Writer: Al Ewing Artist: Juann Cabal Colorist: Federico Blee Letterer: VC’s Cory Petit Cover: Juann Cabal & Dean White The galaxy needs a savior. Following a series of harrowing events in Marvel’s Incoming and Annihilation: Scourge, Richard Rider a.k.a. Nova has fallen on desperate times. The Olympians have returned from beyond the grave and Nova…

Writer: Kyle Higgins Penciler: Trevor McCarthy Colorist: Dean White Letterer: Clayton Cowles Publisher: DC   Coming off the heels of the controversial Marvel event comic Secret Empire, now DC is toying with the concept of turning one of its heroes into a fascist symbol. Yet whereas Secret Empire is a canonized book, making the idea…

Writer: Scott Snyder Artist: Greg Capullo Publisher: DC   Normally I’m able to write fairly nuanced reviews with a critical lens, but for this one I’m just going to geek out. Dark Nights: Metal #1 has Hawkgirl, Red Tornado, the Justice League in a gladiator fight coordinated by Mongul, an entirely new dimension of the…

Writer: Tom King Pencils, Inks and Colors by Mitch Gerads Publisher: DC  There are few comics more anticipated this year than the new Mister Miracle title. Not only is the titular protagonist a Jack Kirby creation, but this book is helmed by one of the best creative teams in the industry today. Tom King and…

Writer: Cullen Bunn Artist: Mirko Colak Colorist: Maria Santaolalla Publisher: Aftershock Comics Guy Ritchie and Charlie Hunnam aren’t the only ones in 2017 to tackle the King Arthur mythos. Yet whereas the recent Warner Bros. movie offered a more action-packed and swashbuckler take on the iconic story, the new comic from Aftershock is an entirely…

Writer: Chip Zdarsky Artist: Adam Kubert Colorist: Jordie Bellaire Publisher: Marvel With “Spider-Man: Homecoming” only a couple weeks away from hitting theaters, it was a given that Marvel would put out a new, yet very old-school, Spidey book to draw in new readers. While Dan Slott’s “Amazing Spider-Man” run is still going strong, “Peter Parker:…

Writer: Donny Cates Penciler: Garry Brown Colorist: Mark Englert Publisher: Aftershock Comics A while back, writer Mark Millar and artist Peter Gross explored the second coming of Christ in their critically acclaimed supernatural series “American Jesus.” Now, Aftershock Comics delivers a new title that deals with the birth of the Antichrist in a manner that’s…

Written by Chris Sims and Chad Bowers Art by Mauro Vargas with color by Triona Farrell Published by Dynamite Entertainment Longtime friends of Ultimate Comics, Chris Sims and Chad Bowers aren’t exactly stuck in the 90s. But they sure know how to get the most out of their trips there. Over at Marvel, this writing…

Writer: James Robinson Penciler: Carlos Pacheco Colorist: Jesus Aburtov Publisher: Marvel Regardless of your level of knowledge about the X-Men universe, you’re probably at least somewhat familiar with Cable. Although the character won’t make his big-screen debut in Deadpool 2 until next year, the time-traveling son of Cyclops and Jean is still a longtime fan-favorite…

Writer: Adam Glass Artist: Dennis Calero Colorist: Adriano Augusto Publisher: Aftershock Comics What if your entire life was fiction? What if you woke up one day to learn that everything you knew was a lie? This is an idea a number of other writers have explored in the past, and it’s the basis of the…

Written by Victor LaValle Illustrated by Dietrich Smith Colors by Joana LaFuente Published by Boom! Studios In modern times, Frankenstein’s Monster has generally been seen as a sweet-natured guy who doesn’t know his own strength. He was a family man in The Munsters, a hero in the recent Dean Koontz novels and comics, and a…

Writer: Christina Strain Artist: Amilcar Pinna Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro Publisher: Marvel I’ve been pleased so far with the revamped lineup of X-Men titles, particularly X-Men: Blue. Yet one thing that the books have lacked up until now is a focus on the mutant students who are training at the Xavier Institute in Central Park. With…

