NEW COMIC BOOK DAY! It is the highpoint of any week, and almost like opening presents during the holidays. But if you don’t already have a pull list, what should you get this week? Major Spoilers offers up fifteen titles for you to check out this week.
ADVENTURE TIME #8
Writer: Ryan North
Artists: Braden Lamb, Shelli Paroline
Publisher: BOOM! Studios (kaBOOM! imprint)
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: THE MOST POPULAR AND TOTALLY RHOMBUS ALL-AGES COMIC ON THE STANDS TODAY! Join Jake the Dog and Finn the Human in another awesome issue of this all-ages classic! With Ooo in the grips of a Jake-caused time paradox, there’s only one team that can set things right. Don’t miss the latest issue of the comic book adaptation of the hit Cartoon Network show! Early issues have gone into multiple printings…don’t let your store be unprepared!
JIMMY: I’m a recent Adventure Time convert; I reviewed the last issue of this comic for Major Spoilers, and since then I’ve gone back and read all the previous issues of this absolutely hysterical series, and I’ve been DVRing and watching every episode of the show that has aired for the past month or so, and loving them. That being said, the BOOM! Studios comic is actually superior to the cartoon, as it’s being written by Ryan North, the creator of the webcomic “Dinosaur Comics.” This series is phenomenally funny, and if you’re not reading it you’re doing yourself a disservice. That being said, this issue is likely not a good one to start with, as it takes place towards the tail end of a story arc. But find yourself some back issues and enjoy, because this is one of the best humorous comics I’ve read in a long time.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #694
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Spider-Man’s 50th Anniversary adventure ratchets up as an old foe returns! * And an ALL-NEW character joins the Marvel Universe! * WHO IS ALPHA?!
ROB: A lot of people think giving Spidey a sidekick was a crazy idea, and they were right! Alpha has been an entertaining story with a few good nods all over the place. Of course anytime you have Slott and Ramos as team Spidey you’re going to win. If you aren’t already picking this up (the smart ones are) then do so, it is completely worth the price of entry and then some.
STEPHEN: Six issues to go before it all comes to an end. I want to read Amazing Spider-Man NOW!
BATMAN INCORPORATED #0
Writers: Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham
Artist: Frazer Irving
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Batman, Incorporated wants you! Batman has a war to fight, but first he must recruit an army to combat the menace of Leviathan. See how The Dark Knight assembled his lieutenants!
JIMMY: I’ve been loving Grant Morrison’s bat-epic basically ever since I got into comic books, and as we’re hitting the home stretch it’s fascinating to see where things go. This issue is going to go member by member through Batman Incorporated and explain how they joined the team–from what Chris Burnham (who did the plotting for this issue) said, it’s going to be a very fast-paced issue with single or two-page vignettes. I’m especially interested to see how Morrison writes from someone else’s plot on a title that has been so personalized as Morrison’s, but Burnham has been working with the man for a while now, and quite frankly (or Frank Quitely) I think this issue will be fantastic.
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #0
Writer: Gregg Hurwitz
Artist: Mico Suayan
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Batman takes on the most important case of his career as a detective – who murdered his parents?
Meet Joe Chill and explore the epic conspiracy to wipe out the Wayne family!
JIMMY: I’m a bit bummed out that there’s an “epic conspiracy to wipe out the Wayne family,” but that seems to be the way DC Editorial has been wanting Batman’s origins to be spun over the last several years. I’m much more of a fan of his origin being due to a completely random and tragic killing, but I trust Gregg Hurwitz to deliver a well-written piece of the Batman origin story–I loved his Detective Comics #0, and his work on The Dark Knight has been spectacular so far.
FURY MAX #6
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Goran Parlov
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION:
• Fury and his Castro-assassination team are captured in Cuba.
• Find out just how far Nick Fury will go for his country
GEORGE: I’m a latecomer to this title, as it slipped under my radar when it was first released. Major mistake. Garth Ennis is possibly the best in the business when it comes to writing military comics, and while Fury Max does retain some of his more puerile tics, it brings the same attention to detail and eye for history that Ennis brought to his tremendous Battlefields series. Ennis’s Nick Fury is hitting all the hot spots of the Cold War, from Vietnam to Cuba, and Parlov’s pencils are depicting those actions in style.
