Welcome back to Conskipper’s New Comic Day Picks for the week of September 16, 2020!
As we enter the middle of September the days get shorter and colder, but that doesn’t mean that the comics to choose from get any easier to pick! This week was a tough one to narrow down to five choices, so we went with some landmark issues, a few continuing series, and a brand new horror title just in time for Halloween.
–Detective Comics #1027 (DC Comics): Batman is always at the top of everyone’s favorite hero list, but DC has been killing it with a ton of special events (Joker War) and prestige limited series (Three Jokers) featuring the Caped Crusader. And just when you thought your wallet would have a chance to recover comes Detective Comics #1027. This mega-sized 144 page issue is filled to the brim with a who’s who of industry talent including writers Grant Morrison, Tom King, Scott Snyder, Matt Fraction, Brian Michael Bendis, Kelly Sue DeConnick and superstar artists such as Ivan Reis, John Romita Jr., Walt Simonson, Kevin Nolan and a host of others. Based on the talent assembled for this special issue alone, no comic fan should pass on this anniversary celebration (and it is absolutely worth the $9.99 price tag).
–Iron Man #1 (Marvel Comics): Speaking of classics, fans of the classic red and gold armor of Tony Stark should take a glance at the relaunch of Iron Man by Christopher Cantwell and artist CAFU, as they take the golden Avenger back to his roots. All one has to do is look at the amazing Alex Ross cover to see that Stark has ditched his nano tech suit in favor of the one he used to carry around in a briefcase, and that a lot of classic villains have also shown up for the party. Cantwell and CAFU’s Iron Man is the perfect issue to bring long-time readers back to the title, and stores should certainly market the book to those who haven’t read Iron Man’s adventures in some time. Learn more about the series from Cantwell himself in Conskipper’s exclusive interview with the writer from earlier in the week.
–Stillwater #1 (Image Comics): If you’re looking for the start of the next horror sensation, look no further than Image Comics/Skybound’s Stillwater. Written by Chip Zdarsky with art by Ramon Perez, Stillwater #1 open with a terrible day for our leader character Daniel that only gets worse. The story unfolds the way that the best horror stories do, in a slow burn fashion, quietly going from the mundane, to the bizarre, to the terrifying. As a first chapter, Stillwater does all of these things and promises an exciting story to come.
–Immortal Hulk #0 (Marvel Comics): Another over-sized issue arrives this week in the form of Immortal Hulk #0 which features a new story by Al Ewing and reprints of previous stories by Peter David and Bill Mantlo that influenced Ewing’s take on the character from Incredible Hulk #312 and Incredible Hulk #-1. Ewing’s run on Immortal Hulk has captured the best of the Jade Giant from previous writers, and this zero issue offers the chance for new readers to examine some of his source material and also continue the elaborate, engaging story that the writer has been building on over the past few years.
–Star Wars #6 (Marvel Comics): Marvel’s Star Wars comic continually delivers the action and back story that readers love and the sixth issue of The Empire Strike Back Years is no exception. This issue by Charles Soule and Jesus Saiz recounts an untold adventure from Luke’s history, as he seeks further guidance and mentorship on his path to become a Jedi, when at the same time Vader continues to search for his son. Soule and Saiz continue to expand on the Star Wars universe in this issue, allowing the classic saga to live on.
That’s it for this week, so enjoy this week’s comics and support your local comic shops.