Each week, CBR has your guide to navigating Wednesday's new and recent comic releases, specials, collected editions and reissues, and we're committed to helping you choose those that are worth your hard-earned cash. It's a little slice of CBR we like to call Major Issues.
If you feel so inclined, you can buy our recommendations directly on comiXology with the links provided. We'll even supply links to the books we're not so hot on, just in case you don't want to take our word for it. Don't forget to let us know what you think of the books this week in the comments! And as always, SPOILERS AHEAD!
BATMAN VS. BIGBY! A WOLF IN GOTHAM (DC)
Outside of being published by DC Comics, Batman and Bigby Wolf of Fables fame were only united by their publisher and their respective story-driven video games from Telltale Games. However, the Dark Knight and Fables’ big bad investigator cross paths in Batman vs. Bigby! A Wolf in Gotham #1, by Bill Willingham, Brian Level, Jay Leisten, Lee Loughridge and Steve Wands.
True to its title, this is a Batman story first and foremost, with the dark fantasy of Fables bleeding in around the edges of a Gotham City murder mystery. With a shadowy, intricately drawn look, the art team sets a pitch-perfect, slightly otherworldly mood for this unlikely crossover that gives it an impressive start.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #74 (MARVEL)
The mystery of the demonic villain Kindred has plagued Spider-Man for the duration of writer Nick Spencer’s tenure on the Marvel hero’s main title. And now, Amazing Spider-Man #74 by Spencer, Christos Gage, Marcelo Ferreira, Mark Bagley, Ze Carlos, Dio Neves, Carlos Gomez, Ivan Fiorelli, and Humberto Ramos brings both that storyline and Spencer’s run to an epic conclusion.
With an all-star roster of Spider-Man artistic talent, this comic sees Spider-Man, Mary Jane and Harry Osborn get mostly satisfying answers to long-gestating questions in their final battle with the Kindred. With revelations that reframe rather than repudiate some of Spider-man’s most controversial tales, Amazing Spider-Man #74 marks an action-packed end to one of Spider-Man’s defining modern runs.
THE DARKHOLD: ALPHA (MARVEL)
After years spent as a perennial supporting character or a corpse, the Scarlet Witch gets an overdue starring role in The Darkhold: Alpha, by Steve Orlando, Cian Tormey, Jesus Aburtov and Clayton Cowles. When Doctor Doom unlocks the secrets of the mystical Darkhold, Wanda assembles a team of heroes to stop the reign of the dark elder god Chthon before it begins.
The Darkhold stands as the first real comics showcase for the Scarlet Witch after WandaVision, and Orlando’s script captures Wanda’s voice well while smartly using her convoluted past to inform -- but not define -- the proceedings. While the art is solid throughout the book, it comes alive with the macabre takes on Marvel heroes that fill the well-written book’s final pages.
DEATHSTROKE INC. #1 (DC)
After an instant-classic run on The Flash, Joshua Williamson and Howard Porter reunite, along with Hi-Fi and Steve Wands, and turn their attention to Slade Wilson in Deathstroke Inc #1. This title sees Deathstroke team up with his occasional rival Black Canary to take on the dark forces of the DC Universe as part of the T.R.U.S.T. organization.
While Deathstroke has had a good handful of starring roles over the years, this one starts out with some clear stakes that bring out the human side of the DC villain. Under Hi-Fi’s neon bursts of color, Porter’s work continues to shine here, especially with the book’s inventive character designs and ample action scenes.
INFERNO #1 (MARVEL)
With Inferno #1, Marvel kicks off the four-part finale to writer Jonathan Hickman’s tenure as the X-Men’s mastermind. Hickman, Valerio Schiti, David Curiel and Joe Sabino deliver an appropriately epic story with existential stakes for Marvel’s mutants that builds on the past year of X-Men stories. As Professor X and Magneto try to chart a new path forward with Krakoa’s leaders, this issue sees a vengeful Mystique return with an unexpected ally.
Almost all of this issue is dedicated to exploring the halls of Krakoan power, but Schiti and the art team give the book a sleek and stylish look that makes these conversations jump off the page. While it’s not clear how much story Inferno can realistically explore over the next three issues, this is a solid set-up for the next stage of mutant history as it marks the beginning of the end for one of the X-Men’s best writers.
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