Marvel's Next Big Book and 4 More Comics to Pick Up in July
Before we get to the five comic books you should consider prime summertime reading in July, there are two things we want to bring to your attention. First, you know what else happens in July? Comic-Con International in San Diego, so expect all kinds of news about forthcoming comics in about three weeks' time. And secondly, one of the best comic books you can read this month is already available online, for free: Hannah Bumenreich's Spideyzine, which collects her fan comics about Marvel's wall-crawling superhero and shows a side of the character that is rarely, if ever, seen in the official comics. Genuinely great stuff. Once you're done reading that, please do make your way to the comics shop to pick up these five titles.
Snotgirl #1 (Image Comics)
Really, all Snotgirl needs as a selling point is the phrase "the new project from *Scott Pilgrim'*s Bryan Lee O'Malley." But there's much more to it than that. For one thing, there's the wonderful art by Leslie Hung. And for another, there's the sly satire on social media mores that propels Lottie Person from an allergy-ridden disaster—hence the snot of the title—into Internet phenomenon. Get ready to get phlegmy.
Image ComicsCivil War II #3 (Marvel Comics)
This is the big one. It's midway through Marvel's latest major event storyline, and someone is going to die, putting the conflict between the various superheroes over whether or not to use foreknowledge of the future to preemptively deal with bad guys in a whole new direction. Who's buying the farm? Marvel isn't saying, but it is planning a midnight release of the issue on July 13, which suggests it's a big deal. There will also be two special issues spinning out of this one the following month, Civil War II: The Fallen and Civil War II: The Accused.
Marvel Comics
Brik #1 (Oni Press)
If Spider-Man always seemed a little too clean to be a true New York hero, then perhaps Brik is the comic book you've been waiting for. Like Peter Parker, Drew's life turns upside down when something tragic happens to a family member, but what follows in this YA supernatural superhero story is far more complicated than promising to be responsible and heading straight out to fight crime on a regular basis. Written by Supernatural's Adam Glass and crime novelist Mike Benson with art by Harwinder Singh, it's a smart update on a familiar story that feels like the start of something huge.
Oni PressDream Gang (Dark Horse Comics)
Mad Max: Fury Road co-writer and designer Brendan McCarthy goes full-on Yellow Submarine in this psychedelic adventure about a man who falls asleep to discover strangers showing up in his dreams. And these strangers aren't just subconscious randos, they have a mission: to discover the psychic bomb that has been planted in his subconsciousness, primed to explode and push humanity into a state of catatonia. Yes, it's every bit as surreal and wonderful and that sounds, with artwork that's gloriously garish and trippy.
Dark Horse Comics
Garden of Flesh (Fantagraphics Books)
Gilbert Hernandez continues his seemingly effortless mission to be one of comics' most difficult to categorize creators with this new graphic novel. After the magic-realist social history of his Love & Rockets material and the supernatural thriller The Twilight Children, where else should he go but a sexually explicit retelling of the Bible from Adam and Eve up through Noah's Ark? Expect explorations of the Good Book that you'd never find in Sunday School, as Hernandez finds new space to talk about subjects and stories many grew up with.
Fantagraphics Books
