Wow. What a great week for comics. If I bought all the hot picks for this week, it would take me three weeks to read them all. But, I think they’re all worth checking out (or at least skimming). Too many comics – not enough time… Straight into the previews.
I hope you saved up your nickels. folks, ’cause there’s a lot this week.
Astro City #11
Astro City is a comic I remember fondly. The trade paperbacks are still in my basement, and I often consider re-reading them. On the other hand, they’ve been putting out new issues regularly. Maybe it’s time to pick up this title again and check it out.
East Of West TPB Vol. 02 We Are All One
Ah… East of West. Where have ye been? I bought the first trade on this one an absolute eon ago. And, I loved it! Here’s the second trade, and I couldn’t recommend this series more highly.
Batman Eternal #1
Finally! A Batman series that I might have a chance at understanding. I loved Batman ’66 because of its accessibility for casual readers. Let’s see how this title does. The solicit gives me hope:
Don’t dare miss the start of the Bat-story so big it’s going to take every week of the month to tell! A massive cast of Gotham City’s best (and worst) examines the relationship between Batman, his allies and his city. In this debut issue, Commissioner James Gordon is caught on the wrong side of the law!
Weekly?!? I don’t know if I can keep that pace. But it’s worth a shot.
Shutter #1
Now we’re really getting to the good stuff for this week. A new alter-nality series? Maybe I can catch on before it passes me by:
“INDIANA JONES FOR THE 21ST CENTURY! Marvel Knights: Hulk and GLORY writer JOE KEATINGE teams up with artist extraordinaire LEILA DEL DUCA for her Image Comics debut in an all-new ongoing series combining the urban fantasy of Fables and the globe-spanning adventure of Y: The Last Man. Kate Kristopher, once the most famous explorer of an Earth far more fantastic than the one we know, is forced to return to the adventurous life she left behind when a family secret threatens to destroy everything she spent her life protecting. “
It sounds complicated, but exciting at the same time. Maybe it won’t be as complicated if I’m in from the ground floor.
All New Doop #1 (of 5)
Believe it, or not… I read all of Mike Allred’s X-Statix and X-Force. I found it brilliant.
Doop, though… this little guy who looks like a pickle? I always wavered between two positions:
1. There’s more to Doop than meets the eye
2. No, there’s less…
This mini-series should sort that out, I hope.
Flash Gordon #1
There’s a lot going on this week in comics for a casual guy. Cue the Queen soundtrack for FLASH! Mix in a little of the good old serials, and I think we’re in for a good time for a few issues.
Daredevil #1.50
The cover is gorgeous with a capital “G”. Daredevil just rebooted with a #1 issue a couple of weeks ago, and I quite liked it. And, this issue sounds like a great issue for casual readers:
Celebrate Daredevil’s fiftieth anniversary with a look at the future!
A special standalone story that takes place on Matt Murdock’s 50th birthday. How has his life changed? Who lives? Who dies? See if you can spot all the clues the Daredevil creative team has planted for the year 2014!
Plus: Stories by special guest creators from Murdock’s murky past! Fifty years without fear have all lead up to this!
Grrr… A standalone story and a landmark issue with guest creators? It sounds SO MUCH like Batman #400
I LOVED that issue. That’s HOW GOOD this week is for comics. It’s still not the best of the week.
Nightcrawler #1
Chris Claremont is writing Nightcrawler for Marvel? Are you kidding me?
It’s like I’m in high school, reading the X-men and hearing the Beastie Boys for the first time ever. I am already IN LOVE!!!!
Yet this is STILL not the pick of the week.
Iron Fist Living Weapon #1
If you read my preview of the new Netflix Iron Fist series, you know how much I love this character. But it’s STILL not the pick of the week! How good is this week? It’s going to take me a month to get through all these issues.
Lola Xoxo #1
I love the art. But I don’t know that I have time to read it. Sounds cool, though…
“Aspen’s newest hit series debuts! In the ‘Wasteland’, Lola, a young woman with a resolve fortified by a lifetime of survival on her own, must journey across the nuclear-decimated United States in order to find the family that was taken from her! As her quest for the truth begins, Lola uncovers the true inhumanity of the Apocalypse, as those who seek to hold power in a new frontier, will do so at all bloody costs-including her life! Aspen is proud to bring you artist Siya Oum’s highly anticipated new series! Sure to be one of 2014’s most exciting debuts, LOLA XOXO is ready to take you on an incredible adventure unlike any other! “
Why is this not the pick of the week? The hits keep on coming, folks!
All New Ultimates #1
Cloak and Dagger! In a new series? I know they’re out there in the Ultimate universe. But this team line-up? I really liked the Ultimates until it got way too dark. I’m hoping that this series kicks it back into high adventure.
” THE NEXT GENERATION OF ULTIMATES IS HERE!!!
SPIDER-MAN, BLACK WIDOW, KITTY PRYDE, BOMBSHELL, CLOAK & DAGGER officially unite to tackle the vicious, rampant crime wave overtaking Hell’s Kitchen!
DIAMONDBACK leads the teen gang, the SERPENT SKULLS, as they run West Midtown’s drug and weapons trade & deal in murderous citywide terror!
Detective Brigid O’Reilly and her anti-gang unit are on the hunt for a serial mask killer called SCOURGE; they get close but not without some casualties!”
PS – I still have a teen-crush on Kitty Pryde.
PPS – How awesome is this week in comics?
Captain Marvel #2
It’s so awesome that Captain Marvel can’t even lock down the top spot. Issue #1 was so terrific, that I was positive that Captain Marvel could lock down the Hot Comic of the Week title.
Kelly Sue DeConnick is an awesome writer, and this series is really deserving of you attention. Plus, you should totally be following her on Twitter. She’s a remarkable person.
But for this week, if I’ve only got 4 bucks, I’m checking out…
Lumberjanes #1 (of 8)
First issue? Check.
Limited Series? Check.
Brilliant art? Check.
Super-cool story? Let’s see:
WHY WE LOVE IT: Five best friends spending the summer at Lumberjane scout camp…defeating yetis, thre-eeyed wolves, and giant falcons…what’s not to love?!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: It’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer meets Gravity Falls and features five buttkicking, rad teenager girls wailing on monsters and solving a mystery with the whole world at stake. And with the talent of acclaimed cartoonist Noelle Stevenson and talented newcomer Grace Ellis writing and Brooke Allen on art, this is going to be a spectacular series that you won’t want to miss.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Jo, April, Mal, Molly and Ripley are five best pals determined to have an awesome summer together…and they’re not gonna let any insane quest or an array of supernatural critters get in their way! Not only is it the second title launching in our new BOOM! Box imprint but LUMBERJANES is one of those punk rock, love-everything-about-it stories that appeals to fans of basically all excellent things.
Swoon…
Got it. Based on everything I’ve seen, Lumberjanes #1 is the official Casual Comics Hot Pick of the Week.
In an awesome week for comics, that’s a huge accomplishment. Congratulations, Noelle and Brooke. Great job!
Until next week – support you local comic book shop!
Cheers!
– CCG
Casual Comics Guy 
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