Time once again to poll the staff members at Major Spoilers and see what they are picking up this week as they make their way to the local comic book store. Take the jump, and you might discover something new to add to your purchase this week.
BATGIRL #20
Writer: Gail Simone
Artist: Fernando Pasarin
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: There’s no time to catch your breath after last issue’s shocking ending as an emotionally unstable Batgirl must confront one of Batman’s most violent foes: The Ventriloquist!
ROB: Who could ever argue with reading Gail Simone? Now, I’m curious as to exactly who this version of the Ventriloquist is, because she’s obviously not the classic, but the Pre-52 female version was a younger lady, not what’s here. Either way, should be fun.
B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH #107 (WASTELAND #1 of 3)
Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi
Artist: Laurence Campbell
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Johann leads a B.P.R.D. team on a rescue mission in Chicago to locate the group of agents lost in B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Abyss of Time. What they find is a devastated city, full of giant Ogdru Hem, and a flood of humans transformed into monsters.
GEORGE: B.P.R.D. is reliably entertaining, and in a week light on books, reliable is good enough for me to make it one of my featured picks. Ignore the confusing numbering and instead focus on this being a follow-up to the Abyss of Time story. While interesting, that two-issue arc didn’t really slot into the wider Hell on Earth storyline. Look for this to fix that. And Laurence Campbell should be a worthy addition to the BPRDverse’s already mighty stable of artists. I’ve seen his stuff before, and it is perfectly suited for the depiction of a post-Lovecraftian, destroyed Chicago.
DOOMSDAY.1 #1
Writer: John Byrne
Artist: John Byrne
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Earth may have dodged a bullet on 12/21/2012, but there are worse things in store for our little blue planet. Seven adventurers aboard the International Space Station watch in horror as most of the world is decimated by a monster solar flare. And their only choice is to return to the surface, and face whatever awaits them there!
GEORGE: At first glimpse, this story resembles one of John Byrne’s earliest published works, Doomsday +1. This trades the nuclear war storyline (and some of the more outlandish plot elements) for a worse title, but keeps the “astronauts return to a destroyed planet” plotline. Even if John Byrne wasn’t a comic legend, I’m not sure if I’d need much more than that.
DREAM MERCHANT #1
Writer: Nathan Edmondson
Artist: Konstantin Novosadov
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: A double-size issue to kick off a new sci-fi series from Nathan Edmondson and newcomer Konstantin Novosadov. Haunted by recurring dreams, a boy named Winslow is hunted by mysterious beings and protected by an old traveler. Soon Winslow will realize that what is in his dreams is what the rest of the world has been made to forget–and what strange entities will stop at nothing to erase from his mind.
RODRIGO: Got a Dream Thief and a Dream Merchant, hey! Maybe all my staff picks this week will have the word “dream” in the title!
ZACH: Almost none of my regular monthly reads are out this month, so why not try something new from Image? I have never read any material from the creators, but with a double-sized issue for only $3.50 I’ll get a little more bang for my buck.
DREAM THIEF #1
Writer: Jai Nitz
Artist: Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: After stealing an Aboriginal mask from a museum, John Lincoln realizes that the spirits of the vengeful dead are possessing his body and mind while he sleeps! His old problems have been replaced by bloody hands and the disposal of bodies—and now remembering where he spent last night has never been more important!
* Bram Stoker Award winner Jai Nitz and Greg Smallwood craft a gritty, fast-paced drama.
* Cover by Alex Ross!
RODRIGO: Got to read an advance review copy of this and it is certainly interesting. Which direction will they go with it? Hard to tell from this issue, but you might as well get in at the ground level.
FF #7
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Mike Allred
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Field trip…into the heart of the Negative Zone!Scott Lang has already lost a daughter… watch what happens when he puts it all on the line to save… Bentley-23?The shocking reveal of the villain pulling the strings and pitting family against family — and a rescue mission unlike anything you’ve ever seen — FF vs FF!
