Still riding high from that post-Guardians of the Galaxy buzz? Good — you should be. It was a fantastic film and a real testament to what happens when you trust a filmmaker to bring their vision to life. Still, without the comic books, we wouldn’t have any Guardians of the Galaxy to begin with, so why not keep the good times rolling by heading down to your local comic book store? Don’t worry, we won’t send you out blindly into the world. We’ve got a brand new edition of the Pull List for you to help you navigate the trials and travails of Comic Book Day so you can emerge victorious.

Top Picks

Grayson #2 | DC Comics | Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin

After Grayson #1 hit the ground running with a well-plotted, high stakes espionage thriller of a first issue, I was definitely intrigued by this new tale starring our one-time Nightwing, but could it keep my interest in issue #2? Thankfully, the answer is yes, and I won’t even have to kill you for telling you that. At the end of issue #1, we were left with more than a few questions: what is Dick Grayson’s real game here? Is his colleague Helena Bertinelli on the level or is she running another piece of subterfuge and skullduggery all her own? And what in the world could the swirly-faced Mr. Minos be up to? He knows Batman’s real identity, so clearly Spyral can’t be up to any good.

Just as in issue #1, Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin waste no time before the bodies start hitting the floor. While Helena is instructing the girls of St. Hadrian’s Finishing School (where terrifying women are molded) in the art of proper crossbow technique, a grievously wounded The Hood stumbles out of the thicket. As Mr. Minos informs Helena and Dick, Hood was assaulted by a mysterious figure while he was on a mission to recover the Biomech Digestive Processor, a super stomach of sorts that they want presumably to defeat gluten allergies once and for all. Oh, and did we mention that Hood is missing a few fingers and toes? Because he totally is.

What follows is a briskly paced, time-jumping trip to the UK that finds Dick and Helena dealing with someone whose reflexes rival even their own. With espionage, double-crossing, and a whipsmart cannibal, it makes for an enjoyable, albeit brief story. What makes it such a pleasure to read, though, is Mikel Janin’s dynamic artwork. I know this term gets tossed around a lot, but Janin’s artwork is decidedly cinematic, lending a kinetic quality to the high octane action that permeates this issue and a quiet, introspective quality to the smaller character moments. Clearly, he is a perfect match for Seeley’s scripts.

While this issue didn’t quite stick the landing as well as the first, it does continue to build upon the mysteries alluded to in the series premiere. Seeley still has a wonderful grasp of what makes Dick Grayson such a fun character to write, expertly blending his hardened combatant side with his lighter, goofier, circus performer bravado. We also get a much more interesting look at Helena in this issue and she is quickly becoming as terrifying a figure as Mr. Minos himself. It doesn’t seem like those two are working at cross purposes, but Helena definitely cannot be trusted in the meantime. Whether or not Dick remembers that is another story entirely.

Angel & Faith: Season 10 #5 | Dark Horse Comics | Victor Gischler, Derlis Santacruz, Andy Owens
review by Eric Diaz

Despite her name being part of the title, vampire slayer Faith doesn’t appear at all this issue, having taken off to the States to work for fellow slayer Kennedy’s high end security organization Deep Scan (I still don’t get that name. What are they scanning?). Instead, this issue follows Angel solo, so it ends up feeling a lot like early episodes of the television series, where Angel was a lone detective helping the innocent. As we see in this issue, areas of his local English town (where he’s been living since last season) have been having vampire victims show up dead… during the day. What Angel doesn’t know is that, over in the pages of Buffy, his former lover has re-written the rules of magic, so new vampires have all kinds of Dracula-like powers, including daywalking… which Angel, old school vamp that he is, does not, leaving our hero at quite the disadvantage.

This issue feels much like a one-off, written by regular series writer Victor Gischler, and the art, this time, from artist Derlis Santacruz. Although a guest spot, I have to say his pencils on the book have been my favorite so far. I also like that the events of sister book Buffy the Vampire Slayer are at least mentioned here, so Angel’s adventures feel like part of something larger, something global, which is something even the show had a hard time with a lot of the time. I know Faith will return, due to the title of the book being what it is, but I would have been ok with the rest of the series going something like this issue did, with Angel being the lone detective and not relying on anyone. (I do realize the show was this way for about five minutes.) While next issue looks like the return of the larger ongoing story arc, and probably Faith as well, this issue was a nice respite from all that, and a decent call back to the early episodes of the series.

