The Geeky Brummie Pull List with Excalibur
Well last week was confusing. After scheduling my post, some of the release dates slipped so Locke & Key/Sandman: Hell & Gone #2 and Red Room #4 will be released in the next couple of weeks, so keep an eye out for them. This week I’ve only Excalibur on the Pull List. If I’ve not mentioned it before the Pull List is made up of the comics I’m actually buying myself, the comics that I’ve got on regular order at Worlds Apart Birmingham and will end up in my collection. The comics On The Radar, of which there are four this week, are comics I’m either picking up digitally or plan to pick up in trade as they become available. This is mostly due to budget as there are a great many comics I’d love to buy, but what I recommend here are the books I’m actually spending my money on.
In Meanwhile… we have some announcements from 2000AD publisher Rebellion.
If you want to send any comics or comic related events we should feature, feel free to reach out to me at keith@geekybrummie.com. Now on with the comics…
Title: Excalibur
Issue: 23
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Written by Tini Howard : Art by Marcus To : Cover by Mahmud A. Asrar
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.
This comic keeps pulling me in, With recent developments involving Pete Wisdom, I have to stick around and find out what happens. I think what I really want is a Captain Britain comic and this is as close as I get right now. That said I do enjoy the interplay between the characters and whilst they are not the original team, they do stand up well and Tini and Marcus make me care about what’s happening and until they drop the ball I’ll be sticking around the lighthouse.
On the radar this week some other comics not on the Pull List but well worth checking out:
Defenders #2
Marvel Comics
Written by Al Ewing : Art by Javier Rodriguez
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!
Mazebook #1
Dark Horse Comics
Written and Illustrated by Jeff Lemire
From New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning Black Hammer and Sweet Tooth creator Jeff Lemire comes this ambitious and haunting comic series about family, mourning, and reality. A lonely building inspector still grieving the loss of his puzzle-loving daughter receives a mysterious phone call one night from a girl claiming it’s her and that she’s trapped in the middle of a labyrinth. Convinced that this child is contacting him from beyond this world, he uses an unfinished maze from one of her journals and a map of the city to trace an intricate path through a different plane of reality on an intense and melancholy adventure to bring his daughter back home. The only way out is in . . .
Eve #5
BOOM! Studios
Written by Victor LaValle : Art by Jo Mi-Gyeong
Will Eve finally fulfill her destiny as humanity’s last hope? Eve’s long journey is coming to a head as she finally arrives at the Vault, which is now sunk deep below the ocean surface off the coast of Washington State. But what, or who, she finds within will either lead Eve to complete the most important mission of all time… or complete the world’s destruction. The epic conclusion to the dystopian fable no comic reader can afford to miss!
Not All Robots #2
AWA/Upshot Studios
Written by Mark Russell : Art by Mike Deodato Jr. : Coloured by : Lee Loughridge : Cover by Rahzzah
In the year 2056, robots have replaced human beings in the workforce. An uneasy co-existence develops between the newly intelligent robots and the ten billion humans living on Earth. Every human family is assigned a robot upon whom they are completely reliant. What could possibly go wrong? Meet the Walters, a human family whose robot, Razorball, ominously spends his free time in the garage working on machines which they’re pretty sure are designed to kill them in this sci-fi satire from Mark Russell (The Flintstones, Second Coming) and Mike Deodato Jr. (The Amazing Spider-Man, The Resistance).
Plastic Free Future
The world is awash with plastic, and it sadness’s me to see so much plastic tat used to sell franchise comics and magazines. Comics for me have always been about the stories and not the free gifts. Sure it’s a marketing ploy to entice readers but in the modern world we all have to be more responsible. So it’s great to see Rebellion, publishers of 2000AD and the Judge Dredd Magazine, make a stand, and commit to a plastic free future. Let’s hope this gets other publishers thinking about their practices and we see an end to this soon. Here’s the official announcement from Rebellion:
Publisher Rebellion has committed to never include plastic toys or gifts with any of its comic books or magazines.
The commitment to go plastic-free comes as major retailers move to ban magazines and comics aimed at children that include toys or other promotional items made of plastic as ‘cover mounts’ on their publications.
As newsagents and shops reopen and restock after the pandemic lockdowns, the publisher of 2000 AD, 2000 AD Regened and the Judge Dredd Megazinesees this as the chance to recalibrate the British newsstand towards a more sustainable future.
Jason Kingsley OBE, CEO of Rebellion, said:
The environment should matter to us all so I am delighted that we are able to give a commitment to never give away plastic ‘cover mount’ gifts with our titles. This sends a strong message that our work to support and expand the British comics industry won’t come at the cost of more plastic waste – a particularly important message when we are increasing our all-ages offering with 2000 AD Regened.
We support quality comics that stand on their merits and I am very proud that we can rule out resorting to adding plastic free gifts to the covers of our titles.
We have already moved toward greater environmental sustainability by using bio-degradable packaging, for example the Judge Dredd Megazine comes in a fully compostable bag that can be disposed of in any compost bin or council food waste scheme.
As newsagents and shops steadily reopen after the last 18 months, we believe now is the time to make a change. It’s may be a small step, but hopefully other publishers will also stand with us and give similar commitments against producing plastic gifts with their titles.
Originally started by publishers in the 1990s as a means to ‘boost’ flagging sales, cover-mounted free gifts have since become the norm in children’s magazine publishing. While the strategy may have worked at the time, it has led to a glut of unwelcome plastic bags and other plastic clogging shelves.
