The Longbox Short-List - Week of April 20, 2016

Welcome back to Critical Blast’s weekly look at what new comics you should check out each week.   Just a warning, I make these picks pretty much a week BEFORE I actually get to read any of these comics, so if something is a stinker, I take no blame on that.  Let's get to it!

Comics shipping this week

BLACK-EYED KIDS #1 - Another new AfterShock series launching with a $2 price point. At this point, I will pretty much try anything AfterShock puts out. Every series I've tried I have enjoyed, and it's hard to beat a first issue for $2. This one is about the creepy urban legend, and is supposed to be a survival horror comic. I love a good horror comic!

JOYRIDE #1 - I am not really sure what this new series from Boom is all about, but the cover really caught my eye, so I decided to give it a shot. Basically in the future, Earth sucks, so a bunch of kids steal a spaceship to get out of that dump. I keep hearing comparisons to Young Avengers and Runaways...and that may just be marketing, but I loved those series, so I figured why not check out the first issue.

ACTION COMICS #51 - Superman #51 got Super-League off to a huge start. It's been a long time since I was this excited about Superman. It's looking like Superman will be a big part of DC Rebirth, and if the quality stays as good as it's been the last few months, you can definitely count me in as a customer.

THE DRESDEN FILES: WILD CARD #1 - I was a big fan of Jim Butcher's Dresden Files, though the last few books have gotten a little too grim and depressing for me. But Dynamite has done a great job with their comic series set in between the books. They are a little more light-hearted and feel more like The Dresden Files I always enjoyed. I am sure I will eventually get caught up on the books, but for now, I will stick to the comics.

STAR TREK: MANIFEST DESTINY #1/STAR TREK: STARFLEET ACADEMY #5 - I am happy that IDW's been so successful with their comics set in the "new" Star Trek universe. They have done a great job telling new stories in this sandbox, and they seem to be continuing to expand the range. I keep hoping we get stories set in the future of this time line. I want to see their take on Picard and company.

HYPERION #2 - I was sort of inclined to pass up on this one, but I did enjoy the New Avengers issue that led into this series. I am still not quite sold on this one, but I did enjoy the first issue enough to give it another shot. But there are a lot of comics out there, so this series is going to have to do something dramatic quick to keep my interest.

DIVINITY II #1 - Divinity got off to a strong start, but I did think it started to drag a bit towards the end. I do like the ideas set up in the book, and Divinity's later appearances in Imperium. I do think there is a lot of potential here, and hopefully the execution will feel a little stronger in the second series. I did like the second Doctor Mirage mini-series far more than the first, so that makes me inclined to think Valiant learns from their mistakes.

NEW AVENGERS #10 - AMERICAN KOIJU! With all the muscle Marvel has put behind crappy ideas like Spider-Gwen and Gwen Pool, I really hope they put some of that energy behind my new favorite Marvel character. Todd Ziller is such a crazy idea, and I am looking forward to seeing him continue to fight the Avengers' giant robot. This is just about the most insane thing I have seen in comics in a long time, and I want more!

ALL-NEW HAWKEYE #6 - I know a lot of people loved Fraction's Hawkeye run, but I actually wasn't a huge fan. I think Jeff Lemire has done a far better job helping readers see what's unique about Clint Barton and Kate Bishop. All-New Hawkeye has done a lot with different time periods, and it's made for a real compelling comic story. Definitely a very underrated series. Lemire can be hit or miss (just look at Extraordinary X-Men which also comes out this week), but when he's on, he does put out some terrific comic stories.

ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #7, TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #5 & NOVA #6 - I am lumping these series together because I do actually enjoy them all, but I also think that they are both dragging on a little. Marvel seems incapable of telling a fast paced story these days. It really feels like every mystery has to be dragged out, with Marvel giving us literal a small piece each issue to the point that I lose interest by the time they get to the reveal. This has also been a problem with Extraordinary X-Men's teases about what happened to Cyclops. I don't mind a slow reveal, but there needs to be enough compelling stuff in the comic to keep me interested in waiting for the answers.