Comic book best picks of the week: 11/24/21 – Bam! Smack! Pow!

It might be a holiday week in the United States, but that doesnt mean that doesnt mean that comic books will stop their weekly releases.

From vampires to metaphysical realms of life and death, readers should be thankful for the comic books that were released this past week.

Superheroes and vampires, thats always a fun mix right? Well, maybe not, but it always has the potential to be a lot of fun and two issues into DC vs. Vampires and this one has all the makings of an incredibly fun series. Theres a lot of great stuff happening in this issue, and a surprising amount of humor, but even amidst all of that, the issue does a great job of making you feel uneasy and untrusting as you turn each page.

Much of this issue focuses on the Bat-Family and Batmans attempts to sus out whether any of them, who are ironically often thought of as vampires, have been turned yet. This makes for a very fun time that makes you think that it will turn to disaster any second, which is great and perfect for a series like this. And the final few pages, between a vampire Hal Jordan and normal Barry Allen, are just absolutely brutal.

Fear State is over but that doesnt necessarily mean that the tie-ins are done with the event. But honestly though, Detective Comics has had the Fear State branding for the past several issues and it really had nothing to do with the event at all. In fact, this issue takes place right before it really even started, which is very much for the better. Detective Comics has been consistently great lately and this issue is no different. Its creepy, gross, and a whole lot of fun.

Really, since Tamaki and Mora took over the series back in March, Detective Comics has often been much closer to a horror book than it is a superhero book, which is definitely a compliment. This issue is no different in the grand scheme as it continues that consistency. Theres a great dynamic between Mayor Nakano and Batman. The extended Bat-Family gets a lot of time to shine, which is as it should be in Detective Comics. And it also manages to flesh out Gotham even more, which is always nice.

Anthology series are often hit or miss when it comes to every issue. Some issues could have all amazing stories. All of them could be duds. Usually its somewhere in between. But this final issue of Wonder Woman: Black & Gold is probably the best of the entire series. Every story is great for different reasons and all feel different from the rest in great ways.

My two personal favorites were the stories by Liam Sharp and Michael W. Conrad & Noah Bailey. Sharps story is incredibly different from any story in any issue as it is based on a dream of his and he breaks the fourth wall and puts himself into the story. Its pretty great. Its surreal and feels entirely like a dream and his artwork is absolutely stunning. As for Conrad & Baileys story, its about a feeling that everyone can probably relate to. Its about not living up to perceived expectations and falling into self-destruction. Its a story thats perfect for Wonder Woman and it ends beautifully.

Its an unenviable task to follow-up one of the best Hulk runs, and one of the best comics in general of the past several years, so Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley have a large hill to climb ahead of them. Whats great about this first issue though is that it does two things. Firstly, it acknowledges Immortal Hulk while not trying to retcon anything. Secondly, it doesnt just try to recreate Immortal Hulk. It does its own thing while still using some of the mythos that was created in Immortal Hulk.

With all that said though, its hard to tell right now whether this run will work out in the long run. This first issue was a lot of fun with some great action, but its also just completely ridiculous at points. It feels like a comic that wouldve come out in the mid-90s. Some will absolutely be stoked about it, and while it worked for this issue, hopefully the entire run wont feel like that.

Radiant Black is a series that doesnt get talked about as much as it should be. Its been pretty great from the beginning, but the past arc has really made it into something spectacular and this weeks issue is as close to perfect as a comic can get. Not bad for what initially seems like a Power Rangers knock-off right?

For all the crazy, wonky metaphysical stuff going on in this issue, at the end of the day, its all about someone going through hell to save their friend and discovering the truth about themselves along the way. Yes, this is a story that has been told thousands of times at this point, but when executed well, it still packs a punch. And here? Its executed to perfection. This is an incredible issue that works well because of the writing and art, but truly ascends because of how excellent the coloring is, which is absolutely phenomenal in every way.

Have you been reading any good comic book stories lately? Tell us your best comic book picks below!

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Comic book best picks of the week: 11/24/21 - Bam! Smack! Pow!

Reviewed and Recommended by Erik Baquero