Major Spoilers Staff Picks for July 31, 2013

IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!

Major Spoilers runs down the comics we are looking forward to, and recommending, this week.

3 GUNS #1
Writer: Steven Grant
Artist: Emilio Laiso
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “THE SEQUEL TO 2 GUNS, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES! Trench was a deep cover DEA agent. Steadman was an undercover Naval Intelligence officer. Now, after racing headlong across the Southwest, desperately outrunning Feds and mobsters alike while trying to clear their names, Trench and Steadman are pulled into another impossible situation: brokering gun deals between the Russians and antigovernment revolutionaries … from opposite sides. And little do they know, a Third Gun has her eyes set on the ultimate prize and she won’t go down without a fight. Creator Steven Grant (Damned, Punisher, Circle of Blood) returns along with original series cover artist Rafael Albuquerque (American Vampire) for more action comedy thrills!”

WAYNE: I enjoyed the original comics series when it was first released, and am looking forward to the movie based on it. I’m also anxious to read this comic, which should be a lot of fun and action, just the way I like it!

ABSOLUTION RUBICON #1
Writer: Christon N. Gage
Artist: Daniel Gete
Publisher: Avatar Press
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Polymath is murdering everyone in his path and laying waste to the city. John Dusk is determined to take him down again, but how can you stop a madman that is immune to every form of violence he’s faced in the past?

Heroes fall, legends die, and innocents are buried beneath the tides of violence. The body count continues to build as CHRISTOS GAGE returns to his violent crime filled and adrenaline fueled world.

RODRIGO: Why do I get the feeling this book comes from the Coheed and Cambria school of kewl names? Oh well, might as well check it out.

AKANEIRO #3
Writer: Justin Aclin
Artist: Vasilis Lolos
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Kani, a brave but inexperienced young huntress, uncovers a cunning plot by the demonic yokai, forcing her to make a decision that will shape her destiny—and that of her entire world!

RODRIGO: The exciting conclusion of this series takes us through a lot of hacking, slashing and demon slaying. Definitely a must if you’ve been following the book.

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #2
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Travel Foreman
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: Still reeling from the shocking death of his son, Buddy Baker is taking his grief out on the world around him. But in this special story, learn how the bonds of family can be stronger than the forces of evil—even when that evil is a horde of massive, slavering spiders!
Still reeling from the shocking death of his son, Buddy Baker is taking his grief out on the world around him. But in this special story, learn how the bonds of family can be stronger than the forces of evil—even when that evil is a horde of massive, slavering spiders!

ROB: Animal Man has consistently been one of the best and most interesting titles in the New52. There is no way I’m not picking up this book.

BATMAN ANNUAL #2
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Wes Craig
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: “A special ZERO YEAR tie-in! Bruce Wayne’s first year as the Dark Knight has just barely begun … and already dangerous elements are coalescing, leading Bruce toward his final destiny.“

STEPHEN: I haven’t been reading a lot of DC Comics over the last year, but one book that continues to remain super interesting is Scott Snyder’s Batman. Though Greg Capullo isn’t doing the art on this annual, I’m really looking forward to this issue.

WAYNE: I can’t get enough of Snyder’s take on Batman! I’m immensely enjoying Zero Year, and am anxious to see what this annual holds for us! Don’t miss it!

BATMAN INC #13
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: Chris Burnham
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Batman saves the world and loses everything.

GEORGE: So Grant Morrison’s run on Batman draws to a close. I cannot tell a lie; while a big Morrison fan, I’ve found his work on the Batbooks to be a little baffling (while still enjoyable). That said, I’ve still got a little faith that he can still sew it all up in one last, great issue.

CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT #1
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Fernando Dagnino
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: On the run from the US government after fleeing custody, Captain Midnight has been labeled a security risk. In the forties, he was an American hero, a daredevil fighter pilot, a technological genius . . . a superhero. But since he rifled out of the Bermuda Triangle into the present day, Captain Midnight doesn’t know what or who to trust!

MATTHEW: After we covered the zero issue in Dueling Reviews, I’m pretty psyched to see how long DH can keep up the good stuff with the good Captain. There’s a lot of great stuff to be had here, and I recommend you check it out and DRINK YOUR OVALTINE!

