How can there be both too many comics and still not nearly enough?
The idea of finding something new to read can seem daunting. If you’re looking to jump into a new book, the staff of ComicsXF can point you in the direction of some of our favorite recent releases and currently ongoing titles.
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- Greg Pak
- Raffaele Ienco
- Marvel
- Pre-Teen
Genre
Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Villain Protagonist
Plot
In the shattering climax of The Empire Strikes Back, Luke Skywalker rejected his father’s offer to turn to the Dark Side. Now Vader embarks on a bloody mission of rage-filled revenge against everything and everyone who helped to hide and corrupt his only son. But Vader must overcome shocking new challenges from his own dark past, including a hauntingly familiar face that will challenge everything he knows!
Where to jump on
Issue 1 (February 2020). Currently ongoing, monthly.
Why You'll Love It
After his fateful confrontation with his son in the Cloud City, Darth Vader’s greatest obstacle stands before him – his own psyche.
Greg Pak masterfully digs into the mind and soul of Anakin Skywalker during one of the most interesting stretches of his life. If you felt like the Star Wars franchise had lost its magic, Pak has found it again.
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- Jonathan Hickman
- Mike Huddleston
- Image
- Adult
Genre
Sci-Fi. Noir. Avant-garde.
Space Cowboy/Bounty Hunter
Plot
In an undetermined time, in a nameless galaxy, warring factions play a game of cat and mouse with a power that’s the key to, well, everything. Meanwhile, a young gofer, working off a debt to keep her brother alive, delivers a package to an assassin. Yet it’s her, not the package, the assassin takes interest in. Told over a broad expanse of time and space, Decorum is a story of revenge, retribution, and rebirth told at a galactic scale that answers the eternal question “What is the purpose of it all?” as beautifully indirectly as possible.
Where to jump on
Issue 1 (March 2020). 8 Issue series.
Why You'll Love It
From one of the most heralded minds in comics (Jonathan Hickman) and one of the most gifted hands in comic art (Mike Huddleston), Decorum is comic book for lovers of comic books. It’s dense and layered. The story is non-linear. The illustrations and coloring change at a moment’s notice. There are info-graphics and digressions abound. It’s also gorgeous and ambitious. The story is engaging and unique. There is humor, and anger; emotion and thought. And again, some of the most beautifully abstract art I’ve ever seen. Start from the beginning. Take your time. And feel yourself enveloped within a galaxy on the beautiful precipice of annihilation. Enter at your own risk, and be ready to return again and again and again.
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- Kieron Gillen
- Esad Ribić
- Marvel
- Teen
Genre
Superhero
Plot
The Eternals have remained constant – unchanging – while centuries of human history have flashed before their eyes. Some change is too great to resist, however. The death of Zuras kicks off a murder mystery where just about everyone is a suspect, though the clues point toward the one Eternal they had hoped to bury forever. Ikaris and Sprite must root out the traitor in their midst, and for once time is not on their side. As the bodies keep piling up, and with no way to resurrect them – the Machine/Earth is broken – the Eternals may just need to change or die for good.
Where to jump on
Issue 1 (January 2021) Currently ongoing, monthly.
Why You'll Love It
This series is the emphatic answer to “why should I care about the Eternals?” In just the first issue, Kieron Gillen lays the groundwork for one of the best runs of this title we’ve ever seen. He’s pulled together all of the most exciting elements of their history and cobbled together an ambitious map forward into uncharted territory. Esad Ribić and Matthew Wilson’s combined artistic prowess deliver page upon page of awe-inspiring set pieces and action so visceral you feel the weight of every punch thrown.
Gillen’s character work is perhaps the most impressive feat. He gives you a reason to care about Ikaris for maybe the first time, and finds new depth for characters like Thena and Sersi. This comic is both completely new-reader-friendly and endlessly satisfying for die-hard fans, and it doesn’t hurt that it’s one of the best looking Marvel books on the shelves.
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- Matt Wagner
- Matt Wagner
- Dark Horse
- Adult
Genre
Sci-Fi, Space Travel, Quest Narrative
Plot
In the far future, Earth is about to die from a lack of resources and violent squabbles within the Grendel Empire. The last Grendel Khan, the warlord whose dynasty has ruled Earth for over a century, has only one hope left for humanity. Grendel Prime, the nigh-immortal cyborg who has served the Assante clan of Khans for nearly as long as there have been Khans, must head off into space and find a new planet for humanity to inhabit. Follow Grendel Prime and his floating robot sidekick, Sigma 7, as they travel from world to world, looking for a new home for humanity.
