MARVEL COMICS

CAPTAIN AMERICA #34

This is the issue that everyone has been talking about for months. Steve Rogers has been dead for almost a year and the time has come for a new Captain America and it looks like the Winter Soldier is the man to take over the mantle. Shipping with two covers, this is going to be the most important issue of Cap since the Earth shattering issue #25. If you’ve been looking for a jumping on point for Captain America this is it.

DAREDEVIL #104

For weeks Matt Murdoch has been hunting down Mr Fear, a third rate villain who was never taken seriously before. It looks like all it takes to make the majors is to turn Daredevil’s wife into a murderer with a drug that so far won’t leave her system. Keeping his friends and family safe has never been one of Daredevil’s strong points and he knows it. Will that knowledge send him over the edge or will his love for his wife keep him on the right track?

FANTASTIC FOUR #553

This is the conclusion to one of the wackiest FF stories in recent memory. Doc Doom from the future showed up to tell Reed that he became the worlds worst villain. The team is justifiably disbelieving but Doom started talking about Reed’s 100 ideas for building a better future and asked him to expound on idea 101. At the end of the last issue we saw the future Fantastic Four show up so hopefully we’ll get the real story this time. Future Reed is sporting a rad new beard and Sue still looks 25 (future botox perhaps?).

SPIDER-MAN SWING SHIFT DIRECTORS CUT ONE SHOT

Originally distributed at last year’s Free Comic Book Day, Swing Shift is the perfect spot to find out what is going on in the life of everyone’s favorite wall crawler. If you missed out on Free Comic Book Day here is your chance to see what Spidey’s life looks like post one More Day. This version also includes behind the scenes looks at the various creative teams on the now thrice monthly Amazing Spider-Man.

DC COMICS

BATMAN #673

I know a lot of people who read 52 have wondered exactly what happened to Batman in Nanda Parbat during the Thogal ritual. He came out of the cave seemingly refreshed and invested not only in his mission but also in the people around him. As he lay in a heart stopping coma he revisits those days in the mountain cave as well as one of his earliest adventures.

BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE #6 (of 8 )

Black Adam only wants one thing, the love of his life back. Of course being the most wanted mass murderer on the planet makes sneaking about and finding mystical relics a bit difficult. Add the fact that any time he uses any power he lessens the chances of bring his wife back from the dead (did I mention she was dead?) and you get a compelling story about the lengths one man will go to for love. In this issue the final fate of Isis is revealed. Was Adam able to bring his love back or was it all for nothing?

SPIRIT #13

This is the first issue of the Spirit post Darwyn Cooke. Before the new creative team of Sergio Aragones, Mark Evanier and Mike Ploog take over, some of the best and brightest in the industry take a closer look at the ladies in the Spirit’s life. Sadly for the Spirit, none of these ladies want anything to do with him unless it leads to his untimely demise! This is easily one of the best ongoing series on the market.

Y THE LAST MAN #60

It’s over. This is the final issue of Y The Last Man. The last time we’ll run for our lives alongside Yorick Brown and his supporting cast of strong and vibrant women. Over the past five years few series have garnered the support and praise that Brian K Vaughn’s masterpiece has. I’ll miss Yorick as he was truly one of a kind (pun intended).

INDY COMICS

MADMAN ATOMIC COMICS #6

For years Mike Allred has entertained the masses with his quirky super hero Frank Einstien battling giant brains and finger snapping Beatniks all for the greater good. This latest incarnation of Madman is its very own brand of wacky hijinks and adventure mixed with just a smidgen of romance and a dollop of existential angst. You’ll be hard pressed to find a book as fun as this one.

PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #0

Dynamite has become home to some of the best licensed comics on the market and now along with the Boys, they look to be making a name in the super hero pool with Alex Ross’ latest creation, Project Superpowers. Set in the modern day, we spend a lot of time in flashbacks to World War Two when the first of the super powers came to light. Once the war was won these powerful men and women seemingly disappeared and for decades the world has felt the loss. In this series we’ll learn the actual fate of these heroes.

SALEM #0 (OF 4)

Do you think you know what a witch is? Think again! Salem Massachusetts was a bad place to be in colonial times as many people were unjustly burned at the stake for being suspected as witches. This story is about a coven of thirteen who actually are witches and the man who hunts them, Elias Hooke. Created by the writer of Cellular and Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift, Salem looks to be a big deal for the upcoming Boom studios.

