Looking for something good to read this week? The Major Spoilers Staff has sifted through this week’s releases and have picked a number of books you might want to check out as well.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #684
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Stefano Caselli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • Spider-Man’s Globetrotting Adventure Against The Sinister Six Moves To The Middle East For A Face Off Against…The Sandman! • In The Past, Spidey’s Fought Sandman On Beaches, In Quarries, But Never Like This — How Can Web-Head Hope To Defeat Sandman When He’s Controlling The Sahara Desert?! • Special Guest Stars: Black Widow And Silver Sable.
ZACH: The Avengers and Spidey were all but taken out by the Sinister Six, with Peter left kneeling before Doc Ock. How will they get out of this and stop Ock’s unorthodox plan? If you really aren’t reading this after all of us talking so highly of it, I just don’t know what to say to you.
BATMAN #8
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Greg Capullo
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Broken and beaten, Bruce Wayne has retreated from Gotham City –the city of Owls–to Wayne Manor. But no place is safe, because the Court is about to strike at the heart of city, and nothing will ever be the same.
JIMMY: Night of the Owls was one of the big focuses of the DC panels at C2E2, and it reminded me how excited I am to see how DC pulls off their first major crossover event post-relaunch. I like that the Bat-family writers were given their choice to participate or not, and for how long; this really seems to be a well-planned and hopefully well-orchestrated crossover coming up.
STEPHEN: OH, YEAH! The Court of Owls is on the offensive, and the first wave of the attack hits comic book stores this week. Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo have been doing a fantastic job with this series, and it is by far THE BEST Batman book DC is printing.
BATMAN BEYOND UNLIMITED #3
Writer: Adam Beechen
Artist: Norm Breyfogle
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: In the debut of SUPERMAN BEYOND, The Man of Tomorrow returns home to an unfamiliar City of Tomorrow patrolled by super-powered police officers. With most of his loved ones gone, he wonders if Superman has a place in this new world. But time and death hold no meaning for a foe who has set a plan in motion to destroy the Man of Steel once and for all!In BATMAN BEYOND, Russian criminals have taken Mad Stan’s dog and Stan will stop at nothing to get them, even if it means blowing up all of Gotham City in the process. As if Terry doesn’t have enough to handle, his girlfriend comes to him with shocking news about her brother.In JUSTICE LEAGUE BEYOND, the team works to break the brainwashing Micron underwent, while getting a valuable history lesson from Amanda Waller…but will it help them discover Kobra’s plot in time to save the world?
ROB: Batman Beyond was a great series with a ton of unexplored potential. This is the exploration, and so far it has been great. The JLB is a good blend of characters and I’m looking forward to them getting fleshed out further, and I’d have to say Terry is actually my favorite Batman. With two stories, both getting a good amount of work each month, I’d say this is one of the best title’s you’ll get at $4.
CATWOMAN #8
Writer: Judd Winick
Artist: Guillem March
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Catwoman has a new running buddy named Spark, and together, they’re taking Gotham City–literally! And when these two thieves team up, it’s twice the haul and twice the trouble. Electricity is in the air . . .
JIMMY: I’ve been enjoying the adventures of Selina in The New 52 quite a bit, and am excited to see where Judd Winick takes us next in the life of our favorite catburglar. The last issue left off with the introduction of a really fun-seeming partner in crime for Catwoman, and while I don’t know that the Internet’s reaction was all that positive for Spark, I liked him!
DOCTOR WHO ONGOING VOL 2 #16
Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov
Artist: Matthew Dow Smith
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Silurian plan is revealed, apocalypse imminent, and with mere minutes to go, can the Doctor and his strange new ally save not just Casablanca but the entire human race?
MATTHEW: The wrap up of the “Doctor In Casablanca” storyline? SOLD! (For a hill of beans, I might add…)
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS EBERRON ANNUAL 2012 #1
Writers: Paul Crilley, Paco Diaz, Menton3
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $7.99
SOLICITATION: They call Sharn the ‘City of Towers’… but it’s what’s below the surface that interests Abraxis Wren, the most notorious inquisitive in the land. As Wren and his assistant Torin begin an investigation that pulls at the strings that bind the city together, it’s their own lives that might unravel! Writer Paul Crilley continues spinning tales in the exciting world of Eberron, following up last month’s Infestation 2 crossover–joined by hot artist Paco Diaz (Wolverine)–in this double-sized, all-new annual!
RODRIGO: I love Eberron as a setting, when it first came out it took all the weirdly specific, nonsensical stuff about D&D and gave it a place where it actually made sense. I want this book to be successful so that eventually we start seeing stuff outside of Sharn which is almost literally Eberron’s New York City.
IRREDEEMABLE #36
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Diego Barreto and Matteo Scalera
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: See Where Other Superhero Stories Are Afraid To Go! The Plutonian has ruined so many lives, and nearly destroyed the human race. When a savior emerges from the most unlikely of places, leaving the world reeling from the news, where can the Plutonian fit into this new world? And is death a fitting punishment for a god? An intense not-to-be-missed issue of Mark Waid’s Eisner and Harvey Award-nominated superhero saga.
