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!
While it may not be quite as famous as the original series, Transformers: Beast Wars defined the franchise for a generation of fans in the mid-to-late '90s. And to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the fan-favorite series, Erik Burnham, Josh Burcham and Jake M. Wood's Transformers: Beast Wars #1 reignites the war between the heroic Maximals and the vicious Predacons on a primal Earth.
Smartly, the comic is essentially an accessible reboot of Beast Wars, with the first issue ending after establishing the main cast and giving them their animal forms. While the angular, cartoony art is a far cry from the now-dated CG animation of the series, it suits these characters well. Even though this is very much an introductory issue, it still hints at the surprisingly complex emotional lives of the show's cast, and it stands as a solid introduction -- or reintroduction -- to the Beast Wars saga.
Throughout the King in Black crossover, the Symbiote shadow of Knull has fallen over the Marvel Universe, and it reaches another corner of the X-Men's world in King in Black: Marauders #1. This one-shot tie-in by Gerry Duggan, Luke Ross, Carlos Lopez and Cory Petit focuses on Kate Pryde's team of sea-faring X-Men as take the long road to the main scene of the crossover.
Although the story itself appears to only be marginally important in the grand scheme of King in Black and the X-Men's current affairs, the story is compelling, and it gives the fan-favorite X-man Bishop a rare spotlight. Ross' art has more clean lines that show off his strong figurework and classical composition, while leaving enough room for Lopez to make the pages pop with a buoyant burst of color.
In 1989, Friday the 13th Part VII: Jason Takes Manhattan saw one of horror's most famous slashers head to New York in a movie that never quite realizes the promise of its premise. But in its first issue, Elliott Kalan, Andrea Mutti and Taylor Esposito's Maniac of New York #1 finds lurid thrills and a deeper meaning in that very idea.
Years after attacking a Times Square New Year's Eve celebration, the comic's killer, Harry the Maniac, has become an unstoppable force of nature, who continues to terrorize the city at random years after the fact. In a city that has grown uncomfortably accustomed to this looming specter of death, a jaded police detective and a survivor of Harry's real first attack team up to try to put Harry's reign to an end. The art has an airy, almost watercolor palette that punctuates its moments of violence all the more, and that's one of several smart decisions that give Maniac of New York a subtle subversive streak.
Even by the loose standards of the Marvel Universe, Jed MacKay, Carlos Magno, Guru-eFX and Cory Petit's Avengers: Mech Strike #1 is a silly idea. When a new breed of Pacific Rim–esque monster wages war on the Marvel Universe, the Avengers find themselves overwhelmed and turn to giant new battlesuits designed by Tony Stark.
While the conceit of the Avengers in giant robot suits might seem better suited for a toyline than a story, the creative team puts together a fun, over-the-top debut that's highlighted by Magno's stunning action sequences. Even if this issue is light on robot action, the intricate detail of the techno-organic beasts is worth the price of admission by itself.
As much as anyone, Yara Flor, the new Wonder Woman, has been the breakout star of DC's Future State event. And with Future State: Wonder Woman #2, Joëlle Jones, Jordie Bellaire and Clayton Cowles make a very strong case for why the next Wonder Girl is the perfect character to take the DC Universe into the future.
In this issue, Yara travels through the underworld in search of one of her lost Amazon sisters. While that might seem like a deceptively simple plot, the creative team elevates the material by giving Yara an imminently likable charm, inventive designs for the underworld, dynamic action, brilliant colors and standout lettering. With this creative team is firing on all cylinders, their upcoming Wonder Girl series is shaping up to be a must-read, and it's clear to see why Yara Flor is shaping up to be DC's next superstar.
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