Hey there comics friends! May is upon us. The store celebrates its thirteenth year in business and we've got Free Comic Book Day! But that also means we're gearing up for another round of new comics and recommendations, from our team to you!

Reviews and Recommendations

This month brings us new Absolutes, two new horror books, a breakout new Batman series, and more! Sloane, Elise, and Nick put these together, so if one of them catches your eye be sure to say thanks next time you see them in the shop!

Quick reminder: If you see something you want you can always reach out to us and ask us about ordering it or setting it aside for you, or head over to our subscription page and add it to your pull! Anything in these look aheads are ready for you to order.

Absolute Catwoman and Absolute Green Arrow

DC Comics

Absolute Catwoman by Che Greyson and Scott Snyder (writers) and Bengal (artist)

Absolute Green Arrow by Pornsak Pichetshote (writer) and Rafael Albequerque (artist)

I know I’m kind of always heaping praise on DC’s Absolute titles (and honestly DC in general these days) but if our sales numbers are anything to go by, I’m not the only one who feels this way about them. “Modern twists on classic characters” don’t always land very well, but these new versions of DC mainstays have obviously struck a chord with people, and have only gotten more popular over the last year and a half. I’m mentioning these two new titles together to try and leave some room in these previews for other comics that could probably use the spotlight more, but I just couldn’t resist letting people know about two exciting new books.

First off is Absolute Catwoman. Basically she was so popular in the issue of Absolute Batman she’s appeared in that she’s getting her own mini-series. Scott Snyder (the orchestrator of the whole Absolute universe, writer of Absolute Batman, and just general comics bigshot) is co-writing this so you know it’s in good hands. The plot isn’t completely released yet, but apparently some figure from Catwoman’s past shows up – the perfect opportunity for a big Absolute universe character reveal by the way – and ends up having to solve a mystery that takes her all over the world. The action sequences in the preview pages are kinetic, the character art is charming, and I think overall this promises to be a lot of fun, with a distinct flavor from the rest of the line.

On probably the opposite end of the spectrum is the new Absolute Green Arrow, which seems to verge on a horror comic. Spinning out of the pages of last year’s Absolute Evil, a new serial killer arrives on the scene slaughtering corrupt billionaires. It’s up to Black Canary – which if you haven’t seen her new design you need to look it up oh my god I’m going to die – to find the killer’s identity and stop him. Her suspects? All familiar DC archers with ties to the recently murdered Oliver Queen. I’ve been wondering for a while who the new Green Arrow was going to be since they killed off Ollie, and it sounds like I’m going to have to keep waiting to find out. The art for this one looks dark and brooding, verging on horror or noir territory, and I’m sure the vibes are going to be immaculate. Genuinely on the edge of my seat waiting to see where they take this story.

- Sloane 

Absolute Batman #20 

DC Comics

By Scott Snyder (writer) and Nick Dragotta (artist)

Not to heap further praise on the Absolute line on top of everything Sloane already said, but it really is one of the biggest things in comics right now. And Absolute Batman continues the trend. We’ve already seen insane levels of excitement as every member of the Batman universe makes their appearance, and why would Robin be any different! Rather than being an in-depth review of why Absolute Batman is a fun and enjoyable and wild ride of a read, think of this more as a callout / reminder note for those of you who haven’t yet subscribed. If you are one of those people who likes them some variant covers, maybe get those orders in now while we can still get them before this issue sells out like the many others before it.

- Nick

Barbara Gordon: Breakout

DC Comics

By Mariko Tamaki (writer) and Amancay Nahuelpan (artist)

Spoilers Ahead for Batman #9.

Barbara Gordon has been framed, arrested, and shipped off to a maximum security prison that Vandal Savage is using as his personal hole to bury anyone who opposes him. After being arrested aiding and abetting Savage’s public enemy #1 Barbara is isolated and surrounded by the worst of the worst (guards and criminals alike) with none of her usual resources at her disposal. Can she fight her way out of this one?

