June is here with warmer weather, rainbows, and the beginning of summer! We've got a new batch of reviews, recommendations, and notes for all you avid comic book fans, including bonus pride month content! 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 June Comics Look Ahead has in store for you!
Reviews and Recommendations
This month's reviews feature comics from DC, Image, and Marvel. If you're looking for who to thank for these recommendations, turn your thanks to Sloane, Selena, and Nick! So read on and take 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!
Ultimate Invasion #1 (of 4)
Marvel Comics
By Jonathan Hickman (writer) and Brian Hitch (artist)
Ahhh the Ultimate Universe. A world where mutants were created in a lab, Captain America is a republican, and all of the Avengers are treated like creepy c-list celebrities. What can I say, that’s what you get when you let Mark Millar of the mid-00’s write your comics for you. While the ultimate marvel line started strong (I’m looking at you Ultimate Spider-Man), a lot of what came out of the line was fairly universally disliked.
So…why is a queer comic shop owner writing about this?
Jonathan Hickman. After his work rebooting the X-line with House of X and Powers of X, I feel like he’s earned enough of my respect for me to want to read this book. And despite everything I mentioned up at the top of this review, I think there’s probably something salvageable to be found inside the ultimate universe that wants to be brought across. Miles Morales got his start there, and Hickman is fascinated with the Maker (an evil Reed Richards with questionable taste in headwear). Let’s see where this goes!
- Nick
Steelworks #1
DC Comics
By Michael Dorn (writer) and Sami Basri (artist)
Of all of the heroes to don the mantle of Superman after his death in 1992, Steel was, for me anyways, one of the most interesting and has been a character who’s stuck around largely unchanged in the background for 30+ years. Now DC is not only giving the character a new chance to star in his own book, but handing actor Michael Dorn the pen and letting him make his comics debut here!
I’ve had a chance to read the first issue, and it is solid. Dorn does a good job with his pacing and outlining why you want to be reading it, and who the nefarious bad guy who wants to stop what John Henry Irons is building. There’s a lot of good logic to his character’s motivations and it feels like a compelling narrative. I finished with that first issue eager to read #2!
- Nick
In Hell We Fight #1
Image Comics
By John Layman (writer) and JOK (artist)
In this new series coming out from Image comics, three young teens and their demon frenemy are finding out that hell is pretty much just as bad as it was rumored to be. Demons try and torture you constantly, there’s no reliable indoor plumbing, and there is a significant lack of ice cream. That is, until they decide to embark on a daring heist to steal a demon lord’s supply truck.
Written by powerhouse writer John Layman (Chew) and illustrated by Argentinean superstar JOK this is one series I absolutely can’t wait to check out. I adored the writing in Chew and am so excited to see where this new story takes us. Layman says, “In Hell We Fight is the most ambitious thing I’ve done in a while, and also the most fun. Nonstop action, adventure and general weirdness, with loads of heart, and I can say with confidence this will be the best time anyone will have reading about kids condemned to an eternity in hell.” With the writer so excited to see where this goes, I just know it’s gonna be a story to pay attention to.
- Selena
Daredevil by Mark Waid Omnibus Vol 1
Marvel Comics
By Mark Waid & Greg Rucka (writers) and Paolo Rivera, Marcos Martin, Kano, Khoi Pham, Marco Checchetto, Chris Samnee, Mike Allred & Emma Rios (artist)
Yesssss yes yes yes yes yes yes yes! If you’ve never read the Waid run on Daredevil you are missing something so very good. We’re talking suave and witty Matt Murdock with a cheeky, devil-may-care (pun very much intended) attitude towards being publicly outed/non-outed as Daredevil who hides some very deep seated depression. Think Charlie Cox’s portrayal of DD in She-Hulk and Spider-Man No Way Home…but for an entire 5 year run of the book. Add in some absolutely fantastic Chris Samnee art for most of the story and you have yourself an absolutely fantastic set of stories here.
My only regret in buying this for myself is that I have _almost_ the entire series in print already and I’m buying it for literally one trade’s worth of material. It’s just that good folks.
