Welcome to another exciting edition of New Hotness! Once again, Russell picks his top books to grab this Wednesday at your local comic shop or online. What looks fun? Which titles have major happenings? Is there a new book you shouldn’t miss? Find the answers to those questions and more right here each week!
DC New 52
Batman Eternal #1 – Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Art and cover by Jason Fabok
$2.99
Don’t dare miss the start of the Bat-story so big it’s going to take every week of the month to tell! A massive cast of Gotham City’s best (and worst) examines the relationship between Batman, his allies and his city. In this debut issue, Commissioner James Gordon is caught on the wrong side of the law!
Picked because: All Batman fans have been waiting a long time for this! This weekly series is meant to set up the new status quo for Gotham City and the entire Batman family. To call this epic would be an understatement. While some events that take place before this (ahem, Forever Evil) haven’t finished yet, readers should still be able to jump into this without too many problems. Lots of changes are happening in Batman’s world and some new characters (and old!) will be making appearances throughout the book. From the opening pages, Gotham is in flames and Batman is beaten and broken. How we get there is where this will pick up and take a year to tell. But with all these incredible writers and amazing artists, how can any Batman fan say ‘no?’ The price point is $2.99 an issue and it being a weekly might be a bit much for the comic shopper on a budget, but if any of the Batman books will be worth the price it’ll be this one. There will, literally, be something for every type of Batman fan as the book evolves. Get in on this from the start!
Superman/Wonder Woman #7 – Written by Charles Soule
Art by Paulo Siqueira, Barry Kitson and Eddy Barrows
Cover by Paulo Siqueira
$3.99
Doomsday has awakened and the Earth and heavens tremble! And discover how Superman and Wonder Woman survived a nuclear blast!
Picked because: Doomed is beginning in this title, Superman and Action Comics, so expect big things to happen in this one, too. Oh, and remember that whole nuclear explosion at the end of last issue? And that wasn’t the only bomb dropped as Superman dropped the ‘L’ bomb just before he nearly sacrifices himself to stop Zod from releasing War World from the Phantom Zone. This whole thing definitely shoves the series in a whole new direction. And with Doomsday now free from the Phantom Zone, Superman will need all the help he can get. This issue is also going to fill in some blanks from Action Comics #30 and help to establish when certain Superman stories take place. It’s also been made apparent that Action Comics #26-30 take place post-Forever Evil, so we’ve been reading Superman’s new status quo for a little while now, we just didn’t realize it. Luckily, his stories have become vastly more interesting and fun, which has never been a problem for this book. As Doomed is starting, this will be another moment for new or curious fans to try it out. Despite regular artist Tony Daniel taking an issue off, this one still looks great.
Marvel
Nightcrawler #1 – Written by Chris Claremont
Art by Todd Nauck
Cover by Chris Samnee
$3.99
Newly-returned from the afterlife, veteran X-Man Kurt Wagner finds himself in a world that’s a far cry from the one he left: Professor Xavier is dead, Cyclops is on the run, and the X-Men are divided. But determined not to let his new lease on life go to waste, Nightcrawler hits the road alongside Wolverine, eager to right some wrongs and safeguard the future mutantkind…and he’s going to do it by the means he loves most: swashbuckling, lady-charming and—of course—BAMFing!
Picked because: If there’s one book X-Men fans need to pick up this week, this is it! Chris Claremont returns to write an ongoing X-book and the first thing he does is team up Nightcrawler with Wolverine. These are, arguably, the two characters he knows best. From his legendary run on X-Men to his work on Wolverine with Frank Miller, this is the guy who defined those characters for several generations of fans. Having him back in the fold after a long absence is enough to get anybody excited. What makes this great even for those who’ve been away is that Claremont himself has been gone, too. He’s coming back into a world where things are vastly different from when he left. Much like Nightcrawler, he’s not aware of many changes and events that have taken place over the last several years. Luckily, this title will act as a guide for both the main character and new or lapsed readers. And if there’s ever been a great setup for a new buddy action/comedy, it’s this opening arc. So much has changed, but Nightcrawler remains as fun as ever. This title’s in good hands!
Deadpool #27 – Written by Brian Posehn and Gerry Duggan
Art by Mike Hawthorne
Cover by Scott Koblish
$9.99
• That’s right—the day you never dreamed would come has finally arrived…Deadpool is getting MARRIED!
• First up in this ENORMOUSLY OVERSIZED ISSUE is our the main feature—the biggest wedding since that one guy married that other guy as Deadpool and his mysterious bride tie the knot in a tale by Gerry Duggan, Brian Posehn, & Mike Hawthorne!
• THEN, we’ve rounded up EVERY writer to ever pen Wade’s series to celebrate this magical occasion! No self-respecting Poolophile can miss this one!
• It’s the most important issue 27 in the history of comics!
Picked because: The wedding issue is finally here! On top of what should be one of the craziest stories you’re likely to read this year, this issue also set a new world record for most characters used in a single cover. The price on this one is really high at $9.99, but it’s not a standard-sized issue, either. This one has lots of other stories in it from pretty much every writer to ever tackle the Merc With A Mouth. If you’re a Deadpool fan at all, even if you’re not reading this series, this might be the one issue you should pick up. It may seem pricey at first, but what you get for your money will more than make up for that.
Boom! Studios
Lumberjanes #1 – Written by Noelle Stevenson and Grace Ellis
Art by Brooke Allen
Cover by Noelle Stevenson
$3.99
WHY WE LOVE IT: Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp…defeating yetis, three-eyed wolves, and giant falcons…what’s not to love?!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five butt-kicking, rad teenage girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson, talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing, and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things.
Picked because: There are too few comics aimed at a primarily young female audience and this is looking to make up some ground in that area. This is the second launch title for Boom! Studios’ new BOOM! Box imprint, following The Midas Flesh. Both Marvel and DC have spent a lot of time publishing darker and grittier stories in the last few years, so it’s nice to see something like this come along and bring some cartoonish fun back to the medium. If you loved Adventure Time or Regular Show on Cartoon Network, you’ll definitely want to give this a look, too. The influence of certain classical fairy tales is evident, but with different takes which should be fun and familiar. If you’re looking for something different, this will be the place for you to start.
Dynamite Comics
Flash Gordon #1 – Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Evan Shaner
Cover by Gabriel Hardman
$3.99
Flash Gordon never fit in on Earth. But on the bizarre planet MONGO, Flash’s thirst for thrills and daring danger makes him the perfect weapon against world-breaking Ming the Merciless and his awful inter-planetary swarms of terror! Can the cocksure Man From Earth funnel his overconfidence into saving worlds, or will the universe fall to Ming? Don’t miss out on THE most exciting ongoing series of 2014 by dream team Jeff Parker (Batman ’66, Aquaman), Evan “Doc” Shaner (Deadpool, Ghostbusters) and Jordie Bellaire (Pretty Deadly, Captain Marvel)!
Picked because: Speaking of different, yet familiar, Flash Gordon is back! The character has never truly gone away, but Jeff Parker taking him on will provide a decidedly different flavor. Parker’s run on Aquaman has turned out to be as good as his predecessor’s (Geoff Johns!) and his Batman ’66 continues to win new fans. His handle on both comedy and pulp-style excitement are perfect for a title like this. So far, Parker has made some really smart decisions in which books he takes on. All have this old-fashioned, 1940’s era adventure feel to them, but with a modern twist that lessens the cheese factor a bit. Flash Gordon is one of those staples of yesteryear, but with Parker at the helm he could be a great, fresh addition to our current pantheon of modern sci-fi heroes. If you’re looking for something classical, yet different, give this a shot.
