A collection of first issues recently released

ALIEN #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Salvador Larroca. Marvel has gotten the Alien franchise (and the Predator franchise, although all recently solicited items have suddenly been cancelled) and that means everyone’s favorite space creatures have a new home and new life. The story, set almost 800 years after the Nostromo mission, involves another questionable corporation, a father and a son and…yeah: Xenomorphs. Intriguing read but Larroca’s art is the real star here. This reminds me very much of the original Dark Horse series from so long ago, so I’m hopeful; this will be a winner.

AVENGERS: CURSE OF THE MAN-THING #1 by Steve Orlando and Francesco Mobili. Marvel tries to give new life to their classic shambling creature in this first of several inter-connected one-shots. Harrower separates Man-Thing from Ted Sallis, leading to an Avengers hunt for both. Looks great, but I wouldn’t call it a return to form, as the story stumbles throughout.

THE BATMAN AND SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES #1 by Ivan Cohen and Dario Brizuela. Sio, with the end of the Multiverse and the creation of the Omniverse, everything is in continuity now, right? So now we have Batman and Robin teaming up with the Mystery Inc. gang in a time travel mystery. This is truly for younger kids or completists. Looks like a cartoon and reads like one too.

BATMAN/FORTNITE: ZERO POINT #1 by Christos N. Gage and Reilly Brown. So…here’s the setup, straight from DC’s website:” A crack splits the sky above Gotham City...a tear in reality itself. This rift pulls the Dark Knight into a bizarre and unfamiliar world, with no memory of who he is or where he came from. Batman has been drawn into Fortnite! As our hero fights to recall his past and escape an endless loop of chaos and struggle, he’ll come face to face with the likes of Renegade Raider, Fishstick, Bandolier and more. While the World’s Greatest Detective strives to make sense of this strange new world, he’ll uncover the shocking truth about the Island, what lies beyond the Loop and how everything is connected to the mysterious Zero Point.” Yeah…cash grab that has been super-hot because of the exclusive DLC codes included with each issue.

BETA RAY BILL #1 by Daniel Warren Johnson. The other Thor fights a Knullified Fin Fang Foom, before he goes on a quest to regain his humanity. And he almost gets it on with Sif, but she’s turned off by his appearance. The first f five issues. Yeah…it’s a little weird and sometimes cringy.

BLACK KNIGHT: CURSE OF THE BLACK BLADE #1 by Si Spurrier, Sergio Dávila and Sean Parsons. Coming out of events in KING IN BLACK, Dane Whitman has learned that he is the darkness that fuels the blade, not the other way around. So this Grade C level hero, considered a joke by fellow Avengers, is on a mission to find himself. This is a cool little psychological drama with some great dialogue and art. This could be fun and am curious to see where it goes from here.

CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNIVERSARY TRIBUTE #1 by Joe Simon, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, and a lot of artists. Similar to Marvel’s celebration of GIANT SIZE X-MEN #1, Cap gets the same treatment here with the story being retold panel by panel and page by page by a host of artists. Two stories from CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1, including the first appearances of Cap and also the Red Skull, and the classic AVENGERS #4 get the treatment. It’s quirky but fun, if you can handle each page having a different art team.

THE CONURING: THE LOVER #1 by David L. Johnson-McGoldrick, Rex Ogle, Scott Snyder, Garry Brown, Denys Cowan and Dave Johnson. Released to coincide with THE CONURING: THE DEVIL MADE ME DO IT, DC unleashes two new stories in a horror vein, along with some cool, retro ads. The main story continues into issue #2. I was okay and fills a hole left by the demise of the Archie horror line.

DARKHAWK: HEART OF THE HAWK #1 by Danny Fingeroth, Dan Abnett, Kyle Higgins, Mike Manley, Andrea Di Vito and Juanan Ramirez.Three tales that apparently brings an end to Chris Powell and sets in motion to rise of a new Darkhawk. The stories are okay but feel like stuff that came out of the inventory files.

