New Comic Book Day Megathread

[Colin YNWA]

The Thing #1 (Walter Mosley, Tom Reilly, Jordie Bellaire, Joe Sabino). A deliberate throwback, this comic is set sometime after the end of the cold war, but in tone could be the 60s or 70s. The pieces are put in place for the storyline, The Thing is isolated from friends and family in this issue and an antagonist is introduced. The art, however, is a cut above the script here. There's a deceptively simple style and a few interesting tricks used. It all makes it quite a fun issue for the reader.

I really enjoyed it. As you say the art is a delight, an absolute delight. The tone is a little weird however. As you say it feels like a call back to 60s and 70s, but all the modern references throw that out of wack and make it feel strangely out of place...

...at least on one level...

That ill at ease tone really works on another. See the comics this reminds me of is Waid' Daredevil, in that it feels joyous and fun, old school and carefree on the surface, but underneath there is a grim undertone. Now fair to say here the grim undertone is pretty on the surface, in the way it wasn't in DD. That is probably more to do with the relative times these series have to tell their tales (this is only a 5 issue mini), but it still really works.

This is upsettling, yet strangely comforting at the same time and balancing that is a masterstroke that makes it a brilliant comic!

In the same boat here, even though I wouldn't purchase a modern Marvel comic if C.B. Cebulski offered to dress up as a Geisha and breathlessly read it to me, I have a soft spot for Ol' blue eyes.

Well maybe this is the comic you could try to risk dipping back?

[Colin YNWA]

Lots of ending and lots of beginning this haul. Let's deal with things in the correct order then.

Speaking of Things I've discussed Thing 1 just now in this very thread, suffice to say its very good.

Robin and Batman 1 I picked up due to the creative team of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen (along with a Jock B'Man coming soon) but did so wondering if I can find anything in a Batman comic I've not read before. This is a wonderfully scripted, beautiful B'Man comic, alas it doesn't say anything I've not read in a B'Man comic before.

Venom 1 fancied this to try hangin' on to Al Ewing since Immortal Hulk has gone. I have no interest in Venom and after reading this convoluted huh what of a comic I'm not yet convinced Al Ewing will create that in my We'll see.

What's the Furthest Place From Here 1, I first read about this... ## years ago when it was previewed at some Image event at some Con or other. It was an in person Con (not one I was at) so that gives you an impression how long ago that was... at least. Still saw it was finally coming out and though I couldn't remember what it was that interested me in it I still went for it. Glad I did its a very strong opener. And wowsers do you get a lot of pages in this first issue. The only problem is I wonder how much story we'll get in a regular issue?

So plenty of openers and the ending we'll get to. Between the two we have to have plenty in the middle of course. So to that.

Chicken Devil 2 continues the worst day ever being immense fun, beautifully rendered. Ka-zar 3 is also beautifully rendered... so at least it has that going for it...Black Hammer Reborn 6 very good, though felt more like it was setting up how exciting next issue will be! Jonna and the Unpossible Monster 8 why isn't this comic MASSIVE its brilliant all ages genius. Okay so it indulges the art so not much movement per issue, but when it looks this good who cares. This comic should be MASSIVE as the monsters in it and that ending! Oh and the same with Echolands 5 which manages to indulge the art (possibly overly) but still throws a lot of story at you. This one should be MASSIVE too. Time before Time 7 starts the second arc and if you like Rory McConville's work in Dredd you should indulge yourself with this, its great. Not all Robots 4 the new robots meant to solve the human's issue with the old robots, simply make the old robots feel inadequate and fires off the shimmering tensions into brutal violence... only Mark Russell.

So the middle done we move to the endings.

Out of Body 5 ends Pete Milligan and Inaki Miranda's fantastic mini and its a 'good' ending, it makes sense, it wraps things up and yet is strangely unsatisfying.

Usagi Yojimbo - Dragon Bellow Conspiracy 6 why did I choose the colour reprints as my gateway to collecting Yojimbo physically?... I hate the cover too... still bloody fantastic epilogue.

The only annoying thing about Black Hammer's Unbelievable Unteens 4 is I just want to spend so much more time with these characters than this mini has afforded... leave ya audience wanting more and this really does.

That Texas Blood 12 ends the second arc as Jacob Phillips out Phillips and Brubaker Phillips (senior) and Brubaker. This is a chilling brilliant ending. And luckily here we know we are getting more.

6 Sidekicks of Trigger keaton 6 wonderfully smacks this story into canvas and grapples it into theatrical submission. Energy, verve and the audience leaves entirely entertained. Brilliant.

Best of the haul, arh who cares, lets go... Jonna and Echolands just cos they should be MASSIVE. Great haul.

[Link Prime]

Well maybe this is the comic you could try to risk dipping back?

