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Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story
(Photo: DC)Written by Nicole Maines
Art by Rye Hickman
Published by DC
After television, video games, and a jump into mainstream comics, the story of Nia Nal / Dreamer is continuing to reach a larger audience. This week, that spans into the world of YA graphic novels with Bad Dream: A Bad Dreamer Story. Penned by Nicole Maines, Dreamer’s original actress-turned-steward of the character, Bad Dream is set to recontextualize her origin story in a delightful and poignant way. With Rye Hickman on the art, and a bonus crossover with fellow trans superheroine Galaxy, Bad Dream is sure to be a wonderful addition to any DC fans’ collection. — Jenna Anderson
Birds of Prey #8
(Photo: DC)Written by Kelly Thompson
Art by Javier Pina and David Lopez
Colors by Jordie Bellaire
Letters by Clayton Cowles
Published by DC
I know I have become something of a broken record with how often I recommend this Birds of Prey run, but each issue is continuing to justify it in spades. This week’s installment takes the Birds’ high-fashion predicament to utterly delightful heights, with sequences that are sure to break the Internet. Kelly Thompson’s voice for the Birds is as excellent as ever, and guest artists Javier Pina and David Lopez perfectly fit into the fold. If you’re not reading Birds of Prey, fix that immediately. — Jenna Anderson
Deadpool #1
Written by Cody Ziglar
Art by Rogê Antônio
Colors by Guru-eFX
Letters by Joe Sabino
Published by Marvel Comics
Despite Deadpool’s continuing popularity and the success of the Deadpool films, Marvel Comics hasn’t been able to find a consistent vision for the Merc with a Mouth in its comics since Gerry Duggan finished his years-long run writing the ongoing Deadpool series in 2018. The publisher has launched three Deadpool ongoing series since then, none of which have lasted long or proven particularly memorable (at least in the mind of this casual-at-best Deadpool fan). With the Deadpool & Wolverine movie only a few months away from release, Marvel is giving it another go, with Cody Zigler writing the new Deadpool series and Rogê Antônio providing the artwork. Ziglar is the current writer of Marvel’s stellar Miles Morales: Spider-Man series whose background is as an Emmy-nominated television writer with credits on subversive, off-beat comedies like Robot Chicken and Rick & Morty, all of which should make him a good fit for Deadpool. Antônio is an artist who does solid work but hasn’t had a big breakout showing yet, which perhaps this Deadpool relaunch could provide. Hopefully, this all amounts to a Deadpool series that will stick around for a while and give fans of the character something to look forward to every month. — Jamie Lovett
Deep Cuts #6
(Photo: Chris Brunner, Image Comics)Written by Kyle Higgins, Joe Clark
Art by Toby Cypress
Colors by Igor Monti
Letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Published by Image Comics
Pulling off a comic book about music is notoriously difficult, but the Deep Cuts team has pulled it off admirably. Each of Deep Cuts‘ issues has focused on a different character and, importantly, the human story that goes into every song. Deep Cuts #6, the final issue of the series, focuses on a band embarking on their first world tour. Is this when they take it to the next level, or where everything falls apart? The series’ writing team of Kyle Higgins and Joe Clark offer one final tale, teaming with Toby Cypress to close out a stellar set. Here’s hoping there’s a reunion and encore somewhere down the line. — Jamie Lovett
The Forged Vol. 2
(Photo: Mike Henderson, Image Comics)Written by Greg Rucka and Eric Trautmann
Art by Mike Henderson
Colors by Nolan Woodard
Letters by Ariana Maher
Published by Image Comics
Each new volume of The Forged provides cause for fans of science-fiction and comics to celebrate with three oversized issues beautifully presented in a format that invites readers to get lost in a distant future and galaxy. With the story established in the first volume, this second collection of The Forged provides an opportunity to expand the narrative with a distinct focus on each of the core cast’s personalities and backgrounds as they return to their homeworld. Politics, intrigue, and the terrifying scale of an alien invasion all emerge in addition to the same fast-paced action and thrilling sci-fi concepts that made their first mission into can’t-miss comics. There’s no denying Mike Henderson’s stunning design for this far-future setting, whether it’s present in the mechs and ships or the very layout of a city and its many sectors. The series continues to present an immersive experience that makes setting down new installments difficult. The crew of Forged warriors it focuses upon grows more endearing with each page, too, as their battle-tested relationships and personal desires make each elite soldier seem more human, especially in their flaws. There are few better-presented series in the direct market today and any fan of sci-fi comics will find themselves in for a treat as the second volume of The Forged arrives this week. — Chase Magnett
Unstoppable Doom Patrol
(Photo: Chris Burnham, Nick Filardi, DC)Written by Dennis Culver
Art by Chris Burnham and Darko Lafuente
Colors by Brian Reber
Letters by Pat Brosseau
Published by DC
Doom Patrol is a superhero team with some of the greatest highlights found within the genre – ranging from their idiosyncratic origins to the transcendently strange work of creators like Grant Morrison and Gerard Way. Writer Dennis Culver and artist Chris Burnham’s 7-issue Unstoppable Doom Patrol fits neatly into those historic ranks. Its spin on the team is familiar enough for any reader who recognizes the name to jump in, but their mission of collecting new individuals with strange (and often dangerous) abilities offers a new fold, and the inventive nature of those new members combined with their colorful depictions provides every issue with instantly memorable concepts and panels. Beneath all of the wonderful new visuals and riveting action sequences lies the same tender heart that has often made the team as endearing as the best X-Men comics. Burnham can depict human pathos every bit as well as blood-spattered action and Culver ensures every figure on the team is more than an interesting set of powers. Although 7 issues still feels far too short, it does allow readers to (re)discover this excellent single volume for many years to come. — Chase Magnett
X-Men Epic Collection: Children of the Atom
(Photo: Marvel Comics)Written by Stan Lee and Roy Thomas
Art by Jack Kirby, Werner Roth, and Alex Toth
Published by Marvel Comics
With X-Men ’97 currently airing on Disney+, and the MCU’s impending reboot of the team still on the way, now might be one of the best times yet to get into X-Men comics. Even though large swaths of the pasts of Marvel’s mutants have been out of print for years, this week works to remedy that with a new Epic Collection. Collecting the first twenty-three issues of the team’s first comic appearances, this is definitely a must-have for Marvel fans. — Jenna Anderson
“}]] All this, plus new X-Men, The Forged, and Doom Patrol collections. Read More