Mariko Tamaki is an auto-read writer for me. I see her name on a book and I’m interested. I first found her through her independent YA graphic novels and the first serial of hers I read was Zatanna Bring Down the House a couple years ago which I loved (Javier Rodriguez did the art for this book you should really check it out!). I’ve been loudly in support of Matt Fraction’s current Batman run for the last 8 months so when I saw Tamaki would be writing a spin-off from that series I couldn’t have been more excited. Well, not until I realized Amancay Nahuelpan was going to be collaborating with her on this book. Nahuelpan did the art for Hawkgirl Once Upon a Galaxy which was so Elise and Sloane coded we paraded that book around the store showing off panels of muscled women in tiny shorts to anyone who would look. I cannot wait to get my hands on this and, if you’re reading Batman, I really hope you consider picking this up too.

- Elise

Skate Ali

Dark Horse Comics

By Kelly Sue Deconnick (writer), Sam Humphries (writer) and Natacha Bustos (artist)

This is the kind of book I would have been so excited for when I was first getting into comics. Its colorful, high energy, fun, driven by a coming of age story about friendship and being a teenage menace. My teen menace phase involved getting kicked out of a Pier One Imports for talking too loud, going to Denny’s at 1am twice, and fantasizing about being fun and rebellious in a way I was too nervous to pull off. Skate Ali follows Ali, a detention prone high schooler who moonlights as Skate Ali and mysterious loner in the near-future underground skate scene in LA where skating has been outlawed. Ali meets members of the secretive LA Skull Clan led by Skull Queen 9 as they make a splash sticking it to the man and she has to decide if her fear of being seen is going to hold her back from being a part of something bigger than herself. 

This book checks a lot of boxes for me. I’m a teen movie girly to my core so the conflict of balancing normal teen troubles with something fantastical and exciting is something I love to see. Deconnick and Humphries have talked about how this idea has been rolling around in their heads for close to a decade and how excited they are to be writing this energetic sci-fi romp. Bustos art is colorful and cartoony in a way I can’t get enough of, I’ve seen her work on a few other books recently (Fire and Ice Welcome to Smallville, Sai Dimensional Rivals) and remember thinking, “Who is this? I love this art!” So yeah, color me stoked for these little skate punks to drop-in to our shelves next month!

- Elise

Odin

Image Comics

By James Tynion (writer), Marguerite Bennet (writer) and Letizia Cadonici (artist)

I’m a sucker for folk horror. Something about a spooky cult doing pagan rituals in the forest somewhere really hits me – maybe it’s that I grew up on a cult in the woods (long story), but there’s something terrifying about imagining myself in the character’s shoes, as someone who would do something like commit an act of human sacrifice, for example. And it’s especially scary when it turns out that the things that they’re worshipping turn out to be real. 

So obviously I’m super stoked for the newest James Tynion IV book, Odin. It follows an investigative journalist who embeds in a Neo-Nazi organization that’s trying to summon a norse god to bring about what they believe to be their destiny of racial “purity.” All of the press describes it as across between Green Room (a tense horror movie about Nazi punks that I loved) and Midsommar (one of my favorite movies ever) so of course I’m excited. This concept could definitely turn into a sort of over-the-top splatterfest of a comic, but between Tynion’s typically nuanced writing and artist Letizia Cadonici’s genuinely eerie art, I’m excited to see how this one unfolds.

(Also I know it’s a Tynion book, so we’re all worried about delays, but I’ve heard that he and Marguerite Bennet have completely finished the script for this one already, so we’re not looking at another The Deviant situation. Or The City Beneath Her Feet. Or…)

- Sloane

One-Shots & Graphic Novels

Charity and Sylvia

Drawn and Quarterly

By Tillie Walden

Understanding queer history is really important. It seems like so many people think that being gay and trans are modern phenomena, which simply isn’t true. Non-straight sexualities and non-cis genders have existed basically the entire time people have been around, even if they aren’t always well documented. That’s why LGBTQ+ history, and drawing attention to the ways people have been queer and expressed that queerness in the past is so important – to remind people that being gay is ultimately normal, and always has been.

