IT’S NEW COMIC BOOK DAY!
Major Spoilers runs down the comics we are looking forward to, and recommending, this week.
ATOMIC ROBO: REAL SCIENCE ADVENTURES #11
Writer: Brian Clevinger
Artist: Erich Owen
Publisher: Red 5 Comics
Cover Price: $2.75
SOLICITATION: “A cabal of industrialists plot to overthrow the government in the wake of the financial panic of 1893. Their ‘Black Coat’ army is poised to strike from the shadows. But first they’ve got to eliminate the only thing that could stop them: Nikola Tesla himself.“
WAYNE: Atomic Robo continues to be one of the best books produced today, so be sure to pick this issue up for you and your whole family!
AVENGERS #20
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Leinil Francis Yu
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: INFINITY TIE-IN – “AVENGERS UNIVERSE: III”
• Unexpected overtures from the Builders.
• A meeting of Ex Nihilos.
• Total, unconditional surrender.
Item Code: JUL130580
GEORGE: Marvel’s got TWO crossovers going on right now, and both have been well worth my time and money? Infinity gets the nod from me this week, as Hickman and Yu continue building on a foundation that’s been in the making since issue #1. Ex Nihilo is a fresh original character in a picked over universe, so anything that delves deeper into its/their nature is totally welcome.
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #23.4
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Georges Jeanty
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: The Gotham Underground is quickly becoming a base of power in the DC Universe! After the destruction of Arkham Asylum, The Joker’s Daughter is gaining hordes of followers across the terrifying and brutal landscape! In a world where ugly is considered beautiful, what dark initiation rites befall this madwoman’s new recruits?
CHRIS: I am completely in the dark when it comes to Joker’s Daughter. I assume she’s from Earth 3? Regardless, I’m curious enough to pick this one up and see just what she’s all about and how she reacts to her father’s lack of face.
CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT #3
Writer: Joshua Williamson
Artist: Fernando Dagnino
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “He may have been unbeatable in the ’40s, but has Captain Midnight met his match in the modern era? When a recon mission goes horribly wrong, Captain Midnight finds himself pitted against an old foe, dozens of violent Wraiths, and . . . bloodthirsty polar bears?! He’s the man who always has a plan, but it’s going to take a helluva lot of resourcefulness to get out of this mess alive!”
WAYNE: As a big fan of Masks and Mobsters, I’m always looking forward to this Joshua Williamson book. It’s how I think Captain America should have been presented!
EAST OF WEST #6
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Artist: Nick Dragotta
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: “JUSTICE”
The work of the Chosen is revealed as the RANGER is recruited to hunt down and kill Death.
GEORGE: How does Jonathan Hickman put out so many quality monthly comics? It’s crazy. But as good as the story and world-building in East of West is, Nick Dragotta’s art is even better.
EMPOWERED SPECIAL #5 NINE BEERS WITH NINJETTE
Writer: Adam Warren
Artist: Adam Warren
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Kick back and have a cold one with hearty-partying Ninjette, Empowered’s Best Friend Forever, as she weaves a boozy yet poignant tale of ninja magic, complete with fighting, flirting, and swing-dancing with the Maidman-not to mention the outwitting of ‘Jette’s monstrous thug of a father. Drink up!
MATTHEW: Empowered isn’t for everyone, but it’s very well-done, and the art is incredibly unique (even if the heroine sometimes looks like a sheep in profile.) It’s really not like anything else on the stands, and Ninjette may be may favorite of the dozens of neat takes on venerable superheroic concepts. You really should check it out…
POWERFUFF GIRLS #1
Writer: Troy Little
Artist: Troy Little
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: Citizens of Townsville, fear not! The Powerpuff Girls are back! In this IDW debut issue Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are back to take down the meanest of the mean and the ugliest of the ugly! Plus, what fiendish secret is Mojo Jojo hiding? The answer is sure to surprise!
GEORGE: Sugar, spice, everything nice and a good dose of Chemical X made for a great animated show. Can it make a great comic? Here’s hoping. Troy Little’s got some buzz from his Chiaroscuro project, but this should be a lot more family-friendly.