Thanos: The Infinity Revelation OGN | Marvel Comics | Jim Starlin
review by Charles Webb

I’m trying to remember the last time any one book spent quite so much time in Thanos’ head as Thanos: The Infinity Revelation does. I mean, it makes sense that it would: the question of whether Thanos’ mind is “right” is kind of the whole point of the 100-page story, which is kind of the cosmic equivalent of its lead feeling a little “off” about his place in the universe and discovering that instead, it’s the universe itself which is somehow out of whack.

This isn’t really a book for newcomers hoping to know more about the purple dude at the end of Avengers and in the rocket chair in Guardians of the Galaxy – this is deep-cut stuff, which can leave even long-time readers off-balance, given Starlin’s decision to drop in disparate visual elements that might read as errors or jumbled panels (a character’s costume might change subtly or dramatically between panels), before you realize it’s all part of a bigger plan and broader canvass.

Starlin seems to be trying to tie together some of the disparate ways that Thanos has been written over the years – power hungry miscreant seeking omniscience, love-struck psychopath hoping to impress the embodiment of Death, occasional hero – “explaining” its lead as essentially motivated by his own whims and boredom. There’s a great line somewhere in the middle of the book where he explains that his cosmic plots to control the universe usually fall apart because it’s the quest that’s typically more interesting for him – it’s the doing, not the being for Thanos. Even a showdown with the heavy hitters in the Annhilators is just a chance for him to show his strength – their living or dying is almost irrelevant.

The revelation at the heart of The Thanos Revelation is really its lead character – Jim Starlin helps us understand him a little more, even if he keeps the cosmic mystery we’ve ostensibly been following for a hundred pages at arm’s length. It’s a strange and kind of off-putting book, but, but then so is its lead and I think that might be the point.

