Another New Comic Book Day is upon us! It’s time to plan a trip to your local comic shop and take a look at this week’s new comics! Hit the jump to check out reviews of my favorite comics coming out this week.
Disclaimer: I received advance copies of all comics featured this week courtesy of their individual publishers.
Opinions are my own.
Angel #1 (BOOM! Studios)
Bryan Edward Hill, Gleb Melnikov, Gabriel Cassata, Ed Dukeshire
Buffy the Vampire got a reVamp at BOOM! Studios this year and they wasted no time introducing everyone’s second favorite vampire with a soul. The new Angel ongoing is written by Bryan Hill (Detective Comics, Killmonger) with art from Gleb Melnikov (Go Go Power Rangers).
The series ties in with BOOM!’s Buffy series, taking place in a rebooted present day. However, Angel seems a bit more restrained than Buffy. Instead of getting shotgunned with a dozen reimagined characters right off the bag, Angel is all alone here. No Doyle or Whistler or even Darla.
The result is a smoother, more personal story. Angel has just moved to L.A. to find himself, and instead seems to have found a demon that is targeting kids through… social media? Or something.
It’s no secret that it’s trying to tell a story about Generation Z’s obsession the “mirrors” of social media. Angel became a vampire when he was a teenager and has lived for two hundred years, watching generations come of age around him.
The whole thing is far from subtle and kind of gratuitous. We get it. We rely too much on technology these days. As much as I like to watch Angel brood, I also like to see him punch monsters. For a premiere issue, the lack of action left something to be desired.
Wanna get caught up on BOOM!’s new Whedonverse? Click here to order your copy of Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol. 1 and get Firefly Vol. 1 here.
Wasted Space #10 (Vault Comics)
Michael Moreci, Hayden Sherman, Jason Wordie, Jim Campbell
The second arc of Moreci’s religiously super-charged space opera comes to an end. After nearly surviving nuking themselves, the Space Wasters™ secure the crypto keys and find the next major clue that leads to their ultimate goal of killing The Creator.
This whole arc has been a wild ride. We’ve had giant robots, sexbetrayls, confessions in the rain, and a whole lot of action. Wasted Space is the first Vault series to reach the double digits and will live on as the series that defines the publisher.
Steven Universe #28 (BOOM! Studios)
Terry Blas, Gabriele Bagnoli, Joana Lafuente, Mike Fiorentino
The Lars of the Stars saga comes to an end, taking with it the greatest story ever to be told in a Steven Universe ongoing. Since this is the end of the arc, I don’t want to give too much away.
While the arc promised an encounter with Emerald, the military leader Gem that Lars and the Off Colors previously faced in the series, the majority of the story actually takes place in a hallucination-inducing nebula.
I was a tad bummed out by this change, but looking back at the complete story now, the whole thing feels appropriately Doctor Who or Star Trek. This wasn’t a story about fighting a bad guy, it was about fighting internal demons - and Lars has plenty of those.
Be sure to head to your local comic shop to pick up the best Steven Universe comic ever made.
Paradox Girl Vol. 1 (Image Comics)
Follow the adventures of a time-traveling superhero or die trying. Paradox girl isn’t afraid to mess with the space-time continuum. In fact, it’s kind of her thing. Click here if you want to check out my full review.
What comics are you picking up this week? Let me know down in the comments below!
