Each week, CBR has your guide to navigating Wednesday's new and recent comic releases, specials, collected editions and reissues, and we're committed to helping you choose those that are worth your hard-earned cash. It's a little slice of CBR we like to call Major Issues.
If you feel so inclined, you can buy our recommendations directly on comiXology with the links provided. We'll even supply links to the books we're not so hot on, just in case you don't want to take our word for it. Don't forget to let us know what you think of the books this week in the comments! And as always, SPOILERS AHEAD!
DC's Future State is still exploring the potential futures of the DC Universe, and Robbie Thompson, Javier Fernandez, Alex Sinclair and Wes Abbott's Future State: Suicide Squad #1 showed that tomorrow still isn't great for some of DC's most despicable villains. Still under the control of Amanda Waller, this Suicide Squad teams up an adult Conner Kent Superman with an odd assortment of villains and sends them on a suitably brutal, well-illustrated mission.
This issue also includes the back-up featuring starring Black Adam that takes place in the 753rd century of the DC One Million crossover. With lush, detailed art, this Jeremy Adams, Fernando Pasarin, Oclair Albert, Jeromy Cox and Wes Abbott story returns joyfully calls back to DC history with a surprising tale that shows how much fun Future State can be.
While the most noteworthy aspect of X-Men #17 was the announcement of an ongoing fan vote to determine the next member of Marvel's main mutant team, Jonathan Hickman, Brett Booth, Adelso Corona, Sunny Gho and Clayton Cowles also deliver a solid stand-alone tale featuring intergalactic X-Men action.
While this is very much part of the larger tapestry that Hickman has been orchestrating, it's also an accessible tale about Cyclops, Jean Grey and Storm heading to the Shi'ar Empire to save their current leader. Between some retro costumes and the '90s aesthetics of the art, this almost reads like a long-lost transmission from another age of X-Men.
After spending the last few months featuring surprisingly dark stories involving the undead serial killer Sin-Eater and the familiar demonic threat of the Kindred, Nick Spencer, Marcelo Ferreira, Wayne Faucher, Morry Hollowell and Joe Caramagna's Amazing Spider-Man #58 shifts its focus to Mister Negative. While Peter Parker and the breakout villain from his PlayStation 4 Spider-Man game are still very much responding to the events of the last few storylines, this new chapter brings in some long-absent members of Spider-Man's supporting cast to face the horrors that have defined his recent days.
Ferreira, Faucher and Hollowell's art is especially well-suited to this tale, with a dynamic, eerie take on Spider-Man that really comes alive in fight scenes. With panels that are reminiscent of Steve McNiven or Steve Skroce's Spider-Man work, this art team definitely makes this spooky Spider-man tale worth sticking around for.
While Tim Fox may be Future State's most celebrated Batman, Mariko Tamaki, Dan Mora, Jordie Bellaire and Aditya Bidikar's Future State: Dark Detective #2 throws Bruce Wayne into one of the event's standout tales. In an unrecognizable, futuristic Gotham City, Bruce Wayne tries to fight the good fight as ais on the run from the vigilante-hating Magistrate with fewer resources than ever before. With an eye-catching neon color palate and Mora's dynamic cartoony style and a propulsive tale, Dark Detective remains a clear Future State highlight.
This issue also includes a pitch-perfect Red Hood story by Joshua Williamson, Giannis Milonogiannis, Jordie Bellaire and Troy Peteri. Milonogiannis' manga-influenced art is a perfect fit for Future State's neon cyberpunk aesthetic, especially in sequences of Akira-like motorcycle action.
While the best Future State comics have embraced bold color palates, Batman: Black & White continues the storied series' winning streak by embracing the diametric opposite in five tales. Gabriel Hardman, Corinna Bechko and Troy Peteri's "The Spill" finds Batman trapped in a wrecked Batmobile in an intricately detailed sequence. Dustin Weaver and Todd Klein's "Dual" sees batman encounter his exact opposite in a gorgeous short story, and Tom King, Mitch Gerads and Clayton Cowles team up for a thoughtful tale that sees Batman face a challenge he can't overcome
While Sophie Campbell delivers a fun story about the never-ending chase between Batman and Catwoman, David Aja's moody supernatural story ingeniously plays out through a series of panels arranged like a collection of a Batman newspaper strip. While these stories might not have any color, they all feature their creators at the peak of their powers, and they offer a clearer look at what makes them great.
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