Comic Shop Picks: Harley Quinn celebrates, and some big arcs open up

DC Comics’ Harley Quinn gets a Holiday Special issue this week, the Turtles take on the Technodrome, and The Valiant and Spider-Man and the X-Men kick off their runs.

Becoming an even hotter character with fans in the wake of the Suicide Squad movie announcement (where she’ll be played by Margot Robbie), Harley Quinn has her all-new Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1 on the racks this week. The issue collects a bunch of shorts featuring Harl and her “her special brand of holiday cheer”, which should be a fun time, and just before the Holiday Season really kicks off too.

Also new this week, the new Spidey ongoing Spider-Man and the X-Men brings the webbed-wonder to the X-Mansion school as he sort-of goes undercover for the late Wolverine. Seems that Wolvie asked Pete to keep his eye on the kids at the school as he had a bad feeling something was very wrong there, and if something’s amiss, Spidey is the man to find it. Or it’ll find him. One way or the other.

The Valiant also starts this week. Valiant Comics’ new mini-series promises one of the biggest stories yet to hit the relatively young universe. Starring a bunch of the publisher’s biggest heroes, The Valiant brings about an ancient evil that’s set on returning the globe to a dark age of sorts. If you’re a Valiant follower, then you’re not going to want to miss this one, check out our review here.

Finally this week, don’t miss Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #41- especially if you’re a fan of the original cartoon/Archie Comics series from the ’90s. Simply put, the Turtles take on the Technodrome and Krang as he enters ingot he last stages of hies plan to terraform the Earth and wipe out the human race. This is a big new arc for the series with some of the biggest characters in TMNT lore, don’t miss it.

As for the rest of my picks for this week, have a look at the list below and then click on over to the full listing of what’s on the way for this Wednesday on Previews site here.

Marvel Comics

• Spider-Man and the X-Men #1 – see above
• Nightcrawler #9 – Kurt and the X-Men run smack into the Shadow King and things don’t go… well.
• The Punisher #13 – The Howling Commandos cross a line that doesn’t sit well with Frank.
• X-Force #13 – Cable and his team are on the outs, so how does that affect his plans?

DC Comics

• Harley Quinn Holiday Special #1 – see above
• Constantine #20 – John meets up with his Earth 2 reflection. Think they get along?
• Green Lantern Corps #37 – GodHead rages on as the multi-Lantern Corps assault New Genesis itself.
• Suicide Squad #5 – the Squad goes to China to put a stop to a new militarized Justice League type team, and they might not make it out.

Dark Horse Comics

• Abe Sapien #18 – Cults, zombies and more plague Abe in the latest issue of his ongoing series.
• X #20 – A badly hurt X is still X, which Dr. Heide and his sicko group of Skin Traders are about to find out.
• Prometheus: Fire and Stone #4 – Aliens, Engineers, and a accelerant-powered monster stand in the way of the Prometheus recovery team.

IDW Publishing

• TMNT #41 – see above
• Transformers: Days of Deception #36 – Prowl stalks the streets of Tokyo.