Essential Comics This Week

Each week, a massive number of comics are released. Determining which titles are worth checking out can be a daunting task, especially if you’re trying to keep your spending under a certain limit. We’ve gone through the list to help you decide which books you need to read on Wednesday, February 17.

Bill & Ted Go to Hell #1

Written by Brian Joines

Art by Bachan

Bill & Ted both went to Hell during their Bogus Journey. It looks like they’ll be heading back there once again in this BOOM! Studios follow-up mini-series. If you read the first mini-series from last year (on-sale this week in a collected addition), then you know that the spirit of the characters is here and this publisher has a great grasp on this world. Fans of the original films should really check this new book out as it has a solid and enthusiastic creative team which Comic Vine talked to back in December about this series.

Power Man & Iron Fist #1

Written by David Walker

Art and Cover by Sanford Greene

Power Man and Iron Fist are back together and all is right in the world. We’ve seen these two heroes in various titles in recent years, but most of the time, they’ve been separate. Some things are just meant to go together. Iron Fist’s last series was fantastic, and it’s been great seeing Luke Cage take on fatherhood along with his other duties. Having these two back on the streets operating as the Heroes for Hire will be cool to see once again. There’s something about seeing street level heroes take on big, crazy action. David Walker and Sanford Greene are going to do wondrous things on this book.

Huck #4

Written by Mark Millar

Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Mark Miller continues to amaze us month after month with this heartfelt look at a different kind of superhero. All Huck wants to do is help people. We’ve seen what happened when his identity became public with certain high profile people trying to fully take advantage of him. Then Miller throws a nice twist which will lead to some big revelations about his origin. Rafael Albuquerque’s art has been incredible. This is a series not to be missed.

Wrath of Eternal Warrior #4

Written by Robert Venditti

Art by Raul Allen

Valiant Comics has been putting out some real groundbreaking books, especially with Bloodshot Reborn and this newer series, Wrath of Eternal Warrior. The immortal Gilad is working on escaping Hell to return to Earth, which is a bit confusing to new readers, since he’s supposed to live forever. Regardless, Robert Venditti is an amazing writer when it comes to focusing on a single character’s journey. Plus, Raul Allen gives this series a really surreal feel. If you’re a fan of books like Conan, you’ll want to check this out.

Avengers Stand Off Pleasant Hill #1

Written by Nick Spencer

Art by Mark Bagley

We’re not fully sure what this next big event from Marvel’s all about. With Nick Spencer involved and Bucky Barnes making his return to Earth on the opening pages, we don’t need to know anything else right now. Some may be a little fatigued over comic book events, but there’s just something about this that feels like it’s going to be big. Maybe it’s just a feeling in my gut, but it’s usually pretty easy to quickly tell if an event is going to take off or not. Mark Bagley handles the art on this issue.

Star Wars #16

Written by Jason Aaron

Art by Leinil Francis Yu

This new arc for Star Wars is a bit of a crossover story with the Darth Vader series as well. It’s all dealing with Vader’s companion, Doctor Aphra, who has been captured by the Rebels. Obviously, Vader is sending some people to get her back, and the Rebels are trying to keep her prisoner. The flow between these two series is really cool, and writer Jason Aaron is doing a phenomenal job with this series. Plus, Leinil Yu takes over art duties for this issue and his style should really fit it with this book.

Superman: American Alien #4

Written by Max Landis

Art by Jae Lee

Max Landis has been doing something pretty amazing–he’s been retelling Superman’s origin in a different way. We’ve all seen the story a bunch of times. The years that followed Clark discovering the truth about his heritage have been played out in many ways. Landis is adding a slight twist to it all by telling different sorts of stories. With a different artist for each issue (and moment in Clark’s life), we’re getting the amazing art of Jae Lee in this issue. Adding to the fun, we’ll get to see the competition between Clark and Lois before they started working at the Daily Planet.

Red Thorn #4

Written by David Baillie

Art by Meghan Hetrick-Murante

Red Thorn is one of the better new Vertigo series that launched in the past few months. It mixes fantasy with Scottish mythology and while we’re still early in the story, it quickly reels in its readers. A woman is searching for her sister that went missing decades earlier and finds herself face-to-face with a mystical creature that’s been imprisoned for thousands of years beneath Scottland. If mythology is something that intrigues you, try Red Thorn out.

Silver Surfer #2

Written by Dan Slott

Art by Mike Allred

Dan Slott and Mike Allred have been doing some strange and wacky things with Silver Surfer and his traveling companion Dawn Greenwood. The combination of the story along with Allred’s art and Laura Allred’s colors has been fantastic. This is truly a case where you never know what to expect next. It’s also apparently going to be Clobbering Time because the Thing is making an appearance along with Alicia Masters.

American Vampire Volume 8

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Scott Snyder’s take on vampires has been such a trip. The story and characters have now entered the 60s. That means the war against communism is taking place as well as the race to the stars. Yes, that means vampires in space. With art by Rafael Albuquerque and colors by Dave McCaig, this book looks as great as the story is.

Invincible Volume 22: Reboot

Written by Robert Kirkman

Art by Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn

If you have kept up with comics in the past few years, you know that both Marvel and DC have done their own reboots of their universes, where everything just starts over, in a sense. Invincible, a super-hero book that plays by its own rules, did the same thing, to an extent. This is the best traditional super-hero book on the shelves. It’s geared more towards an adult audience, and it’s written by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. What’s really phenomenal about this series is the artwork from Ryan Ottley. He can make someone’s face getting smashed in one of the most beautiful pieces of art around.

Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return Volume 1

Written by Brian Lynch

Art by Jerry Gaylord

Bill & Ted returned last year in a new mini-series from BOOM! Studios, and it was most excellent. The adventures of these bodacious buddies continue right after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, where the Wyld Stallyns have written their first hit and have to find a follow-up song to cement their legacy. This book really captured the spirit of the characters well, thanks to Brian Lynch’s writing, and Jerry Gaylord’s art gave this book an animated feel, which is completely fitting.

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

Leave a Reply