The Longbox Short-List - Week of July 18, 2018

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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 07/17/2018 - 08:26

Welcome back to Critical Blast’s long-running 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

ARCHIE MEETS BATMAN ’66 #1 – I grew up on BATMAN the TV series, and I’ve really enjoyed the various comic series that have picked up where the show left off. They are just real fun reads. I am looking forward to seeing this crossover between ARCHIE and BATMAN ’66. Kind of wish Mike Allred is doing the art, just because he is the perfect fit for this type of comic.

STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION TERRA INCOGNITA #1 – IDW’s Star Trek The Next Generation comics have been awesome. The last mini dealt heavily with an incursion from the Mirror Universe, and this picks up right from there. Some of the best STAR TREK I have seen in a very long time.

MAGIC ORDER #2 – I thought the first issue was a little hard to follow at points. I suspect that this series might be better to read in chunks, but I mostly like Millar, so I will give the second issue a shot. But I may have to trade wait for this one.

CLANKILLERS #1 – Described as GAME OF THRONES set in ancient Ireland. I have always loved Irish folklore and mythology, so I am really excited to check this one out. Aftershock puts out a lot of comics I really enjoy.

STAR WARS #51 – Issue 50 had an awesome cliffhanger with a betrayal putting Darth Vader in position to wipe out the Rebellion in one fell swoop…though unfortunately, the reader kind of knows that all the rebels didn’t die between A NEW HOPE and EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, so that does soften the impact a bit. Still a terrific comic though. Marvel has done great with their STAR WARS comics. POE DAMERON #29 and DARTH VADER ANNUAL #2 also come out this week.

BATMAN #51 – Despite the controversy over whether DC should have leaked BATMAN #50 to the New York Times several days before release, it was still a terrific comic. The last issue ended with Bane forming an alliance of Batman villains, and Catwoman leaving Bats at the alter. Real curious where the series is going from there.

FUTURE QUEST PRESENTS #12 – I am pretty sure this is the last issue of this series, which is a shame. I’ve really enjoyed these new takes on classic Hanna-Barbera characters and shows. Hopefully this book will continue in some form.