5 Halloween Comics That Are So Good, It’s Scary →
Kzam and Lou put together a list of their favorite horror comics for @themarysue !
A comiXologist Recommends
Goldie Vance #4 @boomstudios
by Hope Larson @hopelarson, Brittney Williams @anotherbrittneywilliams and Sarah Stern @worstwizard
In the last issue of the first Goldie Vance story, our intrepid heroine dodges Russians spies, the cops, and the whims of gravity to save a missing hotel guest from certain doom! Will she survive her undercover mission to a rival hotel? Will her cute friend Diane want to be more than just a friend? Tune in to find out!
By day, Goldie is a valet at the chic Crossed Palms Resort in sunny Florida, USA. Also by day, she helps the hotel detective to solve even the most mundane case. When a guest’s necklace goes missing, it’s up to Goldie and her not-boss to solve the mystery. But neither of them could have guessed that the solution was part of a bigger problem…
I’ve loved everything about the Goldie Vance books, from the animated art style to the fact that Goldie’s mom works as a live mermaid in a downtown club. It’s a book that you’ll enjoy if you’re into retro settings, sleuthing, Grease-esque drag racing, mild Cold War era political overtures, or all of the above. I’m so excited that this series is now ongoing and we get to read more adventures soon, and now’s the perfect time to get caught up on this charming story!
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find the perfect comic for you. She is currently resisting the urge to write Spidevil fanfic.
A comiXologist Recommends
by Geoff Johns, Gary Frank, Ivan Reis, Phil Jimenez
By the time I finished reading Rebirth #1, I was nearly screaming.
When the new storyline was announced, I didn’t know what to expect, so when I first opened the book on our app, I was skeptical. Skepticism rapidly gave way to joy as one of my favorite fictional characters of all time took me along on a new adventure, searching desperately for a tether to a world we used to know.
Panel by panel, a rush of familiarity swept over me as stories and characters I knew and loved appeared as if the last few years hadn’t happened, as if they’d never left us and were just waiting for us to find them again. With each glimpse of this universe that first showed me how fantastic superhero comics could be, my happiness grew, and I was excited to see what the rest of the Rebirth titles had to offer—but I had no idea what was coming.
The last few pages completely blew my mind and sent me yelling to the rest of the office that everyone had to stop what they were doing immediately and read Rebirth before they heard the end secondhand. I continue that cry here: GO READ REBIRTH ASAP AND FEEL THE LOVE.
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinators at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find new comics to read. She basically ended up rolling around on the floor from emotions after reading Rebirth.
A comiXologist Recommends
POE DAMERON #1 by Charles Soule and Phil Noto (Marvel Comics)
“Watch this,” he says. It’s a promise and a dare and I can’t look away. He’s reckless and brave and he’s everything I want to be in my better moments, and he’s got his own story, and it’s here. I’m only on the first page, and I’m ready to follow Poe Dameron on every adventure. We’re gonna do this.
Poe Dameron #1 brings us back before the Force awakened, before Finn helped Poe complete his mission, to when General Organa first gave Poe the orders that would throw him in the path of the First Order like never before. The General wants to find her brother, Luke, before anyone else does, and it’s up to Poe to make it happen, no matter what. Poe quickly assembles a team and takes flight only to find that his mission is more dangerous than he could possibly have imagined.
Phil Noto’s art is gorgeous and Charles Soule’s writing is so on point it hurts. The Force is strong with this creative team, is what I’m saying. This first issue is cinematic and engaging and I can’t wait to read what this dream team has in store for us.
Not to be outdone, BB-8 stars in his own backup feature as a freewheeling matchmaker on the Resistance base! Will he make sparks fly, or only tempers? This story is too cute to miss!
Kara Szamborski supervises the Production Coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find the perfect comic to read and maybe also gush about Poe some more. She can fly anything (in her dreams).
WONDER WOMAN: AN INTRODUCTION
Wonder Woman has gone through many incarnations over the years, adapting to the times and to the visions of the great creative teams who have chronicled her adventures. If you’re into WW but you’re not sure where to start, you’re probably not alone, but fortunately comiXology’s Kara Szamborski has put together this reading guide to help you get started:
There’s this movie coming out this week that you might have heard of called Batman v Superman, or, as I like to call it, Wonder Woman and Two Dudes in Capes Who Punch Each Other For Like Two Hours. Thing is, I’m super excited for the big screen debut of the Amazon princess. There have been very few films including superheroes who happen to be women, and nothing makes me happier than the thought of one of the most famous heroes in comics getting introduced to a whole new audience.
