Rob's Picks:
Vampirella vs Re-Animator #2 by Cullen Bunn, Blacky Shepherd, and Taylor Esposito, published by Dynamite Entertainment
Herbert West: Undead Marriage Wrecker? Everyone's favorite mad scientist has gotten way over his head, bringing back a Goddess of Death who wants to use him to create an army. Vampirella's on the case, but West's formula has changed her old foe in ways that might make for strange bed fellows. I knew Cullen would have fun with these characters, mixing horror with humor, and it hasn't disappointed me one bit. Blacky Shepherd's choice to use mostly black and white art with color splashes really makes this one sing, too. A great, fun romp.
Marvel Action Avengers #2 by Matthew K. Manning, Jon Sommariva, Protobunker, and Christa Miesner, published by IDW
Tony Stark: Agent of Aim continues with a Fin Fang Foom chaser. If you loved Marvel Adventures, you'll love this. Take great characters, give them a fun story, and don't worry about continuity, making things "realistic" or shaking things up. That's what all-ages comics should do, and this delivers on all counts. One of my favorite parts is that Manning is really doing a great job of giving each character a personality that's distinctive. The art isn't quite what I'm used to--the characters seem just a bit off--but it's not like it's distracting. If you like the Avengers but don't want the baggage, this book is for you.
James' Picks:
This was one of my favorite series of 2018. It's a smart sci-fi series from writer Moreci which explores ideas of religion, personhood, politics, and has a ton of humor and heart to go with the smart ideas. Sherman and Wordie provide fantastic, scratchy art that gives this futuristic universe a lived-in feel.
This is a fun, weird series that explores both science and magic, and the tremendous cost that one man undertakes to seek his dreams. Cool, creative story from Kindt, and Rubin provides some stunning art.
I don't know much about the current status quo of Daredevil. I really loved the extended Mark Waid run (with many artists, but significantly Chris Samnee) but fell off after that. Zdarsky has proven to be an extremely talented and versatile writer, so I'm curious to see what he brings to the character. And Checchetto is an extremely talented artist.
At first I just thought this book was going to be the Hulk as a dark vigilante of the night dishing out brutal justice. But it has turned out to be so much bigger and so much weirder than that. I don't exactly know what's going on, but I really enjoy this book.