Major Spoilers Staff Picks for February 15, 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.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #679.1
Writer: Dan Slott and Chris Yost
Artist: Matthew Clark
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Morbius the Living Vampire returns! – The perfect jumping on point for the hottest comic around!

ZACH: I have recently started testing the waters known as Marvel and this issue feels like a rite of passage that all Marvel readers must make, the point-one issue. What extra information must this issue contain to be numbered so special? Is New York still in danger? Will Spider-Man/Silver Sable kiss get retconned? Find out Wednesday!

BATMAN #6
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Trapped far beneath Gotham City and hunted by the Talon – the Court of Owls’ unstoppable killer – Batman lies bleeding and broken. With no way out and no one to help, is this the end for The Dark Knight?

GEORGE: Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are killing it on this book week in and out. This is definitely in the running for the best book out of the New 52. The Court of Owls (and their key assassin the Talon) is a rare creature – a new antagonist that is actually threatening and memorable. If you have any appreciation for Batman, this is a book you should be reading.

STEPHEN: Scott Snyder sucked me back in with the last issue, and I’m anxious to see how Batman’s first major interaction with the Court of Owls plays out. It’s got to be good, right? After all, DC is planning a huge Court of Owls crossover event kicking off in May, and those who got in at the right time are going to be in the know. I’ll echo George – this is a book you should be reading.

ZACH: If you didn’t read last month’s Batman then you missed out on one of the best comic reading experiences I have ever had. For the first couple of pages the story was strong, but then you had to start turning the book and with each page flip you felt like the Dark Knight trying to stumble his way through the maze. Synder used his medium to enhance the story instead of just tell it and with that type of creativity you can bet this will be a worthy follow-up.

DAREDEVIL #9
Writer: Mark Waid
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Mole Man returns, fresh from his battle in Avenging Spider-Man!

MATTHEW: Mark Waid’s take on the Man Without Fear has been a total breath of fresh air for me, and every issue reads better than the one before it. By finally giving poor Matt Murdock a break on the murdered girlfriends & mentors, Waid has found a way to make ol’ Hornhead a super-cool superhero without giving up the street cred that Miller, Bendis and the other DD writers have built up. Plus, the art has been PHENOMENAL!

DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER WAY STATION #3
Writer: David Peter
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Gunslinger continues his adventure across the deadly Mohaine desert!
• Jake and the Gunslinger must learn to trust each other.
• What creeping horror lies in the cellar?

ROB: For fans of Stephen King’s Dark Tower series, this is a must. After learning a large portion of Roland’s back story (finally) we are now into territory the books have covered, and I’ve been enjoying it all over again. The re-telling of the tale fits right into the universe and this is a great place for someone interested to learn of the story.

DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #6
Writer: Dan DiDio and Jerry Ordway
Artist: Jerry Ordway
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The Challengers. Out of time and on the run. Eight survivors of a fiery plane crash, bound by fate and death, are on a desperate mission to uncover the mysteries of the Unknown before the powers that saved their lives, claim them for eternity.

MATTHEW: Originally created by Jack Kirby during the weird in-between period bridging the Golden and Silver Ages of comics, the Challengers of the Unknown have never quite regained the level of awesome that they experienced under The King’s pen. They’ve had half a dozen retcons and relaunches, but of all the concepts that I think could have legs in the DCnU, this is the one that I’ve been really looking forward to. Here’s hoping it lives up to it’s pedigree…

STEPHEN: I’ve read through the collected Showcase Presents, have seen their adventures in Batman: The Brave and The Bold, and loved what Darwyn Cooke did with the characters in DC: New Frontier, and I kind of dig on what the characters represent and how they tie into the bigger DCU. I wasn’t really thrilled with the first stories offered in DC Universe Presents, but now that the Challengers are on board, I’m looking forward to reading this issue this week.

GHOSTBUSTERS #6
Writer: Erik Burnham
Artist:Dan Schoening
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Thanks to the contract they signed, the Ghostbusters are temporarily barred by Walter Peck from taking any work (without his express permission) in New York City. The Ghostbusters skirt the edict by taking a job in Schenectady. It’s a simple haunted amusement park upstate-what could possibly go wrong?

ZACH: Eric Burnham is taking the Ghostbusters to a place that the team doesn’t generally travel, outside of New York City. Last week the slightly more in-shape paranormal fighting team travel upstate to deal with an overrun carnival, and Burnham has said we will see the four travel the country in coming issues with four main stops, starting in Detroit. Bottom line is if you are a fan of the movies you need to be reading this book.