Wonder Woman has had a few origin stories over the years, and she’s been reinvented just about every decade. At her core, though, she is the same: she wants to help others, and she believes she can make Man’s World a better place for everyone. Her most commonly used origin story (and my personal favorite) is where the Amazons, a tribe of warrior women in ancient Greece, retreat to an island protected from the world of men by the gods. Their queen yearned for a child, so she went down to the beach and sculpted a daughter from clay, and the goddesses brought her to life. Years later, that daughter would win a contest to represent the Amazons in Man’s World and go forth to aid and inspire.
You don’t need to read years of comics to understand Wonder Woman; I recommend these four stories as a crash course in why she has been such a popular character for so long:
Sensation Comics #23-24 A teenaged Wonder Woman emerges from
the sea near a boardwalk and spends the evening making friends and dancing
circles around some rude boys. The Amazons discover ice cream. Noelle
Stevenson’s art is flawless.
Sensation Comics #20-21 – Wonder Woman dons an astronaut suit to assist on a scientific shuttle that’s closer to danger than the crew thought. Alex de Campi is a genius at writing the Amazon princess and should be doing it forever, the end.
Wonder Woman (1987-2006) #195 – Ambassador, hero, friend, boss—Wonder Woman has a lot on her plate, and her newest member of staff has to learn fast to keep up.
Wonder Woman (2006-2011) #34-35 – What’s better than a Wonder Woman story? A Wonder Woman story guest starring Black Canary! Also, Gail Simone @gailsimone wrote it. Boom.
If you want more, I recommend the whole new Sensation Comics line, as most of those stories are short and don’t rely on continuity, plus, a different creative team on each story means you get a different side of Wonder Woman each time! If that’s not enough for you, definitely revisit her original Sensation Comics series from the 1940s to see the woman who was created to be a better hero than Superman.
Kara Szamborski supervises the Production Coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help readers like you find their perfect comic. She has been a Wonder Woman fan since seeing her on Superfriends as a kid and has always wanted those nifty bulletproof bracelets.
A comiXologist Recommends (a new start for an venerable vampette)
Hollywood will eat you alive, even if you’re a vampire. After just a few hours in town, Vampirella is caught on camera taking down a mysterious masked thug who broke into her new gothic mansion, and the video goes viral. Not one to procrastinate, she immediately updates her look to keep a low profile and follows her only lead from her attacker, but somehow ends up with an agent. L.A., am I right?
Kate Leth @kateordie brought her sass master A-game with this script (fave: internet news headline “Half-Naked Monster Woman Owns Home Invader”) and Eman Casallos’s spooky interiors and fierce monsters effortlessly bring you into the world of Vampirella without exposition.
If you’ve never picked up a Vampirella book before, this is a great place to start, and if you’re a long time fan, you’ll appreciate this new take on the ever-tough vampire heroine. Also, you’ll probably want to cosplay her new look immediately.
Kara Szamborski supervises the Production Coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find the perfect comic to read. She’s probably online trying to find those boots Vampirella’s wearing while you read this.
A comiXologist Recommends (a comic you can probably relate to)
So you’re like the only person you know without a boyfriend, but like, it’s fine, because everyone you meet is even more of a disaster than you are and you just can’t even. Your cat is your everything except when he eats your only legit pair of pantyhose the day of the big presentation, which could totally happen to anyone, you’re sure. Going out is a nightmare because you never have anything to wear, and even if you did, the men are useless so like why bother? It’s all good, though, because your bestie will always be there to enjoy Nutella banana crêpes with you while you both swear you’ll finally actually work out this year, and adulting is hard, dangit.
Basically you’re Josephine, and Josephine is you. She’s thirty-ish, her hips don’t lie, and she maybe tripped a kid on a plane once, but he was screaming down the aisles and what else was she supposed to do? Josephine’s idea of a daring haircut is trimming off the split ends, and her version of cleaning out her closet involves buying more storage space. Listen, life’s not perfect and we all do what we can, okay?
Read Josephine’s adventures in being a grownup any time you need a minute for yourself to remember that it’s not that serious. Kick back and chill with Josephine. She gets it.
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinator team at comiXology and cohosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find the perfect comic to read. She’s currently trying to figure out what her next nerdy manicure theme should be.
A comiXologist Recommends (an all-time favorite)
When fifteen-year-old me first picked up an issue of Birds of Prey, the 1999-2009 version, I had no idea that my life was about to change forever. I had no idea that I was about to meet characters who felt as real to me as my own besties, no idea that I’d picked up the book that would keep me reading comics every week from then on. But this isn’t a story about me, not exactly.
