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!
SUPERMAN: SON OF KAL-EL #1 (DC)
While Superman: Son of Kal-El #1 isn’t the first time Jonathan Kent has been called Superman, it’s the first time he’s truly felt like the next step in the evolution of Superman and Lois Lane’s lineage. This Tom Taylor, John Timms, Gabe Eltaeb and Dave Sharpe’s debut issue makes a strong case for the younger Kent to take over his family’s mantle with a well-considered high-flying tale.
Through his adventures in the Super Sons and as a supporting character in Superman, Jon Kent has starred in plenty of comics, this issue highlights what he inherited from his father and challenges him to become something more. Timms’ work is dynamic and inviting throughout, and Eltaeb’s colors take a wildfire sequence to the next level. Overall, this is a strong debut that sets Jon Kent’s Superman up to explore some fascinating territory as he flies into his own adventures.
CABLE #12 (MARVEL)
Since 2018, the gruff battle-hardened veteran time-traveling hero Cable has been replaced by his younger counterpart, the so-called Kid Cable. But in Cable #12, by Gerry Duggan, Phil Noto and Joe Sabino, Kid Cable’s time in the past comes to an end, along with this volume of his titular series.
Together, Kid Cable and his older counterpart team up with several of their closest allies to take on one of the most dangerous X-Men villains of the ‘90s. Duggan’s plot hits all the right notes, and Noto’s humanistic art sells the emotional moments of the second half of the book well. While many of Cable’s stories end on a grim note about the X-Men’s future, this is one of the rare, refreshing titles that suggests that there really is a light at the end of the tunnel for Marvel’s mutants.
ICON AND ROCKET: SEASON ONE #1 (DC)
After last month saw the long-awaited return of Static, Milestone Comics’ relaunch continues with Icon and Rocket: Season One #1, by Reginald Hudlin, Doug Braithwaite, Scott Hanna, Andrew Currie, Brad Anderson and Andworld Design. This issue retells the origin of the long-lived Superman-esque alien hero Icon and his hi-tech sidekick Rocket in an expanded, decompressed issue.
For longtime Milestone fans, this issue might feel like mostly review, but it’s not unwelcome considering how long Icon and Rocket have been out of the limelight, especially since they don’t have the cultural awareness that Static Shock gave its hero. Still, this issue serves as a strong introduction, or reintroduction, to Milestone’s dynamic duo, and it gives the series a firm foundation to build upon.
AMAZING FANTASY #1 (MARVEL)
Before it brought Spider-Man into the world in the ‘60s, Amazing Fantasy was one of Marvel’s many early anthology series, which often featured bizarre monsters or supernatural creatures in short tales of terror. In its latest revival, Amazing Fantasy #1 splits the difference between the varied parts of its legacy by throwing Spider-Man, Black Widow and Captain America into a strange world filled with monstrous creatures.
The debut issue of this miniseries serves as a showcase for writer/artist Kaare Andrews that allows him and letterer Joe Sabinoto dip their toes into several different artistic styles. Taken with the sheer oddity of the fantasy world that it inhabits, this book is one of the more joyfully strange releases from Marvel in recent memory, especially with an intriguing final revelation that sets up the rest of the series.
INFINITE FRONTIER #3 (DC)
Although Infinite Frontier has featured appearances from Batman, Superman and the Flash, the ongoing DC multiversal crossover has largely focused on some of the less historically prominent characters within the DC Universe. And in Infinite Frontier #3, Joshua Williamson, Paul Pelletier, Jesus Merino, Tom Derenick, Xermanico, Norm Rapmund, Raul Fernandez, Romulo Fajardo JR and Tom Napolitano use characters like Roy Harper and Alan Scott to build a blockbuster DC epic.
As the original Green Lantern searches for his daughter Jade and Harper tests his Black Lantern powers, the broad, multiversal scope of Infinite Frontier takes the best lessons of 52 and The Multiversity to tell the kind of intricate, historically minded story that can only exist in the DC Universe. While there are a lot of artists here, their work goes together well, with a standout splash of several returning heroes on its final page.
We hope you like the items we recommend! Comic Book Resources has affiliate partnerships, and as such, we receive a share of the revenue from your purchase. This won’t affect the price you pay and helps us offer the best product recommendations.