Deadpool #14: After a flashback to the 70’s last issue, the evil, petrifying pimp The White Man is back in the present day looking for revenge against Deadpool, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. The usual Deadpool shennanigans abound, like DP using Iron Fist’s karate class to fight while he recovers from a fall off the Empire State Building. There’s also tons of great jokes about how “The White Man” is always getting put down or having injustices put on him.
Avengers Arena #13: After 12 issues on Arcade’s Murder World island, we finally get to see what is happening in the outside world and it seems like Arcade has masterfully raised no suspicions about any of the kids he kidnapped, leaving robotic doubles in their place with rock solid alibis for their absence. Hank Pym tries to investigate but is forced to acknowledge that there really does seem to be nothing wrong but, of course, someone is going to have to find out eventually and bring everything down on Arcade’s head.
Suicide Squad #23: The Squad faces off against a dictator who is trying to create his own superpowered team but his second rate super beings all fail against the various squad members in a series of one on one fights. James Gordon Jr. also continues to harbor a super creepy crush on Amanda Waller.
Secret Avengers #7: The unsanctioned mission to AIM Island continues in this issue as Maria Hill takes back command of SHIELD from Daisy Johnson and tries to force the team out but Mockingbird is in place for a shot at the real Scientist Supreme, as Nick Fury Jr killed a decoy. Hill uses the team’s mental trigger to mind wipe them all and plant a false memory of Mockingbird never going on the mission, causing them to lead her behind.
Wolverine #8: The only possible cure for Wolverine’s de-powering is a supervillain called The Host who has been detained in Wakanda, forcing Wolverine to face off against Black Panter, who may be controlled by the virus that previously took over random NYC citizens and an entire SHIELD helicarrier. T’Challa is not so easily taken down though and was aware of the virus and used Wolverine and his team’s arrival as a trap to draw out those infected in his country.
Grimm #4: Nick Burkhardt and his friends continue their quest for the powerful Zarkynthos Coins but are betrayed twice over, first by their contact Laszlo and then by female Grimm, Maya, who is bringing the coins to a mysterious group.
Constantine #6: A pretty cool concept this issue as John Constantine fights to keep his soul from separating from his body following his horrific experience with the Shazam powers last issue. His friend Chris, who was killed in the first issue, confronts Constantine’s spirit looking for revenge but the evil Cult of the Cold Flame sends various creatures in and takes Chris’s spirit, but are defeated by Constantine’s friend Lloyd and voodoo magician, Papa Midnite, who is able to rebuild Constantine’s body and save his life.
Thor: God of Thunder #11: An appropriately epic finale to the Godbomb/Godkiller storyline finds the present day Thor absorbing all the energy of the Godbomb and turning it against Gorr in an epic display of thunder. The gods are all restored to their correct times and some are sent to planets who need them while others remain in Asgard. Just in time for Thor: The Dark World, the next arc looks to have Thor return to Midgaard.
Batman #23: Obviously inspired by Batman Begins, Bruce’s transformation into Batman in Year Zero comes when the Red Hood Gang comes and beats him to within an inch of his life and burn Wayne Manor. Alfred uses his medic skills to save Bruce, who finds the caves under the mansion and takes on the mantle of the bat. Meanwhile, Edward Nygma seems to have predicted Bruce’s plans against his uncle and sent the Red Hoods to kill him and leaves Bruce’s uncle trapped by a magnet that is attracted to the steel plate in his head.
Fantastic Four #11: If you like crazy time travel tech and jargon, this is the issue for you, as Val Richards chooses for the family to head to the futuristic planet of Celeritas, where time travel is outlawed but a band of time terrorists launch attacks trying to revert buildings and objects to their past selves. Reed, Val and Johnny become separated from Franklin, Sue and Ben and while the latter group has a slugfest with the time terrorists, Val and Reed work to repair the planet’s time structure and extend the future so there is more space for the objects the terrorists attack. It makes your head hurt if you think about for too long.
Astro City #3: Marella Cowper, one of the technicians at the call center for the super hero team, The Honor Guard, feels personally responsible when a call she got and dispatched to social workers instead of the heroes blows up into a full scale super hero battle with the Honor Guard taking on the technological mercenaries, The Skullcrushers. Marella uses her company’s teleportation tech to go to the country personally and try to help and is able to, somewhat inadvertently, help the Honor Guard defeat the Skullcrushers.
Star Trek #24: Just like their Ghostbusters comic, the more of the property you experience, the more you will get out of the comic and this issue will make much more sense if you played Star Trek: The Video Game as the crew of the Enterprise are called to a mining outpost that has been attacked by the Gorn but there’s a twist in that the miners are the ones who initiated the conflict and these Gorn are a splinter group who just want to live in peace.
Star Wars #8: Tons of action this issue as Luke and Wedge Antilles try and plant a bug in the heart of an Imperial Star Destroyer and Han and Chewie try to evade the combined forces of Boba Fett and Bossk. Meanwhile, Leia is out looking on her own for a suitable home for the rebel and runs into a Clone Wars era ship in Alderaan space and heads aboard to meet it’s mysterious occupant.