Where to jump on
Issue 1 (October 2019). Eight issue series
Why You'll Love It
You don’t need to know any of the thirty plus years of backstory to enjoy Devil’s Odyssey, a wild, spacefaring adventure inspired by such diverse material as classic Heavy Metal and Gulliver’s Travels. Matt Wagner is a creator at the height of his powers, creating alien races that are not your typical “humans with a twist,” while writing crisp bantering dialogue between the dower Grendel Prime and the curious and philosophical Sigma 7, interspersed with some of the best action scenes in comics. Every time Matt Wagner returns to Grendel, he does something new and fascinating, and Devil’s Odyssey is setting up a whole new universe for Grendel to expand into.
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- Gerry Dugan
- Matteo Lolli
- Marvel
- Teen
Genre
Superhero, Swashbuckling,
Plot
Ahoy, muties – the X-Men sail at dawn! Mutantkind has begun a glorious new era on Krakoa, but some nations’ human authorities are preventing mutants from escaping to this new homeland. Which is where Captain Kate Pryde and her high-seas allies come in! Funded by Emma Frost and the Hellfire Trading Company, Kate and her crew of Storm, Pyro, Bishop and Iceman sail the seven seas to liberate their fellow mutants – as the Marauders!
Where to jump on
Issue 1 (October 2019).
Why You'll Love It
Marauders feels like a classic X-team book, set within the current Krakoan era. It’s a series that manages to contain swashbuckling adventures and team field trips to a tattoo parlor alongside characters going through intense grief.
There’s piracy, corporate intrigue, and a dragon companion. What else could you ask for? It maintains a good balance between high-seas battles and small character moments, so whichever you’re interested in, Marauders has you covered.
Added bonus: The first on-panel confirmation that Kate Pryde isn’t straight.
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- Marjorie Liu
- Sana Takeda
- Image
- Adult
Genre
Dark Fantasy, JRPG
Plot
Teenage orphan Maika Halfwolf claws her way back up from nothing, one-handed and determined to uncover the hidden secrets of her past. Her questions only intensify when the horrific, extradimensional god-being residing within her reveals itself. The two find themselves in the middle of an encroaching war between humans and the magically-infused Arcanics (a race descended from animal deities to which Maika belongs). Every faction on all sides of the conflict wants the power that Maika possesses, but she’s had enough of being anyone’s pawn. First, however, she’ll need to come to terms with the monster(s) inside.
Where to jump on
Volume 5: Warchild (October 2020)
Why You'll Love It
This lush, fantasy opus by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda is Killing Eve blended with Final Fantasy Tactics. Takeda dominates on the aesthetic level page after page with gilded brilliance – this is a consistently gorgeous comic that goes above and beyond with costuming, setting, and action. The story is as rich as the artwork, with a fully realized world of gods, many-tailed cats, lesbian intrigue, and brutal warfare.
As the series marches toward a sixth collected volume, it’s showing no sign of running out of ideas. Liu is excellent at telling smaller arcs that advance the larger plot bit by bit, timing the big payoffs for maximum impact. The lore is dense and the worldbuilding is elaborate, unfolding naturally over time, intuitive in its own way. Lui’s handling of character is equally special – the friendship between Maika and Kippa is so endearing, and where do you even start with Tuya’s whole thing. Monstress is a treasure on every conceivable level.
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- Stan Sakai
- Stan Sakai
- IDW
- Teen
Genre
Adventure, Funny Animals, Samurai
Plot
Miyamoto Usagi, once the loyal retainer of Lord Mifune, became a Ronin, a masterless samurai, after the battle of Adachigahara. He now wanders across feudal Japan on a pilgrimage to find peace and meaning, stopping frequently to lend his swords as a Yojimbo, a bodyguard, in the protection of the downtrodden. While he never stays in one place for too long, Usagi is often joined in his travels by a colorful cast of characters, including fellow Ronin Gen, the thief Kitsune, the intrepid Inspector Ishida, and many more. It’s a stunning tale that pulls from Japanese folk tradition and history, while being one of the most brilliant examples of American cartooning in existence.
Where to jump on
Book 34: Bunraku and Other Stories (2020, IDW)
Why You'll Love It
Stan Sakai is a master of his craft. He has been perfecting his work on Usagi Yojimbo since the character debuted in 1984, telling a long running epic that’s truly for all-ages. The book may be about talking animals, but make no mistake, Sakai takes his characters seriously, giving them an internal life, pathos and relatable motivations.
From perfect one-shots like “The Tea Ceremony” to tour-de-force epics like “Grasscutter”, Usagi Yojimbo has done it all and never dropped in quality for nearly 40 years. In this newest volume, now in color, Sakai continues his brilliance with emotional stories like “Homecoming” that show how well he balances action and pathos. There may be decades of continuity but Sakai keeps things so accessible that any issue could be your first. Usagi Yojimbo isn’t as good as you have always been told, it’s even better.
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Updates
June 2021
Eternals and Monstress added. Far Sector and X-Factor removed.
May 2021
April 2021
Initial list. Star Wars: Darth Vader, Decorum, Far Sector, Grendel: Devil’s Odyssey, Marauders, and X-Factor added.