This also creates a barrier to browsers, meaning children are no longer able to judge a comic’s contents before buying and parents prioritising the ‘value’ of the cover mount over the quality of the work inside.
Inspired by campaigns started by children calling for an end to free plastic toys, major retailers such as Waitrose have already committed to banning titles that include them from their newsstands.
The UK is a major contributor to the world’s plastic crisis, generating more plastic waste per person than any other country except the USA.* Free toys and giveaway items add to this – they not only have a short lifespan but cannot easily be recycled.
A recent poll found that 85 per cent of people in the UK want the government to make retailers cut the amount of plastic packaging.*
* Statistics taken from Greenpeace ‘Trashed’ report from 2018 https://www.greenpeace.org.uk/
Jump In To The Future
In our second piece of 2000AD news this week is the latest jumping on Prog. These Progs, feature a whole new set of stories and make them a great point for new readers to join in the fun. There are some great now stories coming our way but I’ll hand over now to the official announcement from Tharg himself.
Sci-fi sagas and supernatural thrillers, nannies gone bad and shocking futures – plus the return of a 2000 AD legend – 2000 AD Prog 2250 is ideal for readers new and old!
Want the perfect issue to jump on board with the groundbreaking British sci-fi action weekly comic? Then we have a super-charged blast of cosmic excitement for you!
Out on 22 September from all good newsagents and comic book stores, as well as the 2000 AD webshop and app, 2000 AD Prog 2250 is a 48-page extravaganza engineered to give the perfect opportunity for readers to pick up the 2000 AD habit with a subscription or regular order.
This issue features the start of FIVE new on-going stories and two scintillating one-offs in a pulse-pounding package of Thrill-power!
And it’s crowned with a brand new cover from master artist Mick McMahon, a bold and evocative image of future hardline lawman Judge Dredd! One of 2000 AD’s most iconic artists, McMahon remains one of the master on Dredd, with an ever-evolving style that has produced some of the series’ greatest moments.
This issue kicks off with a brand new Judge Dredd story, ‘The Hard Way’, by Rob Williams (Suicide Squad) and Arthur Wyatt (Samizdat Squad) with art by breakout artist Jake Lynch (HAVN), which sees the world’s deadliest killers converge on the under-sea city of Atlantis to take out Mega-City One’s head of accounting… but they hadn’t counted on her having a visitor: Judge Dredd.
After her hit debut in 2000 AD’s all-ages 2000 AD Regened issues, Pandora Perfect gets her own series! The Mary-Poppins-gone-bad thief and confidence trickster from Roger Langridge (The Muppets) and Brett Parson (Tank Girl) begins the multi-part story ‘Mystery Moon’.
The surprise hit of 2020, The Out by Dan Abnett (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Mark Harrison (Durham Red), returns for a new series, with wandering photo-journalist Cyd Finlea still all alone and cut off as she tries to find her way through a dangerous and chaotic universe. This cerebral and emotionally weighty series delighted readers and critics alike when it debuted in June last year.
From its original premise of ‘What happened after HG Wells’ War of the Worlds?’ to a meditation on prejudice and politics – but with huge space battles – Scarlet Traces by Ian Edginton (Hinterkind) and Matt ‘D’Israeli’ Brooker (Lazarus Churchyard) begins its next epic chapter.
Gordon Rennie (Judge Dredd) and Antonio Fuso (WYRD) begin a new series of supernatural thriller series The Diaboliks, their successful spin-off of Rennie and Dom Reardon’s occult team thriller Caballistics Inc. With Ravne dispatched to London to sort out the Diaboliks’ new base of operations, the demonic Jenny has final business to sort out in Rome in the Embassy of the Unholy See.
Psychic future cop Judge Cassandra Anderson returns in one-off story ‘Be Psi-ing You’ by Maura McHugh (Witchfinder: The Mysteries of Unland) and Lee Carter (Indigo Prime)
And fan favourite artist Chris Weston (The Filth) draws and writes his own one-off Future Shock, ’The Guardian & the Godchild’.
2000 AD Prog 2250 is released on 22nd September 2021
Your Local Comics Shops
Your local comic shops are now open and you can pop in for your geek fix. Listed below are some of the best shops across the county with links to check the very latest information including opening time and covid safety measures. When visiting these shops please be patient and respectful to all the staff who are doing an incredible job.
FORBIDDEN PLANET INTERNATIONAL (VARIOUS) – includes Worlds Apart Birmingham
Please check with stores for any changes to opening times and services.
Follow the stores social media pages for updates!
FORBIDDEN PLANET (VARIOUS) – includes Birmingham Megastore
Check their website for more information –
https://forbiddenplanet.com/stores/
GOSH! COMICS (LONDON)
Check their website for more information –
https://goshlondon.com/the-gosh-blog/the-gosh-authority-130620-reopening-news/ and https://twitter.com/GoshComics
OK COMICS (LEEDS)
Follow the stores social media pages and website for updates!
http://www.okcomics.co.uk/ and https://twitter.com/OKComics
PAGE 45 (NOTTINGHAM)
Check their website for more information –
http://www.page45.com/ and https://twitter.com/PageFortyFive
TRAVELLING MAN (VARIOUS)
Check their website and social media for more information –
https://travellingman.com/ and https://twitter.com/TravellingManUK
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