This is the story of how Oracle built the most powerful network of information and friends the world had ever seen. This is the story of how Black Canary became the best martial artist on the planet and found herself in Sin. This is the story of how the Huntress found more strength in her friends than she had ever found in her anger. This is how Lady Blackhawk made her place in a time removed from her own, how Misfit learned to live, how Catwoman learned to trust, how Manhunter learned to hope, how Barda gave everything.
In the pages of Birds of Prey I met women who were fearless and fierce and bound by friendship and loyalty, women who fought and bled for each other when no one else would, women who laughed and celebrated and hoped despite the evil they witnessed. I saw myself and what I could be in these pages, like so many of us did. So it isn’t just my story. This is our story.
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find your perfect comic. Huntress aka Helena Bertinelli is her favorite pre-New 52 DC character.
A comiXologist Recommends (something new from a long time ago in galaxy far, far away)
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly podcast The comiXologist to help you find awesome new comics to read. She is currently obsessed with Poe Dameron.
A comiXologist Recommends (their favorite character from 2015)
Kimber Benton from Jem and the Holograms
Kimber Benton is hands-down THE most adorable character of 2015. As the youngest member of Jem and the Holograms, the hot new band giving the popular Misfits a run for their money, she’s a talented keytar player who has wanted all her life to perform. As a sister to her bandmates, she’s always there when they need her, even if her new maybe-girlfriend makes her late sometimes. She’s the heart of this comic and you’ll wish you could be her bestie.
Kimber’s voice as a character is modern and relatable. Kelly Thompson’s writing shows us a Kimber who talks like our friends do and who gets so excited about things that us readers can’t help but get swept away with her enthusiasm. And let’s not forget Sophie Campbell’s amazing character design. #goals.
It’s corny to say, but Kimber’s honesty and openness has inspired me to be braver and make choices based on what I want and not succumb to peer pressure. She may “just” be a character in a comic book, but that doesn’t stop her from being awesome! Rock on, Kimber. See you in 2016!
Kara Szamborski supervises the production coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find new comics to read. She’s currently trying to figure out exactly how many sequins she can get away with wearing on New Year’s Eve.
A comiXologist Recommends
Gotham City is dying.
Sinister black growths creep forth in the shadows, and city folk at the outskirts of the sprawling urban warren fear to tread on once hallowed ground. Some threats are too ancient and fell to be met by the Batman and his ilk.
The Midnight Shift is Gotham’s only defense, unless Internal Affairs gets its way and disbands the rough cut police squad first. A cop hosting a near-divine entity, another with a secret held close inside, a twisted doctor, and a compassionate nun are nearly all what stands between the city and the abyss.
In the final issue of this magnificent run, we see just what this team is made of in a stunning showdown to save all living things in one of fiction’s darkest cities.
Gotham by Midnight has been one of the creepiest character driven stories out there, and I am sorry to see it go. The entrancing art and muted color palette set the mood in each issue instantly, drawing you into the mire of the weird and the supernatural plaguing the concrete spires and grotesques of Gotham. For a somber feel and characters as sympathetic as they are flawed, look no further than this 12-issue series.
Kara Szamborski supervises the Production Coordinator team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast, where she helps readers like you find their next perfect comic.
A comiXologist recommends:
Power Up #1
by: Kara Szamborski
To quote Shakespeare/Channing Tatum in She’s the Man, “Some were born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them,” and it’s the latter we’re in for with Power Up, the latest from Kate Leth (kateordie) and Matt Cummings (eiffelart) .
Our heroine is Amie Bloom, a 23-year old woman working in the local pet shop, a typical 23-year old in many respects, except all of a sudden a cosmic event maybe gives her superpowers and she has no idea what’s going on. No one seems to know what she’s talking about when she describes what happened to her, except for a mom and a dude in a baseball cap (and possibly a goldfish).
Let’s be real here. I’m on board with this series because it’s Kate Leth’s addition to the magical girl subgenre (If you’ve seen, read, or heard of Sailor Moon, you have a pretty good idea of what this subgenre entails—a team, usually all girls, is granted cosmic/magical powers to defeat a great evil. They have amazing uniforms and hair that inspires you), and I’m dying to see the uniform transformation sequences that Matt Cummings will come up with.
