Major Spoilers Staff Picks for February 01, 2012

You’ve seen the list of new comics that are arriving in stores this week, but what should you pick up? Take the jump as the Major Spoilers Staff picks the books they are most looking forward to this week.

ACTION COMICS #6
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Andy Kubert and Jesse Delperdang
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The breakneck pace of Grant Morrison’s run on ACTION COMICS continues as the Superman of the present day must team up with suspiciously different versions of the Legion of Super-Heroes to save the jeans-wearing Superman of five years ago! Whose hand is that on the cover? Why, the leader of the Anti-Superman Army, of course!

STEPHEN: I just finished reading issue #5 last night, so I’m all geared up for the latest installment. For six months, we’ve only seen Superman leap tall buildings in a single bound as Grant Morrison told us his version of the Golden Age. Now, it’s time to see what Superman can do when he flies, and when the Legion of Super-Heroes get involved.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #679
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Humberto Ramos
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: With time running out, Spidey makes a last ditch effort to save time itself! Can Spidey win this race against the future?

GEORGE: This is one of those books where I so look forward to every issue that it’s hard not to write about it every single time we do staff picks. But last issue, Don Slott set up a cliffhanger that I cannot wait to see resolved. With a glimpse 24 hours into the future, Spider-Man has witnessed a New York City in ruins. Last issue, with the aid of a newspaper from an alternate timeline where NYC doesn’t get nuked, Spidey did everything he could to prevent catastrophe from occurring… and seemingly failed. Slott and Ramos together are the gift that keeps on giving on Spider-Man, and the lead-in to this issue promises a fantastic finish to this done-in-two story.

ROB: I am not a fan of time travel, but the last issue set up a decent enough story without too much of the usual back and forth circular logic wonkiness that makes my head explode that I’m ready to see how it turns out. Of course, I’ll probable still be confused by time travel after the fact, but it should be fun.

ZACH: After reading Stephen’s praises for the work by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos I semi-reluctantly picked up the last issue, it is $3.99 after all. But when Stephen says you should be reading something run to the store and buy it! Ramos’s art is just so…so…I don’t have words to thoroughly express how amazing it is. Thank you Stephen for again showing us all how we should be spending our hard earned money.

ANIMAL MAN #6
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: John Paul Leon, Travel Foreman, and Jeff Huet
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Before he and his family became hunted by The Rot, Buddy Baker starred in a low budget indie Super Hero film. Now we get to “watch” the movie, courtesy of director Jeff Lemire and guest cinematographer John Paul Leon!

MATTHEW: Jeff Lemire’s oh-so-very-Vertigo take on one of DC’s founding Silver Age heroes is fascinating, and the stomach-churning designs of Talent Caldwell has given life to all manner of monstrosities not seen anywhere outside of Critical Hit… I’m digging this story and the way it uses existing concepts to make sure that we can see the depth of this whole new DCU.

FATALE #1 (Second Printing)
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: A reporter in 2012 stumbles on a secret that leads him down the darkest path imaginable… to a seductive woman who’s been on the run since 1935, a mobster who may be an immortal demon monster, and the stories of all the doomed men who’ve been caught in their decades-long struggle.

FATALE blends noir and horror to tell a riveting epic unlike anything you’ve seen before.

RODRIGO: Somehow the first printing of this slipped under my radar, gotta get out there and find me a copy. Especially if the interior art looks as good as the covers.

FATALE #2
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: The second issue of the hottest new series of 2012 is here! In modern times, Nicholas Lash searches for answers about the mysterious woman who ruined his life, while in the mid-1950s, reporter Dominic Raines is drawn down that same murderous path… The award-winning team of Brubaker and Phillips keeps the heat on high in this epic horror noir.

STEPHEN: Unlike my friend, I’ve read the first issue, and it is indeed a thing of quality and beauty. The second issue promises to take this story within a story within a story even further, with aliens, monsters, and gangsters. Brubaker captured me with the first issue, and I’m hoping the second is just as awesome (HINT: I’ve already read this issue, and it is indeed awesome).

GREEN ARROW #6
Writer: Keith Giffen and Dan Jurgens
Artist: Ignacio Calero and Ray McCarthy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The secret of Blood Rose revealed! The mystery woman plaguing Green Arrow’s life is exposed, but the shocker isn’t who she is – it’s what she is! Plus: The final battle with Midas, the monstrous half-man whose touch can melt anything – including Green Arrow!

