Howdy friends! It’s been sunny all week, the temperatures are starting to rise, and it’s light out til nearly 9 pm. You know what that means? Summer’s almost here! So we thought it’d be good to make sure you’ve got some new reading material for when those days get a little too hot and you need something to peruse whilst chilling out in the shade. So if you’re looking for something new for your subscription list, read on and let’s see what our team found for you!
Reviews and Recommendations
July’s reviews and recommendations, as always are brought to you by the friendly folks on Team Phoenix. This month you’ve got reviews from Nick, Max, Elise, and Sloane (who’s gone out of her way to find 3 different horror books this month)! As always - if you do see something you want to order just reach out to us via the subscription update form, or send us an email and we'll get your order processed. Also let us know if you read a review that really sparked your curiosity next time you're in the shop! Feedback is always appreciated and welcome.
Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter
DC Comics
By Jay Kristoff (writer), Tom Taylor (writer), Terso Cons (artist), and Riccardo Federici (artist)
Alrighty folks. This one’ for those of you who enjoyed that little fantasy JLA romp from a couple of years back. If Absolute Power (read on for our little summary of that whole thing later) isn’t your jam, DC is also taking the summer to roll out a whole bunch of their Elseworlds line, which includes this little gem. Tom Taylor doesn’t need to do much to catch my attention, and I adored the original 12 issue series when it debuted back in 2022, so I’ll definitely be reading it.
Just guessing from the ad-copy and the little information they’ve put out so far, this does look like they’ll be using a different palette of characters than the first mini. Deathstroke looks to be our POV character, and given the viking themes and imagery, I imagine Killer Frost is also high on the list of characters making an appearance. What else will we see? Well honestly not sure yet! But that’s kinda the fun with these Elseworlds titles.
- Nick
The Nice House by the Sea
DC Black Label
By James Tynion IV (writer) and Alvaro Martinez Bueno (artist)
THE TINY ONION MAN WON’T QUIT WE’RE SO BACK
The Nice House cycle returns with a new part! Nice House on the Lake was one of the first comics I bought when I started at Phoenix and I absolutely DEVOURED it. The story was simple, understated, and deeply layered with complexity and character. And now it’s back with a new cycle!
Quick recap of the first one: 10 people are invited to a lovely house by a friend they’re all connected to despite not being super connected to each other. But hey oh no! Turns out the world has ended and this “friend” is actually an extra-dimensional entity that is testing the worth of humanity.
Nice House by the Sea is a new take on the concept of its predecessor, in which the 10 people at the house are there by choice instead of by invitation. The story, like the previous cycle, is about deconstructing character intention and personality at the end of the world.
Tynion has said his goal is to “scare his therapist” with this one. That’s how you KNOW it’s gonna be good.
- Max
Gilt Frame
Dark Horse
By Matt Kindt, Margie Kraft Kindt (writer) and Matt Kindt (artist)
I always seek out mysteries when I’m looking for something fun to consume. I have so much fun trying to figure everything out and get such a kick out of the ridiculous hijinks that the characters get up to. Clue, Poirot, the Knives Out movies, all of it. Furthermore, I always seek out media that has love and joy at its core. This one right here is all of that!
Written by a Mother and Son duo, this new comic follows a man and his eccentric aunt solving a murder that spans continents. The comic reminisces on Matt’s upbringing with Margie, where they would play little mysteries in their living room. That fact alone made me so excited for this mini-series. It’s also being printed in Dark Horse’s large format singles, which are growing on me. Looking forward to this joyous and mysterious romp!
- Max
The Big Burn
DSTLRY
By Joe Henderson (writer) and Lee Garbett (artist)
I am a heist movie person to my core. I also love reading stories that clearly started with a question. What if there was a city on the moon? What if earth’s gravity suddenly turned off one day? What if hell was a casino? Combining those two elements is a recipe for excitement and in Big Burn I fully expect to find-out the answer to that last question.
Owen and Carlie are our Bonnie and Clyde esque anti-heroes, together they pull off impossible heists and have a hell of a good time doing it. Until one day, that is, when the law catches up to them and they find themselves cornered with nowhere to run except into the arms of the Devil himself who offers them a deal: freedom in exchange for their souls. But a contract with the king of the underworld is bound to have some fine print and when Owen and Carlie find that their burning love for each other is gone along with their souls they plan one more impossible heist. They’re going to get a crew together, sneak into hell, and steal back their souls. In a world where hell is a casino, they’re going to have to pull off the casino heist to end all casino heists.
I was a huge fan of Skyward which came out a few years ago from this same creative team and I can’t wait to see what they have up their sleeves (hopefully an ace or two if Owen and Carlie are going to make it through this adventure).
- Elise
Hoary Hosts of Horror Anthologies
Since the birth of the medium, horror comics have been a comic book staple, and the last few years have really seen the genre enter a renaissance. Horror has seen more growth the last few years than any other kind of comic, with hits like Something is Killing the Children really bolstering interest in the genre. With this renewed interest, comics companies are starting to revisit the genre’s original and most popular format: the horror anthology! Here’s a selection of cool new horror anthologies that are arriving in July:
Epitaphs From the Abyss! - Golden-age giant EC Comics is back from the dead! The once great sci-fi/horror publisher of such greats as Tales From the Crypt has been acquired by Oni Press, and they’re reviving the brand with a new horror anthology! EC Comics was famous for the kind of shocking and weird tales that you could only get away with before the establishment of the Comics Code Authority, and Oni, along with creators like Jason Aaron, Matt Kindt, and Stephanie Phillips, is bringing that same ethos to this exciting new series.
