UPROXX’s Top 25 Comics For November 18

Big eaters, bug people and Kamala Khan all arrive on stands today… but who took No. 1?

1) Jughead #2

Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson follow up a great first issue with a clever riff on the classic Jughead gag; how he puts in far more work to goof off than he would if he just did the job. The edge, here, is that Jughead isn’t making life miserable for teachers; he’s standing up to bullies. It’s a superb flip and a delightful comedy; give it a read.

2) Astro City #29

Superheroes fight entire races of aliens all the time. But how do these bug people and lizard men get in that situation? How do they perceive our superheroes? That’s the thrust of Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson’s brilliant new arc on this book. What makes it work so well is how relatable and normal these bug people are; yeah, they’re bug people, but they take pride in their kids, love their pets, and worry about getting food on the table and what life holds for them. The humanity of this book always shines through, and this arc is particularly promising; give it a read.

3) Ms. Marvel #1

Kamala Khan continues to be one of the most charming and engaging superheroes on the scene right now. At this point, she’s a full fledged member of the Avengers, all while still trying to be a real teenager and get her homework done. As is usually the case, something’s gotta give, and that something is her relationships. Bruno seems to have moved on right under her nose, but is she going to let him? Ms. Marvel’s powers continue to be some of the most fun to witness on the page, and Takeshi Miyazawa’s art masterfully captures all her superheroics. This series continues to be a must read. — Alyssa Fikse

4) Giant Days #8

Max Sarin fills in for Lissa Treiman on art in this hilarious romantic comedy about college students exploring relationships and making the kind of mistakes you do when you explore relationships in college. John Allison’s script in particular focuses on mismatched dating, as Esther the Goth struggles to fit in with her older, more academic boyfriend’s crowd. Funny and often surprisingly touching, and always a great read.

5) Spider-Woman #1

Dennis Hopeless, Javier Rodriguez, and Alvaro Lopez relaunch Spider-Woman, and she’s knocked up. The book largely centers around Jessica Drew and her struggles to fit a baby into her life, and the book thankfully doesn’t make who the father is a central mystery. It comes up, but it doesn’t dominate the plot. That said, Jess is still Spider-Woman, and weird situations tend to follow superheroes around, which makes this an excellent relaunch with a lot of promise.

6) Bizarro #6

DC’s adorable comedy about Bizarro and Jimmy Olsen on a road trip wraps up hilariously. I’m sad to see this all-ages book go; as it went along, it had some clever and endearing moments. But I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of Heath Corson and Gustavo Duarte at DC; maybe they could tackle Booster Gold next?

7) Star Wars: Vader Down #1

Jason Aaron and Mike Deodato Jr. kick off Marvel’s first Star Wars crossover by reminding you that Darth Vader is so dangerous, when he crash-lands on your planet, he’s not trapped there with you. You’re trapped there with him, and he’ll probably kill you. It’s everything fans could want, and it’s superb.

8) Wrath of the Eternal Warrior #1

What happens to Gilad Anni-Padda when he dies? He’s the Eternal Warrior, after all. He comes back… but where does he come back from? That’s what Robert Venditti, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin explore in this issue, and it’s a mix of the domestic and the horrific in some unexpected ways that make it click. Well worth a read, and surprisingly thoughtful.

9) Mighty Thor #1

All is not well in any of the nine realms, but Dr. Jane Foster has plenty of her own problems to deal with. While she enjoys her new duties as the Mighty Thor, her mortal form is currently battling cancer. However, someone is killing off light elves and throwing thousands of their corpses into the Midgard atmosphere, so yeah, things are getting bad. As a war between realms is brewing, the All-Father has retreated from his people, the Other Thor doesn’t want to be found, and the Mighty Thor is seen as a thief and a traitor. No one ever said that being worthy made things easy. The story is engaging and the art is dynamic, so if they can avoid getting bogged down in Senate hearings, this new series will be worth a shot. — Alyssa Fikse

10) Bloodshot Reborn #8

Bloodshot has been chasing down his nanites, keeping them out of the hands of the mentally unstable… well, the more mentally unstable. Bloodshot doesn’t exactly have his marbles together, and the events of this book might just separate them for good. Jeff Lemire, Butch Guice, and David Barron deliver a vivid, tense thriller willing to explore just how killing separates you from humanity… in this case, literally. An excellent read.

