A review of September's best comics from Tyler's Pullbox
I'm starting this list with a book that I didn't even know I wanted at the beginning of September. It was as if I could hear the theme song to Ocean's 11 as I read this new ongoing series by writer Kelly Thompson. Team leader Black Canary assembles a new team of female heroes (and anti-heroes?) that would make any supervillain shit their pants! Combine that with pages of retro panels by artist Leonardo Romero brightened by neon colors from Jordie Bellaire, and this might just be my new favorite ongoing series coming out of Dawn of DC. I know virtually nothing about most of these characters - especially Big Barda, Zealot, and Cassandra Cain - and yet I feel a growing connection to them already that only an exceptional comic book could create.
Food, culture, and a devilish twist. Ram V writes engaging dialogue that draws you into the bustling world of Mumbai. The writing is paired perfectly with Filipe Andrade's contour pencil work, giving vibrant motion to the narrative. I flipped over the last pastel-colored page of this issue wanting to immediately read the story over again, only this time while drinking a hot pull of the main character Rubin Baksh's masala chai. If you like cooking shows or travel documentaries, this 6 issue mini-series from Boom Studios might be for you. This is Anthony Bourdain meets Hannibal Lecter.
Gut-wrenchingly beautiful, Neil Gaiman writes a triumph for Young Miracleman who comes to grips with his childhood trauma in this penultimate issue. Mark Buckingham's art, particularly a spectacular two-page spread near the end, delivers the emotional weight of Gaiman's story in subtle and haunting ways. Young Miracleman has been experiencing the strange and flawed ways of this new world over the past 6 issues, and only time will tell how he will respond to Miracleman's grand and global re-designs. This issue deals with serious topics such as child abuse, so I would caution anyone for whom abuse can be especially triggering.
Thor was one of the first heroes I've ever encountered reading comic books. My first run was Jason Aaron's "God Butcher" arc in 2012, and I didn't think much else could top that story. I'm so thankful writer Al Ewing has proven me wrong with Immortal Thor. You can almost feel the vast spaciousness of Thor's world in every panel of this book. Artist Martin Cóccolo and colorist Matt Wilson give us a supercharged Thor that visibly radiates electricity. As Thor faces a foe beyond even the All-Father's power, we get to experience Thor as cover artist Alex Ross envisioned him, as "an other-dimensional being who doesn't belong in this universe."
I included this book because of my sustained curiosity about it, even after reading the first issue. Not much is yet clear about writer Joe Casey's story, at least to me. This book is a sequel to an earlier work called Butcher Baker the Righteous Maker that I have not read and know nothing about. While I can't yet speak to the obscure plot, I am absorbed in the dark and brooding world that artist Ryan Quackenbush creates with his singular style. Follow the story of Daniel "Dizzy" Baker, a gonzo journalist investigating what happened to all the superheroes.
Upcoming new releases in October 2023
Wesley Dodds: The Sandman #1
Alan Scott Green Lantern #1
Transformers #1
Comments