IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
With the myriad of titles being released each week, we know it can be difficult to narrow down your list of books to pick up. That’s why Major Spoilers Staff Members (henceforth known as Staffies…or maybe not) came up with their list of books they are looking forward to this week.
100 BULLETS BROTHER LONO #1
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Artist: Eduardo Risso
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: BROTHER LONO is a brand-new 8-issue miniseries set in the world of 100 BULLETS! The Eisner award-winning team behind 100 BULLETS-writer Brian Azzarello, artist Eduardo Risso, colorist Trish Mulvihill, letterer Clem Robbins and cover artist Dave Johnson-reunites to tell the story of the baddest Minuteman of all. When last we saw Lono in 100 BULLETS, Dizzy Cordova had shot him through the chest. . . but Lono always was too tough to die. Now, after the final events of 100 BULLETS, Lono finds himself in Mexico working on the side of the angels. But there’s always more to a 100 BULLETS story, so pick up this EXTRA-SIZE first issue to see what’s really going on with BROTHER LONO, the cold-blooded killer you hate to love!
KEVIN: I was a big fan of Brian Azzarello’s 100 Bullets series. It had a great opening concept, a shrouded conspiracy, diverse characters and many interweaving story lines. With Brian Azzarello writing this sequel, I look forward to reading what happened to the surviving characters after the last issue of 100 Bullets.
AGE OF ULTRON #10
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artist: Brandon Peterson
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: THE FINALE!
The biggest secret in comics will be revealed to you! An ending so confidential…even the artists of this book don’t know what lies on the final pages…! A surprise so big that comic book legend Joe Quesada himself returns to the pages of Marvel Comics to draw a sequence that people will be talking about for years.
GEORGE: OMG ANGELA IS COMING TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE I’M SO… aww, who am I kidding? I think that’s terrible, and this series is terrible. But I’m the sort of degenerate who enjoys forcing his friends to watch The Room and Birdemic though, so this comic is still worth my entertainment dollar. I do shudder that this is the event that will be “reshaping” the Marvel Universe (but that does happen every year…).
ANIMAL MAN #21
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Steve Pugh, Francis Portela
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “Splinter Species” begins here as Buddy’s grief and increasing celebrity threaten to tear him apart. Plus, a major new antagonist is revealed!
WAYNE: The New 52 comic that made Mr. Lemire one of the top creators in the business continues to showcase his ability to tell dramatic stories each month. With the recent death in his family haunting Buddy Baker, Animal Man is more human than ever … and continues to be one of the best books each month thanks in no small part to Steve Pugh’s excellent art. Great stuff!
THE ART OF THE LAST OF US HC
Publisher: Dark Horse Publishing
Cover Price: $39.99
SOLICITATION: Naughty Dog Studios and Dark Horse proudly present the essential companion to The Last of Us, a richly detailed and compelling game set in a postpandemic world where humans have become an endangered species. Featuring concept art, character designs, and astonishing settings and landscapes, The Art of The Last of Us provides a unique look at one of the gaming world’s most eagerly anticipated titles.
* A must-have companion to the game.
* Incredible full-color artwork!
* The latest project from Naughty Dog Studios.
* The Last of Us swept the top Game Critics awards at 2012’s E3 conference.
RODRIGO: I’m a sucker for video game art books. Because of the sheer amount of art design necessary to fully realize I game, I find that even games I’m only marginally interested in will have something worthwhile.
BATMAN AND BATGIRL #21
Writer: Peter J. Tomasi
Artist: Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: What deal would you make to bring someone back from the dead? And in this issue, it’s Batman vs. Batgirl!
WAYNE: Filling in for the now-deceased Damien Wayne are other members of the Bat-family, this time Batgirl. Tomasi has done a great job of working with other Bat-creators, telling individual tales as well as working with extended storylines. Since Batgirl is a personal favorite of mine, this book is a stand-out for me this week!
DREAM THEIF #2
Writer: Jai Nitz
Artist: Greg Smallwood
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The spirits of the dead possess John Lincoln’s mind and body while he sleeps! With a head full of dead men’s memories—and an arsenal of their skills—the new Dream Thief invades the grungy underworld of drugs and pornography on a vengeful errand . . . and tries to stay awake!
RODRIGO: Issue one was interesting, let’s see how this mess gets sorted out.