JIMMY: Mark Waid’s focus at C2E2 was so firmly on digital comics that I completely forgot to talk to him about Irredeemable and Incorruptible (though I did chat with Peter Krause about them briefly), but I am eagerly anticipating seeing how two of my favorite series draw to an end. Waid’s been throwing some crazy physics at readers, and as a physics major I’ve been eating it up, so I’m eager to see what madness he has coming next.
MANHATTAN PROJECTS #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Nick Pitarra
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: In this issue, we learn about the secret role that the super-scientists of THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS played in the fall of Germany during WWII. It’s the hidden history of Werner Von Braun, the rocket god of Deutschland and the only guy before 1950 to have a super-cool robot arm.
One of the most anticipated new series of the year continues THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #2: ROCKET MAN!
GEORGE: The first issue of Jonathan Hickman’s alternate history retelling of the development of the atomic bomb did not disappoint. It was a crazy mishmash of Imperial Japanese kamikaze robots, eldritch elder gods and strange multiverse musings. Hickman reliably delivers the crazy, and it looks like Manhattan Projects will be up there with his best work if the rest of the issues are up to the standards of the first. And what was up with Einstein in that room, anyways?
STEPHEN: The first issue of this series blew my mind, and I can’t wait to see where Jonathan Hickman takes us on a wild ride through the multiverse. I hope this issue gives us a clue as to why Albert Einstein is locked in the closet.
ZACH: The inaugural issue for Manhattan Projects had everything that makes a good number one: Death Buddhists, robots, and cannibalism. The pacing and flow of last issue was so well executed that I re-read the issue multiple times and enjoyed it every time. Looking forward to seeing why Einstein is in time-out and where the story goes from here.
PROPHET #24
Writer: Brandon Graham
Artist: Farel Dalrymple
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: John Prophet’s mission has been changed. He now has to cross the continent sized starship of Sleepingman to save a creature who has crashed onto the world below.?He must survive deadly radiation and a strangely familiar thing that’s been trapped in the ship.
GEORGE: The recently returned Prophet has been entertaining month in and month out. This is some imaginative, grand-scale science fiction comics. I won’t spoil the reveal of the last issue, but it is clear that things are getting down to serious business in this book, and quickly. John Prophet is still an enigma of a character, but Brandon Graham and Farel Dalrymple are creating a far future world that is as imaginative as anything I’ve read in recent memory.
RAGEMOOR #2
Writer: Jan Strnad
Artist: Richard Corben
Cover Artist: Richard Corben
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $7.99
SOLICITATION: Ragemoor’s mad owner gets caught in a deadly battle between a horrible race of worm men and the vicious apes that guard his castle!
RODRIGO: Don’t know what’s going on here, but that cover is awesome! Gonna track this one down and learn all there is to know about Ragemoor. Which is either our protagonist or a pier full of angry Scotsmen.
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #8
Writer: Scott Lobdell
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Suzie Su is back, and she’s betting a hospital full of hostages will get Red Hood’s attention! If that isn’t enough to keep him and the Outlaws busy, there’s someone waiting in the wings! It’s Tim Drake knocking on Red Hood’s door with a very special package for his estranged “brother.” Don’t miss Red Robin’s cameo this issue, as it ties directly into next month’s “Night of the Owls” Batman event!
SHANE: I’m not going to lie, but Jason Todd is probably my favorite character in the DC universe and with the Order of the Owls event coming up I’m excited to this series finally connect more with the Bat Team.
RESIDENT ALIEN #0
Writer: Peter Hogan
Artist: Steve Parkhouse
Cover Artist: Steve Parkhouse
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: The doctor is IN—and he’s an alien!
Surviving a crash landing that ruins his spaceship, a stranded alien hopes to quietly live out his life in the sleepy town of Patience, USA, masquerading as a semi-retired doctor. He has some alien powers of empathy and the ability to mask his odd appearance from most people—but how long can he last undercover? After three long years of living below the radar, something in Patience is about to pull him out of hiding and into an uncomfortable spotlight! An alien adventure with humor, heart, and mystery—from acclaimed creators Peter Hogan (2000 AD, Tom Strong) and Steve Parkhouse (Milkman Murders, Doctor Who)!
RODRIGO: I reviewed this comic on the MSP last week (I think). This story is shaping up to be pretty good. It’s like “My Favorite Martian” as a murder mystery. Or, if you’d prefer, “Justified” with aliens.
RESET #1
Writer: Peter Bagge
Artist: Peter Bagge
Cover Price: $3.50
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
SOLICITATION: If you could relive major events in your life, would you take a stab at making things better–and would your best attempts only make things worse? Or would you use your second chance to put your most twisted, perverted fantasies in motion? These are questions washed up actor and comedian Guy Krause asks himself after he signs up to be the main research subject for a virtual reality experiment.
BRUCE: We’ve all played, “If I only knew then, what I know now…” Peter Bagge looks to explore that notion in this sci-f tale. I really enjoy Bagge’s art. His cartoony, noodly-looking characters really appeal to my sensibilities. Bagge’s writing is also up my alley, offering up cynical and very funny takes on relationships and society in general.
