Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of July 7, 2021!
With the Fourth of July behind us, and the dog days of summer ahead, it is once again time to visit your local comic shop for the one thing that can keep you “cool” all summer long (well, metaphorically cool at least). This week’s list was once again difficult to put together due to the inordinate amount of fine comics hitting the shelves, but we think we were able to provide a diverse list of genres and titles for your consideration as you peruse all of the offerings available.
–The Good Asian #3 (Image Comics): Pornsak Pichetshote and Alex Tefenkgi are really hitting their stride on The Good Asian. The slow burn is beginning to heat up in issue #3, as secrets are revealed and more suspects are considered in the topsy-turvy world of Edison Hark. This issue we get Lucy Fong’s point of view about the reported return of Hui Long, the infamous Hatchet Man, and the politics and lies that rule everyone’s lives in the fine film noir tradition that The Good Asian follows. With the historical essays at the end of each issue, The Good Asian is a complete package for fans of classic detective tales and historical fiction. If you want to know more about the series, check out our interview with Pichetshote and look for an interview with Tefenkgi soon.
–Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Secret of Chesbro House #1 (Dark Horse Comics): Hellboy’s summer return comes in the form of a mash-up between a classic haunted house story and a classic Hellboy tale. Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden team up once again for Chesbro House and they are joined by former Swamp Thing and Fables artist Shawn McManus, who is the perfect compliment for Mignola and Golden’s spooky and irreverent scripting. If you haven’t checked out an issue of Hellboy recently, this is the perfect two-part comic to remind you why the character has endured all of these years in a story that highlights all of the aspects of Hellboy and his supporting cast that we love.
–Captain America #30 (Marvel Comics): Ta-Nehisi Coates ends his run on Captain America as he concludes the “All Die Young” storyline in this issue, and what a ride it has been. Coming off of years of fine storytelling on the Black Panther, Coates took on the Sentinel of Liberty and immediately brought the character back into the spotlight at Marvel, highlighting the character’s beliefs in the ideals of America as funneled through action-packed comics, and an inevitable showdown with his original Nazi nemesis (other than Hitler of course) the Red Skull and his Power Elite. Leonard Kirk has been providing excellent artwork during his time on the series and Alex Ross’ covers have been some of the greatest depictions of one of the original superheroes. There will be lot of opportunities to celebrate Cap’s 30th Anniversary this year, but the culmination of Coates work on the title should rank high on any fan of Captain America’s list.
–Justice League #64 (DC Comics): The latest issue of Justice League starts a brand new story arc by Brian Michael Bendis and Steve Pugh entitled “United Order”. As usual, Bendis is able to highlight the classic qualities of the JL, and at the same time bring in creative spins on concepts that new readers will enjoy, without alienating older fans. Case in point: The United. This group of alien warriors represents a new viable threat to the Justice league and also introduces a proto- Legion of Super-Heroes that adds to the mythology of the DC Universe. Bendis is no stranger to adding to and redefining super hero teams (as evidenced by all of his years on the Avengers), so seeing him work his magic on DC’s preeminent team is a welcome site.
In addition, Ram V and Sumit Kumar begin a new storyline in the back-up feature on Justice League Dark. “The Eternal Knight” sends the magical version of the League to Gotham, where Merlin is once again up to no good, and the Eternal Knight has to enlist a “Dark Knight” to help stem the tide of infernal magic and mayhem. V is doing excellent work over in Swamp Thing as well, so if you are a fan of DC’s horror and dark fantasy-based characters, know that they are in good hands.
–Masters of the Universe: Revelation #1 (Dark Horse Comics): While everyone is anxiously awaiting the debut of the new Masters of the Universe animated series on Netflix (which will be released on July 23), why not get a leg up on the series by the same people who are producing the highly anticipated reboot. Dark Horse Comics prequel series begins right after a vicious Orlax attack on He-Man’s father King Randor, as the muscle-bound hero embarks on a quest to find the connection between the power sword and those that attempted to kill his father. Look for Skeletor, Evil-Lyn, and Teela to also play important roles in the adventure (with a lot of rumors swirling that Teela may be wielding the power sword at some point in this comic and the animated series).
The four issue Dark Horse mini-series was conceived by executive producers Kevin Smith and Rob David, as well as show writer Tim Sheridan. Sheridan scripts the prequel series and artist Mindy Lee provides all of the action that fans desire on a Masters of the Universe title. The covers by Stjepan Sejic, Mike Mignola, Dan Brereton, Dave Wilkins, David Nakayama, and Alex Ross will also send fans to stores and websites this week (many are only available from individual stores, check out the list here) to complete their collections, as all feature different representations of the well-loved characters in each artist’s distinct style.
That’s it for this week. Be sure to keep supporting your local comic shop in a safe manner.