Writer: Robert Venditti Artist: Renato Guedes Colorist: Ulises Arreola Publisher: Valiant Eternal Warrior: Awakening is one of four one-shots to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the titular Valiant hero. Given that there is no current ongoing series for the character, the idea behind these one-shots is to capture the mythological aspects and significance of Gilad…

Written by Kirsten Smith and Kurt Lustgarten Illustrated by Naomi Franquiz Published by BOOM! Box Hands up if you love the Goonies. Good, good, we’re on the same page. And have I got a great new read for you. In a seaside Oregon town, the local economy has dissolved into harvesting oysters and milking the…

Story by Chad Bowers Art by Jim Towe Backup story and art by Rob Liefeld Published by Image Comics Twenty-five years ago, young Rob Liefeld launched a comics company with an exuberant team of heroes called Youngblood. These characters were fueled by a distinctive artistic voice and the energy of a young creator. This week,…

Written by Fabian Rangel, Jr. Drawn by Logan Faerber Published by Albatross Funnybooks Last year, Albatross Funnybooks brought Eric Powell’s Appalachian mythology tale, Hillbilly, and this week, they send a werewolf to war. It’s 1970, and Marty Spencer is turning 18 as a Vietnam draftee. His first night in the jungle, his unit takes fire…

Writer: Si Spurrier Artist: Jonas Goonface Publisher: BOOM! Studios Just when I thought I had my fill of trippy sci-fi after watching the FX series Legion, the new title from BOOM! Studios has redefined what I classify as surrealist fiction. Godshaper is the kind of comic that defies all storytelling conventions and offers a wildly…

Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates Penciler Butch Guice Published by Marvel Comics In a month where Marvel VP David Gabriel has said that diversity won’t sell comics, it makes sense to prove them wrong. This week, writer Ta-Nehisi Coates adds a third book to the Black Panther line, and it’s his best yet. Man, I hope this…

Writer: Marc Guggenheim Artist: Ardian Syaf Publisher: Marvel As writer Marc Guggenheim explains in the afterward of this book, X-Men: Gold is all about getting the mutants back to basics. After years of having our heroes cross alternate timelines, deal with interdimensional and intergalactic conflicts, and most recently engage in a war with the Inhumans,…

Written by Will Ewing and Michael Grassi Art by Joe Eisma Colors by Andre Szymanowicz Published by Archie Comics At last month’s NC Comicon Oak City, everyone was talking about Riverdale. The CW’s new show takes the Americana mythology of Archie, Betty, and the gang, but updates it to a scandalous modern teen soap. Juicy…

Writers: Marc Guggenheim, Greg Pak, Cullen Bunn Artists: Ken Lashley, Ibraim Roberson, Leonard Kirk, Guillermo Ortego Publisher: Marvel It’s a period of resurgence and reimagining for the X-Men universe. Whether you want to call the new lineup of books a reboot, crossover event or something else, it’s clear that X-Men Prime #1 signifies the start…

Script by Frank Tieri Art by Michael Walsh Published by Archie Comics Archie’s Horror line has been putting out some of the best comics on the stands, be that the zombie epic Afterlife With Archie or the 70s-style occult Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina. This week, Frank Tieri gets a turn at making good kids go…

Written by Fabian Rangel, Jr. Art by Warwick Johnson Cadwell Published by IDW I don’t know about you, but I could really use a cup of coffee. After the intensity of last weekend’s NC Comicon Oak City, with all that IDW and the other indie folks brought in, I have been exhausted. So today’s new…

Writer: Matt Kindt Artist: Tyler Jenkins Publisher: BOOM! Studios With its beautifully rendered pastel images and rich world-building, Grass Kings is the kind of comic that hooks readers from the beginning. Though the plot is fairly limited in this first issue, creators Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins still kick their rural mystery series off on…

