The Geeky Brummie Pull List - Step By Bloody Step

The Geeky Brummie Pull List with Step By Bloody Step

A slightly reduced Geeky Brummie Pull List this week, but there is no reduction in quality. Firstly, we have the final issue of Step By Bloody Step, from Image Comics which is our Comic of the Week. Then, we have three other books on the Pull List this week, from Image, Marvel and BOOM! Studios. Finally, we have another two great comics to look out for On The Radar also from DC and Image Comics.

Finally, in MEANWHILE… we check out the upcoming British romance comics collection.

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…

Step By Bloody Step
Issue 4
Image Comics

Writer – Simon Spurrier
Artists – Mat Lopes and Matias Bergara
Letterer- Jim Campbell

Buy on Comixology – Step By Bloody Step #4 (Link)

The tragedy. The truth. The great secret, revealed at last. And a painful lesson:
Sometimes you can’t complete a journey without turning to see how far you’ve come.

How do you follow the devastating end of the previous issue? Things were left in a bad way and I can only conclude we will face more heartbreak here. This comic has been a phenomenal piece of art, drawing us in, and making us feel for characters we’ve never heard speak.

The whole thing challenges us as readers. Readers have to work to interpret the story and that is where the genius lies. We all bring something of ourselves to this tale. Therefore we emote and sympathise with the moments that resonate with us. Spurrier has crafted an incredible story, that has been executed exquisitely by Lopes and Bergara. The infrequent and alien languages created by Campbell have worked to show us words aren’t all we need to understand a person. This is a comic that really shows what the medium can do and one that will have every reader taking away something unique. A tour de force of storytelling, bravo to all involved.

Knights of X
Issue 2
Marvel Comics

Writer – Tini Howard
Artist – Bob Quinn
Colourist – Erick Arciniega
Letterer – Ariana Maher

Buy on Comixology – Knights of X #2 (Link)

THE QUEST REVEALED! Betsy Braddock has assembled her Knights! Their mission: to save Otherworld from Merlyn and his powerful henchmen…by finding the holy grail of mutantkind. But Otherworld is vast, and innumerable armies stand in their way. When Merlyn targets the Crooked Market, a safe haven for mutantkind, the Knights must split up. Will Captain Britain find the grail? Will Gambit lead the others into a deadly trap? Death looms over the Knights—in more ways than one.

Much like Once and Future, I adore the fact this book riffs on British folklore. I dig the team of knights that have been assembled and can’t wait to see what trials and tribulations lie ahead for them. f I was Marvel I would draft in Alan Davis to do any flashback pages and maybe the odd cover or two. A fun book that hits the right nostalgia points whilst trying something new.

Once and Future
Issue 26
Image Comics

Writer – Kieron Gillen
Artist – Dan Mora
Colourist – Tamra Bonvillain

Buy on Comixology – Once and Future #26 (Link)

It’s the day after Christmas, and as the kings converge on the mythical sword, Bridgette McGuire’s true plan comes to light!
Everything hinges on her ritual and who it could release!
A storm is brewing… Who will make it through the end of the year in order to set things right?

Gosh, it just keeps getting better. This team keep pulling out all the stops and I love it. This book has grown and developed over its run, and there is still plenty left to explore. Shame this isn’t being released at the end of the year, as that would have been cool.

What’s The Furthest Place From Here?
Issue 6
Image Comics

Writer – Matthew Rosenberg
Artist – Tyler Boss

Buy on Comixology – What’s The Furthest Place From Here? #6 (Link)

THE IMPLOSIVE END TO THE FIRST ARC! Prufrock chases a ghost, Oberon fights for his life, and Alabama’s deal to save her family collapses before her eyes. It’s the end of the road for the Academy as they know it, but they are going down swinging in this shocking conclusion to the first arc. After this, nothing will ever be the same ever again.

We arrive at the end of the first story arc and everything is at stake for the gang. I’ve had a great time with this book which is just waiting to be turned in to a series on Netflix. A wonderful cast of characters have been assembled and I worry that not everyone will make it out of this issue in one piece. A fantastic spiritual successor to 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank and it’s a relief we haven’t got long to wait for the next arc to begin.

