Raf’s Post-FCBD Week of New Comics for 5.11.2022

Hi there, Carol and John’s Shoppers, and welcome back! Free Comic Book Day 2022 has come and gone, but we’ve got another Wednesday and more great books to talk about. The weather is too nice this week here in Cleveland, so let’s not waste any time and just get into it.

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“CAPTAIN AMERICA SOARS AGAIN! Sam Wilson picks up the shield once more — and enters a world of trouble! Following a lead from Misty Knight, Sam intercepts a mysterious group hijacking what appears to be an empty train. As he digs deeper, he discovers that the plot may be connected to a crucial piece of Captain America history… and, surprisingly, Wakanda. The world is ready for two Captain Americas — but is Sam Wilson ready for what comes next?” Spinning out of last month’s Captain America #0, both Captain America’s will be getting their own series, with Symbol of Truth being Sam Wilson’s action-packed adventure. Look for Steve Rogers in Sentinel of Liberty next month.

To celebrate the 60th anniversaries of both Hulk and Thor, writer Donny Cates and artist Martin Coccolo are teaming up to smash the two of them together for old time’s sake. Both heroes (currently written by Cates too) have been through a lot of changes in the past couple of years, and now both new leveled-up versions of the classic characters will face off and show off their new powers and try to finally prove who’d win. This week sees the beginning of the Hulk vs Thor Banner of War crossover with the Alpha issue, followed by issues in the Hulk and Thor main series. It’s the crossover battle of the spring, and it all begins this week.

The Moon Knight Disney+ show brought a lot of attention to this classic character, and while the Moon Knight main series has been a huge success here in the shop, what we’re REALLY excited about is this newest entry in Marvel’s Black, White, and Blood series: it’s Moon Knight Black, White, and Blood. A collection of short stories written by some of Marvel’s best talents, each story is told in stark black and white with only splashes of red… which may or may not be blood. In this first issue, “Jonathan Hickman and Chris Bachalo introduce the all-different Moon Knight of the future! Marc Guggenheim and Jorge Fornés tell a Moon Knight adventure in reverse! And Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande team the white-clad crusader up with the Amazing Spider-Man for a harrowing night of adventure!” These BWB miniseries are pretty cool and highlight some of Marvel’s more brutal characters in great fashion.

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“You know the story: an infant escapes the destruction of its home planet and is deposited on Earth to be raised by human parents. A goddess from a lost city defends truth. A Tyrannosaurus rex dons the visage of a bat to strike fear into evildoers’ hearts. This heroic trinity, alongside a league of other super-powered dinosaurs, join forces to save a prehistoric Earth from the sinister machinations of Darkseid. Wait… what? Okay, maybe you don’t know the story. So join us and bear witness to a brand-new—yet older than time—adventure and experience the Justice League as you have never seen them before!” Written by shop favorite Daniel Warren Johnson, this is one of the strangest but coolest Justice League series I can remember.

When the Milestone Universe was brought back last summer, there was one title many fans felt was missing. But now the Blood Syndicate is back with their very own Season One. Wise Son and Tech-9 are back in Dakota City, but the streets have changed, and so have they, since they’ve come back from tour in Afghanistan. Since the Big Bang, there’s been rival gangs popping up on the streets of Dakota with Holocaust and his growing super-powered army vying to take control of Paris Island, a part of town where heroes like Icon and Rocket aren’t around. Wise Son and Tech-9 have secrets of their own and a role to play in the future of Paris Island as the gang war spills into the streets and threatens to tear the city apart. Did any of that make sense to you? If not, check out this first issue of Blood Syndicate and see why this series was so sorely missed during the initial relaunch of the Milestone Universe.

James Tynion IV’s Nightmare Country has become one of DC’s best surprises of the year. Playing with dreams and nightmares, thoughts and imaginations, and the monsters in our heads and in reality, this series is definitely creepy nightmare fuel indeed. Each issue features a guest artist drawing a Dreaming sequence, and issue #2 this week has Andrea Sorrentino of Gideon Falls, Primordial, and more. We’ve still got some copies of #1 in store, and this series might just be the push I need to finally read Sandman in its entirety.

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New from Image and the creative team behind Curse Words, Charles Soule and Ryan Browne bring you the darkly comic Eight Billion Genies. “If you had one wish… what would you wish for? Now, what if everyone else had one wish too?… At exactly the same moment, everyone on earth gets a genie and one wish. All hell breaks loose, in a very entertaining way… and that’s just the beginning. Buckle in for the wildest ride of the year!” This new 8-issue limited series has a pretty ridiculous concept, and I’m excited to see just how messed up the world turns when everyone has their way with just one wish.

Ben and John Shearer ABSOLUTELY LOVED this series. Written and drawn by Guillem March, Karmen is the story of life, death, and the afterlife and is full of intriguing twists and metaphysical musings. It’s right up there with another classic, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá’s Daytripper, and is an emotional and thoughtful look at life and death beautifully written and drawn by comics superstar Guillem March. We had a hard time getting restocked on issues of this miniseries, so we’re excited for the full collection to finally be available, and the dustjacket has a bonus page inserted in it too!

Frank Frazetta is the “Godfather of fantasy art” and one of the most famous illustrators of the 20th century. You’ve almost certainly seen a Frazetta painting before, regardless of how big a comic book fan you are. He’s most famous for his Conan the Barbarian paperback covers, and his art was even used for the first Wolfmother album, but his most recognizable piece is the “Death Dealer.” Now in collaboration with Sara Frazetta and the Frazetta Girls, the Death Dealer rides again in a brand-new miniseries that’ll spark a new multiverse featuring some of Frazetta’s most famous creations. This first issue is pure fantasy action and is just as awesome as the cover. My sister bought me a Frazetta calendar this past Christmas, and funny enough “Death Dealer” is this month too, my birth month.

We just wanted to say thank you to everyone who came out this past weekend for Free Comic Book Day! It was a huge success, Jim Shooter loved Cleveland, and we sold a ton of back issues. We’re mostly caught up on sleep since then, but it was all worth it. The fun continues at the shop this week, like every week, with new titles and exciting stories, so we hope to see you back around soon. Until then, take care.