Catch It at the Comic Shop June 6, 2018

Welcome to Catch it at the Comic Shop, where the Panel Patter team looks at what's coming out at your favorite store or digital device this week. Each one of us that participates picks up to five items due out this week, with a little bit about why we like them. (NOTE: We use solicitation material for this, so if we miss creators, please talk to your publisher!) Sometimes we might only have a few items to share, other weeks, keeping it to five will make for hard choices. Here's what the team wanted to highlight this week...

James' Picks:

Cold War #5 by Christopher Sebela and Hayden Sherman, published by AfterShock Comics.
This is a terrific book. Sebela and Sherman are telling a weird, disorienting science fiction tale of a cryogenic freeze gone terribly wrong. It's dramatic, action-packed, and full of emotion and humor. Sebela knows how to tell an engaging story, and Sherman is a serious artistic talent (his miniseries The Few was one of my favorite books last year).


Ant-Man and the Wasp #1 by Mark Waid and Javier Garron, published by Marvel Comics.
This looks like a lot of fun. It's not exactly the same characters as the upcoming movie, but it looks like an entertaining story all the same. Javi Garron is a strong artist, and Mark Waid knows how to tell an engaging superhero adventure better than just about anyone.


The Immortal Hulk #1 by Al Ewing and Joe Bennett, published by Marvel Comics.
I love the twist of this story, to tell a story about the Hulk as a horror comic, and just lean into the fact that the Hulk is a "monster" (even though he's aso a hero who's saved the world many times over. But they're leaning into his "lonely monster" roots, and embracing the scary nature of the character. Al Ewing is a fantastic writer, I loved his Ultimates book so much. So I am absolutely on board to give this a chance.

Paper Girls #21 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson and Jared Fletcher, published by Image Comics.
I'm not really here to tell you to pick up Paper Girls #21. I'm here to tell you that Paper Girls is one of my favorite comics in years, and that you should absolutely go read it from the beginning. Brian K. Vaughn is (as you probably know) a master storyteller, with tons of heart and humor and crazy plot twists. Cliff Chiang is at super-boss level as an artist, as every page of this book is a delight. That's also due to the bold, bright, wonderful colors rom Matt Wilson, and the great letter and design work from Jared Fletcher.  This is a story of friendship and time travel and a fight for the future, and a great story of 4 tween girls just trying to figure out hat the hell is going on. It's a must-read. 


Rob's Picks:


Red Sonja/Tarzan #2 by Gail Simone, Walter Geovani, Adriano Augusto, and Simon bowland, published by Dynamite
If issue one set up an interesting if mysterious premise for Sonja meeting Tarzan, this issue ramps it up to 11, as our heroes realize there's a lot more than person honor at stake and only a surprise guest star can help them. Gail is having one hell of year between this and domino. Her Sonja spits verbal acid and Tarzan's emotions are perfect, even as our villain is one of her cruelest, which is saying something. Geovani lays out great fight scenes and his pacing is perfect for each reveal. If you are on the fence, jump off now and pick up this series. You won't regret it.


Hack/Slash vs Vampirella TP by Shawn Aldridge, Rapha Lobosco, Chris O'Halloran, and Crank!, published by Dynamite

One of my favorite series in 2017 gets collected, as Vampirella meets Cassie Hack. Shawn does a great job keeping these characters feeling like their familiar selves while retaining an irreverent air to the whole thing and a reminder that Vampi is more complex than Cassie's usual creatures. Rapha Lobosco on art hits on how to keep the slightly sexy themes visual but not exploitative. Really fun horror series that I recommend.


Sherlock Holmes The Vanishing Man #2 by Leah Moore and John Reppion, Julius Ohta, Ellie Wright, and Simon Bowland, published by Dynamite
Dynamite had one heck of a week to start off June! Leah Moore's return to Sherlock Holmes has been excellent, as she and co-writer Reppion capture the iconic character's quirks well, while building a mystery that's only starting to be revealed. There's a definite sense of menace as the plots begin to weave together. Ohta's depiction of Holmes is a little off-model to my eyes, but I like how he captures movement and the pacing of the mystery works well from a visual perspective, so I'll forgive that Holmes doesn't look like he has, even within other Dynamite stories. If you're a fan of the characters, give this a go.


Dazzler X Song by Mags Visaggio and Laura Braga, published by Marvel Comics
Dazzler as a punk rocker. This is not a drill.
I've been waiting for this one-shot since it was announced. I absolutely love Allison and have since I first encountered here in an old Amazing Spider-Man comic. Based on the preview text, Mags gets the concept of Allison just wanting to sing, but finding it impossible to not to help others. And with Braga on art, this should be spectacular. Is it Wednesday yet?