May Comics Look Ahead

May Comics Look Ahead

The rainy spring is ending and the sun is coming out! That's right - May's here! And with it we've got a new batch of reviews, recommendations, and notes for all you avid comic book fans. 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 May Comics Look Ahead has in store for you!

Reviews and Recommendations

This month's reviews feature comics from Image, Dark Horse, 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 to request it.

Starsigns #1

 

Image Comics

By Saladin Ahmed (writer) and Megan Levins (artist)

Available May 3, 2023

Image, you had me at ‘astrology meets the Wicked + the Divine.’ The concept’s pretty straightforward - zodiac constellations granting powers and abilities to different people all across the world. With all this power comes some sort of price. From the preview pages we’ve seen, the art looks tight and the dialogue solid and pithy. I’m a bit dubious when someone compares a new series to one of my favorite books of all time, but I’m also aware that Saladin has some serious writing chops. He’s had a number of high profile series under his belt at Marvel, and I think he’s good for another one. Put me down for the first issue of this. I wanna see where it goes.

- Nick

Lonesome Hunters: The Wolf Child

 

Dark Horse Comics

By Tyler Crook

Available May 31, 2023

One of the most surprising comics last year was a book called Lonesome Hunters by Tyler Crook. Mostly known for his work as a letterer and artist, and for his Sixth Gun and Harrow County series with Cullen Bunn, his first foray into writing followed an old man with a magical, demon-slaying sword, who was forced to confront the magical world he’d been denying when he had to protect a young girl who lost her father. The demons felt original, animalistic, and creepy, and the story remained emotionally grounded with its modern day setting and themes of family and loss. 

At only four issues long, the world of Lonesome Hunters felt unexplored and incomplete, which is why I’m so excited that it returns in May with a new mini-series! On their way to destroy the sword and keep it from falling into the wrong hands, our heroes find themselves embroiled in a struggle between a small town and a magical wolf with a mysterious child companion. This new volume promises to be a good jumping on point to the series for new readers, and a welcome return for fans of the original.

- Sloane

Fury #1

 

Marvel Comics

By Al Ewing (writer) and Ramon Rosanas (artist)

Available May 24, 2023

If you’ve read other reviews by me, you know I’m an absolute fanboy for Al Ewing. He takes character oriented storytelling to a new level and he’s one of the finest writers over at the house of ideas right now. And he’s writing a spy-comic with homages to the old 60’s-70’s Steranko era Nick Fury. This book looks amazing, and I’m definitely going to read it with some weird lo-fi spyhunter music going in the background.

- Nick

Ghostlore #1 (Of 12)

 

BOOM! Studios

By Cullen Bunn (writer), LEOMACS (artist), and Brian Hurtt (colorist) 

Available May 10, 2023

After surviving a deadly accident, a pastor and his estranged daughter begin to see the dead, each carrying their own messages of warning, terror, and malevolence. To top it all off, they aren’t alone in their abilities, there are others with abilities like theirs and motivations far more sinister. 

If you are a fan of horror comics like I am, it seems there has been no shortage of new titles to check out in the past year. Ghostlore is particularly intriguing to me though, because it approaches the genre from a different direction. These aren’t just ghost stories, these are the ghost’s stories. From what I could find in previews, it seems like this series will be peppered with guest artists illustrating the stories of the ghosts that the main story encompasses. I’m excited to see where the talented Cullen Bunn (Harrow County and The Empty Man) and LEOMACS (Basket Full of Heads) take this interesting twist on a classic genre. 

- Selena

Something Epic #1

 

Image Comics

By Szymon Kudranski (writer / artist)

Available May 10, 2023

When I saw this in the previews, I didn’t think a lot of it. It looked like kind of a cliche attempt to cash in on a nostalgia wave with a bunch of covers that ape the big blockbuster hits of the 80s and 90s. And then I read the first few pages, and I got intrigued. A world where imagination is itself a super-power. A world where an artist draws what he sees because no one else can still see it, and written and drawn by the same person (whose art style absolutely fits the ‘epic’ narration). Alright Szymon, consider me interested. 

- Nick

One-Shots, Trades & OGNs

This month we've got a quick PSA about a new X-Line shakeup and a couple of really fun original graphic novels in store for you. Read on through and have a look!

X-Men Before the Fall One-Shots

Marvel Comics 

This isn’t so much a review as a heads up. Marvel’s preparing for another big crossover X-event for the summer. This one’s called the Fall of X, leading a lot of people to speculate this might be the end of the Krakoa Era. While I’m gonna weep some ugly tears if that winds up being the case, the writers and the artists that have contributed to this era of the x-line have absolutely given us some of most enjoyable (and definitely some of the queerest) mutant stories in the past twenty years, and the fall is definitely going to be one to read. So make sure you send us an email or give us a nudge next time you’re in the shop, and make sure we’re pulling these one-shots for you.

 Here’s a run-down of the ones we know about in roughly the order I expect them to be out in:

  • Sons of X (Si Spurrier and Phil Noto) (5/3/2023)
  • Mutant First Strike (Steve Orlando and Valentina Pinti) (6/7/2023)
  • Heralds of the Apocalypse (Al Ewing and Luca Pizzari) (6/28/2023)
  • Sinister Four (Kieron Gillen and Paco Medina) (7/5/2023)

These four books will culminate in the Hellfire Gala one-shot that kicks off the event (and elects a new team of X-Men for this new year to come), so make sure you get that one on your pull list too!

Pet Peeves

 

Avery Hill Publishing

By Nicole Goux

Available May 31, 2023

Pet Peeves is about a woman who’s stuck in a rut. A dead end job, a music career that’s going nowhere, there’s just not enough time in the day for everything she wants to do. One of the few bright spots in her life is her dog, Barkley, who she finds when he follows her home one night. But as time goes on, she increasingly only has time to take care of the dog as everything else in her life falls by the wayside – and the dog is going to do his best to keep it that way. Part horror, part relatable slice of life about a young artist struggling to stay afloat, it’ll be interesting to see how the author Nicole Goux manages to make Barkley seem sinister when he’s just so darn cute.

I know I’ve talked about her in this space before, but Goux is one of my favorite comics artists working now. Her art’s simplicity and messiness belies an impressive understanding of composition and color. Her recent artbook Rituals impressed everyone at the store, and was the only artbook I’ve bought in ages because it was just that good. This is her debut solo graphic novel without someone else writing, and I’m excited to see where this first foray writing a full length OGN takes her.

- Sloane

Paper Planes

 

Mad Cave Studios

By Jennie Wood (writer) and Dozerdraws (artist)

Available June 28, 2023

Two former best friends find themselves together again at a summer camp for troubled youth. Both need a good evaluation at the camp to continue high school with their friends, but just like the outside world, they find themselves at odds with their surroundings in camp and uncomfortable in their own skin. The book follows their re-examination of the events that led them to where they are, their friendship, and themselves.

When Mad Cave sent us a preview of this book a few weeks ago, it really grabbed our attention. With art by Dozerdraws (who did The Last Session about a year ago, a store favorite) and writing by Jennie Wood, this queer coming of age story is cute, but doesn’t shy away from the messiness that self-discovery can entail. It’s also nice to see more nonbinary representation written by nonbinary people.

- Sloane

Editor's note / Note from Nick: I also adored this book and am a little jealous Sloane beat me to the review! This looks fantastic and I can't wait to read more of it.

And that's it for our May Comics Look Ahead! Give us just a couple of weeks and we should be back with more comics to keep your eyes peeled for as pride month approaches. 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!