Each week, ComicsXF staff offer their recommendations for what to read. Starting this week, new DC books come out Wednesdays along with everything else.
Tony’s pick: Absolute Power #1: DC’s big summer event kicks off with a bang, as the combined might of Failsafe and the Brainiac Queen has at last given Amanda Waller the ability to steal the metahuman abilities of every hero and villain on Earth. As chaos erupts in the streets and a massive misinformation campaign sways public opinion to her side, the founder of the Suicide Squad methodically targets each superhero dynasty one at a time, starting with Superman. But even in this darkest of hours, a resistance is forming. Written by Mark Waid and drawn by Dan Mora. ($4.99) Buy it here.
Sean’s pick: Spider-Man: Reign 2 #1: Who is the new Black Cat? What tragedies and triumphs await an older, grizzled Peter Parker? And (gulp) wait until you see what happened to Miles Morales. Writer/artist Kaare Andrews returns to Spider-Man’s dystopian future in this sequel series. ($4.99) Stay tuned later today for our interview with Andrews. Buy it here.
Rasmus’ pick: Free Agents #1: They’ve fought every day of their existence and won a terrible victory. Now they’re stranded on Earth, free agents for the first time. But when relics from their long war appear, threatening their chance at better lives, their greatest battle begins. Written by Kurt Busiek and Fabian Nicieza and drawn by Stephen Mooney for Image. ($3.99) Buy it here.
Adam’s pick: All the Things We Didn’t Do Last Night: Mamen is a young art historian who has become a jewelry thief because of a trauma from her past. Damon is a hitman tired of his bosses. Oblivious to their secret lives, they meet cute and promise to go on a date. But fate unites them before they planned, as both witness each other’s crime. Collects Maria Llovet’s shorts from the Image 30th Anniversary Anthology. ($3.99) Buy it here.
Matt’s pick: Grendel: Devil’s Crucible: Defiance #1: Grendel Prime has returned to Earth, but things are not as he left them. The pockets of humanity that remain and the Necro Lords that rule them have turned against Grendel. Grendel Prime will need to hide his identity as he explores his suddenly hostile home planet. By Matt Wagner for Dark Horse. ($4.99) Listen to Wagner on this 2023 episode of The ComicsXF Interview Podcast. | Buy it here.
Austin’s pick: Scarlett #2: To find her missing friend Jinx, Scarlett goes undercover, deep into the belly of Clan Arashikage, to discover the truth. But the man known as <SPOILER> might have other ideas. Written by Kelly Thompson and drawn by Marco Ferrari for Image/Skybound. ($3.99) Check out this interview with Thompson and Ferrari about the series. | Buy it here.
Dan’s pick: The Boy Wonder #3: Tim Drake has always been the smartest of Batman’s sons, and the most comfortable matching wits with the most sinister geniuses on Earth. Damian Wayne doesn’t like feeling outsmarted — to him, no smugly written insult could ever be sharper than his sword — so when he’s forced to infiltrate a supervillain gala alongside the sneaky Red Robin, the biggest danger the two of them face might not be Lex Luthor but Damian’s own temper. By Juni Ba for DC Black Label. ($5.99) Previously, in BatChat … | Buy it here.
Scott’s pick: Sons of Star Trek #4: What do you get when you cross three of the Federation’s most celebrated sons with a misguided god? An alternate reality full of lessons that may be just what the doctor ordered. But with Jake Sisko’s enrollment in the Pennington School, Alexander Rozhenko’s prison sentence and Nog’s first Starfleet posting all fast approaching, they’ll have to move fast to defeat the Breen once and for all if they’re to convince Q Jr. to return them to their home reality. Written by Morgan Hampton and drawn by Angel Hernandez for IDW. ($4.99) Previously, in Trek Talks … | Buy it here.
Mark’s pick: Public Domain #6: Dallas Comics is up and running. But can Syd put aside his feelings and make a Domain comic for a new generation before Jerry Jasper and Singular Comics beat him to it? And who is the mysterious British hunk Carter Dusk? Nobody knows, but it’s his first appearance, so you better buy this issue and get it graded just in case. By Chip Zdarsky for Image. ($3.99) Buy it here.
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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.
