Raf’s Back from Vacation on 6.8.2022
Hey there, Carol and John’s Shoppers! Raf here again, back from vacation in Nashville, Tennessee all last week. Did you know Nashville has a Batman building!?
Well, at least that’s how they advertise it. It was a cool city and I loved the live music. I didn’t get to explore the city as much as I’d have liked, but that just means I have to go back. As is typical after vacations, the first week back is a biggie with PLENTY of things to talk about new in the shop this week. Let’s jump back in.
DC Comics Header
“Crisis on Infinite Earths. Infinite Crisis. Final Crisis. And now… Dark Crisis! The epic event years in the making is finally here! Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the rest of the Justice League are dead. The remaining heroes are left to protect the world from an onslaught of violent attacks by DC’s greatest villains! Can the legacy heroes step out of the shadows of the classic heroes to form a new Justice League? And will that be enough to stop a Darkness greater than anything they’ve ever faced from destroying everything? Don’t miss out on the first issue of the blockbuster event of the summer!” I’ve been waiting for the next Crisis for a while, and writer Joshua Williamson has been building up to this moment across a few different titles, so I’m excited to see just what he and DC have in store now in Dark Crisis. Buckle up.
“Deep in the Pacific Ocean, at the farthest possible distance from any land, sits Point Nemo: the spaceship graveyard. Since the dawn of the space race, the nations of the world have sent their crafts there on splashdown, to sink beneath the silent seas. But there is something… else at Point Nemo. A structure never made by human hands. And that structure seems to be… waking up. The crew of the experimental submarine Andromeda, powered by a mysterious black-hole drive, have been chosen to investigate this mystery. But they aren’t the only ones pursuing it. Anything of value beneath the ocean is of value to the master pirate Black Manta… and anything that attracts Black Manta attracts Arthur Curry, his lifelong foe, the Aquaman! But heaven-help them all when the doors of the mystery at Point Nemo swing wide to admit them.” A Black Label AQUAMAN book!? Written by Ram V, who is quickly becoming a shop favorite and one of the hottest writers in comics right now, and drawn by artist Christian Ward, this book is great and gives off some cool Arrival meets the DC Universe vibes. You’re not going to want to miss this one.
Writer G. Willow Wilson is doing something special with this new Poison Ivy series. Spinning out of the events of Batman: Fear State, Pamela Isley is back with a new body and a new lease on life. She’s been a lot of things; villain, anti-hero, scientist, activist, and more. But she’s lived a traumatic life, and through her connection to the Earth and The Green, she’ll set out to give the planet a gift to help heal it after all the damage that’s been done to it, by ending humanity. This book is not a superhero book and feels like something you’d find in a small press title, and coming from me, you know that’s a good thing. Pamela hasn’t been getting enough attention lately, and she’ll make us all pay for it in this new miniseries.
Marvel Comics Header
Comic readers must love Fortnite. After the major success that was Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point last year, returning writer Christos Gage jumps over to the Marvel Universe to bring these two juggernauts of entertainment together in Marvel X Fortnite: Zero War. Spidey, Wolverine, and more will team up with my cousin’s favorite Fortnite characters in this epic crossover event. And just like with DC, each issue will include unlockable content in-game. The first issue has a pretty cool skin readers can get, it’s the Spider-Man Zero Suit. Hey, I recognize that cover!
And to coincide with the new Thor movie coming out very soon, Marvel has a new five-issue miniseries starring the Mighty Thor herself, Jane Foster.
“When Mjolnir comes crashing through Jane Foster’s apartment window, she fears the worst has happened to Thor. As Asgard’s greatest enemies – including Hela, Ulik the Troll, and Enchantress – mount an assault on the Golden Realm, Jane must find Thor and save Asgard – even if that means she must once again risk her life to become Thor herself!” This book is perfect for anybody looking for Jane Foster material right now before the movie. We also have plenty of recommendations too in the shop for anybody looking for more Jane Foster, Marvel’s been great about keeping things in print with movies and TV shows coming out lately.
Small Press Header
There’s a new horror anthology series out now, and this one comes from Image in Skybound Presents Afterschool. Written by some really great TV and movie people and drawn by some of comics’ brightest rising stars, don’t let the title and cute dog on the cover full you, these titles are a little more than just kid-friendly Goosebumps. This first issue has some great sci-fi and body horror moments, perfect for fans of The Thing, Re-Animator, and Lovecraft. After you check this first issue out, you’re gonna want to add the rest of this four-issue miniseries.
“Douglas Spitzer wants to be one of the ‘astronauts’ selected for the crucial Mission Politzer. And just like astronauts like Buzz Aldrin and Sally Ride, Douglas is brave, adaptable, and self-sacrificing. He’s one of the program’s best candidates. But if he qualifies, Douglas won’t be traveling through space; he’ll be launched into alternate realities on a desperate mission to save Earth from a horrific crisis that has our world on the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, it’s a mission where everything will go wrong, where Douglas’s training and very humanity will be put to the test, and where a deep-seated secret could sabotage everything.” Written by Kaiju Score’s James Patrick and drawn by artist Rubine, this new Aftershock #1 is a cool and trippy sci-fi dive into the end of the world and alternate realities. It’s more so about the characters than the mission in this first issue, and it doesn’t try to overexplain itself. It’s a great first issue, and the final page is a big hook for the rest of the series.
That’s far from it this week! There are plenty more new books in the shop this week that you’ll have to come by and check out. Plus, it seems I may have to go on vacation more often because the guys and Andrea bought some really cool back issue collections while I was out last week with some things I’ve never seen in the shop before. Including one of my all-time favorite single issues, Miracleman #15. Come in and ask me about it, and see what other cool new back issues we’ve got in. I hope you all have a good week this week, and we’ll see you around.