11) Big Trouble in Little China #18

Fred Van Lente and Dan McDaid put Jack Burton in a poker tournament against Harry Potter and Regan from The Exorcist. No, seriously. It’s as funny as it sounds, and highly recommended.

12) Titans Hunt #2

Dan Abnett’s choice to make reuniting the Titans into an amnesia thriller, where they struggle to remember their past connection, has paid unexpected dividends with a fun, engaging script. That said, I’m not entirely sure Stephen Segovia is the right choice of artist for this particular book, but it’s a smart take and a fun read.

13) Huck #1

Millar has gone on the record saying that Huck was created as the “antidote to the antihero,” and he’s certainly done that. A simple man with special abilities, Huck was abandoned as an infant, bearing a note saying only “Please Love Him.” Ever since then, he’s had a single minded goal of doing one good thing for someone else every day. And no matter the task at hand, he can somehow do it, and people are starting to ask questions. Also, the art is stunning. The opening panels in particular worth a look. As with any tale of an innocent being faced with the world outside, this is bound to end tragically, but it should be a good read. — Alyssa Fikse

14) Star Wars #12

Everyone gets a lightsaber in this book. Sure, I could tell you about Luke’s exploration of his Jedi heritage, or a Hutt putting boot to ass. But come on, admit it, you’ll buy this for Leia and Han using lightsabers. That the book is lovely thanks to Stuart Immonen on art and action-packed due to Jason Aaron writing is just icing on the cake.

15) The Paybacks #3

Donny Cates, Eliot Rahal, and Geoff Show continue their hilarious take on a superteam… working as repo on superhero stuff. But, of course, there’s more to the story than that, especially with ninjas in power suits. A hoot, and a great read for people who like off-kilter superhero stories.

16) Martian Manhunter #6

Rob Williams and Eddy Barrows give their paranoid thriller, with J’onn Jonzz’s personality broken into parts and scattered across a team of Martian infiltrators, a nice twist this issue, although it does get a bit conventional at the end. A great book, either way, and highly recommended.

17) Cognetic #2

Now that the exposition is out of the way, this book substantially improves as we discover it’s about ancient hive-minds fighting each other. Eryk Donovan gets to do some truly disturbing monster art here, which livens up the proceedings, but you can’t help thinking James Tynion IV should have made this the first issue.

18) I Hate Fairyland #2

Skottie Young continues to explore what would happen if you stuck an eight year old in a fairy tale world… for twenty-seven years. Yeah, she’s completely snapped, and while it’s not exactly groundbreaking humor, it’s still gorily hilarious.

19) Secret Six #8

Black Alice is draining the world of magic, and her team/family wants nothing more than to defend her. Unfortunately… well, they’re not the most functional people, and things get messy, fast. Also funny, in what’s increasingly a hilarious black comedy from Gail Simone and Dale Eaglesham, both of whom get a lot of mileage out of Catman and Aquaman fighting.

20) Captain America: Sam Wilson #3

Nick Spencer and Daniel Acuna bring back one of the more… offbeat chapters of Cap’s past, and inflict it on Sam Wilson. Hasn’t the poor gut suffered enough? That said, the light comedy suits this book, although I hope Spencer’s satire of how we talk about politics (namely, like clods) continues to be a thread.

21) Pretty Deadly #6

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios deliver what can only be called an affectionate ghost story in its fantasy old-West setting. This book is odd, to say the least, and not often to my taste, but it often delivers a powerful emotional punch, and this issue is no exception.

22) Godzilla in Hell #5

Dave Wachter finishes off IDW’s off-the-wall miniseries about Godzilla trapped in hell, with gorgeous watercolor art and… well, it’s not subtle allegory, exactly, but it’s an interesting finale to an admittedly very strange idea. If you like your comics weird and with pretty, pretty art, this is a must-read.

