And just like that, The Pull is back! So, let’s once again dig into this week of comic releases, as I highlight my buys, recommendations, and curiosities in another edition of this column.

Comic of the Week: Showdown #1

I’ve read the first issue of this new Ignition Press series, and it’s a strong start for a story that’s a bit of an unusual one for the direct market. It’s about two young people haunted by a single event, all of which leads to their inevitable showdown where one wants revenge and the other wants an end, one way or another. That’s a tough concept to make work, but writer Dave Wielgosz, artist Tadd Galusha, colorist Triona Farrell, and letterer Clayton Cowles pull it off in the first issue. I’m just happy to see a book like this exists, as it feels like it would typically be reserved for the graphic novel space.

Trade/Graphic Novel of the Week: Hana and Taru: The Forest Giants TP

I wrote about this one previously in Comics Disassembled, but given that this is a Magnetic Press release of a French graphic novel, you knew I’d be in on it. It’s from artist Leo Schilling and artist Motteux, and it sounds like an intriguing and appealing look at an unlikely duo setting out to save a people from a force of nature they don’t understand, one that could take an unconventional approach that’s more about the importance of empathy and cohabitation than destroying what you don’t understand. The hook here is Motteux’s art, though. It looks lovely, and that cover was all I needed to see to give this one a shot.