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.
Brett
Top Pick: Americatown #1 (Archaia/BOOM! Studios) – It’s the near future and the US has gone to crap causing Americans to flee the country and become undocumented immigrants in others. This story focuses on a town in Brazil that’s risen due to this. A fascinating comic with both social commentary and family at the heart of it.
Descender #6 (Image Comics) – Jeff Lemire’s mysterious sci-fi series has been mesmerizing in both story and the art by Dustin Nguyen.
Letter 44 #19 (Oni Press) – Is it time for President Blades to surrender and end World War III? Does he have more fight in him? Writer Charles Soule always seems to have a twist I don’t see coming in this futuristic sci-fi political thriller. Plus there’s that whole astronauts dealing with aliens far away from Earth thing too.
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1 (Image Comics) – I haven’t read the first two volumes, but I’m looking forward to seeing what the praise and hype is all about.
Rebels #5 (Dark Horse) – Writer Brian Wood has been digging into the American Revolution, and giving it a personal touch by focusing on just a few individuals and not being bogged down by grand plans and battles. It might be taking place in the past, but the series is relevant to the world today.
Alex
Top Pick: Howard The Duck #5 (Marvel) – I have no idea what’s happening in this series half the time, but I absolutely love it. There’s the kind of humour I love peppering each issue, from the front cover right to the end. It’s always a happy Wednesday when I get to pick this up.
Batman #43 (DC Comics) – Of the two titles staring just Batman (this and Detective Comics), Scott Snyder’s writing is putting this comic head and shoulders above the other. Snyder is the bet writer to tackle the Dark Knight in years, and I love Greg Capullo’s art work.
Edward
Top Pick: Star Wars: Lando #2 (Marvel) – The first issue of this series was surprisingly fun and with a great twist of an ending. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.
A-Force #3 (Marvel) – One of the more interesting concepts for a Secret Wars series gets its third issue. The first was so-so, the second was a lot better, how will this one turn out?
The Beauty #1 (Image Comics) – The emphasis on beauty is always an issue in modern society, and so it will be interesting to see what the take is on it in this series.
Gotham Academy #9 (DC Comics) – There still hasn’t really been a missed opportunity so far in this series, and that will likely continue here as the gang faces a werewolf.
String Divers #1 (IDW Publishing) – Now that Ant-Man made miniaturization cool again, we might see more stories like this, about a group of scientist fighting supernatural threats at the microscopic level.
Elana
Top Pick: Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1 (Image Comics) – This is one of the best comics series of the 00s and now it’s back. Everyone who loves music needs this comic, even people who don’t read comics. Here’s my short review of issue 1. I’ll be writing a bigger piece soon because it’s worth it!
A-Force #3 (Marvel) – Interesting premise. Female characters that I can’t get enough of like She-Hulk and Dazzler and a school of Namors. The story presents a mystery intriguing enough that I keep buying this book even though I can’t deal with the outfit they put Nico in. I’m sorry but not only is her get-up impractical it’s not even goth. Nico would never wear that. But buy this anyway because it’s a lot of fun.
Catwoman #43 (DC Comics) – Spoiler is back! Series writer, the awesome Genevieve Valentine was our podcast guest last night. We think she’s doing outstanding work and taking the characters in directions that make sense yet are 100% unlike what we’ve seen before. In this issue Steph wear’s a Black Canary band t-shirt and Selina wears more contour because clothing should reflect the people wearing it damnit! Love this book.
Constantine: The Hellblazer #3 (DC Comics) – Now the great ConJob is heading back to London. That city is full of bad memories for him and it looks like he’ll be getting help from an interesting new character. This series keeps gets better with each re-reading so I expect issue 3 to be the best yet.
Gotham Academy #9 (DC Comics) – Olive and Maps are starting to have her own Scooby Gang whether they want it or not (Maps does, Olive says she doesn’t, which is why she needs it most of all). Look at all of these adorable children! They keep melting my stoney heart with their cuteness and feelings and mystery solving and angst.
