Superman: Leviathan Rising, She Said Destroy, Killer Groove & More in Required Reading: Comics for 5/29/2019

Dog Days of Summer #1
Writers: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing, Mariko Tamaki, G. Willow Wilson, Others
Artists: Kyle Hotz, Cully Hamner, Stjepan Sejic, Others
Publisher: DC Comics
Animal sidekicks are easily one of the best parts of superhero comics, and often left out of the grand, sweeping storylines that are told every summer. Though many fans can name several of these sidekicks easily, there’s a deep well of four-legged (not to mention feathered, finned, etc.) friends ready to be tapped back in, from Streaky the Super-Cat to Flexi the Plastic Bird. Dog Days of Summer is an anthology of stories about some of these incredible superhero pets, and like many Big Two anthologies, serves as a perfect entry point for new readers—especially kids who may have been drawn in with the new Ink and Zoom titles this year. Particularly exciting is that Stjepan Sejic is contributing art to this title, as well as writers Mariko Tamaki and G. Willow Wilson, both of whom are known for their YA and kid-friendly work. The issue may be almost $10, but it’s also nearly four times as long as the average comic. Grab it, along with Supergirl: Being Super, Under the Moon: A Catwoman Story or Mystik U to kick-start a teen’s summer reading challenge. Caitlin Rosberg

The Grand Abyss Hotel
Writer: Marcos Prior
Artist: David Rubin
Publisher:Archaia/ BOOM! Studios
The biggest draw of The Grand Abyss Hotel is David Rubin’s art. Rubin’s rough, gritty, electric style in books like Sherlock Frankenstein and the Legion of Evil and Ether: The Copper Golems is enough to get the books into readers’ hands and instill trust that the story will keep them there. Writer Marcos Prior and Rubin worked together to build a world that’s not so different from our own, a satire of what western democracy has turned into in the era of social media and 24-hour news cycles. Satire is infamously difficult to nail, especially in the absurdist modern way, where it’s all too easy to mistake satire for endorsement. But Prior and Rubin have some interesting ideas about what kind of hero it will take to fight corruption, and the impact individuals can have on systemic problems. As long as they don’t fall into the trap of both-sides-ism, The Grand Abyss Hotel could be a provocative read; regardless, it will be damn pretty. Caitlin Rosberg

Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death #1
Writers: Mike Mignola & Chris Roberson
Artists: Mike Norton, Paul Grist
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
While the core Hellboy story may have just concluded in the pages of B.P.R.D., the long life of Hell’s favorite son is full of under-explored nooks and crannies—and Mexico is probably the most infamous. Longtime fans of Hellboy know that Big Red enjoyed some drunken misadventures south of the border, and Hellboy vs. Lobster Johnson: The Ring of Death invites Battlepug cartoonist Mike Norton to illustrate Hellboy’s turn as a luchador foe. Jack Staff creator Paul Grist, meanwhile, contributes a new story of the strange alien Visitor observing Hellboy from afar, working against his orders to intervene in Hellboy’s destiny. Flashbacks like these two shorts are always welcome pieces to the Hellboy puzzle—even more so now that the main story has wrapped up. Steve Foxe

Killer Groove #1
Writer: Ollie Masters
Artist: Eoin Marron
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Ollie Masters of The Kitchen fame has returned with another crime comic, this time set in Los Angeles in the 1970s, rather than Hell’s Kitchen in the same era. Between soon-to-be-a-TV-show series The Kitchen and Snow Blind, Masters has proven his skill when it comes to noir with unexpected twists, as well as his ability to work with a wide range of talented artists. Killer Groove finds him paired up with Eoin Marron to tell the story of a musician who’s just one of many trying to make it in an oversaturated market. When Johnny gets involved with all the wrong people, he finds a new and less crowded—but far deadlier—career path, with the added benefit of a new muse for his music writing. This is exactly the kind of book that Masters will pull off with panache, as he has in the past when working with the likes of Ming Doyle and Tyler Jenkins. Many of Marron’s previous credits have been on books like Sons of Anarchy: Redwood Original and Star Trek: Boldly Go, with the restrictions of intellectual property that belonged to someone else; it will be exciting to see what he does unfettered by those guidelines and playing in one of Masters’ bloody, character-driven worlds. Caitlin Rosberg

She Said Destroy #1
Writer: Joe Corallo
Artist: Liana Kangas
Publisher: Vault Comics
Vault Comics is one of the most impressive younger publishers in the game, with series like These Savage Shores, Friendo, Wasted Space, Submerged and Fearscape all filling unique and compelling niches on shelves. One thing each of those books shares, however, is somewhat established talent. She Said Destroy is a prime example of Vault lifting up new voices as well, with Mine! editor Joe Corallo making his series writing debut and Black AF: Devil’s Dye artist Liana Kangas breaking out into creator-owned storytelling. Pitched as “The Wicked + The Divine meets Star Wars by way of Final Fantasy,” She Said Destory drops readers into a conflict between Brigid, conqueror goddess of the sun, and Morrigan, rebellious goddess of death. Kangas’ digital painting may remind readers of Saga artist Fiona Staples’ earlier work—fitting, as She Said Destroy features a Saga tribute variant cover. Steve Foxe

Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years #108
Writer: Matthew Rosenberg
Artists: Giuseppe Camuncoli, Luke Ross, Others
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Before Disney acquired Star Wars and brought the comics back under the Marvel banner, before Dark Horse Comics spent decades exploring a Galaxy Far, Far Away, there was…Jaxxon. Well, there was more than just a green anthropomorphic rabbit, sure, but Jaxxon has become shorthand for the original Marvel era of Star Wars comics, where canon was played fast and loose and the mythos wasn’t quite as clearly defined. Star Wars: The Original Marvel Years #108 picks up, more or less, exactly where the original run left off more than 30 years ago, including a sequel to iconic creator Archie Goodwin’s “Crimson Forever” storyline. Expect superfan writer Matthew Rosenberg and reliable Star Wars names like Giuseppe Camuncoli and Luke Ross to indulge in a Sarlacc Pit full of nostalgia for this oversized one-shot. Steve Foxe

X-Men: Grand Design: X-Tinction #1
Writer/Artist: Ed Piskor
Publisher: Marvel Comics
The third and (unfortunately) final two-book installment in cartoonist Ed Piskor’s X-Men: Grand Design project launches this week, catching up with the mutant franchise in the second half of the ‘80s, as the line exploded with New Mutants and X-Factor and plunged into crossovers like “Mutant Massacre” and “The Fall of the Mutants.” Fan-favorites like Longshot and Cable make their first appearances here, all rendered with the same respect and meticulousness by chronicler Piskor. X-Men: Grand Design’s first volume felt like a welcome alternative to the pre-Giant-Size X-Men #1 era, and a fond trip down memory lane throughout its second installment; X-Tinction has the unenviable task of making sense out of some pretty out-there times in X-Men history, and we can’t wait to see how Piskor pulls it off. Where do we start the Change.org petition asking Piskor to continue straight on through to the modern day? Steve Foxe