Okay cool anyway now that I’m done with my little soapbox moment, let me tell you about this book because I’m so excited for it.

I adore Tillie Walden. Her art is beautiful, her characters expressive, and her writing is well paced and has an intimate, personal feeling to it. Unfortunately for me, her most recent handful of graphic novels have been things I’ve had a hard time convincing myself to want to read – she’s been writing a Walking Dead spin-off series and also did a comic in collaboration with the queer pop duo Tegan and Sara. I’m sure both have been great for her career, but if you’re like me and don’t particularly want to read about zombies or lesbian pop-stars, you’re kinda out of luck. I fell in love with her as a writer because of her original stories, and it was hard to get excited about her new work when it felt like it was all just tie-ins with existing brands.

So when I found out that Walden was writing a new graphic novel that wasn’t tied to a pre-existing property, I was so relieved. Finally she was back. While this new book isn’t technically original (given that it’s an account of actual historical events and based off of primary sources) it does feel much more like the version of her writing that I first read and fell in love with. It follows the 19th century account of two women in rural Vermont who met, fell in love, and were essentially out and were living together far before that became the common thing it is today.

I’ve always had a strong interest in historical understandings of queerness, for what are probably obvious reasons if you regularly read our comics previews or have ever met me in person at the shop, and if I’m being honest I’d probably have read this one even if it wasn’t Tillie Walden, but that she’s who’s writing it just has me that much more eager for when this book comes out in May.

- Sloane

Star Trek Celebrations

IDW Comics

By Various Folks (it’s an anthology)

You may be asking yourselves - why is a recommendation for a Star Trek Pride comic making the list this month? And while it’s true, Star Trek as a franchise is not the comic book juggernaut of X-Men or Batman, it is still a beloved franchise worthy of talking about. Moreso due to a spate of recent series cancellations that reek of politics in the worse way. And yes, I know that a lot of the new Trek series had their issues. I’m aware of them, and y’know what? I don’t care. I unabashedly loved Star Fleet Academy for it’s mix of worldbuilding, quirky characters, and a message about the need to rebuild what’s been broken. It spoke to me of hope for the future in a world that feels very broken right now.

So when I saw this Pride Month anthology come across my feed, and I saw that Marvel and DC have both decided to forgo their usual pride month offerings I knew I had to talk about it. There’s  a ton of reasons to give this a shot - LGBTQIA+ writers and artists, teaming up to give us an anthology of stories of queer representation from across the Star Trek timeline. There’s a Sulu and Ben botanical outing, bar fight involving the baddest ass ensign in the fleet - Beckett Mariner and her girlfriend Jennifer, and a holodeck date involving Raffi and Seven of Nine. And those are just the stories they’ve told us about so far.

- Nick

Die Loaded Volume 1

Image Comics

By Kieron Gillen (writer) and Stephanie Hans (artist)

As I write this I am re-reading the original Die just to catch all the hooks that Kieron set up and are paying off in Die: Loaded. This book just finished its first arc and oh @#$% is it a roller coaster. In a reminder that RPGs are for everyone, Kieron is pulling a completely new (but related) cast into the icosahedral world of Die and immediately putting each character through their paces. There are RPG tropes and references abound, which ironically probably aren’t caught by most of the cast because they just don’t come from the background of your average D&D players. This book is a treat to read, and I can’t wait for more of it. If you’ve read the first four books of the original series, do yourself a favor and put this on order. It’s absolutely worth it. 

If for some reason you’re still reading this review but don’t know what Die is about - in 1991 six kids sat down to play a new TTRPG for the first time. They vanished, only for five of them to reappear 5 years later full of trauma they couldn’t talk about. Fast forward 25 years - now they’re grown ups with even more trauma, it’s 2019 and they’ve been pulled back into a goth-Jumanji-esqeu hellscape fueled by the cobbled together bits of great literary creators whose works form the foundations for the modern TTPRG scene. Die: Loaded follows a different group of players, all related to members of the original party, who’ve all just been unwillingly pulled into the world on the second anniversary of the original party’s return.