JIMMY: This marks the third issue-versary of the “No longer written by J.T. Krul” era of Green Arrow, and I am pretty sure the customary gift is a Silver Giffen. If you can’t find a Silver Giffen (hint: one may just be writing the comic), then you can alternately just buy this issue. It’s the end of an arc, and starting with issue 7 Ann Nocenti will be writing it, so it may SEEM like a strange point to start reading a series, but Giffen’s writing along with Jurgens pencils have been a lot of fun. Green Arrow’s new glory days are just beginning!

INVINCIBLE #88
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley and John Rauch
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Invincible versus Young Omni-Man!

WHAT?!!

JIMMY: There’s a reason Invincible’s tagline is “The Greatest Superhero Comic in the Universe.” The reason? It simply IS. I put off reading Invincible for far too long, and then binge-read the entire series in a week or so. If you aren’t reading it, you should probably start from the beginning, and should do so now. Stop reading this website, go order yourself a copy of volume one (or get it from a friend/library), and then while you’re waiting for it to arrive come back and read this website some more.

ZACH: To be honest I’m only to issue #29 of Invincible so far, but I know that you should be reading it too. Robert Kirkman has written a series that any fan of the spandex-clad from the Big Two can enjoy, and adding Ryan Ottley’s art you have a complete comic experience. The more I think about this title the more I know that I should be caught up already.

IRREDEEMABLE #34
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Diego Barreto
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Paradigm finds itself severely weakened by the death of in-progress megalomaniac Survivor, but the situation is even more dire than they realize, as an old enemy walks among them… meanwhile, the Plutonian wrestles with his origins as he faces…his parents. This is the perfect jumping-on point for new readers to experience Mark Waid’s superhero-gone-wrong masterpiece!

JIMMY: We’re finally out of the flashback crossover that I reviewed half of, and on to a story arc that is being touted as the “perfect jumping on point” for new readers. I don’t know what all this will entail, especially given Max Damage’s appearance in the last issue, but I am excited!

JOHN ROMITA AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ARTIST ED HC
Writer: Stan Lee
Artist: John Romita
Inkers: Jim Mooney, John Romita
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $75.00
SOLICITATION: John Romita, Sr., although not the creator of Spider-Man, was the web-slingers defining artist—he made the character his own and set the tone for all that was to follow. Now, with the full co-operation of Marvel Comics and John Romita Sr., IDW Publishing is proud to present JOHN ROMITA’S THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: ARTIST’S EDITION!

This beautiful book collects seven issues, numbers 67, 68, 69, 71, 75, 84, & more, and features some of Spidey’s most memorable stories, including battles with unbeatable line-up of many of his greatest villains: THE KINGPIN, THE GREEN GOBLIN, MYSTERIO, THE LIZARD, AND DOCTOR OCTOPUS!

MATTHEW: Even though it’s WELL out of my price-range, I look forward to ogling boss Deon’s copy of this one. Originally solicited for December, this book promises a look at original art by the legendary (and I mean that in the classical sense) John Romita in the pre-production state. Steve Ditko may have designed/created Spider-Man, but it’s Romita’s version that is most iconic to me…

JURASSIC STRIKE FORCE 5 #3
WRITER: Joe Brusha
Cover A by Caio Cacau
Cover B by Pasquale Qualano
Cover Price $2.99
SOLICITATION: How did five mutated dino soldiers come to be frozen in the Antarctic and released in the present day? The origin of the Jurassic Strike Force is revealed here for the first time! Don’t miss this issue as Dinosaurs battle Aliens in the earths distant past.
32 pgs, FC, ALL AGES

RODRIGO: Dinosaurs Vs. Aliens is not something you see very often, unless you count dinosaucers, but that was more dinosaurs V. dinosaurs, all of which just happened to be aliens. Either way this looks like it could be awesomely good or awesomely bad. Either way I’ll be entertained.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #6
Writer: Dan Jurgens
Artist: Marco Castiello
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The JLI managed to survive their first mission on a wing and a prayer. Now, in the aftermath of Peraxxus’s near destruction of the planet Earth, our heroes gather together to decide the fate of their team.

ROB: Booster Gold has been one of my favorite characters since the first 52, and though many of those stories may or may not have happened (I’m still unclear on all the details) he has still caught my interest within the New 52 and I’m looking forward to the second mission of the all new JLI.

