Comics/Graphic Novels

What’s on Your Pull List?: June 29, 2016

Heather Davidson

Staff Writer

Heather Davidson is a web developer-cum-graphic designer-cum writer, with as much of an attention span as that implies. She writes about tech, the niche corners of pop culture and radical activism – preferably all at the same time. Follow her on Twitter: @heatherlauren.

Every week, a different Panelteer will give you a rundown of the comics they’re most looking forward to for the week. Floppies, trades and omniboo are all fair game here. This week, Heather tells us what’s on her pull list.

jade street

 

Jade Street Protection Services #1 by Katy Rex, Fabian Lelay, Annie Wu and Kiki Jenkins (Black Mask Comics) 

All I needed to hear about this book was ‘punk rock witch delinquents at an elite private school for magical girls’ and I was 100% sold – the diverse cast and beautiful cover art is just a bonus. I’m desperate to check this one out, and I really hoping it lives up to the hype.

squirrelgirl

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #9 by Ryan North and Erica Henderson (Marvel)

Unbeatable Squirrel Girl finally reaches a #9! Unsurprisingly, I’m a huge fan of North and Henderson’s Squirrel Girl; Doreen will apparently be squaring off with Mole Man this month, and I fully expect the issue to contain a higher proportion of mole-based jokes than any other comic this year.

4kids

4 Kids Walk Into a Bank #2 by Matthew Rosenberg and Tyler Boss (Black Mask Comics)

Another showing for Black Mask Comics, who are absolutely killing it right now. Issue #1 was a fantastic introduction to the titular four kids, and I’m looking forward to things getting a bit more heist-y.

mickey

Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Vol. 9: “Rise of the Rhyming Man” by Floyd Gottfredson (Fantagraphics)

Fantagraphics have been steadily releasing these gorgeous hardcover volumes of Gottfredson’s Mickey Mouse comics strips since 2011, and I always look forward to getting to add another to my collection. It looks like things are going to get weird this time, with Mickey meeting the 25th-century time traveller Eega Beeva. While, as Fantagraphics themselves warn, the strips can be very much ‘of their time’, they’re a sterling piece of both comics and Disney history in a wonderful package.

captainamerica

Captain America: Steve Rogers #2 by Nick Spencer and Jesus Saiz (Marvel)

This one’s very much a tentative entry given the questionable ‘revelations’ in the first issue, but with defences of its twist largely boiling down to ‘wait and see’, I’m planning to keep an eye on the series going forward – if only to see how quickly Marvel backpedals in the wake of the backlash.

superhero girls

DC Super Hero Girls Vol. 1: Finals Crisis by Yancey Labat and Shea Fontana (DC)
Admittedly, I’m not exactly within this book’s target market, but I enjoyed the Free Comic Book Day preview back in May and I’m hoping to track down a youngling to read it with. It’s easy to dismiss the DC Super Hero Girls brand as a ploy to extend DC’s market reach. However, I’m a big fan of its focus on making their characters accessible to young girls and putting a spotlight on interpretations of superheroines that don’t pander to the male gaze, and I’m looking forward to this first volume hitting shelves.

What are you picking up this week?