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CBR reviews this week’s biggest new releases including Dark Ages, Sinister War, Batman: Fear State, New Mutants and the Aquaman Anniversary Special.
Each week, CBR has your guide to navigating Wednesday’s new and recent comic releases, specials, collected editions and reissues, and we’re committed to helping you choose those that are worth your hard-earned cash. It’s a little slice of CBR we like to call Major Issues.
If you feel so inclined, you can buy our recommendations directly on comiXology with the links provided. We’ll even supply links to the books we’re not so hot on, just in case you don’t want to take our word for it. Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the books this week in the comments! And as always, SPOILERS AHEAD!
DARK AGES #1 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
Over a year after it was first announced, Marvel’s Dark Ages has kicked off its exploration of one of the darkest worlds in the Marvel Multiverse. Although it was sold on the idea of exploring a Marvel Universe where technology and electrical devices stopped working, Tom Taylor, Iban Coello, Brian Reber and Joe Sabino’s debut issue focus on the dire threat that preceded the ultimate blackout and effectively sets the stakes for the series.
Given the high body count by the end of the issue, Dark Ages resembles a particularly dark What If…? or Taylor’s acclaimed Injustice comics for DC. Despite the book’s dark subject matter, Coello’s art has a cartoony edge that emphasizes the dynamism of the action and amps up the thrills in this effective debut issue.
AQUAMAN 80th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
While Aquaman has never been DC’s biggest star, the King of the Seven Seas and his allies take center stage in the Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Special. As with the other anniversary specials DC has released in recent years, this anthology sees several fan-favorite creators deliver their take on Arthur Curry and his world.
Although there’s no true centerpiece here, there’s still a lot to like, and the varied aspects of Aquaman’s world are represented. Jeff Parker and Evan “Doc” Shaner and Shawn Aldrige and Tom Derenick’s tales both offer fun takes on old-school Aquaman. Meanwhile, Geoff Johns and Paul Pelletier and Brandon Thomas and Diego Olortegui’s two tales give Jackson Hyde’s Aqualad a solid spotlight. However, the book’s biggest surprise is Chuck Brown and Valentine de Landro’s Black Manta story, which offers a compelling tease of the villain’s upcoming solo title.
SINISTER WAR #4 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
While Marvel’s epic-length Kindred storyline isn’t quite over yet, Sinister War #4 brings a major chapter of the Spider-Man event to an action-packed finish, courtesy of Ed Brisson, Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley, Dio Neves, Marcelo Ferreira, Andrew Hennessy, Andy Owens, Brian Reber, Andrew Crossley and Joe Caramagna.
As most of Spider-Man’s villains zero in for a final attack on the wall-crawler, several more sympathetic villains reveal their true colors over the course of the issue’s ultimate fight. While the art teams deliver strong work throughout the issue, this is more of a penultimate chapter with some sharp character moments than any kind of truly satisfying finale.
BATMAN: FEAR STATE – ALPHA #1 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
Since DC’s Infinite Frontier relaunch earlier this year, Batman has been building up to “Fear State,” a crossover event that sees Gotham City caught in the grasp of Scarecrow the fascistic Magistrate. Even though Batman: Fear State – Alpha is ostensibly the start of the event proper, it feels like part of a story that’s already in progress.
James Tynion IV, Riccardo Federici, Chris Sotomayor and Clayton Cowles still deliver a sharp Batman story about a Gotham n the edge of collapse, but it ultimately feels like the next issue of Tynion and Jorge Jimenez’s Batman run. Still, Federici’s fine lines give this comic a distinctive look, and this comic comes across as another showcase for Tynion’s blockbuster action movie take on Gotham City and its denizens.
NEW MUTANTS #21 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
While it’s not the centerpiece of the X-Men line, New Mutants has quietly become one of Marvel’s most consistently great X-titles, and Vita Ayala, Rod Reis, Travis Lanham and Joe Caramagna’s New Mutants #21 is a perfect showcase for what it does so well. In this issue, two generations of New Mutants start to unravel the Shadow King’s schemes as Gabby Kinney’s Scout comes back to Krakoa.
Ayala smartly addresses some of the most intriguing loose ends established elsewhere in recent X-titles and weaves them into an even more compelling narrative with pitch-perfect character voices. Meanwhile, Reis’ incredible art continues to carry on the bold, painterly experimentation and aesthetics of Bill Sienkiewicz’s iconic work on the title.
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