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Wonder Woman, Shonen Jump, Gwenpool, Rumble: This Week in Comics #23

From a displaced comic fanatic to the week’s best from Japan, this is the week in comics.
Doctor Strange spies on our world, agrees with our casting in The Unbelievable Gwenpool #3. Illustrated by Gurihiru. Photo courtesy of Marvel Comics.

A comic fan finds herself stuck in the Marvel universe, Wonder Woman tries to find her way home, an ancient god of war is stuck in a scarecrow, and a bevvy of manga ships sails in from Japan. The variety in comics on display in this week’s roundup are a testament to the flexibility of the medium. Not only are these examples completely different in style and tone, they’re also all pretty damn good. It’s easy to feel bogged down by major studio events (like Marvel’s current Civil War II and DC’s Rebirth), but along the edges of even the big studios exciting stories are being told.

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The Unbelievable Gwenpool #3

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Cover for The Unbelievable Gwenpool #3. Cover illustration by Stacey Lee. Photo courtesy of Marvel Comics.

Gwen Poole lived in “our reality,” reading comic books about Thor and Spider-Man. Suddenly, she’s sucked into the comic world, and ends up joining ranks with a bunch of low-level villains. This is comic book comedy at its best, with plenty of jokes for diehard fans, but plenty of fun observations for outsiders as well. While at a tailor, Gwen asks if they’ve got more fabric in for her to have pants. This is both a great jab at sexism in comics and a sly admission that they’re doing it, too. In this issue, Gwen’s having a hard time getting paid (because she doesn’t actually exist in the Marvel reality) so she gets some supernatural help.

Wonder Woman #1

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Cover for Wonder Woman #1. Illustrated by Liam Sharp. Photo courtesy of DC Comics.

On the 75th anniversary of Wonder Woman, DC Comics fits her back into the Rebirth event to get a new line of stories going with her. These comics aren’t reboots—readers aren’t seeing how Wonder Woman gets her powers, but instead see the Wonder Woman they’ve grown to love… the Wonder Woman who gives three warnings before beating the piss out of a bunch of jackal-monster-men in the jungle. These new comics seem to be a nice distillation of what the core character’s meant to be. Though there’s plenty of backstory expectation in this comic, readers could jump in here and move forward happily.

Rumble #11

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Cover for Rumble #11. Illustrated by John Arcudi and James Harren. Photo courtesy of Image Comics.

Rathraq is an ancient warrior god who finds himself not only trapped in the present day, but trapped in the body of a scarecrow. Sure, he’s found his ancient body, but the heart’s been cut out of it, so it’s of little use to him until he gets the heart back. Fighting, joking, and culture-clashing ensue. This issue is more emotionally packed and poignant than one would expect from a quippy comic about war gods returning to mortal form. That extra punch of feeling, added to the quick, Mignola-inspired artwork, gives this comic an urgency. The reader can’t help but tear through the page.

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Weekly Shonen Jump Vol. 228

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Cover for Weekly Shonen Jump Volume 228. Illustrated in part by Eiichiro Oda. Photo courtesy of Viz.

With over 160 pages of manga coming out each week for $1, Weekly Shonen Jump is by far the best bang for readers’ bucks. Comixology made a really savvy move when they partnered with major manga companies to release translated versions of Japanese manga the same day as they hit stores in Japan. This is a true feat, and this issue of Shonen Jump is as good a point as any to jump in. Contained within the ten different comics compiled are stories of treasure hunting pirates, people on a quest to cook the best food in the world, and the astounding One-Punch Man, which is stirring up the manga scene. If any of this interests readers even a little, they should get in on this ASAP.

What were you reading this week? Let us know on Twitter or in the comments below.

Related:

This Week in Comics #22

This Week in Comics #21

This Week in Comics #20