Over the past week, publishers have released their monthly solicitations for their September 2021 comics. Here’s a brief look at what books have me most excited and are sure to end up on my pull list, if they’re not already there:
Marvel Comics
INFERNO #1 (OF 4)
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • VALERIO SCHITI (A) • Cover by Jerome Opeña
VARIANT COVER BY ARTGERM
VIRGIN VARIANT COVER BY ARTGERM
STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY CARMEN CARNERO
WRAPAROUND VARIANT COVER BY MARK BROOKS
VARIANT COVER BY JEFF DEKAL
VARIANT COVER BY OSCAR VEGA
VARIANT COVER BY PEACH MOMOKO
HOMAGE VARIANT COVER BY R.B. SILVA
HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY GREG CAPULLO
THE CULMINATION OF JONATHAN HICKMAN’S X-MEN BEGINS HERE!
“There will be an island—not the first, but the last…” Promises were made and broken. The rulers of Krakoa have been playing a dangerous game with a dangerous woman, and they are about to see how badly that can burn them. Mastermind of the X-Men JONATHAN HICKMAN brings his plans to a head, joined by an incredible lineup of artists beginning with VALERIO SCHITI… as one woman follows through on her promise to burn the nation of Krakoa to the ground.
56 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99
Hickman’s run as Head of X has been nothing short of fantastic. When I first heard Hickman was returning to Marvel Comics, my wish was that he’d take on the X-Men but I never dreamt this big. The seeds he planted back in HoX/PoX are all ready to bear fruit and this is going to be one for the ages.
ETERNALS: THANOS RISES #1
KIERON GILLEN (W) • DUSTIN WEAVER (A) • Cover by ESAD RIBIĆ
Variant cover by Ron Lim
Variant cover by Dustin Weaver
STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER BY IBAN COELLO
HEADSHOT VARIANT COVER BY TODD NAUCK
• Eternals are created, not born. They have families, but their families make no new children.
• It’s simply not what Eternals do.
• Some of them thought they could find a way to change that and believed it would be for the best.
• They were terribly, terribly wrong.
32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99
Kieron Gillen on Eternals was always going to be a win and he’s done great so far. Thanos is a big part of the story and now Gillen, one of Marvel’s most imaginative writers, is going to take some time to focus on the big guy.
BLACK PANTHER #2
JOHN RIDLEY (W) • JUANN CABAL (A) • Cover by ALEX ROSS
Miles Morales: Spider-Man 10th ANNIVERSARY Variant Cover by KEN LASHLEY
Variant Cover by SKOTTIE YOUNG
VARIANT COVER BY JOSHUA “SWAY” SWABY “THE LONG SHADOW” PART 2
T’Challa must act quickly to save his sleeper agents before they are assassinated! With the help of his sister, Shuri, he might be one step closer to the culprits…but is it too late? The assassins seem to always be one step ahead. And T’Challa better watch his back, for secrets lie everywhere…
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
This is really here because I didn’t do one of these for August and John Ridley’s Black Panther is probably my most anticipated non-X-book of the second half of 2021. Ridley has done some great work at DC this year that you should read to get an idea of what he’s going to bring to the stories of T’Challa, Shuri and more.
DEFENDERS #2 (OF 5)
AL EWING (W) • JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ (A/C)
Variant cover by JOE QUINONES
Teaser Variant Cover by JAVIER RODRÍGUEZ
THE MOTHER OF GALACTUS?
The Defenders find themselves in the birthplace of Galactus — but the Devourer is not the man they remember. Meet Taaia, Omnimax and more as Al Ewing and Javier Rodríguez expand the cosmos — and put Doctor Strange’s makeshift magical team in extreme jeopardy!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
Same as Black Panther #2, this is here because I missed August. Al Ewing on a Defenders mini! And revisiting Galactus! I’m all in. My guess is you’re all going to want to read this one.
EXCALIBUR #23
TINI HOWARD (W) • MARCUS TO (A)
Cover by MAHMUD ASRAR
VARIANT COVER BY DIKE RUAN
THE CALL OF DOOM!
As guardians of the gate, Excalibur has sworn to safely escort those who quest to the Otherworld within, but their duties are tested to their limits when DOOM returns to Avalon.
Tini Howard has written maybe my favorite volume of Excalibur to date and bringing Doom into the mix isn’t going to do anything to hurt!
ALIEN #7
PHILLIP KENNEDY JOHNSON (W) • SALVADOR LARROCA (A)
Cover by MARC ASPINALL
Variant Cover by GERARDO SANDOVAL
Variant Cover by Giuseppe Camuncoli
THE SEARCH FOR SANCTUARY BEGINS!
• A small colony of “Spinners,” looking to lead a simpler life, have nearly completed terraforming a moon.
• A ship crashes into their Eden from the heavens.
• A terror is unleashed.
32 PGS./Parental Advisory …$3.99
Phillip Kennedy Johnson is ascending as an author and he’s having a lot of fun with this book. If you’re a fan of the early Alien films, give these books a chance. He’s doing a great job adding to the big story.
DC Comics
GREEN LANTERN #6
Writer: GEOFFREY THORNE Artists: TOM RANEY and MARCO SANTUCCI
Cover: BERNARD CHANG
Variant Cover: BRYAN HITCH
$4.99 US | 40 PGS | $5.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
Far Sector’s Jo Mullein goes head-to-head with one-time Green Lantern Sinestro, now the leader of the Sinestro Corps that harnesses the yellow light of fear. But as Jo deals with Sinestro, Simon Baz finds out his former partner, Jessica Cruz, just joined the Yellow Lanterns as the Corps’ newest member. Then, in deep space, Kilowog, who’s been cut from the Corps, fights for his life in the Dark Sectors. But without a working ring, he may not stand much of a chance of survival.