On the radar this week some other comics not on the Pull List but well worth checking out:

The Closet #1

Image Comics

Writer – James Tynion IV
Artist – Gavin Fullerton
Colourist – Chris O’Halloran
Letterer – Tom Napolitano

Buy on Comixology – The Closet #1 (Link)

Thom is moving cross-country with his family and dragging the past along with them. His son, Jamie, is seeing monsters in the bedroom closet and will not let them go. A tale of existential familial horror by JAMES TYNION IV (THE DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH, RAZORBLADES) and GAVIN FULLERTON (BOG BODIES, Bags).

Action Comics 2022 Annual

Marvel Comics

Writers – Simon Spurrier and Phillip Kennedy Johnson
Artists – Dale Eaglesham and Ian Churchill
Colourist – Lee Loughridge
Letterer – Dave Sharpe

Buy on Comixology – Action Comics 2022 Annual (Link)

A TALE OF TWO TITANS
As the Warworld Saga reaches a breaking point, battle lines are drawn between the two towering forces at odds: Mongul and Superman. In this special 2022 annual we’ll explore how our combatants have evolved over the years to represent the beacons of hope and tyranny that they respectively embody…and witness the first chilling chapter of their ultimate final battle!

A Very British Romance

It’s the comic book genre that sold millions and then disappeared – the forgotten history of Britain’s romance comics is to be revealed in a stunning new collection.

A Very British Affair will bring together some of the greatest British romance comics ever printed in one spectacular volume – many of them never reprinted before!

Scheduled for publication in January 2023 and curated by Eisner-nominated historian and artist David Roach, this sumptuous 224-page hardcover will be the first book to chart the stratospheric rise of romance comics in postwar Britain.

Featuring an eclectic mix of more than fifty stories, this lavish collection unearths the sensual art and emotional writing which delighted generations of comics readers of titles such as Mirabelle, Valentine, Marilyn, and Serenade.

As well as paying tribute to the often uncredited creators who crafted an industry of love, this fascinating collection will also shine a spotlight on the genre’s forgotten female creators, such as Jenny Butterworth, Pat Tourett and Diane Gabbott.

A Very British Affair – The Best of Classic Romance Comics

The Romantic Artists

With a cover featuring Ángel Badia Camps’ iconic cover for Serenade, it features art by comics icons like Shirley Bellwood (Misty), Jordi Badía Romero (Creepy) and Enrique Badía Romero (AXA), Mike Hubbard (Jane), Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd), John M. Burns (Modesty Blaise), Purita Campos (Patty’s World), Jesus Blaco (Steel Claw), Pepe Gonzalez (Vampirella) Jesus Redondo (Kitty Pryde) and Ian Gibson (The Ballad of Halo Jones), this is the ultimate celebration of love, loss and lust in postwar Britain.

A Very British Affair follows Rebellion’s best-selling Masters of British Comic Art, also curated by Roach, which was nominated for an Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book in 2021.

Just The Quotes, Ma’am

David Roach said: ‘Despite selling millions of copies over two decades and dominating newsstands, the mid-twentieth century boom in romance comics has been largely forgotten. The first book of its kind to be published, A Very British Affair will shine a light on this sadly neglected genre and its gifted creators.

‘As well as charting the evolution of this fascinating genre through the decades, it will showcase art from a number of great British talents including Shirley Bellwood, Mike Hubbard and Gerry Haylock, as well as work from some of the greatest artists from around the world. It has been a privilege to give these forgotten comics a little much-needed love.’

Editor Olivia Hicks said: ‘It’s been a real privilege to work with someone as knowledgeable and enthusiastic as David on this much needed collection. Despite their incredible popularity, stunning art and the depth of storytelling, British romance comics have become a footnote in comics history.

‘This timely book is going to set the record straight and finally give these amazing comics and their creators their moment in the sun. Brilliant, beautiful, heartfelt and occasionally downright bizarre, this is the essential selection of British romance comics!’

The Details

Title: A Very British Affair: The Best of Classic Romance Comics
Curator: David Roach
IBSN: 9781786187710
Publication date: 31 Jan 2023
Price: £40 / $55
Pages: 224
Size: 313 × 237 mm

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. Therefore, 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