It’s only fitting that since Comic Book Day falls on the first of the month, our pull list is packed to the gills with an assortment of first issues. With offerings from creators like J. Michael Straczynski, Michael Avon Oeming, Mike Carey, and more, this week’s pull list has pathos to spare. Using familiar genres to subvert our expectations, it will leave you satisfied, potentially confused, and most definitely craving more. So, sit back, relax and start budgeting out your expenditures, because this week, there are plenty of reasons to make your way down to your local comic book store.
Top Picks
Ten Grand #1 | J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith
From its woozy, entrancing artwork to its hardboiled story of love, loss, contract killing and demonology, J. Michael Straczynski’s latest offering from his Joe’s Comics imprint at Image Comics, Ten Grand, lures you in with a sense of familiarity, then throws you a curveball straight out of hell. While the notion of a hitman doing God’s work isn’t exactly new, Straczynski has the wherewithal to pull it off and make it feel fresh. Joe Fitzgerald was a mob enforcer until he met Laura, the love of his life, who urged him to leave the bloody world of contract killing behind. And, of course, there was one last job that went awry. His final target not only survived Joe’s assassination attempt, but hunted him down, fatally wounding him and killing Laura as a result.
Before he can shuffle off this mortal coil, Joe is visited by an angel with a proposition: if Joe continues his murderous work on Earth in the name of God and dies a righteous death, he will be granted five minutes with Laura… only to be resurrected and have to start all over again. Touching on themes of love and morality, and tinged with religious undertones, Ten Grand‘s first issue deftly lays out the exposition for the series without getting bogged down in its complex setup. Joe’s morose manner is wonderfully off-set by Ben Templesmith’s staggeringly good artwork. Coming off like a series of smudged, dusty paintings you found in the attic or a half-remembered dream, Templesmith’s layouts give weight to Straczynski’s gritty narrative, making this one book that you shouldn’t let pass you by.
The Victories: Transhuman #1 | Michael Avon Oeming
Michael Avon Oeming’s five-issue Dark Horse mini-series The Victories turned the superhero genre on its head, using it as a prism to explore his own experiences with therapy, depression and anxiety. With a take-no-prisoners writing style and a gritty, roughshod aesthetic, The Victories was a superhero story that felt like it was about real people: imperfect, sleazy, and sometimes crippled by their own anxieties. Now, the series returns with The Victories: Transhuman. Picking up after the Jackal’s showdown with Faustus and an attack on the US infrastructure, the Victories must overcome their own spiritual and personal demons to defeat an evil that threatens to destroy not only their city, but the world itself. The Victories finds Oeming at his finest, giving him ample opportunity to flex his considerable artistic muscles while telling an immensely compelling story with intensely personal themes. If more folks took Oeming’s approach to therapeutic catharsis, the world would be a better and more comic-filled place.
Suicide Risk #1 | Mike Carey and Elena Casagrande
The spirit of Elseworlds and What If stories is alive and well in Mike Carey’s new ongoing series, Suicide Risk. The teaser from BOOM! Studios set up the premise rather nicely: “When there are only villains, being a hero makes you a…” You guessed it – a suicide risk. In a world plagued by drug-addled supervillains, who will rise to the occasion? Set in a world experiencing its first wave of superpowered activations, Carey’s grim take on the superhero genre explores the perils of standing up against evil when you’re a mere mortal and they’re packing metahuman heat. Heroes are dying,  cops are dying – it would seem like the end is nigh. Enter protagonist Leo Winters, the policeman from Tommy Lee Edwards terrific cover art, who discovers a man and a woman quite literally selling superpowers on the street. As a result, he triggers a series of events that could change his life, his family’s life, and the fate of the world itself. An electrifying read from start to finish, Mike Carey lays the groundwork for what looks to be one of the most interesting new books to hit your local comic book store’s stands. Add in the lush artwork of Elena Casagrande (Hulk, Hack/Slash), and you’ve got a risk-free addition to our pull list.
