Another week, another New Comic Book Day! We know you don’t have time to read everything, which is why we are offering up our picks for the week, for you, our Dear Spoilerites.
BEFORE WATCHMEN: MINUTEMEN #1
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Artist: Darwyn Cooke
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “Little did we know that poor boy would lead to the end of us all.”
Plus: Don’t miss the CRIMSON CORSAIR backup story by writer LEN WEIN and artist JOHN HIGGINS!
MATTHEW: Will Alan Moore ever forgive me? Part of me thinks that I shouldn’t support this project because of creator’s right, but then I remember that I bought two tickets to see Avengers, and I still read comics every month. Either way, my expectation is that this CAN’T be middle of the road. If it’s good, I’ll be happy. If it’s a trainwreck, I’ll get to point and laugh and have the full Skateman/Xanadu/Galactica 1980 enjoyment, so it’s a win-win.
STEPHEN: What do people love more than ice cream? Controversy, and there is a double heaping of that surrounding the Before Watchmen line. We’ve seen creators go ballistic, others get fired, and the fan boy nation rise up in protest. Of course I’m buying this book for nothing else to satiate my curiosity, and to take a gander at that wonderful Darwyn Cooke art.
BPRD TP VOL 03 PLAGUE OF FROGS
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Guy Davis
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $17.99
SOLICITATION: After holding it a secret for ten years, Hellboy creator Mike Mignola finally reveals Abe Sapien’s bizarre history. Introduced in the first Hellboy book and featured prominently in the film, Abe Sapien has remained one of the most intriguing mysteries of Mignola’s celebrated work. The recent Hellboy film steered clear of any origin story for Abe so that the tale could be told in Plague of Frogs. The story of Abe’s origins unfolds as the Bureau for Paranormal Research and Defense try to stop the monstrous frog men from the first Hellboy graphic novel, Seed of Destruction. The plague begins its spread across America, lending an apocalyptic new direction to Mignola’s stories. Collecting the five-issue miniseries. # With art by Guy Davis and a behind-the-scenes look at his sketchbook, this third volume of B.P.R.D. sees Mignola taking over writing chores for the first time and reveals secrets he’s kept under wraps since the beginning of the Hellboy saga, and changes that world completely
ROB: For some reason, while I’ve managed to get all of the Hellboy collections as they come out I cannot seem to get any of the BPRD ones, which I tend to enjoy a bit more. The BPRD gives us more stories of Hellboy’s companions after Hellboy left the Bureau to do his own thing due to the treatment of Roger and the supernatural agents in general, and they are good. If you haven’t had a chance to pick any up, now would be a good time.
CREATOR OWNED HEROES #1
Writer: Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti
Artist: Phil Noto
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Part One by STEVE NILES & KEVIN MELLON The world ended a long time ago. How it happened exactly and what exists in the wasteland have always been a mystery. Now Chloe, Gil and a gang of rebels have escaped the last human stronghold and are blazing across Post-Apocalypse America in search of paradise.
JIMMY: Jimmy Palmiotti has been hyping this on his podcast for a while; it’s going to be a magazine-sized book with multiple stories. It’s always good to be supporting creator owned books, and Niles, Palmiotti and Gray are all veterans of both working for big publishers and self-publishing. I don’t really know what to expect in terms of content, but I know the quality will be high
DEFENDERS #7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • Strange and company find their way to Wakanda… and the Black Panther!
• The Black Cat takes the job of a lifetime. The reward? Anything she desires!
• John Aman, the Prince of Orphans, readies to defend his secret with his life!
MATTHEW: Go buy Defenders. I’m tired of saying it over and over.
EARTH 2 #2
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: • MR. TERRIFIC – Michael Holt – lands on EARTH TWO!
• Don’t miss the origin of the Earth Two FLASH – and the first time he uses his powers!
• What could be a bigger threat to Earth Two than APOKOLIPS? Jay Garrick is about to find out!
MATTHEW: Apparently, this is the issue where we first see how Alan Scott’s revamped social life goes. I’m interested to see how this pans out, but the team of James Robinson and Nicola Scott are what sold me on this, so hopefully it’s a good comic as well as a press release for DC…
STEPHEN: So I hear Alan Scott is gay now… Though it doesn’t matter a bit to me, I’m pretty sure this is going to be the best selling comic of the week as everyone for and against the reveal will pick it up to see for themselves what all the fuss is about. (HINT: We already showed you the big reveal). Still, I like the concept of the multiverse, and think that bringing it back was the smartest move DC ever made… now if they would just use it!
ZACH: In a battle between choosing the most controversial DC book of the week I finally picked the book that has a “couple of moms in a tizzy” over the book that “spits-in-the-face of original content everywhere”. Mind you this wasn’t a choice with any persons morals in mind. Earth 2 just happens to be one dollar cheaper at $2.99.
