Hello and welcome to The Pull! Each week, we (Ghost, Reed & Samantha) put together a definitive list of comics we’re most looking forward to reading. Then we send it off to you, to pick and choose from our pull list as you please.
This week, we have 15 titles for your perusal. Did we miss something really great? Let us know in the comments or hit us up on Twitter @ItsThePull!
Age Of X-Man: The Amazing Nightcrawler TPB
Writer: Seanan McGuire
Artist: Juan Frigeri
Colorist: Dono Sánchez-Almara
Letterer: VC’s Travis Lanham
Cover Artists: Shane Davis, Michelle Delecki & Frank D’Armata
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Samantha: This is another fairly self-contained story in the AOX event, with a cohesive plot and some really interesting commentary on how we define love and relationships within the context of family, both biological and found.
Age Of X-Man: X-Tremists TPB
Writer: Leah Williams
Penciler: Georges Jeanty
Inker: Roberto Poggi
Colorist: Jim Charalampidis
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artist: Rahzzah
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Ghost: If you didn’t have enough sense to pick up this series when it was coming out, it’s good for you that you can now correct your mistake. Leah William’s brilliant script and evaluation of losing yourself in a world that tries to stifle who you are is easily one of the best things to have come out of Age of X-Man. Go pick it up.
Samantha: There’s some truly gorgeous work in X-Tremists that cannot be missed, so what are you waiting for?
Barbarella/Dejah Thoris TPB
Writer: Leah Williams
Artist: Germán García
Colorist: Addison Duke
Letterer: CRANK!
Cover Artist: Laura Braga
Publisher: Dynamite Comics
Samantha: This series is fun, flirty and so, so gay — my only complaint is that it’s not longer.
Captain America #13
Writer: Ta-Nehisi Coates
Artists: Jason Masters & Sean Izaakse
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Joe Carmagna
Cover Artist: Alex Ross
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Samantha: Since Marvel seems determined to depoliticize its comics at any cost, it’s mildly surprising that this iteration of Captain America continues to exist in an ongoing… but I’m grateful that he does, and that Ta-Nehisi Coates is steering the ship with his scripts. I caught up on this run last month and it’s an excellent rendering of one of my favorite Marvel characters. This issue starts a new arc, which means it’s prime time to jump right in.
Captain Marvel, Volume 1: Re-Entry TPB
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: Carmen Carnero
Colorist: Tamra Bonvillain
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Cover Artists: Amanda Conner & Paul Mounts
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Samantha: I really, really love this run on Captain Marvel. It digs into some of the most malicious misogyny aimed at the character in a way that makes sense for canon, pulls in characters who deserve way more page time at Marvel (JESSICA DREW!) and features some truly stunning art and colors by Carmen Carnero and Tamra Bonvillain, respectively. If you haven’t been reading this run, now’s your chance to grab the trade and catch up. Trust me — you don’t want to sleep on this series.
Grease Bats OGN
Creator: Archie Bongiovanni
Publisher: BOOM! Box
Samantha: Archie Bongiovanni is one of the freshest voices in comics right now and I’ve been looking forward to Grease Bats for a long time. Give me any and all stories of queer people trying desperately to navigate relationships in their 20s, please. This is the kind of content I absolutely live for.
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass GN
Writer: Mariko Tamaki
Artist: Steve Pugh
Letterer: Carlos M. Mangual
Publisher: DC Ink
Samantha: Mariko Tamaki has quickly become one of my favorite writers and I am so excited to see her take on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. The description for this book makes me mildly nervous about the amount of Harley/Joker interaction it will involve, but I trust Tamaki not to steer me wrong. Plus, the books coming out of DC Ink have been so highly rated and reviewed, including this one, so I’m confident it will be a good read.
House Of X #3
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Pepe Larraz
Colorist: Marte Gracia
Letterer: Clayton Cowles
Designer: Tom Muller
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Ghost: Like a lot of people, I have been waiting for this story to get kicked into overdrive. With Scott’s declaration, I’m hoping to see the proper X-Men in action in this issue. Either way, it is still going to be wild.
Samantha: For me, reading HOX/POX is essentially me transforming into Charlie Kelly as I try to figure out each timeline and how everything connects… and it’s some of the best fun I’ve had in years. Also, more sexy Cyclops, please?
Jim Henson's Beneath The Dark Crystal Volume 2 HC
Writer: Adam Smith
Artist: Alexandria Huntington
Colorist: Laura Langston
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Archaia
Samantha: I’m overflowing with love for The Dark Crystal since the prequel series debuts on Netflix this Friday (you can read my review here!), and it’s excellent timing for the second volume of the sequel comics to drop this week. If you want to know what happens to Thra after Jen heals the Crystal of Truth, this is the best place to learn. The series is adapted from a screenplay that was never turned into a film.
Marvel Team-Up #5
Writer: Clint McElroy
Artist: IG Guara
Colorist: Felipe Sobreiro
Letterer: VC’s Clayton Cowles
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Samantha: I love Kamala’s and Carol’s current solo runs and I love that they get to team up in this run, because they’re just such a dream team. Marvel seems really into these anthology/short arc stories lately and quite frankly, I’m into it.
The Necromancer’s Map #1
Writers: Andrea Fort & Michael Christopher Heron
Artist: Sam Beck
Colorist: Ellie Wright
Letterer: Deron Bennett
Publisher: Vault Comics
Samantha: Spooky! This comic combines adventure with dark magic and mystery, which is an ideal combination that is beautifully explored through Sam Beck’s art, which is enhanced by an excellent script that continues the story from Songs of the Dead. Even if you haven’t read that, you can certainly read this — I did, and now I just want to go back and start from the beginning.
Sera And The Royal Stars #2
Writer: Jon Tsuei
Artist: Audrey Mok
Colorist: Raul Angulo
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Vault Comics
Samantha: The first issue of this series was just gorgeous through and through; luckily, there’s a second printing of the first issue out this week alongside the second issue, which makes for easy catch-up in case you missed it!
She-Hulk Annual (2019) #1
Writer: Alexandra Petri
Artist: Andy MacDonald
Colorist: Matt Milla
Letterer: VC’s Joe Caramagna
Cover Artist: Mirka Andolfo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Samantha: Jennifer Walters taking on Bullseye sounds like exactly my shit. The Acts of Evil annuals are super fun because they create such unexpected showdowns… including this one, which is guaranteed to be wild (and terrifying).
She Said Destroy #4
Writer: Joe Corallo
Artist: Liana Kangas
Colorist: Rebecca Nalty
Letterer: Melanie Ujimori
Publisher: Vault Comics
Samantha: What do we say to the god of death? That this series continues to subvert expectations of good and evil in ways that are straight-up breathtaking, y’all.
Tommy Gun Wizards #1
Writer: Christian Ward
Artist: Sami Kivelä
Colorists: Christian Ward & Dee Cunniffe
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Samantha: I have a strange fondness for old-timey gangster stories and I’m also a huge fan of this creative team. Plus, this series takes an alt-magic twist on the story of Al Capone, which is even cooler! What’s not to love? I’m interested to read more of Christian Ward’s writing, in particular, to see if it’s on par with his breathtaking artwork.