Comics

This Week In Comics and what we saw in Previews

MARVEL

 

 

DEAD OF NIGHT FEATURING MAN THING #1

 

The once lauded MAX line takes a trip into the much this week with the relaunch of one of their classic horror inspired characters, Man Thing. I’m sure by now everyone knows that any who know fear burn at the touch of the Man Thing but did you know there is a cream being developed by DuPont and pending approval by the FDA for combating fear related burns?

 

 

FANTASTIC FOUR #554

 

The superstar team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch take over the first family of Marvel Comics this week and I am anticipating a fantastic (pun SO intended) story filled with high adventure and practical jokes. From the interviews I’ve read Hitch has gotten out of his own head a bit so the delays that plagued their Ultimates shouldn’t be a factor here. This is the perfect jumping on point if you’re looking to see what the FF is all about. This issue also sports a variant cover by Wolverine artist Simone Bianchi.

 

 

NEW AVENGERS #38

 

If you missed out on last weeks New Avengers Annual #2 you may want to pick it up as this issue takes place directly after that issue. The accusations and uncertainty of living in a Skrull invaded Marvel Universe are proving to be too much for my favorite couple as Luke Cage and Jessica Jones make some hard decisions. I am so excited that the team responsible for the creation of Jessica, Bendis and Michael Gaydos will be the creative team on this issue. It seems fitting that if a story is going to have a huge impact on Jessica’s life Gaydos should be the man to draw it.

 

 

X-FORCE #1

 

When I heard the kids at Marvel had decided to bring back X-Force I was more than a little confused. Would be we disproportioned New Mutants with tiny TINY ankles or celebrity mutants who died off faster than a Spinal Tap drummer? Thankfully the answer is neither as the new X-Force is the X-Men’s covert ops team lead by Wolverine. It seems as though Cyclops has expanded Xavier’s dream to include wetwork. Does that seem skrully? I’m not really sure. The big deal about this book for me is the phenomenal art by Clayton Crain. He completely wowed me with his Civil War era Ghost Rider in Trail of Tears and the issues of Sensational Spiderman he did were nothing short of amazing.

 

 

DC

 

 

BOOSTER GOLD #0

 

Welcome back Zero Hour, oh how I’ve missed you! There is nothing like a gimmick limited series that counts backwards to zero to make people sit up and take notice. Luckily this time around Booster Gold is there to save the day. Or make it worse, it really depends on how good his hair looks. Is it cool? Not so cool? Come on guys, help the man save the multiverse already and tell him his hair looks good! Geez! Superman never has these sorts of problems.

 

 

GREEN ARROW BLACK CANARY #5

 

The last issue was a roller coaster ride of emotion and tragedy as Ollie’s son lies pretty much brain dead in the hospital. Luckily he had his friends and loved ones and brand new wife there to comfort him in his time of need. What do you mean they never actually got married? Everyman was the one who married Dinah? Are you sure? Yeah, neither are they!

 

 

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #21

 

The story of the Alpha Lanterns continues here in the Corps! Actually, the story of Boodikka really begins here as she looks into reports of negligence by her sector replacement she learns a few secrets from her own past. The GL Corps are a very different place post Sinestro War. If you enjoy stories with an epic scope that really delves into the people caught in the middle this is probably a book you should check out.

 

 

TINY TITANS #1

 

The Johnny DC line has been a consistently entertaining group of books not just for the kids they are targeted at but also for those of us who like a healthy dose of fun with our adventure. Tiny Titans is a book that will raise the humor quotient of the whole line with a look and feel very reminiscent of cartoons like Dexter’s Lab and Powerpuff Girls. The kids in the Titans are all enrolled at Sidekick Elementary and on the first day of school they learn that the new teacher is none other than Deathstroke the Terminator to which a properly embarrassed Ravager moans “Oh man, my dad’s the teacher!” This book looks like a whole mess of fun for everyone in the family.

 

 

INDY

 

 

BPRD 1946 #2

 

We continue the story of the fledgling B.P.R.D.’s first mission after they became an official part of the intelligence world post WW2. Creator Mike Mignola is allowing relative newcomer Joshua Dysart (Conan and the Midnight God) help script this important piece of Hellboy history.

 

 

GOON #21

 

Dark Horse says that Goon is now monthly, I think I’ll take a wait and see approach to its monthlyness. Eric Powell’s Goon is an Eisner award winning series that takes its cues from the crime noir films of the fifties while maintaining a modernish feel. If you haven’t tried this book out but think it sounds interesting you can get a taste at Dark Horse’s MySpace page.

