Oh, hello Comic Shop Friends, how’d you fare with the arctic blast? Luckily, it held out until we were closing up from Late Nite Comics last Thursday, but it was a slow weekend at the shop.

So, to help clear out some more backstock and leftover dollar books, John put out small press back issue boxes for 25 cents each, along with a whole box of Wolverine dollar books! We’ll leave these out while we have room, so come get some great deals! 25-cent comics! How often do you see that?!?

While we’ve had time this past week, we updated our Rec Wall! Now each row is its own theme, with our personal picks, creators we all enjoy, popular characters, and select universes. All of our recommendations are either first volumes of series, stand-alone or contained stories, so you can grab anything as a starting point.

We’ll add some single issues for shared universes as we have them, like Energon and Ghost Machine (More on that one below!), or if there’s a new series we love, you can get started with those as well! We’ll switch them out from time to time, so keep checking it when you stop in!

We’re also starting to process common back issue stock, so keep an eye out for new back issues, and we’ll have the boxes labeled with the date they’re put out!

MARVEL COMICS

As the epic conclusion to the Krakoan age looms, it falls to Storm to resurrect the protector mutantkind needs, Magneto. But the resurrection mutant circuit known as the Five is among the missing, and both Magneto and Storm have destroyed their Cerebro backups. The only way for Ororo to find him is to leap into the afterlife, but this is not a place anyone can simply visit. But after all he did, and all that was done to him, can Magneto bear to return? Can Storm survive the magic of the Waiting Room, and return to her body before it’s too late? Written by Al Ewing with art by Luciano Vecchio.

DC COMICS

It’s the Green Arrow Family’s time to take on the Beast Boy spores in this Star City one-shot! Oliver Queen is finally reunited with Connor Hawke, but can he find a moment to connect with his son while they’re dealing with grave robbers and aquatic spore beasts? Find out in the two-part story, “Like Father…” from writer Joshua Williamson and artist Jamal Campbell, and “…Like Son” from Brandt & Stein. Can Red Canary make the right decision when Black Canary is infected while they are rescuing civilians? She’ll have to stand up to her idol in Ryan Parrott and Rodger Cruz’s “Birds of a Feather.” And finally, Red Arrow, Stargirl, and Huntress have to protect the city from Judy Gator and Frog Lantern when the Justice Society becomes beastly, in “The Jungle Society of America” written by Robert Venditti, with art by Gavin Guidry.

SMALL PRESS COMICS

From writers Tom Garcia and Ryan Sargeant, hosts of Comic Tom 101 on YouTube, and artist Ben Templesmith, Crashdown is a three-issue mini-series about the final days of humanity. Part Lost, part Alien, with a hint of Lovecraft, it’s the story of survival of a ship full of colonists arriving on the distant planet Empyrean, which is civilization’s last hope. What happens when their new home doesn’t want them there?

The big book this week is the Ghost Machine one-shot! Introducing the all-new shared universes from the creative collective, featuring writers and artists, Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Bryan Hitch, Jason Fabok, Peter J. Tomasi, Francis Manapul, Peter Snejbjerg, Lamont Magee, and Ivan Reis.

We’ve already seen Geiger and Junkyard Joe, but now we’re getting a glimpse into how Redcoat, The Northerner, and First Ghost tie into the universe of The Unnamed.

Rook is a former Earth farmer who became one of the Wardens, those who wear a helmet that commands a corresponding animal species, on the terraformed planet Exodus. When that planet’s engine fails, those left behind are forced to choose between trying to escape a war-torn world or fighting to save it.

Within Ghost Machine’s Family Universe, there’s The Rocketfellers, a family from the 25th Century who are working for the Time Zone Protection Program and must fit in and adapt to our present, but a nemesis may have tracked them down. The second family series is Hornsby & Halo, about two twelve-year-olds, Rose Hornsby and Zachary Halo. One is a descendant of “good”, the other “evil”, and to maintain the balance have each been traded to the other side in the hopes that a truce takes hold, but will Nature or Nurture win out when the kids start to show some innate abilities?

Lastly, in every town, in every city, in every era, there is a Hyde Street full of horrors. This short is just a taste of what’s to come in the upcoming Hyde Street, The Soulless, and Devour series. My favorite was the two-page fake novelty ad.

Issue #1 for Geiger, Redcoat, and Rook: Exodus are all out in April, with the rest of the new titles throughout the year. And if you want to jump in now with Geiger and Junkyard Joe, we have a Ghost Machine row on our updated Rec Wall!