Each week, ComicsXF staff offer their recommendations for what to read. New DC books come out Tuesdays, everything else Wednesdays.
Matt’s pick: DC Pride 2023: Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy go to extreme measures to get a little alone time. Jon Kent gets a crash course in dark magic when John Constantine sics a golem on him. Tim Drake and Connor Hawke learn there’s nothing more awkward than reuniting with an old friend after you’ve both come out and one of you was indoctrinated by the League of Shadows. Circuit Breaker struggles to stifle his powers after the Flash of Earth-11 leaps out of the timestream and knocks them both into another dimension. DC celebrates its LGBTQ+ heroes in stories by Grant Morrison, Nicole Maines, Christopher Cantwell, Nadia Shammas, Hayden Sherman, Skylar Patridge and more. ($9.99)
Bonus pick: Power Girl Special: With Omen’s guidance, Power Girl now strives to battle the demons — literal and figurative — lurking within the minds of some of the greatest superheroes in the DC Universe. But the nefarious Johnny Sorrow has been searching for a connection to Earth-0, and the superheroine’s work may unwittingly give him the means to make the world his personal stage. Can Power Girl and her estranged Super-Family bring down the curtain on Sorrow’s evil plans? And at what cost? Written by Leah Williams and drawn by Marguerite Sauvage, with a Fire and Ice backup by Joanna Starer and Natacha Bustos. ($5.99)
Zack’s pick: W0rldTr33 #2: “A new world is coming. And I helped build it.” That’s what Ellison Lane’s teenage brother told him after murdering 60 people. Something called the Undernet is influencing terrible acts of violence, and it may already be too late to stop it from spreading. Written by James Tynion IV and drawn by Fernando Blanco for Image. ($3.99)
Rasmus’ pick: Punisher #12: Uh-oh. Guys, I think Frank’s dead again. Does that mean we get more angel Punisher and Franken-Castle? And maybe fewer Garth Ennis war comics? Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Jesus Saiz. ($4.99)
Anna’s pick: Daredevil Omnibus HC Vol. 2: Collecting the Silver Age stuff from before Daredevil got good! Framing DD for murder, the Jester sets all of New York against our hero. And the stakes get even higher when Starr Saxon discovers DD’s secret identity. The tension drives Matt to reveal his secret to Karen Page — but rather than bringing her closer, the revelation pushes her away. The drama soon drives DD to Los Angeles. And when he finally makes his way back to the Big Apple, Daredevil must join forces with Iron Man and Nick Fury against Spymaster and the Zodiac. Collecting Daredevil (1964) #42-74 and Iron Man (1968) #35 and #36. ($100)
Austin’s pick: Star Wars Epic Collection: The Original Marvel Years Vol. 6: The classic Marvel era of Star Wars concludes. In the aftermath of Return of the Jedi, the heroes of the Rebellion face new challenges, and new dangers. Leia must choose between joining a new Republic government or continuing as a warrior for peace. Han Solo and Lando Calrissian find themselves in a tough spot when Chewbacca’s family is threatened. Luke Skywalker is haunted by thoughts of his dead father as he faces the dark lady Lumiya. The Ewoks go to war. The Nagai attack. And it all culminates in a multipronged invasion of the planet Zeltros. Collecting Star Wars (1977) #89-107 and Star Wars (2019) #108. ($54.99)
Dan’s pick: X-Men ’92: The Saga Continues TP: Collecting all the latter-day takes on the animated series, including the Secret Wars one, the one after the Secret Wars one and the Krakoan era parody. With stories by Chris Sims, Chad Bowers, Scott Koblish, Alti Firmansyah, Steve Foxe and Salva Espin. ($44.99)
Tony’s pick: The Good Asian 1936 TP: Follow Edison Hark, a haunted, self-loathing Chinese-American detective, as he pursues a brutal killer on the streets of 1936 San Francisco, in a noir mystery exploring the first generation of Americans to come of age under an immigration ban as they’re besieged by rampant murders, abusive police and a world that seemingly never changes. Seriously, this one’s really good! Written by Pornsak Pichetshote and drawn by Alexandre Tefenkgi for Image. ($39.99)
Dan Grote is the editor-in-chief of ComicsXF, having won the site by ritual combat. By day, he’s a newspaper editor, and by night, he’s … also an editor. He co-hosts The ComicsXF Interview Podcast with Matt Lazorwitz. He lives in New Jersey with his wife, two kids and two miniature dachshunds, and his third, fictional son, Peter Winston Wisdom.