Pull List

DARK HORSE COMICS
JUN140021 ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #5 MAIN CVR $3.50
APR140073 COMPLETE ELFQUEST TP VOL 01 ORIGINAL QUEST $24.99
APR140066 FEAR AGENT TP VOL 05 I AGAINST I (2ND ED) $16.99
DEC130145 GAME OF THRONES ARYA STARK STATUE $225.00
APR140053 JUICE SQUEEZERS TP VOL 01 GREAT BUG ELEVATOR $12.99
JUN140033 MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS VICTORIES #14 (MR) $3.99
APR140088 OH MY GODDESS RTL TP VOL 46 $12.99
APR140076 RING OF NIBELUNG HC $29.99
APR140047 SKYMAN TP VOL 01 RIGHT STUFF $14.99
APR140086 TRIGUN MAXIMUM OMNIBUS TP VOL 04 $19.99
JUN140045 USAGI YOJIMBO SENSO #1 $3.99
DC COMICS
JUN140203 ACTION COMICS #34 (DOOMED) $3.99
MAY140222 ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #3 (DOOMED) $4.99
JUN140169 AQUAMAN AND THE OTHERS #5 $2.99
JUN140249 BATMAN 66 MEETS GREEN HORNET #3 $2.99
JUN140261 BATMAN ESSENTIALS DARK KNIGHT RETURNS SPEC ED #1 $1.00
JUN140207 BATMAN ETERNAL #18 $2.99
JUN140235 BATWING #34 $2.99
MAY140366 CONSTANTINE TP VOL 02 BLIGHT (N52) $14.99
JUN140221 DETECTIVE COMICS #34 $3.99
JUN140224 DETECTIVE COMICS #34 COMBO PACK $4.99
JUN140188 EARTH 2 #26 $2.99
JUN140302 FAIREST #28 (MR) $2.99
JUN140173 GRAYSON #2 $2.99
JUN140168 GREEN ARROW #34 $2.99
JUN140238 GREEN LANTERN #34 $2.99
JUN140240 GREEN LANTERN #34 COMBO PACK $3.99
JUN140308 HINTERKIND #10 (MR) $2.99
JUN140187 JUSTICE LEAGUE 3000 #9 $2.99
JUN140294 LOONEY TUNES #220 $2.99
JUN140160 NEW 52 FUTURES END #14 (WEEKLY) $2.99
APR140267 SUPERMAN HC VOL 04 PSI-WAR (N52) $24.99
MAY140370 SUPERMAN TP VOL 03 FURY AT WORLDS END (N52) $14.99
MAY140219 SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN ANNUAL #1 (DOOMED) $4.99
JUN140246 SWAMP THING #34 $2.99
JUN140292 TINY TITANS RETURN TO THE TREEHOUSE #3 $2.99
MAY140407 TRILLIUM TP (MR) $16.99
JUN140185 TRINITY OF SIN PHANTOM STRANGER #22 $2.99
MAY140381 WORLD OF WARCRAFT BLOODSWORN TP $16.99
DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
MAR140310 DC COMICS NEW 52 EARTH 2 BATMAN AF $24.95
MAR140308 DC COMICS NEW 52 EARTH 2 SUPERMAN AF $24.95
MAR140305 DC COMICS NEW 52 ORION WITH ASTRO HARNESS AF $24.95
IDW PUBLISHING
JUN140386 ANGRY BIRDS COMICS #3 $3.99
JUN140434 DANGER GIRL BACK IN BLACK TP $17.99
JUN140357 GHOSTBUSTERS ONGOING TP VOL 08 MASS HYSTERIA PT 1 $17.99
JUN140423 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #205 $3.99
JUN140422 GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE DISAVOWED TP VOL 04 $19.99
JUN140453 HAUNTED HORROR #12 $3.99
MAY140449 MARS ATTACKS FIRST BORN #3 $3.99
JUN140397 POPEYE CLASSICS ONGOING #25 $3.99
MAY140555 ROCKY & BULLWINKLE CLASSICS GN VOL 02 $17.99
JUN140366 ROGUE TROOPER CLASSICS #4 $3.99
JUN140374 SQUIDDER #2 $3.99
JUN140452 STAR MAGE #5 $3.99
MAY148244 STAR TREK CITY O/T EDGE OF FOREVER #1 2ND PTG $3.99
JUN140439 STAR TREK NEW VISIONS TIMES ECHO $7.99
JUN140447 THUNDER AGENTS CLASSICS TP VOL 04 $29.99
SEP130345 TRANSFORMERS CLASSICS UK TP VOL 05 $29.99
