Catch It at the Comic Shop March 20th, 2019

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:
Lazarus Risen #1 by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Lilah Sturges and more, published by Image Comics
I'm thrilled for the return of Lazarus. I've read this issue, and can tell you that it's a terrific return to this kinda-terrible world. This is a story that's full of action, suspense, big drama, some very big ideas, and is an incredible visual experience thanks to the remarkable art of Michael Lark.

Invisible Kingdom #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward, published by Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books
This is an excellent debut issue. I'm always on the lookout for promising new series, and a new sci-fi comic from the co-creator of Cairo and the beloved Ms. Marvel and the incredible, bonkers artist behind Infinite Vacation, Ody-C and Black Bolt.  Well, I'm not going to miss that story. And having already read it, I can tell you it's a very strong debut. This is a story that's bringing a whole new universe to life, and already filling in the details of a complex social structure.

Meet the Skrulls #2 by Robbie Thompson and Nico Henrichon, published by Marvel Comics
The debut issue for this comic was SO GOOD; great story written by Robbie Thompson.  It's like American Beauty meets The Americans meets Mean Girls, but with Skrulls. I'd think that would be enough of a pitch for you, but the art here is from Niko Henrichon (!!), artist on The Pride of Baghdad and Noah, both incredible visual feasts. I already love this book and can't wait for more.  

Black Badge #8 by Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins, published by Boom! Studios
Another book I really love. Black Badge is a dramatic, tense story with kids thrust into a world of danger and espionage. It's got the sorts of weird mysteries I love reading from writer Matt Kindt, and the soft painted art from Tyler Jenkins is nice tonal fit for the story. These two have already successfully collaborated on the terrific Grass Kings, and this series is another great read.

20th Century Boys Perfect Edition vol. 3 by Naoki Urasawa, published by Viz Media
I can't even begin to tell you what an incredible story 20th Century Boys is. Originally collected as 22 volumes, each of these new volumes contains 2 of the prior ones.  Urasawa is an absolute master visual storyteller (but you probably didn't need me to tell you that), and there so much precise feeling and emotion on every page. This is a weird apocalyptic mystery that spans the course of decades, with tons of incredible twists and turns.  I cannot recommend this highly enough; it's a truly spectacular read.


Rob's Picks:

Edgar Allan Poe`s Snifter of Terror #6 by Various Creators, published by Ahoy Comics
For those who aren't aware, Ahoy Comics is perfectly willing to be a bit well, different from other comics publishers. When DC balked at a series with Jesus as a lead character recently, Ahoy jumped in and took the book into their fold. This series, one of their launch titles, is an irreverent anthology series focused around the work of the iconic writer Edgar Allan Poe along with other strange stories. This time around, Poe and the Black Cat go after each other, there's a familiar cereal killer, and more, with Peter Milligan among the creators on board. If you like strange comics and anthologies, this is one to pick up.

Invisible Kingdom #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Christian Ward, published by Dark Horse Comics/Berger Books
Once upon a time, a great, under-the-radar Vertigo series named Air was written by a person I hadn't ever heard of before, G. Willow Wilson. It was awesome, but as with a lot of Vertigo books, couldn't get traction. Karen Berger was the Vertigo editor at the time. In the meantime, Wilson wrote one of the best superhero comics our there, Ms. Marvel (now in the great hands of Saladin Ahmed). Now she's back on her own series, with Berger back in the editor's chair and the amazing Christian Ward on art. Add in a sci-fi setting, conspiracy theories, and characters on the run, and you've got my attention. This should be yet another amazing book from Dark Horse's Berger Books imprint.