Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of October 14, 2020!
Only a few weeks until Halloween and we have plenty of treats for you this Wednesday! This was another difficult week to narrow our picks down to only five comics, which means that there are plenty of choices for you at your local comic shop, so be sure to browse the entire rack. Our five picks this week represent new story arcs, new creative teams, and some perennial fan favorite creators.
–Rorschach #1 (DC Comics): When a series based on The Watchmen’s Rorschach was announced, people in the Conskipper offices were not necessarily happy or impressed. Alan Moore’s Watchmen is one of the most influential and revered works in the medium, and DC’s attempts to cash in on the popularity of the characters and the story have not always been well-received. Luckily, the team of writer Tom King and artist Jorge Fornés approached the story with a great deal of trepidation and respect, pulling off the near impossible in this first issue: a comic that even the most jaded Watchmen fan will enjoy. Equals parts Taxi Driver and noir thriller, King and Fornes’ first issue is one that is bound to impress (and sell out).
–Captain Marvel #22 (Marvel Comics): Writer Kelly Thompson has done wonders for Carol Danvers, a character with a long history and more name and costume changes than any characters should have that is as integral to the modern Marvel Universe as she is. Thompson’s grounding of the character and her focus on equal parts cosmic power struggles and ethical dilemmas has made this series the best one to ever feature Danvers’ super hero name on the cover. Thompson is joined by artist Lee Garbett for a brand new story arc that brings Carol to a futuristic New York City and introduces brand new villains and heroes, with more than a passing resemblance to some well-known favorites. If you haven’t jumped on this title yet, do yourself a favor and start with this issue.
–Avengers #37 (Marvel Comics): There comes a point in time when you have been reading a title for too long and you start to wonder what else can be done with a team featuring the most powerful heroes in the Marvel Universe. If you haven’t been reading Jason Aaron’s run on the title, you have missed out on some of the most unusual, creative, and problematic situations that the Avengers have ever been put in, expanding on the mythology of the team and other unlikely heroes who don’t usually get to play “in the big leagues”. Aaron is joined by Javier Garron for the finale of “The Age of Khonshu” storyline and it is as wild and magnificent as you can imagine.
–Green Lantern Season Two #8 (DC Comics): Similar to Aaron’s Avengers, Green Lantern is another character and title that has experienced some great storytelling over the past fifteen years, so it may be difficult to convince readers that anything more can be done with the characters. Enter Grant Morrison and Liam Sharp’s mind-blowing take on the Green Lantern Corps and the mythology of the most prominent space-faring, science fiction hero in the DC Universe. The season concept has worked well for Morrison and Sharp, with the writer’s penchant for the psychedelic being the perfect fit for Sharp’s larger than life artistic creations, containing year long storylines in a succinct way not often seen in the medium. This is the perfect series to give to someone not familiar with the character (and to get them hooked on Morrison’s writing and Sharp’s artwork).
–The Flash #763 (DC Comics): The new creative team of writer Kevin Shinick and artist Clayton Henry tackle the secret history of Barry Allen’s Flash ring in a tale that will satisfy any fan’s need for speed. This one also features one of The Flash’s Rogue’s Gallery, The Trickster, testing Allen in a new, unexpected way (especially the ending). This is a promising start for the new team, especially with all the buzz about the upcoming Flash film.
That’s it for this week, so thanks for stopping by on your way to the comic store!