This Week's Essential Comics: 9/8/14

Gregg Katzman

Updated September 8, 2014 at 6:30 PM

Yet another new comic book day is almost here and we want to make sure you're ready for it. Various publishers will release a bunch of new issues, and deciding what to pick up can be a pretty big challenge. So, the Comic Vine staff has reviewed the complete list of new releases and each of us will highlight the ones we believe are worthy of your attention. Once you're all set seeing what we suggest, go to the comments and tell the world what you're excited to read. You just may convince someone else to pick up a comic you love, after all.

Tony "G-Man" Guerrero's picks

BUNKER #6

THE BUNKER continues the story of a group of friends that discovered a bunker buried in the woods containing letters from themselves from the future. They find out that they’re each responsible for messing things up pretty badly and have to figure out what to do next. When a future version of one them shows up, things get even crazier.

Now we get to find out how the bunker was actually built along with more secrets. Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari are doing some amazing things in this series. Don’t miss out on it.

SUPERMAN UNCHAINED #8

The second to last issue of the Scott Snyder and Jim Lee story is headed our way. Yes there’s been some delays but how could anyone pass finding out what happens next. Superman has had his hands full against General Lane’s forces as well as Wraith. There are still plenty of secrets to find out and it looks like we’ll finally be finding out what Wraith’s full story is. Is what we know so far the truth or is there more to him than we thought?

Snyder and Lee have been giving us a big story with plenty of action. Waiting is hard but each issue is definitely worth it.

THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #6

If you’ve been reading the series since Peter Parker returned, you know he’s had his hands full. Peter has discovered that Black Cat is majorly ticked off at him and has gone through a pretty evil transformation. He’s also met Silk, a woman that was bitten by the same radioactive spider he was before it died. We also saw Spider-Man sort of get defeated last issue and J. Jonah Jameson is ready to unmask him on live television. That can’t be good.

Of course it’s easy to doubt he’ll actually be unmasked. But you can’t deny the excitement to see how it’ll play out, especially with Marvel being a bit coy over the whole thing and only releasing a super-short preview. We can expect more on Black Cat and Electro’s plans against Spider-Man as well as some promised revelations about Silk. Sounds good to me.

Honorable Mention: BATMAN: FUTURES END #1

Mat "Inferiorego" Elfring's picks

GHOSTED #13

This is my "duh" pick of the week. Obviously, GHOSTED is going to be on my list for essential comics. We're currently in the 3rd arc, with issue #12 being the first part of the story, even though issue #11 sets some things up as well, and I'm really digging on what Joshua Williamson is laying down.

The idea of "death wishes" is exceptionally rad. I love the connection this new character has to Jackson, but I hate the idea Trick is never coming back. You hear me Josh? You're a monster! Ok, that's out of my system. GHOSTED is my favorite month-to-month read and yes, it beats out SAGA, but not by much. It's genre mixing done right. Now, go buy it.

ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #24

It super-sucks to see Fred Van Lente go from this book after 23 awesome issues. However, the show most go on! Now, I've never read anything that on-coming writer Karl Bollers has written in the past, but at this point, I put a lot of trust and faith in Valiant and their signing of creative talent, so I a very excited to see a new writer's take on these two characters and the stories he'll provide.On top of that, artist Clayton Henry returns. I'm a huge fan of his work on the opening of this series and can't wait to see what he brings to the table. The series has bee a lot of fun, so I' totally on board for whatever.

TEEN DOG #1

A part of me is picking this book for essentials because the book is called TEEN DOG, which is the best title for a comic I've ever heard. The solicit states it's a John Hughes movie meets 90s Nickelodeon cartoons. Well I'm sold. Bring on the cartoony angst! I really a excited for this book because it's a bit different, and if you've been coming to Comic Vine for a while, then you know I like comics from all facets and genres. BOOM! puts out some solid stuff, and this looks like something up my alley.

Honorable Mention: MS. MARVEL #8

Gregg "k4tz" Katzman's picks

DEADPOOL #34

Gerry Duggan and Brian Posehn's time with Wade Wilson has been full of awesome comedy, but these "lost issues" give the two writers a chance to go all out and bring all kinds of ridiculousness and fun into the chapter. Every single one of them have made me laugh out loud like a fool, so I'm completely confident this one will be worthy of every single penny. Not only is the premise full of potential ('90s -- see how many feet you can count in the preview), but it's going to be balanced out with a look at Deadpool's past and we can only assume it'll also build interest in Wade's next arc. To make matters even more appealing, the ridiculously talented Scott Koblish and Val Staples created the pages and, as you'll see in the preview, they did a hysterical job duplicating a signature look from the era. Sabretooth has never looked so fabulous.

