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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!
EXTREME CARNAGE: ALPHA (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
Over the past few years, Absolute Carnage, King in Black and the Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman’s Venom run that spawned those events put symbiotes at the forefront of the Marvel Universe. And now, Extreme Carnage: Alpha #1 kicks off the next chapter for Marvel’s symbiotes with Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Manuel Garcia, Cam Smith, Marc Deering Roberto Poggi and Guru-eFX.
Following up on a few loose plots from those other symbiote sagas, Extreme Carnage sees a recently resurrected Flash Thompson’s Anti-Venom take on the returning Carnage, who is trying to stoke anti-alien symbiote to gain political power. Like many Carnage-centric stories, this comic has a nasty, brutal edge too it that veers into horror well. Garcia and the art team deliver strong work with several gory scenes that push the boundaries of the bloodshed in mainstream Marvel books. While not essential for anyone suffering from symbiote fatigue, Extreme Carnage: Alpha is a solid start to a small kind of symbiote story.
JUSTICE LEAGUE INFINITY #1 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
After Batman: The Adventures Continue successfully returned to the world of Batman: The Animated Series, Justice League Infinity #1 returns to the world of its sequel show Justice League Unlimited. Fortunately, J.M. DeMatteis, James Tucker, Ethen Beavers, Nick Filardi and Tom Napolitano are more than up to the task of carrying the torch for the DC Animated Universe.
Picking up right where the series left off, JLI features the expansive cast that defined the show and carries on some direct plot points from the DCAU. Still, the story of the League facing two of Darkseid’s generals is approachable for newcomers, and the issue finds room for some fun character moments. Beavers’ art is slightly more cartoony and fluid than the DCAU’s usual Bruce Timm-designed aesthetic, but it’s still very much in line with what came before, making this a fun nostalgic confection.
X-MEN #1 (MARVEL)
COMIXOLOGY
In Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz, Marte Gracia and Clayton Cowles’ X-Men #1, Marvel’s mutant heroes are back in action. After Marvel’s mutants spent the last few years focused on mutant politics and nation-building, this issue sees Cyclops, Jean Grey and a group of new and returning X-Men back in full-on superhero mode as they save New York from a strange alien creature.
While that might seem like a step back for the X-Men, this comic still embraces the milieu of far-out revolutionary ideas that have defined the Krakoan era, but it doesn’t feel overwhelmed by them. With Duggan’s sense of fun, the story twists into some surprisingly and gleefully ridiculous directions, Larraz and Gracia bring blockbuster action sequences and deeply strange creature designs to life with a lush, organic sensibility. While the story might be good, the spectacular art makes this a must-read that shows why Larraz and Gracia are one of Marvel’s best art teams.
WONDER GIRL #2 (DC)
COMIXOLOGY
When Yara Flor debuted in DC Future State, the new Wonder Girl seemed like DC’s next major character. Since then, DC has shifted focus to highlight other characters and storylines, but Joelle Jones, Adriana Melo, Jordie Bellaire and Clayton Cowles’ Wonder Girl #2 prove that Yara Flor is still worth the hype. As Yara gets her powers and starts to discover how they work, the other Amazon heroes of the DC Universe start to take notice and send agents after her for their own reasons.
Even though Yara has only made a smattering of appearances, Jones gives her an incredibly well-defined voice that makes her feel at right at home alongside decades-old heroes. While this is a decompressed superhero origin story, that space gives Jones, Melo and Bellaire the space to luxuriate in well-drawn, dynamic sequences like the underwater one that opens this issue.
SKYBOUND X #1 (IMAGE)
COMIXOLOGY
To celebrate its first decade of publishing hits like Invincible and The Walking Dead, the Image Comics imprint Skybound is publishing a weekly anthology called Skybound X. The marquee story here, “Rick Grimes 2000” sees the Invincible team of Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley, Cliff Rathburn, Dave McCaig and Rus Wooton reunite for an alien invasion in the world of The Walking Dead. With humanity’s survivors given superpowers, this gory story cleverly combines the worlds of Kirkman’s two signature series.
Beyond that, James Harren, Dave Stewart and Wooton deliver a brief but compelling preview of Ultramega and its gritty kaiju action. In a Manifest Destiny story, Chris Dingess, Matthew Robert and Pat Brosseau deliver a zany, bloody side story that feels like a cross between Ren & Stimpy and Happy Tree Friends. Finally, Tillie Walden and Cliff Rathburn bring The Walking Dead video game icon Clementine into comics with a relatively more gentle, pastoral take on the zombie apocalypse that serves as a teaser for the upcoming graphic novel series. While the tone of these stories is quite different, Skybound X serves as a worthwhile showcase for the fan-favorite Image imprint.
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