Pull List
DARK HORSE COMICS
47 RONIN #4 $3.99
ABE SAPIEN DARK & TERRIBLE #2 $3.5
GARY BASEMAN PLAYING CARDS $4.99
KORAK SON OF TARZAN ARCHIVES HC VOL 01 $49.99
MICHAEL AVON OEMINGS VICTORIES #1 TRANSHUMAN (MR) $3.99
MISTER X EVICTION #1 $3.99
STAR WARS DARK TIMES FIRE CARRIER #4 $2.99
DC COMICS
ACTION COMICS #20 $3.99
ACTION COMICS #20 COMBO PACK $4.99
AME COMI GIRLS #3 $3.99
ANIMAL MAN #20 $2.99
AQUAMAN #19 $2.99
BATWING #20 $2.99
DETECTIVE COMICS #20 $3.99
DETECTIVE COMICS #20 COMBO PACK $4.99
DIAL H #12 $2.99
EARTH 2 #12 $2.99
FAIREST #15 (MR) $2.99
GET JIRO TP (MR) $14.99
GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO HC VOL 02 (MR) $19.99
GREEN ARROW #20 $2.99
JACK KIRBY OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 $39.99
LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #8 $3.99
MAD MAGAZINE #521 $5.99
MOVEMENT #1 $2.99
PHANTOM STRANGER #8 $2.99
SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #33 $2.99
STORMWATCH #20 $2.99
SUPERMAN ACTION COMICS HC VOL 02 BULLETPROOF (N52) $24.99
SUPERMAN ACTION TP VOL 01 SUPERMAN MEN OF STEEL (N52) $16.99
SUPERMAN EARTH ONE TP VOL 01 $12.99
SWAMP THING #20 $2.99
WORLD OF WARCRAFT DARK RIDERS HC $24.99
WORLDS FINEST #12 $2.99
DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
ARROW 1:6 SCALE OLIVER QUEEN STATUE $149.95
MAN OF STEEL FAORA 1:6 SCALE ICONIC STATUE $129.95
MAN OF STEEL JOR EL 1:6 SCALE ICONIC STATUE $129.95
MAN OF STEEL SUPERMAN 1:6 SCALE ICONIC STATUE $129.95
MAN OF STEEL ZOD 1:6 SCALE ICONIC STATUE $129.95
IDW PUBLISHING
COLONIZED #2 [DIG/P+] $3.99
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS CUTTER #2 [DIG] $3.99
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS DRIZZT TP VOL 01 NEVERWINTER $19.99
GHOSTBUSTERS #1 2ND PTG $3.99
JACK DAVIS EC STORIES ARTIST ED HC PI
JOE PALOOKA #6 [DIG/P+] $3.99
JUDGE DREDD #1 2ND PTG $3.99
MAGIC THE GATHERING TP VOL 03 PATH OF VENGEANCE [DIG] $17.99
MARS ATTACKS #10 [DIG/P+] $3.99
MICHAEL KALUTA SKETCHBOOK SERIES SC VOL 04 $9.99
STAR TREK COUNTDOWN TO DARKNESS #1 3RD PTG $3.99
TMNT COLOR CLASSICS #10 $3.99
TMNT ONGOING TP VOL 05 $17.99
TMNT SECRET FOOT CLAN #2 2ND PTG $3.99
TMNT SECRET FOOT CLAN #3 2ND PTG $3.99
TRANSFORMERS REGENERATION ONE TP VOL 02 [DIG] $19.99
TRANSFORMERS SPOTLIGHT HOIST #1 [DIG] $3.99
IMAGE COMICS
68 JUNGLE JIM #2 CVR A ZORNOW & FOTOS (MR) [DIG] $3.99
68 JUNGLE JIM #2 CVR B DYKE & FOTOS (MR) $3.99
ACTIVITY #12 [DIG] $3.5
ARTIFACTS #27 CVR A SEJIC [DIG] $3.99
ARTIFACTS #27 CVR B TURINI $3.99
BEDLAM TP VOL 01 [DIG] $9.99
BLACKACRE #6 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
BLACKACRE TP VOL 01 [DIG] $9.99