SAGA #1 (3rd Printing)
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Y: THE LAST MAN writer BRIAN K. VAUGHAN returns to comics with red-hot artist FIONA STAPLES for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Star Wars-style action collides with Game of Thrones-esque drama in this original sci-fi/fantasy epic for mature readers, as new parents Marko and Alana risk everything to raise their child amidst a never-ending galactic war.
MATTHEW: Yeah, it’s a third printing, but I’m still looking forward to seeing how this story started out. I expect that someday it will be another “I bought issue #1 of The Sandman back in the day” story for me. (That said, I also bought Hellblazer #1, Crisis On Infinite Earths in it’s entirety, Secret Wars #8, G.I. Joe #1 and the last issue of ROM Spacknight off the racks.) But, anyway, Saga is intriguing…
ZACH: I know what you are thinking right now, ”Hey, this issue came out over a month ago!” But fret not faithful Spoilerite I too know this, I just haven’t read it yet. So now, after reading Matthew’s five star review of issue two, and the fact that it’s in its third printing, I will finally be picking this up. More accurately downloading both issues from Comixology.
THE SHADOW #1
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Aaron Campbell
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
The Shadow crated by Walter B. Gibson
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: 1938: The Shadow returns in a tale of blazing action and deadly intrigue, as a night of carnage on the New York waterfront plunges the mysterious vigilante into a conspiracy involving the fate of the world itself. As storm clouds gather across the globe, American Military Intelligence meets with a certain Lamont Cranston, determined to beat a host of spies and assassins to the greatest prize of all… but what that might be, only the Shadow knows.
STEPHEN: This issue is everything you want in a modern day retelling of The Shadow. Great art, and great Garth Ennis story, makes this a title you don’t want to pass up this week.
SUPER DINOSAUR #10
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artists: Jason Howard, Cliff Rathbum
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The dreaded Exile proves to be a far more formidable foe than Max Maximus ever was! Super Dinosaur finds himself under attack by The Exile led horde of Dino-Men! Meanwhile, Derek must infiltrate The Exile’s secret base in order to find the key to defeating him once and for all! But what about Derek’s mother? Will he ever find out she exists?
ROB: Kirkman!! Seriously, there’s a reason that I’ve put this on my pick list almost every time it’s come out. Super Dinosaur is just a fun read for anyone who just wants to enjoy themselves and have a good laugh while still getting a worthwhile story.
THUNDER AGENTS VOL 2 #6
Writer: Nick Spencer and Michael Uslan
Artist: Wes Craig, CAFU, Trevor McCarthy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: When they were first recruited, the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agent were asked if they would rather “burn out or fade away.” Well, now it’s “burn out” time. Original T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS artist CAFU returns to help Nick Spencer and Wes Craig bring this twisted tale of murder, espionage and doomed heroics to its thunderous conclusion. Everything from the first panel of the first issue of the first volume has been building to this issue – Do not miss it!
MATTHEW: I’m saddened that it’s over, but the rarity of real endings in comic book storytelling makes me hope that Nick Spencer and company can really pull this one off. Given that the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents have always been about death, endings and the inevitable, it’s interesting to see them ending yet another chapter in their stuttery 4 decade publishing history…
TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE ONGOING #4
Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: DANGER IN SPACE! Investigating the abandoned AUTOBOT facility on DELPHI-one-time home of fan-favorites THE WRECKERS-RATCHET uncovers a danger greater than he’s ever faced… and the return of a character long thought lost! Will this bring them closer to their goal of finding the Knights of Cyberton-or kill them?!
ROB: After the Death of Optimus Prime one-shot late last year, Transformers really caught my eye. After finally finding the first few issues a couple weeks ago, I’d say this title has everything. Centered on Bumblebee’s team trying to rebuild Cybertron now that the war is over, we get to see how the Autobots and Decepticons deal with a time of peace, and meet plenty of new guys that weren’t involved in the war as well. With Starscream having joined ‘Bee’s team (legitimately) I am very much looking forward to where this may be going.
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #9 AVX
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Chris Bachalo
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION:
• Avx Tie-In!
• Wolverine, Torn Between Two Teams!
• Will The Jean Grey School Follow Its Leader?
SHANE: This series is one of the best mainstream comics right now and until that changes I will probably tell you to pick this issue up every Wednesday.
UNCANNY X-FORCE #24
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Phil Noto
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION:
• Aoa Wolverine, Deadpool And Nightcrawler Go On Mission To Kill Aoa Iceman!
• What’s Left Of X-Force Returns From Otherworld!
GEORGE: My favorite X-Book of the past year took a rare misstep with its last arc, getting sidetracked in Otherworld with the Captain Britain Corps and suffering from some rather poorly executed art. But a new storyline is brewing – artist Phillip Noti is at bat in this next issue, which features Wolverine, Nightcrawler (from the Age of Apocalypse) and Deadpool-in-drag facing off against evil AoA escapee Iceman. I’m optimistic that this will be a return to form for Rick Remender’s crew of murderous misfits.
