Hacksaw Jenny's May Comic Roundup
written by Hacksaw Jenny (@hacksawjenny)
It's June and that means it's officially summer! Summer is a huge time for the comics community, and a lot of comic publishers put on huge summer long events over the next couple of months. Today I'm going to talk about the comics I'm the most excited to read this summer, and give a more in depth description of DC's upcoming Year of the Villain.
Nobody Is In Control #1
Publisher: Black Mask Diamond order code: MAR198958
The first comic I want to talk about today is Nobody is in Control #1, published by Black Mask comics. Black Mask is a small, but up and coming indie publisher, and they have put out a lot of my favourite comics over the past year. Nobody is in Control Part One: Planned Obsolesence is written by Patrick Kindlon, and is about Richard, a retired radio journalist who stumbles into a giant conspiracy theory after chasing a stranger into the woods near his rural home. Artist Paul Tucker's uses non-traditional panel layouts throughout the book and the illustrations that get more and more frenetic as Richard spirals down a rabbit hole of conspiracy theories, leaving the reader feeling more confused as time goes by. The end of the first issue left me with way more questions than answers, making Nobody is in Control one of my most anticipated comics of the moment.
Year of the Villain Special
Publisher: DC Comics Diamond order code: MAR190460
DC's Year of the Villain Special serves as an introduction to the current DC storylines, leading up their big crossover event, The Year of the Villain. The first chapter, Doom by Scott Snyder, follows Lex Luthor as he finally goes forward with his plan to dissolve Lexcorp and give all his money to the various villains of the DC Universe so that they can carry out revenge against their superhero nemesis. The second chapter, titled Leviathan is written by Brian Michael Bendis, and in it we see Batgirl and Green Arrow in Seattle on the trail of a criminal boss named Merlyn who is on the run from an even bigger criminal, Leviathan. In the end, it's revealed than Robin believed Leviathan may be long time DC anti-hero Jason Todd. In the final chapter, Justice, by James Tynoin IV, the Justice League scramble to save the Multiverse, and in order to do so they must call in the Legion of Doom to help them out! For me, the best part of the Year of the Villain special is in the last few pages, where they show you what titles will be included in the event, all the way up until this November. This is definitely going to be the comic book event of the year, and at just 25 cents for the first special issue there's no reason not to check it out!
Batman: Last Knight on Earth #1
Publisher: DC Comics Diamond order code: MAR190458
DC's new imprint, Black Label, is all about allowing creators to tell inventive stories without messing with the canon of the DC Universe as a whole. The newest Black Label comic, Batman: The Last Knight on Earth is a three part mini series done in high quality square bound format. Storytellers Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo take us on a journey where Batman wakes up in a post apocalyptic DC Universe. He traverses a vast desert, accompanied only by the disembodied and jarred head of The Joker, who annoys him with a sick brand of dark comedy along the way. When they finally arrive at the nearest city they find that it is decimated, and under attack by violent spectres left over from a long lost war. What few heroes are left on Earth soon arrive to rescue Batman and Joker, and explain to them what happened while he was away. Some of these heroes have given up hope, but Batman has not.
Every month I will be listing off comics that I enjoy that are also as accessible as possible. The above should be available at your local comic book shop, which you can find here (https://www.comicshoplocator.com/). If it's not in stock, I've provided the Diamond order code for each of my recommendations that you can provide to a comic retailer for easy ordering. Everything listed is also available digitally through Comixology.com, and physically through many online retailers. I am always happy to answer any of your comic questions, so feel free to contact me on twitter.com/hacksawjenny!
See you next month for my June Recap!