HAPPY #1
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Darick Robertson
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Meet NICK SAX – a corrupt, intoxicated ex-cop turned hit-man, adrift in a stinking twilight world of casual murder, soulless sex, eczema and betrayal.
With a hit gone wrong, a bullet in his side, the cops and the mob on his tail, and a monstrous child killer in a Santa suit on the loose, Nick and his world will be changed forever this Christmas.
By a tiny blue horse called Happy…
GEORGE: Zach already reviewed this profanity-laced private eye tale, giving it a generally positive rating while acknowledging the lack of a sympathetic protagonist. I myself will be looking forward to this one come Wednesday, since Grant Morrison’s writing will get me interested in most any project. I’m not sure if I’ll find Nick Sax any more likeable than Zach, but with Morrison at the helm, I’m willing to bet that he’s at least an interesting protagonist.
ZACH: I already had the chance to read (and review) Happy, and it’s definitely worth picking up this week. If you like strange tales or gritty crime stories this is for you. Getting to read high profile writers doing a story that they have complete control over is an exciting thing and hopefully more will continue to do so.
MAGIC THE GATHERING SPELL THIEF #3
Writer: Matt Forbeck
Artist: Martin Coccolo, Atilio Rojo
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Leaving his home plane behind, Dack Fayden returns to Innistrad, still in pursuit of the villainous Sifa Grent. He convenes with the Reichert family again, who provide Dack with crucial information on the evil Planewalker’s location. But when Sorin Markov arrives, looking for Dack, things quickly escalate and our hero finds himself in a situation where he may not come out alive…
ROB: Return to Ravnica prerelease is this weekend, with the set completely spoiled what better way is there to get just a bit more on the Magic train than with the further stories of Dack Fayden? Even if you aren’t big on the Planeswalkers or the game, the book is still worth a look for a fun story and great art. That and there’s always the free promo card incentivizing you, too.
NEW DEADWARDIANS #7
Writer: Dan Abnett
Artist: I.N.J. Culbard
Publisher: Vertigo
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Inspector Suttle prepares to close the Hinchcliffe Case, but the case seems to be closing in on him. Dark secrets that Suttle is in no way prepared for loom from the silence of the past, and he finds he can no longer trust anyone.
Not even himself.
GEORGE: Abnett and Culbard’s Edwardian-era vampire and zombie-laden murder mystery has been quietly trucking along, and will come to a close with issue 8 next month (although I hope we can get a second miniseries). If you haven’t been reading this, it is worth catching up on – Inspector Suttle is a surprisingly interesting protagonist, and Abnett makes the most out of his supernatural setting, avoiding any sort of vampire/zombie fatigue. I.N.J. Culbard’s work is also worth noting – I hope we start seeing him on some more higher profile projects, as he’s doing great work on New Deadwardians.
RED LANTERNS #0
Writer: Peter Milligan
Artists: Ardian Syaf, Vicente Cifuentes
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: PROLOGUE TO THE THIRD ARMY! • Don’t miss this secret chapter of the Red Lantern Corps, as the legacy of Atrocitus’s violent past unfolds! • Witness a prophecy that threatens to change everything!
RODRIGO: The festival of lanterns comes but once a year and Ping is very excited. But on the eve of the festival all the red lanterns are gone. Is the wise woman right? Is this an omen of a century of bad luck? Only Ping and his friends can unravel this mystery!
THE SHADOW ANNUAL #1
Writer: Tom Sniegoski
Artist: Dennis Calero
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: The Shadow is tormented by visions of New York City plagued by living fire—fire in the shape of a Chinese dragon—fire with the potential to spread hungrily to the world. But what do these visions mean? The Shadow will peel back the layers of mystery, leading to a confrontation that could very well shake the pillars of Heaven. Who are the waifs of Li-Lung, and what are their connections to Brother Pritchard’s Orphanage for Wayward Children, and to crime boss on the rise, Vincent Ruzzo? Soon, the Shadow will know.
