Happiest of Tuesdays, my fellow River City comic fans! Welcome back to installment number fifteen of RVA Magazine’s biweekly go-to for everything comics and nerdy, RVA Mag’s Comics X-Change!
This week’s issue is particularly meaty, as I sat down to talk to Tommy Donovan of Richmond Comix on Midlothian Turnpike. Donovan was oh-so-kind enough to share a hearty top-eight stack of comics for us to look forward to in the upcoming weeks. Later on, I’m going to get political with you as we discuss the upcoming comic about New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and finally, a witchy favorite returns to our Netflix screens.
Grab your snacks, grab your charger, and buckle up, friends, because we’re diving in.
Sparrowhawk #5 by Delilah Dawson and Matias Basla
“The book follows a Victorian-era teen as she gets swept into a magical realm and has to fight monsters to survive,” said Donovan. “The most accurate way to describe this is Victorian teen fairy Fight Club. And it has been an insane ride so far. I can’t wait to see how it ends!”
Spider-Man: City at War #1 by Dennis Hopeless and Michele Bandini
“We got our first look at this version of Spidey last year during Spidergeddon,” said Donovan. “If that was any indication, this book will be great!”
“For music fans, we get a Graphic Novel this week called Belzebubs, based on a Finnish black metal band,” said Donovan. “I don’t know much about the band, but the art manages to blend the power of black metal with a cute cartoony style in a way that has me really eager to read it.”
Firefly: Bad Company #1 by Josh Lee Gordon, Francesco Mortarino, Giuseppe Cafaro, and Moy R.
“Boom Studios has been doing a fantastic job with Joss Whedon’s properties, Buffy and Firefly,” said Donovan. “This week we get a new title based on some of the bad guys in the Firefly universe, called Firefly: Bad Company. If you’ve ever wondered where the con artist who tricked Mal into marriage came from, this is the book for you!”
Detective Comics #1000 by Peter J. Tomasi, Brian Michael Bendis, Paul Dini, Warren Ellis, Geoff Johns, Tom King, Dennis O’Neil, Christopher Priest, Kevin Smith, Scott Snyder, and others
“This book is going to be a massive 96 pages with stories by creators from the entire history of Batman,” said Donovan. “This book will also feature the first comic appearance of the Arkham Knight, from the video game series.”
Marvel Action: Black Panther #1 by Kyle Baker and Juan Samu
“[This] is the first Black Panther book aimed at a younger audience,” said Donovan. “It is the third in the Marvel Action line, and the first two titles (Spider-Man and Avengers) were incredibly fun reads that the whole family can enjoy together.”
Marvel Rising #1 by Nilah Magruder and Rob DiSalvo
“This one is based on the cartoon of the same name and features Captain Marvel, Ms Marvel, Spider-Gwen, Squirrel Girl and America Chavez,” said Donovan. “This one is chock-full of girl power and stars some of my favorite Marvel characters!”
Heroes in Crisis #7 by Tom King and Clay Mann
“Writer Tom King is using his own experiences to explore PTSD in the superhero community In Heroes in Crisis,” said Donovan. “Issue 7 of 9 continues a murder mystery, while we also see confessional-style scenes with various heroes that show the many ways trauma can affect people. Even super people.”
It isn’t enough for United States Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC) to be a real life badass who lives to make old cis white men agitated and uncomfortable on the day to day in our world. Now she’s tackling the comic book realm as well. AOC will be starring in a title published by Devil’s Due Comics, called Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force.
Even though the one-shot, which will feature work by creators like Jill Thompson, Jose Garibaldi, and Tim Seeley, won’t be out for another couple months (the official street date is May 15th), Devil’s Due publisher Josh Blaylock has let slip a few things that the AOC will encounter as the unofficial leader of the new class. Among them will be a storyline taking aim at Washington, as well as a plotline about the United States Congress fighting back against the establishment.
Battle on, sister.
Next on my docket for you is yet another powerful lady, albeit in a tinier package. When The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina dropped on Netflix around Halloween, we saw our favorite cute witch and her sassy black cat get the polar-opposite Riverdale treatment. Everything that was once pink and fun and adorable and played by my childhood style icon Melissa Joan Hart was suddenly turned upside down and dripping in blood.
And it ruled, y’all.
This week my fellow spooky kids got a treat in the form of a trailer for the upcoming second season, which will officially release on April 5th. Just in time for Easter!
The trailer doesn’t reveal anything too terribly deep for the upcoming season, but still gives us enough to bite onto. The witch school is basically goth Hogwarts, Harvey is getting pulled deeper and deeper down the rabbit hole, and Hilda is still the Rodney Dangerfield of the piece, getting no respect. I’m so excited, and I just can’t hide it.
That concludes yet another issue of RVA Mag’s Comics X-Change, friends! Tell us: what are you looking forward to in the next two weeks? What should we keep our eyes peeled for?
