Immortal Men #1
For my first pick, I’m going to go ahead with DC’s Immortal Men, written by James Tynion IV with art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. I’ve always found immortality fascinating, and DC has an interesting group of immortal characters: Ra’s Al Ghul, Vandal Savage… it’s a neat literary trick to have a character that literally stands the test of time. With Immortal Men, James Tynion is reintroducing The Immortal Man, a contemporary of Vandal Savage, who was first introduced in the Silver Age. Locked into battle with his fellow immortal foe, The Immortal Man recruits a young metahuman to his crusade, and their adventures form the basis of this series. I’ve long enjoyed James Tynion’s writing; his current Detective Comics run is one of my favorite DC Comics period, and I’m excited to see his take on this battle of long lived DC characters, as well as any flashbacks he throws in. Throw in Jim Lee’s stunning, intricate art and you have a nice recipe for success. Immortal Men is schedule to hit shops March 14th!
Ghoul Scouts Vol. 2: I Was A Tweenage Werewolf #1
My next pick is one from Action Lab Entertainment, Ghoul Scouts Vol. 2: I Was A Tweenage Werewolf #1. Written by Steve Bryant, with art by Mark Stegbauer and Jason Millet, Ghoul Scouts follows a group of middle-school scouts living in the Paranormal Capital of the World, Full Moon Hollow. The kids investigate a new threat. I selected this book because it seems that there’s a dearth of material for younger readers that isn’t meant for 4 – 5 year olds. I’ve seen several editorials and social media posts lamenting the lack of comic book product for children aged 10 – 16. The reviews for the first volume of this book are very positive, with such comic luminaries as Mark Waid praising it. We may review the first volume in the future. Until then, check out Ghoul Scouts: I Was A Tweenage Werewolf #1 on March 7th!
Doctor Star & The Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows #1
My first Preview’s pick is the new upcoming Doctor Star & The Kingdom of Lost Tomorrows #1 written by Jeff Lemire, drawn by Dave Stewart, colored by Max Fiumara, and lettered by Nate Piekos. The story of an older crime fighter reaching out to connect with his son will be the second expansion into Lemire’s ongoing Black Hammer storyline. Any fan of 50’s era sci-fi will love the fresh take on tried-and-true archetypes in Black Hammer and I am excited for this next installment. As a bonus, when picking up Doctor Star #1 check out the trade paperback of the first expansion, Sherlock Frankenstein & The Legion of Evil. Both titles, published by Dark Horse, will be available on May 9th and you definitely won’t regret picking them up.
New Mutants: Dead Souls #1
Since the team hasn’t been together since 2012, my clear second pick is New Mutants: Dead Souls #1 written by Matthew Rosenberg, drawn by Adam Gorham, and colored by Ryan Stegman—the letterer information was not solicited by Marvel. I have a personal bias for anything X-Men, but when Matthew Rosenberg is writing I know the characters will be handled well and the story will be incredible. This will be the first issue of the mini-series—I know major fans wish it was an on-going—and I’m excited to see some long-forgotten favorites like Wolfsbane, Boom-Boom, and Strong Guy! I also think Adam Gorham’s art will be perfect for the mildly weird, outcast team of mutants stuck in the middle of a paranormal story. Marvel’s slated New Mutants: Dead Souls #1 to arrive in your local comic book store on March 14th, and I assure you it will be worth a read.
Young Animal Wave 2
Last year, DC Comics decided to create an entirely new imprint of their company with Young Animal. I applauded the decision because frankly, the Big Two should feel comfortable branching out of the superhero genre every now and then. Luckily, all of the books that came out of Young Animal were sensational and now a year later, Cave Carson Has An Interstellar Eye, Eternity Girl, Mother Panic: Gotham AD, and Shade: The Changing Woman are all books I know I HAVE to check out. Cave Carson continues where the last story left off, with Jon Rivera taking over as solo writer and the continued work of Michael Avon Oeming, who is having a creative renaissance! I love Cybernetic Eye and I’m excited to watch the scope of the series grow. Then, Shade grows up in The Changing Woman and to call her experience thus far a series of growing pains would be putting it lightly. Marley Zarcone is really delivering some absolutely bizarre and unique art, creating a surreal representation of reality. The story by Cecil Castellucci has been great so far, so I can only imagine more great things soon. Plus, Jody Houser is back for another round of Mother Panic and the new status quo sounds great. The new path is like a freaky dystopian Gotham without capes and I’m super excited to see how Ibrahim Moustafa brings it to life after a sadistic run on Savage Things for Vertigo. Admittedly, not much is known about Eternity Girl, but I’m willing to give it a shot with the one-two punch of Kim & Kim writer Mags Visaggio and artist Sonny Liew. This could be the sleeper hit of the Spring. Also, she’s fighting somebody names Madame Atom and that’s like the best name ever.
New Mutants: Dead Souls #1
For my money, Matt Rosenberg is one of the best writers in comics right now. Having read the majority of his body of work, I can say that he does not disappoint and in fact his attention to continuity and character surpass many more established writers. That’s what has me pumped to see him on one of my favorite teams, the New Mutants. I first fell in love with the New Mutants when I was a teen but I have been sad to see the team wasted in recent years, split apart and thrown about. Here, we see Rosenberg assembling a couple of original members while also bringing in some random mutants that could use a bit of spotlight. Part New Mutants, part X-Factor, I love this team and Adam Gorham has done some great work in the last year so I think this book will be a lot of fun. It definitely helps that Boom-Boom is on the team, because she’s super awesome and deserves tons of love. I think I have a thing for silly codenames.