Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of December 9, 2020!
The holiday season is in full swing, but don’t forget to visit your favorite comic shop this week (in-person or virtually) for a plethora of new, exciting titles. This week’s picks include more classic Batman, a showdown between Flash and Black Adam, an off-kilter new Image series, an interstellar X-Men spinoff, and a sugary Archies treat.
–Batman: Black and White #1 (DC Comics): The fan-favorite Batman anthology returns (with another magnificent cover by Greg Capulo) after nearly a seven year hiatus with another group of some of the finest artists and writer in the business ready to share their unique spin on the Dark Knight. The first issue includes current Batman writer James Tynion IV and Tradd Moore exploring the world of Ra’s al Ghul and the League of Assassins, J.H. Williams III taking a look at Batman’s history, Emma Rios examines Batman through a psychological lens, Paul Dini and Andy Kubert tell a bonkers tale of a ninja Man-Bat infestation in the Batcave and G. Willow Wilson and Greg Smallwood highlight a bizarre confrontation with Killer Croc. This is the perfect series for people who love Batman, but can’t be bothered with continuity.
-Flash #767 (DC Comics): We highlighted DC’s new crossover Endless Winter last week and this week a number of the tie-in issues hit the stands, none more prominent than Flash #767. Ron Marz and Andy Lanning are joined by Marco Santucci for a showdown between the fastest man alive and one of the most popular villains in the DC Universe, Black Adam. This issue continues the past/present nature of the overall story while also allowing fans to see an unlikely confrontation and possible unsteady alliance. This is the type of fun crossover (with a reasonable amount of chapters) that we have been missing in recent years.
-Home Sick Pilots #1 (Image Comics): Dan Watters and Caspar Wijngaard debut their new ongoing series Home Sick Pilots this week and it is worth checking out. Watters and Wijngaard are the same team behind Image’s Limbo and fans of horror and quirky stories are sure to find Home Sick Pilots appealing. The story takes place in the summer of 1994 and features a walking haunted house, a missing teenage singer of a punk rock band Ami, and some demanding ghosts. The press materials describe the series as “Power Rangers meets The Shining“, so if this unlikely combination intrigues you, you might want to see how this blend actually works.
-S.W.O.R.D. #1 (Marvel Comics): Al Ewing is well-known for his outstanding work on Immortal Hulk and Loki, but the prolific writer started his Marvel career on team books, and S.W.O.R.D. is right up his alley. Ewing is joined by artist Valerio Schiti as they explore the intergalactic defense agency, recently relaunched by the mutant nation of Krakoa. The Sentient World Observation & Response Directorate is back in full-swing (spinning out of Jonathan Hickman’s excellent X-Men run) and fans of Ewing’s work on The Ultimates will enjoy the cosmic excitement and mind-bending situations that he is known for placing the characters in. Schiti’s artwork, as usual, is top notch as well.
-Archie Christmas Spectacular #1 (Archie Comics): Why not pick up some nostalgia this week at your local comic shop with Dan Parent’s Archie Christmas special. The price is right and the cover is classic, making for a decoration in and of itself. This also can serve as an introduction for younger fans who may be familiar with Riverdale, but have never read the source material.
That’s it for this week, so please keep supporting your local comic shop in a safe fashion.