For the first time ever, my pull list is down to one title; 2000AD.
No going back now.

[CalHab]

Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1 (Nijkamp/Balám/Oren Junior/Peer/Caramagna). A relaunch to capitalise on the tv series, I guess, this sees Kate Bishop leaving LA and heading back to NY. But first she needs to deal with a mystery case in a spa hotel. There's a fun cutaway page showing what's going on in the hotel (although the scale was off), but otherwise not much to take this above the average. This is a shame as Kate Bishop, as written by Kelly Thompson or Matt Fraction, is one of the most enjoyable, likeable and fun characters in Marvel comics. Only a first issue, so I won't rush to judgement.

[CalHab]

Orphan and the Five Beasts #3. James Stokoe's typically gory take on a Samurai revenge tale. As you'd expect, this has wonderful, kinetic, manga-influenced art. The story does what you'd expect it to, and has some grisly humour. Enjoyable reading.

Amazing Spider-Man #80.BEY (Ziglar, Medina, Gomez, Fiorelli, Rosenberg, Caramagna). The daft numbering is to show that this is a side issue, not the main storyline. This is good, because the main storyline is currently all about Ben Reilly (and I don't really care about him) and this issue concentrates on Doc Octopus and Aunt May. The dialogue is dripping with sexual tension as their relationship is explored during a heist/investigation. Fun stuff. What you want from Spider-Man, really. Apart from Spider-Man of course, who barely features.

[CalHab]

Cross Over #10 (Cates, Cunniffe, Shaw, Hill). Ramping up the meta, as Brian Michael Bendis makes an appearance is interrogated by his own creations from Powers. Comic book insider jokes abound and poor Scott Snyder takes the the brunt. Highly recommended.

Giant-Size Black Cat: Infinity Score (Mackay, Villa, Reber, Delgado). I picked this up thinking it was a one-off featuring the perennial Spider-Man villain/ally/partner. It's not, it's actually a confusingly titled conclusion to an on-going series. But it works its own! I'm sure I'd get more from it as a pay off to the series, but as it is, it's a super-hero heist with some clever, kinetic layouts and action, well written dialogue and a solid pay-off. I might check out the rest of the series now.

[Colin YNWA]

Another haul and of course a lot more Mark Russell. But what's interesting is I have very mixed feelings about my Mark Russell comics. Have I passed peak Mark Russell?

Well Fantastic Four - Life Story 5 continues this series okayness. This is largely as being an alternate take on the FF - aging in real time, it lacks that essential Russell tone... but My Bad 2 suggests that should be a good thing as this is a quintessential Mark Russell comic. Sardonic villians and heroes, odd ball scenarios and winks to the camera, not literally. Its all so knowing and at the moment I'm not seeing what this series is offering me that I've not read before from Mark Russell. Then you get to One-Star Squadron - again quintessentially Mark Russell and yet for some reason this one lands as treat as B list, nah C List heroes make ends meet doing so 'light rescuing' - its hilarious and lovely ... and leaves me confused. Where are we Mark Russell... maybe we're like a married couple I'm so familar with you habits and ticks that they drive me spare - but then every so often I see them and remember why I love you so...

Moving on. Ka-zar 4... I hope I find the energy and interest to try this one again, at the minute though... well...

Well if Mark Russell dominates my haul so does Batman. I mean I don't get Batman comics any more as I have quite enough of them and two runs (Grant + Breyfogle and GMozz's) basically give me the Batman stories I need and want. So why do I have three in this haul? Well Robin and Batman 2 'cos its Jeff Lemire, with lovely Nguyen art and its damned effective if not new. The Joker Annual 2021 cos I wanted to check in on some Franco Francavilla art and it sounded like a good read - and it is, basically cos its a Jim Gordon comic and the Joker is background really, mind he does, fittingly, get in a magnificent punchline. Finally One Dark Night 1 which feels like Jock writing to allow him to deliver some glorious Jock images and boy oh boy does he manage that. Just it does feel indulgent like an artist writing for their artist self and it takes a lovely over-sized 40 pages to get to the premise that will provide the next 2 issues with its 'Escape from New York' meets 'The Warriors' premise (mind that is a winner isn't it!). One that is summed up in 2 short paragraphs on the back blurb. So kinda while I don't regret any of these, I defo stand by the fact I don't need any more Batman comics.

I also don't get DC Comics anymore, so with those 3 above and The Human Target 2 getting four in a single haul is really weird BUT tHT 2 is just a wonderful character piece that cranks the central murder mystery forward nicely and good God damn that is one beautiful comic.

As is Devil Chicken 3 beautifully ugly and the revenge tale becomes, well a revenge tale and then we get that final page which is a complete WOW moment. That Texas Blood 13 and Time Before Time 8 steady issues of these normally better series and Black Hammer - Reborn 7 continues to boggle in the most glorious way.