DEATH VIGIL #3

Do you enjoy smiling and looking at wonderful art? The answer is most likely yes and that means you should seriously consider checking out Stjepan Šejić's DEATH VIGIL. Lovable characters, a fun, growing world that's full of fantasy, and terrific artwork are the three very simple reasons why this book should be a part of your collection. Šejić's introduced all of the key characters and taught us most of what we need to know about the forces of good battling the forces of evil to protect the living, so now it looks like it's time to move forward with the plot and see where all of this fantasy genre craziness takes us next. Even if the story doesn't turn out all that great, we at least know the dialogue will be enjoyable and the artwork will be a delight.

SPREAD #3

Justin Jordan and Kyle Strahm's SPREAD is a twisted joy. Proudly influenced by several horror and apocalyptic stories, this brutal world continues to reveal more and more of its horrors with each issue. A variety of savage monsters lurk around each and every corner, but they're not the only concern. Humanity has become every bit as ugly as the slimy beings which populate the land. This Image series is all about freaking you out with savage monsters, over-the-top action, and hooking you a legitimately intriguing narrative that's basically about clinging onto hope when everything around you is falling apart. To top it off, Strahm's artwork is such a perfect fit for this messed up environment and its gruesome tone.

PROMETHEUS: FIRE AND STONE #1

It was previously announced that Dark Horse would bring back the Alien and Predator franchises and I was absurdly excited about that bit of news. Now, a brand new Prometheus comic is just days away and it'll take us back to LV-223! The limited series will tie directly into the movie and follow a team that'll attempt to discover what went down on the moon. Love or hate the movie, there's no denying it expanded the mythos and I'm thrilled to see what this series will bring to the franchise. Fingers crossed for more worldbuilding and horror goodness.

Honorable Mentions: BLACK MARKET #3, NEW SUICIDE SQUAD: FUTURES END #1

Jen "MissJ" Aprahamian's picks

COPPERHEAD #1

I can't help it, I'm addicted to new #1s from Image. And when they're sci-fi/Western hybrids? I'm basically clamoring for them. Icing on this made-exactly-for-my-tastes cake is the fact that the protagonist of COPPERHEAD is a lady sheriff who's also a single mom -- that's got notes of MANHUNTER, and I'm totally into it. Calling this new series from Jay Faerber, Scott Godlewski, Ron Riley, and Thomas Mauer an essential.

VELVET #7

VELVET is one of the most exciting, interesting ongoing series right now, and it's about to jump headfirst into its second arc. Boasting an incredibly dimensional protagonist, classic spy intrigue, and sharp narrative, this one's a must-pull. I'm calling it an essential pick, and having serious temptation to bleach a white streak into my hair.

Honorable Mention: LAZARUS #11

Corey "Undeadpool" Schroeder's picks

EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #1

Spider-Man: Shattered Dimensions is, oddly, one of my favorite videogames featuring the wall-crawler, but I only recently read Spider-Man: Noir. What I wound up experiencing was was an amazingly interesting, nuanced take on the web-slinger in a What-If..? context that has almost bottomless potential for future stories. One of the creators behind one of Spider-Man's darkest interpretations is on this issue, and with as much as I've enjoyed both Spider-Verse and Noir so far, I couldn't be more excited. Fabrice Sapolsky has some experience with Spider-Man's shootiest persona and apparently we're going to get another adaptation of another great Spidey villain: Mysterio. With Richard Isanove illustrating it, it would certainly look incredible.

DEATH OF WOLVERINE #2

After showing washed-up hillbilly Nuke that, healing factor or no, Wolverine is not someone to be trifled with, one of the real masterminds behind Logan's troubles was revealed and, of course, things have only become MORE complicated as a result. While the result is assured, I'm not actually sure how we're going to get there, but Charles Soule has a knack for revitalizing and taking pre-existing characters in another direction, and frankly I can't wait to see what happens when that direction is a very...terminal one. Steve McNiven proved himself a master of modern Wolverine in Old Man Logan, and this title continues that tradition, tone and quality amazingly well.

CAPTAIN MARVEL #7

You guys remember when Rocket Raccoon was a total jerk to Carol's innocent little kitty Chewie? Well...what if Rocket was onto something? What if Chewie wasn't such an innocent little ball of fluff and adorableness? Well what if he wasn't? And what if Kelly-Sue DeConnick was still writing that story? And what if it was being drawn by series newcomer Marcio Takara, with a style that perfectly compliments the style and tone previously set by Captain Marvel's past storylines? Are there any more questions for me to ask, or should you just check this book out? I think the answer is clear.