November Comics Look Aheads

November Comics Look Aheads
Is October already here?? Wow! That means the year is three-quarters of the way over, the leaves are starting to do that turning and falling off thing to do, and it's getting way colder. It ALSO means it’s time for another set of reviews, recommendations, and exultations about new and upcoming books from our team to your eyes. This month brings the return of two super-teams, some queer slice of life fiction that’s charming as heck, and tons more. 

Reviews and Recommendations

As always, our monthly reviews and recommendations are brought to you by the folks on team Phoenix. This month features recommendations by Sloane, Nick, and one last set of reviews by Max! They may have moved on from Phoenix, but they took the time to put together a set of reviews on some neat things and I think you’ll enjoy them. If you see something you like, don’t forget to head over to our subscription update form and put yourself down for any new series, one shot or graphic novel that caught your eye.

The City Beneath Her Feet

DSTLRY

By James Tynion IV (writer) and Elsa Charretier (artist)

In a stylized version of New York City inspired by pulp novels and Tarantino films, mild mannered writer Zara finds herself pulled back into the orbit of her mysterious ex-girlfriend Jasper when she finds out that she’s still listed as her emergency contact. Zara soon discovers the reason for Jasper’s secrecy – she was secretly one of the world’s most dangerous assassins – and finds herself pursued by a mysterious organization hellbent on finding her to get to Jasper. 

This book sounds wild but if anyone is going to pull it off I think it’s these two. In a very Tynion-esque sentence, writer James Tynion IV says that “This is a story about the people you fall in love with who change your life forever, and realizing all the things you thought you knew about them were wrong.” (Which honestly is also what Nice House by the Lake was about but that book slaps, so I’m okay with him taking another stab at the same themes.) But the book promises a lot more than just the introspective character work that comes with all of Tynion’s writing. Elsa Charretier seems to be channeling fashion drawings, gritty action, and grimy 90s NYC chic. After they collaborated together on a short film a few years ago, I’m excited to read what these two have been cooking up in book form. Definitely one to check out when it gets here.

- Sloane

Batgirl 

DC Comics

By Tate Brombal (writer) and Takeshi Miyazawa (artist)

I know that for a lot of people, Cassandra Cain isn’t their Batgirl. But y’know what? This book isn’t for them. It’s for all the people that grew up reading her stories, who’ve come to love her in the Batgirls series from a couple of years ago, and who have been chomping at the bit for her to step up and get her own book. Guess what y’all - your wait is over!

If you’re not familiar, and I get it if you aren’t - Cassandra is the daughter of Lady Shiva, the DC universe’s deadliest martial artist. Trained from birth in martial arts by a different assassin, Cassandra learned fighting before she could learn to speak. Cassandra made her splash as Batgirl during the No Man’s Land story arc, and has enjoyed a kind of niche following ever since. And hey, this is a bat-oriented solo series without a lot of the typical bat-family drama and associated crossover events. 

- Nick

Spectrum

Mad Cave

By Rick Quinn (writer) Dave Chisholm (artist)

Seattle is written into my being. I’ve walked from Carkeek Park to Seward Park in a single day, I’ve been narrowly missed by a car at the west Greenlake intersection more times than I can count, I’ve puked on the brass pig at Pike Place, I’ve known my go-to Dick’s Burgers order since I was 10, heck, I’ve even put GUM on the GUM WALL. So, whenever I see something based here, I get so excited!

Set during the Battle of Seattle (the 1999 WTO Protests), the story follows a girl who is being patronized by a creature named Echo, an elemental being with the power to warp reality with music. As she tries to escape, she unlocks suppressed memories from across vast spans of time, bringing her very identity into question. 

The story seems to use the weave of Seattle culture as a conventional throughline. From the preview pages I saw online, I noticed themes of Seattle’s music scene, the city’s tech bubble and its expansion during the 90s, and the weird people that make the city so unique. High hopes for this one!

- Max 

You Won’t Feel a Thing

DSTLRY

By Scott Snyder (writer) and Jock (artist)

There are few things I enjoy more than a good murder mystery. Some of those things include murder mysteries that utilize the perspective of the detective to gaslight and disorient the audience, Scott Snyder’s legendary Batman run, and stories that are new takes on old conventions.

