WWACommendations: LUFF, Darth Vader, Dear Justice League, Pros and (Comic) Cons

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Happy July! What comics are you reading lately? Every month, WWAC contributors share some of the comics they’ve been especially enjoying. Let us know on Twitter what comics you’re reading that more people need to check out!

Emily Lauer: Dear Justice League imagines that kids in the DC universe can email the members of the Justice League and ask them questions. In a series of linked chapters, each member of the team deals with their regular day of heroing, and thoughtfully answers an email from a young fan. 

As one might predict, the solo chapters build to a scene in which the League works together to save the day and then answer a letter together. When they save the day, they do so by saving the White House, and reporting to a “Mr. President.” While the idea that a happy ending means saving an unseen “Mr. President” in the White House from being overrun by aliens who multiply themselves feels … unconsidered, the rest of this beautifully illustrated sweet book with a diverse cast of characters and an overall message about working as a team rises above that. 

On Free Comic Book Day, my kid and I were excited to pick up a sample of Dear Justice League that presented the first two chapters. We both loved it and pre-ordered the book. Then at Book Expo America, I got an advance reader copy of it signed by Michael Northrup, personalized for my kid! It turns out authors who are signing advance reader copies really like hearing that people have already pre-ordered their book. Northrup told me he was particularly glad to hear the Free Comic Book Day sample was effective since the pagination had been truncated and he had been nervous a reveal would not be as effective as it could be. It was effective enough that we preordered it, and now that we have read the whole thing, I can report that it is indeed charming. 

Dear Justice League is written by Michael Northrop and illustrated by Gustavo Duarte, published by DC Zoom, and will release on August 6th. 

Louis Skye: I’ve been dying to read Pros and (Comic) Cons for absolute ages and finally got to read it recently on Izneo. I loved the stories of the various comic creators and their funny, weird, loving, conflicted relationships with comic cons. Having attended a few cons as a volunteer, a visitor, and as press, it was great to see what it’s like for those who sit at the tables and panels at the cons. 

Some of the stories about how cons have evolved to become more diverse really stood out to me. Sonya Ballantyne’s ‘Cree Supergirl’ moved me to tears, while Hope Nicholson’s ‘Cons Make Strange Bedfellows’ made me giggle wildly (Jenn St-Onge’s art for Nicholson’s story is mesmerising!). What a fantastic read for geeks around the world.

Wendy Browne: I’ve slowly been working through the comics I’ve got sitting on the shelf beside my bed and finally got back into Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1, written by Kieron Gillen, with art by Salvador Larroca. 

Gillen’s renowned sense of humour and obsession with puns initially seems like an odd match for the dark and reticent character, but, turns out, Gillen is exactly what a Sith needs. The supporting cast is really what makes this series work by balancing out Vader’s penchant for not having much to say, as well as the flashes of his past that speak of a man burdened with loss, and his need to prove himself worthy to the Emperor after his failure to protect the first Death Star. The two murderous droids, who share the same kind of amusing glee in their work as the assassin droid HK-47 from Knights of the Old Republic, offer some wonderful dark humour. And then there’s Dr. Aphra, whose wit and technical skills are only outmatched by the way she studiously accepts the threat that failing Vader presents. And goodness, does Larocca know how to let Vader rock that cap fabulously.

Draven Katayama: I’ve been binge-reading LUFF by Arechan, which you can read for free on LINE Webtoon where it’s near the top of the popular comics lists. The first episode of LUFF currently has over 87,000 likes! LUFF follows Beatriz (Bea) Torres, an aerospace engineering student whose dream is to intern at an exclusive project that will simulate the first human colony on Mars. The problem is, Bea is from the country of Toloa, where the government matches up its citizens to be married using a compatibility scoring algorithm. This score works like a GPA or credit score in our world but is even more influential on college admissions, loan approvals, scholarships, and every area of life—including any chance Bea has at the internship of her dreams. Bea makes news headlines when she scores a high matching score with two men: one who’s a rich, shy, business heir who loves fostering dogs, and one from a poorer background who’s muscular and also an engineer.

LUFF’s premise reminded me of the Black Mirror episode “Hang the DJ,” where two strangers are paired up through a mysterious app and have to figure out if they have any real chemistry or compatibility. If you love stories where technology can make or break the dating lives of awkward, lovable characters, or stories about independent people who don’t even necessarily want to date anyone but feel obligated due to societal or familial pressures, LUFF is an entertaining, funny, and quick-paced story worth reading.

 

Series Navigation<< WWACommendations: Blackbird, Soara Academy, X-Men Red, and MoreWWACommendations: LOST in TRANSLATION, Isola, Heavenly Blues, Die, and More >>
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Draven Katayama

Draven Katayama

Writer at Sidequest and WWAC; past executive editor of Kollaboration and writer at Newsarama and Comicosity. I'm a huge fan of Life is Strange, The Last of Us, TWICE, Blackpink, and ITZY. My MyDramaList: https://mydramalist.com/profile/loudlysilent Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/loudlysilent Tell me about the fandoms you love! @loudlysilent

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