New comic book day is just around the corner! Before you head out to your local comic shop, take a look at the comic books members of the Major Spoilers staff are looking forward to this week.
AMALA’S BLADE #1
Writer: Steve Horton
Artist: Michael Dialynas
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: The kingdom of Naamaron is bitterly divided into warring factions: the low-tech Purifiers and the high-tech Modifiers. Both fear the great vizier’s deadliest assassin, Amala. But for all her lethal skills, Amala’s drawing too much attention for the vizier’s taste. So what better way to deal with a troublesome cutthroat than to send her on a suicide mission?
RODRIGO: This looks pretty good! Although the description says this is for fans of Avatar, Trigun and Naruto. Two out of three ain’t bad, right?
ANSWER #4
Writer: Mike Norton, Dennis Hopeless
Artist: Mike Norton
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. Can Devin and the Answer think their way free of the Brain Trust before CHEMICAL X breaks their brains for good? The explosive conclusion of this superhero mystery!
CHRIS: This book is a total mind screw and I love it. This is the final issue of this mini-series and I can’t wait to see it end, mainly because I want all my questions answered. I have faith that they will be. Totally fun and original book.
AVENGERS #10
Writer: JONATHAN HICKMAN
Artist: MIKE DEODATO
Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION:
• We learn that the Canadian super team Omega Flight got lost in a Garden Origin Site.
• Discover what happens when the Avengers go in to rescue them.
• Learn why ADAPTATION is the scariest word in the Marvel Universe.
MATTHEW: Hickman’s Avengers has been a very disturbing, yet fascinating look at the Marvel Universe, using characters like Captain Universe, Shang-Chi, Hyperion and the New Universe denizens to expand and awesomize a franchise that could have been moribund. The really cool bit? Everybody gets their character moment in the sun, and the 18-person team doesn’t feel crowded or obnoxiously large (although the presence of the Superior Spider-Man kind of sucks, now that I mention it.)
EAST OF WEST #2
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Publisher: Image
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION:
“SONS OF PROPHECY”
Following the high crimes in the debut issue of EAST OF WEST, the fallout spreads across the broken nations of America. Forces align to stave off the apocalypse, while equally powerful ones do everything they can to bring it to pass.
GEORGE: East of West #1 was a fun read. It takes place in an alternate, fantastical version of America which fractured into seven nations around the time of the Civil War, which is now facing the reborn Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Hickman is reliably entertaining while providing big ideas, and Dragotta’s art is top notch. This seems like the start of another great series for Image.
ZACH: The first issue of East of West west a read that grew in enjoyment each time I re-read it, which is a rare feat. Issue one left me immediately wanting to read this second issue, even though I was scared of what Nick Dragotta would show on panel. Have high hopes for this future-apocalyptic tale in the coming issues.
END TIMES OF BRAM AND BEN #4
Writer: James Asmus,
Jim Festante
Artist: Rem Broo
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: MINISERIES CONCLUSION After last issue’s shocking ending – Ben is left alone to face the Antichrists! Did we mean for that to be plural? Will Ben die before having sex with Laura, the Gym teacher? Why does God let bad things happen to good people??? FIND OUT IN THIS FINAL ISSUE!
CHRIS: Another mini-series concluding this week and another I can’t wait to read. Bram and Ben has been unique, hilarious and incredibly enjoyable. The artwork is fantastic as well. I almost hate to see this one end!
FF #6
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Joe Quinones
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION:
• Darla vs Yancy Street! ‘ NUFF SAID!
GEORGE: Take a gander at that cover and tell me you don’t want this issue. FF is in the running for the most fun book on the stands, Marvel or otherwise. And this issue features a Katy Perry stand-in going up against the Yancy Street Gang. What’s not to like?
MATTHEW: I love me some Mike Allred art, and the writing of Matt Fraction is perfectly within my wheelhouse of wonderful things. Though this book features a guest artist, I still have faith that it’s going to be quirky and awesome. Not everyone gets the vibe of the new FF, but I still believe that you owe it to yourself to give it a shot, as it’s one of the most impresive relaunches of Marvel NOW!
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US #4
Writer: Tom Taylor
Artist: Mike S. Miller
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: All-new digital adventures in print for the first time! Based on the upcoming DC fighting game from NetherRealm Studios, creators of Mortal Kombat! Superman discovers that not every nation on Earth is willing to fall in line with the new world order! A team of the world’s most powerful Super Heroes unites to confront an old ally.
CHRIS: When I read the first issue of Injustice I was quite surprised, not only by the story but the fact that it was actually pretty good. The game is insanely fun and the comic is a wonderful addition to that story. Kudos goes out to Tom Taylor for making an enjoyable comic based on a video game.
JUPITER’S LEGACY #1
Writer: Mark Millar
Artist: Frank Quitely
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The comic-book event of 2013 finally arrives as superstar creators MARK MILLAR and FRANK QUITELY give us the superhero epic that all future comics will be measured by. The world’s greatest heroes have grown old and their legacy is a poisonous one to the children who will never live up to their remarkable parents. Unmissable.