EPIC KILL #10 [DIG] $2.99
G-MAN TP VOL 03 COMING HOME [DIG] $9.99
GRAVEYARD OF EMPIRES TP [DIG] $14.99
GREAT PACIFIC TP VOL 01 TRASHED (MR) [DIG] $9.99
IMAGE FIRSTS BEDLAM CURR PTG #1 (MR) $1
IMAGE FIRSTS GREAT PACIFIC CURR PTG #1 (MR) $1
IMAGE FIRSTS MIND THE GAP CURR PTG #1 $1
IMAGE FIRSTS MORNING GLORIES CURR PTG #1 $1
IMAGE FIRSTS PETER PANZERFAUST CURR PTG #1 (MR) $1
IMAGE FIRSTS SUPER DINOSAUR CURR PTG #1 $1
INVINCIBLE UNIVERSE #2 [DIG] $2.99
MICE TEMPLAR IV LEGEND #2 CVR A SANTOS [DIG] $2.99
MICE TEMPLAR IV LEGEND #2 CVR B OEMING $2.99
SAVAGE DRAGON #187 [DIG] $3.99
SEX #1 3RD PTG (MR) $2.99
SNAPSHOT #4 [DIG] $2.99
SON OF MERLIN #4 [DIG] $2.99
SPAWN #231 $2.99
SUPER DINOSAUR #19 [DIG] $2.99
TEN GRAND #1 CVR A TEMPLESMITH (MR) [DIG] $2.99
TEN GRAND #1 CVR B SIENKIEWICZ (MR) $2.99
MARVEL COMICS
AGE OF ULTRON #2 2ND PTG HITCH VAR $3.99
AGE OF ULTRON #7 $3.99
ALL NEW X-MEN #11 NOW $3.99
ALL NEW X-MEN #9 2ND PTG IMMONEN VAR NOW $3.99
CABLE AND X-FORCE TP VOL 01 WANTED NOW $17.99
HAWKEYE #10 $2.99
HAWKEYE #8 2ND PTG AJA VAR $2.99
INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #7 NOW $3.99
IRON MAN #258.1 $3.99
IRON MAN #9 NOW2 $3.99
IRON MAN COMING OF MELTER #1 $3.99
IRON MAN WAR MACHINE TP HANDS OF MANDARIN $24.99
KICK-ASS HC VOL 01 (MR) $39.99
MARVELS IRON MAN 3 SLIPCASE HC ART OF MOVIE $49.99
MU AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES DIGEST TP VOL 03 $9.99
NEW AVENGERS #4 2ND PTG JOCK VAR NOW $3.99
NOVA #2 2ND PTG MCGUINNESS VAR NOW $3.99
RED SHE-HULK #65 NOW2 $2.99
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #6 2ND PTG RAMOS VAR NOW $3.99
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #9 NOW $3.99
THANOS RISING #2 NOW $3.99
ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #26 $3.99
WINTER SOLDIER #18 $2.99
X-FACTOR #255 $2.99
X-MEN LEGACY #10 NOW2 $2.99
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
3 NEW STORIES ONE SHOT $3.99
ARCHER & ARMSTRONG (VU) #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT ED $1
ARCHIE #643 ARCHIE MEETS GLEE PT 3 [DIG/P+] $2.99
ARCHIE DOUBLE DIGEST #239 [DIG/P+] $3.99
ARMY OF DARKNESS OMNIBUS TP VOL 03 $29.99
ARMY OF DARKNESS ONGOING #13 $3.99
ARMY OF DARKNESS TP VOL 01 HAIL TO THE QUEEN BABY $19.99
ASTRONAUT ACADEMY ZERO GRAVITY GN $9.99
BIG NATE GAME ON TP $9.99
BIONIC MAN #19 $3.99
BLACK BAT #1 CVR A CAMPBELL $3.99
BLACK BAT #1 CVR B BENITEZ $3.99
BLACK BAT #1 CVR C SYAF $3.99
BLACK BAT #1 CVR D TAN $3.99
BLOODSHOT (VU) #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT ED $1
BLOODY MONDAY GN VOL 10 $10.99
CASTLE WAITING HC VOL 02 DEFINITIVE ED $29.99
