Major Spoilers Staff Picks for July 4, 2012

It’s a celebration week at Major Spoilers, which means there are a lot of good things coming your way. Those good things include new comics, and the Major Spoilers Staff have a number of comics for you to pick up this week.

ACTION COMICS #11
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Rags Morales
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Superman’s NEW secret identity revealed! • LOIS LANE continues her investigation into the mystery of Earth’s FIRST Superman! • Plus, in the backup story: We know where Superman got his armor costume, but where did he get all those “S” T-shirts?

RODRIGO: Apparently there’s a comic out there that’s all about action, which is good, because I’m tired of all this cape and tights stuff… wait, this is a SUPERMAN COMIC!? Aw, man! I already ordered it!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #689
Writer: Dan Slott
Artist: Giuseppe Camuncoli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Spider-Man, Peter Parker, Curt Connors, and the Lizard. The stars of this summer’s big blockbuster movie are right here!
• Morbius the Living Vampire is on the loose and no one at Horizon Labs is safe—including a recently cured Curt Connors.
• But if Curt Connors is cured, who or what is that new Lizard creature? It’s definitely someone Spider-Man knows…

ROB: With the announcement of Alpha and the film coming out today, now is a great time to jump on the Spidey wagon. Besides, Slott is the best Spidey writer ever, and Amazing Spider-Man should prove this.

BATMAN: EARTH ONE HARDCOVER
Writer: Geoff Johns
Artist: Gary Frank
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $22.99
SOLICITATION: In the tradition of Superman: Earth One, this spectacular original graphic novel gives new insight into Bruce Wayne’s transformation into Batman and his first year as The Dark Knight.  In this all new take on the Batman mythos, Bruce Wayne is on the hunt for his parents’ killer. His target? The Mayor of Gotham City! Plus, who is Alfred Pennyworth, and why is he so determined to put an end to the Batman?

JACK: What Earth are we on? OH – Earth One. And there is a Batman on this one, too? I’m sold. Though this isn’t in any known continuity, and Geoff Johns does get to write Batman in the Justice League book (for now), I’m still interested in seeing what he brings to this hard cover series that took off like wildfire when DC launched Superman: Earth One a few years ago.

JIMMY: While I think it’s a little goofy to be doing this so soon after the line-wide relaunch, and so near the Zero Month, I am a sucker for Geoff Johns’ writing and am intrigued to see how it works with the Gary Frank art, as they’ve been knocking it out of the park with Shazam. My wallet may not like me anymore, but I expect this to be a very enjoyable graphic novel.

STEPHEN: We’ve got a relaunched universe, a new Earth-2, so why not one more book from the Multiverse? Plus: Batman!

BOYS #68
Writer: Garth Ennis
Artist: Russ Braun
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The next bad day: the Boys compare notes and find that all is very far from being as it should be. MM wants serious words with Butcher, Hughie gets Monkey exactly where he wants him, the Female has a revelation of her own- and news comes in of yet another fatality. Things continue unravelling fast, in part three of The Bloody Doors Off.

MATTHEW: I’m morbidly curious (pun fully intended) how this all going to shake down, especially now that Billy Butcher is going places that no one expected. Nobody is safe, which makes for interesting story-telling, and I’m still rooting for Hughie and Annie. Of course, Garth Ennis knows that, and will be killing one or both horribly, I’m sure…

CAPE 1969 #1
Writer: Joe Hill, Jason Ciarramelia
Artist: Nelson Daniel
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: It’s 1969 and the war in Vietnam rages on. Captain Chase, a Medevac helicopter pilot for the US Army, is shot down over enemy territory. He and his crew are in a fight for their lives as they play a deadly game of cat and mouse with the Vietcong. We soon learn that machine guns and grenades aren’t the only scary things hiding in the jungle. Find out what happens in this origin prequel to last year’s Eisner Award-nominated hit, with story by Joe Hill and Jason Ciaramella, and art and colors by Nelson Daniel (Road Rage, The Cape). Explore your dark side.

GEORGE: I missed Joe Hill’s (of Locke & Key fame) original short story/adapted comic “The Cape,” but I heard good things about this darkly told story of childhood innocence gone awry. I’m hoping I can jump on with this prequel, set during the Vietnam War. Please note that this title has nothing to do with the similarly-titled and deservedly-cancelled NBC show “The Cape,” but if they did a comic book about that guy in Vietnam, I’d probably read it too. For very different reasons. Anyhow, Hill’s first “Cape” run got rave reviews, even as the protagonist was thoroughly unlikeable, so I have high hopes for this one.