- Nick
Pride Comics Bonus Section
DC Pride 2023 / DC Pride through the Years / Marvel Voices Pride
DC Comics / DC Comics / Marvel Comics
The big two are coming out with their yearly dose of pride books at the very top of June, so don’t forget to check them out! They’ve got a lot of fun short stories in them, and an amazing line-up of queer creators. Celebrate what you love about queer representation in comics! DC’s actually branching out beyond their yearly DC Pride one-shot this year with a DC Pride: Through the Years book that recaps several coming out in comics stories AND has a new Alan Scott story for those of you like me who love OG Green Lantern. X-Fans will want to grab copies of Marvel Voices: Pride since it sounds like it’ll have deets on a new upcoming title in the x-line.
- Nick
Pool Boys #1
Headless Shakespeare Press
By Josh Trujillo (writer) and Josh Cornillon (artist)
When Josh Trujillo (writer of Captain America and the upcoming Blue Beetle series, and the inspiration for Softboy in Softboy and Rockstar) and Josh Cornillon first pitched Pool Boys on Kickstarter just under a year ago, they didn’t have any clue how much traction it was going to get. It was an aggressively queer genre romance comic that felt, at least to them, like it had kind of a niche audience. But when the Kickstarter ended at more than 300% funded, it proved that there was at least a little more interest than they thought. And now it’s finally out!
The Solitaire Resort is a vacation spot that exists between world, where warriors from alien worlds across the multiverse can come to relax between fights. Paul is a pool boy there and finds himself falling for Micah, a demon warrior from another dimension. The vibes are at once steamy (i mean, assuming you’re into muscly demon daddies in speedos anyway) but also cute, and kinda bittersweet, given how fleeting the connection is. The end of the issue also sets us up for a second issue (one of the kickstarter stretch goals that comes align with being 300% funded) that’s sure to impress as well.
– Sloane
Gender Studies: True Confessions of an Accidental Outlaw
Rosarium Publishing
By Ajuan Mance
From the author of 1001 Black Men: Portraits of Masculinity at the Intersections comes a book about exploring gender, the unwritten rules of masculinity and femininity, and how for her, neither set of rules feels quite right. A professor of Ethnic Studies at Mills College in Oakland California, Mance’s work is as always heavily concerned with intersectionality. As she dissects her understanding of gender, she also dives into how much it interacts with her race, or even her status as a participant in geek culture. Mance’s work is always thoughtful, informed, and drawn in a fun, stained glass inspired style, so this new book is sure to be a treat.
– Sloane
A Boy Named Rose
Fairsquare Comics
By Gaelle Geniller (writer/artist)
Beautiful art and questions of gender and sexuality abound in this gorgeous book. Written and illustrated by Gaelle Geniller (https://twitter.com/GaelleAvril/ over on Twitter), this book was previously published as Le Jardin, Paris over in France and has now made the journey across the pond and into the US market! Set in a roaring 20’s Paris, A Boy Named Rose follows it’s titular character Rose as they come of age and try to understand not only who they are inside, but who they want to be, and who they want to be with. If you’re not sure this is for you, take five minutes and poke at Gaelle’s twitter or instagram - the art there will blow you away!
- Nick
LSBN
Silver Sprocket
By Emma Jayne (writer/artist) and Sloane Leong (colorist)
Along with all of the other queer comics coming out this June, we have LSBN! From my personal favorite small comics press Silver Sprocket and Prism & Ignatz award winner Emma Jayne comes the day-glow sci-fi queer rom-com of your dreams. (Or at least my dreams. This is definitely the kind of thing I dream about.)
After years of fighting, the war against the kaiju has finally ended. As the world rejoices, mech commander Sugimoto and her lead engineer Mischa suddenly find themselves obsolete. In a world with nothing to fight, what are they supposed to do with their lives? And perhaps more importantly, what is their relationship now that they’re no longer forced together by their jobs? Jayne’s previous work is defined mostly by fairly grounded slice of life books like Trans Girls Hit the Town, and Pseudo Slut Transmission, so it’s exciting to see where she takes her rare foray into high concept work. I’m sure it’ll be a hit, especially for any sapphic nerds or indie comics buffs out there. –Sloane
PS. Also, I think you should buy this because the colorist is also named Sloane. Us Sloanes gotta stick together.
PPS. Sloane solidarity.
PPPS. (Sloane-idarity.)
And that's it for our June Comics Look Ahead! Give us just a couple of weeks and we should be back with more comics, including a first look at DC's Knight Terrors lineup. Until then, if you have any changes you'd like to make to our subscription service, or if you want to start a new pull list, here's a link to our subscription update form to do just that!
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