Hey there Phoenix Friends! March is here and it's got some really fun and awesome titles that we wanted to showcase, but we're a little bit behind schedule. So in lieu of our usual March Look Aheads (which should have gone out last month) please accept these highlights for new series and trades that are due out this month! - Nick

March Comic Highlights

Real quick before we get into the highlights - Phoenix is in the midst of a bit of a point of sale / hardware changeover, and part of that means a new website-based subscription service. You can access it today by heading here and logging into your account on our site. If you're an existing subscriber, reach out to us via email so that we can activate your online account and from there you can start making changes. Best of all, there's a built-in-catalog for all things comics in there!

Sloane and Elise have teamed up to bring you some of our new comic spotlights for this month. We don't have a ton to talk about, but whooo boy the ones we do have are absolutely worth talking about for some length.

More Absolute Stuff Let’s Gooooooo

DC Comics

Last year’s Absolute Universe launch from DC had no right to be as good as it was. It felt like DC was trying to capitalize on the success of the recent Ultimate Universe relaunch from Marvel, with slightly updated versions of characters that would appeal to you only if you were already invested in the character, like they were throwing out the old continuity in an attempt to draw in new readers the same way they already did every few years when there was a reboot or a crisis.

What we got instead were three of the most successful comic launches since I started working at the store, and three series that were fun whether you were particularly invested in the characters before or not. The ways in which they’ve reimagined the new versions of each character really worked, and felt fresh without losing the essence of each character, updated without feeling like they’re trying to cash in on current trends. DC pulled in tons of new readers not just by creating a great entry point for people who don’t normally read comics, but also by assembling three amazing creative teams who are knocking it out of the park by making comics that are just good.

So when I say that we’ve got a new wave of Absolute Universe books coming out and you should be super excited, I’m not messing around. I’ve actually had a chance to read advance copies of these and they’re all exactly what you’d expect and want from the new absolute series. Here’s a quick rundown of what we have coming up this month:

Absolute Martian Manhunter 

by Deniz Camp (writer) and Javier Rodriguez (artist)

The Absolute version of the Martian Manhunter is (at least according to most folks here at the store) probably the most exciting reimagining in this new wave of books. The first issue is a psychedelic psychological horror joint about FBI agent John Jones recording from a near fatal experience and discovering he’s maybe not quite who he thought he was. Steeped in noir and ‘60s mod art, the book’s writing is amazing and the art from Javier Rodriguez (reminiscent of last year's Dr. Strange Fall Sunrise, another surprise hit) really knocks it out of the park. I never thought I would be this excited for a Martian Manhunter comic, but having read the preview, that’s just how good the book DC’s put together here is.

Absolute Flash

by Jeff Lemire (writer) and Nick Robles (artist)

A lot of the best superhero comics are about plucky teens who get powers and suddenly have to balance their newfound life as a masked hero with the problems that come with growing up. Think Spider-Man, or (one of my personal favorite heroes) Ms. Marvel. Absolute Flash continues in that tradition with a teenage Wally West, who gets his powers after a lab accident involving Barry Allen (!) who we see later in some sort of costume implying that he might have powers of his own. There’s a secret military operation, Wally struggling with his powers, and even Captain Cold makes an appearance. It’s hard to say this early on exactly where all of the threads in this book are going to go, but it’ll be exciting to see how it all unravels, and if there’s anyone I trust to have it all play out in a satisfying way it’s Jeff Lemire.

Absolute Green Lantern

by Al Ewing (writer) and Jahnoy Lindsay (artist)

A large, unidentifiable green object falls from the sky, obliterating a small town. With it comes the Abin Sur, whose motives are strange and unknowable. Al Ewing has described this book as cosmic horror, and the first issue is definitely leaning into just how unsettling these moments of first contact can be. The book features three characters we know from the mainline DC universe as Green Lanterns. Hal Jordan and John Stewart are there, but the book’s real lead is Jo Mullein, star of store favorite green lantern run Far Sector. It’s hard to say exactly where this book is taking the characters though, given that the powers that Hal gets from the lantern don’t seem like anything I would expect from the main universe Green Lantern at all. I guess we’ll just have to read it and see! ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

- Sloane

Batman #158 

DC Comics

By Jeff Loeb, Jim Lee, and Scott Williams

Okay, so not exactly a new series, but one you definitely want to be aware of. The same creative team who brought you the first Batman Hush story arc are back with a second arc to that very same story. If you're not familiar - Hush was an epic story from the early 2000's that pulled all of Batman's rogue's gallery together into a story that clinched a place as one of the modern classic batman tales.