GLAMOURPUSS #23
Writer: Dave Sim
Artist: Dave Sim
Publisher: Aardvark Vanaheim
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: It’s the knock-down, drag-out battle to the death you’ve been waiting for! High Fashion models versus Zootanapuss & Bunny, The One Rabbit Wrecking Crew! Only one faction will survive and the other will be exiled forever from the pages of glamourous! Subtitled ‘Crisis on Infinite Aardvark-Vanaheims,’ you won’t want to miss a minute of the action in this multi-part thriller which will change the shape of the Aardvark-Vanaheim Universe for all time (or at least until sales are, once again, in the toilet) – it’s like the classic two-part Hulk versus Thing only better because all the action takes place in smartly tailored clothing and features a really cute bunny! The history of Photorealism in Comics section continues with the events of September 6, 1956.

MATTHEW: Say what you will about the author and his worldview, this book has slowly but surely become engulfed by a reconstruction of the events leading up to the untimely death of Alex Raymond, and it’s a fascinating sort of tale he’s telling. The photoralistic parodies of women’s magazines are fun, but watching Sim play armchair detective is absolutely (and perversely) fascinating, and it’s been at the top of my buy pile for several months now…

INFESTATION 2 DUNGEONS & DRAGONS #1 (OF 2)
Writer: Baul Crilley
Artist: Valerio Schiti
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Abraxis Wren is the most notorious inquisitive in Sharn… and when a routine (well, routine by his standards) case puts him on the trail of creatures beyond the ken of mortal, it’s only a matter of time before he finds himself caught up in the middle of INFESTATION 2! Introducing the D&D campaign EBERRON to comics!

ROB: The Elder Gods come to Eberron. I don’t think this needs more of a sell.

RODRIGO: I really want to see this comic be 2 pages of action and then 20 more pages of hanging out and relaxing (followed by a whole ‘nother issue of the same). Why? Because I feel that out of all the IDW universes, the D&D universe is the one best equipped to deal with this situation. That said, they’ll probably find some way to make it exciting and interesting, oh well…

MONDO #1
Writer/Artist: Ted McKeever
Publisher: Image Comics
Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: Catfish’s daily grind of “enhancing” poultry comes to a halt when he is accidentally tripped up by a loose chicken, causing him to fall victim to his own process. What proportions of his that were once human are now beyond anything normal. Add villainous corporate and military big wigs, a roller-skating weapon-toting chick named Kitten Kaboodle, a gang of tattooed babies, and there’s still that enormous beach monster…

And what you have is MONDO, in all its raging glory!

BRUCE: Ted McKeever’s Eddie Current miniseries from the late 80s was a really ‘out there’ tale, and Mondo appears to be another ripping yarn in that fine tradition. With a main character named Catfish Mandu, you know the humor will be weird. With chickens, industrial accidents and mutations there looks to be a healthy dose of mayem. Should be some ‘finger lickin’’ fun.

POLITICAL POWER: MITT ROMNEY ONE SHOT
Writer: Marc Shapiro
Artist: Scott Bingham
Publisher: Bluewater Productions
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Mitt Romney is smart and principled. As a businessman, he’s created new industries. As Massachusetts’ governor, he made health care affordable to thousands of his state’s uninsured citizens. His business acumen and proven political leadership are the reasons why the Republican Party establishment sees him as their leading light in the 2012 presidential election. How Mitt Romney became the Republican Party’s frontrunner and the heir to the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and Teddy Roosevelt is the subject of Bluewater Productions’ Political Power: Mitt Romney.

RODRIGO: If you listen to the MSP regularly, then you heard me review this title. So why am I actually picking it up? Because in every way it is a weird cross section of of pop culture, politics and comics. In 20 years I’ll come across it and say to myself “Wow, I can’t believe this comic happened.” I urge you to create the same time-capsule style situation for yourself.

PROPHET #21 (Second Printing)
Writer: Brandon Graham
Artist: Simon Roy
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The distant future Earth is inhabited by alien settlers that feed off of the ape-men mankind has devolved into. John Prophet awakes from cryosleep on a mission to restart the human empire.

GEORGE: My local brick ‘n mortar comic shop was all out of the first print run, so I missed out on what appears to have been a nice bit of mind-bending weirdness. Good reviews for this issue litter the internet, and I can’t wait to dive first-hand into the story of a future post-human Earth.