STEPHEN: Well, it isn’t Garth Ennis writing, but just like Batman, I’m a sucker for nearly everything featuring the Shadow.
SKULLKICKERS #18
Writers: John Layman, Justin Jordan, Blair Butler, J. Torres,Charles Soule, Aubrey Sitterson
Artists: Rob Guillory, Tradd Moore, Enrique Rivera, Alberto Alburquerque, Michael Mayne, Ivan Anaya
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: With our third story arc wrapped up, it’s time for the next Tavern Tales issue. This time, the tales can’t be contained in just 32 pages. This extra large issue is jammed with some of the biggest indie creators in the business alongside our Tavern Tales Contest Winners!
ZACH: It’s time for another arc break on Skullkickers, which can mean only one thing: more Tavern Tales!! Tavern Tales issues are an anthology of adventures that the title characters in Skullkickers have gone on, but aren’t featured in the main story arcs. This iteration looks to be one of the best with a story coming from the duo on Chew, John Layman and Rob Guillory. If you are needing a good laugh pick this up.
STAR WARS DARTH MAUL DEATH SENTENCE #3
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Bruno Redondo
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: While an injured Darth Maul recuperates from his recent battle with a team of Jedi, he plots his revenge—and the rescue of his brother Savage Opress (now in Jedi custody). But it isn’t simply the Jedi that Maul must face; it’s a powerful mining magnate with forces of his own!
Luckily for Maul, the mine owner has made a career out of exploiting the local work force, and the natives are . . . revolting!
RODRIGO: It is said that even the Dark Lords of the Sith fear one thing in the universe. A collection of words so charged with the dark side of the force that it could unravel the fabric of the very universe. It was thought a legend, UNTIL NOW! For only one whose heart is dark as ferrocrete can speak this… DEATH SENTENCE!
STEED AND MRS PEEL ONGOING #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Artists: Caled Monroe, Steve Bryant
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Mark Waid’s incredible reimagining of the super spy series is here! John Steed and Emma Peel are right back to work, and the threats are bigger than ever. After the shocking return of the Hellfire Club, our swinging super spies realize their mortal foes have infiltrated all aspects of British society, and Steed and Peel can’t trust anyone — except one another. Eisner Award-nominated writer Mark Waid (DAREDEVIL, IRREDEEMABLE) teams up with rising star Caleb Monroe (BATMAN 80-PAGE GIANT, ICE AGE) and Russ Manning Award-nominated artist Steve Bryant (ATHENA VOLTAIRE) to craft the thrilling adventures of the cult classic team!
ZACH: I honestly have no knowledge of what this property is, but Mark Waid is writing it so I’m ready to check it out. I never thought I would start following writers as much as I have, but anything that Waid writes I’m immediately slapping money down so I can read his next adventure.
VOODOO #0
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Sami Basri
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The truth about Pris is revealed at last as she sets off on a mission for vengeance that can only end in genocide!
ROB: It’s the final issue of a fantastically underrated series. I know the last issue is a bad place to jump into a title, but this one is worth it, and given it’s the only issue you would need to get the idea doesn’t seem all that daunting. Do Voodoo and yourself a favor and let her go out with an extra big month.
WOLVERINE #313
Writer: Jeph Loeb
Artist: Simone Bianchi
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The stunning conclusion to SABRETOOH REBORN! ï What does Romulus offer Sabretooth that can compare to his lifelong vendetta against Wolverine? ï Wolverine must make a decision: stop Sabretooth or Romulus and live with the lives that are lost in the wake of that decision.
RODRIGO: One of the advantages of Marvel being acquired by Disney is that it allows exploration of some of their more obscure properties, in this case A Wind in the Willows, Mr. Wolverine is only in it for a few seconds but his adventures are just as important as… you guys don’t think these alternate descriptions are funny, do you? Fine. Snikt! Snikt! Best at what he do!
1 Comment
…Rodrigo’s writeups are ridiculously hysterical this week. Absolutely perfect.