Captain America, Batman #50, Catwoman & More in Required Reading: Comics for 7/4/2018
Main Art by Alex Ross
Whoa—it’s quite a week for comics! You may have heard that a certain BIGGEST SUPERHERO ICON IN THE WORLD is getting married this week, and we couldn’t be happier for her. She’s celebrating like any independent woman, with the launch of her own solo series, too. In fact, we’re excited enough for Selina Kyle that we cheated and included 11 recommendations below, so we could fit in her full nuptials alongside launches like a brand-new, socially relevant Captain America, a welcome new arc for Astonishing X-Men, Vita Ayala and Lisa Sterle’s Submerged and a sexy anthropomorphic pig comic imported from Italy. We’ve also got a major milestone for Marvel’s Star Wars series, a continuation of a beloved Jim Henson property, the next steps for the worlds of Black Hammer and Paradiso, and a mini-series that finds a future Frank Castle bonded with the Ghost Rider and acting like Deadpool at the behest of Galactus and Thanos. Comics, everybody!
Astonishing X-Men #13
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artist: Greg Land
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Matthew Rosenberg continues his takeover of the X-books this week with Astonishing X-Men #13, a sharp about-face from Charles Soule’s 12-issue saga of a resurrected (with a catch) Professor X. Readers can approach #13 and if it were #1, though—no core cast members carry over, and Rosenberg’s focal character, Havok, neatly recaps his tumultuous recent adventures. Soule’s run had a compelling plot held back by an unnecessary rotating artist approach; undoubtedly many X-fans are prepared for Rosenberg’s Astonishing to be similarly kneecapped by Greg Land’s infamous reference-heavy style. Thankfully, colorist Frank D’Armata seems to bring out the best in Land, and Land keeps his layouts clear and dynamic with different framing choices. Direct face shots can still give off an unnerving uncanny valley feeling, but this is among the stronger work Land has done for the House of Ideas. Along with a struggle-bus-riding Havok, this issue begins the rehabilitation of another compromised mutant favorite, and ends on a surprise return that lives up to the shock factor Rosenberg has been teasing on Twitter. If Rosenberg’s other X-titles are any indication, Astonishing might take its place next to X-Men Red as the publisher’s best X-team offerings. Steve Foxe
Batman #50 & Catwoman #1
Writers: Tom King/ Joëlle Jones
Artists: Mikel Janin, Others/ Joëlle Jones
Publisher: DC Comics
Selling readers on Batman #50 shouldn’t be hard, even if the New York Times spoiled part of the will-they-won’t-they this past Sunday. Tom King, along with artists like Mikel Janin, Lee Weeks and Joëlle Jones, have been telling a Batman story that challenges both canon and conventional wisdom. A book that can pitch the Joker and the Riddler against one another and result in heavy emotions about Kite Man is not the kind of comic that cape-and-cowl fans will want to take for granted. Batman #50 brings us to the Bat/Cat wedding, an event that has teased its way through most of King’s 50-issue run. Unlike the NYT, we’ll let you discover for yourselves whether Selina and Bruce walk away with wedding rings on their gloved fingers. Arriving the same day is the first issue of Joëlle Jones’s Catwoman solo title, which takes Selina immediately back into her element just hours after the wedding. Jones is one of the strongest artists from King’s Batman run, and a graduate of DC’s Talent Workshop for writers, which makes her the—apologies—purrfect choice for this book. It’s rare that a romantic event is at the center of a superhero summer arc. With a lot of enemies between the two of them, plenty of allies who’d object to any kind of union between the Bat and the Cat and their own issues with bad behavior and commitment, there are plenty of reasons to be pessimistic about this union. The best way to find out exactly what goes down is to pick up both issues this Wednesday. Caitlin Rosberg w/ Steve Foxe
Jim Henson’s Beneath the Dark Crystal #1
Writer: Adam Smith
Artist: Alexandria Huntington
Publisher: Archaia/ BOOM! Studios
Jim Henson’s creative output has enjoyed a resurgence in comics thanks to a slew of titles from BOOM! Studios’ Archaia imprint, with new stories ranging from Fraggle Rock to Labyrinth to The Dark Crystal. The 12-issue miniseries Beneath the Dark Crystal acts not just as an expansion of the stories already told, but as a direct sequel to the beloved film and its previous continuation, Power of the Dark Crystal. Readers rejoin Kensho’s story as he reaches the Crystal Castle and decides who will go on to lead the Thra. An all-new creative team tackles the project, though writer Adam Smith did participate in the Jim Henson’s Labyrinth 2017 Special. Smith wrote Long Walk to Valhalla and was featured in the DC New Talent Showcase but this looks to be his first series credit; artist Alexandria Huntington is also an industry newcomer. They have large shoes to fill with Simon Spurrier and Nichole and Kelly Matthews behind the success of The Power of the Dark Crystal, not to mention Henson’s original vision. Fans of the film and the universe it introduced should definitely pick up this new issue, and its success could spell even bigger things for Smith and Huntington down the line. Caitlin Rosberg
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