ZACH: I have been hearing hype about this new Mark Millar series for a couple months and now that it is finally here I’m ready to see if it lives up to the talk. Will this be the “comic-book event of 2013” like the solicitation reads? My guess: nope.
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #19
Writer: Jeff Lemire and Ray Fawkes
Artist: Mikel Janin
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The House of Mystery is under seige—can special guest star The Flash help Justice League Dark battle this unexpected threat?
ROB: Easily the best version of the Justice League right now, JL Dark is one of the best things to coming from the New 52. A number of the more interesting and entertaining characters DC has at its disposal have joined forces to make this book a must read.
KISS SOLO #2: THE STARCHILD
Writer: Tom Waltz
Artist: Tone Rodriguez, Angel Medina
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: It’s the Starchild’s turn to rock a solo riff in ‘Goodbye’-an interstellar romp featuring a cosmic bounty hunter who needs to bring in one last bad guy in order to return home to his beloved wife forever. The only problem is, nobody’s ever gone after this baddie in his dark domain and survived. But what if there is a star to light the way?
RODRIGO: I don’t want you to think that my interest in KISS comics comes from some disingenuous impulse to read something that can’t possibly be good. It’s a lot harder to make fun of them that way.
MIND MGMT #10
Writer: Matt Kindt
Artist: Matt Kindy
Publisher: Dark Horse
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Only the Futurist can help Lyme and Meru find Mind Management’s hidden training ground, Shangri-la. But how can they track a man who knows their every move before they do?
ZACH: I’m honestly behind on Mind MGMT once again, but I still have the books ready to read soon and can’t wait to see what Matt Kindt is doing. If you have never read Mind MGMT take a listen to Wayne’s Podcast and listen to the writer/artist talk about his monthly title.
MY LITTLE PONY MICRO SERIES #3: RARITY
Writer: Katie Cook
Artist: Andy Price
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Rarity is in need of some well-deserved R & R after working hard on her new fashion line. A sweet spa retreat turns sour when Rarity learns that the establishment is a little too ‘down to earth’! How will this resourceful pony make the best out of this ‘rustic’ situation? Read on to find out!
RODRIGO: Rarity is probably the best Pony on the show, so I’m very interested to see what Katie Cook does with her in her own solo book. Just in case you’re keeping track: Interest in KISS solo comic 100% ironic. Interest in My Little Pony solo comic 0% ironic.
SQUADRON SUPREME TRADE PAPERBACK
Writer: Mark Gruenwald
Artist: Bob Hall and various others
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $34.99
SOLICITATION: On an Earth much like our own, the world’s greatest superhuman champions are confronted by a society in ruins. Faced with the possibility of a new dark age for mankind, they choose the only course available to them – and take control of the world’s governments themselves! Now, they have one year in which to completely restructure human society. Can their plan succeed? Will a renegade member bring about their downfall? And what will happen when this Earth’s mightiest heroes find themselves becoming instead its all-powerful, totalitarian overlords? Before Watchmen, before MARVELS, before Kingdom Come – there was Squadron Supreme, a deconstructionist parable of the super-hero paradigm in a real-world setting considered by many to be the late Mark Gruenwald’s finest work. Collecting SQUADRON SUPREME (1985) #1-12 and CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #314.
GEORGE: It’s all up there in the solicitation. Squadron Supreme was a groundbreaking series that paved the way for its many, more famous successors. Gruenwald took Marvel’s alternate reality, Justice League stand-ins and wrote a gripping story exploring some of the darker ramifications of superheroics. It really is the model for deconstructionist fare like Watchmen and Kingdom Come and if you want to be a serious student of the genre, it is a must-read. Squadron Supreme is a product of its time, but the quality still holds up. Check it out.
TMNT ONGOING #21
Writer: Tom Waltz
Artist: Kevin Eastman
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Turtles have struggled to survive against unstoppable enemies and impossible odds. The time has come for the next stage of their training to begin. The lesson turns deadly, though, when a mysterious new opponent arrives and teaches the Turtles they have MUCH left to learn!
ROB: The Turtles have taken over as my favorite comic series and this week is giving us an even bigger treat than normal with original co-creator Kevin Eastman doing the art duties! Now’s a good time to hop on too, with the start of a new arc here.
YOUNG AVENGERS #4
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: • Kate Bishop finally turns up!
• A lovely day trip to Central Park for a group of cheery youngsters.
• LIES! It’s not lovely as they’re being pursued by bad guys and it’s not a day trip as (er) it’s at night.
• A shameless retcon into Marvel Boy’s history!
MATTHEW: Holy crap… did I just pick three different Marvel titles as my picks of the week? Yeah, I did, as Young Avengers picks up the threads of three or four different chunks of recent Marvel continuity, stitching them together into something new and fascainating, and I’m loving the art. Check it out, it’s good stuff.
ROB: I have been very happy with what’s been going on in the pages of Young Avengers with this current launch and am excited to see that this is what I’m most looking forward to this week. Gillen has really taken this set of characters and done something good with them, even better than what was expected.
