In this column, we make a quick trip through this weeks pull-list. It features mostly spoiler-free brief analysis and commentary of each book.

This week was heavy with new #1’s for restarts to old series and some brand new offerings. We tried to bring you as many as we could.

There is a 4 star rating system. It is simple and not to be taken too seriously as everyone gets their own impressions of art. These ratings are just to give our readers an idea of what we thought of the book, and they will be on the generous side normally. So don’t expect to see a lot of 1 Stars. After all, its not often that you have a bad book on your pull-list.

The rating system is as follows:

• Great
• Good
• OK
• Not Good

And here are the books we read in alphabetical order:

Amazing Spider-Man #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Nick Spencer
Pencils by Ryan Ottley
Inks by Cliff Rathburn
Colors by Laura Martin
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by Ottley & Martin

Nick Spencer and Ryan Ottley’s run is off to a swinging start. (You see what I did there). There is a bit of a reset feel to this issue where Peter’s status quo is upended once again. However, the setup is intriguing enough to go with it. Ottley’s dynamic style is a nice fit for our favorite wall crawler, and Laura Martin is just fantastic on the colors.

Champions #22
Marvel Comics
Written by Jim Zub
Art by Kevin Libranda
Colors by Marcio Menyz
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by R.B. Silva & Nolan Woodard

This issue picks up with a new status quo for a few team members that occurred in other series. While that is an unfortunate circumstance, Zub does a fine job of bringing it all together at the beginning of this new arc. The art is well done and the story has a good flow. We are looking forward to where the Champions go as there next adventure gets underway in the last two pages of this issue.

 

Coda #3
Boom! Studios
Written by Simon Spurrier
Art by Matias Bergara
Colors by Michael Doig
Letters by Jim Campbell
Cover Art by Bergara and Julian Totino Tedesco

Coda continues to bring surprises and quality storytelling. In just three issues, the visual world of this book and the societal logistics have become familiar. The reveal at the end of issue raises lots of questions we hope to get answered next month.

 

Daredevil #605
Marvel Comics
Written by Charles Soule
Art by Mike Henderson
Colors by Matt Milla
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Chris Sprouse & Marte Garcia

The current arc with NYC under siege by the Hand wraps up in this issue as do some other story threads. Soule is continuing to bring his A-game to this book. Mike Henderson’s line work recalls an earlier time and fits perfectly in a Daredevil book.

 

 

Dejah Thoris #6
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Amy Chu
Art by Pasquale Qualano
Colors by Valentina Pinto
Letters by Thomas Napolitano
Cover Art by Mike McKone

Amy Chu’s Martian tale shifts direction in this issue. A move toward a story of intrigue and political drama is an excellent change of pace for the Princess of Mars. Qualano’s layouts and line work further the storytelling in fitting ways.

 

Detective Comics #984
DC Comics
Written by Bryan Hill
Pencils by Miguel Mendonca
Inks by Diana Egea
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Sal Cipriano
Cover Art by Eddy Barrows, Eber Ferreira & Adriano Lucas

Bryan Hill’s story picks up some steam in this issue of Detective. Cass Cain kicks ass; Black Lightning gets his footing, and Batman changes the status quo. The new adversary Karma is intriguing, and we also get a little view into his past. This is a solid issue.

 

Eternity Girl #5
DC / Young Animal
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Sonny Liew
Colors by Chris Chuckry
Letters by Todd Klein
Cover Art by Liew

This series is one of the best put out under the Young Animal imprint. There I said it. Mags Visaggio and Sonny Liew continue to ratchet up the intensity of this story. The visuals are stunning and the choral nature of the wording hits you in all the right spots. We are excited, yes excited, to read the conclusion to this story next month.

 

Exiles #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Javier Rodriguez
Inks by Alvaro Lopez
Letters by VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Art by David Marquez & Tamra Bonvillain

This issue wraps up the first arc of this series. It has been an entertaining and action packed ride. The last chapter is no exception to that pattern. Rodriguez’s lines and colors bring a unique feel to this book that is just right for a story that is outside continuity.

 

Farmhand #1
Image Comics
Written and Art by Rob Guillory
Colors by Taylor Wells
Letters by Kody Chamberlain
Cover Art by Guillory

Rob Guillory is back! The former Chew artist takes over the writing reigns as well as the art on this new series from Image. Tons of secrets and intrigue are setup in the first issue. Guillory’s style is perfect for the tone of the story that he is telling. We are all in on Farmhand. Also, you cannot truly enjoy a Rob Guillory book without reading the backgrounds, so allot the appropriate time for that.

 

Flash #50
DC Comics
Written by Joshua Williamson
Art by Howard Porter
Colors by HI-FI
Letters by Steve Wands
Cover Art by Porter and HI-FI

Flash War ends in this anniversary issue. Porter’s visual grasp on the speed that the characters generate is truly masterful. Williamson brings a close to this chapter of the Flash saga, but the story is clearly not done. Fans of 90’s Flash comics, the last page of the story is worth the price of the book alone.