Writers: Corey Kalman, Brockton McKinney Artist: Devin Roth Publisher: Action Lab Danger Zone Amerikarate fuses self-deprecating comedy with B-movie action flare in a way that only this creative team can provide. It’s so far been described as a mashup between Footloose and every major action movie hero of the 80s, and rightfully so. Needless to…

Created, Written, and Illustrated by Jeff Lemire Published by Image Comics Something is wrong in Royal City. It’s not just that the factory is slowing down. It’s not just that Peter Pike had a stroke, right there in the middle of his potato salad. No, there’s something else, something around the edges. Something that’s not…

Writer: Greg Rucka Artist: Leandro Fernández Publisher: Image There’s a certain aesthetic that defines The Old Guard, the new Image title from superstar creators Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernández. Rucka describes the book in the opening narration as “a fairy tale of blood and bullets” about a group of mostly invincible soldiers. Yet while there…

Written by Marguerite Bennett and James Tynion IV Art by Steve Epting Published by DC Comics The original Batwoman was a character brought in to date Batman for a few issues back when parents got scared that he was kind of gay. So when DC revived the concept in the 52 series a few years…

Writer: Matthew Rosenberg Artist: Ben Torres Publisher: Marvel Marvel’s “Running with the Devil” event kicked off last week with the excellent Bullseye #1, and continues going strong with a new series featuring Daredevil’s greatest nemesis. By the nature of his complex character and tragic backstory, Wilson Fisk, A.K.A the Kingpin, has more than enough merit…

Written by Steve Orlando Art by Ivan Reis Published by DC Comics One of my favorite parts of team books is that first story where everyone comes together. You get a hint at what holds everyone in the group, what kind of missions to expect, and who’s going to punch a teammate first. And lately,…

Written by Jason Latour Art by Chris Brunner Colors by Rico Renzi Published by Image Comics Friends of Ultimate Comics Jason Latour and Rico Renzi have been working on this North Carolina crime story for ten years, and this week, it sees the light of day. It’s not for kids, but everyone else is going…

Writer: John Barber Artist: Fico Ossio Publisher: IDW Revolutionaries takes place in the aftermath of the IDW event crossover Revolution, which saw characters like Rom and Optimus Prime join forces. Continuing to capitalize on their partnership with Hasbro, IDW pulls out all their tools for this book to provide a massive world-building experience. Story-wise, this…

Written by Jeremy Whitley Art by Elsa Charretier Published by Marvel Comics Last week, we talked about the new Hulk book as the perfect example of how to handle the trauma of 2016, how to hurt and acknowledge that and come together. Well, as luck would have it, Marvel has given us the perfect spirit…

Writer Mariko Tamaki Artist Nico Leon Color Artist Matt Milla Published by Marvel Comic 2016 was a rough year. Regardless of your politics, this was an ugly election season. Someone killed fifty people in a Florida nightclub. We’re never getting another Prince song, or a Bowie song, or a George Michael song. And now we’ve…

Written by Joshua Williamson Art by Jason Fabok Published by DC Comics The biggest event of DC Rebirth starts here! Based on the commercial success of DC’s latest movies, it’s only fitting that this one is a battle royale between the bad guys on the Suicide Squad and the Justice League we’ll all be watching…

Written by Joe Harris Art by Megan Hutchison Colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick Published by Image Comics\ Rock music has long carried legends around the notes, secrets uncovered by playing a record backward or putting an album in context of the Behind The Music phase. And rock of the seventies courted teen listeners by flirting with…

Written by Andy Mangels Art by Judit Tondora Variant Cover by Dan Parent Published by Dynamite and DC Comics With a new solo movie coming out, Wonder Woman is more popular than ever, and fans in their thirties and forties are remembering the delightful Lynda Carter live-action television series. Shows of that era have made…

Written by Charles Soule Art by Kenneth Rocafort Published by Marvel Comics With Civil War II winding down and Death Of X just finishing last week, Marvel is getting to launch this winter’s big war between the Inhumans and the X-Men. It’s going to cross in to a bunch of X-titles and set up a…

