Raf’s Super-Duper Week of New Comics for 7.27.2022
Big ole week of superheroes and a special announcement!
Hey everyone. This week’s newsletter is a biggie. Tomorrow, July 28th, is my 3-year anniversary at Carol and John’s! In the beginnning I started as a Sunday fill-in, just writing codes for reorders, and soaking in the experience of being on the register side of the counter. It was exactly where I wanted to be. I had been a file customer and regular at the shop for several years, since I was a freshman at Cleveland State and was in need of a local comic shop. Now here I was hanging out and working with all of these guys who I’d gotten to grow up with. And I slowly became less and less intimidated by John Dudas too.
I worked part-time like this for about a year and half, until after the hellscape that was 2020 forced me to look at my life and see what I really wanted to do. At the end of the year, I decided to follow my passion into comic books. I quit my office job and decided to go full-time at the shop. It was a scary thought at the time, and still kind of weird to think back on, but I have no regrets about it. I got to learn so many things about business, read so many more things that I may have never checked out, and got to do it all at one of my favorite places in the world, Carol and John’s Comic Shop. This week’s newsletter is my last for CNJ’s. I’m still going to be at the shop for the time being, but I’m actively looking for a new job. A few years ago, after graduation, I only had two goals: get a girlfriend and work in a comic shop. And then I did both in the same year! So now what? Well that’s what I’m figuring out. PLC will continue on though, so stay tuned. Thanks for the support, and check out this week’s new comics!
Hey there, Carol and John’s Shoppers! We’ve got a big week full of super heroics to end the month of July that we’re excited to share with you. Let’s jump in.
DC Comics
Ram V takes on Batman! The indie hit writer behind The Many Deaths of Laila Starr and These Savage Shores teams with superstar artist Rafael Albuquerque for the beginning of a new era for the Dark Knight. “Something is terribly wrong with Batman. No matter the tests Bruce takes, nor the numbers he counts, the greatest detective in the world can’t pin down the source of this creeping dread—of his own inner demons and a looming mortality. Meanwhile, real demons roam the shadows as an ancient melody haunts the Gotham night. Here now the curtains rise and as the eerie tune streams in… who is human, who is demon, who is to tell? As Batman investigates the songs and the demons of Gotham, he is forced to confront the oldest question… whether there has been a demon within him all along… and if so, what does it want?… and why hasn’t it taken over yet?” The legend of the Batman began in the pages of Detective Comics, and continues now with issue #1062 this week. I’m excited to be picking up Detective again, it’s been 8 years since I last bought an issue (way back during the excellent Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato run)!
Another exciting team-up, this time in a brand-new 3-issue miniseries, Eisner winning writer Mark Russell and legendary artist Mike Allred bring us Superman: Space Age #1 this week. Feeling very reminiscent of Darwyn Cooke’s DC New Frontier, this series is a new telling of the dawn of the DC superhero age, but in a new light, against the backdrop of the Space Race and the assassination of JFK. It does not take the current events of its setting lightly. Starring other core Justice League members Batman and Green Lantern, and a very villainous Lex Luthor, this miniseries soared past all of our expectations to become one of our top picks of the week! A must read for any DC Comic or American History buff for sure.
“At the end of World War II, Earth was invaded by giant mechanized parademons from a planet called Apokolips. Earth’s protectors, the Justice Society of America, were devastated, and with them, the age of superheroes came to an end and the era of the Mech began. In the ensuing years, the world has stockpiled colossal battle suits piloted by elite warriors, waiting for the day Apokolips returns. But when Kal-El, the last son of a dying world, crash-lands in Metropolis with his own war suit, he’ll face down two of Earth’s finest Mech fighters, the Flash and Batman.” Pacific Rim meets the DC Universe in this new 6-issue miniseries that packs a fun, mecha-sized punch.
Marvel Comics
The Web-Head reaches a milestone in issue #900 of Amazing Spider-Man this week. A huge oversized issue, the main story features Spider-Man and the Sinister Six along with a new villain, the Sinister Adaptoid. Complete with a series of backup stories also, this issue celebrates 900 issues and 60 years of the Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and is no doubt one of the biggest Spider books of the year.
“Flash back to the early days of Hank Pym's career as the astonishing Ant-Man! It's date night for Hank and his girlfriend Janet Van Dyne, but nobody told that to Ant-Man's enemies! Watch as Hank's ant-agonists band together to finally take down the scientific adventurer! But will anyone come to his rescue? And who is the mysterious stranger who stalks him? Join Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk) and Tom Reilly (The Thing) as they explore the history of every hero (past, present and future!) called Ant-Man!” A time-bending experience that explores “Who is the Ant-Man? What is the Ant-Man? Why is the Ant-Man?”
Gambit co-creator Chris Claremont (you may have met him last year) returns to one of his many creations for a new miniseries set during his absolutely legendary Uncanny X-Men run. “Before he joined the X-Men, Gambit encountered a mysterious girl named ‘Ro — the mutant Storm regressed to her child self by the nefarious Nanny — and the two went up against the forces of the Shadow King! Now, revealed for the first time, Gambit finds his path to becoming the heroic X-Man millions of fans call their favorite! Joined by rising star artist Sid Kotian, Chris weaves a story of action, intrigue and revenge that made Gambit the mutant he is and forged his relationship with Storm.” A fun throwback to days of X-Men past.
Donny Cates first arc to his gamma-powered smash-hit Hulk is finally collected! In this radical new take on the character, Bruce Banner is piloting the Hulk’s cybernetically enhanced body dubbed the Starship Hulk across the universe. Their first adventure sees them travel through a portal and get caught on an alternate world where Banner never became the Hulk, and President Ross has an army of gamma-powered soldiers. The Starship Hulk is immensely powerful, but the engine at the core of this beast is the rage of the Hulk that Banner can now control, to insane levels! Donny Cates has had some awesome ideas for classic characters, and he’s teamed up with Ryan Ottley of Invincible fame to bring the Smashtronaut to the pages. If you aren’t caught up on this yet, now’s your chance.
To close out the month, we’ve got a big week ahead at the shop. This Friday we’ll be hosting Eddie Munster himself, Butch Patrick! He’ll be at CNJ’s from 5pm to 8pm signing autographs and taking pictures. We’ll also have the Munster Koach here that you can go for a ride in as well. It’ll be early Halloween this week at the shop, and we’ve even selected some staff favorite horror titles for you to check out as well. We’re super excited for it!
That’s it for this week. Take care everybody, and we’ll see you around.
::RC