Ultimate Invasion 1 (1:50 Bryan Hitch Black and White Variant) | Marvel Comics | Ash Avenue Comics | Ultimate Invasion Marvel

Weekly Shout-Out: June 21, 2023

by Drew

SPOTLIGHT TITLES

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.

AT A GLANCE

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 | DC Comics | Ash Avenue Comics
Batman: One Bad Day—The Riddler

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.

Santos Sisters 4 | Floating World Comics | Ash Avenue Comics

Weekly Shout-Out: June 14, 2023

by Paul

Last week we said Drew would be back. He’s not. But while the cat’s away, the mice will play, eh? Eh? Let’s you and I throw off the shackles of the humdrum roles society has cast us in and bloom to our fullest potential amidst the landscape of this week’s comics. What do you say? Take my hand, and together we’ll drive right off this week’s new release cliff, Thelma & Louise-style.

SPOTLIGHT TITLES

Santos Sisters #4 by Greg & Fake and Marc Koprinarov (Floating World): Your Pick of the Week is Santos Sisters today, Santos Sisters tomorrow, Santos Sisters forever. This loving send-up of classic Archie comics never disappoints, and is genuinely witty and funny in an era when the humor in comics usually makes me kind of squirm and wish I was elsewhere. My favorite series in a long time. Santos Sisters, long may you run.

By now you’ve probably heard that the brand-new characters debuting in Lorenzo de Felici and Robert Kirkman’s Void Rivals #1 (Image) rub elbows with the Autobot Jetfire about halfway through the issue (and if I hadn’t spoiled that for you, the giant Void-Rivals-meeting-Jetfire poster stuck to the glass on our front door would have), establishing them as part of Skybound’s new Energon Universe alongside the Transformers and G.I. Joe. Putting that to one side, Void Rivals is still worth a look on its own merits, starting off as a Moebius type of lonely-spaceman-on-an alien-world story before becoming what looks to me like a romantic comedy crossed with the plot of the 80s movie Enemy Mine. But don’t take my word for it; see what Robert Kirkman himself has to say about it in this video he made just for us!

AT A GLANCE

If, like me, you’ve anxiously awaited Joe Madureira’s triumphant return to monthly (-ish) comic art, get ready to keep on waiting because he’s only credited as the writer on Battle Chasers #10 (Image). Instead, Ludo Lullabi, Slumberland’s hottest artist, takes the storytelling reins on this long-anticipated return to the world of Battle Chasers that will leave readers asking, “How much do I really care about Red Monika?”

Anansi, the fan-favorite Ghanaian superhero from the Static Shock cartoon, makes his DC Universe debut this week in Static Team-Up: Anansi #1 by Charles Stewart III and Evan Narcisse (DC). Based on our web traffic, I think this one will be a sleeper hit, so don’t dawdle if you’re thinking about buying it because it’s going to sell out before you know it.

Writer Kelly Thompson, who somehow got top creative billing over artists Gurihiru on comic-of-the-year contender It’s Jeff! #1 despite it being an entirely wordless book, wraps up her long and well-regarded run on Captain Marvel with this week’s Captain Marvel #50 (Marvel), drawn by Javier Pina Marvel. If you stopped reading at issue #49, I bet you must be feeling pret-ty silly right now.

Void Rivals 1 | Image Comics | Ash Avenue Comics | Void Rivals Transformers

PREVIEW: Void Rivals #1

People, we beseech you not to sleep on next week’s Void Rivals #1, the launch title for Robert Kirkman’s new shared universe project that you are going to be hearing a lot about in a few days. Believe us when we tell you there’s more to this comic than meets the eye. Check out this preview:

Get your pre-orders in now, gang. You don’t want to miss this one.

Void Rivals #1 Cvr A De Felici | Void Rivals #1 Cvr B Young | Void Rivals #1 Cvr C 10 Copy Incv Scalera | Void Rivals #1 Cvr D 25 Copy Incv Darboe | Void Rivals #1 Cvr E 50 Copy Incv Cheung | Void Rivals #1 Cvr F Blank Sketch Cvr | Void Rivals #1 Cvr G 100 Copy Incv Johnson Spoiler

Ultimate Invasion 1 Sara Pichelli Variant | Marvel Comics | Ash Avenue Comics

Reserve Your Copy of ULTIMATE INVASION #1 NOW! NOW! NOWWW

If I were a writer for CBR or Screenrant or someplace like that, I would’ve named this post something like, “Marvel Gets Ready to INVADE Comic Shops This June.” Or, “Marvel Launches the ULTIMATE INVASION of Privacy This Summer.” But I don’t write for CBR or Screenrant, do I? I’m just plain ol’ Ash Avenue Comics Guy me. A pile of longboxes is my bed and a digest-sized collection of Sabrina the Teen-Age Witch stories my pillow. So that’s the title you get. The point is, Ultimate Invasion #1, Jonathan Hickman’s latest epic of multiverse-shattering superhero action and graphs, is going to touch our lives in a big way on June 21st, and you don’t want to miss out. If this infographic doesn’t get your pulse pounding, then you process data differently than I do, my good friend:

 

Ultimate Invasion #1 Preview | Marvel Comics | Ash Avenue Comics

This one promises to be a humdinger! Don’t risk getting left out by waiting until your lunch break on Wednesday to get your copy—reserve it now by pre-ordering here. There’s a whole load of great variants to choose from, too—there’s one by Sara Pichelli, another by Russell Dauterman, Peach Momoko did one, Lucas Werneck’s got one for my Hellfire Gala collectors (where you at), Ron Lim and John Christopher Tyler each chip in one, and Bryan Hitch has a special foil cover if you’re feeling fancy. There’s also a blank one so you can draw your own! That is a print run of one, my friend. Slab it and your children will live like tycoons! You can also treat yourself to Ed McGuinness’ 1:25 variant or Bryan Hitch’s 1:50 variant. And why not reserve Ultimate Invasion #2 while you’re at it? You can order for local pick-up at your convenience, or we can ship them right to your house! Think of it as… an Ultimate Home Invasion!

Oh, that’s why I don’t write for CBR.

Dark Crisis 1 | DC Comics | Ash Avenue Comics

PREVIEW: Dark Crisis #1

THE ENTIRE JUSTICE LEAGUE JUST GOT FRIDGED AND NOW EVERYONE IN THE DC UNIVERSE IS KYLE RAYNER, BABY! That was the tagline I pitched to DC Comics for their Dark Crisis event, but they politely declined. You guys can all use it, though.

Are you psyched for Dark Crisis #1 yet? Here’s a little taste from our friends at DC and Lunar Distribution! Final orders are due 5/15.