DC Kicks Off New Line with Some ‘Damage’
January 22nd, 2018 by Gregg Senko
In late 2017, DC Comics announced several new comic book series that would begin in early 2018. With a total of eight new titles set, DC is looking to establish some new characters, like Damage, while bringing back some old…Plastic Man, anyone? Innovation and creativity are key in the industry so it’s no surprise the new roster of heroes (are they all heroes?) are making their debut. Keep an eye out in the coming months for The Silencer, Sideways, The Terrifics, The Immortal Men, The Curse of Brimstone, New Challengers and The Unexpected. For now though, DC has satiated our appetite with the first of the eight new series, Damage.
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This past year saw some big events in the comic book world. The Suicide Squad went toe to toe with the Justice League. Image saw the last words written for one of its strongest series in Invincible. The Joker and the Riddler went fisticuffs on a catastrophic level in the pages of Batman (that read comes highly recommended from me by the way). Let us not forget the brilliance of small indie publisher Sabotage Industries and their title Shed. That came awfully close to making this list as its Alien Nation-vibe story brought civil rights to the forefront in a new light. It pitted the skin vs. skinless amidst an apocalyptic overtone with some magnificent writing and great artwork to boot. As with any ‘best of the year’ list, however, there can only be one champ in each category. So, while the aforementioned titles didn’t make this list, rest assured they are all enjoyable reads. Now onto the list…
Two Star Wars standouts got their own comic books this month and they were none other than Jedi Master Mace Windu and metallic marine Captain Phasma. To begin with, last week the (sort of) vice president of Jedi during the Clone Wars saw his own mini-series debut from Marvel. The five-issue series is written by Matt Owens and pencilled by Denys Cowan and features a story of Mace leading a small party of Jedi to the planet Hissrich to monitor the Separatists.
Batman #25 came out in print and digital formats this past Tuesday, but it wasn’t the Caped Crusader that everyone was necessarily clamoring to read about this week. Turns out the greed of two of Batman’s biggest arch rivals have pitted their wits and forces against one another. Ladies and germs, this is a story that a lot of fans have been waiting for for sometime. In this corner, it’s the patron of purple pants! The man of masquerading makeup! The killer clown! It’s…THE JOKER! And over here in this corner, it’s the inquisitive interrogator! The curious questioner! The green gangster! He’s…THE RIDDLER!
The son of the X-Men’s Cyclops will likely make his big screen debut in the next Deadpool film, but for now, all you fans of our favorite time-traveling mutant can whet their appetite on Marvel’s latest Cable series for 2017. Written by James Robinson and pencilled by Carlos Pacheco, Nathan Summers is back to start some ruckus! Don’t worry, he only destroys things for a good cause. In this case, it’s to save the integrity of the time continuum, so buckle up because we’re about to blast into the past with Cable.
…and it’s a good thing. There are hundreds, even thousands of comic book titles published around the world today. Many come and go, while other stalwarts have staked their claim in fandom and become favorites of many. For those that are here today and gone tomorrow, however, it’s worth taking a look at why they disappear. Poor story, perhaps? Not enough publicity? I have no role in Shed‘s story, but I’ll do what I can to deliver the publicity because this title is so worth it.
He talks to fish. He carries an underwater pitchfork. He looks like Biff the water polo star. The character of Arthur Curry has been the butt of numerous jokes and criticisms over the years. He’s been the proverbial punching bag of readers and critics alike. Yet somehow, despite all the knocks and jabs, Curry (a.k.a. Aquaman) has survived several decades. Though the Aquaman title has not achieved the commercial print success as some of his peers (Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, etc.), it has grown substantially in popularity in recent years, establishing itself a prominent foothold in DC’s line of top tier heroes.
It’s been a great year for comic book readers and a momentous one as well. DC’s ‘New 52’ branding came to a close while their line of ‘Rebirth’ titles made a big splash in stores. Some said it’s a bad sign that DC has rebooted yet again within a 5-year span. Others say it’s not a reboot at all, just part of DC’s master plan. Either way, it was one headline in the industry that certainly made a lot of noise. Marvel made their own waves with the release of Civil War II and let’s not forget that Valiant’s lead-off title came to a fitting end. Yet amidst all the titles on store shelves, there can only be one in each category that rise above the rest. Read on to see who takes the cake this year.
If my kindergarten teacher had promised me that I could tap into the dark arts and summon lemons from the pits of Hell thanks to learning and practicing cursive, I would have taken my cursive lessons a bit more seriously. In the end, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference, for my normal handwriting is still atrocious. That, and I still hate cursive. Moving on, Jim Benton is a madman. His comics are a brilliant breath of fresh air in a webcomics smoking lounge, but he’s still a madman nonetheless. The geniuses always are, unfortunately. 
