?
The Walking Dead #151 (Image Comics) – Who cares that I am front running on the Zombie genre. A real war is coming as General Rick builds his army.
Brett
Top Pick: Johnny Red #4 (Titan Comics) – This seriously has gotten better and better with each issue and has been filled with action and a lot of touching interaction of the characters. Garth Ennis is knocking it out of the park with this series focused on an English pilot leading a Russian squad in WWII. The story is good, and the art is even more amazing. Some of the two page spreads are just jaw dropping.
Last Man: The Chase (First Second) – Such a fun graphic novel series. I’m excited to see more and more as the world is expanded upon and we learn what’s going on. It’s a hell of a mystery so far with small clues that make you scratch your head.
Nailbiter #20 (Image Comics) – One of my favorite series. This arc has some of the cast in Georgia trying to catch a serial killer who may have ties to Buckaroo. Just a fun comic about serial killers.
Princeless: Raven Pirate Princess #5 (Action Lab Entertainment) – Somehow this spinoff series has surpassed the original it came out of. Raven is one of my favorite new characters of the past few years and the fun flows off the page. Every issue has delivered.
Tomboy #3 (Action Lab: Danger Zone) – Princeless for adults? This series has a teenage girl turned vigilante. The first two issues blew me away and I can’t wait to read the third. This is one that was one of my favorite debuts of 2015.
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!