Written by Matt Kindt Art by David Rubin Published by Dark Horse Comics Boone Dias looks at fantasy worlds and thinks, “Hunh. I can explain that.” Which makes him a great detective. And kind of a jerk. In this new series by Matt Kindt and Davis Rubin, Boone is a scientist obsessed with cataloguing and…

Written by Dennis Hopeless with Ross Thibodeaux and Rob Schamberger Art by Dan Mora with Rob Guillory and Tob Schamberger Published by Boom! Studios Sports and comics make for a tough intersection. For one, most of us reading would have been “indoor kids” growing up. Also, the movement in panels works well with punching and…

Art and Story by Terry Moore Published by Abstract Studio It’s a good day. Know how I know? The new Terry Moore book came out today. Terry Moore is this fantastic cartoonist with a penchant for showing a range of women in a variety of genres, from the classic romance drama, Strangers In Paradise, to…

It’s almost here! Halloween is almost here! It’s my favorite time of year, and it has been since I was a kid. Trick or Treating was maybe the only outdoor activity I really liked, and I know our cosplayers got their start staying out late on a school night. This week, Eric Powell launches a…

Written by Gerard Way and Jon Rivera Art by Michael Avon Oeming Published by Young Animal, an imprint of DC Comics Jason at the Chapel Hill location is a happy man today. He’s a big Cave Carson fan. I know this because when I asked, “Who the heck is this?” his eyes lit up, and…

The Lost Boys #1 Written by Tim Seeley Art by Scott Godlewski Published by DC Comics, Vertigo imprint It’s October, and it’s time to spend your nights watching your favorite scary movies! I’m betting 1987’s The Lost Boys is pretty high on your list, and so is DC. Whether or not you follow your movie…

Written by Steve Orlando Art by Fernando Blanco Published by DC Comics Midnighter is this amazing, hyperviolent Batman character who has a computer brain that tells him how to kill people. That sounds ridiculous and one-note, I know. And DC has plenty of disturbing extremes of violence. But hear me out. Midnighter is actually richly…

Written by Marguerite Bennett and Cameron Deodio Art by Audrey Mok Published by Archie Comics I read Archie comics as a kid, and five years ago, I would have rolled my eyes at the thought that anyone was still enjoying this simplistic Americana. Then Archie and Val from the Pussycats had an interracial love story,…

Written by Rick Remender Art by Jerome Opena Colors by Matt Hollingsworth Published by Image Comics Rick Remender teams up this week with a couple of old friends, Jerome Opena from Uncanny X-Force and Matt Hollingsworth from Fear Agent. Together, they build a fantasy world bleeding with dark horror and challenge our obedience to fear.…

Written by Gerard Way Art by Nick Derington Published by DC Comics (Young Animal imprint) I have it on good authority (from Gothic Harry Potter fanfiction) that Gerard Way is “a major hottie.” And I have personal experience that his Umbrella Academy series prove him to be a daring creator, blending elements of the fringe…

Story by Jim Zub Art by Djibril Morissette-Phan Colors by K Michael Russell Published by Image Comics I think it is weird that a comics company has developed the technology to reach into my brain and find what I like and put it all into a comic book, but that must be what happened at…

Story by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson Art by Ben Stenbeck Publiched by Dark Horse Comics Sir Edward Grey is an occult investigator in Victorian London of the Hellboy universe – your reaction to that sentence tells you everything you need to know about whether you should buy this book. This story begins as Sir…

Written by Brian Clevinger Art by Scott Wegener Published by IDW Brian Clevinger has been a longtime friend of Ultimate Comics, making frequent appearances on our convention panels and Free Comic Book Day booths, and the staff here has always recommended his Atomic Robo series. Atomic Robo is a self-aware robot built by Tesla. He…

Written by James Tynion IV Art by Rian Sygh Published by BOOM! Box The Venn diagram of Comics Fans and People Who Have Felt Painfully Different From Most Other People is a concentric circle. That’s part of why conventions are so important – every November, we get together in Durham and find out that we’re…