 

 

SWORD #5

 

The Luna Brothers continue to make a splash with their latest opus, Sword. In this issue Dara is determined to bring her families killer to justice through the proper legal channels (what is the point of that if you have a magical sword I ask you?). Unfortunately trying to do the right thing leads her and the sword into the hands of her enemies.

 

 

WALKING DEAD #46

 

The lead up to issue #50 continues as the zombiepocalypse bloodbath continues with no end in sight. The fanbase on this book is nothing short of astonishing with more readers finding the title through the trades.

 

 

TRADES/GN

 

 

INDIANA JONES OMNIBUS VOL 1

 

With the upcoming release of the fourth Indiana Jones film it makes sense that Dark horse would add the Nazi fighting archaeologist to their ever expanding and impressive Omnibus collection. This volume reprints three long out of print stories; “Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis,” “Thunder in the Orient,” and “Indiana Jones and the Arms of Gold”.

 

 

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA HC VOL 02 LIGHTNING SAGA

 

Those wacky Legion kids. You would think living a thousand years in the future would have given them better games than “hide and go seek” to play. It’s an updated version to be sure as several members of the Legion Of Superheroes are hiding all over the world in the present day DCU. This volume collects the entire Lightning Saga from JLA #8-12 and JSA #5-6 and they’ve thrown in JLA #0 for good measure. This storyline helped shape events not only in JLA and JSA but in Superman and the Legion of Superheroes titles as well.

 

 

SUB MARINER TP REVOLUTION

 

Namor, Prince of Atlantis is dead. That’s the startling revelation that opens this story of what terrorism means today. There are two time lines that the story weaves through. The first is happening right now as Iron Man and S.H.I.E.L.D. try to discover what happened on the ocean floor as Atlantis lay in ruins. I think this summer’s secret invasion may have some ties to this series but even if this is looked upon as a completely separate story from the rest of the Marvel Universe, it will still go down as one of the seminal Sub Mariner stories.

 

 

CAPTAIN AMERICA #34

 

Its interesting to me that the week our economy takes a nosedive and everyone is screaming about the sky falling and what not, the same thing happens in Cap. Since the Red Skull’s evil plan included sub-prime mortgages is that life imitating art imitating life? I think I just gave myself an aneurysm. Luckily for my exploded brain the new Captain America uniform is so shiny so… I had a joke to use here but it seems the light gleaming off the costume has distracted me. The story is a top notch action adventure political thriller that wouldn’t have been possible a few years ago. Ed Brubaker is making Captain America a must read book month in and month out even without it’s titular character.

 

 

UPDATE TO COUNTDOWN 13

 

Apparently Superboy/man Prime didn’t read Kingdom Come because if he had he probably wouldn’t have tried to beat Monarch/Captain Atom by ripping his shirt off. Planet go boom. In other news Jason is still Red Robin and everyone is relocating to Apokolips apparently. Creepy disembodied writing. Also, I don’t think that’s how you’re supposed to spell Apokolips. I think Darkseid needs some more schooling or something. He am bayd speeler.

 

 

 

COOL STUFF WE SAW IN PREVIEWS:

 

 

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER SEASON 8 VOL 2: NO FUTURE FOR YOU

 

PAGE 50 FEB080102 $15.95 DARK HORSE

 

Joss Whedon steps aside and has the superstar writer of Runaways and Y: The Last Man Brian K. Vaughan take over for a four issue story arc involving Faith. Needing someone to do the things too difficult for Buffy, Giles enlists Faith to help him take out a rouge Slayer who just happens to be European royalty. Faith goes undercover to put a stop to the villainous débutante with mixed results.

 

 

LOBSTER JOHNSON: IRON PROMETHEUS TP

 

PAGE 53 FEB080106 $17.95 DARK HORSE

 

For years Lobster Johnson has been known as Hellboy’s childhood hero. A mystery man from the WW2 era who’s heroic deeds have been shrouded in mystery and debate among the fictional inhabitants of Mignola’s Hellboy universe and fans of the stories alike. Finally we get a clearer view of the man who helped shape the morality of a little kid fresh off the turnip truck from HELL. This pulp noir story is expertly crafted by Mike Mignola and Jason Armstrong and features mad scientists, monsters, suits of armor the likes of which would make Andy Warhol weep and some more of those lousy Nazi’s.

 

 

BLACK ADAM: THE DARK AGE TP

 

PAGE 97 FEB080237 $17.99 DC

 

Continuing the story that made 52 a must read for a large number of DC fans, Black Adam finds himself at a crossroads unable to move forward. He has lost his country, his powers, his wife and along with her, all reason. We follow Adam on a dark path as he attempts to bring his love back from the dead with help from the never trustworthy Felix Faust. Black Adam continues to be a fascinating character who refuses to be defined as a villain, not because he wants to be a hero but because his actions, even when they are brutal and horrifying, have a justness to them. A morality that while we may not agree with, we can certainly understand. I liken Adam to Magneto. A man who is not evil yet does evil in his attempts to do what he feels is right.

