Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of January 13, 2021!
The second new comic book day of the new year continues DC Comics Future State event, one of Marvel’s perennial hits, a tribute to the architect of the Uncanny X-Men, and a satirical take on Superman from Ahoy Comics.
–DC Future State: Justice League #1 (DC Comics): DC releases a number of new titles this week in their successful DC Future State initiative, and none stands out more than the futuristic take on the Justice League. The Future State line-up includes: Jonathan Kent as Superman, Yara Flor as Wonder Woman, Jo Mullein as Green Lantern, Andy Curry as Aquawoman, a new Flash from the Multiverse, and Tim Fox as Batman. The new super secretive team (they even keep their identities secret from each other!) gathers to explore a murder mystery involving the JL’s greatest villains in the debut issues by writers Joshua William and Ram V and artists Marcio Takara, Robson Rocha, and Daniel Henriques.
The $5.99 extra-sized issue also includes a DC Future State version of Justice League Dark, which includes the eclectic team of Zatanna, Detective Chimp Bobo T. Chimpanzee (who also happens to be possessed by The Demon, Etrigan), John Constantine, Ragman, and Madame Xanadu.
-The Immortal Hulk #42 (Marvel Comics): Most comic book covers don’t include homages of Hieronymus Bosch’s The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych (circa 1503) by Alex Ross, but then again, few comics are as literate and entertaining as Al Ewing’s Hulk masterpiece. Ewing is joined in this issue by artists Alex Lins, Rachel Stott, Adam Gorham, and Joe Bennett, as The Leader’s diabolical plans coming to fruition. The Immortal Hulk is not only one of the best Marvel Comics being produced today, but it is one of the best comic books that has been produced by any company over the past ten years. As we have stated before, if you love the Hulk, and haven’t picked up this title, you are missing out on one of the best runs over the course of a gigantic 759 legacy issues.
-Chris Claremont Anniversary Special #1 (Marvel Comics): Chris Claremont’s extensive work for Marvel Comics (particularly his work on the Uncanny X-Men) demonstrates a huge body of work and an enormous impact on the Marvel Universe, even outside of the realm of comics. This special edition comic celebrates 50 years of Claremont’s contributions to the medium as he is joined by ten artists such as New Mutants collaborator Bill Sienkiewicz, and Sean Chen. Brett Booth, Diego Olortegui, and a host of others. The cohesive time travelling story brings together Dani Moonstar, Storm, Gambit, Binary, and Sue Storm as they go up against an early Claremont villain, the Shadow King. If you have ever enjoyed Claremont’s work, you owe it to yourself (and the writer) to pick up this issue.
-DC Future State: The Teen Titans (DC Comics): DC Future State’s version of the flagship title of the 1980s, the Teen Titans, introduces a popular animated character (from the original Teen Titans cartoon) the Red X in the new limited series. The team features a classic line-up consisting of Nightwing, Starfire, Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven, as they attempt to rebuild the once powerful group and the school that once stood on the site of Titans Tower. The creative team of Tim Sheridan, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, and Alejandro Sanchez do a fine job here with characters that many of us love, and they elevate them to their proper place in DC Future State.
-Penultiman #4 (Ahoy Comics): Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson’s take on the original Super hero concept in the form of Penultiman, The Next-To-Last-Stage In Human Evolution, manages to be both satirical and entertaining to long-time comic readers and those unfamiliar with the genre. Along with his android understudy, Antepenultiman, Peyer and Robinson skewer the genre conventions and also make the title a sly (and above all funny) commentary on what happens to any person who tries to manage too much power and influence. Issue #4 sees the titular hero coping with an ill-conceived early retirement, while Antepenultiman builds itself an artificial sidekick (and that always goes well…).
That’s it for this week, so please continue to support your local comic shop in a safe and responsible fashion.