Panel Discussion #33
Hello again, and welcome to the recently resurrected Panel Discussion. I’m Kieran, and every week I’m going to go through some of the best comics of the week to give you an idea what you should pick up that you might have missed. This is another stacked week with some fantastic first issues and great jumping on points for books you might be behind on, so let’s take a look at what’s on offer.
The must-have book this week is The Flash #22 which is the final part of the blockbuster crossover “The Button” and contains a bunch of exciting developments for fans of the DC Universe. The pace of The Flash #22 runs a mile a minute like the Scarlet Speedster himself and there’s not much time to digest the developments before there’s a new shocking twist, so it’s an issue that’s worth taking your time with and really savoring every page. Also, this week DC announced its big Doomsday Clock crossover and that absolutely starts with the events of this issue so if you’re excited, curious or befuddled about the idea of the DC Universe vs Dr. Manhattan, you need to read this issue.
If you’re buying DC this week, it’s also a good idea to grab Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ Batman #23 which reunites the Sheriff of Babylon and upcoming Mister Miracle team on a Batman/Swamp Thing murder-mystery. You don’t need to have read “The Button” to jump in here, but it’s a great capsule read of what King has been doing on Batman and what this creative team can do in the space of a single issue.
One of my favorite new series of the year, Sarah Graley’s Kim Reaper continues this week with a second issue which was as delightful as the first. If you haven’t been reading Kim Reaper, it’s about a girl named Becca who has a crush on a classmate named Kim, only Kim is a part-time grim reaper which has its own set of problems. Considering the premise, Kim Reaper is one of the peppiest and most charming comics on the stands and this issue plays of the hilarious cliffhanger to #1 perfectly, as things only get more ridiculous. You should definitely grab this book and pick up the first part too if you missed out last month.
The Wicked and Divine is currently in-between parts one and parts two of its “Imperial Phase” which is the perfect time for a break and a flashback to the heady days of 455 AD to see which gods manifested back then and what they got up to. I’ve found the previous flashback issue of The Wicked and The Divine a bit harder to get into than the main series and this issue is roughly the same for me personally, but it’s still as great as you expect from the team and if you did dig the previous flashback then odds are you’ll love this one too.
Finally, Marvel has been pumping out #1s for the past few weeks and we’re not even at Marvel Legacy yet, but this week has a real exciting launch with a brand new volume of Generation X. The title and name of the team may not mean too much anymore (maybe they should go for Millennial X?) but it’s a strong debut from a relatively new creative team and the roster has some of my favorite mutants hanging out together. It’s definitely highlight of Marvel’s latest X-relaunch, at least so far.
That’s it for me this week, a bit of a small week in terms of what I’d consider to be “must-buy” reads but there’s still a great number of awesome comics on the stands. Happy reading everyone, and I’ll see you all next week!
