RVA Mag Comics X-Change is a bi-weekly comic column which dives into the latest and upcoming releases, along with insider info from local and regional comic book shop owners.
Good afternoon comic fans! Between the Blu-Ray release of “Infinity War,” and Netflix’s announcement to acquire streaming rights for “Black Panther,” it’s been a pretty busy week. After looking at the list of titles coming out today and next week, it looks like it is only going to stay that way. Luckily, I had a little help to narrow down what to check out. This week, I spoke to Norman Krumenacker of Alpha Comics and Games located in Willow Lawn to help me break down what we need to keep our focus on for the next two weeks.
Recent Releases:
“Wakanda Forever: Avengers #1”
Cover By Terry Dodson
“It’s wrapping up a lot of what has been set in motion with the more recent ‘Black Panther’ comics,” said Krumenacker. “’Wakanda Forever’ has been a kind of feeler of sorts into other people’s stories.”
“The Punisher #1”
“He does the one thing that a lot of other people try to do, which is to be terrible and kill stuff,” said Krumenacker. “He’s been doing it longer, better, and more people love him so there’s a new number one for him. I’m sure it will be popular.”
“Mr. and Mrs. X #2”
“Rogue and Gambit finally got married,” said Krumenacker. “I’m pretty excited for this one.”
“Labyrinth Coronation #6”
“The world needs more David Bowie and we have much less David Bowie these days,” said Krumenacker. “It’s the story of how The Goblin King got his crown.”
“Exit Stage Left (Trade Paperback)”
“They’ve been dipping into a lot of Hannah-Barbara territory with crossover stories,” said Krumenacker. “Snagglepuss is gay and has a Broadway play where he tells his story, and there are the McCarthy hearings, and it’s a lot. It was difficult for a lot of people to get into in the individual issues because of how heavy it is.”
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Shattered Grid #1
“For the last several months, the Power Rangers’ several universes have been colliding and shattered,” said Krumenacker. “They are wrapping up, and I don’t want to say too much, but it will be interesting to see how it ends.”
“The Joker and Daffy Duck Special #1”
“The Venn diagram for me personally is we need existential terror, a strong female protagonist, and poop jokes,” said Krumenacker. “[With] Joker and Daffy Duck, there isn’t a strong female protagonist but the other two are there. The other crossovers have been successful.”
“I Hate Fairyland (Trade Paperback #4)”
“Gretchen and her horrible antics are finally coming to an end,” he said.
“Euthanauts #1”
“It just gives you enough to know there is another breadcrumb coming,” said Krumenacker. “It deals with self and identity and death and loss, and all of those things are in my wheelhouse.”
“The Life of Captain Marvel #2”
This new series premiered a few weeks ago and already it is off to a strong start, and as you can guess, follows the day to day of my beloved Carol Danvers. Often solo series featuring older characters tend to start off on a slow foot, but so far, this series is onto a good pace. The inclusion of a particular character has me curious to know how far this series, in particular, is going to weave itself into the current Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) timeline given the pace we are on to Avengers 4 in 2019.
“Betty and Veronica: Vixens #9”
I never thought that I would enter the phase in my life where I am consciously choosing to buy Archie comics, but here we are. Most of the series released after or in conjunction with the Riverdale series on The CW has been surprisingly well written, and above all else addicting (all phrases that should otherwise never be attached to anything to do with the Archie universe).
Top Image By: Lindsay Eastman
