The Gosh! Authority 10.03.21

Hello!

I'm happy to report that the missing DC titles from the last couple of weeks are inbound this Wednesday. That includes Future State Aquaman #2, FS Legion of Super-Heroes #2, Future State Suicide Squad #2, FS Superman vs Imperious Lex #2, Crime Syndicate #1 and Swamp Thing #1. All of which makes for a nice chunky week for you DC fans. And plenty of other stuff coming through this week as well. Let's take a look!

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• PROCTOR VALLEY ROAD #1 - A new title co-written by Grant Morrison and Holby City screenwriter Alex Child with art by Naomi Franquiz, developed simultaneously as a comic and television series. It's 1970's America, and a group of teenagers decide to organise a tour down a haunted stretch of road to raise some money to attend a concert. Turns out those tales of demons and spirits weren't just stories, and soon the group is caught in a fight for their lives. Looks entertaining, and it's the first original thing Morrison has done in a long time so that definitely pings it up on our radar.

• WONDER WOMAN EARTH ONE HC VOL 03 - Speaking of Morrison, his and Yanick Paquette's retelling of Wonder Woman's story comes to a conclusion the week after a 2 1/2 year wait. Maxwell Lord is on his way, and Diana must use her new position as queen of the Amazons to unite the disparate tribes in order to see off the threat and bring peace to Mans World. Oh, and it's Morrison's last issue of Green Lantern this week! Just thought I'd slip that in there...

• NON-STOP SPIDER-MAN #1 - Much delayed thanks to the pandemic, the new all-action all-the-time Spidey book hits the shelves. The marketing hype on this one is that it's a bit of a propulsive thrill-ride, but we're just happy to see Joe Jelly (I mistyped Joe Kelly, but Joe Jelly is too good a name to delete) and Chris Bachalo back together on Spider-Man.

• THOR & LOKI DOUBLE TROUBLE #1 - Mariko Tamaki and Gurihiru are back with more of the all-ages odd couple hijinks they did so well in Spider-Man & Venom (one of our best kids gns of 2020). And while the set-up isn't quite as inspired as Spidey & Venom as roomies, the old trope of Loki tricking Thor into trouble is something of a bottomless story mine.

• JOKER #1 - James Tynion IV continues his domination of the Bat-verse with the first ongoing Joker series in 45 years. Fan-fave Guillem March is on art duties as the Joker goes on the run, pursued by Jim Gordon and other, more sinister forces. This one goes all-out on the grim'n'gruesome side of Gotham, so maybe don't read it on the train (there's a bit of face-eating going on). There's also a back-up story with Punchline featuring art by Mirka Andolfo, so pretty strong art game all around on this one.
  

• KARMEN #1 - Speaking of Guillem March, this week also sees the launch of this creator-owned mini-series, originally published in French. Karmen is an angel who takes a young girl under wing after her recent suicide, and begins a metaphysical journey exploring meaning, connection and the nature of human life. It all looks oddly affecting, with some of the best art we've seen March do, much more in the European tradition than his superhero work.
  

• SWAMP THING #1 - After the cracking Future State Swamp Thing, Ram V teams with Mike Perkins for a present day story of Swampy in this 10 issue mini. After the recent events in Justice League Dark, the Swamp Thing now inhabits the body of Levi Kamei. Returning to India, Levi investigates recent supernatural occurences that may hold the key to his uncontrollable transformations into the Guardian of the Green. Ram is leaning heavily into the horror roots of the character, infusing it with Indian myth and history, while also keeping the ecological angle that feels ever-more important.
  

• POST YORK TP - We've got a soft spot for James Romberger, so this is an easy recommend. It's a book with a strong environmental message, set in a post-polar ice cap world where a man survives in a flooded New York. During one of his foraging trips, our protagonist finds a mysterious woman and a trapped blue whale, and through them perhaps his own salvation. Romberger is a singular artist, a product of the 70's and 80's fine art scene in New York, and his work is always a challenging, rewarding read. Worth checking out.
  

• CHILDREN OF THE ATOM #1 - The latest book from the X-stable, and with the amount of new characters in this one you'd better grab it fast before they all wind up on eBay. It's an all-new teen X-team! Mimicking the looks and powers of their heroes, a group of young mutants bursts onto the superhero team scene. But there's a mystery at the heart of who these kids are, one that Vita Ayala and Bernard Change are going to explore. 
  

• CRIME SYNDICATE #1 - A 6-issue mini starring the Earth-3 charmers that make up twisted JLA counterparts the Crime Syndicate: Ultraman, Superwoman, Owlman, Power Ring, Johnny Quick and Atomica. It's the story of how the team got together to take on a common foe, by Andy Schmidt and Kieran McKeown, and also includes a backup origin of Ultraman drawn by Bryan Hitch.
  

• BLADE RUNNER ORIGINS #1 - Titan turns back the clock on the Blade Runner universe to explore its origins. 10 years before the events of the original movie, in the cyberpunk dystopia of 2009, a detective investigates the apparent suicide of a Tyrell Corporation scientist and uncovers a new kind of replicant, and a dark conspiracy that could change the world forever. 
  

• BATMAN URBAN LEGENDS #1 - A new Bat-verse anthology title featuring tales of the Gotham supporting players (with liberal Batman guest appearances) by a revolving roster of talent. It's a mix of serials and one-shot stories, and this first issue features the Red Hood by Chip Zdarsky and Eddie Barrows, Grifter by Matthew Rosenberg and Ryan Benjamin, Harley and Ivy by Stephanie Phillips and Laura Braga, and the Outsiders by Brandon Thomas and Max Dunbar.
  

• DEADPOOL NERDY 30 #1 - A bumper one-shot of Deadpool shorts to celebrate his 30th birthday, featuring Deadpool creators past and present.

Speaking of Deadpool creators, we're very much enjoying Rob Liefeld's podcast Robservations at the moment. There's a "pinch of salt" element with some of what Rob has to say, but it's still a pretty fascinating walk through the bronze age of comics and into his 90's heyday at the eye of numerous hurricanes. He updates it like twice a week, so there's plenty to dig into.

And that's it from me! See you next time!

Andrew.