HOT FIVE: Week Of January 4, 2017

Welcome to the first Comicosity Hot Five of 2017. Hot Five is a short list of the top books we think you’ll want to be checking out. Be they new title launches, key issues or just continuing stories from some of the industry’s most acclaimed books, this list is your guaranteed gold in the comic market.

JUSTICE LEAGUE #12
Written by Tim Seeley
Art by Christian Duce
Published by DC Comics – $2.99

A “JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. SUICIDE SQUAD” tie-in! Behold the rebirth of one of the DC Universe’s most cunning villains as [REDACTED].

Why It’s Hot: The first tie-in to Justice League vs. Suicide Squad is here, and it’s a doozy. The secret is out, as “REDACTED” has been revealed to be Maxwell Lord. One of the most cunning DC villains made his return in the afformentioned mini series event, and this issue is essentially his Rebirth special. Where has Max been? How does he fit into the current DC continuity? Just how powerful is he? What’s his relationship to Amanda Waller and how does it connect directly to the events of the main series? Questions will be answered, more will be raised, and we all be reminded of what makes Maxwell Lord so scary.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE ATOM REBIRTH
Written by Steve Orlando
Art by Andy MacDonald
Published by DC Comics – $2.99

SPINNING OUT OF THE PAGES OF JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. SUICIDE SQUAD!

Meet Ryan Choi, prodigious theoretical physics student with severe allergies and crippling social anxiety. But little does young Ryan know, his first day at Ivy University marks the start of an epic journey into the very heart of the DC Universe! One shot

Why It’s Hot: One of the most underrated characters of the past ten years, and one of the best Asian superheroes period is back after way too long an absence. Fans have been waiting for Ryan Choi to return for years, and while those wishes were granted in DC Universe: Rebirth there was radio silence for months. Fans were left wondering when The Atom would show up again until it was revealed that he would be a part of Steve Orlando’s new Justice League Of America lineup. To get ready for the new series The Atom gets his own Rebirth special, and Ryan Choi fans will rejoice!

SUPERMAN #14
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Patrick Gleason
Published by DC Comics – $2.99

“MULTIPLICITY” part one! The New Super-Man of China has been taken! The Red Son Superman of Earth-30 has been beaten! And who knows what’s happened to Sunshine Superman! Someone is collecting Supermen across the Multiverse-this looks like a job for our Kal-El as he is joined by Justice Incarnate in this multi-Earth epic!

Why It’s Hot: One of the most exciting things to happen last year was the complete revitalization of the Superman character, and two of the creators responsible for The Man Of Steel’s resurgence have been Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason. Fresh off being chosen as one of Comicosity’s Best Series of 2016, Superman is beginning 2017 with a big story featuring multiversal shenanigans. After seeing what this team did with this one version of Superman, it will be exciting to see what they do with multiple versions.

THE UNSTOPPABLE WASP #1
Written by Jeremy Whitley
Art by Elsa Charretier
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99

Girl. Genius. Hero. Unstoppable.

Nadia spent the entire first half of her life a captive of The Red Room, but now this teenage super-scientist is on her own for the first time, and she’s ready to spread her wings!  Hank Pym’s daughter has a lot of time to make up for and she’s determined to change the world.  You know, if she can get her U.S. citizenship first. Guest-starring Ms. Marvel and Mockingbird!

Why It’s Hot:  With books like Ms. Marvel, The Mighty Thor, Spider-Woman, Jessica Jones, Captain Marvel, All New Wolverine, Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur, Black Widow, Invincible Iron Man, Spider-Gwen, Patsy Walker A.K.A. Hellcat, Hawkeye, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Hulk, Silk, The Unbelievable Gwenpool, Gamora, Scarlet Witch, Doctor Aphra, and the recently completed Mockingbird Marvel has been leading the way with their slew of female led solo titles. The most remarkable part of this has been the quality of these comics. Of all the titles listed above there hasn’t been one stinker in the group so far. That makes anticipation for The Unstoppable Wasp grow larger by the moment. With a fascinating new character that has ties to Avengers history, a possible realtionship with the evil WHISPER organization, and promise to focus on women in the sciences, this has all the potential to be among the very best of near twenty female led titles. I haven’t even mentioned the creative team that includes rising star writer Jeremy Whitley with his first major Marvel gig, and the simply amazing Elsa Charretier on art.

U.S.AVENGERS #1
Written by Al Ewing
Art by Paco Medina
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99

In a world beset by danger, the United States of America needs a team of heroes they can rely on. Welcome to… American Intelligence Mechanics! A.I.M. will dare any danger – no matter how awesome that danger might be – to save their nation from the wildest, weirdest threats of all! The most patriotic super-group ever is here to save the day. And they’ll do it all looking tried and true in the red, white & blue! Can you live without… the U.S.Avengers?

Why It’s Hot: New Avengers was one of Marvel’s best comics over the past year, and this is continuing the story of Roberto DaCosta’s ever evolving take on A.I.M. The end of New Avengers saw Avengers Idea Mechanics take down every splinter cell of A.I.M and make a deal to join up with the American government. The title of the comic might make people roll their eyes, but fans of Ewing’s take on Sunspot and company know that this series will be great. This will be the perfect spot for readers to jump on to A.I.M.’s continuing adventures. Despite a few changes in the lineup that saw a gay couple, a latinx female, and a black man leave with the end of New Avengers, USAvengers will still have one of the most diverse casts in a Big 2 comic. Based on what we know the initial team lineup will feature a Brazilian POC team leader in Sunspot, a lesbian couple with one half being an Asian scientist wearing the Iron Patriot armor, a mixed race female Captain America, Squirrel Girl, and only two white guys (Cannonball and Red Hulk). That would 4 girls, 3 guys, 2 LGBT characters, 3 POC characters, and a whole lot of awesome superhero comic booking.

ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK: Avengers #3, Batman #14, Deadpool The Duck #1, The Fall And Rise Of Captain Atom #1, Hawkeye #2, Justice League Vs. Suicide Squad #3, The Unstoppable Thor #3

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