It's heating up this summer with new comics and new crossovers! What have we got in store for you this month? If you're looking to keep your subscription up to date or maybe a new series to try out, read on and find out what our July Comics Look Ahead has in store for you!
Reviews and Recommendations
As always, please enjoy some new comic recommendations courtesy of Team Phoenix featuring new comic titles from DC, Image, and IDW! This month's reviews and recommendations are brought to you by Sloane, Selena and Nick. Have a look at what fine comical books are due out this month, and if you do happen to see something you want to add, head over to our Subscription Update Form and ask away!
Fishflies #1
Image Comics
By Jeff Lemire
Jeff Lemire writes a lot of comics. It’s baffling to pretty much everyone at the store how one guy can have so much output. With so much coming out, when he finds time to not only write but also draw a comic, you know it’s got to be something special. “In many ways Fishflies is a culmination of everything I've done in comics,” he said in 2021 when he first announced the book. “[It] has the scale and drama of my more grounded work but also the genre fun and mythology of things like Gideon Falls. I think the result makes it unlike anything I've done before, yet very familiar at the same time."
In small, sleepy Ontario town, teenage Franny Fox finds herself embroiled in a manhunt. Forging an unlikely friendship with the fugitive, she sets off a chain of events that will affect the town in terrible ways. Early reviews of the book from folks who’ve read the FCBD preview say it’s “surreal” and “gross,” and the preview pages I’ve looked at remind me of a Stephen King novel or a more off-beat Something is Killing the Children, the kind of grounded horror that makes the scary moments that much scarier. This looks like it’s going to be exactly the kind of comic I’m into, and I’m excited to pick up the double-sized first issue when it comes out on July 12th.
–Sloane
Hawkgirl #1
DC Comics
By Jadzia Axelrod (writer) and Amancay Nahuelpan (artist)
Jadzia’s Galaxy Prettiest Star made a fantastic first impression on me. So when DC gave her Hawkgirl, I got excited. I got even more excited to find out that Galaxy is also gonna be a supporting character in the series to boot! Heck yeah! Apart from a few sparingly brief solicits though, DC hasn’t given up too much info on this series, but Axelrod herself seems pretty excited about it on her blog. I’m hoping she keeps Hawkgirl as new-reader friendly as it sounds like, and I’m stoked beyond belief to see DC include her and her talking corgi Argus in the wider DCU.
- Nick
World’s Finest: Teen Titans
DC Comics
By Mark Waid (writer) and Emanuela Lupacchino (artist)
I guess I’m a stan for DC this month? What can I say other than they’re giving Mark Waid a chance to write his own take on some classic Teen Titans adventures. Waid’s had a good run lately with Shazam and Batman Superman World’s Finest, and I have faith that he’s going to give this book the writing it deserves. The team lineup is the one that most older Titans fans will appreciate (Speedy, Wally West Kid Flash, Donna Troy Wonder Girl, Dick Grayson Robin, Bumblebee and Tempest). It’s also the lineup that kinda sticks in the cultural zeitgeist for the folks whose knowledge of the Teen Titans predates the cartoon network iteration of the heroes, which totally makes sense to me if Waid is going to spend time in the team’s early years.
My only regret (and it’s a tiny one) is that Chris Samnee isn’t doing the internals. The Waid / Samnee partnership is a legendary one. (Exhibit one: see me ranting and raving about their Daredevil run from last month, and also their run on Black Widow and also their little stint on Captain America.) The cover he did for the book absolutely rocks, and maybe if I hope real hard, we’ll see a guest issue down the line. Having said all of that - Emanuela Luppachino’s art looks solid as heck, clean, clear and very evocative of action. She’s an experienced artist, and I think she’ll do the book proud.
- Nick
The Hunger and The Dusk #1
IDW Publishing
By G. Willow Wilson (writer) and Christian Wildgoose (artist)
I’mma be real, I don’t read high fantasy anymore. I loved it growing up, but as I’ve gotten older I’ve mostly lost interest. I want relatable characters and settings, stuff that feels real. For me at least, having to learn made up languages, cultures, and place names often gets in the way of the human element of the story. So, when I say that there’s a comic coming out where one of the characters is an orc warlord named “Troth Icemane” and I’m stupidly excited about it, I hope that conveys just how cool this book is going to be.
I mean to be fair it’s a G. Willow Wilson book. Between originating Ms. Marvel, and her more recent Invisible Kingdom and Poison Ivy, I’d trust her to write comics about literally anything and make them good. Her name on the cover alone should be enough to convince you to read this, but just in case you need to “hear about the plot” before you consider reading a book, here’s a quick summary. Humans and orcs are the only two races remaining on a dying world, locked in an eternal struggle for resources. But when an ancient race of invaders arrives from across the sea, the two groups are forced into an uneasy alliance to protect their homes. As a show of good faith, orc leader Troth Icemane sends his cousin Tara to fight alongside human commander Callum Battlechild. Together, the two must overcome generations of racial tension (and more than a little romantic tension) to stop the threat to their home.
