Uncanny X-Men, Firefly, Bitter Root & More in Required Reading: Comics for 11/14/2018
Main Art by Leinil Francis Yu
This Wednesday is doing the absolute most when it comes to comics. The (discouragingly priced) Uncanny X-Men #1 is obviously the mutant elephant in the room, but we’ve also got the finale of Mister Miracle, the launch of Electric Warriors and Bitter Root, Firefly’s new debut at BOOM! Studios, the first issue of G. Willow Wilson’s Wonder Woman, OGNs like Form of a Question and Hedy Lamarr: An Incredible Life and the long-awaited realization of William Gibson’s Alien 3 script, now in comic form. This Wednesday is so jam-packed that we couldn’t even squeeze in books like The Rugrats: C is for Chanukah Special, God of War #1 and The Black Order #1, all of which you can assume just barely missed the cut-off. If you can’t find something to enjoy this week at your local comic shop or preferred digital retailer—why, you might not like comics at all (or you’re just too picky for your own good).
Bitter Root #1
Writers: David F. Walker & Chuck Brown
Artist: Sanford Greene
Publisher: Image Comics
The incredible creative team behind Power Man & Iron Fist reunites to tell an original story about supernatural danger during the Harlem Renaissance. For Bitter Root, David F. Walker and Sanford Greene are joined by writer Chuck Brown, the mind behind titles like Trench Coats and Cigarettes and Shotguns. If that wasn’t enough to pique the interest of readers, Rico Renzi and Clayton Cowles are along for the ride with colors and letters, respectively. What makes Bitter Root really shine is its time period and setting. The Sangerye family aren’t just street-level heroes safeguarding the incredible creative forces booming in Harlem at the time—they’re responsible for the safety of the entire human race. Walker’s work on Shaft for Dynamite proved that he’s got a great eye for weaving historical context into fictional stories, and he and Greene know how to put out a book that’s ambitious and exciting to read. The addition of Brown to the team pushes Bitter Root from an exciting new title to a must-buy for fans of all three, or just about any reader of historical fantasy. Caitlin Rosberg
Bloodshot: Rising Spirit #1
Writers: Lonnie Nadler, Zac Thompson & Kevin Grevioux
Artist: Ken Lashley
Publisher: Valiant Entertainment
Valiant’s newest batch of series continues to roll out this week with Bloodshot: Rising Spirit, a look back at the nanite-enhanced soldier’s earliest days in the field. Writer Jeff Lemire rang a surprising amount of emotion and pathos out of the character across multiple volumes, each increasingly more focused on Bloodshot and his family over the run-and-gun roots of the unkillable pale warrior. The Rising Spirit creative team kicks off with three writers: originally announced duo Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson, and one-time New Warriors writer Kevin Grevioux, who is scheduled to continue on subsequent issues as Nadler and Thomspon step away. It’s a shame to lose them—their run on Cable made Bloodshot a natural next step, while Grevioux’ previous comics credits leave something to be desired. Still, with the action-packed art of Ken Lashley and the reliable Valiant stamp of approval, Bloodshot: Rising Spirit should be a solid battlefield outing for the flagship character. Steve Foxe
Electric Warriors #1
Writer: Steve Orlando
Artist: Travel Foreman
Publisher: DC Comics
Much of DC Comics’ strategy since its Rebirth initiative kicked off a few years ago revolves around getting back to basics, but the new Electric Warriors mini-series offers a fun combination of accessible new concepts and deep-cut continuity nods. Set in the previously unexplored era after the Great Disaster from Jack Kirby’s Kamandi but before the gleaming future of the Legion of Superheroes, Electric Warriors finds the DC cosmos operating a Hunger Games-style combat tourney to decide conflicts between planets. Each planet sends one enhanced warrior at a time—until Earth decides to split its “Electric Seed” between a representative from the human race and a highly trained octopus from the sentient animal kingdom. Writer Steve Orlando has been touting Electric Warriors as DC’s answer to Overwatch’s eclectic cast of characters, and thanks to Travel Foreman’s unique design sense and the warriors’ readymade abilities, Orlando may be onto something. Electric Warriors is set to be a brisk six issues, which makes it an equally appealing choice for DC diehards or those curious about the far boundaries of the publisher’s shared universe. Steve Foxe