MAY140446 WALTER SIMONSONS LAWNMOWER MAN ARTIST ED PORTFOLIO HC PI
MAY148196 WINTERWORLD #1 2ND PTG $3.99
IMAGE COMICS
MAY140695 ALEX + ADA #8 $2.99
JUN140543 CLONE #19 (MR) $2.99
NOV130498 CYBER FORCE #10 $2.99
JUN140478 GENIUS #1 (MR) $3.99
JUN140552 HACK SLASH SON OF SAMHAIN #2 (MR) $3.50
JUN140484 HOWTOONS REIGNITION #1 $2.99
JUN140469 IMPERIAL #1 $2.99
APR140572 INVINCIBLE #113 $2.99
JUN140506 INVINCIBLE HC VOL 09 ULTIMATE COLL $39.99
MAY140709 LAZARUS #10 (MR) $3.50
JUN140554 MADAME FRANKENSTEIN #4 $2.99
JUN140562 NAILBITER #4 (MR) $2.99
JUN140485 NIGHTWORLD #1 $3.99
MAY148297 SPREAD #1 2ND PTG (MR) $3.50
JUN140579 SPREAD #2 (MR) $3.50
APR140607 TALES OF HONOR #4 CVR A JEONG $2.99
APR140608 TALES OF HONOR #4 CVR B SEJIC $2.99
JUN140582 TECH JACKET #2 $2.99
IMAGE COMICS/MCFARLANE TOYS
APR140625 WALKING DEAD TV SER 2 WALSH UD ED AF PI
MARVEL COMICS
JUN140659 BLACK WIDOW #9 $3.99
JUN140695 DEADPOOL DRACULAS GAUNTLET #5 $3.99
MAY140921 DEXTER DOWN UNDER PREM HC $24.99
JUN140681 FIGMENT #3 $3.99
MAR140756 FURY MAX HC MY WAR GONE BY $34.99
JUN140656 IRON FIST LIVING WEAPON #5 $3.99
MAY140945 IRON MAN TP VOL 03 SECRET ORIGIN OF TONY STARK BOOK 2 $19.99
MAR140754 JEPH LOEB AND TIM SALE HC YELLOW BLUE AND GRAY $75.00
FEB140822 KICK-ASS 3 #8 (MR) $5.99
JUN140647 LEGENDARY STAR LORD #2 $3.99
MAY140949 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE DIGEST TP VOL 02 $9.99
MAR140755 MARVELS PLATINUM EDITION SLIPCASE HC $200.00
JUN140637 MILES MORALES ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4 $3.99
JUN140677 MIRACLEMAN #9 (MR) $4.99
JUN140657 MOON KNIGHT #6 $3.99
JUN140628 NEW AVENGERS #22 $3.99
JUN140663 NEW WARRIORS #8 $3.99
MAY148216 ORIGINAL SIN #3.1 2ND PTG JONES VAR $3.99
APR140644 ORIGINAL SIN #3.4 $3.99
MAY140776 ORIGINAL SIN #5.3 $3.99
MAY140913 PAINKILLER JANE 22 BRIDES #2 (MR) $3.99
JUN140658 PUNISHER #9 $3.99
JUN140649 ROCKET RACCOON #2 $3.99
JUN140654 SHE-HULK #7 $2.99
APR140678 SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #14 $3.99
JUN140643 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #32 EOSV $4.99
APR140765 THANOS INFINITY REVELATION OGN HC $24.99
MAY140943 UNCANNY X-FORCE BY REMENDER COMP COLL TP VOL 01 $39.99
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
APR141329 ACG CLASSICS COLL PACK ADV INTO UNKNOWN BOOKSHOP ED #2 $129.99
MAR141363 AI PRESENTS ODYSSEY HC VOL 01 $19.99
MAY141572 ALICE I/T COUNTRY OF JOKER GN VOL 01 NIGHTMARE TRILOGY (MR) $13.99
MAY141005 ARCHIE #658 REG CVR $2.99
MAR140839 ARCHIE THE MARRIED LIFE TP VOL 05 $19.99
MAR141019 BEARDO TP VOL 01 ART DEGREE GUARANTEE $19.95
JUN141446 BENNY AND PENNY IN LOST & FOUND GN $12.95
MAY148340 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #1 (2ND PTG) $3.99
JUN140953 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #3 MAIN CVRS $3.99
JUN141529 BLACK ROSE ALICE GN VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
APR141459 BLEACH GN VOL 61 $9.99
