Raf’s Featured New Releases 11.3.2021
Howdy, everyone! Happy New Comic Book Day! Spooky season has passed, the leaves are changing, and the weather is getting colder, but there are always comics to keep you company. This week has a lot of great new titles and there is bound to be something for everyone to check out. Let’s see what’s good.
Marvel Comics
In preparation for the new Disney+ series debuting later this year, revisit (or read for the first time if you’re like me) one of Marvel’s best series ever. It’s the entire Matt Fraction and David Aja Hawkeye run in one whole collection, and all for only $44.99. Along with mentioning that I’ve never seen Firefly, I get more dirty looks around the shop saying I haven’t read this than anything else. It’s that serious. Some of the guys might even say it is one of the best superhero books ever, with a great indie flavor as well. Grounding Clint Barton, Hawkeye, in a way that has only been duplicated since this series was about what the hero did when he wasn’t slinging arrows to save the universe and his relationship with his daughter Kate. I’m the wrong guy to try to sell it, but even I know this is some of the best superhero storytelling you can buy, and at an awesome price too. Don’t get dirty looks like I do, and buy this.
DC Comics
DC’s been embracing their multiverse in a way not quite like ever before, and this week there’s a new world to visit and experience; In that, what if Clark Kent didn’t land in Smallville, Kansas, but rather the medieval times? Written by the mastermind behind the Injustice comics and DCeased and the current spectacular Nightwing run, Tom Taylor is taking DC characters back in time to swords and shields. This twelve-issue maxiseries has plenty of exciting twists to start and some cool new story threads. The series will surely entice readers to learn more about this new world, some of your favorite characters, and some underappreciated ones, and see what they are up to in it—some heavy Game of Thrones vibes in this (back when it was good).
And from the other powerhouse Tom of DC Comics, Tom King has a new twelve-issue maxiseries under the DC Black Label with Human Target #1, new this week. “Christopher Chance has made a living out of being a human target—a man hired to disguise himself as his client to invite would-be assassins to attempt his murder. He’s had a remarkable career until his latest case protecting Lex Luthor when things go sideways. An assassination attempt Chance didn’t see coming leaves him vulnerable and left trying to solve his own murder as he has 12 days to discover just who in the DCU hated Luthor enough to want him dead.” I may have to break my rule of waiting for the collections to come out on this one from Tom King. A phenomenal, gritty, noir story.
Small Press
Have you been looking for a new series that’s outside the superhero realm to check out? There is plenty of new #1’s this week from across the small press companies to give you something new.
The sequel to Mark Millar’s original Magic Order, Magic Order 2 is finally here. Billed as The Sopranos meets Harry Potter, this new volume sees magical gangsters in London go all out in their turf war for control. There have been talks for a while of a Netflix adaptation for the original series, as is typical for any Mark Millar project.
“A chaotic LGBTQ+ road trip! A workaholic scientist who wants to save the world and a woman who fears nothing but discovering her own destiny find themselves mixed up in a chaotic, on-the-road adventure through Europe. Will they manage to find a middle ground between their opposing ways of life – at least for long enough to complete their mission? And could this trip lead to an unexpected romance?” Maybe an oversimplification, but could this be the Thelma and Louise of comics? Find out in this five-issue miniseries.
Chip Zdarsky is proving to be one of the most unpredictable writers in comics, with ranging styles and tones, and this week he’s got another new ongoing series. This time it’s a crime noir thriller called Newburn. Teaming up with Jacob Phillips, the artist behind the excellent That Texas Blood, this first issue introduces readers to Easton Newburn, the titular detective on the case of a murdered mafia family member. No reason to skip out on this #1 from Zdarsky.
“Suffering from the ever-painful experience of unrequited love, twenty-year-old Laura takes a look at her life. Is the fact that the boy she has feelings for is in love with someone else mean there is something wrong with her? Or is that just how young love goes? And what will happen when she tries to get past the hurt and move on with her life?” Written and drawn by Guillem March (of Karmen fame from earlier this year, a shop favorite), this is reprinted for the first time and introduces readers to the comic that launched March into the mainstream.
Oh boy, I’m excited for this one. In the 1899 Yukon territory, after the gold rush, there is a valley deep in the lawless North that harbors mystery and fear. Large spider tracks (!) and a mysterious shadowy figure have been spotted, but that doesn’t stop a woman from going up north in search of her child. Written by Si Spurrier and with art from Barbaric’s Nathan Gooden, every new Vault series has me interested and this is certainly no exception.
Whew, big week for new series’ at the shop. Don’t forget that this Saturday, November 6th is our big indie long box sale where we’ll have the foyer open with 60 long boxes from our storage unit full of great indie comics all for only $1 each (50 cents each if you grab 100 or more comics). These are some of my favorite sales, I love digging for any holes in my WildC.A.T.S collection. All of the money from this sale will go to support Genghis Con, an awesome showcase for local artists and creators. So be sure to stop in this week and say hi and support local creators. Have a great week everybody!
