Marvelous Market August 28
The Revenge of the 1980s
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BEST NEW COMICS
Hello, and welcome to the Marvelous Market. If this is your first time here, welcome. This is the log of comics I, Spike Stonehand, the world's greatest comic critic, am considering buying this week. The work going into this curation is made possible by readers like you. You can support directly here, or simply share this post in person or on your social media app of choice. If you want to know my thoughts after reading, be sure to subscribe below and check back in this Friday!
Don't Miss This, Floppy Magazine
ARCHIE: THE DECISION # 1
Tom King writing Archie? And in the classic Archie style with artist Dan Parent? This will either win an Eisner or be one of the worst comics of all time. I'm hoping for the former, as an Archie-ologist, and I need them to start putting out more than the digests, holiday specials, and horror comics. Make this a hit so we can all get more Archie in its purest form.
Don't Miss This, Trade Paperback
AVENGERS: TWILIGHT
Chip Zdarsky writing and Daniel Acuña on art should be enough to sell you. If it isn't, perhaps calling this the Marvel version of The Dark Knight Returns might? Like that, it's a story of old man Steve Rogers returning for one last mission.
What Else I'm Grabbing:
HELLO DARKNESS # 2
I'll admit, issue 1 left me a little cold. I enjoyed both of the longer serialized narratives, but the short stories didn't work for me. I hope that they figure things out a bit better here. No need to reinvent the wheel. Just give me some down center of the lane horror stories and I'll be happy.
THE LAST MERMAID # 6
The end of the first story arc is finally here. THE LAST MERMAID has slowly been building momentum, and I expect that to continue once the first trade is out. Derek Kirk Kim has a 30 issue plan for this, and given that it seems sales are going up not down, I really hope he gets it. And I'm not just saying that because my suggestion for a letter column title got picked out of a hat! But that certainly doesn't hurt.
ULTIMATE X-MEN # 6
Man, this comic. I've never seen a Marvel comic this committed to doing its own thing, and completely for the better. Peach Momoko is making her j-horror body dysphoria comic and it just barely counts as an X-Men book, and this is all for the better. Give her literally whatever money she wants to make a creator-owned series after this because I want to see whatever comes from her mind.
VOID RIVALS # 12
Last month, I predicted that this issue (# 12) would bring some sort of big twist to the series. Like the first Omni-man twist in INVINCIBLE, or the realization that they're all infected in THE WALKING DEAD, Kirkman seems to love that kind of rug pull. This series needs it, too. It began as a shocking start of the Energon Universe, but where does it go from here?
WILLIAM OF NEWBURY # 4
My shop had a shipping order for issue 3, so I have yet to read it, unfortunately. What I do know is that the first two issues had me clammering for more, hoping this would be a recurring character a la Hellboy. No news on that front, but a boy can dream.
ZATANNA: BRING DOWN THE HOUSE # 4
The previous issues of this, while not bad, were not exactly what I wanted. The previews for this issue seem to indicate that it is becoming more of what I wanted. I know how good Javier Rodriguez is at drawing mystical magical nonsense. That's what I want here.
New Number One Issues
Looking to dive into a new series? Here are some new titles starting this week, alongside their basic premise, that you should check out.
ALIENS VS. AVENGERS # 1
Solicit Copy: ALIENS AND AVENGERS FACE OFF! It's all led to this: Xenomorphs reach Earth! The perfect organism meets a planet of superhumans. Who will be first to fall? Legendary collaborators Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribić cut loose in this four-part epic unmissable for Marvel and Alien fans alike!
Why It Looks Interesting: What is this era that Jonathan Hickman is entering? He's reuniting with the artist that made SECRET WARS the best Marvel event of all time, and for this? Knowing how much Hickman loves Wildstorm, I have to wonder if he is actually taking this seriously, like Warren Ellis and Chris Sprouse's WILD C.A.T.S./ALIENS which I have been told is incredibly plot relevant, permanently killing off major cast members.