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #191
Writer: Larry Hama
Artist: SL Galant
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: G.I. JOE goes to the jungle! LADY JAYE’s team is led into the jungles of southeast Asia for a mission that will pit G.I. JOE against an enemy they thought long gone: MAJOR BLUDD! Will fortune smile on LADY JAYE and her team or will the ruthless mercenary gain the upper hand? It’s kill or be killed in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #191!
GEORGE: I didn’t realize it until I started delving back into G.I. Joe fandom around the release of G.I. Joe: Retaliation, but IDW has kept the old Marvel continuity alive, with Larry Hama still handling the writer duties. And he’s still got it. This issue is mid-storyline, but I recommend picking up this series if you’re a fan of the old stuff – this is just as good.
GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #21
Writer: Justin Jordan
Artist: Bradley Walker, Andrew Hennessy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: The Templar Guardians have been locked away for millennia, but they have a VERY clear idea of what they need to do next — and of all the Lanterns in the universe, they need Kyle Rayner’s help. So it’s a shame he wants nothing to do with them! But once he sees the strange anomaly lurking at the edge of the universe, he may have no choice but to get on board with their mission…
ROB: We’ve seen two sets of new creators on Lantern titles so far, and now we get to what was my favorite title before the change. I hope the dynamic’s aren’t changed too much, but I’m sure I’ll be following Kyle for at least a little while longer.
SUPERGIRL #21
Writer: Michael Alan Nelson
Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: It’s Supergirl vs. the mysterious Mekka—but what is the secret of this new menace? And what is Lex Luthor’s envoy Alphina planning against Kara?
WAYNE: Mr. Nelson is one of my favorite comics writers, and he’s in a great place to showcase his talent – in the Superman family! Giving the Girl of Steel new foes and situations to deal with will be a real challenge, but one Mr. Nelson is up to! Also, Asrar’s art shines as well, so Supergirl is a seriously under-estimated DC title worth jumping onto now!
TMNT VILLAIN MICROSERIES #3 OLD HOB
Writer: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Dave Wachter
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Old Hob has made a lot of enemies since his ooze-induced transformation. His once comfortable life as a lazy cat was abruptly stripped away from him, forcing Hob to learn how to survive, the hard way! After Baxter’s deadly betrayal, Hob’s through being a lackey. Now he’s ready to branch out and start calling the shots!
ROB: Of all the villains being viewed in this Microseries, Old Hob seems like the one who needs it the most. All the other villains have at least a touch from what has come before, but Hob is a new comer and I want to see how his motivations have developed.
TRANSFORMERS: MONSTROSITY #1
Writer: Chris Metzen & Flint Dille
Artist: Livio Ramondelli
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: MEGATRON’S DESCENT! In the early days of the war on CYBERTRON, OPTIMUS PRIME puts everything on the line to unify the planet—but not everyone agrees that this new Prime should be in charge! Meanwhile, the fallen DECEPTION leader, MEGATRON, begins a journey that will change everything. Plus—what is the terrible secret of the DINOBOTS?
RODRIGO: I’m pretty sure that the terrible secret of the Dinobots is that they evolve into Robot Chickens.
UNCANNY AVENGERS #9
Writer: Rick Remender
Artist: Daniel Acuna
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Ragnarök Now continues! • A team divided. The Apocalypse Twins triumphant. • Wolverine discovers The Midnight City and soon wishes he hadn’t. • The Horsemen of Death shatter the Avengers body and soul!
ROB: I have been rather happy with most of what Remender’s done with this team. He’s taken some odd characters that I absolutely love and given them a new purpose within the comics. The new Apocalypse story is wrapping up shortly, so I look forward to seeing where the team goes from here.
WILD BLUE YONDER #1
Writer: Mike Raicht & Austin Harrison
Artist: Zach Howard
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Take to the skies in this thrilling new action-adventure sci-fi tale. In the near future, mankind has destroyed the Earth, and the only refuge from radioactive pollution can be found in the skies. Unfortunately dwindling supplies and bloodthirsty air-pirates make life all the harder. Will the crew of the Dawn escape the merciless Judge and survive another week? Read the book everyone will be talking about and find out!
GEORGE: Man oh man, this hits a lot of my sweet spots. Radioactive post-apocalypse? Air pirates? Vintage WW2-styled aircraft? Sign me up. I know very little about these creators, but Zach Howard’s art looks like the right kind of awesome for this sort of project.
