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:
Silk #1 by Emily Kim and Takeshi Miyazawa, published by Marvel ComicsDo you know Silk? She's a terrific character that was created maybe 6 or 7 years ago. And she's an absolute delight. The conceit of her character is that she was bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker years ago. But, for comic book reasons, she was hidden away in a bunker for ten years to protect her and her family. But she comes out and has tried to adjust to being in the world again. She has had a series of shorter series and miniseries, and she's a terific character, so I'm happy to check out any Silk comics. I'm not familiar with Emily Kim, but I can tell you that Takeshi Miyazawa is an absolute master. I've loved anything I've ever read illustrated by Miyazawa. Miyazawa is a terrific sequential storyteller, and has an incredibly appealing, manga-esque style. This should be a lot of fun.
I'm excited to check out this new She-Hulk series. She-Hulk is an excellent, fun character who's had some really entertaining series over the years. I loved both the Dan Slott series and the Charles Soule/Javier Pulido series, and definitely recommend both. In recent years, the character went through a lot as she died (but got better) but came back with lots of rage and angst, and then turned into the Savage She-Hulk for a number of years. That character was fine, but I more enjoy the fun, stylish, hilarious She-Hulk that I'm used to, so I'm excited for that. I've enjoyed various comics written by Rainbow Rowell, and from the preview, the art from Roge Antonia looks really great. I'm excited for this one.
This was my favorite superhero comic of 2021. It's a truly special book, and takes the reader on an incredible physical and emotional journey with Supergirl, and Ruthye (your new favorite character). The art from Bilquis Evely and Mat Lopes (on colors) is just astounding. Evely's detail and emotion on every page is just remarkable, and Lopes does some of the most beautiful, breathtaking colors you'll ever see. My recommendation is not "start at issue 7", it's "go back and read this amazing story from the beginning".
Primordial #5 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart, published by Image Comics
This is your classic story of animals in space, aliens, the space race and the Cold War. The scenes set on Earth have been very grounded, Cold War espionage. And the scenes set in space have been weird, trippy stuff. This is a great series, full of wonderful emotion and character from the animals who venture off into space. Think "We3" (but hopefully it'll have a less sad ending). The art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart on colors is just magic. It's so weird, and psychedelic, and yet grounded as well. It's wonderful work.
Twenty-Five years after the mysterious and masked vigilante known as The Reaper or The Sentinel (depending on one’s relationship with the law) disappeared we begin our story now. Cloaked debuted last month with a detective paid handsomely to investigate the disappearance and ultimately the identity of this masked hero. After things turned sideways following the events of last issue, more things begin to unravel as the caped noir story pays dues to crime noir’s from before. If you enjoy classic crime noir and objective vigilantism then I’d recommend you give this miniseries a shot.
Righteous Thirst #4 by Rick Remender, André Araújo, Chris O’Halloran & Rus Wooton and published by Image
Story has barely begun with Sonny and the world that surrounds him. Last issue we were left with him in the driver’s seat faced with a difficult choice between his life ..or the life of a child of a stranger he did not know. The story is still relatively vague at this stage in the series, but the pacing is anything but a drag. Remender chose well with his illustrator on the series; André Araújo brings the characters to life and absolves reader into the pages as we travel this uncertain story alongside them. André’s minimalist stylings (where one could sometimes compare to the master of modern minimalism in Martin Morazzo’s linework) let’s the pages breath and the story organically shift from one emotion to the other. I’m very much on board for this series, and with a creator as strong as Remender at the wheel it’s safe to assume that this series may well be on its way to being the eventual flagship for its publisher. Get on this one early.
I really don’t need to say anything about this one. It’s a Van Sciver book and it’s Fante Bukowski! I really needn’t say anything more. The softcover expanded edition of the critically acclaimed 2020 hardcover is available this week wherever you get your reading material. And remember: a Van Sciver on your shelf is always a level up from a shelf with no Van Sciver.