Writers: Joshua Hale Fialkov, Tony Fleecs Artist: Tony Fleecs Publisher: Oni Press In the first issue of Oni Press’ new Jeff Steinberg comic, the titular protagonist is an average Joe in every sense. He works at a video store, his girlfriend openly cheats on him, and the most exciting thing on his mind is a…

Written by Scott Snyder Art by John Romita, Jr. Published by DC Comics Scott Snyder’s run writing Batman was arguably the best part of DC’s New 52, and fans were crushed to learn that part of the Rebirth relaunch meant that this writer was leaving the book. He was handing the reins over to Tom…

Written by Rob Williams Art by Philip Tan Published by DC Comics You may have heard about this little summer movie out this week, Suicide Squad, based on a revered 80s book about supervillains forced by the government to take on dangerous missions in exchange for reduced sentences. The version on the big screens is…

Written by Christos Gage and Chris Ryall Art by David Messina Ultimate Comics Exclusive Variant Cover by Tommy Lee Edwards Published by IDW and Hasbro Entertainment Ultimate Comics is excited to host writer Christos Gage at signing events this Saturday at both Raleigh and Chapel Hill locations, and we’re also excited about his new ROM…

Writer: Tom King  Artist: David Finch  Publisher: DC  Coming off the heels of one of the most iconic runs of Batman of all time, Tom King and David Finch are doing a stellar job of upholding the character’s legacy. This issue in particular pays homage to Scott Snyder without it feeling like a total retread…

Written by Simon Oliver Art by Moritat Published by DC Comics A few days after news leaked that John Constantine may find new life on the CW’s successful superhero shows, DC launches the Rebirth issue for this incorrigible magical con man. This Hellblazer character has a reputation for being among the smartest dark fantasies in…

Various Creators Publisher: Image A year ago, Mark Millar launched a contest which was specifically designed to seek out new comic book creator talents. Thousands of writers and artists across the globe submitted stories set within the worlds of Millar’s creator-owned books like Kick-Ass, Chrononauts, Starlight, etc., and the winners would get theirs published in…

Written by Tim Seeley Art by Yanick Paquette Published by DC Comics DC Rebirth has been great so far. Ask anyone at the Ultimate Comics register, or read some of my previous reviews. The idea is that DC is going back to the mythology of its legendary characters and making approachable stories about what makes…

Written and Drawn by Bryan Hitch Published by DC Comics The Justice League punches big monsters. It’s just what they do. And under Bryan Hitch, the Reborn version of the League gets to keep doing what they do best. The main story of the book is straightforward and classic, holding the main ideas of DC’s…

Writer: Brockton McKinney Artist: Andrew Herman Publisher: Action Lab Entertainment I have to say, when I heard that my friend Brockton McKinney was writing an all-ages book, I was a bit taken aback. After all, this is the same man who brought us the wildly irreverent and blood-soaked sci-fi/horror series Ehmm Theory, as well as…

Writing and art by Eric Powell Published by Albatross Funnybooks “There is but two facts of which I am sure. Today is Tuesday, and a witch is gonna die.” Eric Powell is famous for long-running horror series The Goon, but this week, he’s expanding his publishing line with the dark Appalachian fairy tale, Hillbilly. In…

Writer: Joshua Williamson Artist: Carmine Di Giandomenico Publisher: DC In terms of selecting the right creative team, DC could not have done a better job with the new Flash title. Between Williamson’s script and Giandomenico’s stellar visuals, this is the perfect modern Flash comic; one that builds on everything that’s come before, and provides readers…

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis Artist: David Marquez Publisher: Marvel Following the cliffhanger ending in the first issue of this series, chapter two opens with an emotionally-charged Tony Stark kidnapping Ulysees, thus declaring war on the Inhumans in the process. As the Ultimates and the Avengers negotiate with Medusa so that Captain Marvel can talk with…