Wednesday, October 26, 2022

Survey the New Year from October

With some of the erratic release schedules for books these last two months, perhaps I should put less stock in January's solicits than normal, but what the hell. Let's have something to look forward to in the not-so-cold winter months.

What's new I might buy? There were a surprising number of things I'll at least consider. Al Ewing is following up that Ant-Man mini-series about all the Ant-Mans with one about the Wasp with Kasia Nie as artist. Looks like it's focused on Janet and Nadia. Could always work Cassie Lang as Stinger in there. She was basically Wasp in the MC2 universe, and she's rocking that codename in the main Marvel U now. Might tradewait on that though.

Joe Kelly and Ken Niimura, who were the creative team behind I Kill Giants are teaming up for an 8-issue mini-series through Image, Immortal Sergeant. A cop tries to solve a crime that haunted him for decades with his estranged son. Dynamite is doing a new Darkwing Duck mini-series, by Amanda Deibert and Carlo Lauro. Will Calvin's nostalgia win out over common sense? Well, it typically has in the past.

Blood Moon Comics has the first issue of Northern Blood, by Jason Michalski and Antonio Rojo, about undead Vikings rising because some Nazis robbed a tomb. Nazis dying, a surefire sales approach. Luca Frigerio and Emanuele Ercolani have Kitsune, published through Scout Comics, about a fox ronin who returns home after many years to find his land in ruin. 

There was one hardcover, The Exile by Erik Kriek, about a Viking returning home to find things aren't forgotten. I'm detecting a pattern in the things that interest me, but this thing is 40 bucks. Eeeh, I dunno about that. Finally, there's Nightwalkers, about addicts at a treatment facility where they're entirely isolated, who find themselves under lockdown when a creature gets in. I was actually pretty excited based on the solicit, but Cullen Bunn's the writer, and nothing of his I've read has ever clicked with me.

Like I said, that's a lot. So, What am I buying that's ending in January? Actually, the answer is, "nothing for certain." There are a few things on the verge of being dropped. West of Sundown is up to issue 8, but I'm not sure it's going to make it that far with me. Seven Seas Entertainment has volume 5 of Yakuza Reincarnation and volume 2 of Box of Light. I wasn't wildly enthusiastic about the first volume of either, but I'd like to at least read the second volume of each to decide whether to keep going. There's also the second issues of both Grit N Gears and that Mary Jane and Black Cat mini-series.

With all that said, what does that leave to discuss? No, we're not going to discuss Lazarus Planet from DC, fuck off. Or whatever event mess Marvel has going that month. There is the penultimate issue of Sgt. Rock versus the Army of the Dead. The third issue of a bunch of stuff, assuming I'm still buying all of them: Fantastic Four, Tiger Division, West Moon Chronicles, and Nature's Labyrinth. Also, Deadpool, who appears to have something growing out of his body. That's going to make Blogsgiving awkward if he's eating for two.

Theoretically, that's a lot of books. If they all come out on time. And if I buy all of them.

5 comments:

thekelvingreen said...

I was surprised reading this to discover that Cassie Lang was alive. Well, sort of surprised, because no one stays dead in comics, but given how much of a big deal her death was, I was a little surprised that she was back already. Then I discovered that they brought her back almost straight away. Oh well.

At least this led me to the further discovery that Doctor Doom brought her back and that he also formed an Avengers team with Elsa Bloodstone as a member! Doom and Elsa! I may have to investigate that.

CalvinPitt said...

I remembered Cassie being brought back, vaguely. I just knew she was alive by the time Nick Spencer was writing those Ant-Man series where Scott Lang is a loser that all the other heroes are embarrassed by, because MCU symmetry. Where is my MCU symmetry where Tony Stark is dead?

I did not know about Doom being on an Avengers team with Elsa Bloodstone. Is this something Jason Aaron is responsible for?

thekelvingreen said...

Avengers World #15-16 apparently, by Nick Spencer and Frank Barbiere. Part of the AXIS-but-it-looks-like-SIXIS event. I was very much not paying attention to Marvel at that point, so I can see why I missed it. It's only two issues, so maybe I'll give it a go.

Stingray and Valkyrie are also on the team! Yay! But so are USAgent and Triathlon. Boo!

CalvinPitt said...

Ah, that would explain why I missed it. AXIS tie-in, plus it's in some Avengers book I'm not even sure I knew existed.

I will not stand for this Triathlon slander. Other than US Agent, I quite like that roster. There's a better-than-decent shot either Elsa or Valkyrie would kill Agent when he says something blinding stupid and/or sexist.

thekelvingreen said...

One assumes that since it's a SIXIS tie-in, USAgent is now a paragon of progressive behaviour and kindness.