Consider this first issue to be the pilot episode of what promises to be a hilarious, sweet, magnificently fun series. I’m already captivated by the cute details (Colorful Canadian money! Puntastic shop names!) and need it to be next month like now so I can see what happens next.
[Read Power Up #1 on comiXology]
Kara Szamborski supervises the International Production team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comic recommendation podcast The comiXologist. She is the proud owner of an alarming number of nerdy dresses.
A comiXologist recommends:
Thor Vol. 1: Goddess Of Thunder
by: Kara Szamborski
A shift has occurred, perhaps not a cosmic one, but strong enough to lay low a god. The mighty Thor has been deemed unworthy of the enchanted hammer, Mjolnir, and he wastes away on the moon, fruitlessly trying to wield it once more. The All-Father, Odin, has returned to Asgard, now Asgardia under the All-Mother, Freyja, and their struggle for power will not end quietly.
Amid the chaos, Frost Giants of Jotunheim breach the space between realms to attack Roxxon Corp, of all places, to claim the found skull of their fallen king. With Earth in danger and the Odinson Thor a shadow of his former self, a woman lifts Mjolnir out of the moon-dust.
In this first volume of the new highly acclaimed Thor story, we do not yet know the identity of the Goddess of Thunder, but in that lack of knowledge lies a tantalizing truth—that we could all be worthy, if we but dared to do more, to be more than we are. The new Thor does not have all the answers, but she finds that with confidence (and a little bit of swagger) she can triumph. Read Thor, and find what it means to be truly worthy of the power of a god.
[Check out Thor Vol. 1: Goddess of Thunder on comiXology]
Kara Szamborski supervises the international production team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly comiXologist podcast to help you find new comics to read. She’s kind of obsessed with the new Thor.
A comiXologist Recommends…
Kara Szamborski recommends:
She-Hulk #12
She-Hulk is the best friend you wish you fought crime with on the reg and the lawyer you wish you had on your speed dial. She’s confident and sassy and always, always, always down to party. In the glorious 12-issue story written by Charles Soule (who is a lawyer too), our heroine fights for her friends and her clients with equal verve. Javier Pulido’s illustrations bring the “pop” to pop art—each page is a masterpiece of action sequences and bright colors, even when the characters are just talking to one another.
Issue 12 is the comics equivalent of last call: you had a great time, and you wish you didn’t have to leave, but you know you’ll see your friends again in a different space. All the questions we’ve had for the first 11 issues are answered, and the ending is shockingly satisfying. This 12-issue run is one to revisit, and if you’ve got a friend who is looking to get into superhero comics and doesn’t know where to start, this is the story to share with them.
If you’ve been along for the whole run and you don’t know what to do with yourself now, definitely check out Superior Foes of Spider-Man for more snappy dialogue and bold art from the Marvel universe, or pick up Batgirl from DC for more leading ladies with style.
[Read She-Hulk #12 on comiXology]
Kara Szamborski supervises the International Production team at comiXology and co-hosts the weekly podcast The comiXologist to help folks like you find new books to read. She is currently counting the seconds until the Princess Leia comic is released.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Kara Szamborski recommends Secret Six #1
The latest Secret Six series from gailsimone already promises to be just as twisted as its pre-New 52 predecessor. Six freaks are trapped in a box, and their imminent doom seems like a foregone conclusion—but are they alone?
In this first issue of the new series, we are given just a taste of what’s going on and who’s been thrown together, but it’s enough for me to want to read more. Regular readers of Simone’s work will rejoice that the rugged, fierce Catman is back on the prowl, this time alongside the one and only Black Alice, who can borrow the abilities of any being, though she has traditionally favored magic abilities (she swipes from Zatanna for a panel here, and it’s anyone’s guess who she borrows from next).
The trapped six are raunchy, dangerous, and angry, so it’s nearly impossible to imagine them working together to escape their current predicament. That’s the real fun of it, though; with the Secret Six, you never know quite what you’re in for.
I can’t wait to see where this series goes. In the meantime, definitely check Gail Simone’s original run with the Secret Six. Her work on this title was hugely influential on me, because her complex, flawed characters reject labels and societal expectations to forge their own way through an ever-greying world where nothing is ever as simple as it seems.
For the complete set, start with Villains United, then follow the Six to their miniseries, before the main event, 36 issues of amazing comics that wrap up in the most satisfying way. Get reading, and get ready—the next new issue is only a month away!
[Read Secret Six #1 on comiXology!]
Kara Szamborski supervises the International Production team at comiXology and cohosts The comiXologist, the weekly podcast that helps you find new comics to read!