WORMWOOD CALAMARI RISING #1

The latest in the Wormwood series by Ben Templesmith (Fell) this actually sounds much funnier than earlier stories. The aptly named Brotherhood of the Calamari have chased Wormwood across the “thousand million dimensional possibilities of existence” and they’ve brought the entirety of the Squideeverse with them. I think he can defeat them if and only if he can find a big enough vat of butter.

TRADES/GRAPHIC NOVELS

NEW AVENGERS/TRANSFORMERS TP

I used to love it as a kid when things like this happened. I remember fondly the day I picked up the third issue of the Mavel Transformers mini series back in the 1980’s and saw a black suited Spider-man on the cover. It was incredibly cool to see my favorite super hero alongside my favorite cartoon characters fighting evil. It was almost as cool the first time the Autobots teamed up with GI Joe to defeat the deadly team of Cobra and the Decepticons. It looks ten times cooler as not only Spidey but Wolverine, Iron Man and Captain America among others receive help from Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and the rest.

MANHUNTER VOL 4 TP UNLEASHED

The story of super hero/lawyer/mother continues here as Kate Spencer takes on her toughest challenge yet, defending Wonder Woman for the murder of Max Lord. Writer Marc Andreko has taken a character that could have been just another in a long line of Manhunters and turned her into one of the most compelling and complex figures in the DCU. How does a single mother deal with fighting super villains at night, applying the law during the day, dealing with an ex husband and trying to quit smoking? With style that’s how.

UPDATE TO COUNTDOWN

Jason and the Batman of Earth 51 have a lovely chat where Jason learns that the Bruce Wayne of this world no longer exists, only Batman remains. When all the other heroes stopped being super and just went about their lives as if they were normal, only Batman remained vigilant against the evil in the world. Being vigilant included shooting the Joker in the head and turning his back on everything he believed in after his Jason was killed but hey, things happen you know. Meanwhile Donna Troy fights herself and learns that one of the major players in the war on Monarch’s side was the crazy insect queen they met while traveling through the Palmerverse a couple of months ago. Ray Palmer continues to be weepy and Green Lantern fights and evil Booster Gold. That Superman Prime fella is hanging around too and it looks like he’s still looking for a way home. If he has to tunnel though a few people, some of the Monitor’s and maybe a couple of planets full of kittens and orphans that’s fine too. He’s what they call “determined”.

BIRDS OF PREY #113-114

Sean McKeever is quickly becoming one of those names like Gail Simone or Darwyn Cooke for me, if he’s writing a book I will read it. When Sean jumped to DC after a stellar run on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane I was excited to hear that he would be writing two of my favorite DC books, Teen Titans and Birds of Prey. I will say I was a bit nervous about him taking over birds as Gail Simone had done such a fantastic job on it for so long that I couldn’t imagine another writer coming in and doing half the job she did. I don’t know if its because he’s such a great writer or if I just love these characters so much but two issues into his run and Sean McKeever is hitting it out of the park.

Issue 113 was a class on how Oracle’s well oiled machine works. Her field agents following her orders and taking out the bad guys. At least it would have been had Misfit, an orphan with super powers and a terrible costume ignored Oracle’s orders and went into the field anyway. One wrong button later and there is a crater in the middle of Metropolis and there is an unknown number of dead people. When a super hero outfit messes up that bad in Metropolis one thing is always going to happen, Superman is going to come to your house and yell at you. Never one to back down from powers Barabara yells right back and gets a patented “I’m watching you” from the big blue boy scout.

In the next issue we get a good look at the relationships between Huntress and Zinda and Barbara and Misfit. Zinda is the Lady Blackhawk who fought in World War Two and is somehow still around in 2008 looking like a 20 year old but able to drink like an old warhorse should. She drinks Helena under the table as they discuss Superman, Oracle and the tragedies of their lack of social lives. Later that night Zinda gets a visit from a WW2 era villain who should be long dead looking as young and vibrant as the Lady Blackhawk herself. Barbara finds ways to punish her disobedient house guest, first with dishes, then with sparring. Oracle’s anger and single mindedness are traits she obviously inherited from her father.

McKeever’s character work is what makes this book shine. He’s able to give each character a distinct voice and individual motivations beyond the greater good. His ability to turn seemingly innocuous conversations into emotion laden pathos is incredible. Artists Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood add another layer to the already delicious cake that is Birds of Prey with clean lines and remarkable facial expressions. A must read for any fan of team books or dysfunctional families.