We are back again with a look at what’s arriving in comic shops, bookstores and on digital this week. The long-gestating Three Jokers finally arrives in stores this Tuesday, along with new Locke & Key, Daredevil, Neal Adams and more.
If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.
Batman: Three Jokers #1
Teased for over four years, Batman: Three Jokers #1 finally comes out this week, courtesy of Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Honestly, it’s the kind of high-concept pure marketing which tells readers about a problem they didn’t know they had – have there really been three of this guy causing trouble for who-knows-how long? – and then, presumably, solves it. Don’t get me wrong: I’m definitely getting this, because this is also the kind of continuity gymnastics (if that’s indeed what it is) at which Johns excels. Besides, you know, it’s been four years and I’m still kind of curious. I also wish that one of the covers had used Count Von Count from Sesame Street. “Three! Three! Three Jokers! Ah-ah-ah-aaah!” [Tom Bondurant]
Bomb Queen: Trump Card #1
Jimmie Robinson returns after eight years to the satirical, tongue-in-cheek world of Bomb Queen with a brand new miniseries that takes aim at the current U.S. president. Just in time for the Republican National Convention! [JK Parkin]
Daredevil Annual #1
Marvel has played their cards close to the vest on this one, only repeating the title, “One More Day!” in the solicitation text. Usually you could expect Chip Zdarsky to kind of blow it and accidentally give whatever big secret Marvel is hiding here away, but he’s being a team player as well. From his newsletter: “It’s a big, beautiful issue with some cool revelations and if you’re reading the regular Daredevil series, this is pretty essential to the run going forward!” He also provides the cover, shown above. He’s joined by Manuel Garcia, who just drew the Emperor Hulking one-shot that Zdarsky helped write. (JK Parkin)
Fantastic Four Antithesis #1
The legendary Neal Adams teams up with Mark Waid for a four-issue miniseries starring the Fantastic Four, Galactus and the Silver Surfer. Adams said drawing the FF is a bucket list item for him, while working with Adams is a bucket list item for Waid. So win-win. (JK Parkin)
Doctor Tomorrow #5
Shane Bailey had some nice things to say about this Valiant series over the weekend, so I’m going to shamelessly steal them here: “The reveals and the battles in the last three issues come at a breakneck pace, but they feel meaty and really build to a nice climax while leaving questions open for future stories and problems open for the character to solve. All in all I think that this series really shows promise. I can definitely say I want to read more about the character after reading this series and as an opening salvo for a character in the Valiant Universe, it serves its purpose.” [JK Parkin (but really Shane Bailey)]
Locke & Key in Pale Battalions Go #1
The Key House returns as Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez head back to World War I for a tale about a young John Locke using his magical keys during the war. As noted last week, this one sets up the upcoming Locke & Key/Sandman Universe crossover, so if you’re a Sandman fan planning to get that, this should be a good introduction to the world of Locke & Key, if you aren’t already familiar. (JK Parkin)
Star Trek: Hell’s Mirror
And speaking of high concept, J.M. DeMatteis writes the Mirror Universe version of “Space Seed” in Star Trek: Hell’s Mirror, drawn by Matthew Dow Smith. Longtime Star Trek comics readers may remember that back in 1984-85, DC’s Trek series kind of addressed this bit of continuity in a very indirect way. The 8-part “New Frontiers” saga took place immediately after The Search For Spock and highlighted the differences between our heroes and their evil counterparts. Most notably, the goateed Spock had never died, the I.S.S. Enterprise hadn’t been destroyed, and Mirror Spacelab Regula I was researching interdimensional travel, not the Genesis Project. Accordingly, since the Mirror U version of Wrath of Khan apparently never happened, I always thought the Mirror Botany Bay just got blasted with a photon torpedo once Evil Kirk figured out who was aboard. I’m guessing that’s not really the case here. [Tom Bondurant]
Superman: The Man of Steel Hardcover
DC is also offering a new hardcover edition of its Superman: The Man of Steel paperback collections. Those came out several years ago and reprinted John Byrne’s Man of Steel miniseries, followed by his Superman and Action Comics work and Marv Wolfman and Jerry Ordway’s Adventures of Superman. This particular hardcover includes the MOS miniseries and the next four issues of each of the three ongoing series, so it’s a nice chunk of ’80s comics if you haven’t read them. Personally, I get a strong sense of “hey, look how different!” from Byrne’s early Superman work, but it was also designed to be new-reader friendly. [Tom Bondurant]
Vision
Julia Gfrörer has proven to be a master of gothic storytelling, finding that perfect meeting line between broken characters and supernatural horrors. In this graphic novel, she tells the story of a blind spinster who “escapes the demands of life through a sexual relationship with a haunted mirror.” You can find this in shops this week, or order it directly from the creator via Etsy. (JK Parkin)
Kodi
Jared Cullum is an excellent painter and cartoonist, if you’ve seen his previous work or visited his website, and this one simply looks delightful. It’s about a girl and her Kodiak bear, so what’s not to love? (JK Parkin)