CONVERT # 1
Solicit Copy: Science Officer Orrin Kutela finds himself stranded on a distant planet, starving and haunted by the ghosts of his dead crew. On the verge of death, he makes an astonishing discovery.
Why It Looks Interesting: While the premise may be something you've seen before, the art here looks spectacular. I love the tender but confident linework.
LIFE # 1
Solicit Copy: Brian Azzarello (THE BLOOD BROTHERS MOTHER, 100 Bullets) and Stephanie Phillips writing together for the first time (Grim, Harley Quinn) team up with artist Danijel Zezelj (Nostalgia) and colorist Lee Loughridge (Deadly Class) to create a masterfully crafted flip book, housing two enthralling narratives that collide in unexpected ways. In the future, a death penalty will be considered an act of kindness, as covert experiments have forced criminals with multiple life sentences to live all their time to full term. For the “Casanova Killer,” that means living out the nearly 2,400 years of his 32 life sentences mining on a distant prison planet alongside some of humanity’s most heinous offenders. Years pass… Decades turn to centuries, abandoned, the prisoners are shocked to see a ship approaching—filled with thieves hoping that their next big score is on the planet’s long dead mine. They have no idea that the prisoners—are still alive. While the prisoners scheme to find a way off planet, the thieves plan the biggest score of their careers. Each issue of "LIFE” is a flip book, housing one story from two different perspectives. A prison break and a heist both offer interlocking narratives, creating an immersive experience that will challenge your perceptions of justice while begging the immortal question: Who really wants to live forever?
Why It Looks Interesting: This is one of those "Two series in one" books. Like, you literally flip the book over and there is a different story, and I guess they meet in the middle. This is from a killer team, Brian Azzarello and Stephanie Phillips writing the stories and Danijel Zezelj drawing it all. DSTLRY, even if the individual stories don't always hit, is always trying something unique.
Trade Paperbacks, Hardcovers, and OGNs
Maybe you haven't yet been convinced of the superiority of monthly floppy comics. Well, here are some longer form and collected editions for you!
DYING INSIDE
Solicit Copy: When Ash, a clinically depressed teenage girl, tries to exit the stage forever, she is accidentally cursed by a charmed knife that turns her big finale into the gift of immortality.
From Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz, Hannah Klein (EVERYTHING'S FINE), and Lisa Sterle (THE MODERN WITCH TAROT) comes the graphic novel about a chronically depressed girl who’s tired of fighting for her…death. DYING INSIDE is a musically immersive experience, featuring original lyrics and poetry from Pete Wentz, an integrated playlist, and never-before-heard music from Daisy Grenade.
A limited series that will, like all good detective stories, shock you with twists and berate you with endless puns.
Today is Ash’s big finale. And by finale, she means exiting the stage permanently. Ash is a sixteen-year-old girl with more angst than Ian Curtis and Elliott Smith combined (her two idols). She’s apathetic and therefore believes death is the easiest route to relief. But nothing is more embarrassing than a lame death. Unfortunately, her meticulous plans are all ruined when the beautiful knife she buys off a webstore turns out to be charmed with a protection spell. Now, Ash has to track down the witch who transformed her clocking out attempt into the worst gift imaginable: immortality. Turns out, the witch responsible is another sixteen-year-old-girl named (get this) Liv. The two vow to undo the charm together and fight for Ash’s death…even as things get increasingly entangled with a strange new antidepressant called Somnia and her mom’s gross boyfriend, Greg.
Why It Looks Interesting: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz wrote a comic? Maybe he's trying to pull a Gerard Way and move from Pop Punk to pictographs. And it seems like he is trying to integrate music into the narrative in formalistically interesting ways. I don't know man, it could be good. I would have never expected UMBRELLA ACADEMY to be as popular as it is.
What did I miss?
If there are some great comics, collected or in single issues, that you think I should be reading, tell me about them! And if you do try out any of these series, let me know how you liked them, or didn’t. This is a safe space for haters. If you enjoy this service, please share this article on social media or tell someone that you know reads comics about it.
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