Weekly Release Lists

Weekly Spinner Picks is all about the hot comics of the week and getting to know the tastes of the writers at Comics: The Gathering. Each week the CTG contributors spotlight which comics they are most looking forward to on Wednesday and how those picks got to the top of their to-read piles. Let us know if you agree or not with our picks and most importantly don’t forget to add your list!
 
Secret Wars #1:  Well this is it, the event that changes the Marvel landscape forever! I think I’ve heard that before! This main event is written by Jonathan Hickman and drawn by Esad Ribic. It pits the Marvel Universe on a collision course with the Ultimate Universe where apparently neither will survive. As some of you know I’m pretty event-fatigued so if this one doesn’t capture me early I’ll be bailing on it as I have with the last 2 years worth of events from Marvel and DC. What’s even more is I’m somewhat confused by the solicitations surrounding this event. It seems like I have to buy all these Battleworld tie-ins to fully appreciate it. If that turns out to be the case I may be taking a break from one of my favorite publishers. It comes to a point where these events just become too much; too much to read and too much money to invest. I’ll give it a chance but if it gets overwhelming I’m out.
 
Afterlife with Archie #8: This series ships pretty irregularly but I’m always grateful when it arrives! This really is such an amazing run by writer Roberto Sacasa and artist Francesco Francavilla. I’m still amazed that an Archie comic can capture me the way this one does. Don’t get me wrong I grew up on Archie and still appreciate a Double Digest here and there but this is really a special reading experience. The creative team deliver an amazing story with fantastic artwork. I recommend the first trade paperback almost weekly it seems. This issue looks back 10 years where we discover that apparently this current zombie outbreak isn’t the first time a shadow has been cast upon Riverdale!
 
Descender #3: I absolutely love this comic! I’m huge fan of the writer Jeff Lemire so it’s not a real shocker since I hold all his creator-owned material in high regard. What surprised me a bit was how much I love Dustin Nguyen’s artwork. I wasn’t all that familiar with his previous work besides the Lil’ Gotham all-ages series so I wasn’t sure what to expect. His art has blown me away! His images really tug at my ol’ heartstrings. This is such a great series! This issue we get some back story on our protagonist. We find out the events that brought TIM-21 to the mining colony on the outer edges of space.
 
Dead Drop #1: A four issue mini-series brought to us by Valiant written by Ales Kot and drawn by newcomer Adam Gorham. An unlikely cast of superheroes fall into a deep undercover conspiracy action thriller! Sounds good! I’m a fan of both Kot and Valiant so I have high hopes for this one!