STEPHEN: I was drawn in with the zero issue that Matthew and I reviewed a few weeks ago on the Dueling Review show, so checking out what the creators are going to do with the series has this book on my pull list this week.

WAYNE: As a big fan of Masks and Mobsters, I’m really looking forward to this book. I recently read the #0 issue, and it is quite a different take from, say, Captain America. I highly recommend this title!

COLLIDER #1
Writer: Simon Oliver
Artist: Robbi Rodriguez
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: It started small: temporary gravity failures, time reversal loops, entropy reversals. With much fanfare a new government agency was formed with a mandate “to prevent and protect.” Its official title: The Federal Bureau of Physics. Humans, if nothing else, adapt to the changing parameters of their existence. What was extraordinary soon became ordinary, a part of people’s daily lives. They move on and do what people have always done: survive. But even that new status quo is now under threat. Things are getting worse, and it falls to Special Agent Adam Hardy and his FBP team to figure out what’s going on, before it’s too late…

GEORGE: Sounds like a great concept, and I loved Simon Oliver’s previous hit with Vertigo, “Exterminators.” I’m looking forward to seeing what Oliver can do with a hook like this.

RODRIGO: WARNING! WARNING! INCOMING VERTIGO BOOK! This looks interesting, kind of over the top sci-fi meets police procedural… which I think makes it “Bones”.

STEPHEN: Wacky hijinks involving space-time? Wait, I think I’ve said this before… Temporal malfunction ahead. Time spent reading Collider imminent! ?emit-ecaps gnivlovni sknijih ykcaW

ZACH: The only reason I even found out about Collider is because it stuck out amongst the slew of superhero books DC is releasing this week. Once the title caught my eye, the solicitation grabbed me for the first issue. “Gravity failures, time reversal loops?” Ya, I’ll totally check that out.

DETECTIVE COMICS ANNUAL #2
Written by: John Layman
Art by: Scott Eaton, Jaime Mendoza
Cover by: Andy Clarke
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $4.99
SOLICITATION: “It’s a terrible, dangerous time to be a cop in Gotham City. At a time when police are being targeted for assassination, Gotham’s Finest also face a threat from within, as a shape-changing identity thief has infiltrated the GCPD and threatens to destroy it from within. Will he unravel the mystery behind this secretive killer before he loses any more of the few allies he has left on the force? “

WAYNE: Detective Comics is right up there near the top of my favorite Batman books, so I’m sure this annual will be another great read! We’ll see what Mr. Layman has in store of us this time!

DOCTOR WHO PRISONERS OF TIME #7
Writer: Scott & David Tipton
Artist: Kev Hopgood
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Seventh Doctor takes the spotlight in this issue of a 12-part epic adventure featuring all 11 incarnations of the Doctor! In a 19th-century Scottish castle, a live-in nurse’s concerns about the elderly couple in her care are allayed by a visiting doctor and his curiously modern female companion.

MATTHEW: Am I a sucker for classic Doctors? I am. Does that make this series any less awesome? It does not.

GI Joe #6
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Artist: Jamal Igle
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Courtney Krieger had it all … fame, fortune, beauty, a whirlwind life spent jetting from one exotic locale to the next. Why did she give it all up to become the G.I. JOE team member known as COVER GIRL? Her deadliest secret will be revealed here-as well as the connection between it and COBRA’S MAD MONK, who has returned to turn New York City into an island of terror!

GEORGE: IDW’s new GI Joe series isn’t a clean reboot, but it’s still an interesting take on the series. I always found the strength of the series to be Fred Van Lente’s writing, while I didn’t feel like Steve Kurth’s art was the best fit. With a new artist taking the reins, here’s hoping the already good GI Joe will get even better.

INFINITE VACATION DLX HC
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Christian Ward
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $24.99
SOLICITATION: Welcome to the INFINITE VACATIONS, where alternate realities are up for sale, and buying and trading your way through unlimited variations of yourself is as commonplace as checking your e-mail.

At long last the brilliant and beautiful series that turned alternate realities on its ear, collected together for the first time in a beautiful, lavish, oversized hardcover.

