The TALKING COMICS REVIEW ROUND-UP

Every week, the Talking Comics collective posts a mega-list of the comics they’re most excited to pull off the shelves that week. Check back here to see if the comics on the Pull List met the team’s expectations with reviews and quippy quotables!!! Click the links to go to full reviews and reflections!!!

Also, check out our weekly Favorite Comic Book Covers of the Week column for more coverage of last week’s new books!

Also also, our very own Bobby Shortle is keeping an updated weekly ranking of every new DC Rebirth book!!! Check it out!!!

New Comic Book Day – June 15th, 2016

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DARK HORSE COMICS

Neil Gaiman’s How to Talk to Girls At Parties – By Neil Gaiman, Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba

 

• Verdict: BUY IT. If you want a freakin’ masterclass in storytelling, buy this book. Yeah, it’s an adaptation of Gaiman’s own acclaimed short story, but damn do Moon & Ba turn in some exquisite work here. Freakin’ amazing. -Joey

 

DC COMICS

Titans Rebirth #1 –  By Dan Abnett, Norm Rapmund, & Brett Booth 

 

• VERDICT: BUY IT. For me, the Titans have always been like that cool high school clique you always wanted to hang out with because you heard about the cool stuff they did, but were never able to make friends with any of them. Titans: Rebirth #1 doesn’t quite make me cool enough to hang out with them, but I do at least feel like I’m at a more even ground with those inside that lucrative inner circle. This is kind of a “getting the band back together” issue more than a mission statement on what the book will be moving forward, but it’s a necessary transition that puts the Titans back to some of their former glory. –John D.

 

[Editor’s Note: Be sure to check out John’s full-length review on Titans Rebirth here!!!]

IDW PUBLISHING

Tales From The Darkside #1 – By Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez 

 

• Verdict: Worth a look. The primary draw here is the creative team (Joe Hill & Gabriel Rodriguez!?!?!) and the fact that the stories contained in this new Tales from the Darkside anthology are basically Joe Hill’s never-produced pitches for what was supposed to be a reboot of the classic horror TV show of the same name. The first issue tells the twisted story of lifeguard-turned-walking-sleeping-pill Ziggy. If that sounds weird, it is, but Hill and Rodriguez imbue the story with enough heart to elevate its tense concept. It’s a great first issue in the genre, but that genre may be very specific for readers. If you’re into horror/sci-fi one-and-dones that feel like The Twilight Zone, then check it!

 

MARVEL COMICS

Civil War II #2 – By Brian Michael Bendis & David Marquez 

 

• Verdict: I mean, if you’re in, you’re in, right? That might not sound like a ringing endorsement, but the reality is that the price-tag and the premise may have turned you off, and we’re essentially already 4ish issues into this event. On the positive side, Civil War II continues to be a totally surprising series, going down paths that I doubt anyone was expecting. Here, we have a surprisingly quiet issue that focuses almost exclusively on Tony and Ulysses. Characterization and artwork are the creative team’s strengths, so so far, this has been an enjoyable read. We’ll see how it goes. Check it! – Joey

 

Patsy Walker, aka Hellcat #7- By Kate Leth & Brittney Williams

• VERDICT: PWakaH!!! (Sorry!–BUY!) Patsy and Jessica Jones team up to get some dirt on Hedy Wolfe, Patsy’s childhood chum who’s now trying to RUIN HER LIFE! That’s all you need to know, except that this book by Kate Leth & Brittney Williams is the cat’s pajamas! (Sorry, again.)–Bob

Squadron Supreme #8-By James Robinson & Leonard Kirk 

• VERDICT: BUY (but conditionally)–If you’re not buying this book, you’ve missed the boat, sorry, but if you’ve been following this amazing series by James Robinson & Leonard Kirk, keep going, because some major stuff gets teased in this issue that you’re going to want to be in on–and you can always trust your…Cranky Old Uncle Bob

VERTIGO

Clean Room #9- By Gail Simone & Jon Davis-Hunt

• VERDICT: BUY IT ALREADY-yeeesh! Gail Simone and Jon Davis-Hunt continue to craft one of the creepiest comics series of the last decade, and if you’re a fan of psychological horror that’s totally off-the-charts, go buy the just-released trade and catch up, you won’t be disappointed!-Bob

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And that’s our Pull List for this week!!! If you happen to pick up any of these books, please join the conversation here or on twitter and let us know what you think! As we update the site with reviews and verdicts on these comics, we’d love to include your input!

#READCOMICS