Hi there folks! Welcome to our November look ahead blog. In the interest of helping folks stay up on new comic series and happenings well before they hit the shelves, we're delving into the catalogues each month to put forth reviews and recommendations, as well as notifications about new series for popular franchises and tie-ins for big crossovers. So if you were wondering what's new and fun coming out this November, read on and find out more!

Reviews and Recommendations

Looking for a new series or two to follow? Here are a few recommendations for new series courtesy of Team Phoenix! This month we've got reviews from Selena and Sloane for you. 

Fantastic Four

Marvel Comics

by Ryan North (writer) and Iban Coello (artist)

If you haven’t been following Ryan North’s work for the last several years, you’ve been missing out on one of the most playful and unique voices in comics today. His 2015-2019 run on Squirrel Girl is one of my favorite comics of all time, and even before he started working with Marvel, he was doing zany projects like the long running webcomic favorite Dinosaur Comics and a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure version of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. His writing is fun and effervescent, and he comes up with off-the-wall concepts that you would never have thought of on your own.

After his Power Pack mini-series flew largely under the radar because it was published peak-pandemic in 2020, Marvel has asked him back to take over writing the Fantastic Four in a new series! Following Dan Slott’s epic run where the team saved not just the earth but the entire multiverse, North wants to scale back a bit, and tell a more picaresque sci-fi story. Quoth North: "Having these four weirdos roll into town where there's a mystery or a problem or some sci-fi thing, solve the problem, and then move on struck me as a very interesting way to position the Fantastic Four and tell stories that would feel fresh and not like a retread of what we've seen before." I’ve never been the biggest Fantastic Four fan, but with the new approach and exciting new creative team, Marvel’s sold me on it. This comic is going to be a great pick-up for not just fans of the Fantastic Four, but anyone who enjoys classic sci-fi, or just joyful comic storytelling in general.

– Sloane

Once Upon a Time at the End of the World #1

Boom Studios

By Jason Aaron (writer) and Alexandre Tefenkgi (artist)

Leave it to Jason Aaron to write what looks like a post-apocalyptic romance book. Or rather maybe just ex-lovers-reunite-in-an-apocalypse style romance book. Purported to have at least three distinct creative teams (managed by writer Jason Aaron of soooo many recent marvel books fame), Once Upon a Time at the End of the World looks to be a grim but hopeful look at what love might look like to future generations of humanity. Will our protagonists Mezzy and Maceo survive a crumbling world and their own relationship struggles? Only one way to find out!

– Nick 

Voyagis #1 (of 5)

Image Comics

Sumeyye Kesgin (Writer/Artist)

When I was in school, I can remember always being completely fascinated with learning about space. All the discoveries we made and the things we looked for made me feel so hopeful and small at the same time. If you were anything like me, you used to also wonder what the heck happened to all the probes we sent out. Would they ever be found? Would aliens someday look at those diagrams and figure out how to communicate with us? Writer and Artist Sumeyye Kesign asks exactly this in their writing debut Voyagis. One of the VOYAGER probes is discovered by Sen, an alien on an uninhabitable planet laid waste by a wandering black hole and drained dry by a relentless Tyrant. Sen's discovery may be the key to her people's salvation, but what will that mean for the people of Earth? 

- Selena

Plush #1 (of 6)

Image Comics

By Doug Wagner (writer), and Daniel Hillyard & Ricardo Renzi (artist)

I've got to admit, the very concept of this book grabbed my attention from moment one. If you're not familiar with the concept of furries and the conventions they host, maybe give it a google and let your mind expand (pro tip: definitely turn safe search mode on). Add a little cannibalism and grindhouse style horror (and maybe some romance?) to the mix, and you've got what Plush is all about. This isn't Doug Wagner or Daniel Hilliard's first foray into the gritty and the bloody. They've already done two books together (Plastic and Vinyl) to solid success. So if you're a fan of the genre and their styles, why not give Plush a try!

