Comics I’m Picking Up the Week of July 3, 2019

Here are the books I’m looking forward to seeing at my local comic store the week of July 3,2019.

Lois Lane

Publisher: DC
Words/Story: Greg Rucka
Art/Colors: Mike Perkins

“On the road and out of Metropolis—and carrying a secret that could disrupt Superman’s life—Lois Lane embarks on a harrowing journey to uncover a threat to her husband and a plot that reaches the highest levels of international power brokers and world leaders. Critically acclaimed and best-selling author Greg Rucka and master storyteller Mike Perkins team up for a tale of conspiracy, intrigue, and murder that pushes even Lois to her limits.”

Category: Tried and True Creators

Why I’m Excited: In conjunction with the DC summer event that aims to remake the secret organization scene within the DC universe, Greg Rucka launches a 12-issue series—a format the publisher has embraced in recent years—to bring new life to a character that hasn’t had her name in a title since 2015 (Superman: Lois & Clark) and hasn’t had a “solo” story since 1986. With Rucka the editors have found a good fit for the strong heroine (judging from his work on Wonder Woman and Black Magick) and a rare chance to see Mike Perkins flex on the DC characters.

DC Comics

Sea of Stars

Publisher: Image Comics
Words/Story: Jason Aaron and Dennis Hallum
Art/Colors: Stephen Green and Rico Renzi

“Being a space trucker sounds like a cool job, but in reality, it can be boring as hell. So when recently widowed Gil gets a long-haul gig across the universe, he figures it’s safe enough to bring his young son Kadyn along for the ride—that is, until their ‘big rig’ gets bitten in half by a gigantic Space Leviathan! Now separated from his son—with a breached suit that’s venting oxygen at an alarming rate—Gil must defy the odds and stay alive long enough to rescue Kadyn. But meanwhile, Kadyn seems to be getting all the help he needs from a talking Space Monkey riding a Space Dolphin . . . or maybe it’s the strange powers he’s suddenly manifesting?!”

Category: Tried and True Creators

Why I’m Excited: With the last of his Thor scripts presumably turned in and the conclusion of his epic run nigh, I’m glad to see that Jason Aaron is keeping with the cosmic. The idea of the “truckers in space” is amusing to me because I know that when it comes down to it, the reality of interstellar travel will be less glamorous than many of the sci-fi portrayals; more Aliens than Star Trek. The combination of Stephen Green and Rico Renzi on art may seem an odd fit given their difference in experience, but as any colorist will say, “The lines are just a guide” (or maybe that’s just me on the Firefly book), and newbie/veteran collaboration can be beneficial to the processes of both.

Image Comics

Test

Publisher: Vault Comics
Words/Story: Christopher Sebela
Art/Colors: Jen Hickman

“Aleph Null is a lot of things: An orphan, a human guinea pig undergoing medical tests for cash, a bodyhacker, a hardcore future junkie, and a corporate asset. But now, Aleph is on the run from their old life, in search of a mythical, Midwestern town named Laurelwood—where they’re test-marketing the future with tech that can’t possibly exist yet and won’t for decades.”

Category: Tried and True Creators

Why I’m Excited: Christopher Sebela had a breakout 2018: Crowded, House Amok, and Shanghai Red all got a lot of buzz (some of it even here) and I’m excited to see him capitalizing on the success with more projects that the big two would seem unwilling to try. Hickman’s art has a Helvetica smoothness and lack of embellishment that should lend itself well to a tale of psychedelic and trippy futurism.

Vault Comics

Hellboy: 25 years of Covers

Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Words/Story: Mike Mignola
Art/Colors: Dave Stewart

“To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the first issue of Hellboy, this deluxe art collection includes more than 150 full-page cover pieces from Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Duncan Fegredo, and more! This oversized 8″ × 12″ hardcover is sure to appeal to Mignola fans and comics enthusiasts alike, featuring an introduction by colorist Dave Stewart and a foreword by Mignola himself. Featuring Hellboy covers from the the original series, one-shots, collections, and more!”

Category: Like They Need My Help

Why I’m Excited: This is why we buy Hellboy. Just look at them.

Dark Horse Comics

Also out this week: the start of a new volume of Gerard Way’s Doom Patrol, the DC/Dark Horse crossover between the Black Hammer and Justice League teams (Lemire and Walsh creative team); for those of you that never made it to Walmart for the DC Giant Issues, a collection of the Superman: Up in the Sky storyline; and a GN version of everybody’s favorite where your food comes from the novel The Jungle—it’ll hit you in the heart and the stomach.

See you at the racks!