7.01.15 [#PicksOfTheWeek]

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Big Week. Huge Week. I’m really excited about Airboy #2 (Image) by James Robinson and Greg Hinkle. The first issue was funny and meta and incredibly well-drawn, with the type of exaggerated reality that illuminates fact, so I hope it continues just as strong as it began. The House of Creator Owned is also offering Deadly Class #14 (Image) by Rick Remender and Wes Craig, certainly in a three-way heat for best Remender book this year along with Black Science (my pick) and Low, The Humans #6 (Image) by Keenan Marshall Keller and Tom Neely, No Mercy #4 (Image) by the terrific team of Alex de Campi and Carla Speed McNeil, Outcast #10 (Image) by Robert Kirkman and Paul Azaceta, the Punks CBLDF Special (Image) by Josh Fialkov and Kody Chamberlain, The Wicked + The Divine #12 (Image), and one of the long-awaited new Brian K. Vaughan books, We Stand On Guard #1 (Image) with artist Steve Skroce. That’s a ton already!

Boom! Studios has been coming on extremely strong lately, as evidenced by this week’s offerings, including The Spire #1 (Boom!), a sprawling new 8-issue series by Simon Spurrier and Jeff Stokely that already has people talking, Arcadia #3 (Boom!) by Alex Paknadel and Eric Scott Pfeiffer, which is probably my favorite new Boom! series if you forced me to pick, and Broken World #2 (Boom!), the second installment of Frank J. Barbiere and Christopher Peterson’s grungy sci-fi that flips the typical post-apocalyptic set-up. There’s also The Bunker #12 (Oni Press) by Josh Fialkov and Joe Infurnari! There’s 18 Days #1 (Graphic India) by Grant Morrison and Jeevan Kang, for the introductory price of just $1! There’s Onyx #1 (IDW) by Chris Ryall and Gabriel Rodriguez! If the Locke & Key and Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland alum doing a new project wasn’t enticing enough, Ryall will also be doing a signing on Wednesday 7/1 from 9-12 at my LCS, Yesteryear Comics in San Diego, so I’ll see you there!

If you’re one of those Marvel and DC holdouts, the best I can do is recommend Midnighter #2 (DC) by Steve Orlando and ACO, which sort of defies the traditional DC house style and is a standout among the new launches for including some stylish and memorable visual layouts that take a key from the Matt Fraction and David Aja Immortal Iron Fist era, using a protagonist whose personality, sexuality, and general plot mechanics feel organic and don’t come off like forced marketing devices daring you to cool-dad #hashtag it on the Twitters.

If you need some quality material to adorn your bookshelf, you’ve come to the right place! There’s the DMZ Book Four: Deluxe Edition Hardcover (DC/Vertigo), collecting issues 45-59 of this stellar series by Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli. At $29.99 for 384 pages, it’s a deal, and this volume also contains great guest artist contributions from folks like Andrea Mutti, David Lapham, and Danijel Zezelj, as well as (Full Disclosure) interviews with the creative team conducted by yours truly, along with hand-selected bonus content including concept art and character designs. You might also be interested in The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 2: Fandemonium (Image) by Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie, or the Supreme: Blue Rose TPB (Image) by Warren Ellis and Tula Lotay, collecting all seven issues of this gorgeous book. You should also definitely pick up The Autumnlands Vol. 1: Tooth & Claw (Image) by Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey, easily one of the best new series of the year, and one of the best deals too, collecting issues 1-6 for just $9.99.