Adventures in Podcasting: New Releases for 23/05/2018

It's that time again.  Peter, Derek and Emma go through this week's new releases, picking out their favourites and trying not to let Derek see what's happening as they flick through the pages.

This week's highlights include Iron Man reaching that landmark 600th issue and trying to remember which celebrity faces have been included in some classic comic books.

To subscribe to the podcast, click here.  Remember, you can always check out our special editions including our Infinity War Review, the Road to Infinity War and what to read if you need more Avengers in your life.

This week's new releases can be delivered straight to your door by clicking right here.

Review: Flavor #1

Flavor #1

Writer: Joseph Keatinge
Artist: Wook Jin Clark
Colorist: Tamnra Bonvillain
Letterer: Ariana Maher

SYNOPSIS:

Within a strange walled city, an unlicensed chef discovers a mystery that threatens to end it all. Join JOSEPH KEATINGE (GLORY, SHUTTER) and WOOK JIN CLARK (Adventure Time: The Flip Side) on this culinary epic adventure-FLAVOR-where chefs are the ultimate celebrity and food is the most valued commodity. The high-stakes competition of Hunger Games collides with the lush, MIYAZAKI-esque worldbuilding in this delectable new ongoing series featuring culinary consulting and bonus content by ALI BOUZARI, renowned food scientist and author of the IACP Award-winning cookbook Ingredient: Unveiling the Essential Elements of Food.

REVIEW:

May saw the release of Flavor, a brand new Image Comics title about Xoo, an enthusiastic young chef with a lot on her plate.  Her parents are struggling with severe health issues and she's missed out on school.  Now, to make things even worse, her uncle has been assigned as her new guardian.  But she's not going to let that stop her chasing her true passion: cooking.

Flavor is nothing short of adorable.  Between its animated characters, beautiful colours and a very cute dog, it has found its niche and settled in comfortably.  The initial solicitation likened it to the work of Studio Ghibli films and the influence can be seen throughout.  Not just on the visuals (where it can be seen to have made a major impact) but also on the characters themselves who seem like individuals conflicted between their own familial obligations and their own desires.

Wook Jin Clark's art fills every panel to the brim and crowd scenes are particularly full of life.  Face are expressive and characters are bursting with attitude.  Similarly, Joseph Keatinge's dialogue also makes Xoo just as feisty.  Tamra Bonvillain's colours are stunning - made particularly clear with the credits in panels in the last few pages (which I particularly enjoyed).

Keatinge has created a world which the first issue has only really scraped the surface of.  The city our hero inhabits is surrounded by a wall (thus isolating the city in a sort of Hunger Games meets Attack on Titan style) and what is beyond those walls is only briefly hinted at.  But the juxtaposition of the two stories the book tells - the troubled Xoo and what's being kept out by that wall) can only mean an interesting few issues ahead.

7/10

To add this title to your subscription, click here.

Marvel's August 2018 Solicitations Sees the Return of the Fantastic Four

After an incredibly long absence, everybody's favourite super family are returning to print.  The Fantastic Four are set to launch a new title in August 2018 from Marvel Comics and we can't wait.  From writer Dan Slott and artist Sara Pichelli, the relanch is one we welcome with open arms.

August seems a very Fantastic Four-themed month with not only the new ongoing title but also a one-shot and an omnibus featuring the work of Waid and Wieringo.

Check out the solicitation information below and follow our links to add these to your subscription.

Fantastic Four #1

FOUREVER Part One

BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT – THE WORLD’S GREATEST COMIC MAGAZINE IS BACK!

Since the end of SECRET WARS, there’s been a gap in the Marvel Universe. A void no other team can fill. And it’s time for the world to move on. But can it? A life-changing decision by the Thing! A momentous declaration by the Human Torch! A clarion call-to-arms that summons Doctor Doom! And a signal in the sky that heralds the return of hope to the Marvel Universe! All this, and Alicia Masters adopts kittens! So cute! Plus, the Impossible Man!

AND BONUS STORIES ILLUSTRATED BY SIMONE BIANCHI AND SKOTTIE YOUNG!

IF YOU READ ONLY ONE MARVEL COMIC THIS MONTH, THIS IS THE ONE!

Fantastic Four: #1 Facsimile (one-shot)

As a fresh era begins for Marvel’s First Family, revisit the original Fantastic Four #1 in this special commemorative edition! Stan Lee and Jack Kirby changed super hero storytelling forever when they introduced Reed Richards, Ben Grimm, and Susan and Johnny Storm. 

Together, the adventurous quartet blast off on an experimental rocket flight – only to be bombarded by life-altering cosmic rays! Reed becomes the elastic Mister Fantastic! Ben transforms into the rocky Thing! Sue turns into an Invisible Girl! And Johnny flames on as the Human Torch! They’ll use their incredible powers to help mankind – starting by fending off the menace of the Mole Man! Now, the book that started it all is re-presented in full – including its original ads – alongside suitably fantastic extras! 

It’s the next best thing to buying Fantastic Four #1 off the stands back in 1961!

Fantastic Four by Waid and Wieringo Omnibus HC

Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo deliver some of the most daring and humorous adventures the Fantastic Four have ever seen! Giant bugs! Living equations! Johnny Storm, C.E.O.! Exploding unstable molecules! The secret behind the Yancy Street Gang! And Doctor Doom’s plans are truly unthinkable! Victor will push the FF beyond their limits — and when his actions lead to the death of one of their own, they’ll storm the gates of Heaven to save their beloved teammate! Plus: Spider-Man and the Human Torch take on Hydro-Man! But with the Fantastic Four’s reputation in tatters, is associating with a misunderstood wall-crawler really wise? And when Manhattan finds itself surrounded by a fleet of miles-high alien spacecraft, it’s time for the Fantastic Four to do what they do best! 

Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1998) #60-70, #500-524 and #500 DIRECTOR’S CUT.

For the rest of Marvel's August 2018 solicitations, click here.