The Longbox Short-List - Week of June 14, 2017

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 06/13/2017 - 07:47

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

Even though it’s June 2017, let’s kick off this week’s commentary by going back to two books that are coming out this week that were both originally scheduled for October 2016….

BETTY AND VERONICA #3 – While I enjoy quite a bit of what Archie puts out, I am constantly annoyed by how many of their big books end up with considerable delays. I honestly couldn’t even tell you what happened in the first two issues of BETTY AND VERONICA. For such a big tentpole book, you’d think they would have learned from the problems with AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE, SABRINA, and the Dark Circle line. Shameful.

PREDATOR VS JUDGE DREAD VS ALIENS #4 – But Archie isn’t the only culprit here! Dark Horse also gets in on the action with the final issue of PREDATOR VS JUDGE DREAD VS ALIENS, which is also 8 months after the originally announced release date. I was really enjoying this series, but like I said abut BETTY AND VERONICA, it’s been so long, I have no idea where this story left off. I will never understand the mindset of not FINISHING a 4 issue mini-series before releasing it. Delays in ongoing series make a lot more sense than delays in mini-series.

DARK DAYS THE FORGE #1 – I have been avoiding spoilers on DC’s DARK DAYS and METAL events. I have really enjoyed the slow build of the “big picture” we’ve seen throughout DC Rebirth. This is pretty much the book I am most excited about this week.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES/BUGS BUNNY SPECIAL – As a huge Legion fan, I am actually kind of annoyed that this is the only LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES book announced anywhere on the horizon at DC. We’ve had a few Legion teases through DC Rebirth, but it’s just not the same. That said, I am really looking forward to these DC/LOONEY TUNES crossover books. The Hanna Barbera crossover books from two months ago were all great. If nothing else, DC is making comics that are very fun to read. We also get MARTIAN MANHUNTER/MARVIN THE MARTIAN this week.

DEFENDERS #1 – I love Marvel’s Netflix shows, but we are big fans of the real DEFENDERS in my house. When I sold my statue collection, but wife insisted I had to keep Dr Strange, Hulk, Namor, and Silver Surfer. And while I like Bendis’s work on solo books like SPIDER-MAN and JESSICA JONES, his team books often leave me flat. All that said, I will still likely be checking out this one and hoping for the best.

JIMMY’S BASTARDS #1 – This series could only have been written by Garth Ennis. Imagine a spy on the level of James Bond. Now imagine all the bastard children he’s left behind through his life. That is the premise for Aftershock’s new series. For mature readers. If you like PREACHER and THE BOYS, you have to check this one out.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #8 – This book needs a huge creative team overhaul. The characters here are great, but the stories have been unbearably dull. I really am still buying this book because I have always read at least one JUSTICE LEAGUE book, but DC’s current offerings in that department are doing nothing for me.

DEADPOOL #32 – The last issue of this series was one of the best comics I have read this year. Seeing DEADPOOL’s loyalty to Captain America certainly puts SECRET EMPIRE in some perspective. Sometimes DEADPOOL’s comics can get a little annoying, but if they manage to be half as engaging as the last issue, it is worth picking up this book during SECRET EMPIRE.

RAI HISTORY OF THE VALIANT UNIVERSE – I will admit that the RAI relaunch was one of my least favorite Valiant books, but I was a huge fan of the original RAI and Valiant’s version of the future, so I am hoping that this book will be a huge improvement. Really curious to see how all the pieces come together here if nothing else.