- Nick

Traveling to Mars

Ablaze

By Mark Russell (writer) and Roberto Meli (artist)

Ablaze publishing brings us a sci-fi comedy about the first manned mission to mars in collaboration with Italian studio Arancia. To everyone’s surprise, that person on that first mission turns out to be Roy Livingston, a terminally ill pet store manager from Alabama who was chosen for this mission entirely because there is, in fact, no return trip planned. He is sent out in earth’s hour of need with only two AI rovers, Livingston and Albert, who view the ailing man as some sort of god. This book will take a close look at what humanity really means in the face of a dying earth while also tackling planetary exploration and finding meaning in your final days. Despite the proliferation of stories about sending a manned mission to mars, I am truly excited to experience the journey that Eisner Award-winning writer, Mark Russell and rising star Italian artist, Roberto Meli have in store for us. 

– Selena

Fun One-Shots and Nice-To-Haves

Sloane found a couple of cool looking original graphic novels (ogn) again this time around, so I’ll hand things right off to her!

Wild: Or So I Was Born To Be Vol. 1

Oni Press

by Cristian Castelo (writer & artist)

Part high-school drama, part pro-wrestling, Wild: Or So I Was Born To Be is about highschool freshman Wild Rodriguez, whose dream is to join the Rocket Rollers as a part of the infamously violent roller derby league. The book features a cast of colorful characters, including roller derby hero Rosie Rozine who Wild fantasizes about getting to meet, and a psychedelic art style drenched in 1970’s oranges and browns. 

This book just oozes gonzo enthusiasm for its subject matter and is sure to be a treat. Cristian Castelo has been self-publishing different versions of Wild for years as zines, and it’s always exciting when people who are passionate about their art and working in obscurity get picked up by a major publisher like this. It still maintains the DIY spirit and off-beat sensibilities of the original, but it’s been expanded into a full length book, allowing Castelo the chance to try things that wouldn’t work in a shorter format. A great choice for anyone into zines or indie comics looking for something longer form to chew on.

 – Sloane

Men I Trust

Fantagraphics Books

by Tommi Parish (writer & artist)

This is the kind of capital-q Queer art that I live for. With beautiful (and often abstract) handpainted art, Men I Trust is about queer desire and longing, and the difficulties of finding and creating intimacy in a modern society that often discourages connection. Sasha is in her twenties and finds herself living with her parents again and dabbling in sex work. When she meets Eliza, a mid-thirties struggling single mother and poet, the two strike up a deep friendship that turns into an unlikely infatuation. Tommi Parish’s first graphic novel, The Lie and How I Told It, was a Lambda award winning tour de force, and this book shows every sign of continuing that trend.

 – Sloane

New X-Men Omnibus (New Printing)

Marvel Comics

By Grant Morrison (writer) and Frank Quitely (artist)

Okay I fibbed a little. I found a thing too! Which is to say - it was pointed out to me that one of the most iconic runs of X-Men in recent history has been reprinted in omnibus form. If you have an extra chunk of change lying around (and I do mean chunk - this tome is $125), why not fill out some of your X-Lore written by the one and only Grant Morrison. This book has it all. Evil psychic twin devoured in-utero? Check. Mutant with a sun for a head? Check. New costumes? Check. New relationships and new mutations? Check. The origin story of Quentin Quire? Yup, that's in here too! 

- Nick

Post Script - Quick note on these omnibus titles. They tend to be short-ish print runs, and because of the hefty price tag we don't order a huge number of them. If you want one, we really do urge you to put in an order sooner rather than later.

And that's it for this month's look ahead! We'll be back early next month for a look at what's in store for you comics fans in December. In the meantime, if you'd like to subscribe to any of these books, we've got you covered! Follow this link and let us know which comics you'd like to add to your pull list, or if you don't have one going yet, you can also start up a pull list in that very same link. For more details about our subscription policy, head over here.