You may have heard that Professor X died. This week, readers witnessed the fallout, and it was no mutant pity party.
X-Force #2 showed the new mutant nation grappling with the spreading political, tactical, and morale effects of the death of the world’s most prominent mutant. Now the X-Men need to bring him back quickly to keep the dream of a mutant state, they’ve got to maintain the island’s leadership, and they’ve got to show the world exactly why you don’t mess with Krakoa.
Which is where Wolverine comes in, as he hunts down the origin of the anti-mutant strike force that infiltrated Krakoa, with some unexpected help from Quentin Quire, the world’s most annoying omega-level mutant.
What else is happening in the pages of our favorite comics? I’ll tell you. Welcome to Polygon’s weekly list of the books that our comics editor, me, enjoyed over the past seven days. It’s part society pages of superhero lives, part reading recommendations, part “look at this cool art.” Let’s get started!
X-Force #2
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Benjamin Percy will soon be writing a Wolverine solo series, and it’s clear that he’s having fun letting the guy do what he’s the best at — but there’s also plenty of Jean Grey, Beast, and even Black Tom Cassidy in this issue, holding down the Krakoan homefront.
Killadelphia #1
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Killadelphia is a new Image series about a detective who takes up his late father’s last case — which turns out to be an infestation of vampires in Philadelphia — and the art is just top notch.
Basketful of Heads #2
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The second issue of Basketful of Heads is really where the series clicked into one that I couldn’t wait to read the next on, so if you read the first and weren’t sure, definitely try the second.
John Constantine: Hellblazer #1
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With the first issue of his new ongoing, John Constantine is formally out of DC continuity and back in I guess what we’d call Vertigo continuity, if Vertigo was still a thing. Unfortunately for John, that means he’s come head to head with a new threat: No-smoking London bars full of hipsters.
Shazam! #8
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Geoff Johns is really going to give us a seventh Shazam kid who is represented by the EXCLAMATION POINT and I am so ready.
Books of Magic #14
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The writers behind Books of Magic and Hellblazer collaborated on this one-and-done crossover issue. It’s cute little yarn with some fun parallel storytelling at the beginning.
Black Panther #18
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Coates’ Black Panther is still swimming along, delivering poignant scenes like this as regularly as punctuation marks.
Valkyrie #5
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Valkyrie has a horse, his name is The Horse, and he’s pro-union. Solidarity.
Venom #20
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Me last week: Boy, Absolute Carnage was anticlimactic. Me this week: Crying because Eddie hug boy.
I contain multitudes.