Reviews coming in from folks who have gotten to read preview pages say that the creative team is firing on all cylinders here. Wilson’s writing perfectly balances, levity, romance, and the books’ more serious themes. Christian Wildgoose’s art is skillful, and impactful, adding a level of groundedness and realism that you don’t always see with high fantasy. This one is going to be a must-read, even for folks who might not normally read this sort of thing.
– Sloane
Antarctica #1
Image Comics
By Simon Birks (writer) and Willi Roberts (artist)
In this story, young engineer Hannah’s life is turned upside down when her father fails to return from the secretive Smith-Peterson Research Station in Antarctica. After his disappearance she falls on hard times, eventually becoming homeless and adrift. At her lowest moment, a friend offers her help and after retraining her, she lands a job at the very same research facility. In her search to find her missing father, Hannah will stumble head first into a conspiracy that is about to turn her whole world upside down again.
Birks states, “Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I'm excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end.” To me this sounds so intriguing. I’m already trying to guess where this story will go and I think this team is more than capable of delivering a fantastic tale. Tackling themes of loss, identity, and sacrifice this conspiracy laden science fiction adventure promises to surprise and entertain you.
-Selena
Crossover Spotlight: Knight Terrors!
This is a heads up for all you DC fans! This July, most of your usual DC list is going to be temporarily hijacked for a two month horror-tinged crossover event - Knight Terrors. The series kicks off with a one shot - Knight Terrors: First Blood. Following that is a 4 issue bi-monthly miniseries (meaning we’ll get #1-2 in July and #3-4 in August) that’s also replacing most of their monthly series for these two months. Here’s a list of all of the titles in question that are getting caught up in the crossover:
- Batman*
- Detective Comics*
- Nightwing*
- Poison Ivy*
- Catwoman*
- Harley Quinn*
- The Joker
- Robin*
- Superman*
- Action Comics*
- The Flash*
- Wonder Woman*
- Titans*
- Shazam*
- Green Lantern*
- Black Adam*
- Angel Breaker
- Zatanna
- Punchline
- Ravager
* - We’ll be pulling these books for subscribers to their corresponding series. Subscribers note: you are under no obligation to pick these up!
Most of the books in the line are also getting new creative teams for these specific issues. Notably Poison Ivy, Shazam, Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Black Adam are all keeping the same writers as they had going into the crossover.
Having been through a couple of these before (I’m looking at you DC Convergence), my expectations are pretty grounded. I do think that if you want to understand the general core idea for what the characters in these books are being put through, you’ll want to subscribe to the mini-series. I do not think that you have to read every single one of these twenty 2-issue micro-series. I also think that you probably want to keep an eye out and be current with any of these series - I’ve seen at least one or two issues prior to this thing that are definitely going to organically drop you into the crossover.
Don’t like the idea? No worries! The beauty of this mega crossover is that it’ll be done by September, and then you’ll be back to the regularly scheduled comics you were enjoying! And seeing your favorite characters put through their horror-movie paces does sound like a good time, maybe give the list above a look and let us know which ones you want us to grab for you.
Trades & OGNs
We've only got a couple of trades to mention this month, but they're so worth it! Sloane and I had a lot of fun writing about these!
Parasocial
Image Comics
By Alex de Campi (writer) and Erika Henderson (artist)
Horror comedy is hard to do right. For every Shaun of the Dead or I Hate This Place there are a dozen failed attempts that are either not funny or not scary. Alex de Dampi and Erica Henderson (the team that brought you Dracula, Motherf**ker!) run no risk of missing either mark. Their upcoming OGN Parasocial depicts the dangers of social media and celebrity culture as fading star genre actor Luke attends a con in the middle of the pandemic and has an encounter with an obsessive fan. As the book unfolds, he’s forced to perform to survive, and we’re forced to question whether we’re even on his side.
The preview pages for this look amazing. Henderson is on top form, some of her best work I’ve seen yet, and the book uses creative panel layouts really well to integrate social media posts with the narrative. De Campi’s dialogue is wry – Luke is the perfect level of smarmy asshole – and the pacing feels cinematic. From what we’ve seen so far it feels like the team is firing on all cylinders and I’m excited to see where they take this commentary on how the media affects us.
– Sloane
Note from Nick: I’m 100% with Sloane on this. This book looks absolutely fantastic and I can’t wait to read it. I’m jealous Sloane beat me to reviewing it.
Superman vs Meshi Volume 1
DC Comics
By Satoshi Miyagawa (writer) and Kai Kitago (artist)
Not many books make me laugh out loud when I read the premise, but this one did. What does the Man of Steel get for lunch? With his powers, the entire world is just a quick flight away, so naturally he does what anyone in his situation would do - every day for lunch he tries out something new! So if you’re in the venn diagram of people who like comics about food and people who like Superman comics - this one’s for you. So pull up a seat, grab a bowl and some chopsticks. Superman is about to do battle with lunch!
- Nick
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