LOCKE & KEY: CLOCKWORKS #4
Writer: Joe Hill
Artist: Gabriel Rodriguez
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Clockworks, chapter 4: ‘The Whispering Iron.’ The tamers of The Tempest — Rendell Locke, Dodge Caravaggio, and their friends — descend into the Drowning Cave to open the Black Door, hoping to get their hands on some of the fabled whispering iron, the material from which all of the keys are forged. And everything goes according to plan! Not.

STEPHEN: Best. Comic. Series. Ever. While it’s a bit late to jump in with this issue, if you are one of the few thousand that have read every issue of the Locke & Key series, you know this is a story that is special, and years from now it will still be hailed as a masterpiece.

MAGIC: THE GATHERING #1
Writer: Matt Forbeck
Artist: Martin Coccolo
Cover: Aleksi Briclot
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Get ready, Magic: The Gathering fans, there’s a new Planeswalker in town! In search of greater magical knowledge and on the hunt for the people who destroyed his town, Dack Fayden is the greatest thief in the Multiverse. When he gets his hands on his latest prize, though, he has no idea where it will lead him—or to who!

ROB: If anyone’s been paying attention to me at all they should realize just how excited I am for this comic. IDW’s done a fantastic job with most of the other properties they have and this looks to have at least as good of a creative team to give me yet another aspect of Magic to sink my money into, and I’m stoked!

SERGIO ARGONES FUNNIES #7
Writer: Sergio Aragones
Artist: Sergio Aragones
Publisher: Bongo Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Sergio uses some slight of hand this month to conjure up the tale of a man who has an inner desire to become a magician and the arduous journey to achieve his goal. Then, the master storyteller delves into Hawaiian mythology and the legend of the magical Menehunes. And, follow Sergio as he recounts his first steps towards becoming a professional cartoonist.

BRUCE: I remember when this title was announced. I had every intention of checking it out and then it somehow fell off my radar, so now here’s my chance. I grew up with Sergio’s art in MAD Magazine, and I’ve always loved his brand of humor. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the longer, multi-page stories that Funnies promises along with the MAD style gags for which Sergio is so well known.

THE TWELVE #9
Writer: J. Michael Straczynsi
Artist: Chris Weston
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: THE TIME-STRANDED HEROES OF WORLD WAR II ARE BACK!
• ONE MEMBER OF THE TWELVE WILL FALL!
• WHO’S BEHIND THE MYTERIOUS KILLINGS? THE ANSWER IS ELECTRIFYING!

GEORGE: God, when did this last come out? I don’t remember much about this book other than it featured snazzy Golden Age heroes from before Marvel was Marvel and that I really really enjoyed it. The story had Straczynski firing on all cylinders and featured a team-up of some truly bazonkers characters fighting Nazis in the past and future shock in the present. Supposedly the whole thing is finished now, so we won’t have to wait until 2015 to see how everything ties together. Now if I could just remember where I’d put issues #1-8…

MATTHEW: Holy moley, are you kidding? Of COURSE I’m looking forward to this one… J. Michael Stradivarius (I can’t actually remember how to spell his name) has crafted a truly moving tale that turns a dozen of Marvel’s paper cut-out forties heroes into impressively modern and complex heroes. The long wait hasn’t dulled my appetite for more of this book, though I fear I might be in a dwindling minority.

WINTER SOLDIER #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Artist: Butch Guice
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price $2.99
SOLICITATION: Winter Soldier and Black Widow are the super-spies of the Marvel U!
• Ex-Russian Sleeper Agents awaken, but under who’s control?
• Is that Dr. Doom? Uh oh.

RODRIGO: Eventually everyone in the Marvel universe will have a banded robot arm, in fact I hear there’s an X-man that has at least two of them. I want to see how this comic goes because now that all the hype has died down we can finally see whether old Bucky can stand on his own as a character.

X-FACTOR #231
Writer: Peter David
Artist: Emanuela Lupacchino
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Parts 3 & 4 of a 4-part dimension-hopping storyline, “They Keep Killing Madrox”! • Guest-starring Tony Stark and Steve Rogers (part 3) & Doctor Strange and the dread Dormammu (part 4) • Startling twist ending that ties the entire story arc together!

GEORGE: X-Factor Investigations is in a bit of flux lately, what with their leader bouncing around the multiverse, drawn by dying dupes even as everyone thinks he’s dead in his home universe, even as two familiar faces have returned to the team. Peter David manages to juggle a large cast of characters with aplomb, giving everyone a unique voice and writing some of the funniest dialogue in the Marvel U. With Polaris and Havok back in the mix, I’d worry that the editors were overloading their writer, but I’m sure David can pull it off.