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Aug 23, 2023

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It's almost another new comic book day, which means new releases hitting stores

It's almost another new comic book day, which means new releases hitting stores and digital platforms. Each week in The Weekly Pull, the ComicBook.com team highlights the new releases that have us the most excited about another week of comics. Whether those releases are from the most prominent publisher or a small press, brand new issues of ongoing series, original graphic novels, or collected editions of older material, whether it involves capes and cowls or comes from any other genre, if it has us excited about comic books this week, then we're going to tell you about it in The Weekly Pull.

This week, a new Loki miniseries begins, Peacemaker keeps trying, and Kroma gets collected. Plus, Michael Dorn makes his comics debut, new collections of History of the DC Universe, Wonder Woman: Historia, and -- right on time for Parker Robbins' MCU debut in Ironheart -- The Hood.

What comics are you most excited about this week? Let us know which new releases you're looking forward to reading in the comments, and feel free to leave some of your suggestions as well. Check back tomorrow for our weekly reviews and again next week for a new installment of The Weekly Pull.

History of the DC Universe will always remain a beautiful and essential book for me, providing a snapshot of the DC Universe just following Crisis on Infinite Earths. The Crisis creative team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez work to chronicle the past, present, and future of the new combined universe, with beautiful art and some fascinating canon choices within. This week sees a new reprint of the two-issue miniseries come to life, and you deserve to have a copy on your shelf. — Jenna Anderson

Marvel's Ironheart Disney+ series should be arriving sooner than later — and it just might have one of the most unconventional rivalries the MCU has had yet, pitting Riri Williams against the magical crime lord Parker Robbins. As The Hood, Parker played a key role in the criminal underbelly of the Marvel Universe, with an unconventional and entertaining origin story. If you want to get acquainted with Parker before Ironheart rolls around, this new collection is the best opportunity yet. — Jenna Anderson

Kroma may very well be the most visually striking new comic to arrive in the past year; it has certainly positioned its creator, Lorenzo De Felici, as a top nominee for 2023 comics art awards in a stunning story featuring a sweeping scope. De Felici's Image Comics debut tells the story of Kroma, a young woman locked away in darkness until she is discovered by the orphaned child Zet. Their exploration and journey through the world Kroma was sealed away from explores themes of identity, tradition, and safety in a story that could only be told in the comics form. As our reviewer Jamie Lovett laid out in his review of Kroma #1, De Felici's use of colors amidst such carefully designed settings and well-crafted pages presents readers with an immersive experience of this fantastic new tale. Regardless of whether you discovered each of the four oversized issues comprising Kroma as they were released or are just hearing about it now, the gorgeous trade paperback collection merits a prominent position on your comics shelf and a spot on your summer (re-)reading list. -- Chase Magnett

Writer Dan Watters has been killing it on under-the-radar books at DC, bringing the gone but not forgotten Vertigo vibes to miniseries like Arkham Asylum: Order of the World and Azrael. He's making the jump to the Marvel universe for a new four-issue Loki miniseries, teaming with artist German Peralta, who has done stellar work across a range of titles, but whom I most remember for drawing the underrated Cable arc "Past Fears," which may be the character's best story. Loki recently renounced his title as the Asgardian God of Mischief, taking on the mantle of the God of Stories instead, which sounds like exactly the kind of Vertigo-ish setup that Watters has proven adept at turning into fascinating yarns. The book's previews suggest that Loki will be going up against some of his multiversal counterparts (which Marvel continues to call "variants," and we keep letting them, for some reason) as he tries to recover ancient weapons he built during one of his more nefarious eras. Based on that, the story's elevator pitch could be "The Sandman does 'Armor Wars,'" and I could not be more into that idea. If you've slept on Watters and Peralta's previous work, both creators deserve your attention, and Loki seems like the perfect project for readers to introduce themselves to both. -- Jamie Lovett

Peacemaker Tries Hard! was one of the most exciting comic debuts I've seen this year, marrying the high-octane energy of the breakout DCEU star with some comic-accurate camp. This week's issue continues the story delightfully, with Peacemaker and Monsieur Mallah teaming up to steal some supervillain DNA. If you haven't jumped on the bandwagon of Peacemaker Tries Hard! yet, use this issue as an opportunity to change that. — Jenna Anderson

My first experience with Superman comics (at least that I remember) was during the "Death of Superman" era. I re-read that story and the "Funeral for a Friend" arc that followed countless times. I then had my young mind blown when the four new Supermen debuted at the start of the "Reign of the Supermen" saga, and I've had a soft spot for those would-be successors to Superman ever since. I'm also a devoted Star Trek fan. Thus, hearing that actor Michael Dorn would be making his writing debut on Steelworks, DC's new series starring John Henry Irons, who debuted as Steel during the "Reign of the Supermen," grabbed my attention. Dorn voiced Steel in Superman: The Animated Series in the 1990s. It was only for two episodes, but if Dorn's investment in his iconic Star Trek character Worf is anything to go by, he likes to own a role, and coming on to write Steelworks shows a similar dedication to Irons. Dorn has also expressed an appreciation for the man versus machine narrative of Irons' namesake, the folklore hero John Henry. Dorn is bringing that theme to Steelworks, and it should be interesting to see how Dorn applies it to a man who flies around in a mechanized metal suit. -- Jamie Lovett

The release of a new issue of Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons consistently heralded celebration amongst DC Comics' readers as the three-part series written by Kelly Sue DeConnick and illustrated by some of the greatest artists working in comics today provided a saga unlike any seen before in Wonder Woman's long history. Each issue is a wonder unto itself—featuring art from Phil Jimenez, Gene Ha, and Nicola Scott—presenting the long history of Themyscira and its native Amazons with all the grandeur and majesty that such legends demand. An oversized format delivers some of the richest renditions of these epic struggles and immense settings imaginable. Each issue can feel like a wonder to behold and their collection this week in an immaculately designed hardcover is much-needed. Readers who missed these sought-after issues upon their initial release or who have eagerly anticipated seeing them displayed in their library need wait no longer; now the wonder that is Wonder Woman Historia: The Amazons can be read and shared in an appropriate format ensuring it will last for many years to come. -- Chase Magnett

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