The Longbox Short-List - Week of March 2, 2016

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Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week.   Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that.  Let's get to it!

Comics shipping this week


BLACK WIDOW #1 – They basically just took the creative team from the last two volumes of Daredevil and put them on this book. I usually don’t have a lot of interest in Black Widow, but I loved what Waid, Samnee and company did on Daredevil, so I pretty much have to buy this book.

VAMPIRELLA #1 – Vampirella by Nancy Collins was one of my favorite comics over the last two years. I was pretty bummed to see her go, but the new direction of Vampirella by Kate Leth definitely interests me enough to give it a shot. I just hope she doesn’t abandon all the lore that Collins added. Vampirella became a real well rounded character during her last run, and I don’t want to lose that. 

THE DISCIPLINE #1 – I honestly don’t remember exactly why I added this to my pull list, besides the fact it’s written by Peter Milligan (which is actually a good reason to buy most comics). It’s supposed to be some kind of erotic thriller. Image continues to put out a wide variety of unique comics and that grabs my attention as a reader.

MIGHTY MORPHY POWER RANGERS #1 – The 0 issue that came out two months ago was a nice revitalization of the series. And it seems to have been a real hit as Boom has already announced they are doing a spin-off mini-series starring the Pink Ranger. Between this comics, the upcoming movie, and the terrific TV series Dino Charge (now Dino Super Charge), Power Rangers seems to be in a great place right now.

AVENGERS STANDOFF ASSAULT ON PLEASANT HILL ALPHA #1 – Man, that title is a real mouthful. Avengers Standoff was off to a great start in Avengers Standoff: Welcome to Pleasant Hill #1 (yeah, that is not too confusing) with the return of the Thunderbolts. I have no idea if this crossover will live up to that terrific first issue, but I’m more excited that I was when they first announced this series.

BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #22 – The last five issues of this terrific mini-series have arrived. There have been some huge changes to the Batman history in this series, and I hope they are reflected in the main series moving forward. Batman Eternal seemed to have mostly gotten forgotten after Endgame, which is a real shame. 

SPIDER-MAN #2 – I love seeing Miles Morales getting more of a spotlight, but I will admit that this first issue didn’t get me all that excited. Bendis seems stretched real thin, and I don’t see that changing. I’m worried that this book will kind of get lost in the shuffle. It might be time to hand the character over to a fresh set of eyes.