DC FESTIVAL OF HEROES #1 by a host of creators. DC celebrates their Asian heroes with the huge 11 story collection featuring a whole host of heroes including Red Arrow, Green Lantern, Katana and more. Most importantly, it features the first appearance of the Monkey Prince, who apparently will get his own series in the future.

DC PRIDE # 1 by a host of creators. DC celebrates their LGBTQ+ heroes with the huge 9 story collection featuring a whole host of heroes including Batwoman, Midnighter, The Question, Harley Quinn, Green Lantern, The Flash and Aqualad. Most importantly, it features the first appearance of Dreamer, who apparently will get her own series in the future.

FANTASTIC FOUR LIFE STORY #1 by Mark Russell and Sean Izaakse. Like the Spider-Man title that came before, this series retells the FF story from the Sixties until now…with some major changes. Like…Johnny knows a guy named Ben Grimm, who they get from a bar. And Sue is the pilot. And Ricardo Jones is the guy who talks Ben into betraying the team. And Galactus was the big baddie from mission #1. So, if you don’t mind what can best be described as an imaginary tale, this is a fun read. Just forget everything you ever knew about the team.

GAMMA FLIGHT #1 by Al Ewing, Crystal Frasier and Lan Medina. The breakout hero team from THE IMMORTAL HULK gets their own mini-series. Puck, Titaia, Crusher Creek, Rick Jones/Del Frye, Doc Sasquatch and Dr. Charlene McGowan are on the run and now they come face to face with…the son of Hulk. This title will lead into/tie into the upcoming HULK series by Donny Cates.

GEIGER #1 by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank. In a post-apocalyptic future, Las Vegas is divided into seven kingdoms, each run by a series of unusual rulers. Twenty years ago, an atomic blast has transformed Tariq into something else, where he maintains his land, and possibly his family in an underground bunker, from trespassers. And, of course, the explosion that Tariq was exposed to has transformed Tariq into Geiger. A great interesting first issue with lots of plots dropped and fantastic art from Frank. It’s an interesting take on a Hulk origin story.

GIANT SIZE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: KING’S RANSOM #1 by Nick Spencer, Roge Antonio, Carlos Gomez and Ze Carlos. The current storyline comes to an end in an oversized one-shot. Spidey, in a new suit provided by JJJ, has teamed up with roommate Boomerang to track down the Lifeline Tablet pieces And Robbie Robertson and Tombstone has teamed up because their kids are dating. In the end (SPOILER), Boomerang takes a powder, Kingpin gets the Tablet and, instead of bringing his dead wife back, he uses it to bring back his son, The Rose.

HEROES REBORN #1 by Hason Aaron and Ed McGuiness. Welcome to a brave new world where The Avengers were never formed, Captain America is still in ice and the Squadron Supreme is the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. And only Luke Cage remembers how it used to be. It’s a multi-part epic with no less than 10 interconnected one shots. How did this happen? Who is responsible? And what will it take to fix it, if it can be fixed? All will be revealed. It feels like a fun, dumb 90’s crossover and it looks great. Will it change the landscape forever? We shall see.

HEY KIDS! COMICS! VOLUME II #1 by Howard Chaykin. This amazing romp through comics history is back, this time winding its’ way through the Fifties. There’s a change in the landscape as comics take a turn towards new directions. This leads to the industry coming under the magnifying glass of the government. Sound familiar? It should. Chaykin delivers in dropping breadcrumbs for comics historians to follow as art imitates life here. It’s a wonderful love letter to the business filled with Easter Eggs, like Peter Vance and Dick Altman’s signature logos looking a lot like Woof and Feldstein and the comic WAK in a familiar “mad” font. Highly recommended!

HOME #1 by Julio Anta and Anna Wieszczyk. A story ripped from today’s headlines! A mother and child cross into America from Mexico and get taken into custody. That’s when the family separation begins. But this is different as the child has superpowers. It’s a well written story that leaves the first issue with a cliffhanger.