SAGA #14
Writer: Brian K. Vaughn
Artist: Fiona Staples
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: Gwendolyn and Slave Girl think about the future.
Gwendolyn and Slave Girl think about the future.
CHRIS: Oh Saga, how I missed you. It was brisk for a while, but now that you’re back, it’s all warm and fuzzy again. Just when I think it can’t get any better, it does.
KEVIN: Saga has everything you want in an epic space-opera: star-crossed lovers, bounty hunters, robots, animal-like aliens, an ancient alien war, and a long journey through space. However, I like how, at the core of the plot, is a story about two fugitive parents trying to survive and raise their newborn baby. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples use Saga as a medium to contribute many new ideas to the science fiction comics.
ROB: I was just hankering for the next issue of this yesterday, and look what just happens to show up. Saga is unlike anything else coming out today, and is much better for it. Staples art alone is worth picking it up, but Vaughn absolutely knows what he’s doing with story telling.
SEX CRIMINALS #1
Writer: Matt Fraction
Artist: Chip Zdarsky
Publisher: Image Comics
Cover Price: $3.50
SOLICITATION: Suzie’s a normal girl with an extraordinary ability: when she has sex, she stops time. One night she meets John… who has the same gift. And so they do what any other sex-having, time-stopping, couple would do: they rob banks. In the vein of THE 40-YEAR OLD VIRGIN and BRIDESMAIDS, Image Comics invites you to come along with MATT FRACTION (Hawkeye, SATELLITE SAM) and CHIP ZDARSKY (Prison Funnies, Monster Cops) for the series that puts the “comic” back in “comics” and the “sexy” back in “sex crimes.”
MATTHEW: I’m honestly a little bit concerned about the fact that I want to read this, but Fraction has a track record of entertaining me, and the previews make it seem right up my metaphorical alley. Plus, I’m over 21, so no problems there!
TMNT ONGOING #26
Writer: Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman
Artist: Mateus Santolouco
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: While Leonardo and the Foot bring the fight to the Savate ninjas, the other Turtles call upon all of their allies to prepare for War. City Fall continues to escalate when Splinter crosses a line by helping Old Hob get his revenge!
ROB: With Leonardo as Shredder’s right hand the Turtle’s and the city are falling apart as both new and old enemies begin devastating the city. This title is going so many unexpected directions that I can barely keep up, but it is so far beyond being worth it that I am enjoying the read.
TRANSFORMERS: MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE #21
Writer: James Roberts
Artist: Alex Milne
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Cover Price: $3.99
SOLICITATION: ENDGAME! A handful of heroes stand in the way of a tyrant with the power to destroy AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS alike. But what if stopping him carries an even higher price? Get ready to say goodbye to some old friends as More Than Meets The Eye delivers on two years’ worth of promises.
CHRIS: Yup, still awesome. Pharma has become the scariest and best villain ever.
THE WAKE #4
Writer: Scott Snyder
Artist: Jason Sean Murphy
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: “Trapped…drowning…dying…could things get worse for Doctor Lee Archer and her team? Yes, they could. Much worse, in fact. Turns out the shocking discovery of the creature was only the beginning. Vertigo’s hit new series continues!”
WAYNE: It’s always a good week when a Scott Snyder book comes out! He handles horror particularly well, and I’m seriously anxious to read this release, as always!
YOUNG AVENGERS #10
Writer: Kieron Gillen
Artist: Jamie McKelvie
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
SOLICITATION: It’s Mother’s Day. Don’t worry. You won’t forget. She won’t let you. Who’s bringing Mother presents?
KEVIN: Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie have done a marvelous job with the Young Avengers title. This new series is a great sequel to the original comics. The writer has a great voice for teenage superheroes while the art caters to a cell-phone and social media obsessed generation.
MATTHEW: Consistently wonderful, filled with action, adventure, hints of romance and some lovely cultural references. It’s like a night with me, only you don’t have to buy dinner…
ROB: The revelations of the past few issues and the team returning to their own reality have only left more questions and unfinished business in this book. Gillen has managed to keep the team likable while infusing some interesting new elements and McKelvie’s work is just stunning.