JUN141098 BLOOD QUEEN #3 CVR A ANACLETO (MR) $3.99
JUN141099 BLOOD QUEEN #3 CVR B GARZA (MR) $3.99
MAY141501 BUNKER #5 (MR) $3.99
MAR141297 BUNKER TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99
JUN140876 CALIBAN #5 DARK MATTER CVR (MR) $9.99
MAY141493 CAPITOL HILLBILLIES GN (MR) $19.99
JUN141038 CAPT VICTORY & GALACTIC RANGERS #1 $3.99
JUN141059 CHAOS #4 MAIN LUPACCHINO $3.99
JUN141066 CHASTITY #2 $3.99
APR141352 D FRAG GN VOL 01 $12.99
JUN141565 D GRAY MAN GN VOL 24 $9.99
MAY141023 DEATH OF ARCHIE LIFE CELEBRATED TP $14.99
APR141351 DEVILS & REALIST GN VOL 02 $12.99
MAR141145 DF AMAZING SPIDER MAN #1 ROMITA JR SILVER SGN SERIES PI
FEB141256 DF DAREDEVIL #1 SGN MARK WAID PI
MAR141153 DF DAREDEVIL #1.50 SGN MARK WAID PI
JUN140893 DICKS END OF TIME #3 (MR) $3.99
JUN140894 DICKS END OF TIME #3 OFFENSIVE CVR (MR) $3.99
MAY141534 DISNEY FAIRIES HC VOL 15 SECRET WINGS $12.99
MAY141574 DRAGONAR ACADEMY GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
MAY140973 DRY SPELL #2 (MR) $3.99
MAR141429 ENDLESS SKY GN $24.95
MAY141626 ENORMOUS #2 CVR A CHEGGOUR $3.99
MAY141627 ENORMOUS #2 CVR B DIBARI $3.99
MAY141423 ENTROPY GN VOL 01 TAMARA (MR) $10.99
MAY141252 EPIC #2 $3.99
JUN140867 EXTINCTION PARADE WAR #2 (MR) $3.99
JUN140869 EXTINCTION PARADE WAR #2 END OF SPECIES CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN140868 EXTINCTION PARADE WAR #2 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
MAY141468 FAIRY TAIL GN VOL 40 $10.99
MAY140981 FILLER BUNNY COLLECTED WORKS TP $11.95
MAY141335 FLASH GORDON #4 $3.99
MAY141337 FLASH GORDON #4 80TH ANNV CASTRO CVR $3.99
JUN141530 FOOD WARS SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA GN VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
MAY140963 FRACTURE VICE & VIRTUE TP $11.99
SEP131117 GAME OF THRONES #21 (MR) $3.99
JUN141001 GARFIELD #28 $3.99
JUN141605 GFT GODDESS INC #1 A CVR MILLER (MR) $3.99
JUN141606 GFT GODDESS INC #1 B CVR QUALANO (MR) $3.99
JUN141607 GFT GODDESS INC #1 C CVR CUCCA (MR) $3.99
JUN141608 GFT GODDESS INC #1 D CVR FRANCHESCO (MR) $3.99
JUN141592 GFT MASUMI #1 A CVR TOLIBAO (MR) $3.99
JUN141593 GFT MASUMI #1 B CVR MYCHAELS (MR) $3.99
JUN141594 GFT MASUMI #1 C CVR CARDY (MR) $3.99
JUN141595 GFT MASUMI #1 D CVR QUALANO (MR) $3.99
JUN140844 GOD IS DEAD BOOK OF ACTS ALPHA (MR) $5.99
JUN140846 GOD IS DEAD BOOK OF ACTS ALPHA CARNAGE WRAP CVR (MR) $5.99
JUN140848 GOD IS DEAD BOOK OF ACTS ALPHA END OF DAYS CVR (MR) $5.99
JUN140847 GOD IS DEAD BOOK OF ACTS ALPHA ICONIC CVR (MR) $5.99
JUN140843 GOD IS DEAD TP VOL 02 (MR) $19.99
JUN141554 HAPPY MARRIAGE GN VOL 07 (MR) $9.99
JUN141506 HARBINGER OMEGAS #1 REG LAROSA $3.99
JUN141507 HARBINGER OMEGAS #1 VALIANTCRAFT CVR $3.99
APR148252 HATTER M LOOKING GLASS WARS TP VOL 01 FAR (NEW PTG) $14.99
JUN141377 HELLO KITTY GN JUST IMAGINE $7.99
JUN141321 HENRY AND GLENN FOREVER AND EVER TP (MR) $17.95
JUN141566 HIGH SCHOOL DEBUT 3IN1 TP VOL 03 $14.99
JUN141416 HONEY DARLING GN (MR) $12.99