23) Phonogram: The Immaterial Girl #4

Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie’s other book about music has suffered somewhat compared to The Wicked + The Divine, but this issue is a keeper, not least because the theme of loving music is tied far more closely to the personal lives of our protagonists, and Matthew Wilson gets to cut loose with color. It argues that loving music should be a part of your life, not all of it, and does so in a hilarious fashion.

24) Orphan Black: Helsinki

Season three of Orphan Black was a bit of a mess, but the introduction of Helsinki did raise some interesting questions: What really happened there? Are the living clones in danger from the same threat? While the introduction of new clones could be problematic (less time with the core four? no thank you), this could be the shot in the arm that the series needs. Focusing on new clone Veera, sheltered and scarred, this first issue in the miniseries hits the ground running. After she discovers that her “Uncle Matti” is spying on her and a handful of other girls, Veera sets off to warn them that they are being watched, although she has no idea why. Orphan Black creators Graeme Mason and John Fawcett are at the helm of this mini, so it’ll be exciting to see how this all ties into the narrative of DYAD’s daughters, present and past. — Alyssa Fikse

25) Red Thorn #1

David Baillie and Meghan Hetrick could stand to be a bit more focused in the plot of this book; by the end of the first issue, we have no idea who the title character is or what he does. Still, it’s a fun bit of mysticism as a young woman struggles with her magical abilities and the unknowing responsibilities they put on her.

This Week’s Other Notable Books:

DC:

Batman And Robin Eternal #7: This book is a hoot, but they need to stop with the sleeper attacks; it’s getting to be an old gimmick to end a book on.
Batman: Europa #1: Batman and the Joker have to team up. and, well, it’s all fairly predictable.
Clean Room #2: This horror book is engaging, but also taking too long to get to the point.
Doomed #6: This goofy book ends on the perfect note: I hope it gets another crack at some point.

Marvel:

Black Knight #1: Weirdworld is a great setting… so why the generic fantasy book?
Deadpool #2: An ending twist makes this book suddenly a lot more interesting.
Extraordinary X-Men #2: Too many plot threads wrecks this book’s focus.
New Avengers #3: Bringing back the Kree and Skrull is a good idea, but it also knocks this book off-kilter: Where’s the rest of the team?
Star-Lord #1: A pretty standard origin story, Star-Lord #1 introduces us to a young Peter Quill, still reeling for the murder of his mother by aliens and working as a mechanic at NASA Ops. Quill is still waiting for his shot, and things get a little more exciting when he decides he’s tired of waiting. Most of this issue is set up, but there is a well composed chase scene that is sure to thrill action fans. At this point, Quill doesn’t quite demonstrate the rakish charisma we’ve seen in the past, but there is room to grow. This is by no means a first tier Marvel title, but it could develop into a fun read. — Alyssa Fikse

Image:

Reyn #10: This mashup of fantasy and space opera needs less exposition and more follow-up on its idea.
The Beauty #4: The action is entertaining enough, but this book needs to do more with its idea.
Wayward #11: This manga-inspired book has an interesting idea, but it’s somewhat unnecessary when there’s actual manga.

Dark Horse:

The Rook #2: Paul Gulacy’s flat, dispassionate faces sells Steven Grant’s pulpy script a bit too short for this book to work.
Power Cubed #3: Aaron LoPresti’s ’90s throwback is a charming, if silly, little bit of fluff.
Eve: Valkyrie #2: This book has a lot of ideas, but it can’t really cohere them into a whole.
Mulan Revelations #4: Micah Kaneshiro and Marc Andreyko can’t elevate this generic cyberpunk book, alas.

BOOM! Studios:

We(l)come Back #3: A fun enough action book, but a little too exposition heavy and a little too unwilling to explain what’s going at the same time is a bad combination.
Escape From New York #12: Christopher Sebela and Maxim Simic can’t quite deliver the silliness their script needs to fully work.

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