New Comics released this Wednesday 3 May 2017..

The cover of Aftershocks "Pestilence"

 And there are a ton of them! Of note as the summer reading push comes out, many publishers are offering discounted prices, vintage print and coloring and it seems everyone is pumping out new series, one-shots, events, anything to get your reading dollars. Some worth it, some not. Here on this desolate virtual isle of blogspace, we attempt to give you the word on the ones we feel are worthy of your hard earned bucks and time. And as always we start with our…..

COMICS GROUP “HAWT” PICK OF THE WEEK: Aftershock Comics presents “PESTILENCE”, a highly interesting tale set in the 14^th century. What if the “Black Death”, the Great Plague, was not what we were told it was? What if it was something else entirely? What if it was the first unrecorded zombie infestation of mankind??? Wait…what?!?!? First?!?!? “Unrecorded”?!?!?! And what if your crew had guys named “The Church” and “Fiat Lux”?? Then you would know you are in store for some kick ass readin’. Especially considering this is all from the crazed mind and pen of Frank Tieri, the guy that brought us Deadpool and Wolverine. With art and covers from Disney’s Oleg Okunev and Eisner Award nominated Tim Bradstreet (The Punisher, HellBlazer) this is going to be a HAWT summer series and most certainly our pick for this week.

We have several titles out this week that I think warrant our coming out with a new category, “THE COMICS GROUP TITLES MENTIONED IN HONORABLE TERMS”! These are actually “HAWT” picks as well but my OCD instructs me to never have more than one HAWT pick and I am a sucker for the panache of a new category!!! Anyway, check these out:

Lion Forge's "AB Irato" cover

LION FORGE comics usually comes out with some great stories and “AB IRATO” is yet another! Set dystopian future of rising sea levels, mankind, or at least the rich portion of mankind, has developed a “vaccine” that prolongs human lifespans by hundreds of years. And of course, the rich control it and the city where our heroes live and it’s up to them to wrest that control and make the vaccine either go away or be available for everybody. The basic question exists “Is that vaccine a good thing in a world of diminished resources?” Thierry Labrosse writes and provides his own artwork for this series. His efforts sound and look rich and very entertaining.

MARVEL gives us “JANE GREY”.  I like X-Men well enough but I have not read a lot of their exploits. I am a sinner, I know. But for me, JANE GREY is probably one of the more interesting characters from Professor X’s coven. That’s right. I said coven. But in this series, a teen-age and time travelling Jane is stuck in an endless life and death cycle, now in the present, she learns the horrible fate which befell her. But she is escaping! And her captor might be aware of it and in hot pursuit! The story by X-Men writer Dennis Hopeless promises to keep you enthralled!!! I am not however, all that happy about the price tag for this issue. 5 bucks a book is a tad much Marvel!

 

Marvel's "Jane Grey"

These great titles are also coming out this week and most deserving of your attention! Check these out:

 

Alterna Comics "Croak" cover

ALTERNA COMICS gives another good sounding story! “CROAK” is a 3 part story about the Boogie Man! Well maybe not him exactly but these teens go in the forest on a camping trip whereupon their deepest darkest nightmares come to life and crazy stuff happens!!!!! Another highlight to this is that Lion Forge has fixed a price tag of $1.50 for this book AND printed it on nostalgic newsprint with a glossy cover!!!

ALTERNATIVE COMICS asks this week “What happens when a young data-entry clerk discovers her own sexuality and a penchant for blood meets a wheel chair bound nerd who has done the same?” You get a book titled “SLASHER” that for 5 bucks a book cuts into your comic’s allowance!! The story does indeed sound promising but…NUFF SAID!!!

DARK HORSE publishing is starting a new series “PREDATOR HUNTERS”. If you are into comics based on movies and the characters from them, and I generally am not, then this might be for you. Humans turn the table on the Predators and hunt them instead. This one features a special metallic ink cover presentation by Francisco Ruiz Velasco and Doug Wheatley.

DC rolls out a new 12 issue series featuring Bane! “BANE CONQUEST” has the man who broke the Bat taking on the challenge of new cities and new enemies as he strives to become the ultimate most powerful crime lord in the world!

 

Dynamite Entertainments "SwordQuest" Cover

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT always lives up to its name and this week is no different! “SWORDQUEST” is a story based on the old Atari game from the late 70’s/early 80’s that obsessed young Peter Case back in 1983 and it apparently has done so again in present time! It’s a good story and at 25 cents a book, how can ya go wrong?!?!?!?

IMAGE is re-releasing the first issues of some of its top titles and charging only a dollar for them. It’s their way of enticing you to try out some titles you may have missed and want to try out. I have no idea if they intend on doing this for the complete run of those series at present. But doing so for a dollar is a nice effort on their part. Some of the titles they are re-releasing include ‘BLACK MAGIK” “G*DDA*NED” and “SEVEN TO ETERNITY”.

 

Image's "YoungBlood" Cover

IMAGE is also going through its own sort of REBIRTH. “YOUNGBLOOD REBORN” kicks off the return of this epic, vastly over-printed, series from their days past.

MARVEL is busy this week! Read on True-Believers:

Do you like “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY”?? I don’t but MARVEL is releasing three new GOTG offerings this week! If you are a fan you have to check out the new “ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY” series and a one-shot featuring The Collector in “GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY: MISSION BREAKOUT”. Theres also a new 5 part mini-series “GOTG: MOTHER ENTROPY”, which is oddly named after my exercise routine. Anyway, if you are a fan of these guys, this is a summers full load of readin right here!!

 

Marvels "Black Bolt" Cover

For our INHUMANS fans, of which I am, MARVEL is releasing “BLACK BOLT”, his first solo series and this one has him imprisoned and immediately has a fight to the death with “The Absorbing Man”. Along the way we will find out who is imprisoning him and where!!!!

MARVEL’s first issue of its 9 part “Event” “SECRET EMPIRE” finally comes out this week. Steve Rogers comes out as a Hydra agent and calamity, hysteria and outrage ensues. But as usual, it comes out with a 5 dollar a book price tag. That tends to make me want to revolt myself!!!

 

Oni Press INC's "Damned" cover

ONI PRESS INC has a good one out this week! “DAMNED”, a story by Cullen Bunn (DEADPOOL, HARROW COUNTY and many many other titles) that I believe draws out of a story he published in 2007 “THREE DAYS DEAD”. This chapter is titled “Ill-Gotten” and the lead character Eddie is a mortal with the power to return from the dead in a prohibition era world where demonic princes control all the crime families and he, runs a club where “No Demons Allowed” is about to get all messed up by somebody he trusts that he cannot trust! ONI PRESS is slapping a 1 dollar price tag on this book to help you decide if it’s read-worthy or not.

Like I said, there are a lot of new stories, new titles out this week. Be sure to visit your local comic shop (LCS) and grab that which grabs you!!!!

Here is this weeks link to Previews World New Releases:

https://www.previewsworld.com/NewReleases?cat=1