Oh and speaking of not getting DC comics I don't get Marvel either so the brilliant Thing 2 accompanied by Venom 2 and 3 is also a surprise. Not as surprising as Venom that minus Al Ewing (Ram V seems to be the sole writer now?) I thought I'd like even less that issue 1 which just tramped over me in a blaze of not knowing what the heck was going on and pointy teeth and LOADS of webbing BUT ... Well issue 2 dialed things back, focused on Eddie Brock's fleeing son and perked my interest. Then issue 3 kinda doubled down and that and was almost issue of the haul. Loved it and much to my surprise if it carries on like this I'm collecting a Venom comic - who knew!

Books of the haul however go to Frontiersman 3 which turns back to much more what I thought this comic was going to be after issue 2's wonderfully surprising cosmic interlude. It also turns out what I wanted this comic to be is what I really want. Its smart and fun, if I do struggle a little with the art still. Probably just tipping it though is 'What's the furthest Place from here? 2 on the basis the art by Tyler Ross is wonderful and you get a generous 40(ish) pages of story and character that is just such good value these days... its not a new premise, post-apocalypse, kids only, world and how they Lord of the Flies it. BUT its effective and seems to have undercurrents that let us know it will be more. Brilliant and generous comic.

[CalHab]

I also don't get DC Comics anymore, so with those 3 above and The Human Target 2 getting four in a single haul is really weird BUT tHT 2 is just a wonderful character piece that cranks the central murder mystery forward nicely and good God damn that is one beautiful comic.

Greg Smallwood is doing incredible work on Human Target. It really is stunning, leaning heavily on the best of 50s and 60s commercial art.

Tom King seems to be getting the pick of artists on his projects, with Bilquis Evely on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow, Clay Mann on Batman/Catwoman, Jorge Fornes on Rorschach and Shaner and Gerads on Strange Adventures. An impressive group.

[Colin YNWA]

Next up.

Robin and Batman 3 look its swopped Batman and Robin round to show how clever and different it is... except its just not. Its a good comic, and the lovely art raises it to a point where it could be said to be a very good comic and I LOVE Jeff Lemire... but its really not doing anything new. Its telling us a tale of Robin that's been told, even if very nicely. And frankly swopping the characters names around in the title isn't enough. More fool me for buying this very good comic!

Unlike the me who should be celebrated for buying Monkey Meat 1. I'm not quite sure why this caught my eye in Previews but it did and I'm very glad. Juni Ba's tale tells of the deals we make in a capialist word. If its like anything else I've read its like a Mark Russell comic with art turned up to 11, told through the lens of an island where monkeys and other animals make Monkey meat production, from souls and tricking God into signing contracts... its really very good.

Oh and speaking of Mark Russell let's check in on the inequivible high number of comics I've bought with his name on. One-Star Squadron 2 is heartbreakingly good as Animal Man 7. As misfit heroes do their best to get by and betrayal seems the order of the day. Not all Robots 5 ends this hard and brilliantly unpleasent series with a cheery 'Of Volume 1' suggesting there is more to come. Which will certainly be welcome as the obslete humans escape to a new land with obslete robots. Excited to see this one come back. My Bad 3 moves this series up from the bottom of the pile to the top as this is the issue that makes it all click for me. Its Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen done even better!

Other comics creators produce valid work as well though. Echolands 5 shows the ongoing intricate art of JH Williams doesn't bog the simple chase tale down and it hammers along its referential road really well. Human Target 3 after the Ice comes the Guy and Guy comes with chuckles. Nice issue if not as good as last months.

Top of the pile. Well once again Frontiersman 4 just misses out =- well issue 3 missed out last time. As villain of the week this time is a giant ex-lover and police, friends and colleagues all have a view on what to do about the death last time. This is just a fascinating series. So the generous and wonderful What's the Furtherest Place from Here? 3 presents a creepy horror story, that is at its core no more original than Robin and Batman but wraps it up so much better that you miss the similarities and familiar until you come to type up about it for any fellow nerds who bother to read this nonsense!

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

 Aside from the prog and the Meg, and Sentinel #10, I've not been reading any comics so far this year- purely because last year I laboriously recorded every single one on Facebook and it nearly broke me. 1602 of the bastard things. So I decided to take January off.

That went out the window today, because I'd had a conversation with my son about how much he was enjoying the Superior Spider-Man trades I'd bought him, and I realised that having an ever-growing stack of 'new comic day' floppies in the spare room was going to drive me nuts if I had to wait til Feb.

