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The Longbox Short-List - Week of May 4, 2016
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Submitted by Mike 'Ace' Maillaro on Tue, 05/03/2016 - 06:36
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!
THUNDERBOLTS #1 –I actually remember where I was when I read the first issue of the first Thunderbolts series (Waldenbooks at Newport Mall) way back in 1997. While some of the relaunches haven’t quite been up to the level of that awesome original series, I still consider myself a fan, and I’m looking forward to seeing this series spin out of Avengers Standoff.
4001 AD #1 – Valiant does some pretty good crossovers. I actually haven’t really loved this new version of Rai all that much, much I am real curious about what the far future holds for the Valiant Universe. I am actually more looking forward to the crossovers than the main series, because those were some of the best parts of last year’s Book of Death crossover.
AFTERSHOCK GENESIS #1 – Up front I will say that I’m not a fan of comic companies charging readers for promotional material. Instead of charging a buck, Aftershock should have just put this out as a Free Comic Book Day. Especially since they have such strong comics, this seems like it could have been a great way to draw in readers. I don’t know about you, but if someone is telling me “try this out, it’s a buck” it’s not going to be as big a draw for me as “try this out, it’s free.”
KINGS QUEST #1 – I love when Dynamite does strange crossover like this. This time, Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician and Prince Valiant team up. Just for the sheer ridiculousness of that combination, I have to give this one a shot!
GOLD KEY ALLIANCE #2 – I will admit, I didn’t love the first issue of Gold Key Alliance, which seemed to once again reboot Turok, Magnus, and Solar, but without providing a lot of context for these new versions. It wasn’t a bad comic, just not quite what I was hoping for. Hopefully they can get this back on track because I have been eager to see someone manage to make these characters work again.
EMPRESS #2 – One of my favorite books to come out last month! Millar seems to have another hit on his hands. He’s been on a huge winning streak lately putting out some of the best mini-series of the last two or three years, and Empress is no exception.
MOON KNIGHT #2 – Jeff Lemire’s first issue did a great job keeping the reader completely off balance. It’s not at all clear what’s real or what’s just in Marc Spector’s head. This was a great take on the character, and I am real excited to see where this series goes from here.
SPIDER-GWEN #8 – This Spider-Women crossover might have been a huge mistake as it’s really made the flaws in this book stand out. It hasn’t even been a bad story, just Spider-Gwen is a book I can’t quite figure out why I still buy every month. It’s very likely this will be the last issue I buy. BUY GWENPOOL INSTEAD!