CRIME DOES NOT PAY ARCHIVES HC VOL 2
Writer: Various
Artist: Various
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $49.99
SOLICITATION: The celebrated pre-Code Crime Does Not Pay comics are finally collected into a series of unflinching and uncensored deluxe hardcovers! The infamous Crime Does Not Pay stories, focusing on criminal scum, nefarious mobsters, and urban legends, made Crime Does Not Pay one of the most popular comics of the 1940s. This series was a favorite target of censors and is partially responsible for the creation of the stifling Comics Code Authority! Revered, influential, and very hard to find, Crime Does Not Pay issues #26 to #29 are collected for your enjoyment and education!

MATTHEW: Charles Biro is one of the mostly-forgotten geniuses of comics Golden Age, and Crime Does Not Pay was his masterstroke, pioneering the crime comic book, as well as creating narrator Mr. Crime, the forebearer of the likes of the Crypt-Keeper, the Phantom Stranger and Rod Serling (although, to be fair, Rod was kind of a genius in his own right.) Rodrigo reviewed the first volume of this book awhile ago, and re-reading that, I may want to pick them all up.

DANGER CLUB #3
Writer: Landry Q. Walker
Artist: Eric Jones
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The bodies begin piling up as the world’s governments move against the forces of the teenage superheroes. Meanwhile, Kid Vigilante is concerned about the link between Jack Fearless and the President of the United States.

ZACH: Going into issue 3 I still haven’t made my mind up about this tale revolving around the sidekicks and young heroes left behind after the “grown-ups” fail to return from space. The story doesn’t seem to have a clear direction, yet, but the artwork has me coming back for more.

DIAL H #3
Writer: China Mieville
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: • Nelson gains an unlikely ally, just as his career as a hero looks like it might be over before it’s begun!
• Meanwhile, SQUID and X.N. may be gaining a new ally of their own, one who could prove to be unstoppable.
• The origin of the latest wielder of the H dial continues here!

GEORGE: Anyone who read my review of issue #2 last month knows how much I like this book. One of the best things DC is putting out right now, and one of the best things to come from the New 52 reboot as a whole. If you want something a little more offbeat in your superhero comics, Dial H is where you can find it. Not only is it an entertaining read, but it’s a chance to watch one of contemporary fantasy’s best novelists grow and adapt to the comic book medium.

EARTH 2 #3
Writer: James Robinson
Artist: Nicola Scott
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: • The all-new origin of ALAN SCOTT GREEN LANTERN – unlike any GL origin that’s come before!
• The debut of the all-new HAWKGIRL!
• And Jay Garrick, THE FLASH, meets his first Super Hero!

ROB: With all the attention this has been getting there’s almost no reason to clue anyone in on it here, but I feel like being redundant. The book has been good so far, and I want to see if Stephen’s prediction comes to pass. Besides, somehow, someone may have missed all the hullabaloo.

EDISON REX #1
Writer: Chris Roberson
Artist: Dennis Culver
Publisher: MonkeyBrain Comics
Cover Price: $.99
SOLICITATION: Edison Rex is the smartest man in the world, a criminal genius, and the archnemesis of the world’s greatest protector, Valiant. Having dedicated his life to defeating Valiant and proving once and for all that he is a menace to humanity and not a hero,what will Edison do once he finally succeeds? And with Valiant out of the way, who will be left to protect the Earth?

STEPHEN: I’ve fallen for the small publishers, so having a new indie publisher come forward to help others get their wares noticed is a big deal for me. Plus, it’s a digital only release, which means I don’t have to beg my comic book retailer buy a copy. As far as this issue goes, when the bad guy wins, and then has to figure out what to do next, I’m intrigued.

ZACH: Hitting the digital realm of comics this week is Edison Rex, one of the first releases from new publisher MonkeyBrain Comics. After reading the preview for Chris Roberson’s newest comic I will gladly give the money to read the first couple issues without hesitation.

