Anyone have any suggestions for a DC title I should give a try? I’ve got Vertigo stuff, but I don’t have anything main-universe DC.

ODY-C #2- Image

Slightly less action packed than the first issue, Matt Fraction and Christian Ward still hit it out of the park with this one. This issue focuses more heavily on Zeus and Poseidon, and really plays up the spiteful, vicious, petty, and dangerous facet of the Greek gods, which largely gets ignored in modern takes on Greek mythology. While Zeus and Poseidon are plotting Odyssea’s downfall, the captain and her crew have arrived at the planet of the Lotophages (The Lotus Eaters), which is a colossal hedonistic park-like planet, with the world-sized, delirious, drug-addled, near-comatose body of Promethene, creator of the third gender sebex, chained to it. This book is insane in all the right ways. Also, it’s written in dactylic hexameter. Matt Fraction is shouldering his way in among the great comic book writers, and Christian Ward is tossing down the gauntlet to all challengers with his gorgeous visuals. If ODY-C keeps being this awesome, I’m going to start being as excited for issues of it as I am for issues of Saga.

Birthright #4- Image

The newest title from Robert Kirkman’s Skybound studio, it once again proves that the Walking Dead creator is absolutely right in chaining up comic book creators up in the basement and depriving them of food and water until they produce art is the way to go. (Kirkman isn’t actually on the production team for this one). Birthright is great, though. Essentially, it’s a what-if title that riffs off the classic C.S. Lewis/ Susan Cooper story, involving children being taken into magical worlds for grand adventures, but it goes a step farther, to explore what happens when the child gets back. (The story archetype goes much farther back, of course- the fairy changelings of European folklore, the fairy rings, etc.) A young boy, Mikey, is stolen into a fantasy world to become a chosen hero. One year later, his family has collapsed. His parents are divorcing, his dad is suspected of murdering Mikey, his older brother is getting in fights at school, the whole thing has become a media circus. Then an enormous behemoth of a man, covered in armor and carrying dozens of medieval weapons shows up in town. (Surprise, surprise, it’s Mikey). Issue #4 opens with Mikey, his dad, and his brother on the run from the cops, and, well… spoilers. Check this one out.

Hawkeye vs Deadpool #4- Marvel

This issue concludes the five issue miniseries (There’s an issue #1 that was published first, followed by #1 a month later. Because of course there is, Marvel.), and does so pretty well. Hawkeye vs Deadpool never reaches the heights of Hawkeye, but it definitely surpasses most of the recent Deadpool miniseries, and much of the main Deadpool comic. If you’re feeling up for some absurd, feel-good fun, you should give this one a try. Kate Bishop, who has been stealing the show for most of the run, takes a bit of a backseat for the final issue, though the byplay between the three remains awesome. The stairwell fight? Awesome and hilarious. Now that this miniseries is done, I can definitely say that it is well worth reading.

God Hates Astronauts #5- Image

I’d always wondered what it would be like if there was a scene in the Little Mermaid where all the adorable fish learned to fly, then were brutally murdered by a superhero with the head of a ghost cow as crab people invade Earth. Well, that’s actually a lie, but Ryan Browne clearly fucking was wondering that, and decided to show us. If you’ve ever wanted to see School House Rock-style captions announcing an alien invasion, a jetpack wearing cat detective, or numerous sea creatures having their eyes pop out, you’re a sick, sick bastard. Oh, and you should also probably read this comic. Drink Snopple!

Hellboy and the B.P.R.D 1952 #2- Dark Horse

Hellboy’s first ever mission continues- still very slowly. Time and time again, Hellboy fails to stop the monster in this one, even though the Hellboy we’ve come to know would have had this thing in minutes, normally. Of course- this Hellboy is only 8, despite his full grown size. I’m still not 100% sold on this one yet, but the art’s good, and the story still works well. I’ll definitely keep going with it for now. Also, i do really like the cover. Very Indiana Jones-like vibe.