New comic book day falls on almost every Wednesday each week. You can grab your favorite funny book and catch up on your favorite heroes and villains. It’s pretty neat. With the new wave of story lines and the ever growing popularity of independent titles from smaller press outlets, it’s never been a better time to be a comic book fan. So this week, and ongoing I’m going to be giving you my recommendations on comic books that you should check out. No spoilers happening here, I’m just giving you a taste of what you can expect from some of the hottest comic book titles out there.
Mr and Mrs X
This series stars long time and beloved X-Men, Gambit and Rogue. It is set right after their wedding. I KNOW RIGHT!!! This series just began with Gambit and Rogue’s wedding and of course the honeymoon isn’t going to go as smooth as you may think when the X-Men are involved in outer space.
This comic has the delightful creative team of writer Kelly Thompson and artist Oscar Bazaldua. Thompson was also the writer for the Rogue and Gambit miniseries that saw the X-Couple get back together and leads into this ongoing series. If this is your cup of tea, and it certainly is mine, check out both the Rogue and Gambit miniseries, X-Men Gold #30 (which serves as the pilot episode to the new ongoing series) and treat yourself to Mr and Mrs X, available in stores right now or on Marvel’s website.
Batman: Cold Days
On the other side of the comic book universe at DC, another wedding didn’t quite go as planned. The year long story line where Batman and Catwoman were set to be married ended with Batman being left at the altar. This new arc sees what’s going on in Batman’s/Bruce Wayne’s mind after the failed wedding. It also shows that Bruce Wayne, as a citizen of Gotham City who is registered to vote being called upon for jury duty. The criminal in question? Mr Freeze, whom Batman had recently brought to justice. Serious conflict of interests arise as since Batman and Bruce Wayne are the same person so Batman knows way more about the case than the average juror. Also keep in mind that Batman, who is always in a state of grieving, just got his heart broken. So there is way more to this case that meets the eye.
Join Tom King (writer) and Lee Weeks (artist) as they tell you a tale of corruption, heartbreak and how to move on after a nasty breakup. Also it’s just hilarious to think that kajillionaire Bruce Wayne couldn’t get out of jury duty. Check out this comic at DC right now.
Unnatural
Heading over to the indy scene of comic book world. Mirka Andolfo’s Unnatural is set in a world that is not unlike the one we live in already except instead of people there are animals that live and breathe and walk around like we do. It’s a pretty awesome series that was previously published Italy, Germany, Spain, Poland and Mexico. The series covers the boring life Leslie, a pig girl, who just wants to live a normal life. Her dreams are way too vivid for her at times, but she’s just trying to take it one day at a time. This series is smart, sexy and touches on a lot of social issues we face today in the modern world.
I found this book on accident just browsing the comic book store and was amazed by the awesome artwork and the story telling. Mirka Andolfo is the writer, artist and colorist for this delightful and insightful series. You may also know her work as an artist on Harley Quinn, Wonder Woman and DC Bombshells. Currently, Image Comics is publishing and distributing Unnatural in the United States.
Black Panther: The Intergalactic Empire of Wakanda
Taking a newer and more bolder stance in the Marvel Universe, Wakanda expands its empire to the far reaches of the galaxy. As the richest nation in the Marvel Universe, why wouldn’t Wakanda have a space program? Also why wouldn’t it be so old that it allowed the Wakandan nation to expand to the far reaches of the universe and become a silent yet powerful force to be reckoned with throughout the cosmos? In this new series written by Ta-Nehisi Coates and drawn by Daniel Acuña, King T’Challa finds out about his secret empire and also finds out what most of us already know from watching Game of Thrones, someone is ALWAYS trying to take your spot.
This series is filled with intrigue, betrayal and some of the most beautiful art that reminds old school readers of when Marvel comic books were drawn by guys on acid in the 70s. Bringing the grounded Black Panther to the outer reaches of space seems like a far reach however, a few issues in, is awesome!