INFERNAL MAN-THING #1
Writer: Steve Gerber
Artist: Kevin Nowlan
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: • STEVE GERBER’S FINAL MAN-THING STORY!
• What is the mystery behind the “Screenplay of the Living Dead Man”?
• The story no one thought existed!!!
• NO ADS! BONUS CONTENT!

GEORGE: Hey, it’s an unpublished Man-Thing script from the late Steve Gerber! The previews indicate a pretty bonkers story, and the art looks good too. Marvel is promising no ads, either! Huzzah. Gerber wrote plenty of Man-Thing back in the day, and the guy could always be counted on to deliver something weird. Hopefully, this script is one of those undiscovered gems, rather than something that was left on the shelf for a good reason.

MATTHEW: I admit it. I’m a sucker for the big muck-monster with the carrot for a nose. Ever since Gerber’s run on Adventure Into Fear (which, not coincidentally introduced Howard The Duck), I’ve always picked up Manny’s adventures, at least for a while. The last couple of runs have been disappointing, but the recent appearances in Thunderbolts have me hoping they’ve got a good hook on the character. Fingers crossed, anyway.

INVINCIBLE #93
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Artist: Ryan Ottley
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: More secrets about Robot’s and Monster Girl’s time spent in the Flaxan Dimension are revealed. Meanwhile, in the present – things go to hell, and the new Invincible has to prove if he’s worthy of the mantle in the face of INVASION

JIMMY: While I am not a huge fan of Zandale as Invincible, I expect him to grow on me in the new Guarding the Globe title, and so I am interested to see him spotlighted a bit more here. I am also always intrigued to see more Robot and Monster Girl, and Kirkman seldom disappoints on intercharacter relationships.

SOULFIRE: DESPAIR #1
Writer: David Schwartz
Artist: Jonathan Marks
Publisher: Aspen Comics
SOLICITATION: “The Search for the Light” continues as Faye, the Queen of Anantia and the magical realm of the Everlands, attempts to forge a new legacy for the absent crown left by the slain King Arlin. Staging a fierce competition between the kingdom’s greatest warriors, she is reluctantly obliged to allow the contest’s winner to take up the mantle of the lost King. But the choice between warriors, including Sarlin, the estranged and self-righteous son of Arlin, as well as a significant, mysterious person from her past, will force the kingdom’s future into a fate they may never be able to escape!

RODRIGO: Saw some internal art for this, there was an octopus with fangs. IN!

SWEET TOOTH #35
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Jeff Lemire
Publisher: Vertigo
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: THE SECRETS OF THE PLAGUE REVEALED AT LAST!! Dr. Singh arrives in Alaska and uncovers the origins of Gus and the hybrid children and the cause of the plague that decimated the world! This is the issue fans have been waiting for as the mysteries of SWEET TOOTH are revealed and the story amps up to its climax!

ZACH: Since being introduced to Jeff Lemire in the new Legends of the Dark Knight, I have started looking into his work and am intrigued by Sweet Tooth. Besides a gorgeous double-page spread seen on Lemire’s Twitter page, I have no knowledge of this series, but I’m going to take the jump anyways.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #12
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: David Marquez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: One of the best reviewed comics in the world continues! Miles must choose between battling his uncle turned crime lord or joining him to keep his family safe! What path will Miles take?!

JIMMY: While this isn’t the most exciting Spider-Man related thing this week, it is the most exciting one in comic book form. Miles has proven a surprisingly engaging character, and his uncle’s identity as the Prowler makes for a compelling narrative.

UNCANNY X-MEN #15 AVX
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Daniel Acuna
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: AVX tie-in! The X-Men move against the forces of Sinister!

ROB: The Sinister set up last issue turned out quite well. This issue should have the Phoenix Five confronting the Sinister organism, which looks to be entertaining. The last few issues turned out quite good as tie ins that didn’t need the primary and I have hope that this will continue that trend.

X-FACTOR #239
Writer: Peter David
Artist: David Yardin
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Banshee faces off against an actual banshee and Strong Guy asks M out on a date!

RODRIGO: Man, I’m glad that they’re putting out a comic about the popular British talent competition, since I’m real tired of all the cape and tights stuff… wait, this is an X-Men comic!? AW! MAN! I ALREADY ORDERED IT!

ROBOT OVERLORD:  Seventeen comics for you to pick up this week – I hope you didn’t spend all your money on fireworks!