A solid day of comic book releases. Everything from the juggernaut sales leader of Batman to new offerings from Marvel and indies. Personally, I have several DC titles to pick up today but I'm curious about two indies.
Solar: Man of the Atom (Dynamite) and Translucid (Boom! Studios) debut today with little fanfare but may be worth checking out. Solar by Frank Barbiere (whose outstanding The White Suits #3 also comes out today and was recently reviewed) and Joe Bennett reintroduce the old Gold Key Comics story of Dr. Phil Seleski who acquires incredible powers from experimental radiation and has to learn to deal with the consequences. Look for variant covers by Rob Liefeld, Bob Layton and Ken Haeser.
Translucid comes from married creators and co-writers Claudio Sanchez (lead singer/guitarist of Coheed and Cambria) and Chondra Echert who also created Key of Z and Kill Audio for Boom! The story revolves around the codependent relationship of The Navigator and his arch nemesis The Horse. The Horse looks to find out what makes his rival tick to possibly destroy him and free himself from the never-ending cat and mouse game.
Some other notable indies are Skyman (Dark Horse) Witchblade (Image) and the trade paperback of Sex Criminals (Image). Skyman #4 offers the exciting conclusion of the miniseries featuring a battle between the man in the super suit and the agency that weaponized him. Familiar in some ways but fresh and rewarding in others. Written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and art by Manuel Garcia.
Not many books nowadays are allowed to reach the issue count like Witchblade has with the release of #174. Thankfully, Ron Marz returned to the book recently and enlivened the story of Sara dealing as the former host of the 'blade. The book coupled with gorgeous art from Laura Braga has made this title a solid read month after month.
If you're an adult and haven't read Sex Criminals now is your chance by picking up the trade paperback subtitled Vol. 1: One Weird Trick. Uber-writer Matt Fraction does some of his finest work in this sex comedy with engaging thoughtful characters who just happen to stop time whenever they have sex. Chip Zdarsky is the perfect artist to bring these characters to life with his semi-cartoonish style that pairs well with the comedic sexual shenanigans. This is highly recommended.
The monthly monster book is of course Batman with Scott Snyder and Frank Capullo once again rewriting comic book history both figuratively and literally. Despite my feelings about yet another origin story about the Dark Knight there's no denying the masterful work Snyder has done in delving into relationships early in Bruce Wayne's life especially his interaction with James Gordon. At times as compelling and defining as anything written before in Batman's 75 year history. The emergence of a calculating and dangerous Riddler elevates the Zero Year story line to new heights. While I didn't think Zero Year was necessary I can't ignore the exceptional work by this creative team.
Other notables: Sinestro #1, Wonder Woman #30, Hulk #1, Ultimate FF #1,
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