(This is a written medium but pretend someone is whispering into my ear.) 

I’m sorry what? 

(then this incorporeal yet metaphysical person whispers some more, as if to indicate that the things I just listed are apparent in the comic I’m talking about.) 

HE IS? 

(more whispers, and I can’t stress this enough, from a person I’m asking you to imagine as you read this review.) 

and WHO IS DRAWING IT? 

(once again, more whispering. Is this enough? Who are we really? Is this just an attempt at creating a funny review for this new comic from DSTLRY by Scott Snyder and JOCK about a detective with a memory corroding brain tumor who reopens a cold case? Or is it something more? Like a deconstruction of some sort. What am I deconstructing? That’s for you, dear reader, to decide.) 

The detective has WHAT? 

(finally, the person finishes whispering, and disappears into whatever crevice your imagination has created for them.) 

YOU WON’T FEEL A THING!  

- Max

Justice League Unlimited

DC Comics

By Mark Waid (writer) and Dan Mora (artist)

Okay y’all. Get hype with me here. Mark Waid and Dan Mora are coming out to work on a Justice League book, and it’s this one. For those of you who haven’t ever seen it - go on Netflix and stream the series of the same name when you’ve got some time. It’s worth the watch, and it’s got some excellent comics writers taking turns at the wheel, including a ton of episodes by the late great Dwayne McDuffie. It is maybe the perfect mix of single one-shot episodes, two-parters, and a building larger plotline that culminates in some of my favorite animated showdowns ever. And the team is huge. There are cameos and supporting characters galore.

So, clearly some big shoes to fill here. 

If you’ve been reading these reviews, you know I’ve got nothing but mad respect for Mark Waid, and Dan Mora has illustrated a ton of books that I adore, including Klaus and Once & Future. His art style lends itself well to the superhero genre (see also his work on Batman Superman World’s Finest). I’m personally expecting similar vibes to the JLU animated series - good solid one-shot comic issues interspersed between fun comic arcs that all lead up to a big epic showdown or two or three. And a huge ever-changing cast to boot. If this was anyone but Waid, I’d be worried, but I have confidence that he’ll deliver a truly excellent book.

- Nick

Justice Society of America 

DC Comics

By Jeff Lemire  (writer) and Diego Olortegui (artist)

Look, I know I just got done writing a big ole review about how excited I am for Justice League Unlimited, but hear me out okay?  Jeff Lemire - not generally someone whose writing I am a huge fan of, is getting to write a team superheroes book that puts legacy front and center. Jeff Lemire, who wrote and built not only his own superhero universe, but a legacy for that universe as well (see also all that Black Hammer Universe goodness).

Lemire knows how to write a book about characters with history and a legacy behind them. Like Geoff Johns before him, I think he really gets what that means for these characters and how it drives them. I will also admit that Johns’ initial run back in the early 00’s definitely shaped what I love about superheroes, so seeing this iconic team come back in an ongoing series makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

- Nick

The Fade

Boom Studios

By Aabria Iyengar (writer) and Mari Costa (artist)

When I saw Aabria’s name come up and a note in the previews that said (Critical Role) next to it, I asked my partner Kristy, “Hey does the name Aabria Iyengar mean anything to you?”  Their eyes got real big and they made a gesture that I can only describe as “grabby hands” in the air towards me. And then they made me sit down and watch some of her Dimension Twenty appearances and I had a blast. Seriously, if you have the ability to stream it, I cannot recommend her Court of Fey and Flowers campaign enough.

So here we are.

The Fade is a really beautiful looking book about a high school student about to make a leap into the wider world of college, when things in her modern world take a turn for the wild and fantastical after people claim to have crossed into some sort of fae realm (called the fade) in their dreams by way of some sort of internet sensation. Think coming-of-age meets isekai style fantasy adventure. I’ve had a chance to look at some of the art for this book, and Mari Costa is really bringing her A-game here. It’s vibrant, bright and kinda bouncy in a way that evokes both that otherworldly sense that the fae bring to things AND 

- Nick

One-Shots & Graphic Novels

This month’s graphic novel goodness is brought to you by Sloane and Max. It features two new coming of age books that look really interesting, and a manga that managed to surprise Max, which says a lot!

