The Weekly Pull: Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, The Bat-Man: First Knight, White Boat, and More
Plus, new collections of Batman: The Black Mirror and Deep Cuts.
Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #6
- Written by Tim Sheridan
- Art by Cian Tormey, Jordi Tarragona
- Colors by Matt Herms
- Lettering by Lucas Gattoni
- Published by DC
The New Golden Age experiment has definitely produced some interesting results, chief among them being the trio of solo series surrounding its various founding members. This week, Alan Scott's solo venture comes to a close, culminating in a six-issue arc recontextualizing the original Green Lantern's history, love life, and power set in some fascinating ways. Don't miss this one. — Jenna Anderson
The Bat-Man: First Knight #3
- Written by Dan Jurgens
- Art by Mike Perkins
- Colors by Mike Spicer
- Letters by Simon Bowland
- Published by DC
I admit, I didn't know what to think of The Bat-Man: First Knight when DC announced it. A new Golden Age Batman story? Who asked for this? Well, It turns out that Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, and Mike Spicer may have sensed something in the wind. The upcoming Batman: Caped Crusader animated series is bringing Batman back to his Golden Age roots, too, and now Jurgens, Perkins, Spicer, and company can say they got their first. More importantly, they got there in style. First Knight is easily one of the most gorgeously moody, atmospheric books I've read this year. Committing to the Golden Age setting – not just in vague aesthetics, but in the very nature of Batman as originally imagined – makes for a compelling and distinct departure from mainstream Batman comics, and one that doesn't shy away from brushing against the social issues of the early 20th century. I can't wait to see how this one ends. -- Jamie Lovett
Batman: Black Mirror The Deluxe Edition
- Written by Scott Snyder
- Art by Jock, Francesco Francavilla
- Colors by David Baron, Francesco Francavilla
- Letters by Jared K. Fletcher, Sal Cipriano
- Published by DC
Through chance or planning, Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla's breakout work as a comic book creative duo is getting a brand-new hardcover deluxe edition the same week their latest project, White Boat at DSTLRY, is debuting. It's all the better for fans to check out one and then the other. Snyder teamed with alternating artists Francavilla and Jock (who has gone on to collaborate with Snyder on books like Wytches, and gone solo on stories like Batman: One Dark Knight and the DSTLRY-published miniseries Gone) to take the reins of Detective Comics in the shadow of Grant Morrison's Batman & Robin series. Beginning after Morrison's "Batman R.I.P." story, Snyder and Francavilla became two of only a handful of creators outside of Morrison and their collaborators to tell a tale of Dick Grayson's time as Batman; it's by far the most memorable outside of Morrison's saga (and likely landed Snyder the job of writing the New 52 Batman relaunch). In stark contrast to the sleek, stylish, action-heavy events of Batman & Robin, "The Black Mirror" is a dark and gritty tale that gives Dick a proper detective story to unwind. As one of the best Batman stories of the 21st century, "The Black Mirror" is essential reading for fans of the Batman family. -- Jamie Lovett
Deep Cuts
- Written by Joe Clark, Kyle Higgins
- Art by various
- Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
- Published by Image Comics
Comics about music are notoriously hard to make, and anthology comics are notoriously hard to sell. With that in mind, the creative team behind Deep Cuts deserves credit for even attempting to make this book happen. They deserve greater credit for it turning out so well. Thematically linked by a fixation with jazz music, Deep Cuts presents a series of standalone short stories focusing on people with different relationships to the music – musician, writer, critic – and tracking their human experiences as they navigate the 20th century. Any single issue of Deep Cuts is worth the time to pick up and read, with each beautifully realized by a different artist (Juni Ba, Ramon Perez, and others). Having them all collected into a single volume is an embarrassment of riches. -- Jamie Lovett
Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong #7
- Written by Brian Buccellato
- Art by Christian Duce
- Colors by Luis Guerrero
- Lettering by Jimmy Betancourt
- Published by DC
DC's Justice League has fought a deluge of different threats over the years, but nothing quite like the events of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. The seven-issue miniseries has pitted the heroes against Legendary's two iconic titans and has delivered some inspired and ridiculous moments along the way. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong taps into what makes superhero comics so much fun, and you owe it to yourself to check out this finale. — Jenna Anderson
Karate Prom
- Created by Kyle Starks
- Published by First Second
No one makes funny books as well as Kyle Starks today. Whether he's working on established properties like Peacemaker Tries Hard! or developing original stories with talented collaborators like I Hate This Place, Starks blends an inspired understanding of modern genre stories with a fast-paced, kinetic, and deeply funny approach to comics. The result is always exciting, consistently hilarious, and often surprisingly touching. There's a special thrill that comes when Starks' takes on every role of production as a consummate cartoonist in original stories like Sexcastle and Old Head, which makes the release of Karate Prom from First Second this week especially thrilling. Starks' newest volume tells the story of two ace fighters with deadly exes surviving prom and graduation – arriving just in time for graduation season. This exceptionally silly conceit promises to unleash Starks at his best with an abundance of fights and high school tropes to play upon in imaginative fashions only conceivable on a comics page. I wouldn't be shocked if readers find themselves getting choked up before this young romance ends, either. There are a lot of great comics coming out in May, but nothing has me as excited to visit my comic book store as Karate Prom. -- Chase Magnett
White Boat #1
- Written by Scott Snyder
- Art by Francesco Francavilla
- Colors by Francesco Francavilla
- Letters by Andworld Designs
- Published by DSTLRY
DSTLRY has quickly made its mark on the direct market with an exceptionally well-curated collection of creator-driven series from many of the industry's best writers and artists. It seems they have a special knack for horror as both Becky Cloonan and Tula Lotay's superb Somna and the recent debut of James Tynion IV and Christian Ward's sinister Spectregraph suggest. Two more heavy hitters of comic book horror arrive at DSTLRY this week in the form of Scott Snyder and Francesco Francavilla's White Boat #1. The title refers to the massive yachts associated with the ultra-rich and the solicit promises that their white boat is exposing the supernatural horrors lurking behind Earth's billionaires. It's an exciting pitch, but the names Snyder and Francavilla are all that's required to pitch readers in the know on a new horror series. Their original collaborations on Detective Comics in the modern Batman classic "The Black Mirror" proved what a potent combination the already-acclaimed masters were, something readers were recently reminded of in the outstanding miniseries Night of the Ghoul. It's difficult to imagine a better pedigree for a new horror series, which is why this promised vacation to hell still sounds like such an irresistible ticket. -- Chase Magnett
