Ash Ave Comics is proud to welcome artist Ryan Quackenbush to the shop for the release of Junior Baker: The Righteous Faker #1. Ryan joins writer Joe Casey for this 5 issue mini-series from Image Comics. The first issue is now available and Ryan will be in store to sign from 5-7 PM this Saturday, so stop by the shop ASAP, or get your copy purchased through our ComicHub store if you won’t be in until Saturday and want to make sure you get a copy.
by Drew
Ultimate Invasion #1 (Marvel) from Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch: That is all. Ok, that’s not all. This is the event book of the summer from Marvel, and they’ve brought back some heavyweight talent to reintroduce the characters from the Ultimate universe, including the Maker, the diabolically evil alternate universe Reed Richards.
Godzilla: Here There Be Dragons #1 by Inaki Miranda and Frank Tieri (IDW): Here there be Kaiju! Godzilla on the high seas, battling many a mariner, and sinking many a ship. First appearance of the 16th century sub-mariner (only after the ship sinks, of course).
Incredible Hulk #1 by Nic Klein and Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Marvel) brings the latest iteration of the Hulk to readers, this time from writer Phillip Kennedy Johnson, hot off his run on DC’s Action Comics and Superman War World stories. Who is the Mother of Horrors, and what is her plan for the Hulk? Find out in this mother of issues 1s.
Bone Orchard: Tenement #1 (Image): Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s horror series is back with the third storyline in this new shared universe. Tenement can be read without having read any of the other series released thus far, so if you are craving a healthy dose of cosmic nihilism and haven’t gotten around to the other stories, this is a fine place to dig in.
Wonder Woman #800 (DC): Cloonan and Walsh’s run comes to an end, and Tom King’s new storyline begins. An extra oversized 800th issue celebrating the world’s most famous woman of wonder!
Batman: One Bad Day—The Riddler HC by Mitch Gerads and Tom King (DC): One of the best Batman stories of the decade, and the best Riddler comic… ever? This Eisner-nominated one-shot is back in print, and in a spiffy hardcover. Perfect for those readers who like their comics in a bookshelf ready format.
Scarlet Witch Annual #1 by Carlos Nieto and Steve Orlando (Marvel): This fall’s Contest of Chaos kicks off with this issue, this is a great jumping in point for one of Marvel’s most acclaimed monthly series.
W0rldtr33 #2 (Image) from Jam3$ T¥n10n, F3rnand0 B1anc0, and Jordie Bellaire (I lost the enthusiasm for the numbers as letters gag halfway through Fernando Blanco). Holy smokes, what a nightmare factory James Tyrion IV’s imagination, churning out all types of terror and fright in Something is Killing the Children, The Closet, and Department of Truth; and now in his latest W0rldtr33, the underbelly of the underbelly of the internet, the undernet has loosed a force of violence as memetic spectacle on the earth. Great, like people using the internet for evil wasn’t bad enough? First rate horror from Tyrion, Blanco, and Bellaire returns this week, check it!
Clobberin’ Time #3 (Marvel) from Steve Skroce. Call me nuts, but I prefer my Marvel Comics a little unhinged, so I’m an easy mark when it comes to Marvel handing the keys to their Marvel Two-in-One team up title to comic visionary Steve Skroce. You get The Thing, in this issue joined by Dr. Strange, and a lot of weird story turns, and insane art by Stroke. Perfection! I also highly recommend Skroce’s Doc Frankenstein, Post Americana, and Maestro; and, y’know, he and Geof Darrow were the designers of the first Matrix film, so dude has his chops on some mind bending sci-fi visuals.
Amazing Spider-Man #26 (Marvel) from Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. I figure there’s been enough digital ink (and blood) spilled regarding this issue over the last few weeks, so I’ll keep it short and simple. We have copies.
The Rocketeer Special (IDW): An anthology issue of three short stories timed to release with the new documentary on Rocketeer creator Dave Stevens, Dave Stevens: Drawn to Perfection, including a story written by the film’s director. And of course, there’s the cover art by Adam Hughes. Great cover, and some fun Rocketeer stories? Sounds good.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Saturday Morning Adventures #1 (IDW): Get your 80s nostalgia satiated with another mini-series relishing the carefree cartoons of yesteryear.
Punisher #12 (Marvel): Jason Aaron and Jesus Saiz’s run on the ol’ Punny comes to an end, will Frank Castle stick it to the Hand? Maria Castle is resurrected? Ares, the god of War was up in here too? It all comes to an end this issue, wrapped up and tied with a bloodstained bow by messrs Aaron and Saiz.
DC Pride 2023 and Power Girl Special (DC): DC’s big releases this week also serve a reminder that this month has a 5 Wednesday release so the publishers usually spread releases out and add some annuals or event books. So, DC fans, in light of the sparse slate from DC, look to these titles for some new stories, including a short story in DC Pride from Grant Morrison.
Hey there, this is Drew writing, giving a new weekly update a shot, to shout out new comic book releases, graphic novels, and other items of interest arriving at the shop this week.
First up is Ambassadors #5, the penultimate issue in Mark Millar’s mini-series on a global stage, we have learned that heroes aren’t so much made through chemical mishaps or super powered bloodlines, rather the heroes of this title are hand picked to represent their nation as a member of an international team. This is Mark Millar though, so do expect something to go very south, as my expectations for his heroes are about as short as his mini-series. Speaking of which, as Nemesis has wrapped up, the big tease at the end of issue 5 has to do with his next big thing at Image Comics, Big Game #1 which hits our shelves in mid-July.
Ambassadors #5, Mark Millar/Matteo Buffagni, $3.99, Cover A-C
Also, from Image Comics this week is 20th Century Men, the collected edition of Denis Camp and Stipan Morian’s breakout mini-series from 2022. It’s alternate history and science fiction, but it’s no steam punk. Take a look at the summary for 20th Century Men TP, then drop us a line if you think this is a comic book that needs to be on the top of your “to be read” pile:
At the end of the 20th Century, superheroes, geniuses, madmen and activists rush towards WWIII! A Soviet ‘iron’ hero; a super-powered American President; an insane cyborg soldier; an Afghan woman hellbent on building a better life for her people-these strange yet familiar beings collide in a story that mixes history, politics, and comic book mythology into something totally new. Welcome to 20th CENTURY MEN, where the edges of our reality and fiction touch, overlap… and then explode. Collects 20TH CENTURY MEN #1-6. $24.99
Daredevil & Echo #1: Brand synchronicity never looked so good. I mean, yes, that’s a bit cynical on my part, especially because it’s actually encouraging to see Echo back in a Daredevil story, which is cool, but the Phil Noto art is where it’s at.
Storm #1: It’s Storm in her late 1980’s heyday, written by Ann Nocenti, one of Marvel’s top writers from the ‘80s. Gen Z, you are allowed to read this btw. I promise it’s not cringe. Or is it? Find out on Wednesday!
Fury #1: From the solicitation: “Who is S.C.O.R.P.I.O.?” Holy moley, this guy has such a long name he went with an acronym. Anyway, it’s written by Marvel house style bulwark Al Ewing, so I’m expecting a fun read.
City Boy #1: New mini-series spotlighting AAPI characters, from Greg Oak and Minkyu Jung. This new Korean hero can talk to cities too… hopefully figure out why we keep living in them. Yecch.
Justice Society #4: Back after a hiatus, the is Geoff Johns’ return to the title that won him so many fans in the late 1990s and early ’00s.