 

Hawkman #2
DC Comics
Written by Robert Venditti
Pencils by Bryan Hitch
Inks by Andrew Currie, Daniel Henriques & Hitch
Colors by Jeremiah Shipper
Letters by Starkings & Comicraft
Cover Art by Hitch & Alex Sinclair

Venditti is building a very interesting story with Hawkman in this series. He is clearly embracing all of the Winged Wonder’s fractious history and melding it into something complete. Hitch is delivering high-quality work on this book, and we look forward to the next installment.

 

The Immortal Men #4
DC Comics
Written by James Tynion IV
Art by Tyler Kirkham
Colors by Arif Prianto
Letters by Carlos M. Mangual
Cover Art by Jim Lee, Scott Williams and Alex Sinclair

This book has the most compelling and intriguing characters in all the books to come out of the Dark Nights: Metal event. Kirkham’s interiors are outstanding. Based on the end of this issue the Immortal Men have quite the challenge ahead of them. Definitely a book will be looking forward to next month.

 

The New Mutants: Dead Souls #5
Marvel Comics
Written by Matthew Rosenberg
Art by Adam Gorham
Colors by Michael Garland with Andrew Crossley
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Ryan Stegman and Michael Garland

“The little X-Book that could” is what we like to call this series. The rag-tag team of mutants who do not get along go up against “Dr. Strange” as the cover suggests. Rosenberg’s story has us captivated to see where it goes and entertains us all the way down the road. Some challenging layouts were done expertly by Gorham in this issue.

 

Outpost Zero #1
Image Comics
Written by Sean Kelley McKeever
Art by Alexandre Tefenkgi
Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
Letters by Ariana Maher
Cover Art by Tefenkgi

McKeever clearly knows how to build a story. With the first issue of this series, he sublimely builds a world full of characters with purpose and drive that the reader is immediately invested in. Tefenkgi’s characterization and use of scale pairs well with the story and only serves to bring the reader in even farther to the Outpost. We are certainly looking forward to more.

 

Plastic Man #2
DC Comics
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Adriana Melo
Colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters by Simon Bowland
Cover Art by Bilquis Evely

We can’t believe this is only issue two of this mini-series. Gail Simone packs so much into a comic that the reader feels like they are getting a deal. Melo’s art is nothing short of beautiful. It was a joy to read this book and root for Plas to find his way to the side of angels.

 

Quicksilver: No Surrender #3
Marvel Comics
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Eric Nguyen with Paul Renoud
Colors by Rico Renzi with Renoud
Letters by VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Art by Martin Simmonds

Quicksilver’s entrapment continues in this issue. The story is engaging if somewhat slow. The little clues that are left for the reader serve to keep interest in finding out Pietro’s fate. This book seems to be getting us to a resolution sometime, but is a good read.

 

Relay #1
Aftershock Comics
Written by Zac Thompson
Art by Andy Clarke
Colors by Jose Villarrubia with Dan Brown
Letters by Charles Pritchett
Cover Art by Clarke with Brown

This new series starts off with a solid first issue. The future based human species survival is interesting. Andy Clarke’s art is excellent and Jose Villarrubia’s colors are beautiful. We will definitely be sticking with through the first arc at least.

 

She Could Fly #1
Dark Horse Comics / Berger Books
Written by Christopher Cantwell
Art by Martin Morazzo
Colors by Miroslav Mrva
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover Art by Morazzo

Cantwell and Morazzo’s debut issue of this series for Berger Books grabs you by the neck, slams you in your chair and doesn’t let you up. The struggle for the main character Luna is real! This is an emotional mental-health thriller wrapped in a technological caper book. We are in for the long haul on this series.

 

Superman #1
DC Comics
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Pencils by Ivan Reis
Inks by Joe Prado
Colors by Alex Sinclair
Letters by Josh Reed
Cover Art by Reis, Prado, & Sinclair

The first issue of this new volume of Superman is a solid start. Bendis is hitting the beats with a great rhythm. The interaction with the Martian Manhunter is especially important to show Bendis’ understanding of the character. Ivan Reis and Joe Prado do an excellent job with the small moments as well as the displays of power.

Titans #23
DC Comics
Written by Dan Abnett
Art by Brandon Peterson
Colors by Ivan Plascencia
Letters by Dave Sharpe
Cover Art by Brandon Peterson

This is the first regular issue of the new team of Titans. Dan Abnett has been shepherding this book since its inception and he has seamlessly transitioned to the new normal. It is excellent to see Brandon Peterson on interiors and his characterization is spot on. The budding clash between Nightwing and Miss Martian that was foreshadowed is continuing to escalate. It will be interesting to see where it goes.

 

X-23 #1
Marvel Comics
Written by Mariko Tamaki
Art by Juann Cabal
Colors by Nolan Woodard
Letters by VC’s Cory Petit
Cover Art by Mike Choi & Jesus Aburtov

In our opinion, Tom Taylor’s run on All-New Wolverine is some of the best stuff Marvel has put out in the past few years. With that said, GO GET THIS BOOK! Tamaki continues that sister action feel that was there before and presents new and interesting challenges to Laura and Gabby. Cabal does some incredible work on the panel layouts and perspective angles. This is a keeper in the pull-list.

 

Wow! There were a lot of good books out there this week.  This is not inclusive of all the great books out there. Go find what you like and read it and talk about it. Comments are always welcome.