CHARISMAGIC VOL 2 #1 ASPEN RESERVED CVR $1
CHARISMAGIC VOL 2 #1 DIRECT MARKET CVR [DIG] $1
CHINESE LIFE GN $27.5
COLOR EARTH GN VOL 02 COLOR OF WATER $16.95
COMPLETE CRUMB COMICS TP VOL 05 HAPPY HIPPY (NEW PTG) (MR) $19.99
CROODS PREQUEL DIGEST GN $6.99
CYBORG 009 CHAPTER 000 ONE SHOT $1
DAN THE UNHARMABLE #12 (MR) $3.99
DAN THE UNHARMABLE #12 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
DF SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #1 STAN LEE SGN ED $399.99
FAIRY TAIL GN VOL 25 $10.99
FASHION BEAST #9 (MR) $3.99
FASHION BEAST #9 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
FEYNMAN TP $19.99
FUBAR SC VOL 03 AMERICAN HISTORY Z $16.95
GAME OF THRONES #14 (MR) $3.99
GARFIELD #13 [DIG] $3.99
GFT JUNGLE BOOK LAST O/T SPECIES #3 A CVR NUNES (MR) $3.99
GFT JUNGLE BOOK LAST O/T SPECIES #3 B CVR SALGADO (MR) $3.99
GOGO MONSTER GN $27.99
GREY MUSEUM GN $20
HARBINGER (VU) #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT ED $1
HARBINGER WARS (VU) #2 PULLBOX LAROSA $3.99
HARBINGER WARS (VU) #2 REG HENRY $3.99
HOLIDAY WARS GN $14.95
HYPERNATURALS #11 [DIG] $3.99
LITTLE PRINCE GN VOL 07 PLANET OF OVERHEARERS $7.95
LITTLE PRINCE GN VOL 08 PLANET OF TORTOISE DRIVER $7.95
LONE RANGER SNAKE OF IRON TP $16.99
MISS FURY #2 CVR A BENITEZ $3.99
MISS FURY #2 CVR B RENAUD $3.99
MISS FURY #2 CVR C TAN $3.99
MISS FURY #2 CVR D REIS $3.99
NEGIMA GN VOL 38 (MR) $10.99
PETER BAGGE OTHER STUFF TP $19.99
PIETROLINO HC $29.95
PLANET O/T APES CATACLYSM #9 [DIG] $3.99
POLARITY #1 (2ND PTG) $3.99
POLARITY #2 [DIG] $3.99
RED SONJA UNCHAINED #2 $3.99
RED TEN #3 (MR) $3.99
SATANIKA ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL (MR) $4.95
SESAME STREET #1 IMAGINATION CVR A $3.99
SESAME STREET #1 IMAGINATION CVR B $3.99
SESAME STREET #1 IMAGINATION CVR C $3.99
SESAME STREET #1 IMAGINATION CVR D $3.99
SESAME STREET #1 IMAGINATION CVR E $3.99
SHADOWMAN (VU) #0 PULLBOX EVANS $3.99
SHADOWMAN (VU) #0 REG JOHNSON $3.99
SHADOWMAN (VU) #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT ED $1
SHAME GN VOL 02 PURSUIT (MR) $9.99
SHERLOCK HOLMES LIVERPOOL DEMON #4 $3.99
SIMPSONS ILLUSTRATED #6 $3.99
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #248 REG CVR [P+] $2.99
SUICIDE RISK #1 [DIG] $3.99
THE SPIDER #11 $3.99
TWILIGHT SAGA NEW MOON HC VOL 01 (RES) $19.99
VALIANT ONE DOLLAR DEBUT BUNDLE (VU) WAVE 1 $4.95
VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #5 CVR A JOHNNY D $3.99
VAMPIRELLA STRIKES #5 CVR B NEVES $3.99
WASTELAND #44 (MR) $3.99
WHAT LIES BENEATH HC (MR) $79.95
X-O MANOWAR (VU) #1 ONE DOLLAR DEBUT ED $1
ZEBRAFISH TP $7.99
3 days and counting to “FREE COMIC BOOK DAY”