Welcome back to Essential Comics! Each week, the staff of Comic Vine lets you know what books to keep your eye out for this upcoming week. This week, SECRET WARS enters its second week, and there's a few LAST DAYS books starting. In addition, CONVERGENCE gets #2 issues for it's second week books, and there's a ton of great non-big two books to check out as well. Let's get right down to business.
Tony's Picks
SECRET WARS #2
(MARVEL)
The first issue was pretty explosive. The moment Jonathan Hickman has been working on for a while has finally happened. Everything came down to the 616 Universe going up against the Ultimate Universe. With the way the issue ended, the big question is, what happens next?
Hickman and Esad Ribic impressed with the first issue. There was a lot of fighting with some great moments but that can only go so far. This next issue will push the story along. There was a bit of a cliffhanger at the end plus, what the heck is Doctor Doom up to? We’ll also find out about Battleworld. How was this place put together and why? We’re often skeptical about these big comic book events but it’s hard not to be excited for this.
Click here for the solicit and while there is no preview this week, there are some variant covers below.
CHRONONAUTS #3
(IMAGE COMICS)
The series that started out with two scientists figuring out the secrets to time travel took an immediate turn into a very crazy direction. We always see time travelers doing what they can to avoid mucking about with the time stream. Mark Millar took the story in completely different direction. We’ve seen all sorts of crazy changes happen with the nature of the consequences getting bigger and bigger.
Sean Murphy’s art keeps pace with Millar’s crazy scripts. His style is superb and he doesn’t fail on delivering some great looking big and intense action scenes. With how quickly things have turned, there’s no telling what will happen in this week’s issue.
Check out the preview below
THOR #8
(MARVEL)
Last issue cranked up the action. Now the stage is set for a pretty huge fight. The Destroyer a pretty powerful force to deal with. Jason Aaron has been keeping readers on their toes with this new direction. People can’t stop talking about the series. Russell Dauterman’s art has also been utterly fantastic. The idea of him drawing this big action-packed battle issue is exciting.
The question that’s been hanging throughout the series is who is the new Thor? Many have suspected the true identity, especially those that have read the previous GOD OF THUNDER volume. We also saw a really huge hint in the previous issue. Is that laying out groundwork for the reveal in this issue or was that a huge mislead? We’ll find out this week.
Click here for the solicit and check out the preview below.
LADY KILLER #5
(DARK HORSE COMICS)
This series has been knocking my socks off with each issue. Joëlle Jones and Jamie S. Rich have been giving us the action-packed story of a seemingly ordinary housewife in the 60s who is really an assassin for hire. Things took a dark turn for her when she decided she didn’t really want to continue the life anymore. As you can imagine, once you work for a company employing killers, it’s not something you can just easily walk away from. Now she’s going to be in for the fight of her life. With this being the final issue in this series, who knows how it’ll end for Josie.
With a captivating script, Jones’ art and Laura Allred’s colors just make this an incredible book to read. We can only assume this final issue in this miniseries will be extra explosive.
Mat's Picks
X-O MANOWAR #36
(VALIANT)
I am completely a broken record when I say that X-O MANOWAR is the best thing that Valiant has to offer, which is saying a lot since Valiant produces some great books. It's a really rad space opera.
Writer Robert Venditti is really pushing the limits to what Aric has to go up against. Dead Hand is a ridiculously tough battle for Aric, and like many battles he's has in the past, it's hard to think how Aric is going to win this one.
Diego Bernard, Ryan Winn, and Brian Reber provide some awesome art in the past few issues, and visually, it's one of the nicest books to look at within Valiant as well. You can see that for yourself in the preview below, where Aric chats with other armors, where the Vine used to meet and the colors look awesome.
Seriously though, you should be reading X-O MANOWAR. It's been one of my top series since the start and it hasn't slowed down.
Check out the preview below.
BIRTHRIGHT #7
(IMAGE COMICS)
Here comes that broken record machine again... BIRTHRIGHT is my favorite concept in comic books, currently. For those who have been missing out, it takes the common 80s fantasy/adventure film story of "a boy gets taken to a magical land and has an adventure" and tells the story of what happens to that boy after the adventure is over. However, not everything is as it seems and it's actually an extremely dark book.
Mikey and Brennan are on their own and the authorities are looking for them. The book is insanely engaging and something you have to check out from issue one. Luckily, trades exist and you should get one.
Writer Joshua Williamson is taking us on a journey, so it's a bit ridiculous to jump right in. Aside from the story though, the art is simply wonderful. Andrei Bressan & Adriano Lucas do an amazing job month after month, creating some beautiful looking issues. Hopefully, in issue #7, no bears have to die. Seriously, that was pretty dang gruesome.
Check out the preview below
INJECTION #1
(IMAGE COMICS)
Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire are doing a book together again? Ok. I'm sold. This was the creative team that breathed some life into Moon Knight again, so when they come together to do a creator owned book, you better believe it's something you have to read.
From the sounds of the solicit, this is a genre-mixing book that seems like it's going to be quite weird. Weird is good when Ellis is writing.
More than anything else, it's a wonderful group of creators coming together to do a new book. The first issue is this week, so why not give it a chance?
Check out the preview below
Honorable Mention: CONVERGENCE PARALLAX GREEN LANTERN #2
Corey's Picks
SILK #4
(MARVEL)
Ever since she burst on the scene, Cindy Moon has been the source of a lot of questions, many from herself, and at this point she's done little more than re-establish a baseline to work from. But it's been a lot of flailing and guesswork, and it's about time someone stepped up to turn some of those guesses into solid answers. Or someFOUR...fantastically.
Robbie Thompson seems to have a checklist for the things that Cindy needs to accomplish in her first arc, and he's checking them off with an efficiency that never FEELS like it's mere list-checking. The story being told has always felt like an organic one, and while Stacey Lee was announced to not be on this issue, we'll get the manga-like stylings of Annapaola Martello instead!
Click here for the solicit and check out the preview below.
MAGNETO #18
(MARVEL)
The saga of the master of magnetism without a country, who founds a new one for him and his, has been incredibly compelling every step of the way. Ongoings might be getting sucked into Secret Wars at the moment, but it sounds like Cullen Bunn is going to use that as an excuse for some good ol' fashioned character building and introspection from one of the most complex characters in the Marvel Universe.
These massive events are, for better or worse, here to stay, and it's become and interesting sub-genre to watch ongoing creators integrate them into their stories, and I have every faith in Bunn, with artist Paul Davidson, to do just that.
Click here for the solicit and check out the preview below.
DARTH VADER #5
(MARVEL)
One of science fiction's most visually arresting villains continues his strange, covert journey to be one of the most compelling overall under the watchful eye of Kieron Gillen. Vader's plan might still be shrouded in some mystery, but his penchant for attracting just the right kinds of allies hasn't weakened, though it's likely going to become harder and harder to keep all this under wraps from someone with the considerable resources, and abilities, of Emperor Palpatine.
Salvador Larroca's art style has come to be the new standard for Vader's look and body language in comics, and I can't wait to see what he comes up with in this issue.
Click here for the solicit and check out the preview below.
Honorable Mention: CONVERGENCE: SHADOW OF THE BAT #2
That's it for this week's edition of Essential Comics. Let us know what your books you're super-duper excited for this week in the comment section below!
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