'Star Wars: Darth Vader', 'X-Men/Fantastic Four' and other must-read first issues that hit the stands on February 5
Ah, another week, another batch of comics. A surprisingly large number of first issues hit the stands on February 5. Some of them were great, some not so great. Either way, here's our pick of the five new #1s you should be reading.
'Conan: Battle for the Serpent Crown' #1
First up, we've got a new 'Conan' comic by Saladin Ahmed and Luke Ross that continues the barbarian's adventures in the modern era as he tries to hunt down his eternal enemy Kulan Gath. The new series sees Conan attempting to navigate the present day, a world that is both familiar and alien to him, while dark forces try to use him for their own agenda. This one should be a hit with fans of 'Savage Avengers' and fans of Conan in general.
'Justice League' #40
This one isn't a #1 but it's still the start of a new run, which is why it's on this list. 'Justice League' #40 features the start of a new run by Robert Venditti and Doug Mahnke after the cataclysmic Scott Snyder-penned 'Justice/Doom War' storyline. This issue sets things back to a relative normal, with Earth ONLY being threatened by the Eradicator and Daxamites who are as powerful as Superman with none of his weaknesses. The character dynamic is classic Justice League, with the cast apparently bringing in the burdens of their solo series into the comic as well for some cross-title synergy. New League member Madame Xanadu is going to be an interesting addition to the classic League team, and with Doug Mahnke on art, there's bound to be some very vibrant weirdness in store.
'Star Wars: Darth Vader' #1
Greg Pak and Raffaele Ienco's new Darth Vader series picks up right after 'The Empire Strikes Back', with the iconic villain going on a quest to find all the people who hid the existence of his son Luke Skywalker from him. This one comes with some really fun moments of Vader badassery and fills in some of the gaps between Episode 5 and Episode 6. In fact, the whole issue would have been completely worth is just for the final page, which is all we can say without giving away one of the biggest plot twists in all of 'Star Wars'.
'X-Men / Fantastic Four' #1
It's a confrontation that's been in the making ever since Jonathan Hickman relaunched the X-Men and gave mutantkind a homeland of their own. The mutants have so far been content to allow Franklin Richards to stay with his family, despite the fact that he's possibly the single most powerful mutant on the planet. But now in 'X-Men / Fantastic Four' #1 by Chip Zdarsky and Terry Dodson, they're finally knocking on the doors of 4 Yancy Street, setting up a battle between Marvel's Merry Mutants and the First Family. We don't want to spoil anything about the plot so all we'll say is Reed Richards is an idiot.
'Ant-Man' #1
Zeb Wells and Dylan Burnett's new 'Ant-Man' series was the best thing we picked up this week. Starring Scott Lang, the titular Ant-Man, and his daughter Cassie Lang / Stinger, the series is a hilarious family comedy with plenty of sci-fi weirdness. It's right up there with 'All-New Hawkeye' on our list of favorite buddy comedies and the contrast between Cassie, who's life is actually pretty good, and her father, who's basically unemployed, is truly enjoyable. Burnett's art doesn't exactly go for realism but that works for the humorous tone of the book and Cory Petit's lettering is a genuine treat. This is one book everyone should read, especially if you're a fan of the 'Ant-Man' movies.