Welcome to The A.V. Club’s monthly comics preview, where we recommend new books to check out over the next few weeks. This month, we’ve got six exciting picks, ranging from Martian Manhunter to a romance between a vampire and a priest.
Absolute Martian Manhunter by Deniz Camp and Javier Rodriguez (March 26), Assorted Crisis Events by Deniz Camp, Eric Zawadzki, and Jordie Bellaire (March 12)
DC Comics, Image Comics
Writer Deniz Camp has seen a huge profile boost over the last few years, and he’s the only creator playing both sides in the rivalry between Marvel’s Ultimate and DC’s Absolute lines. He’s made The Ultimates an intelligent, politically minded recontextualization of the superhero team, but he tackles a solo(ish) hero in the pages of Absolute Martian Manhunter(DC Comics), part of the second phase of Absolute titles that includes Absolute Flash in March and Absolute Green Lantern in April. Camp teams up with one of the greatest artists in the business, Javier Rodriguez, for this new take on Martian refugee turned Earth detective J’onn J’onzz, reimagining him as an alien presence that has taken residence in the consciousness of FBI agent John Jones, turning this into a buddy cop story with a strange sci-fi twist. Rodriguez’s artwork promises stunning psychedelia, with a redesign of the titular character that emerged from a Play-Doh sculpture, and it gives Camp the opportunity to go as weird as he can imagine. It’s a radical new take that takes advantage of Martian Manhunter’s relative obscurity compared to the other heroes in the Absolute spotlight, bolstered by two creators with distinct perspectives that could make this one of the year’s best superhero books.
Also in March, Camp debuts his new Image Comics book, Assorted Crisis Events (Image Comics), with artist Eric Zawadzki, colorist Jordie Bellaire, and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou. Each issue is a done-in-one story set in a world in “crisis”—time and space have broken down and at any moment a person can have their entire life upturned by a prehistoric incursion, an encounter with their alternate dimensional self, or infinite other devastating scenarios. The book explores the apocalyptic theme on both a personal and planetary scale, with each self-contained chapter tying into a larger narrative about how the crisis started and whether it can be stopped. It’s a concept that allows Zawadzki to flex his design muscles as he fills environments with characters pulled from the past and the future, and Bellaire’s colors emphasize how the fantastic disrupts the mundane routines that people are still expected to adhere to despite the insanity around them. There are infinite possibilities for this creative team to explore, and the single-issue structure means that readers can enter the crisis at any point and get a complete, satisfying story.
The Confessional by Paige Hender (March 19)
Silver Sprocket
Vampires and the church are intrinsically opposed, but what happens when a bloodsucker falls for a man of the cloth? This is the central conflict of Paige Hender’s debut graphic novel, The Confessional (Silver Sprocket), a horror romance set in 1922 New Orleans. Cora Velasquez is a vampire seeking atonement for her damned soul, and she finds it in a priest that exploits her affection for his own predatory aims. It’s a strong hook that explores relationship power dynamics through a bloody supernatural lens, with artwork that pulls inspiration from the art nouveau movement, religious imagery, and the bawdy New Orleans setting. The lead may be undead but the visuals are brimming with life—check out this gorgeous page of a Mardi Gras celebration—with Hender showing a talent for atmospheric horror as well as more tender romantic elements. It’s a contrast that helps the audience feel the struggle within Cora as her feelings for the priest intensify, and heightens the suspense as she falls deeper into his trap.
Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch by Juni Ba (March 11)
Image Comics
Whether he’s tackling West African mythology in Djeliya, classic literature in Mobilis, or contemporary superheroes in The Boy Wonder, cartoonist Juni Ba brings incredible energy and a unique perspective to every project. That’s most evident in his Monkey Meat anthology series, which tells short stories that are a fascinating blend of genres and showcase his boundless imagination. After three years away, Ba returns to the title with Monkey Meat: The Summer Batch(Image Comics), with each of the five issues containing two stories along with games that double down on the playful vibe that makes this comic so much fun. Readers can expect more satirical anti-capitalist skewering as they return to Monkey Meat Island, home base of the malevolent Monkey Meat Company, where they will meet debt-collecting forest witches, a mad scientist in therapy, a caveman-training warrior, and a slew of other oddballs. The preview art for the first issue gives a taste of Ba’s bold graphic sensibility, inventive page layouts, and evocative character designs, and with two stories every month, Ba can take his narrative and visual experimentation in even more esoteric directions.
LA Strong by Various (March 19)
Mad Cave Studios
The 2024 Los Angeles wildfires were a catastrophic natural disaster that destroyed over 16,000 structures and left over 100,000 people displaced, and it’s going to take a lot of support to help the city rebuild. Mad Cave Studios is doing its part with LA Strong (Mad Cave Studios), a benefit anthologythat will donate 100% of the profits to comic-book creators impacted by the fires. Curated by Mad Cave EVP Mike Marts and editor Sarah Brunstad, the anthology features short comics by an expansive roster of talent from all across the comics industry, including Brian Azzarello, Brian Michael Bendis, Amanda Conner, Rob DenBleyker, Christos Gage, Sina Grace, Jody Houser, Michael Avon Oeming, Steve Orlando, Stephanie Phillips, Greg Pak, Jimmy Palmiotti, Alison Sampson, Christian Ward, Marv Wolfman, and many more. The released preview pages are all single-page comics that show off the stylistic range of the anthology, with some stories offering personal accounts of L.A. experiences while others explore larger themes surrounding the devastation and recovery efforts. It’s a noble endeavor that brings the comics community together to show their solidarity in tragic circumstances, providing an outlet for creators to grieve what was lost and foster hope for the future.
Out Of Alcatraz by Christopher Cantwell and Tyler Crook (March 19)
Oni Press
In June 1962, three inmates escaped Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. They were never found, and while the FBI investigation concluded that they drowned before hitting the mainland, Out Of Alcatraz (Oni Press)considers what could have happened if they survived. Written by Christopher Cantwell with lush painted art and lettering by Tyler Crook, the five-issue miniseries follows inmates Frank Morris and Clarence Anglin as they figure out their next steps now that they’re free. That freedom only goes so far when they have to stay hidden from the authorities, and Cantwell and Crook craft a crime thriller steeped in paranoia that keeps the men trapped even though they’ve left their prison cells behind. Cantwell’s most recent comics work has largely been for-hire projects for Marvel, DC, and IDW, so it’s nice to see him shift away from established properties to tell an original story rooted in real events. The time and place are exquisitely captured by Crook, a versatile artist who is equally adept at thrilling action and more subtle character interactions, and he tracks the fraught emotional journey of these characters with crystal-clear specificity.