LEGEND OF OZ: WICKED WEST #4
Writer: Tom Hutchinson
Artist: Alisson Borges
Publisher: Big Dog Ink
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: A narrow escape from the wilds of the Oz forest leads Dorothy and her companions right to the Emerald City. The question is, is anyone still here?
JIMMY: This has been one of the biggest surprise series that I’ve encountered; the basic concept is Wizard of Oz meets the Wild West, and the writing has been fantastic. Tom Hutchison has written a series that is accessible for people who’ve just seen the Wizard of Oz movie, and rewarding for those who’ve read all the L. Frank Baum books.
MORNING GLORIES #19
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Joe Eisma
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Lights out. Nobody’s home.
STEPHEN: Yes, Morning Glories is still an ongoing series. Yes, it is still very good, and yes, it is still just as confusing as ever. But I love it anyway, and love the writing and the art the creators are giving us each and every issue.
MUDMAN #4
Writer: Paul Grist
Artist: Paul Grist
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Burnbridge on Sea is under attack… from the sea? Mudman is the only person who can the tide – but when you’re made of mud, water isn’t the easiest thing to stop.
MATTHEW: This book is fun. Silver-Age Marvel fun. Curt Swan drawing the Legion fun. Spidey swinging around, hanging out at the coffee bean and fighting with his own car fun. The art is lovely to look at, the characters are familiar and different all at once, and the powerset is fascinating to look at. If you’re not reading this, you’re missing out. (It’s so awesome that I cheated and took a fourth pick this week.)
ZACH: The next chapter of the teen who was transformed into mud is just about here. Mudman has been an enjoyable series so far, and anyone who is a fan of Invincible should check this out. Looking forward to when Owen finally tries to turn himself into a pie.
SECRET #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Ryan Bodenheim and Michael Garland
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: “NEVER GET CAUGHT”
We learn the secret past of the Steadfast Security’s chief operator as clues begin to appear regarding the mysterious KODIAC protocols. Someone gets out of jail, someone gets divorced, someone comes home dead.
Check out the next chapter of the most thrilling new series of the year, SECRET #2: NEVER GET CAUGHT!
ZACH: Jonathan Hickman started out this series strong with a compelling story that was pushed forward with the art. Michael Garland’s coloring was definitely a standout last issue, but Ryan Bodenheim’s illustrations were just as well done. Very excited for this next installment.
SUPER DINOSAUR #11
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Jason Howard
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The Exile has Derek Dynamo in his clutches – his master plan is coming together. Is Super Dinosaur too late to stop him?! The Exile plans to take over the world – enslaving mankind. How does Derek factor into that? All this and Doctor Dynamo once and for all confronts his nemesis, Max Maximus!
ROB: Intelligent, talking, T-Rex with mechanical arms for find manipulation that is a Super Hero partnered with his best friend, a Super Genius kid on a robot scooter. If the silly factor hear doesn’t convince you, then how about the fact that Kirkman has managed to make an enjoyable, intelligent, and driven story out of this as well?
SWAMP THING #10
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: • The deadly return of ANTON ARCANE!
• This is the beginning of a new chapter in the SWAMP THING saga and a perfect time to start reading!
ROB: The “Dark” corner of DC’s New 52 has probably been giving us the most consistently good books of the entire set, and Swamp Thing is no exception. This issue brings the classic Swamp Thing villain Anton Arcane to the New 52 and gets us on the road to the big Animal Man crossover that’s been getting hinted at since the beginning of the two books. Give this book a shot, and pick up Animal Man while you’re at it.
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #11
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Spider-Man teams up with the Prowler? Isn’t he a bad guy?!
JIMMY: I caught up on the Ultimate Spider-Man comics fairly recently (a month or two ago) and Miles Morales has been a really compelling protagonist. I’ve been enjoying the interaction with Miles’ uncle, the Prowler, and am curious to see how he’ll continue to influence the development of our young hero.
ROBOT OVERLORD: Looks like a big week for Image Comics, as a number of their titles have appeared on the Staff List this week. What else will you be picking up, and more importantly, why?
4 Comments
Picking up 3 or 4 titles from the picks, should be a good week.
Swamp Thing, from what I can tell, is the most underrated book from the New 52, among readers. No one I talk to reads it, which is sad because it is pretty darn good.
Agreed. It seems animal man gets the buzz (deservedly so), but Swamp Thing is right there with it. The new “King of the Green” design is also really really well done.
Also, Defenders is imo the best Marvel book on the stands right now.
Couldn’t agree more, I went into Swamp Thing almost to write it off, but I went this is pretty good.