HOT FIVE (plus one): Week of May 27, 2015

Welcome to Comicosity’s Hot Five. 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!

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CONVERGENCE #8
Written by Jeff King & Scott Lobdell
Art by Carlo Pagulayan & Stephen Segovia
Published by DC Comics – $4.99

All the heroes of the DC Universe unite to face a crisis of infinite proportions – but when all is done, there can be only one reality. But will even that survive the battle?

Why It’s Hot:  Convergence has undoubtedly been successful. Designed as a stop gap to be published while DC made the move from New York to Burbank, the event has been everything fans expected, and then a bit more.  With tie ins that have brought many people back to their early days of comic book reading, the nostalgia has been high. To be able to capture that feeling has been one of the events’ greatest strengths. However, as great as the tie ins have been, one of the weakest parts of the whole thing has been the main series itself. It has been sloppy, and uneven at times, but the quality has really picked up in quality by leaps and bounds these past few weeks. If feels like we are just now getting a main title that is living up to the quality of the tie ins, and it’s the rug is being pulled out from under us. How will it all end? What it mean for all of these past versions of our favorite DC characters? Is this really a final goodbye? I never thought I’d want an ongoing Convergence title, but now I’m a believer. If this is truly the end then I expect it to go out with a bang!

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DEADLY CLASS #13
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Wesley Craig & Lee Loughridge
Published by Image Comics – $3.50

It’s back to school for Marcus after barely surviving a cartel kill-squad. But he’s about to discover that even hardened teenage assassins aren’t immune to the ravages of broken hearts and breakup notes.

Why It’s Hot: What Remender, Craig, and Loughridge have done over the course of the first twelve issues of Deadly Class has been nothing short of special. If you follow me over on Twitter (@jpooch21) you have probably seen me gushing about how great this series is. If you are a frequent visitor to Comicosity you have probably seen one of our reviews and know how much we adore this title. If you read our Best of 2014 Awards you know how beloved this title is by many of the staff here. The crazy part? Deadly Class just keeps getting better. Some people may find the number thirteen to be unlucky but for Rick Remwnder and crew it is anything but, because this week’s issue ranks among the best of the series. It’s Deadly Class week. That means it’s time to strap on your diaper, get ready to laugh, to cheer, to cry, to gasp out loud, as the best comic book currently being published takes you on an emotional roller coaster that only it can.

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FIGHT CLUB 2 #1
Written by Chuck Palhanuik
Art by Cameron Stewart
Published by Dark Horse Comics – $3.99

Some imaginary friends never go away . . .
Ten years after starting Project Mayhem, he lives a mundane life. A kid, a wife, pills to keep his destiny at bay. But it won’t last long; the wife has seen to that. The time has come . . .

Why It’s Hot: Whether it be the original novel, or the beloved David Fincher movie adaptation, Fight Club has become something of a cultural phenomenon over the past nineteen years. Even if you’ve never read the book or seen the movie there’s a good chance you know the rules of Fight Club, and recognize the name Tyler Durden. After years of fans hoping for a sequel it’s finally here in the form of a twelve issue series from Dark Horse Comics. Chuck Palhanuik could have written another novel, or made a movie, but he decided to use the comic book medium to tell this highly anticipated story. That means a lot to the industry, and it is no wonder that Dark Horse has been as excited as they are. It is arguably the biggest Dark Horse comic since Star Wars: Dark Empire back in 1991, and has potential to be one of the biggest comics period of 2015. Palhanuik is joined by Eisner Award winning artist Cameron Stewart (Seaguy, Batman and Robin) on interiors, and the great David Mack (Kabuki, Daredevil) on covers. The result is a solid return to the world of The Narrator. You can check out my advance review HERE.

 

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OLD MAN LOGAN #1
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Published by Marvel Comics – $4.99

Enter the Wastelands…a realm where all heroes have been murdered by their arch-enemies, villains who now rule over the land with an iron fist. In the midst of this dystopian chaos, one man may make a difference…a reluctant warrior who was once the greatest mutant of all…a man known as OLD MAN LOGAN.

Why It’s Hot: Mark Millar and Steve McNiven blew the comic book world away when they unleashed Old Man Logan onto the world in the pages of Wolverine in 2008. The work of two of the industry’s biggest names turned this Wolverine meets Unforgiven story into one of the “The Ol’ Canuklehead’s” most highly regarded adventures. Now flash forward seven years, and with Secret Wars upon us it only made sense to include Old Man Logan. Millar and McNiven may not be working on the new series, but Marvel has tapped a creative team that can no doubt live up to the original. Brian Michael Bendis (All-New X-Men, Guardians of The Galaxy) has been Marvel’s go to writer for over a decade, and Andrea Sorrentino (I,Vampire, Green Arrow) may just be the best artist working today. The duo turned out two of the best X-Men issues in recent memory with the two part story that ran in the All-New X-Men and Uncanny X-Men annuals, and there is reason to be very excited for this series.

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WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #1
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Russell Braun
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99

GARTH ENNIS returns to Marvel Comics proper and he’s bringing his The Boys collaborator Russ Braun along with him! Fighter planes and dinosaurs collide in this raucous tale that starts with the classic Marvel character Phantom Eagle and digs much deeper!

Why It’s Hot: One of the biggest joys of the Secret Wars event in its early going has been not only the quality of the tie ins, but the variety of the genres represented. We’ve seen comics like Planet Hulk and Master of Kung Fu embrace genres that we don’t see too often in traditional Marvel comics. This event has allowed creators to go all in, take chances, and tell crazy stories. This seems to be the perfect time for the return of Garth Ennis (Punisher MAX, War Stories, Preacher) to Marvel Comics, as there aren’t many creators willing to go all out and take chances quite like Ennis. He has brought along artist Russ Braun (The Boys) to reimagine fighter pilot The Phantom Eagle on Battleworld fighting dinosaurs. Airplanes, dinosaurs, Ennis, OH MY. This just may be another overlooked Secret Wars tie in that ends turning out to be awesome.

BONUS BOOK:

I know the title of this column is Hot Five, but sometimes a week comes along that makes it nearly impossible to pick just five books. I’ve been lucky enough to be given some latitude on this from Mr. Long, and I try not to abuse the privilege. This week I wanted to draw special attention to the first issue of Material by Ales Kot and Will Tempest. I couldn’t decide which of the six books listed in the column this week wouldn’t make it. I decided to make Material the bonus book because it is the one that deserves the extra attention.

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MATERIAL #1
Written by Ales Kot
Art by Will Tempest
Published by Image Comics – $3.50

A man comes home from Guantanamo Bay, irrevocably changed.
An actress receives an offer that can revive her career.
A boy survives a riot and becomes embedded within a revolutionary movement.
A philosopher is contacted by a being that dismantles his beliefs.

Look around you. Everything is material.

Why It’s Hot: As I alluded to above, the first issue of Material is a special comic book. With the amount of new comics being released every week it is hard to keep up with every new launch that happens. There are so many awesome comic books out there that it becomes easy to overlook something special. Well friends, do not overlook this comic. Material appears to be a response to everything that the brilliant Ales Kot has seen go on in the world around him. He has responded in way he knows he can effectively convey his feelings – by writing. What Kot and artist Will Tempest have put it into this first issue is deeply personal, and you can tell just how much the subject matter means to the creators involved. The end result may just be one of the most important comics of the year. This will no doubt get people talking, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets attention from the national media. It is important, thought provoking, timely, and will leave you wanting more.

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