So- Amazing Spidey #83-85... alright, a vast improvement on Nick Spencer's terminally awful run, but still not fun enough for my liking. The Thing #3... magnificent in every way. King Conan #2 and Savage Avengers #28... almost perfect Conan comics, and I don't mind admitting I am deeply saddened to see the back of Savage Avengers, and hope we get a volume two. Devil's Reign #2 and Daredevil: Woman Without Fear #1... again, almost perfect. I'm very much enjoying the Devil's Reign event, despite it being sort of Civil War all over again and a retread of umpteen DD storylines from the last decade or more. I was all keyed up for the tie-ins, but having read Superior Four #1, I'm now regretting ordering some of the others. SF#1 was the worst comic I've read this year, let's leave it at that.
Marvels #7 was another issue of a series that is either a whole lot of fun and an original take on a by-now hoary old idea, or a good idea that simply doesn't work. I will leave it to cleverer men than I to argue that one out. I'm on the fence.
Dark Ages #4 perked up after the dismal #3 and I'm suddenly enthralled again, even if I'm a bit bored of these out of continuity 'event' things, and Maniac of New York: The Bronx is Burning #2 once again takes the gong for 'best comic published anywhere'.

Which leaves two Aquaman miniseries issues, a Swamp Thing oversized Black Label miniseries thingy, The Good Asian, Walking Dead Deluxe, Deep Beyond, the Panini Batman, the second part of Hachette's Maximum Carnage, the latest Slott FF and Cates Thor trades, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane trade, two Walt Simonson Thor trades, the final Aaron Thor trade, a Marvel Knights FF thing, three issues of Accident Man, five issues of Dragon's Claws and an old issue of Tales to Astonish- all of which can now be attacked with gusto, despite it still being January.

SBT

[Colin YNWA]

SmallBlueThing's reading journal on Facebook is recommended - and always fascinating - and has reminded me of a few things to check out. I mean he should be doing it here BUT its fun where it is.

I'm very impressed you lasted 1/2 of Jan without comics. I struggle to make 1/2 a day!

[CalHab]

Likewise, I'm working my way through a backlog, which brought me to:
Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow (King, Evely, Lopes) #1-4. A bit of an unusual blend of space-opera and western, this see Supergirl travelling the galaxy hunting a killer, accompanied and narrated by the revenge-seeking young woman whose father was murdered. A review I read online pointed out the parallels with True Grit, which was an astute observation. There is the odd reference to other DC Universe figures, but this is very much its own thing. The underrated Omega Men series is probably the nearest parallel to this in Tom King's work, but that is a bit of a stretch.

The story serves as a wonderful showcase for Bilquis Evely's expressive and vibrant art, with fantastic landscapes and exotic creatures. This is a stunningly beautiful book. Hopefully there's a nice oversize collection.

[SmallBlueThing(Reborn)]

SmallBlueThing's reading journal on Facebook is recommended - and always fascinating - and has reminded me of a few things to check out. I mean he should be doing it here BUT its fun where it is.

I'm very impressed you lasted 1/2 of Jan without comics. I struggle to make 1/2 a day!

Aw, cheers Colin. It was a hell of a slog to do it for a whole year- and I did find myself slightly resenting some titles, due to knowing I'd have to write about them in a short while. My hat is off to you, your determination and enthusiasm with the various threads here is appreciated.

Interestingly, I did find it very hard to go a couple of weeks purposely not reading anything. Glad I knocked THAT on the head- it's just not natural.

SBT

[CalHab]

Batman/Catwoman #9 (King, Sharp, Cowles). Clay Mann seems to have disappeared off this series and Liam Sharp has taken on the last few issues. Odd, as they have wildly different styles and I'm not sure the change is to the benefit of the series. Not much happens here, but we get some fun Penguin moments. This seems to have completely lost momentum and focus.

The Thing #3 (Mosley, Reilly, Bellaire, Sabino). Absolutely baffling. I might have to dig the previous two issues out as this just made no sense to me whatsoever. I understand this is Walter Mosley's first comic. Did editorial not intervene because of his reputation as a prose writer? Either way, this reader was left very confused.

The Silver Coin #8 (Rosenberg, Walsh, Griffin). A short, well-told and grisly tale of greed and envy in the latest issue of the horror anthology. These guys know how to tell a compact story.

She-Hulk #1 (Rowell, Antonio,  Renzi, Caramagna). Last time I saw She-Hulk/Jennifer Walters she was defending the Fantastic Four in court in a child custody case. That was a couple of weeks ago in Fantastic Four #39 (also cover date March 2022). Now she appears to be on her uppers and begging for work. Ah, comics. Anyway, not much happens here beyond re-introducing the character and setting the scene. I'll see what happens with this, as its too early to judge.

[Link Prime]

Batman/Catwoman Not much happens here

The Thing Absolutely baffling.

She-Hulk Ah, comics.

You're a glutton for punishment pal.