I haven't managed to check any of those books out myself. I've been meaning to pick up Future Quest, since Jeff Parker's Marvel work (
Hulk,
Thunderbolts,
Agents of Atlas) is gold, and I think he's a good fit for that kind of book. I've only heard great things about Flintstones, as well.
Right now, I'm reading:
Thunderbolts
Currently on hiatus due to Marvel's event story
Secret Empire. Kind of a mixed-bag title. The writer, Jim Zub, has the characters' voices down for the most part, though his Moonstone isn't tricky enough for my tastes. She's every bit as treacherous as she should be, but not quite as subtle. Anyway, the book's a pretty fun romp, held back by how it's regressing some of its lead characters to old status quos that they've grown beyond.
Also, the art is bizarre. Main artist John Malin is a disciple of Liefeld and it shows. Going for that art style would make sense as a fun throwback on say, a Deadpool book or an X-Force book, where it would resonate with how the title was drawn during its heyday. It feels a little odder to try and fit that particular brand of early-90s nostalgia into Thunderbolts, a title that didn't even exist until '97.
I don't think this book would be earning my money otherwise, but Thunderbolts is the one book that I collect unconditionally and have the full run of (discounting the Marvel NOW!/Red Hulk Thunderbolts run, which isn't really a Thunderbolts book). So I'll be back on board if and when it comes back from hiatus. Really wish Nick Spencer was writing it. He's got a strong affinity for the characters and the book is really his brainchild anyway.
Venom
My only other "character commitment" book. They just had a big anniversary issue with Eddie Brock reclaiming the role of Venom after spending over a decade wearing other hats. Hard to get too excited about it, though. That issue didn't make a particularly strong case for bringing Eddie back, with a story that seemed to basically get the Eddie/symbiote dynamic, but not the concept of subtlety. Still, some really great Tradd Moore art in that one. Sandoval is pretty strong as a regular artist as well. Just wish he had some better scripts to work with.
Jessica Jones
Loving this one. Bendis has had a lot of misfires over the last few years, so it's a relief to see him coming back to familiar territory (now made much more famous by Netflix) and really rocking it. Fun superhero noir with some lightly meta commentary on the state of the Marvel U.
All-Star Batman
These are some big dang Batman stories. Batman and Two-Face on a roadtrip, with the entire country out to stop them? Batman, criss-crossing the globe to stop a series of doomsday scenarios set in motion by Ra's al Ghul? Not quite typical Bat-fare, but man is it a lot of fun. And some genuinely all-star artists have been working on this one, too. Shalvey, Jock, JRJr, and more. But the thing that strikes me most about this book is just how human Bruce is. There's a scene in the very first issue, where Batman is brawling with a couple supervillains and gets thrown into a diner, panicking everyone inside. That leads to
this moment. Not the sort of moment most people write for the Caped Crusader, but I really like it. This title also has back-up features with the training of Duke Thomas, Batman's latest ward (who, as has been repeatedly noted, is not a Robin).
Batman
Mixed feelings on this one. I've really enjoyed some of the character work done with Batman and Catwoman in here (some of which you may have heard about in the news lately), but I haven't really enjoyed all the larger story arcs. "I Am Gotham" and "I Am Suicide" were alright, but not great, and "I Am Bane" felt more than a little hollow. Tom King is an absolutely brilliant writer, though, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and stick around a while longer. If he does more stories like his Swamp-Thing issue and his Catwoman-centric interludes, I'll be a happy camper.
Deathstroke
Probably my favorite book I'm reading right now - Chris Priest is the definitive Black Panther writer, and has a real knack for writing master planner type characters. In
Deathstroke, most of the characters are a couple steps ahead of the reader, and Deathstroke himself is more like three or four. Lots of labyrinthine plots and schemes. Interestingly, the through-line here is Deathstroke's family. Specifically, his children and how he relates to them. Deathstroke is the world's greatest supervillain, but a far cry from the world's greatest dad. And he's working to change that, but he's awful at it and tries to do it in the only way he can - by being a supervillain.
The title's first story arc involves his daughter, Rose - someone has put a hit out on her and she temporarily teams with her father both for protection, and in order to figure out who put out the hit. The culprit turns out to be Deathstroke himself, who did it in order to manufacture an excuse to spend time with his daughter. Deathstroke's other attempts to reconnect with his kids are no less sad or terrifying.
Kill or Be Killed
I've got a lot of friends who love Ed Brubaker's crime comics. This is the first that I've picked up, and I can see what they're talking about. The protagonist (and his romantic interest) are both interesting characters, and the book really takes a lot of time getting inside their heads and really fleshing them out, amidst all the murder and mayhem. It puts a very fun spin on what's otherwise a pretty straightforward pulpy book (with a supernatural twist... maybe).
Also on my pull list is
Black Science, but I'm a little behind on that one, because I missed an issue last year and only just recently tracked it down.