 

 

THE QUESTION: THE FIVE BOOKS OF BLOOD HC

 

PAGE 98 FEB080240 $19.99 DC

 

Anyone who has ever spoken to me or read this column knows how much I love Renee Montoya. She’s quickly become one of my favorite characters in the DCU if not all of comics. The Five Books of Blood fine Renee with a sense of purpose that she sorely lacked just a couple of years ago. Instead of drowning herself in liqueur and whatever warm body she could find to be close to, she spends her time tracking and trying to destroy the Church of Crime. Having Greg Rucka there to guide the new Question as she finds herself a new place in the world was an incredibly good decision by the powers that be at DC. I hope this is just the first volume of many stories involving Renee Montoya.

 

 

AMORY WARS VOL 1 TP SECOND STAGE TURBINE BLADE

 

PAGE 160 FEB082125 $14.99 IMAGE

 

This book took everyone by surprise. By the time the first issue came out we realized that we had seriously underestimated what an impact this book would make. Written as a companion to Coheed and Cambria’s debut album, this series bridges the gap between comics and music and brings to life an album that many have compared to the conceptual masterpieces of the 1960’s and 70’s. With many of the original issues selling out almost immediately this is the only way most people will get to read the debut series from Claudio Sanchez.

 

 

HOWARD THE DUCK: MEDIA DUCKLING TP

 

MARVEL BOOK PAGE 104 FEB082306 $11.99 MARVEL

 

The American News media has been taken over by people whose only job seems to be driving a gigantic wedge right down the middle of the country. A divisive bunch of pundits who spend every waking moment filling the 24 hour news cycle with hatred and bile and vitriol to the point that the majority of American’s feel unwanted and abandoned. I’m not talking about the real world silly person who is reading this I am talking about the most horrifying thing a couple of morons at A.I.M. Could think up, M.O.D.O.T; the Mental Organism Designed Only for Talking! Add in a couple of scientist brothers who really REALLY want to be big game hunters and a president who in no way resembles any president living or dead (or current) I SWEAR and you get one of the best satires I’ve read in a good long while. I don’t know if its sad or awesome that a social commentary this smart comes from a character this dumb but I know it works incredibly well on multiple levels. Not enough to get you to try it out huh? How about Howard’s hot human girlfriend Beverly in a fig leaf bikini?! Yeah, I thought that would do it.

 

 

DEVIL’S PANTIES VOLUME 2 HC

 

PAGE 218 FEB083471 $19.95 ARCHAIA STUDIOS

 

I’ve been reading this webcomic for a couple of years now and it rarely fails to deliver the laughs. This autobiographical strip is about a young woman in flame boots who works at a comic book shop and sometimes hangs out with pirates, usually at comic conventions where the rum is available in abundance. The strip is funny and lighthearted and a fantastic way to spend a few hours.

 

 

JIM BUTCHER’S THE DRESDEN FILES #1 (OF 4) WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE

 

PAGE 266 FEB083657 $3.99 DABEL BROTHERS

 

The Dresden Files is a highly successful series of novels that was recently turned into a television series on the SciFi channel. Harry Dresden is a wizard who uses his unique abilities to help solve magic related crimes. This time he’s investigating a mauling at a local zoo that looks like murder to him. This story has been written exclusively for the comic series by Dresden creator Jim Butcher.

 

 

X-O MANOWAR: BIRTH HC

 

HARBINGER: THE BEGINNING HC

 

PAGES 358 AND 362 FEB084088 FEB084089 $24.95 EACH VALIANT

 

For those of you who really miss the early 90’s, Valiant is back! Jim Shooter’s experiment in the independent market lead to some really bad comics but before that he put out some truly great stories. These two brand new hardcover editions collect some of the best that Valiant had to offer. The X-O book includes issues #0-6 and a brand new story by Bob Layton exclusive to this edition. The harbinger volume includes issues #0-7 and has a brand new story by Jim Shooter himself. These are must haves for anyone who remembers the early days of the indy boom with fondness.

 

 

TRANSFORMERS: ARCEE BUST

 

PAGE 462 FEB084588 $60.00 DIAMOND SELECT

 

Much like Smurfette, Arcee has the distinction of being the only girl in a world populated entirely by men, or in the case of the Transformers I suppose she’s the only feminine robot in a masculine robot world. Unless you count Starscream but he wasn’t really feminine so much as effeminate. Based on the classic 1986 film Transformers The Movie Arcee comes ready to display and is limited to just 1,000 pieces.

© 2008 WTFEntertainment.