HOT VALLEY DAYS AND COCAINE NIGHTS #1 by Matthew Spradlin and Sean E. DeMott. Here’s an unusual book from Antarctic Press, that is more known for NINJA HIGH SCHOOL. It’s an 80’s story that tells the tale of 15 year old Janie as she goes from small town Ohio to becoming the biggest drug dealer in Los Angeles. And it’s based on a true story. It’s a crazy tale with great art and a definite rush to read. Good luck though, as this book as underordered and, because of a nude variant cover on issue #2, has become a pricey title on the secondary market, meaning it could cost you upwards of $200.00 for the whole 3 issue mini-series.

THE INVINCIBLE RED SONJA #1 by Jimmy Palmiottti, Amanda Conner and Moritat. Another Dynamite Red Sonja title. Jimmy and Amanda write it with tongue in cheek…picture a barbarian Harley Quinn and you get the idea. Fun read with nice Moritat art.

MARJORIE FINNEGAN TEMPORAL CRIMINAL #1 by Garth Ennis and Goran Sudzuka. Ennis is back in this new 8 issue series from Upshot. It’s a wild, wacky time travelling adventure with a cast of crazy characters. It looks amazing and, in typical Ennis style, hits all the right buttons for comic weirdness. Upshot continues to deliver with some amazingly fun titles.

THE MARVELS #1 by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar.What happens when a regular guy encounters the heroes of Earth? You get this. An interesting story which feels like Busiek’s ASTRO CITY by his use of characters. It even looks a little like ASTRO CITY. What makes this work is that the heroes are part of the story, but not the stars of the story. Al in all, this loos like a winner.

THE MIGHTY CRUSADERS: THE SHIELD #1 by Rob Liefeld. Archie resurrects this classic team in this one-shot starring Joe Higgins: the original Shield, with cameos by most of the other classic characters like Flygirl, Fox and Black Hood. It’s more visuals than story but leaves us with a cliffhanger that may lead to a regular series. After all these years, Liefeld’s style hasn’t changed or lost steam.

THE MIGHTY VALKYRIES #1 by Jason Aaron, Torunn Gronbekk, Mattia De Iulis and Erica D’Urso. Anew anthology mini-series spinning out of KING IN BLACK. Two stories, one starring Jane Foster and Loki and the other billed as the “new Valkyrie story”. The Jane story is beautiful to see and has some funny moments involving Stephen Strange. The second tale reveals the new Valkyrie’s name as she travels to a distant planet. I’m curious to see where this goes and am in for more just for the main story.

THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #1 by James Tynion IV and Alvaro Martiunez Bueno. The surprise horror hit from DC! A bunch of people find themselves trapped in a house on the lake while the world comes to an end. It’s a beautifully illustrated mystery/horror tale that, after issue #1, leaves you with more questions than answers. Can’t wait for issue #2!

REDEMPTION #1 by Christina Faust and Mike Deodato Jr. The team that brought you BAD MOTHER, that I absolutely loved, hits the Old West in this new five issues mini-series. Did I say Old West…more like the Old West is the norm in this post-apocalyptic future. It’s equal arts DEADWOOD and MAD MAX. I love Faust’s writing and Deodato’s art…what can you say. He’s still knocking it out of the park after all this time.

THE RISE #1 by George C. Romero and Diego Yapur. George Junior gives us a well-crafted prologue(his words, not mine) to his father’s classic NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD. Set in the era of Kennedy, it promises to explain how the zombie outbreak began. A fun read with killer art. If you’re a horror fan, you need to add this, which is promised to be eventually collected into a graphic novel. So, if you’ve missed the openings chapters in this comic, be patient.

RWBY/JUSTICE LEAGUE #1 by Marguerite Bennett and Aneke. I know nothing about RWBY but this seems like they’ve mashed up those characters with DC heroes. Personally, it did nothing for me.