Leap

Roaring Brook Press

By Simina Popescu

Maybe it’s because since I’ve started doing roller derby I’m kind of a jock now, but I’ve come to really love sports comics. Particularly books that deal with the stresses that come with trying to perform at a competitive level – think Tillie Walden’s comic memoir Spinning, about figure skating at high levels as a child. I think even for those of us who don’t play sports, there’s something relatable for all of us in the experience of striving to do your very best at something despite everything holding you back.

Leap is one of those books about performing at the highest level at a sport – namely dance. It focuses on two contemporary dancers at a performing arts school, one of whom is realizing that her heart may no longer be in it and is struggling with being forced to stay in the closet, and another who is a rising star and realizes that the admiration she feels for her instructor may have turned into something more. The two are assigned to be roommates in their junior year of school and their friendship gives them both the support they need to make it through the school year. 

The book looks great. The preview pages I’ve seen have beautiful camera angles and lighting that almost make it feel like watching a movie. This is author Simina Popescu’s first full length graphic novel, but you can tell they’ve really put their heart into it. Their passion for dance really comes through as well and the whole thing just seems like a visual treat to read. Also it’s gay, which like. Isn’t a requirement for me to read a book, but it certainly helps. All-in-all there’s definitely going to be a copy of this book coming home with me once it comes out, and hopefully there will be one going home with you too.

- Sloane

How Could You

Oni Press

By Ren Strapp (!)

Ren Strapp is a local comics artist who’s had her work in the store for years. They’re some of my favorite short comics and zines, mostly because their vibes are impeccable. From her popular Shepherd’s Sword comics, to smaller zines like Lesbian Gender Outlaw and Saturn Returns No Matter What, I really feel like Strapp gets it. (“It” in this case being “what it’s like to be a huge dyke.” Strapp understands lesbians.) So when I found out she had a new book coming out with Oni Press, that she had finally made it big time, I was so excited.

In the vein of smart queer YA slice of life books before it like Heartstopper and Laura Dean Keeps Breaking Up With Me, How Could You is about a group of messy young queers navigating love and heartbreak in their final years of college. Recently dumped Molly and Lou get more than they bargained for when they go to a party looking to rebound from their exes. Meanwhile, those same exes are rooming together as they study abroad in France, and have to navigate how their journeys of self discovery might be at odds with the whirlwind romance that’s on the verge of blossoming between them. With fun characters and cute art, this book is sure to be a treat for slice-of-life fans, or anyone who loves a good queer coming-of-age story.

- Sloane

After God

Viz Media

By Sumi Eno (writer/artist)

I’ve been on a HUGE Manga kick lately. Just voraciously reading bad translations on my phone. Here’s a short list of every manga I’m currently reading: Onepiecechainsawmanmaketheexorcistfallinloveblueboxtheworldgodonlyknowstheguyshewasinterestedinwasntaguyatallpandoraheartsbloomingloveihopeyourehappylemonmarriagetoxindandadanhimatendeepraputa to name a FEW. You can probably tell since my last 3 or 4 look aheads involved manga titles I’m already reading. However, this is one I’ve only heard of in passing!

The story is about a Tokyo that’s been invaded by Gods, and in their path remains huge danger zones. Inside one of these danger zones Kamikura Waka is desperately searching for her lost friend. Waka is discovered by Tokinaga, a researcher with the “anti-god science institute,” who quickly realizes Waka is hiding a dangerous secret; a secret that may be the key to ending the godly threat once and for all.

I’ve always been a fan of the “Man vs. God” storyline (of the infamous “7 types of conflict” theory). I think it coincides with my love for eldritch horror. The pure human will to fight something beyond our power and comprehension just to see that these celestial beings are reluctantly no more, or no less, human than we are. Hype!

- Max

And that's it for our November look aheads! Next month's look aheads should be up by early-mid November for our December Look Aheads / Look Back Blog. Thanks for reading, and if you saw something you wanted to add to your pull (or want to start a subscription for the book), use our handy little subscription update form and submit that request! We'll get right on that.