QUATERMAIN #1
Writer: Clay and Susan Griffith
Pencils: Patricio Carbajal
Publisher: Bluewater Productions
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Allan Quatermain, famed hunter and trader, treks across East Africa where he runs afoul of the warlord Bwana Nzige, Lord of the Locusts, who rules a vast empire built on blood and ivory. Quatermain finds himself the prey as he is hunted by Nzige’s chief assassin, the fearsome sorcerer, Lokongoi.

RODRIGO: Allan Quatermain was the only character in the main team that I wasn’t familiar with in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, so on that level I’m a little curious. Now, this book has nothing to do with “League” but I’m still looking forward to it, largely because I want to see a writer pull off the Great White Hunter character without being racist. Can they do it? Only one way to find out.

RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #6
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: How did Jason Todd and Princess Koriand’r of Tamaran meet – and what has bonded them together in a way that neither could have imagined? At long last the story can be told! It’s a scorcher!

JIMMY: This title has been my guilty pleasure of the relaunch so far; I have actually enjoyed it from issue one on, and was so excited about issue 1 that I accidentally wrote a full review for it before realizing that Matthew was scheduled to review that issue. I understand and can respect the criticism that has been given it so far, but I think most of that criticism is coming from people who aren’t a part of this book’s intended audience. This book is like a summer action movie–you go in to eat popcorn and say “whoa” a lot, not to learn an important lesson about life or to save a rec center.

SNARKED #5
Writer: Roger Langridge
Artist: Roger Langridge
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Brand New Arc! Great For New Readers! Roger Langridge – the Harvey Award winner behind The Muppet Show and Thor: The Mighty Avenger – begins the second arc of his critically acclaimed side-splitting adventure! The journey continues as Princess Scarlett, baby Rusty, the Walrus and the Carpenter, and the fearless Snarkhunter Crew hit the high seas in search of the missing Red King. Swashbuckling, laughs, crocodiles – this issue has it all!

JIMMY: While this title hasn’t blown me away in a couple months, it has been consistently clever. It honors the great Lewis Carroll in its stylings and makes good references to many of his works, beyond just the titular Hunting of the Snark. If you’re a fan of Carroll’s works I highly recommend picking up this title–especially if you have children you want to get into comic books!

STAR TREK LEGION OF SUPERHEROES #5
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Jeffrey Moy, Philip Moy
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: In the distant past, one team of Legionnaires and Starfleet officers come face to face with the force that erased both of their timelines from existence, while in the altered 23rd century another team confronts the latter-day version of that same force. But now that they know how history was changed, can anything be done to set things right?

STEPHEN: This has been a fun ride since it began, and IDW Publishing has been taking great care in making sure the individual properties aren’t tarnished with this crossover event. We’re drawing closer to the final chapter as Roberson, and the Moys continue to spin a tale of reality gone askew.

STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI FORCE STORM #1
Writer: John Ostrander
Artist: Jan Duursema
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: On the planet Tython, in the center of the galaxy, an order of warrior monks strives to maintain peace and to balance the mysterious power known as the Force. But a stranger is coming–one who will destroy both peace and balance, and open the galaxy to exploration and conquest. This is where it all begins!

ROB: The origins of the Jedi are told within, at least thats what I’m expecting based on the title and the generally goodly informative issue #0. Still, if you like Jedi, and really who doesn’t, this seems like the thing to read.

VENOM #13.2
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Sana Takeda
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Who is Ichor and why has he targeted Venom for Death?!

GEORGE: I’ve been loving Rick Remender’s interpretation of Flash Thompson as Venom. The first .1 issue of this little diversion brought me around to a few other legacy characters (Red Hulk, X-23, the new Ghost Rider) that I was not as enamored of. The set-up is wonderfully over the top; Blackheart has brought Hell to Las Vegas, and it’s up to these four unlikely heroes to stop him. It is not a life-changing book, but it’s a fun team-up with some weird characters.

WONDER WOMAN #6
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Tony Akins
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Hades and Poseidon both have designs on the kingdom their brother Zeus left behind, but Wonder Woman doesn’t intend to let their turf war decimate the realm of man! It’ll take a big lie and some help from the mystery man known as Lennox to stop a holy war from breaking out – but what does Lennox know that Wonder Woman doesn’t?

JIMMY: I still can’t quite believe they gave the relaunch of Wonder Woman to Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang. Not because it was a bad idea–in fact my surprise is based on the fact that it was such a brilliant idea. The two have done a spectacular job on the title. I absolutely love Chiang’s pencils; the thick lines are actually almost reminiscent of the Boom! house style, but with its own flair. The story has also been particularly compelling, with last issue ending with a showdown with Poseidon.