SILK #1 by Maurene Goo and Takeshi Miyazawa. Cindy Moon, for those uninitiated, was once bitten by the same spider that bit Peter Parker and thus she got powers too. But those powers allow her to shoot webs straight out of her fingertips…no web shooter required. Then she got locked in a bunker for 10 years. Well, the hero known as Silk has a new job as cub reporter for J. Jonah Jameson’s website. Because of her publishing an article about a gangland slaying, Silk ends up becoming JJJ’s personal bodyguard. I expected this book to just be average, but I rather enjoyed it, with a fun story and a well-developed character while the art is obviously Manga inspired. This is a different little Marvel title that has potential.

SPAWN UNIVERSE #1 by Todd McFarlane, Jim Cheung, Brett Booth, Stephen Segovia and Marcio Takara. After 318 issues, a new Spawn Universe is born. I have to admit, it’s been a very long time since I read the series, with the exception of issue #300, so I have no real clue as to what is going on here. But, I guess we have a host of Spawns which will star soon in the own series. KING SPAWN comes in August, GUNSLINGER SPAWN in October and THE SCORCHED in December. We have four stories starring King Spawn, Gunslinger, Medieval Spawn and She-Spawn. It’s a fun read, even if I don’t understand it!

STAR WARS: WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS ALPHA by Charles Soule and Steve McNiven. The biggest STAR WARS comic event ever that is being told over five months in 33 chapters. Boba Fett has Hans Solo and everyone is after him. If you’re a STAR WARS fan, you know that you’re diving in head first. The story is cool, the art is great and this leads into a long, deep dive that ends in October.

STRANGE ATTRACTORS #1 by Mark Sherman and Michael Cohen. One of my favorite independent comics of the 90’s is back, and I couldn’t be happier! This strange space tale is still an amazing black and white jaunt, with trippy graphics and a fun back story, complete with fictional comic books included. This has been a long wait of close to 30 years and brings me back to the days of the black and white boom. And with a variant cover from WANDERING STAR’s Teri S. Wood, it rolls back my clock to a simpler time in my life.

SUPERMAN RED AND BLUE #1 by Marguerite Bennett, Wes Craig, Brandon M. Easton, John Ridley, Dan Watters, Wes Craig, Clayton Henry, Steve Lieber, Dani Strips, Jill Thompson. An interesting anthology title from DC with two tone tales of the Man of Steel. All are interesting takes on sides of Superman’s life and was just a fun departure from the continuing storyline. Since everything now is supposedly in continuity, I guess this is important to have to a completist. But to be honest, I picked it up because of the contributors list, specifically Ridley and Thompson.

THE UNITED STATES OF CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 by Christopher Cantwell, Josh Trujillo, Dale Eaglesham and Jan Bazaldua. Wile Cap questions what is going wrong in our country, someone busts in and steals his shield, leading to a country wide search for it with The Falcon. Along the way, he meets Aaron Fisher: the Captain America of the Railways. Aaron is gay and he finds himself defending the homeless and abused. It’s the first issue of this mini-series which will highlight different “regular” folks that are embracing the true American ideals.

VAMPIRELLA VERSUS PURGATORI #1 by Ray Fawkes and Alvaro Sarraseca. Dynamite mines the legion of Vampi fans with another series which takes place in current continuity. But seriously: do we need another book? And while it IS in continuity, it feels off as Fawkes dialogue doesn’t jibe with Priest’s. She just comes off here with some really stilted dialogue that feels silly.

THE WAY OF X #1 by Si Spurrier and Bob Quinn. Another X book? Seriously Marvel: enough already! It’s another team book, this time led by Nightcrawler and features a host of C listers like DJ and Doctor Nemesis. Spoiler: Legion is back.

X-CORPS #1 by Tini Howard and Alberto Foche. Yet ANOTHER X book!!! Because the mutants need to make money, X-Corp is made, with Warren Worthington at the helm. Nothing like a book where mutant heroes run a drug company. For the record, this now makes 11 monthly X titles. 11!!! And soon, Hickman’s INFERNO, which will bring us an even dozen. And I bet you thought there were too many BATMAN titles in the world!