And now, 25ish years later, a sequel. No pressure, right?

I gotta say, having read a preview of the first issue, this feels like a solid sequel. Brooding Batman. Check. Quick recap of the first story. Check. Bat-Family cameos and clearly established list of characters. Check. This book just reads like I remember the original hush reading, complete with internal monologues and what I'm sure will be a number of twists and turns as our titular hero delves into the question of Hush and why he's returned to Gotham.

- Nick

The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or be Quilt

Dark Horse

By John Allison (writer) and Max Sarin (artist)

Great British Bump off Season 1 was one of the first comics I subscribed to when I started working at Phoenix in spring 2023. It was a fun and funny murder(ish) mystery from the creative team behind Giant Days and I couldn’t get enough of the quirky colorful story. It played on fun Great British Bake-Off tropes and character archetypes and managed to keep the cozy and slightly nerve wracking tone of the baking show while infusing it with intrigue and sabotage. I assumed it would be a one off series so I’m so excited to see it’s coming back! Kill or be Quilt sees neurotic amateur detective Shauna Wickle back in action and trying to solve the case of an arson that strikes too close to home. She must infiltrate the “brutal and vindictive” quilting community to find the culprit. Don’t let the smiles fool you; these quilters mean business. 

- Elise 

One-Shots & Graphic Novels

Elise took it upon herself to put together not only a fun write-up of an upcoming one-shot, but some excellent highlights for some trades due out this month! 

Free for All (One Shot)

Oni Press

By Patrick Horvath

As a certified Billionaire Hater™ I cannot wait to get my hands on this. From the twisted creative genius that brought us Beneath the Tree Where Nobody Sees comes a brutal new one shot of billionaire trial by combat. In the not too distant future, the ultra wealthy find themselves in a Hunger Games esqe lottery where if your name is selected you have a choice to make: give up half your wealth for the betterment of humanity or defend it with your life in a gladiatorial death match. Horvath originally wrote and drew most of this story back in 2017-2019 in the wake of the 2016 election and now here it is in print, for the first time, just in time for it to be more relevant than ever before. Free For All takes this big concept and zooms all the way in on one fight. One moment. The reigning champion, real estate mogul Ted Brooks must face off against… his ex-wife? He’s willing to do anything to keep his cash but Luella has an axe to grind and she’s been preparing for just this opportunity. 

- Elise

New Image Trade Round-Up

Image has a few exciting trades coming this month that I wanted to highlight! These are past series you may have seen us talking about here on the look-aheads, or maybe ones that we've pitched to you in store. This is your reminder - if you've been trade waiting on these, now's the time to get your order in.

Grommets Volume 1

By Rick Remender (writer) Brian Posehn (Artist)

A love letter to 80’s teen movies, skate culture, and the punk scene, Grommets delves into the experience of the outcast kids of the 80’s who left their mark on the sport. The series is grounded by a coming of age story of best friends who the world has left behind making their own way. Honestly the blurb from Tony Hawk really convinced me, I love that guy and he knows what he’s talking about. 

Black Cloak Volume 2

By Kelly Thompson (writer) Meredith McClaren (artist)

The second arc to Black Cloak you didn’t know you needed! A new arc, a new case, new danger. Black Cloak Vol 2 picks up 5 years after the first volume and if you missed out when it started coming out last summer this is the perfect time to catch up! Thompson’s writing is a delight as usual McClaren’s art is just as good as you remember it.

Napalm Lullaby Volume 1

By Rick Remender (writer) Bengal (artist)

This trade collects the entire 10 issue run of Napalm Lullaby, a violent, dystopian revenge fantasy brought to life. After a strange and powerful child is raised by a cult to believe he is God and to rule all of earth, society is controlled by believers and non-believers are crushed beneath their heels. Fifty years later two of “God”’s bastard children are determined to rise above their station and put an end to the man responsible for their misery - their dad. 

- Elise

And that's a wrap for our March comic highlights! If you see something you like here, head over to our new subscription service and put in an order or subscription for it today! Otherwise, we'll see you in just about a week with April's comic look aheads.