MATTHEW: Fraction’s work on the Fantastic Four has been weird, personal and seriously quirky, and I like it. You can complain about Allred, you can complain that it’s not Hickman, but in the final analysis, this is unique, trippy, FUN comic books, and She-Hulk has never looked better. Plus: Fake Kate Perry in a Thing-suit!
GAMBIT #12
Writer: James Asmus
Artist: Clay Mann
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: GAMBIT may be in over his head…JOELLE, the woman he’s fighting to save, the one he may be falling for, is on the brink of death. But could the secret she’s been keeping be the key to her survival?Meanwhile, Gambit’s former flame and current Uncanny Avenger ROGUE must decide whether she’ll help him save Joelle or bring him in.And the villainous TOMBSTONE? Well, he’s willing to cut down any and all of ‘em to get what he wants…
ROB: I somehow feel I’ve missed something here and thought I told you all to pick this issue up awhile ago, but oh well, I guess I’ll tell you today. Pick this up. Gambit never really fits as a super hero, so having a story where he’s only somewhat heroic works, give it a try.
GREEN HORNET #2
Writer: Mark Waid
Artist: Daniel Indro
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Britt Reid has always been a hero to the people, whether in his civilian identity as a newspaper publisher, or as his costumed alter-ego. But in one terrible moment, the Green Hornet turns on the city that he’d sworn to protect, becoming their worst enemy!
MATTHEW: Waid’s take on the character is the strongest I’ve seen since Matt Wagner’s origin tale a couple years ago, and issue #1 earned it’s must-buy status with a good story and strong art. Fingers crossed, I may have a new favorite Dynamite Book…
REGULAR SHOW #1
Writer: K.C. Green
Artist: Allison Strejlau
Publisher: Boom!
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: REGULAR SHOW…IT’S ANYTHING BUT! Cartoon Network’s powerhouse series now has its own comic book series! Hot on the heels of the smash hit adaptation, ADVENTURE TIME, KaBOOM! unveils the next all-ages comic phenomenon! Join Mordecai the Bluejay and Rigby the Raccoon, a couple of best bros in their twenties just tryin’ to chill for a bit, man. But when you’re livin’ in as crazy a world as they are, no day can be called…regular! Ask your retailer about the pre-order variant by Chris Houghton (ADVENTURE TIME, REED GUNTHER) and the incentive variant by Dustin Nguyen (BATMAN, L’IL GOTHAM)!
ZACH: After hearing so much about Adventure Time I finally read an issue of the show’s comic series and was immediately sucked into the adventures of Finn and Jake. Maybe lightning can strike twice and I will be drawn into another Cartoon Network show with this first issue of Regular Show.
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #23
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Sara Pichelli
Publisher: Marvel Comics
SOLICITATION: ‘SPIDER-MAN NO MORE!’ Will tragedy force Miles to quit?! Bombshell is back! An all new Cloak and Dagger!!!
KEVIN: I used to follow the Ultimate universe, until Ultimatum wiped out most of the characters. Ultimate Comics Spider-Man brought me back. With an original origin story, a coming-of-age superhero and strong supporting cast, this comic is a must read for me every month.
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #29
Writer: Jason Aaron
Artist: Ramon Perez
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: See the Jean Grey School of the future! The students of JGS put a time-capsule together that you can follow into the future and see what happened to all your favorite X-Men.
GEORGE: Time travel X-Men stories are my favorite X-Men stories.
ROB: I still say it’s weird that a book with Wolverine in the title is one of the more entertaining books coming out, but here it is, still going strong. Either way, this type of issue always gets me.
WONDER WOMAN #20
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Cliff Chiang
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: 2.99
SOLICITATION: Wonder Woman was certain there was one person in her life she could trust—but she thought wrong!
RODRIGO: AAAAAARGH! Oh well, this still looks pretty interesting.