Mr. H
Top Pick: Batman #43 (DC Comics) – The new Dark Knight Jim Gordon’s maiden voyage continues. He’s got the tech does he got the stuff? Meanwhile the mystery of Mr. Bloom starts to grow. Oh yeah that Bruce Wayne guy shows up to give some pointy eared advice too.
DC Comics: Bombshells#1 (DC Comics) – Tales of mighty maidens from WW2 era. Very historically retro style book coming our way. Plus who doesn’t want to see A League of their own style Batwoman?
JLA: Gods and Monsters #1 (DC Comics) – The creative team from the hit movie gives us the backstory on how this big Three got together. All I know is I can’t get enough of Bekka as Wonder Woman!
Secret Wars #5 (Marvel Comics) – In Doom we trust. I sure do. Nuff Said.
Paul
Top Pick: A-Force #3 (Marvel) – She-Hulk has broken the biggest rule of Battleworld…no travelling between regions. And now the Thors are coming! This is a fantastic story with the ladies of Marvel, and as I’ve said before, anything wit She-Hulk front and center is great. If you’re not reading it, go get issues #1 and 2..I’ll wait…go now!
Secret Wars: Battleworld #4 (Marvel) – I have really enjoyed this book, giving us 2 shorter stories showing us characters and areas of Battleworld not explored in the main books. This is the last issue in this series, so I’m very interested to see what final stories will be told before the end of Secret Wars.
Star-Lord and Kitty Pryde #2 (Marvel) – Issue #1 was a fun, light hearted story in-between all the darker stories being told in Secret Wars. Peter is an anomaly that Kitty will not let out of her sight…and Peter wouldn’t have it any other way. Will she take him back to Valeria, or keep this discovery for herself?
Pharoah
Top Pick: The Beauty #1 (Image Comics) – In a time where dystopia and vanity is all over mass media, this comic hits it right on the nose, as the creators imagine a world where beauty can come to anyone as sexually transmitted disease, WHOA!!!
Doctor Who: Four Doctors #1 (Titan Comics) – All I have to say , what happens when you have the 10th, 11th and 12 doctors join forces, is a whole lot of quips and more than quadruple the trouble
Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #1 (Image Comics) – I love McKelvie and Gillen’s work on everything they have done so far, as music and magic are one and the same in this world, as the buys kick off a brand new arc
Providence #3 (Avatar Press) – Alan Moore, continues his exploration of all that makes Lovecraft, a master of what he did, as Moore and Jacen Burrows only furthers the unsettling discovery.
King Tiger#1 (Dark Horse) – who does not love a good old kung fu movie, as this comic, has all the makings of a classic Shaw Brother movie.
Troy
Top Pick: A-Force #3 (Marvel) – One of the more interesting Secret Wars tie-ins in my opinion. A-Force continues the story of an elite team of female avengers as they continue to unravel the curious mysteries of Battle World. Knowing that the A-force brand and team will continue post-battleworld this is sure to be a rewarding read to invest in!
Inhumans Attilan Rising #4 (Marvel) – With the upcoming Inhumans movie, and seeds planted on the television series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The inhumans are poised to make a big splash in the MCU over the next few years. A traditionally reclusive community the ensuing emergence of the Inhumans both on the small screen and the big screen makes a surreal parallel to the source material. Now is very good time to learn about them and see what makes them so amazing. Who wants to get me some Terrigen crystals this Christmas?
Secret Wars # 5 (Marvel) – Despite achieving some manner of Godhood the chinks in Dr. Doom’s Deistic armor are starting to show. Last issue hinted at a showdown between Doom and his longtime rival Reed Richards. There’s definitely something epic about an impending battle of wits between a God and Mortal who are in a lot of respects equally matched. I can almost hear Michael Buffer’s clarion call in the distance. Impatiently awaiting this cosmic scale knock down drag out J
