There is nothing more righteous in this world than the idea of fighting for something you care about, for something important to you. Standing up for what is right and fighting for that principle, no matter what the cost, is one of the hardest things someone can do in this life. Few have this resolve, but the heroes in the new comics I’ve chosen to highlight this week do. From the Spider-Verse and Gotham City, to Capitalism and your own life, these subjects might not seem connected but they are all things you can either fight for, or fight against.

DC

Gotham City: Year One #1

• Written by Tom King
• Art by Phil Hester

Gotham City: Year One is a Batman story unlike any Batman story you have ever read before. It’s a Batman story without Batman. It is a story of how the city of shining hope with a bright future, became someplace where darkness and evil is born.

We follow a detective for the Gotham City Police Department on a case that, on the surface, looks like the standard kidnapping of a rich heir. What the Detective finds is a rabbit hole of dirty secrets, murder, and the truth about his shining city.

I highly recommend this title. Tom King has had some of his best success with his mini series work (Vision, Mister Miracle, Strange Adventures). This story not only paints an amazing picture of the downfall of the city of Gotham, but lays the foundation of how Bruce Wayne became Batman.

Marvel

Spider-Man #1

• Written by Dan Slott
• Art by Mark Bagley

There is nothing like a good team-up book to satisfy all the comic book nerds out there. Even better is a team-up book that all there heroes are Spider-People! The Spider-Verse is in danger once again and the task of taking on the Spider-Verse’s most powerful villain is on the shoulders of the quippiest people in the Marvel universe. At least Peter will have his fellow Spider-Verse team for help!

This book is so much fun and worth every penny! Dan Scott and Mark Bagley are both legends in not only the comic world, but more importantly they are Spider-Man legends! Both of these creators know Peter and what it means to be Spider-Man. This book explores what makes someone a Spider-Person, and whether or not someone will make the ultimate sacrifice for the greater good. This is a book anyone can pick up, all ages, and just enjoy a really great Spider-Man comic. There is no need to have any idea what anything is, it’s a perfect series to jump in on!

Independent

Night of the Ghoul #1

• Written by Scott Snyder
• Art by Francesco Francavilla

With spooky season having just arrived! Now is the time to start reading comics that bring to life the pure joy of fear, and the unapologetic bliss of what lurks just out of sight. Night of the Ghoul #1 takes the reader on a journey from a person’s passion and joy in life, through what I can only describe as actual nightmares. 

Night of the Ghoul is a horror comic written by Scott Snyder, a writer that just seems to understand horror as a genre. Horror is an extremely difficult genre to translate into comics (you need that suspense music). However, in the past five to six years, there has been a MAJOR comic horror renaissance and this new series makes horror, as a genre in comics, complete. Snyder is one of the best comic horror writers out there and has never let me down with his other comics, like Wythcs and American Vampire. I recommend this comic for anyone wanting to sleep with the light on.

Graphic Novel

Monkey Meat

• Written and Drawn by June Ba

Juni Ba’s Monkey Meat is an anthology comic. And it’s one of the best that has come out, probably ever. Being that it is an anthology, Ba ties together many different points of view and characters in a subtle and visually satisfying way.

Monkey Meat is about an island, of the same name, that is run and operated by the government. More importantly its run by the people who own the money. The theme of this book is capitalism and the idea that if it is left unchecked, it will consume us all. The different stories paint a picture of greed, selfishness, and lack of empathy. It will make you extremely scared about what could happen to our own world. It is part whimsy, part higher message, and part knowing that if you want something badly enough you can change the evils in this world.