RICO’S PICK :: BATGIRL #35: Project Rooftop has known it for years, passion for old characters can be reignited with a great costume redesign. This is tricky though. The entire New 52 launch was redesigned across the board with varying levels of success. An almost universally loved costume redesign for an established character is almost unheard of. Babs Tarr and Cameron Stewart have accomplished this rare feat with their Batgirl revamp which starts next week. Brendan Fletcher (co-writer of the wonderful Gotham Academy) is co-writing Batgirl along with Cameron Stewart while Stewart does layouts for Tarr who does the finished black and white art. The team is rounded out by brilliant cartoonist and HeroesCon darling Maris Wicks on colors. I’m looking forward to seeing where this team takes Barbara Gordon!

RICO’S PICK :: SOUTHERN BASTARDS VOL 1: HERE WAS A MAN: If you haven’t been following Jason Latour and Jason Aaron’s incredible Image Comics series, here’s your chance to catch up.  “Welcome to Craw County, Alabama, home of Boss BBQ, the state champion Runnin’ Rebs football team…and more bastards than you’ve ever seen. When you’re an angry old man like Earl Tubb, the only way to survive a place like this…is to carry a really big stick. COLLECTS SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1-4”

HEATHER’S PICKS :: Gotham Academy #1: I’ll confess, I’m not much of a Batman reader.  The closest I come to anything based in Gotham are occasional mini-series and Harley Quinn.  In spite of that, Gotham Academy caught my attention from its very announcement.  Perhaps one reason for that is the series is being co-written by Becky Cloonan.  I adore Becky’s art and I have also enjoyed all of her mini-comics I’ve picked up.  I haven’t read anything by Brenden Fletcher as of yet, but October will be the month to change that as Batgirl #35 hits October 8.  Gotham Academy follows the students at a prep school that sounds both creepy and entertaining.  With new characters and a look at the city’s history and mythology, Gotham Academy could become my Wolverine and the X-Men gateway book into the Batverse.

Bonus Pick: Thor #1: Have you guys heard that Thor’s becoming a lady? Man, has it been fun watching heads explode over that one.  You have to appreciate Marvel taking the risk of dethroning one of its popular male characters and passing his mantle and hammer over to a mysterious woman.  I haven’t read a Thor series since Marvel broke my heart with the cancellation of one of my favorites, Thor the Mighty Avenger, but if a woman can pick up Mjölnir, then I am willing to pick up Thor #1 by Jason Aaron and Russell Dauterman.

SETH’S PICK :: THE LONESOME GO: It was tough to narrow my picks down to a single book this week. I could easily write about Jason Aaron’s new crime series Men of Wrath, the second issue of Ryan Browne’s hilarious God Hates Astronauts, or Blackhand Comics from Deadly Class artist Wes Craig. I’ll be picking all of those up this week, but I’m most looking forward to The Lonesome Go from Tim Lane and Fantagraphics. That’s a name most of you probably aren’t too familiar with, but he released a fantastic critically acclaimed book called Abandoned Cars a few years ago that I reread once a year.

This new book is a continuation of the types of themes and characters Lane first explored there: drifters, hobos, Americana, automobilia, early rock and roll and more. The narratives pay homage to the Beats, Charles Bukowski and Tom Waits, among others. Visually, Lane seems to channel parts of Dan Clowes, Charles Burns and various American Splendor contributors. Lane’s stories are admittedly dark, but also keenly aware that there is something inherently nostalgic about traveling America, alone or with complete strangers. The result is a book that is, like a road trip, as freeing as it can be unsettling. Fantagraphics has several preview pages available on their site HERE. Don’t miss this excellent book in a week full of good comics choices.

SETH’S PICK :: EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #2: When was the last time any of you saw somebody cosplay as a character who hasn’t even appeared in a published comic? I didn’t think that was even possible until now. Over the past few months I’ve seen more and more pictures of cosplayers bringing Gwen Stacy: Spider-Woman to life. That character debuts in this week’s Edge of Spider-verse #2. So why have so many fans taken to this character so quickly?

I’m sure writer Jason Latour’s twist of putting Gwen in the Spidey outfit has something to do with it. People still love Gwen, and the thought of seeing her as a hero and not a victim is a good thing for comics. While Latour does provide some clever narrative skill in this issue, I think the bigger reason so many fans are looking forward to this issue is the brilliant design work of Robbi Rodriguez. Something obviously clicked in Robbi’s design and fans immediately responded, with cosplayers appearing as the character at multiple conventions around the country. I’d be remiss to not mention that my Heroes cohort Rico Renzi provides the fine color art in this issue. Rico and Robbi are frequent collaborators, and if you’ve seen their work on Vertigo’s FBP, you know they complement each other quite well. I’ve been fortunate to see the finished product, and all three guys should take a bow for crafting a wonderful single issue of comics. Don’t be at all surprised if we don’t see a Gwen Stacy: Spider-woman series after the inevitable success of this issue. 

RICO’S PICK :: SHOPLIFTER: Michael Cho is an artist whose work I have loved since I first saw his obsessively affectionate drawings of Bruce Lee and Iron Man online in the 90s. I knew immediately this was a man I had things in common with. Cho is mainly known for illustration work with a short comic sneaking out here and there. Shoplifter is his first long form comic and he has written and drawn a beauty. I give it my highest recommendation.

Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday Dear Great War, Happy Birthday to you! Wow– you’re 100 years young and you still make a difference in our modern lives. There are few events in history that have had more of an historical and cultural impact than WWI. ABOVE THE DREAMLESS DEAD WWI IN POETRY & COMICS  is an anthology that selects a number of pieces from the substantial body of  poetry that emerged during and after the long bloody conflict. In addition, to the “trench poetry” of Sassoon, Owens, Graves and other great talents of the era, editor Chris Duffy has enlisted some of the finest contemporary comic talents to illustrate these harrowing and powerful poetic works. The roster includes: Stephen Bissette, Eddie Campbell, Lilli Carré, Garth Ennis, Sarah Glidden, Sammy Harkham, Kevin Huizenga, Kathryn Immonen, Stuart Immonen, Peter Kuper, Pat Mills, Anders Nilsen, George Pratt, Carol Tyler and many others. If this book moves you as much as I anticipate, I’d like to also re-confirm my earlier recommendations for other Great War comic material namely Joe Sacco’s ground-breaking panorama, The Great War and Jacques Tardi’s two brilliant WWI graphic novels from Fantagraphics– all of these important books are available from Heroes! Just have Justin point you in the direction of Flanders and remember to wipe your muddy feet!

SETH’S PICK :: THE WRENCHIES GN: In this over 300 page original graphic novel, cartoonist Farel Dalrymple delivers not only his largest book to date, but one that is already being called the finest work of his career thus far. I’ve enjoyed Dalrymple’s past work in Pop Gun War, Delusional and Omega the Unknown, and have heard rumblings about this book for several years. The Wrenchies will certainly have the beautifully detailed artwork we’ve come to expect from the artist, but it’s also receiving attention for its narrative strengths. The story follows a gang of kids who must fight to survive on a planet filled with demons and zombies. It’s a dark and violent story, but one that illustrates the range of Dalrymple’s considerable talents.

In talking about this book on his website, Dalrymple says: “I created the Wrenchies for the misunderstood, the marginalized,  the frustrated and fitfully unsatisfied, for people who like trippy fantasy and challenging storytelling and for people who never even read comics. I also mainly made this book for me.” I think that quote encompasses a good many of us. There’s a great deal of soul and craft in this book, and I hope you’ll take some time to enjoy and appreciate it.