Catch It at the Comic Shop March 25th, 2020

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:

No One's Rose #1 by Emily Horn, Zac Thompson, and Alberto Albuquerque, publised by Vault Comics
I very much enjoyed the first issue of No One's Rose. It's an engaging sci-fi series from Vault, who does sci-fi very well. It's set in the future after the fall of the Anthropocene civilization (i.e., the fall of humanity). There are only 30,000 or so people left alive, and they all live in a zero-waste domed city that receives oxygen from a giant super-tree. Outside the dome is a terible, dangerous wasteland. But all is not well under the dome. There is some very clear class stratification, and some rising discontent from the citizenry. And...terrorists wearing what look like lettuce masks? We'd better keep reading to find out what happens. It's an engaging story from Horn and Thompson, with some really appealing art from Alberto Albuquerque (who knows his way around sci-fi, having drawn Letter 44).

Lazarus: Risen #4 by Greg Rucka, Michael Lark, Santi Arcas and Simon Bowland, published by Image Comics
Lazarus is a fantastic comic and has been for many years, so I feel like it gets overlooked. Well, it shouldn't. Greg Rucka, Michael Lark and more have been telling a dense, incredibly well thought out story for a number of years now (here's my review from 2014). A little while back, Lazarus shifted to a quarterly format and I've enjoyed it, as each issue has a longer story and provides terrific supplemental materials. Seriously, this series has the best, most comprehensive supplemental materials. It's a great, thoughtful, engaging read. 

Batman: Creature of the Night HC by Kurt Busiek and John Paul Leon, published by DC Comics
Many years ago, Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen told the story of Superman: Secret Identity, the story of a man living in the *real* world whose parents thought it would be funny to name him Clark Kent, and who ended up having super powers. If you haven't read it, you should. It's an extraordinary comic. Kurt Busiek has returned to do something similar in Batman: Creature of the Night. Thankfully he has another incredible artistic partner in John Paul Leon, who really does incredible work in this comic. This book tells the story of a boy named Bruce Wainright whose parents are murdered and who has an uncle Alfred, and well, Batman plays a role in the story as well. I don't want to say too much. It's darker and contemplative, but really entertaining. And like I said, Leon does really stunning work. This is a great read.

Immortal Hulk #33 by Al Ewing, Joe Bennett, Ruy Jose, and Alex Ross, published by Marvel Comics
I know I'm far from the first to say this but Immortal Hulk is and continues to be a pretty remarkable book. I started off thinking it was going to be something, but it's turned into something completely different. I initially thought it was going to be a return of the Hulk to his horror roots. And it is, but it's so much more than that. Immortal Hulk is a book full of smart Biblical allegory, mess with your head weirdness, moments of humor, political commentary, and some truly grotesque body horror. It's an extraordinary book, and one you should go back to the beginning and read.

Mike's Picks:

Coffin Bound Volume 1: Happy Ashes by Dan Watters, Dani, Brad Simpson, and Aditya Bidikar, published by Image Comics
I wrote a fairly extensive review of this collection, so I won’t go into too much detail here, but I will say that this collection is one of the most impressive books I’ve read in 2020. It’s stunning, unique, and deliberately over the top in all the ways you’d want it to be. I can’t recommend it enough.

Once and Future TPB Volume 1: The King is Dead by Kieron GIllen, Dan Mora, Tamra Bonvillain, and Ed Dukeshire, published by BOOM! Studios
I think this one should be a must buy based on the creative team alone. Dan Mora hasn’t done that much interior work, and I’m excited to see how he approaches this story compared to Terrifics or his Klaus work with Morrison. Pairing with Tamra Bonvillain only ups the ante. She is easily one of the best colorists working today, and I’ve loved her work in books like X-Men Red, Doom Patrol, and Captain Marvel. And of course, there is Kieron Gillen at the helm, one of the most creative writers around. The concept for this series is prescient yet novel, exactly what we’d expect from Gillen

Transformers vs. The Terminator by David Mariotte, Tom Waltz, John Barber, Alex Milne, David Garcia Cruz, and Jake Wood, published by Dark Horse Comics/IDW Publishing
Little known fact about me – I'm down for all things Terminator. Comics, television, movies, games – Terminator is my jam 100%. T2 was the first R-Rated movie I saw. Sarah Connor Chronicles was the first television show I’d watch week to week outside of The Simpsons. And I’ve been reading Terminator comics since I first started with the hobby. IDW has worked wonders for the Transformers franchise, and I think this series has the potential to be a blast.