What’s on Your Pull List?: August 26, 2015
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, Katie tells us what’s on her pull list.
Batgirl #43 by Brenden Fletcher, Cameron Stewart, Babs Tarr, Michel Lacombe, Serge Lapointe, Juan Castro (DC Comics)
Cover Art by David Lafuente and John Rauch
Barbara Gordon is my favorite comic book character and I love this book. There’s pretty much no way this issue wasn’t going on this list. So, after teaming up with her dad to fight Livewire last month, #43 finds Batgirl having to solve a murder … MURDER BY TIGER! Add to that fan favorite character Alysia Yeoh getting married, Frankie continuing her role as Babs’ partner, and the arrival of the charming Luke Fox (Batwing) to Burnside and this new arc is sure to be interesting.
Lumberjanes #17 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho, Aubrey Aies (Boom! Studios)
Cover Art by Carolyn Nowak
I caught up with the Eisner award-winning Lumberjanes back when I was writing my comic recommendations for Gravity Falls fans and I’ll be honest, it’s a series you get smitten with real quick. If you love comics about girls being friends and having adventures, you better be reading this book. Issue 16 had a lot of thrills and ended in a cliffhanger. As bittersweet as it is that Stevenson’s run on the book comes to a close this month, I’m looking forward to reading issue 17 to see how this storyline plays out and what else could be revealed about Rosie and the history of the camp.
Prez #3 by Mark Russell, Ben Caldwell, Mark Morales, Jeremy Lawson (DC Comics)
Cover Art by Ben Caldwell
Considering the way the American political landscape as been as we move closer to the presidential primaries (and with Jon Stewart off the air), a political satire comic like Prez is both relevant and needed. Prez is the story of Beth Ross, a 19 year old trying to take care of her terminally ill dad but ends up elected President thanks to a meme going viral. So what I’m saying is, DC Comics predicted the rise of presidential candidate Deez Nuts.
Back when I reviewed the DCYou sneak peeks, I was on the fence about the sneak peek for Prez, but the first two actual issues were major improvements. Not only is the satire vicious and on point (particularly when it’s calling out hypocritical politicians and the failings of American health care), but amid the sharp black humor is a genuinely empathetic protagonist in Beth. I’m so on board with this book.
Over the Garden Wall #1 by Pat McHale, Jim Campbell (Boom! Studios)
Cover Art by Jim Campbell
Over the Garden Wall was an animated miniseries that premiered on Cartoon Network last fall. It features Wirt and Greg, brothers who find themselves lost in a mysterious woods. The voice acting is stellar, the music and art style work perfectly together, it’s both funny and unnerving in its eerie elements — the show was one of my favorite things from 2014 and I highly recommend watching it.
It already had a tie-in one-shot comic that came out last November, but showrunner Pat McHale is teaming up again with illustrator Jim Campbell for four new issues. Solicits say the story will be set in between episode three and four of the show, so this is definitely for those who have seen the series. If you’re an Over the Garden Wall fan, this comic is going to be a must.
Zodiac Starforce #1 by Kevin Panetta, Paulina Ganucheau, Savanna Ganucheau (Dark Horse)
Cover Art by Marguerite Sauvage
You gotta love comics that take go-to tropes and give them a twist. So here we have Zodiac Starforce, the book about a group of Sailor Moon-esque magical girls … who already saved the world. Two years ago, in fact. So when a new enemy comes on the horizon, will the girls get the team back together? Will they be able to do what they need to do in order to save the day again? Besides the intriguing set-up, we also have Paulina Ganucheau’s stellar (see what I did there?) character designs to look forward to.
We Are Robin #3 by Lee Bermejo, Jorge Corona, Rob Haynes, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez (DC Comics)
Cover Art by Lee Bermejo
We Are Robin is about a group of teens in Gotham City who, with Batman gone and a police-approved Batman in his place, decide to take up the call and be crime-fighters in their own neighborhoods. I’m a sucker for teen hero teams and considering the last year in the real world, seeing comics about teen heroes of color is more important than ever. The first two issues of We Are Robin had a lot of setting up to do, for good reason — all but one of the characters in this rag tag team are brand new. With issue three, the creative team has the chance to really get the story started. I’m on board with the concept, with the diverse characters, and with the potential dynamics between our various team members — now let’s see the creative team execute it.
