Marcus – Adventureman #5
Adventureman is back. The wonderfully energetic noir story by Matt Fraction and the Dodsons was a favorite of mine last year, and it’s nice to see that Adventureman isn’t going to be another one of Fraction’s stellar creator-owned stories that goes on hiatus. It will be interesting to see where the second arc of this story goes now that most of the character introductions and exposition are out of the way.
Alexander – X-Men Omnibus Volume 2
An obvious pick for me. I adore the X-Men. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s creations have consistently been some of the brightest stars in comics. The team helped blaze the trail for the comic adaptations of today through their films, cartoons, and video games. Despite the obvious popularity, these 60’s X-Men issues haven’t been collected in omnibus format for over a decade. It’s been disheartening for collectors of the format who enjoy the team but don’t want to pay the prices on eBay. After waiting on a reprint for so long, seeing this in the September solicitations felt amazing. I read so many of these stories in paperbacks as a child and having the chance to revisit them is something I look forward to.
Matt D – Milestone Compendium One
Milestone books were some of the first “serious” comics I ever read and left a lasting impression on me. It’s good to see the line getting a long-awaited reprint and in such a mighty format. With the topics covered, these stories are as important as ever, while also offering a strong interpretation of the “adult superhero comic” during the gloomy depths of the 90s. Even most Omnibuses don’t span 1,320 pages but it’s hard to imagine many comics that deserve the space more than Milestone. At such a good price point and with such important stories, it’s going to be hard to pass up this one. I’m looking forward to revisiting Hardware, Xombi, and of course Static Shock.
Ethan Maddux – Dark Ages #1 and Primordial #1
Dark Ages #1
Tom Taylor has consistently shown up as one of the best writers in comics these last few years, and he especially swings big with his dark and out-of-continuity books. Injustice and DCeased being notable examples. With Dark Ages #1, I expect to see that same energy and creativity brought to the Marvel side of things, and I have no doubt it will deliver. Taylor has a way of taking undesirable concepts that I should hate, and using them to bring out the best that the universe in question has to offer. He’s shown with his other Marvel works like All-New Wolverine and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man that he has a deep understanding of this universe as well. I couldn’t be more excited to see him bring what he’s brought to DC to Marvel.
Primordial #1
Other than the wonderful, though brief, synopsis we’ve been given for Primordial #1, I don’t know much about what to expect. The concept seems to be exactly my thing, and on top of that, it’s being done by a creative team that has been proven to make magic together. A Cold War thriller mixed with some weird sci-fi animal nonsense. I’m here for it. Plus, it’s an Image book that doesn’t seem to fit into the horror genre and that’s new and exciting in its own right.
Geoff Luu: Batman: Urban Legends #7
There are two words that will never fail to convince me to read a comic: Terry McGinnis. I’ve been a fan of Terry and the Batman Beyond property for two decades, and while his many comics appearances over that period have varied in their canonicity and quality (looking at you, Futures End), I’m always happy to see DC continue to shine a spotlight on the fan-favorite Batman of the future. The synopsis for this segment of Urban Legends #7 seems intriguing enough, presented as a murder mystery in which Terry investigates the death of the elderly Bruce Wayne. With stories featuring Cassandra Cain and Batman One Million also included, this issue is shaping up to be an entertaining look forward at the extended Bat-Family.