Hello Darkness - From Boom Studios is a new horror anthology that’s really bringing out the big guns in terms of the creatives they’re hiring to work on the book. Garth Ennis, Becky Cloonan, James Tynion IV, Werther Dell'Edera and more are bringing spine-tingling thrills to this new series. In addition to short comics every issue by various authors, the first seven issues will contain a longer serialized story by Ennis and Cloonan, and Tynion and Dell’Edera will be writing a Something is Killing the Children side story that spans the first six.
Misty 2024 Special - Rounding out this month’s horror selection is a new book from 2000AD! This ‘70s horror book was one of the few horror comics from the era targeted primarily at girls, and it’s been revived by Gail Simone, who’s working with three different artists to bring us a trio of terrifying tales by female creators! Simone is a store favorite writer who as far as I know hasn’t written horror before, so we’re all excited to see how she approaches the genre.
- Sloane
Blood Hunt Round 3: The Crossover that Keeps Crossing Over!
We’re back with your monthly round up of all the crossover tie-in’s and new mini series for Marvel’s summer vampire palooza! Vampirelooza? I’ll list the tie-in issues from the standalone series first then any new solicits or #1’s for mini series or one-shots that will be coming out this month.
Tie-ins:
New Miniseries/One-Shots:
If you find this all overwhelming just remember the tie-ins usually have minor crossovers with the main series, while the one-shots and mini-series are more likely to have content that's extremely relevant to the main plot. Hopefully this can help you decide which issues and series are most important to your individual reading experience.
Crossover Alert: Absolute Power
Marvel drew first blood in the big summer blockbuster crossover department, but DC is absolutely no slouch when it comes to big budget crossovers either. They just wrapped up a Super-Man Family crossover in the form of House of Brainiac. Now they’re diving right into a “take down all the super-heroes cause they can’t be trusted” crossover. This time with Amanda Waller at the helm.
Say what you will of the characterization of Amanda as the villain here, but having read the first couple of issues in these books, I have to say they give her all the props as the main character villain. This is someone cold, calculating, and absolutely brutal; someone so convinced she’s doing the right thing that every action she takes is absolutely justified in her own head. And her argument is so strong, she’s even managed to convince famously lefty Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) that she’s right. That’s…terrifying and impressive.
So, all that said - here’s the assembled checklist we’ve got so far:
- Absolute Power Ground Zero (One-Shot)
- Absolute Power (4 Issue Mini-Series)
- Absolute Power: Task Force VII (Bi-Weekly Mini-Series)
- Absolute Power: Origins (Mini-Series)
- Superman #16 (Tie-In)
- Wonder Woman #11 (Tie-In)
- Batman #150 (Tie-In)
- Green Lantern #13 (Tie-In)
- Green Arrow #15 (Tie-In)
I will say that based on the way it’s being presented to us retailers, it looks like if you wanted to follow the core story, there’s probably not a significant reason to grab all the tie-ins. That said - if you’re reading one of those tie-in books already and don’t know why there’s a Green Lantern powered Amazo robot in it, maybe pick up the core books for context.
One-Shots & Graphic Novels
Don’t have time for a new ongoing series? That's okay! Max, Nick, and Sloane have found a couple of cool new graphic novels to try out! This month you’ve got a choice between a new Battle Royale manga and one of Silver Sprocket’s new trade paperbacks.
Battle Royale: Enforcers
Viz Media
By Koushun Takami (writer) and Yukai Asada (artist)
I love the movie Battle Royale. It’s the best John Hughes movie ever made. Hear me out, it’s a story about being a teenager in a world that’s falling apart, and the only agency you have is the way you treat other people. That’s just Breakfast Club, but in this Breakfast Club the government makes you kill each other. Now it’s back with a new story by the author of the original!
Quick Review of the Original Battle Royale: a class of junior high school students is taken to a deserted island where, as part of a ruthless authoritarian program, they are provided arms and forced to kill until only one survivor is left standing.
In this new story, the program has returned, this time under the direction of a Government AI, and the misbehaving class of Daitoa Academy has been chosen. They are put into groups, given weapons, and commanded to fight to the death. We’re so BACK!
- Max
Bottom’s Up!
Silver Sprocket
By Barbara Benas
This one shot from everybody’s fave indie comics publisher Silver Sprocket combines two of my favorite things: cooking comics, and the crushing existential dread that comes with living under late stage capitalism! Pastry chef Suzette is constantly on her grind managing her cooking blog where she shares what wisdom she’s gleaned from her tenure in the city’s top kitchens. But the pressure to constantly perform, to have each post be perfect quickly starts to weigh her down.
This book is a slow moving panic attack, rendered in frentic linework and anxious pinks and greens, and it really captures the feeling of constant pressure that comes with trying to make a living as a creative in the gig economy. I especially love how as the book becomes more surreal and begins to unravel and play with form as Suzette descends into the pit of her anxiety. A perfect choice for anyone who loves experimental comics or has ever stress-eaten a meal over the sink before rushing to their second job.
– Sloane
1982 DC Comics Style Guide
DC Comics
For those of you who haven't worked with one before, a style guide is a graphic designer's bible. It gives art, page, color, and placement direction to ensure that every piece of work produced looks consistent in specific ways. We're talking the way Superman's big S looks, or the way Batman's logo sits on the page; how close text can get to it, etc. These style guides are updated periodically, and in comics, it's not uncommon for the styles to change by the year. DC found one from 1982, and they're making it available to the public and that's pretty awesome.
If you've ever wanted a sneak peak behind the covers of an issue to see how a comic gets made, this is going to be one of the best thing next to taking a tour of DC's editorial bullpen. And if you are someone who harbors dreams of working in the industry or publishing your own work, this is definitely going to be an invaluable resource to refer back to.
- Nick
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