Ten Forward: August 2016

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the June issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in August 2016.

SUICIDE SQUAD: REBIRTH #1

Writer: Rob Williams

Art: Philip Tan & Jonathan Glapion

DC $2.99

Kenny J: It's a double bill of Suicide Squad this month but it's best to start at the beginning with Suicide Squad: Rebirth setting out where DC’s group of reluctant antiheroes will be going in the near future. If one thing is certain it's that this latest version of the squad will be very similar to that being teased for their upcoming cinematic outing as Jack Flagg heads up the other crew but not necessarily leads them. With that gorgeous Jonathan Glapion and Philip Tan cover depicting the now essential Harley Quinn, holding Polaroids of Killer Croc, Deadshot and Katana, Flagg will have his work cut out trying to control this slew of villains making up the team under the writing stewardship of Rob Williams. Very much a solid DC writer and with the cast soon to be everywhere it remains to be see what surprises Williams has up his sleeve. Let's just say we haven't seen a ‘rebirthed’ Joker yet.

Mini Reviews 17/01/2016

We may not have time to review every book on our pull-lists but we do aim to provide a snapshot of what's been released over the past week, encompassing the good, the bad, and those that lie somewhere in between.

SECRET WARS #9

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Art: Esad Ribic & Ive Scorcina

Marvel $4.99

Matt C: It’s been epic, it’s been ambitious, it’s even been unwieldy at times, but although there’s still plenty going on in this fantastic finale, it brings its focus down to a more personal level as Jonathan Hickman concentrates on the greatest rivalry in comics – between Doctor Doom and Reed Richards – and the results are thrilling to say the least. As they trade words we get some of the finest dialogue we’ve ever heard coming from these characters’ mouths, and the way the writer strips everything down to an emotional level, with guilt and admissions flying thick and fast, is something else. Without giving too much away, where the long lead-up to this conclusion across various titles over the last few years has had a pessimistic tone of near hopelessness, with certain individuals compromising themselves for what they believed to be the greater good, the conclusion itself offers up something far closer to an acceptance of personal failings and how that can be transformed into hope and optimism. Cynics may bemoan how much (or even how little) the consequences of this ending affect the wider Marvel Universe, and how it’s not quite the reboot many speculated it would be, but they’re sort of missing the point: we’ve seen a writer tackling these iconic characters in a bold and daring manner, on his own terms, and in the process he’s created something quite spectacular, a story that, no matter what retcons occur after, works as a hugely impressive whole, and is arguably one of the finest examples of superhero storytelling so far this century. It will endure because it’s been scripted with tremendous imagination and insight, and because the artistry on the pages from the entire creative team has been provocative and breathtaking. It’s unlikely that we’ll see an event book as accomplished as Secret Wars any time soon, but the fact that we have seen it, and it ended in such as satisfying fashion, should be applauded. 9/10

Ten Forward: March 2016

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the January issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in March 2016.

BLACK WIDOW #1

Writer: Chris Samnee & Mark Waid

Art: Chris Samnee

Marvel $3.99

Stewart R: I quite enjoyed Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto's recent Black Widow series (though some of the later issues remain in that growing pile of unread comics presently), but the prospect of Waid and Samnee picking up Natasha's story after their incredible run on Daredevil is just a reader's dream. It certainly appears that following Scarlett Johansson's successful portrayal of Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the publisher are keen to push the character's profile ever more to the fore - something we can expect of Janet(Hope) Van Dyne in the next few years too I imagine - and from an interview with the pair over at CBR last year it seems that they have a fairly open plan with very few constraints. The interesting thing for me is that where Waid really got to the heart of who Matt Murdock was in Daredevil it seems that Natasha has always been a more mysterious, enigmatic character and I'm excited to see this master writer tackle her motives and emotions.

Ten Forward: February 2016

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the December issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in February 2016.

SPIDER-MAN #1

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Art: Sara Pichelli

Marvel $3.99

Billy P: Those who read the PGC regularly will know I have made no secret of my chagrin about Marvel’s ‘All-New, All-Different’ initiative. Today, you find me less cynical – well, not really, but less negative, certainly. Tom King’s The Vision and Jason Aaron’s Doctor Strange have been firmly solidified on my pull-list, so it’s not all bad. And despite my newfound distaste for relaunches, especially those that continue as if Secret Wars hadn’t happened, I am truly pleased that Miles Morales now inhabits the 616. More than that, I am happy that Brian Michael Bendis returns as writer; but, even more than that, I am ecstatic that Sara Pichelli is back on pencils! I honestly believe that Miles Morales is a wonderful creation, especially given that the Marvel multiverse is populated by numerous so-called ‘Spider-Totems,’ within which Miles is but one of many. But where the Ultimate Universe succeeded in many ways was to scribble in the margins of the main Marvel Universe without affecting the sacrosanctity of continuity. Of course, Peter Parker will always be THE Spider-Man, but the introduction of Morales – a young, Hispanic web-slinger – to replace a deceased Parker as the Spider-Man of Earth-1610 was a spectacular coup de théâtre. But despite Bendis remaining as writer throughout the character’s career since his inauguration in 2011, I found myself jumping-off once Pichelli left the book. I used to believe that a good writer could save bad art, and that the converse was untrue. However, Pichelli forced me to change this viewpoint. Will it be ‘all-new,’ or ‘all-different’? It certainly has the potential: after all, this is a new canvas for Morales, both literally and figuratively. Given my disappointment with the Amazing Spider-Man relaunch and my belief that it is time for Dan Slott to move onto newer pastures – with thanks for his services – Miles Morales may be the Spider-Man I am looking for.

Ten Forward: January 2016

Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the November issue which includes comics scheduled to ship in January 2016.

Also this month, we welcome Ann L and Billy P to the assembled ranks of The PCG.

GUTTER MAGIC #1

Writer: Rich Douek

Art: Brett Barkley

IDW $3.99

Ann L: I don’t know if it’s the fact that this book is being released on my birthday next year or if it’s the part fantasy, part noir feel to the cover that’s drawing me in, but any comic that has its main character, Cinder Byrnes, trying to "lie, cheat and steal his way into wizardry" has my vote. Like you, I’m picky with what I read, and if I’m going to commit four months of my life and invest in a book, then it’s got to have that je ne sais quoi! Set in a modern NYC, where World War II was fought with magic and not bombs, Rich Douek’s Gutter Magic seems to be asking: what if Cinder Byrnes could use magic? And what if your closest ally was a green-skinned goblin, and your sidekick a powerful magician reminiscent of Hermione Granger? This has all the elements of Scott Snyder’s terrifying Wytches, Greg Rucka’s excellent Black Magick and Marguerite Bennett’s stunning DC Comics Bombshells all wrapped up into one glorious hodgepodge, and I for one can’t wait to blow out my candles, have a slice of cake and cosy up and dig into what is surely going to be a dark magical adventure.