All five issues, plus extras – and a five-page fold-out suitable for framing.

Collects INFINITE VACATION #1-5

ZACH: Infinite Vacation is the series that started my quest to read Nick Spencer’s work. I read the whole series the day the fifth and final issue released. I have never had more of an emotional experience from reading a comic as I did reading the closing pages of the series. If you haven’t read the series I highly recommend picking the volume up. If you have read the series you know that you must pick the hardback volume up.

LENORE VOL. 2 #8
Writer: Roman Dirge
Artist: Roman Dirge
Publisher: Titan Books
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: When a film crew from Ghosty Toasty TV show turns up at Lenore’s mansion in search of ‘ghosts and ghouls’ they get more than they bargained for, much, much more! This issue marks the beginning of the end for one of Lenore’s main characters; with the start of a four-issue story-arc that will culminate in a fight-to-the-death between two of the comic’s most beloved characters, but who will stand victorious and who will die, never to live again?

CHRIS: I love Lenore so much it hurts. If only it came out more than once or twice a year, but god it’s worth the wait. Hilarious, twisted and cute all at the same time, Roman Dirge makes this book incredibly fun and his artwork is amazing. Great for fans of morbid humor.

MORNING GLORIES #29
Writer: Nick Spencer
Artist: Joe Eisma
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: “A New Assignment.”

ZACH: It’s the latest issue of Morning Glories. Of course, you should be buying this.

TMNT ONGOING #24
Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Mateus Santolouc
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: “CITY FALL” part 3: With the hunt on for Leonardo, the remaining Turtles take whatever help they can get… but can they trust a truce with Old Hob?! A startling climax will change the Turtles forever!

ROB: Still find this to be my favorite ongoing comic right now. And we’re in the middle of the biggest story arc to date. Casey’s down, Leo’s missing (and maybe a traitor?!) and now the Turtles have to turn to former enemies Old Hob and Slash to maybe succeed. This is getting better.

TOM STRONG AND THE PLANET OF PERIL #1
Writer: Peter Hogan
Artist: Chris Sprouse
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: At last, it’s the return of Tom Strong—too bad he’s powerless! The lives of his daughter Tesla and her unborn child both hang in the balance, and there’s nothing Tom can do to save them…until he remembers the one thing that just might. To find it, he and Val Var Garm must journey to the far side of the galaxy, and the mysterious world known as…TERRA OBSCURA!

MATTHEW: America’s Best Comics is a long-missed imprint, and I’ll buy any of the characters and titles therein, wherever they pop up. Lately, that has meant a Tom Strong series every 3 years or so, but I can’t complain too badly, as I haven’t had any new issues of ‘The Strangers’ since the Ultraverse went under in like 1995…

TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #19
Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: James Roberts (w) o Alex Milne (a) o Milne, Sean Chen (c) BETRAYAL! The Lost Light may be occupied by enemy forces, but that’s the least of RODIMUS’ problems! As he awaits execution, the one-time Matrix holder realizes how little he knows about the people he once called friends. Is there anyone left he can trust? And where does the legendary STAR SABER fit into all this?

CHRIS: I can’t NOT recommend a Transformers book. I think it’s physically impossible. And they’re bringing in Star Saber? I must be dreaming.

WAKE #3
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Sean Murphy
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: A new species has been discovered at the bottom of the ocean, and as a result, people are dying. Is it the missing link? Or a link to something even bigger? Marine biologist Lee Archer and her crew have to find out before things get much, much worse…

CHRIS: I have no idea where this book is going or what’s going to happen and that’s why I like it so much. Snyder does a great job hooking the reader by giving them just enough information to satisfy while maintaining an air of mystery. Great stuff.

X-MEN #3
Writer: Brian Wood
Artist: Olivier Coipel
Publisher: Marvel
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The X-Men find out what Arkea is capable of, and the phrase “rampaging horde” comes to mind.Can Arkea be defeated? Can the X-Men take down one of their own, if that’s what it takes? Meanwhile, what’s up with Sublime and Rachel? What’s up with Bling and Cipher? What’s up with Jubilee and Bling?

ROB: The first two issues have been entertaining and I like the team we’re getting so I think I’m going to continue to pick this up.