JUN141260 HOW THE WORLD WAS CALIFORNIA CHILDHOOD GN $19.99
NOV130744 I FEEL SICK #1 NEW PTG (NOTE PRICE) $4.95
NOV130745 I FEEL SICK #2 NEW PTG (NOTE PRICE) $4.95
APR141287 I WAS THE CAT HC $24.99
MAY141632 IT NEVER HAPPENED AGAIN 2 STORIES GN $11.99
JUN141045 JENNIFER BLOOD BORN AGAIN #1 (MR) $3.99
JUN141114 JIM BUTCHER DRESDEN FILES WAR CRY #3 $3.99
MAR141357 JOHN CARPENTERS ASYLUM #7 (MR) $3.99
JUN141555 KAZE HIKARU GN VOL 22 $9.99
JUN141527 KNIGHTS OF SIDONIA GN VOL 10 $12.95
APR141260 KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 44 $14.99
MAY141576 KOKORO CONNECT GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.99
MAY141636 LES MISERABLES MANGA CLASSICS GN $19.99
MAY141635 LES MISERABLES MANGA CLASSICS HC $24.99
MAY141485 MAGENTA NOIR FATALE GN (MR) $11.99
MAY141424 MAGIC WIND GN VOL 04 $12.99
MAY141176 MIDAS FLESH #1 ECCC EXC $9.99
APR141344 MIGHTY TITAN #1 $3.99
MAY140987 MUDDY MAX GN VOL 01 MYSTERY OF MARSH CREEK $9.99
MAY141443 NEIL GAIMAN GRAVEYARD BOOK HC GN VOL 01 $19.99
JUN141050 NEW VAMPIRELLA #3 MAIN DODSON $3.99
JUN141545 NURA RISE O/T YOKAI CLAN GN VOL 22 $9.99
JUN141541 OISHINBO GN VOL 05 VEGETABLES $12.99
MAY141613 PHABLES WHO NEEDS TREES TP $15.00
JUN141383 POKEMON BLACK & WHITE GN VOL 17 $4.99
MAY141634 PRIDE & PREJUDICE MANGA CLASSICS GN $19.99
MAY141633 PRIDE & PREJUDICE MANGA CLASSICS HC $24.99
JUN140939 ROBOCOP 2014 #2 (MR) $3.99
APR140836 ROD ESPINOSAS STEAMPUNK FABLES TP $14.99
APR140830 ROGUES VOL 2 #3 COLD SHIP (MR) $3.99
JUN141546 ROSARIO VAMPIRE SEASON II GN VOL 13 $9.99
APR140975 RUSH CLOCKWORK ANGELS #4 $3.99
APR141058 SCORPION GN VOL 08 NAME OF THE SON (MR) $11.95
MAY141348 SHADOW MIDNIGHT MOSCOW #3 $3.99
JUN140754 SIP (STRANGERS IN PARADISE) KIDS #1 $4.99
JUN141336 SIXTH GUN DAYS OF THE DEAD #1 $3.99
MAY141037 SONIC SUPER SIZED DIGEST #8 $4.99
MAY141040 SONIC UNIVERSE #66 REG CVR $2.99
JUN141548 SPELL OF DESIRE GN VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
JUN140977 STEVEN UNIVERSE #1 $3.99
MAY141590 STUFF OF LEGEND OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 EXPANDED ED $29.99
JUN140965 SUICIDE RISK #16 $3.99
JUN141025 TERMINAL HERO #1 (MR) $2.99
JUN141097 TOM CLANCY SPLINTER CELL ECHOES #2 $3.99
JUN141532 TORIKO GN VOL 01 $9.99
JUN141531 TORIKO GN VOL 23 $9.99
JUN140888 UBER #16 (MR) $3.99
JUN140890 UBER #16 PROPAGANDA POSTER CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN140891 UBER #16 WAR CRIMES CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN140889 UBER #16 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN141556 VOICE OVER SEIYU ACADEMY GN VOL 06 $9.99
JUN141209 WANDERING SON HC VOL 07 $24.99
MAY141670 WHAT DID YOU EAT YESTERDAY GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.95
MAY141579 WITCH BUSTER TP VOL 06 BOOKS 11 & 12 $17.99
JUN140946 WOODS #4 $3.99
JUN141513 X-O MANOWAR TP VOL 06 PRELUDE TO ARMOR HUNTERS $14.99

—

What’s on your pull list this week? Let us know in the comments below or tell me on Twitter!