On The Pull 21/10/2015

New comics are due to hit the shelves on Wednesday so here’s a look ahead at some of the books we’ll be picking up this week.

Stewart R: My first exposure to the Inhumans came in the late '90s when they appeared in a UK reprint of a Fantastic Four story and I was instantly drawn to one member of the family's interesting abilities. Karnak possesses the means to see the weakness in all things; from incomprehensible cracks in a seemingly impenetrable wall, to the gap in an enemy's attack, and a little while back, Matt Fraction took that to a certain psychological conclusion in Inhumanity #1 when Karnak, having realised that the path of all things were leading to an unavoidable, unstoppable cataclysm for the Royal Family (Black Bolt, Medusa, Lockjaw et al, not Liz, Phillip, the Corgis et al), committed suicide. Charles Soule has managed to bring this great character back to the land of the living in recent times and now it falls to Warren Ellis to steer him through something of a procedural crime drama in his own series. Ellis did a fine job when delving into the bizarre psyche of Marc Spector and Moon Knight and I'm sure he'll bring his unique handling of character to this new series. Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Marvelsphere it's 'renumber, re-title, but carry on as you were' time as I pick up Astonishing Ant-Man #1 and Uncanny Inhumans #1 this week, both Nick Spencer and Charles Soule hopefully carrying on in the rich vein of form they found themselves in before the somewhat unfortunate diversion and delay Secret Wars has brought with it.

The last mention of my piece for New Comic Book Day gets handed to Donny Cates' Paybacks #2 following on from a stellar debut that was both witty and action packed. The idea of there essentially being super-powered bailiffs trying to reclaim the owings and debts of heroes who paid for their abilities with money they didn't have is terrific and I've a suspicion that this will be a series that burns brighter and longer off of the back of word of mouth and positive reviews.

Matt C: Karnack #1 is the clear front runner for me this week. I love it when Warren Ellis comes in, takes a character (or characters) that people wouldn't normally think worthy of their own series any more, does something unexpected and ingenious with them, and then departs again, leaving a far more interesting proposition for other writers to pick up and run with. Just look at Moon Knight for a prime example of that. I've no idea how long Ellis intends to spend with this particular Inhuman, but it'll be essential reading whatever the duration. A few Marvel miniseries I've enjoyed reach their conclusion this week: the Western-themed Secret Wars spin-off 1872, the Star Wars book with the ludicrously long title, Journey To Star Wars: The Force Awakens - Shattered Empire, and the best of the bunch, Weirdworld, an exquisitely illustrated highlight of 2015. The Fade Out #10 will be a strong contender for my book of the week, and that rounds off a small pull-list for me on Wednesday, albeit one full of quality.