Jason Aaron is one of the best writers in the game today. The Other Side really put him on the map back in ’06, and ever since then he’s been a runaway train of talent and hits. Scalped was his first running title, it’s a brutal, addicting saga about Native American politics. Scalped introduced me to Aaron’s work, and from the first issue on, I knew I’d buy everything he wrote. He hasn’t let me down yet. Aaron has now been writing Thor for years, and it is, with no hyperbole, literally the best Thor run I’ve ever read. Oh yeah, and he also writes a little title you may have heard of, goes by the name of Star Wars. On top of that, he’s remained true to his indie roots, writing both Southern Bastards, and The God Damned. The first being a football-centric tale of southern culture, and the latter being a biblical book set in the pre-flood world which has a brutal take on that mythology, the likes of which you’ve never seen. Jason Aaron, full of charisma, intellect, and best of all, news, hosted a “panel”, if you can call one writer talking candidly to his fans a panel. It went like this… 
Released today, Monstress Volume One is the latest and greatest from Image. Featuring blistering artwork from renowned artist Sana Takeda(X-23, Ms. Marvel) and a dense and richly packed story from the brilliant mind of Marjorie Liu(X-23, Black Widow). Monstress is one book you’ll want to get your hands on. I found myself blown away by the awe-inspiring complexity of Takeda’s beautiful artwork. I was immediately compelled to picked up a special edition hard copy at Comic-Con this year. Powerful, compelling, and chock-full of complex characters, Monstress feels like all the best parts of Final Fantasy, Game of Thrones, and Shadow of Colossus all rolled into one behemoth of a book. If you have any inkling of interest in this book pick it up immediately! 
Grant Morrison is one of the most iconic, accomplished writers in comics today. Beyond having written The Invisibles, All Star Superman, New X-men, Final Crisis, The Filth, and many more, he has also been the focus of a documentary, Talking with Gods. Further still, he wrote the enlightening book, Super Gods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. Recently Morrison has delved into Indian mythology, and spearheaded the publishing company Graphic India. I was lucky enough to hear him speak about it. 
When I was in junior high, all my friends were into wrestling. Stone Cold Steve Austin, Hulk Hogan, The Rock, and Goldberg were all familiar names to me, but I never watched the matches. I was informed at an early age by my parents that wrestling was fake and I should stay away from it, and so that nugget of information was firmly planted in my brain as I watched my naïve friends prance around at recess and perform backyard wrestling moves on each other like monkeys drunk on banana daiquiris. I tried telling them that I had it on good authority that it was fake, but they weren’t having it. 
There are some writers, some artists, and some properties which carry such gravitas it becomes all but impossible for a fan to pass by. An issue one of Star Wars, The Force Awakens, written by Chuck Wendig is a fine example. There was basically zero chance I was going to pass this book up. So it is with great disappointment that I must report that it brought absolutely nothing to the table.
For stringers, people who make a living arriving first on the scene and taking footage of crime scenes and ragging fires, they’re finally getting the cameras turned on themselves and their profession in the eye of pop culture. The film 
When the eventual vampire apocalypse comes, we had better hope that centuries of vampire lore from books, comics, and movies is accurate. It’s the only thing we cling to, with the proper use of garlic, stakes through the heart, and hoping they can’t cross running water. Of course, we’ve seen countless interpretations of vampires in comics over the years, so to bring something new and intriguing to the genre is a challenge to creators. Luckily with Blood Feud from Oni Press, the challenge was accepted and executed very well.
Six long years ago a little comic by the name of Scarlet first hit the shelves. I picked it up without ever having heard about it for two simple reasons. First, it was written by the tried and true Brian Michael Bendis, arguably one of the best, and hardest working writers in the business today. Second, it was illustrated by Alex Maleev, whose simultaneously raw yet refined style is undeniably top notch. As an added bonus, Bendis & Maleev have a history of working together, and their synergistic capabilities had proven to be stellar. So I picked up the book, and it instantly became one of my favorites…and then, five issues in…it ended. Fans were understandably disappointed, until 2013 when the duo served up two more issues, no worse for the time off, and that seemed to be well and truly it for Scarlet. So when I recently walked into the comic shop and saw the cover declaring itself on the shelf: “Scarlet is Back!” my jaw dropped and my eyes bugged out. After having read it, I’m here to tell you, this book is better than ever. 
