The character of Frank Reynolds, immortalized by Danny DeVito on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, once implored his fellow barmates Mac and Dennis, “Do not go on a manhunt.” Naturally, they didn’t listen.
But what if it’s an X-Manhunt?
Eh, the rule probably still applies. But who among us wouldn’t like to see Charles Xavier hunted down for his many crimes, from the soul-damning deal cutting he did at the end of the Krakoa era to that one time he thought about Jean Grey in a romantic nature when she was a teenager.
Yes, eight months into the From the Ashes era, the crossovers are coming fast and furious, and with “X-Manhunt” at the top of the ticket, let’s see what other comics may be worth checking out in March.
Marvel
X-Manhunt: When we last saw Charles Xavier, he was voluntarily locking himself back up in Graymalkin Prison (his former house) and learning the truth about a bunch of bald bird boys called the Avians. Well, apparently Charles changed his mind about incarceration, because he’s busting out in an eight-part crossover running through most of the X-books, including Uncanny X-Men, NYX, Storm, X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, Exceptional X-Men and a special Omega issue, co-written by Uncanny’s Gail Simone and Storm’s Murewa Ayodele, and drawn by Gleb Melnikov. Will any of Chuck’s kids let him crash on their couch, or have we finally, FINALLY had it with Charles and his patriarchal BS? Learn more about X-Manhunt here. | Preorder part one here.
Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1: IT’S KAIJU CLOBBERIN’ TIME! Toho lets Marvel play with one of its old licensed toys again in the first of six one-shots pairing Godzilla with Marvel’s classic characters. In the first one, King Ghidorah becomes a herald of Galactus as Godzilla, the Silver Surfer and Marvel’s First Family team up to stop him, in a story written by regular Fantastic Four writer Ryan North and artist John Romita Jr. Are we excited because North has proven himself one of the all-time great FF writers? Sure. But also, how different are Godzilla and King Ghidorah from T-Rex and Utahraptor, really? Preorder it here.
The Thing #1: Fact: Ben Grimm is one of Marvel’s best characters, and one of the few traditional Marvel superhero team members who can sustain solo stories. When an unexpected visitor from his past sends him on a search for a missing child, the Thing must unravel the mystery even if that means becoming a wanted man. Get ready to see the Ever-Lovin’ Blue-Eyed One fight every superpowered criminal and bounty hunter in New York. Written by Tony Fleecs (Stray Dogs) and drawn by Leonard Kirk (Sabretooth). Preorder it here.
DC
Batman #158: H2SH! H2SH! I thought this logo made no sense now. H2SH! H2SH! Why not keep the U and flip the S now? NA NA-NA NAA NA-NA NAA NAA NAAAA! That concludes the karaoke portion of this article. Maybe. Batman gets put through the ringer again in this sequel to the 2002-03 story by Jeph Loeb and Jim Lee about Bruce’s childhood friend who grows up to become a psychotic plastic surgeon. Six issues now, six next year. (Which makes one wonder how DC plans to fill the space between if not by elevating another writer to the main Bat-title.) See where BatChat ranks the original “Hush.” Or should we say “H1SH”?
Absolute Martian Manhunter #1: Deniz Camp is one of comics’ hottest writers right now, combining weird science and realpolitik in books like The Ultimates and 20th Century Men. Javier Rodriguez is one of comics’ best artists, unafraid to make characters beautiful as he twists and reshapes layouts into something magical, as he did in Zatanna: Bring Down the House. Together, they have created a more Gumby-like take on J’onn J’onzz that may be DC’s most exciting pairing of creators and characters since Ram V and Evan Cagle on The New Gods.
Image
Assorted Crisis Events #1: Hey, speaking of Camp, here he is again on a creator-owned anthology series about ordinary people having to deal with comic-book nonsense like time loops, alternate-reality doppelgangers, space portals, etc., joined by artist Eric Zawadzki.
Bitter Root: The Next Movement #1: The monster-hunting Sangerye family returns in this five-issue story set in 1964, smack dab in the middle of the Civil Rights Movement. David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and artist Sanford Greene all return for the latest installment in the series.
Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch #1: He promised us he’d be back. Juni Ba returns to his cautionary tales of late-stage capitalism, just in time for capitalism to get even late-stage-ier. Each issue will be formatted like a summer magazine, offering two tales, games and more of that feeling like these stories aren’t all that removed from the reality our recently inaugurated overlords envision for us.
We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us #1 / You’ll Do Bad Things #1: The What’s the Furthest Place from Here? team of Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss split up for two creator-owned series. In We’re Taking Everyone Down with Us, by Rosenberg and artist Stefano Landini, a six-issue series, a 13-year-old girl seeks revenge for the murder of her mad-scientist father, alongside her robot bodyguard. In You’ll Do Bad Things by Boss and artist Adriano Turtulici, also six issues, a serial killer brings a once-famous true crime writer’s horrifying fictional stories to life.
Dark Horse
From the World of Minor Threats: Welcome to Twilight #1: Writer Matt Fraction (Sex Criminals) and artist Mike Allred (X-Statix) become the latest creators to play in the Minor Threats sandbox created by Jordan Blum, Patton Oswalt and Scott Hepburn. In this latest mini, Benjamin “Brock” Bronkowicz is a washed up, bird-winged actor who once played a superhero on TV. Now, he spends his time on the superhero convention circuit, when he’s not drinking away his problems. But a chance encounter with a mysterious woman empowers Brock to fight for a life he once thought was over. Preorder it here.
Oni Press
Out of Alcatraz #1: Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin have washed ashore in San Francisco after surviving their escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary in June 1962. As a dogged federal manhunt and chance encounters threaten the desperate convicts, everyone involved is about to discover the same bloodstained truth: Life on the run is an even more hellish prison than Alcatraz could have ever been. Written by Christopher Cantwell and drawn by Tyler Crook.
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Dan Grote is the editor and publisher 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 Paul Winston Wisdom.
