Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of April 14, 2021!
This was another tough week to whittle down the list, with enough choices to do a top 20 instead of a top five, so be sure to carefully peruse the racks at your local shop this week. You won’t be disappointed.
–Black Hammer: Visions #3 (Dark Horse Comics): The wonderful single issue anthology series starring characters from the world of Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston’s Black Hammer returns this week with another classic. Prolific writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Johnnie Christmas team up for a look at the less relevant and less confident Abraham Slam. This story revisits Slam’s flashback from the original series when a group of 1990s-style heroes (complete with shoulder pads and coats) show up to take over the aging hero’s beat. And to add insult to injury, one of the new young punks named Uncle Slam aims to put the older timer out to pasture. This issue will please fans of the series, as well as those that remember the days when a new set of heroes was about to take over the comic book world (at least for a short time).
-Guardians of the Galaxy #13 (Marvel Comics): Al Ewing continues his run on Guardians with new artist Juan Frigeri and the new team is one to behold! All of the original members return plus a meteor full of additional Marvel space heroes such as Nova, Emperor Hulkling, Wiccan, Quasar, the Super Skrull and more. And how did Doctor Doom get into this bunch? With three connecting covers by Brett Booth featuring the entire line-up (which will hopefully be turned into a poster at some point) and Ewing and Frigeri on board, this one if a can’t miss prosepect.
-Daredevil #29 (Marvel Comics): As evidenced by the cover below, that’s not Matt Murdoch wearing the devil suit! Yes, Elektra has taken up the horned helmet and is filling in for the original hero and former lover, compatriot, and adversary. Chip Zdarsky (who almost had three titles in this week’s list, with Spider’s Shadow #1 just missing out on the top five) & Marco Checchetto have been killing it with Daredevil, giving fans another classic run to discuss when they compare the many fine story arcs by the best in the business. Another perfect jumping on point for those who haven’t been keeping up (and you can read what Zdarsky said about his run on Daredevil in our exclusive interview with him right here).
-Young Hellboy: The Hidden Land #3 (Dark Horse Comics): Mike Mignola, Thomas Sniegoski, and Craig Rousseau continue their tale of a young, wide-eyed Hellboy on a mysterious island inhabited by ape men, dinosaurs, zombies, and vampires. Do you need any other reasons to pick up this issue? Continuing and reveling in the pulp traditions and monster films that initially inspired the character, Young Hellboy is just what the doctor (or Professor Bruttenholm) ordered! Check out our review of issue one and our recent interview with co-writer Sniegoski before or after you head to the store this week.
-Star Wars Bounty Hunters #11 (Marvel Comics): I was definitely in the minority when The Empire Strikes Back came out in 1980. While all the other kids were bragging about this new helmeted character named Boba Fett, my main lizard man was the Doctor Who-suit wearing Bossk. Finally after 40 years, the man, or lizard, is getting some respect! Ethan Sacks and Paolo Villanelli continue their fine run on Star Wars Bounty Hunters, profiling all of the scum and villainy in the universe. In this special solo adventure, Bossk finds himself in a “Most Dangerous Game” situation when he becomes the hunted for a change. Bossk fans: stand up for the best bounty hunter around and pick up this issue.
That’s it for this week, so please continue to support your local comic shops in a safe fashion.