5 new comics to read in May, including DC's "Summer Of Superman"
Plus: Alison Bechdel, a competition of killers, and a horror western.
Images from left: Exquisite Corpses (Image Comics); Supergirl (DC Comics); Heartcore (Graphic Mundi)
Welcome to The A.V. Club’s monthly comics preview, where we recommend new books to check out over the next few weeks. This month, we’ve got five exciting picks, including Alison Bechdel’s latest graphic novel and the start of DC’s “Summer Of Superman.”
Exquisite Corpses #1 by James Tynion IV, Michael Walsh, and Jordie Bellaire (May 14)
Exquisite Corpses (Image Comics)
Ambition is the name of the game in Exquisite Corpses (Image Comics), a large-scale horror comic project taking its cues from TV production. James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh are the showrunners, and they’ve assembled a group of 10 other creators to build a new horror world, working from a series bible by Tynion IV and character designs by Walsh. The initial 13-issue “season” will lay the groundwork for potential spin-offs, and the merchandising has already begun with the announcement of a companion card game. The concept involves the 12 families who control the United States competing for dominance through a small-town deathmatch every five years, with each family selecting a notorious killer as their representative. The ashcan of Exquisite Corpses #1 is available to read online, setting up the central conceit with a strong sense of foreboding and introducing the cast of killers with snapshots that showcase how much personality Walsh can distill into a single image. There’s already a ton to explore in just those few pages, so readers can expect the full triple-sized first issue to be a meaty read with enough ideas to fuel years of stories.
The Goddamn Tragedy by Chris Condon and Shawn Kuruneru (May 28)
The Goddamn Tragedy (Oni Press)
The westward expansion of the United States has proven to be a fertile time period for horror stories, with comics like Manifest Destiny putting a supernatural spin on these historical journeys and pushing them into unknown territory. In the new graphic novella, The Goddamn Tragedy (Oni Press), a family’s trek to California in 1864 puts them in the path of mystical forces when they veer away from the rest of their party to take a shortcut through the woods. Writer Chris Condon has developed a skill for high-tension storytelling across genres, from his Texas noir, That Texas Blood, to his current superhero work on Ultimate Wolverine and Green Arrow, and the fully painted art by Shawn Kuruneru evokes the haunting atmosphere of Mike Mignola’s work. Severe shadows and foggy colors create an environment where danger can be lurking anywhere, and as the family’s fear mounts, the psychological toll poses a new threat from within.
Heartcore by Štěpánka Jislová and Martha Kuhlman (May 13)
Heartcore (Graphic Mundi)
What shapes our desires? Why do we want people who are bad for us? How do you make connections when you’ve been hurt in the past? These are just some of the questions Štěpánka Jislová explores in her graphic memoir, Heartcore (Graphic Mundi), which has her dissecting her past and turning to psychological theory to understand why she ends up with the wrong romantic partners. The winner of the Czech Republic’s Muriel Award for best comic book of the year, Heartcore, translated into English by Martha Kuhlman, is an extensive examination of all the things that have shaped the author’s ideas of love, from the relationships she sees in real life to the very mixed messages she receives from the media she absorbs. It’s a vulnerable and honest work that doesn’t offer easy answers, and Jislová constantly explores new ways to visually present information and bring the emotional core of these relationships to the surface.
Spent by Alison Bechdel (May 20)
Spent (Mariner Books)
Alison Bechdel is one of the comic-book industry’s most successful cartoonists, creating work that has directly influenced popular culture and seen new life off the page in a Tony Award-winning musical. Bechdel reckons with that success in her new graphic novel, Spent (Mariner Books), in which a fictionalized version of herself navigates the shifts in her personal life as her professional profile drastically grows. In this case, her first graphic memoir has become an Emmy Award-winning streaming series, launching her to a new level of fame that transforms her artistic ambitions while disrupting her relationships with her partner and friends. This is a full-circle project for Bechdel, who looks back at her own career journey while also returning to the world of her breakout work by bringing back the characters from her Dykes To Watch Out For comic strip, who appear as the friends in her social circle. Stepping away from reality allows Bechdel to bring a more satirical perspective to the story, skewering the current media landscape and criticizing her own aspiration to gain more fame by chasing what is popular.
Supergirl #1 by Sophie Campbell and Tamra Bonvillain (May 14)
Supergirl (DC Comics)
Capitalizing on the arrival of James Gunn’s Superman film, DC Comics is promoting the “Summer Of Superman” with the launch of new titles. Writer Dan Slott returns to DC after 20 years at Marvel for Superman Unlimited with artist Rafael Albuquerque and Ryan North pens a new Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton miniseries with artist Mike Norton, but the most exciting debut is the Supergirl (DC Comics) ongoing written and drawn by Sophie Campbell with colors by Tamra Bonvillain. Campbell’s recent work on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was an incredible revamp of that property, juggling a large ensemble with grace and imbuing fantastic circumstances with relatable human stakes. She’s an inspired creator to take over the adventures of Kara Zor-El, who returns to her home of Midvale only to discover an impostor has taken her place. Artwork by Campbell and Bonvillain guarantees that this book will have stunning superhero action, a fully realized setting, and a rich cast. The cover of Supergirl #2 touts “boring smalltalk” as a selling point, highlighting Campbell’s sense of humor as well as her dedication to building out the book’s supporting figures, giving Kara new relationships to bring out different sides of her character.
