Scouts Honor 1 by David Pepose, Luca Casalanguida, Matt Milla & Carlos M. Mangual, published by Aftershock
In a world that emerges from a nuclear apocalypse comes the story of Kit, a young Ranger Scout who is brought up in a survivalist culture where the Ranger Scout Manual is their Ten Commandments. Apparently there is a hidden secret deep within the Scout tradition and this is Kit’s story of reckoning and discovery as it is uncovered. Pepose is a great storyteller and Casalanguida is an artist capable of translating a narrative mood into an illustrated page. This should be a really engaging read.
Marvel Action Avengers 3 by Katie Cook, Butch Mapa, Protobunker & Valeria Lopez, published by IDW
Captain Marvel is about to enjoy her day off with a tasty sandwich and a snickerdoodle when her lunch is interrupted by Dr. Strange and his.. estranged cape. Strange and Carol proceed to embark on an issue long adventure to get his cape back from the White Rabbit. I do not recommend these Marvel Action series often enough. They are always loads of fun and are appropriate for all-ages giving anyone a palatable starting point to any character. The Avengers series in particular is always a good read and this newest issue gives us the reason for the why. Silly quips, a Flerken and a Snickerdoodle.. grab this comic and once you read it you’ll be scouring your brain for a young reader to pass it on to.
Last Witch 1 by Conor McCreery, V.V. Glass, Natalia Nesterenko & Jim Campbell, published by BOOM! Studios
Saoirse is a young girl seeking an adventure on her birthday which also coincides with the one day that a witch wanders the forest. While attempting to match wits with a boy, her bravery is tested when her father upends her quest for bravery and forbids her to carry on and instead duties her with tending to her sick younger brother. As rebellious and adventurous young ones are, she manages to slip away and continue her journey. But not before things get rather unexpected. This is a fun and cute little story and stage is set for some fun antics. I enjoyed this first issue and I’ll be checking back in to see where the story goes.
This series resonates so well with me. The premise is ridiculous and relatable, and the timing of its existence is anything but coincidental. We last saw the dynamic duo of the rationally sad as they escaped the place where they were being held in order to “heal” them of their unhappiness. Now, loose and on the run attempting to find truth to the bizarre, they find themselves abducted and at center-stage of a celebratory weekend in a town that is laughing at their execution. As with most Ahoy titles, this one comes with extra prose and the main story itself is high-octane hilarious. Knock ‘Em Dead 2 by Eliot Rahal, Mattia Monaco, Matt Milla & Taylor Esposito, published by Aftershock
The first issue of this story began with an aspiring standup comedian searching for his “moment” on stage. When nothing seemed to land with his audience the unspeakable happens right as he gets some very helpful words of advice from a stranger. Now, as this young comedian settles into his new reality of being dead.. er.. undead(?), we see how his jokes land with his audiences in issue two. The art by Monaco is definitely my jam and suits this quirky horror comedy quite well.
James' Picks:
Eternals #1 by Kieron Gillen, Esad Ribic, and Matt Wilson, published by Marvel Comics
The Eternals are kind of a blank slate right now. I know they've been in stories since the 1970's when Jack Kirby created them. But who are they now, and what importance do they have? I don't know, and neither does anyone else. Enter the perfect writer to bring these interesting yet not-that-known characters, Kieron Gillen. These are mythic, godlike beings that have some sort of undetermined role on Earth. As the writer and co-creator of The Wicked + The Divine, Gillen and his co-creators explored the idea of gods as pop and social media stars. I'm thrilled to see what he does here. I'm doubly thrilled that his co-creator is the spectacular Esad Ribic. Ribic is better than just about anyone at bringing epic, iconic, larger-than-life characters and worlds to life, as he did in Thor: God of Thunder and Secret Wars. I'm thrilled to see Ribic (with spectacular colorist Matt Wilson) bring these characters (about whom I know very little) to life.
King in Black:Return of the Valkyvries #1 (of #4) by Jason Aaron, Torunn Gronbekk, and Nina Vakueva, published by Marvel Comics
I don't really care about King In Black - I mean, it's been entertaining so far, but I'm not invested particularly in these characters. I do, however, care very much about Jane Foster, and her most recent role as Valkyrie in the eponymous comic. It only went for 10 or 12 issues, but I absolutely adored the comic. It was, as far as action-packed superhero comics go, a really thoughtful exploration of some heady ideas. And after Jane Foster concluded her time as The Mighty Thor, she absolutely deserved to be a superhero again, as she had proven herself to be among the greatest of all heroes. So I'm excited to get more Jane Foster as Valkyrie, in any form I can get.
Join the Future TP by Zack Kaplan and Piotr Kowalski, published by AfterShock Comics
This is an excellent miniseries that came out last year, and I'm excited to see it collected and in the hands of more readers. This is a great story (written by Zack Kaplan) about the inevitable march of "progress", individualism, consumerism, and other interesting ideas. And it's brought to life by the incredibly talented Piotr Kowalski. I loved the first issue (review here), and strongly recommend giving this series a look.
Crossover #3 by Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, Dee Cunniffe and John J. Hill, published by Image Comics
Crossover was one of my favorite comics of 2020, and the first issue was up there as one of my favorite single issues of 2020 (review here). To just quote myself from my year-end favorites write-up: "Crossover is an absolute popcorn thrill ride of a comic, and some of the most fun I had reading a comic all year, which is why it's on this list even though only 2 issues have been released so far. It's a meditation on the significance of fiction and on our relationship to fictional characters. And it's also...a story about love and hope and community? Above all of that, it's a stunning work of art that you can stare at slack-jawed all day. There's so much happening in Crossover, and the comic is just bursting with ideas (in the same way that the extraordinary artwork from Shaw and Cunniffe burst off of the page). First, let me reassure you and tell you what I do not think this comic is about: I don't think this is intended to be any sort of Watchmen-style deconstruction of the superhero genre. This isn't a story about the world of superheroes; this is a story about us. Our relationship to fiction, our relationship to problems and fear, and ultimately our relationship to each other. But, you know, there's also superheroes involved."
Mike's Picks:
I can’t think of a better way to start the new year than with a fresh Usagi Yojimbo arc. This issue kicks off the three part Tengu War. Following an attack by a low clan of feral Tengu monsters, Sojobo relates the story of the Guhin Tengu to Usagi, fearful that an age-old rivalry has been rekindled. Usagi and Sojobo decide to join forces to fend off the attack of these werewolf-like creatures. But how will this Tengu civil war play out? Sakai drops hints about Jotaro along with the history of the various Tengu tribes before ending the issue with the customary cliffhanger. This should be fun.