I’ve mentioned a few times that the disaster that was Ryan Reynolds’ Green Lantern film stripped me of my love for the stories of the Lanterns. For the first time in years, I’ve actually gotten hooked into a new Green Lantern book and have really been enjoying catching up on some of the newer characters I’ve missed. A fun space book!
INFINITE FRONTIER #6
Writer: JOSHUA WILLIAMSON
Artist: XERMANICO
Cover: MITCH GERADS
Variant Covers: BRYAN HITCH
$4.99 | 40 PGS | 6 of 6 | $5.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
ON SALE 9/7/21
One story ends and the next phase of the DC Multiverse begins. We have one name for you: DARKSEID.
Our heroes knew that someone had been pulling the strings this entire time, but are they prepared for it to be the biggest bad of all? As President Superman, Alan Scott, Roy Harper, and the rest converge for a showdown, the secret of Omega Planet is revealed. Plus, Barry Allen is put on a path he may never get off!
My hopes for the future of DC Comics rests on how this event ends…and this is the ending. Here’s to a future where the continuity makes a little more sense to me. Don’t let me down, Josh Williamson!
RORSCHACH #12
Writer: TOM KING
Artist: JORGE FORNÉS
Cover: JORGE FORNÉS
Variant Cover: BEN OLIVER
$4.99 US | 32 PGS | $4.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
BLACK LABEL | 17+
ON SALE 9/14/21
The end to the mystery is here!
It’s been a long road to get here, and there have been a lot of dead bodies along the way, but the detective is very near closing the case. All the disparate threads lead back to the crime itself, to the assassination attempt that claimed the lives of the would-be assassins. Find out how it all went wrong for the comic book artist who put on a mask and declared himself Rorschach.
As is often the case with Tom King’s limited series, things don’t really start to come into focus until the second half of the series and I end up rereading the whole thing once it’s come out. I’m finally starting to understand what Rorschach is about (or am I?) and as sad as I’ll be to see it come to an end, I can’t wait for the finale!
THE NICE HOUSE ON THE LAKE #4
Writer: JAMES TYNION IV
Artist: ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ BUENO
Cover: ÁLVARO MARTÍNEZ BUENO
Variant Cover: TIFFANY TURRILL
$3.99 US | 32 PGS | 4 of 12 | $4.99 US VARIANT (Card Stock)
BLACK LABEL | 17+
ON SALE 9/7/21
A terrifying truth about the house is revealed!
David wants nothing more than to make his fellow residents of the House laugh. He’s the Comedian, right? That’s what he does. But if no one’s in the mood to laugh, then perhaps it’s time for him to perform the other function of comedy: to tell his audience an unbelievable truth…
James Tynion is a Swiss Army knife of a creator. Batman, conspiracy and now horror. I’m guessing it won’t be long before this one is optioned for a streaming series somewhere.
Image Comics
PRIMORDIAL #1 (OF 6)
WRITER: Jeff Lemire
ARTIST / COVER A: Andrea Sorrentino
SEPTEMBER 15 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Mind-bending sci-fi collides with Cold War thriller in this six-issue miniseries by the bestselling and Eisner-winning creative team behind GIDEON FALLS! In 1957, the USSR launched the dog, Laika, into Earth’s orbit. Two years later, the USA responded with two monkeys, Able and Baker. These animals never returned. But, unbeknownst to everyone, they did not die in orbit…they were taken. And now they are coming home.
Lemire is one of my favorite creators of the past decade and even though I have no idea what Gideon Falls was about, I loved it. This one sounds absolutely amazing and I’m pulling the series.
CROSSOVER #10
WRITER: Donny Cates
ARTIST / COVER A: Dee Cunniffe, Geoff Shaw, John J. Hill
SEPTEMBER 22 / 32 pages / FC/ T+ / $3.99
“MEANWHILE,” Part Three
“Hey hey! We’re back with another mysterious slaughter-filled romp! And man oh man, is this one…honestly, guys, there’s not much I can say here without spoiling every single page. Look, I don’t know, guys. Writing solicitations is hard. Come read our crazy little book!!”
Crossover has been a pretty consistently fun book with a really wild premise (kind of Cates’ thing). It deals with a lot of his previous work at Image, so it also gives you a reason to go back and read something like God Country. Cates is a big idea guy, let’s see how he delivers as this book keeps moving along.
THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #13
WRITER: James Tynion IV
ARTIST / COVER A: Martin Simmonds
SEPTEMBER 29 / 32 pages / FC/ M / $3.99
Thirty years ago, Cole Turner dreamed up a Star-Faced Man who ate children in the basement of his preschool. Today, Cole is going to make sure that nightmare can never haunt another kid. The second arc of the smash-hit THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH ends here with a revelation that turns the series upside down!
The Department of Truth is the kind of book that would never find a home at the big 2 and makes you thankful for creator-owned comics. This book is crazy as hell and has already been optioned for a streaming project. Tynion holds nothing back and I’m looking forward to how this new arc wraps up.
RADIANT BLACK #8
WRITER: Kyle Higgins
ARTIST: Marcelo Costa
COVER A: Felipe Watanabe
COVER C: Tyler Kirkham
SEPTEMBER 15 / 32 pages / FC/ / $3.99
The battle for the Radiants tears through Chicago. Can this unlikely new team stand against an enemy who knows more about their powers than they do? And even if they win…what happens next?
Higgins has hit us with a couple big surprises over the last 2 issues and now I will go into every book thinking nothing is sacred. That makes for one hell of an exciting series. If you aren’t already reading Radiant Black, it’s not too late!!
This is just a glimpse of what’s available out there and just scratches the surface of what I’ll be ordering for the month of September. You can find full solicitations for DC and Marvel at Newsarama/Games Radar and for Image at Image Comics.
