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.
ALL NEW GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
Written by Gerry Duggan
Art by Aaron Kuder
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99
A NEW ERA OF COSMIC ADVENTURE BEGINS HERE!
The Guardians of the Galaxy have taken off into space once more, on their biggest and weirdest misadventures yet! Kicking things off with the biggest heist they’ve ever tried, we join Star-Lord, Rocket Raccoon and company as they blast their way through the galaxy, the peacekeepers of the Nova Corps hot on their tails. And once they find themselves caught in a war between The Collector and The Grandmaster, there will hardly be time to explain why Groot can’t grow any bigger, what Gamora is searching for or why Drax has sworn off violence! But don’t worry, we will – with a new twice-monthly schedule, All-New Guardians of the Galaxy has space for ALL your Marvel Cosmic needs!
Why It’s Hot: Gerry Duggan has become one of Marvel’s most reliable writers over the past few years with his run on Nova, his recently completed run on Uncanny Avengers, and his tenure on Deadpool. So he has experience with the cosmic side of the Marvel Universe, writing a team book, and writing humor. He sounds like a perfect fit for Star-Lord and crew. Then you have Aaron Kuder whose work on Action Comics catapulted him into the upper echelon of artists. Oh yeah, there’s a little movie starring these characters that opened last weekend around the world, and opens on Friday here in North America.
BLACK BOLT #1
Written by Saladin Ahmed
Art by Christian Ward
Published by Marvel Comics – $3.99
THE KING OF THE INHUMANS’ FIRST SOLO SERIES!
Black Bolt imprisoned! But by who? And where exactly? The answers to both will shock you! But to learn those answers, Black Bolt must first win a fight to the death with a fellow inmate – The Absorbing Man! Award-winning science fiction writer Saladin Ahmed (Throne of the Crescent Moon) crafts a story as trippy as it is action-packed, with truly mind-bending art from the one and only Christian Ward!
Why It’s Hot: Marvel has been trying so hard for the past few years to make the Inhumans happen. The property has essentially been the Roman Reigns of the comic book world (That was a wrestling reference for those of you that don’t know). I think they might have figured ot all out. I mean Saladin Ahmed making his comic book debut alongside the amazing Christian Ward for Black Bolt’s first ever solo series? This comic is going to be great. Black Bolt alone should be enough to get the readers excited for the Inhumans, but add it to Al Ewing’s Royals, and Matthew Rosenberg’s upcoming Secret Warriors; and all of the sudden the franchise is one of the most exciting line of books coming from either of the Big 2.
DAMNED #1
Written by Cullen Bunn
Art by Brian Hurtt
Published by Oni Press Inc. – $1.00
“Ill-Gotten”: Part 1-In a Prohibition-era world where demonic princes pull the strings that make crime families dance, Eddie is a mortal with two things working for him. First of all, he can’t die. Well, he can and does, quite often, but he doesn’t stay down for long. Second, Eddie runs the Gehenna Room, a nightclub with a strict “no demons allowed” policy. But blessings and curses don’t look all that different these days, and failing to tell the two apart can get a guy killed-over and over again in Eddie’s case. So when one of Eddie’s old pals shows up seeking sanctuary, Eddie knows he’s in for a double-cross, and that means walking the line between salvation and damnation once more.
Why It’s Hot: Bunn and Hurtt are a great creative team, as shown by their stellar The Sixth Gun. Oni Press has gotten the team back together for another period piece with a twist, and it looks every bit as good as you’d expect from this team. It’s also only a dollar, so there’s almost no way you should pass up giving this new series a shot.
ETERNAL EMPIRE #1
Written by Sarah Vaughn & Jonathan Luna
Art by Jonathan Luna
Published by Image Comics – $3.99
JONATHAN LUNA (ALEX + ADA, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman: Origin) and SARAH VAUGHN (ALEX + ADA, Deadman: Dark Mansion of Forbidden Love, Ruined) return with ETERNAL EMPIRE, a fantasy epic!
The Eternal Empress has waged war against the countries of Saia for over one hundred years and now her sights are set on the last country standing. Within the brutal Empire’s workforce, a young woman receives strange visions that give her the courage to escape her fate…or run straight toward it.
Why It’s Hot: Speaking of creative teams making their return on a new project, Sarah Vaughn and Jonathan Luna are also back with a new series. We were big, big fans of their previous collaboration in Alex & Ada, and anything they did next together would be worthy of inclusion in this column. With that said, it definitely doesn’t hurt that the premise of Eternal Empire sounds like something this team will do wonderful things with.
INJUSTICE 2 #1
Written by Tom Taylor
Art by Bruno Redondo & Juan Alberran
Published by DC Comics – $2.99
The all-new prequel to the highly anticipated Injustice 2 video game begins here! Original INJUSTICE writer Tom Taylor continues the story from the hit series INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US. Superman is imprisoned, and it’s up to Batman to put the world back together. But with Superman’s iron-fisted regime eliminated, other forces rise up to fill the void. And Batman doesn’t have a lot of allies left to help stop them.
Why It’s Hot: Injustice: Gods Among Us was a good video game, but even better comic book. The world that Tom Taylor developed for the game’s prequel was one of the best takes on an alternate DC Universe that you will ever see, and made the game even more enjoyable. After leaving late in the series’ run, Taylor has returned for Injustice 2, which serves as both a sequel to the original game and comic, and a prequel to this month’s release of the video game. You don’t have to be a gamer to enjoy this one.
HIDDEN GEM OF THE WEEK:
CATALYST PRIME: NOBLE
Written by Brandon Thomas
Art by Roger Robinson
Published by Lion Forge – $3.99
Catalyst Prime has begun! One year after “The Event”, missing astronaut David Powell has resurfaced! With dangerous new abilities and no memory of the man he once was. While desperately trying to regain his identity David quickly finds himself a man on the run from shadowy forces as well as his forgotten past. From writer Brandon Thomas (Horizon, Civil War II: Choosing Sides), artist Roger Robinson (Batman: Gotham Knights, Solo Avengers), and colorist Juan Fernandez.
Why It’s Shiny: Lion Forge has seemingly been promoting Catalyst Prime forever, but it still seems to have flown under the radar. Well, the diversity minded superhero universe shouldn’t be ignored, and the first series, Noble, from Brandon Thomas and Roger Robinson gets the ball rolling. The comic community discusses the issue of diversity quite a bit, and Catalyst Prime is an opportunity to take the conversation, and make something positive come out of it. If the books are as good as the intent, we could be seeing the beginning of something special this week.
ALSO AVAILABLE THIS WEEK: G.I. Joe #5, Hawkeye #6, Jean Grey #1,Jessica Jones #8, Pestilence #1, Superman #22, Tekken #1
