Raf’s Featured New Releases 11.10.21

Hello CNJ shoppers, and Happy New Comic Book Day. I’m behind on all the hip shows the kids are watching these days, but I was curious and finally watched Squid Game this past week. Man, that was addicting! I liked it! It inspired me to go back and finally read Avengers Arena also. In it, the villain Arcade captures a bunch of Young Avengers and takes them to Murder World to recreate the movie Battle Royale in a game of death and survival. I just started, but X-23 is one of the players, so my money is on Laura. But in the meantime, there are some new books to check out this week. Let’s go.

Marvel Comics

One of Marvel’s most beloved characters gets a cool new miniseries in The Thing #1 this week. Written by novelist Walter Mosley, with art from Tom Reilly (I’m not familiar with either), “The Thing” is billing itself to be the new definitive Ben Grimm story. Marvel has been very tight-lipped on just what story this new series will tell. Honestly, Marvel’s miniseries have been pretty great recently, so I’ll take their word for it on this one too.

You’ve been patiently waiting for it, and after a few delays, it’s finally here: it’s Venom #1! Co-writers Al Ewing and Ram V are taking both Eddie Brock and Dylan Brock into new territories that are sure to be exciting. Al Ewing is known for big, sci-fi storytelling, and Ram V has a touch for horror, with art drawn by Bryan Hitch (love him or hate him, it’s big action). Donny Cates left the character and symbiote in a pretty cool place, and I’m excited to see this new creative team run with it and launch Venom into a brand-new series. We’ve got loads of variants for Venom #1; the Bill Sieniewicz 1:25 variant is my favorite. Which one will be your favorite?

DC Comics

Another week, another new Batman series. This week, we have Robin & Batman from the creative team behind Ascender, Jeff Lemire, and Dustin Nguyen! And the billing is correct; this is a Robin story first, detailing a young Dick Grayson just stepping into the tights and the shadow of The Batman. This three-issue miniseries has a stellar creative team, and the artwork is gorgeous. I’m excited to read this.

The Justice League, Last Ride series, has been a lot of fun and filled with plenty of action and great moments for fans, and this week is the final issue! This has been one of my top reads every week, and you can tell the writer Chip Zdarsky has been having a lot of fun telling this story.  It ends in an explosive fashion, and I hope to see more from this alternate universe. If you haven’t been following along, keep an eye out for the collection. It’s sure to be one of my recommendations when it’s announced.

Small Press

“The world has ended. All that remains are gangs of children living among the ruins. But Sid believes there must be something more out there. When she disappears into the wastelands, her gang will risk everything to bring her home. A story about the things that matter most-your survival, your loved ones, and your record collection.” A brand-new triple-sized Image #1, for only $5, from the creative team behind 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank (a criminally underrated book). It’s a comic that promises to pull everything you love about comics and music together into one experience. All of us here on staff are stoked to read this and you should be too. 

Chris Cantwell has been emerging as one of the shop’s favorite new writers with titles such Vault’s Blue Flame and Marvel’s Iron Man, and now he’s got a new Boom title in Regarding the Matter of Oswald’s Body. A ragtag team of misfits are brought together by some sort of agent, whether for the good guys or bad, to add a new layer to the Kennedy assassination, Lee Harvey Oswald, and the countless conspiracy theories: What if the body buried in Oswald’s grave wasn’t really Oswald? A quirky, off-kilter crime thriller, this first issue was great and I’m excited to learn more about this team assigned to the task. Great for Tarantino fans and history buffs.

Released from Boom earlier this year, this five-issue miniseries was co-written by Grant Morrison (my favorite writer!) and was like Stranger Things but set in the 1970’s along the titular, haunted Proctor Valley Road. “August, Rylee, Cora, and Jennie have organized a ‘Spook Tour’ on the infamous roadway with their classmates to fund attending the concert of their dreams. But when their visit turns deadly, these four friends race to rescue the missing students before the town tears them limb from limb and slay the evils roaming Proctor Valley Road… along with the monsters lurking in the hearts of 1970s America.” I read the first couple of issues, and then fell behind, but decided that I’d finally read the whole thing once it was collected in trade. It’s Grant Morrison, a no-brainer for me.

And that’s just some of the big new titles releasing this week.  The holiday season is fast approaching, so don’t be afraid to ask us what other comic recommendations are out there for your friends and family this year. Or share some great Thanksgiving recipes with me. Whichever you want. Have a great week!

Peace, Love, and Comics

Rafael Calzada