The Longbox Short-List - Week of February 1, 2017

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 01/31/2017 - 12:49

Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out. 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

KARNAK #6 – Starting with the “oldest” comic on this list. This issue was originally solicited for April 2016. Nice to see it finally hit shelves. The sad part is that this isn’t even the oldest comic on my shopping list. I still have a few issues of Bloodstrike from 2015 that were solicited but never released. I will assume they are never coming out… But about this comic, Ellis has been doing a great job with KARNAK, it’s just a shame how bad the release schedule has been on this book.

BLOOD BLISTER #1 – Phil Hester and Tony Harris on the same book is definitely something I have to give a look. Not 100% sure what this one is about, but Aftershock puts out a lot of comics I enjoy. “Sin is a joke to Brandon Hull. Morality a crutch for the weak, laws mere tools to be abused. But when the corruption he scoffed at begins to manifest on his once-perfect body, Hull finds himself cast into a hidden world of unspeakable horror from which there is no escape. How can you be saved when the evil possessing you is your own soul? Opening a jarring window on to a world of horror.”

VAMPIRELLA #0 – Dynamite’s four attempt at finding a way to get a VAMPIRELLA series going. This issue is only a quarter, so it’s worth checking out. Personally, I think Dynamite has done a great job with VAMPIRELLA, but it just seems like there isn’t much of an audience, unfortunately. This time they are setting her story in the far future and putting Paul Cornell on the book.
LETTER 44 #1 (1 Dollar Edition) – Love this series, so it’s great to see them rereleasing the first issue for only a buck. LETTER 44 is about the discovery of an alien race not that far from Earth and how the world would react to such a thing. It’s pretty dark and disturbing at times, but an excellent read.
UNSTOPPABLE WASP #2 – WASP was the sleeper book of last month. I loved this comic so much I insisted my wife and daughter read it, and they loved it too. The new Wasp had a shaky start in her various appearances around the Marvel universe, but in her own book, she’s been terrific. MUST BUY!

WILL EISNER’S THE SPIRIT: THE CORPSE-MAKERS #1 – I actually hadn’t read a lot of SPIRIT, but I did enjoy Dynamite’s relaunch. Was hoping for a sequel for a while, and we finally got it!

MONSTERS UNLEASHED #2 – I am usually pretty harsh with Marvel’s events, but I actually enjoyed MONSTERS UNLEASHED’s first issue. It seems to be fairly self-contained and doesn’t seem to be trying to do much more than just be a fun “heroes fight monsters” story. Marvel needs to have more fun with their big events. Hoping this one continues in that direction.

BATMAN #16 – After a two issue Catwoman arc, Bane returns to the spotlight. I didn’t love the “I am suicide” arc, but Tom King is usually really good. Hopefully he can make Bane interesting again. He’s been so inconsistent since KNIGHTFALL (though I did like him in SECRET SIX a lot). It’s a real shame that no one seems sure what to do with what should be a great Batman villain.

A&A THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER AND ARMSTRONG #12 – Another Valiant series going on hiatus. BOO! Archer and Armstrong are always great. Hopefully this will be a short hiatus like X-O MANOWAR. And like I say all the time, BRING BACK SHADOWMAN!!