By Zack Quaintance — Ah, it’s one of my favorite types of months for the Best New #1 Comics feature...one in which our top five section (at the bottom, ironically enough!) has five choices from five separate publishers. I love it when that happens, signaling as it does that this is an urbane site that appreciates the wide variety of stories being told right now...provided those stories are being told in a very specific monthly direct market format.

Ahem! Anyway, let’s get on to our 10 Quick Hits, followed by the main event, the Best New #1 Comics of February 2020….

Quick Hits

I wrote about it here, but Ant-Man #1 is the rare funny superhero comic that I actually like.

This month also saw the two prettiest Dawn of X series to date...X-Men/Fantastic Four #1 and Giant-Sized X-Men #1, the former illustrated by the Dotsons and the latter having been conceived as an artist showcase book.

Speaking of artist showcase books, DC Comics’ spy saga continues with Leviathan Dawn #1 from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev. 

Speaking yet again of artist showcase books, Liam Sharp is back in action illustrating Green Lantern Season 2 #1, which is written by Grant Morrison. 

If you’re like me, you constantly wonder what it would be like if you’re elected officials had to fight each other. Well, wonder no longer. On the Stump #1 is here. Read our full review.

Godkillers #1 was an interesting look at military and mythology. 

Tomorrow #1, meanwhile, was an interesting take on the ol’ all the adults are dead but the kids live on trope. Read our full review.

And in horror news from the Big 2, DC Comics Black Label Hill House imprint launched its last title (for now) with the Stuart Immonen-illustrated Plunge #1, while that same publishers’ alternate zombie apocalypse world returned with the rip-roaring good time that is DCeased Unkillables #1.

Best New #1 Comics February 2020

Alienated #1
Writer: Simon Spurrier
Artist: Chris Wildgoose
Colorist: André May
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Acclaimed writer Simon Spurrier (John Constantine Hellblazer, Coda) and artist Chris Wildgoose (Batgirl, Batman: Nightwalker) present a subversive coming-of-age story about having all the power to change the world but the unready hands to truly wield it. Three teenagers, each an outcast in their own way, stumble upon an unearthly entity as it's born. As they bond over this shared secret and the creature's incredible abilities, it becomes clear to the teenagers that their cute little pet is a super-predator in the making - and it's in need of prey. Guided by the best intentions at first, the teens' decisions soon become corrupted by adolescent desires, small town jealousies, and internal rivalries, sending them into a catastrophic spiral of their own making.
Why We Liked It: “Alienated #1 is a stellar first issue that launches a story overflowing with heart. In an era that often repeats ideas for the sake nostalgia and an easy buck, it is refreshing to read something that feels familiar yet wholly new. I love it.” Read the full review here!

BANG! #1
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Wilfredo Torres
Colorist: Nayoung Kim
Letterer: Nate Piekos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
A best-of-the-best secret agent with memories he couldn't possibly possess, a mystery writer in her 60s who spends her retirement solving crimes, a man of action with mysterious drugs that keep him ahead of a constant string of targeted disasters, a seemingly omnipotent terrorist organization that might be behind it all...And they're all connected to one man: a science-fiction author with more information than seems possible, whose books may hold the key to either saving reality or destroying it. A mind-bending story that ties in with past Kindt works (Revolver). Action, mystery, and altered reality!
Why We Liked It: “From its unique promotion to powerful art from Torres and Kim, and the reveal of major twists, this comic is poised to be another powerhouse title penned by Kindt. I can’t even begin to predict what’s going to happen, but I’ll read every issue with anticipation.” Read the full review here!

Finger Guns #1
Script: Justin Richards
Line Art: Val Halvorson
Colors: Rebecca Nalty
Lettering: Taylor Esposito
Publisher: Vault Comics
Two troubled teenagers discover they can manipulate emotions by firing finger guns. There will be laughs. There will be tears. There will be uncomfortable teen feelings and angst.
Oh yeah... and chaos.
So much chaos.
Why We Liked It: “Vault Comics has long had my attention and admiration as a publisher that is not afraid to make, amplify, or otherwise stand behind or beside bold statements, and Finger Guns is a bold statement for those who suffer in sulky silence in emotionally empty homes and classrooms.” Read the full review here!

Tartarus #1
Writer: Johnnie Christmas
Artist: Jack T. Cole
Letterer: Jim Campbell
Publisher: Image Comics
SERIES PREMIERE! A new adventure series with all the sci-fi drama of Breaking Bad set in Mos Eisley! Promising young cadet Tilde is framed for crimes against the empire after discovering her mother was the ruthless warlord of the deadly colony Tartarus, a vital player in the galactic war. Now, Tilde's only way home may be to reclaim her mother's dark crown. #1 New York Times bestseller JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS (Alien 3) and artistic phenom JACK T. COLE (The Unsound) kick off this ongoing series with 44 big pages of story!
Why We Liked It: “Tartarus #1 is a powerhouse of a debut comic, one that feels immersive both in terms of its artwork and the power of its themes. This comic is entertaining at the highest level while also conveying deep potential for twists, surprises, and grand meaning to come. Buy this book.” Read the full review here!

Undone By Blood #1
Writer: Lonnie Nadler & Zac Thompson
Artist: Sami Kivela
Colorist: Jason Wordie
Letterer: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou
Publisher: AfterShock Comics
In the early 1970s, Ethel Grady Lane returns to her hometown of Sweetheart, Arizona with one thing on her mind: killing the man who murdered her family. But first, she'll have to find him. As Ethel navigates the eccentric town and its inhabitants, she learns that the quaint veneer hides a brewing darkness. She has no choice but to descend into a ring of depravity and violence, with her only ally an Old West novel that follows famed gunslinger Solomon Eaton. As both stories unfold simultaneously, a love of fiction informs choices in reality, for better or worse. From the minds of Lonnie Nadler and Zac Thompson (The Dregs, X-Men, HER INFERNAL DESCENT) and artist Sami Kivela (Abbot, Tommy Gun Wizards) comes a neo-western that depicts the hard truth of seeking vengeance in the real world.
Why We Liked It: “There’s a bit of Tarantino, a bit of Cormac McCarthy, and a bit of Charlie Kaufman in this debut comic from a group of rising creators, and it all adds up to a very compelling first issue.” Read the full review!

Read this week’s comic book reviews here!

Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.