IDK what else to say - this book is great go read it.

- Nick

Transformers: the Movie Deluxe Edition

Image Comics

By Ralph Macchio (writer). Bob Budiansky (writer) and Multiple artists

So, in a move that is going to date me horribly, I think the original Transformers movie was one of the quintessential movies of my childhood. When my parents took poor four year old me into the theater, little did they know I’d be watching one of my childhood icons die on screen about 10 minutes later. Or that the soundtrack would get so ingrained in my head that I can see pivotal scenes replaying in my head whenever certain tracks come on (fun Phoenix fact: you’re not allowed to play the third track on that album in the store. I will get tearful). 

Now - this book has none of that. But it is a gorgeous artifact and look into the world of Transformers in the late 80’s. And it is written by Ralph Macchio (not be confused with Ralph Macchio Jr, the Karate Kid although this writer apparently did get that nickname due to the association) and Bob Budiansky one of the original writers for the 1980’s era Transformers comics. This one’s on the list for all of you Transformers enthusiasts, or recent converts due to Image’s revival of the line who want a peak at the series of the past.

- Nick

Teen Titans Together

DC

By Kami Garcia (writer) and Gabriel Picolo (artist)

I originally wrote about this book last year before it got delayed and I’m so excited it will finally be hitting shelves. It’s all coming together. Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo’s 2019 collaboration Teen Titans: Raven is finally coming to a conclusion five books and six years later. We’re getting the team up anyone who has looked at Teen Titans fanart on Pinterest in the last five years has dreamed of. After being rescued from experimentation by the team Starfire has to decide who she can trust as the all facing the looming danger of H.I.V.E. who is supposed to be the ally and advocate of super powered people everywhere. But something is going on and the team will have to figure it out and convince everyone else before it’s too late. 

Garcia’s background as a popular young adult novelist really shines in the teen relationships and friendships these books center around. The kids all also have normal modern problems to contend with like navigating disabilities and the foster care system. Picolo’s art is what first drew me to the series years ago because the modern, fashionable fanart that he features on his online profiles makes the characters seem like real teens with their own unique styles and personalities outside of “the emo one” and “the nerd”. I can’t wait to finally see everyone all together at last and see how it all wraps up!

- Elise

Upcoming Comic Catalogs

Wondering where we find all of these books? We go through a number of upcoming comic book catalogs, which you can find below. If you want to do some digging for something we might have missed, please have a look! If you find anything you want, just head over to our subscription page to place a preorder or update your subscription.

(Quick word of caution - the Next Phase catalogs are very large and may take a while to download!)

March Comic Catalogs (May Releases)

DC | Marvel | Image | Dark Horse | IDW | Boom | Titan | PRH Panels | Next Phase

April Comic Catalogs (June Releases)

DC | Marvel | Image | Dark Horse | DSTLRY | IDW | Boom | Titan | PRH Panels | Next Phase

May Comic Catalogs (July Releases)

DC | Marvel | Image | Dark Horse | DSTLRY | IDW | Boom | Titan | PRH Panels | Next Phase

Final Order Cutoff Note

If you're a subscriber and especially if you're a subscriber that uses our online subscription page to update your sub and preorder list, this next little bit of text is for you. 

We've been running into some intermittent issues with really late / last minute preorders coming in either late Sunday or Monday, and we need your help to avoid that. To that end, please make sure you submit preorders and updates to your subscriptions by 12 PM on Sundays every week. Orders placed after that time run the risk of being delayed or not ordered. This applies only to items on the FOC / Last call list on our subscription page. Anything further out than that is unaffected (and kudos to you for ordering earlier than that). 

As one of the two people who process these orders, Sloane and I would really appreciate your help on this! Thank you so much in advance for making our jobs just a stitch easier!

-Nick

And that’s a wrap for May! Next month we talk about Pride month, what it means for the shop, and also MORE COMICS! In the meantime, if you saw something you wanted, please reach out to us and ask us about ordering it or setting it aside for you, or head over to our subscription page and add it to your pull!