Comics I’m Picking Up the Week of February 5, 2020

Here are the books I’m looking forward to seeing at my local comic store the week of February 5, 2020.

The Man Who F#&%ed Up Time

Publisher: AfterShock Comics
Words/Story: John Layman
Art/Colors: Karl Mostert

“Sean Bennett is just your everyday, ordinary lab worker in a high-tech lab with a prototype time machine. And, yeah, he’s got the same temptations any of us would have about going back in time, just a bit, to correct mistakes of the past and right old wrongs. So, when he meets a version of himself from the future who encourages him to do just that, Sean takes the temporal plunge. Only . . . can you guess what happens next? Did you read the book title? Yup. All of time is f#&%ed up now, and it’s up to Sean to correct it—or else!”

Category: Tried and True Creator

Why I’m Excited: In the grand tradition of Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Time Bandits, the first volume of Chrononauts, and maybe even Doctor Who, if Nardole were operating the TARDIS; I hope there is some time for education in the middle of the hilarious antics. Whether there is a run-in with Joan of Arc or not, or a twist on meeting yourself at an earlier age, or a Dinosaurs on a Spaceship homage, I’m excited to see where Chew’s mastermind takes a new character hopefully just as adorable as Tony.

AfterShock Comics

Adler

Publisher: Titan Comics
Words/Story: Lavie Tidhar
Art/Colors: Paul McCaffrey

“For Sherlock, there was only ever one woman—now Irene Adler is on a mission to take down Moriarty! It’s the League of Extraordinary Gentlewomen, as Adler teams up with a host of famous female faces from science, history, and literature to defeat the greatest criminal mastermind of all time!”

Category: Return to a Beloved World

Why I’m Excited: There wasn’t much to go on when people wanted to create a foil for Sherlock Holmes. There was only one story that featured her in a small “role,” but writers have expanded her into either a worthy love interest (for the Robert Downey Jr. incarnation) or a dangerous temptation (for Benedict Cumberbatch’s). Here I hope to see the steampunk that we loved in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen matched with cameos by some real-life heroines of science, perhaps Irma Goldberg or Harriet Chalmers Adams.

Titan Comics

Why Did We Trust Him?

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions
Words/Story: Shannon Wheeler
Art/Colors: Shannon Wheeler

“The Eisner Award–winning wit of Shannon Wheeler breaks hilarious new ground in a handsome new collection!
Hot off Sh*t My President Says, Shannon Wheeler unloads a new set of top-notch cartoons in this premium collection. Instead of lampooning the president, Wheeler demonstrates what won him a couple of Eisner Awards with a more personal set of single panel comics. Relationships, social norms, cats, dogs, food, and Wheeler himself are all targets of his urbane wit. It’s a gem of a book.”

Category: Tried and True Creator

Why I’m Excited: I can never see tweets from 45 displayed on a TV screen without imagining a Shannon Wheeler cartoon next to it. He seems adept at capturing the heartbreak that lies at the absurdity of these modern times. You will see your own life in these comics and maybe even be able to share them with someone else to let them know you understand what they’re going through. The title may be a question that some senators are asking themselves this week.

Top Shelf Productions/IDW

X-Men + Fantastic Four

Publisher: Marvel
Words/Story: Chip Zdarsky
Art/Colors: Terry Dodson

“Krakoa. Every mutant on Earth lives there . . . except for one. But now it’s time for Franklin Richards to come home. It’s the X-Men vs. the Fantastic Four and nothing will ever be the same.”

Category: Like They Need My Help

Why I’m Excited: The alternate cover by Chris Eliopoulos is all you need as a blurb—although Marvel furnished the redundant description above. The last time I read a Fantastic Four/X-Men story centered on Franklin Richards was in the ’90s. It wasn’t that great, but maybe with the kiddo able to understand what’s going on (right) it will be more interesting.

Marvel Comics

Also out is Marvel’s The End miniseries, Captain America, whose art pays great homage to the ’40s origin of the character; a new project from Michael Avon Oeming called the After Realm; a hardcover collection of Harleen from Stjepan Sejic; and a Valentine’s Day special from DC—too bad the better cover art is only available at 120 percent the cover price.

See you at the racks!