ON THE SHELF IN JANUARY
by Craig Reade

DARK HORSE

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Page 19 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #1, $2.99. Written by John Jackson Miller, Art by Brian Ching and Michael Atiyeh. There has been some talk of the relaunch on the Star Wars comic line, and this first effort is a pleasing one. The Old Republic is a fertile ground for new Star Wars storytelling, now that Episode III has finally come and gone. If you ever considered picking up a Star Wars comic, now is the perfect time to give it a shot. Especially if you played and enjoyed the Knights of the Old Republic video game. 32 Pages.

DC COMICS

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Page 63 – Catwoman #51, $2.50. Written by Will Pfiefer, Art by Pete Woods. Pfiefer seems to be going out of his way to rest my fears about the direction of this title. Remembering the outstanding job he did of making Aquaman a readable book, it was very exciting to hear that he was going to come aboard Catwoman. Granted, Ed Brubaker was no slouch, but Pfiefer had high expectations all the same. It took some time to get to this point, and Pfiefer has finally found a story that is not only going to be a shocker for Catwoman fans, but also something that anyone who have been following Zatanna’s major involvement in the DCU since the whole mind-wipe storyline started up. There have been some nay-sayers that think this is basically trashing Brubaker’s run – I don’t think anything could be farther from the truth. This whole story wouldn’t be as gripping as it looks like it will be if Selina as a character didn’t believe that everything that happened in Brubaker’s run was anything but genuine. 32 Pages.

Page 67 – Action Comics #835, $2.50. Written by Gail Simone, Art by John Byrne and Nelson. You know, it is really quite surprising that it has taken this long for Livewire to make the jump from Superman: The Animated Series to the comic continuity. As wildly successful as Harley Quinn as a character has been after making that jump, it seems only natural that they would try again. Livewire is a natural choice. Can’t wait to see what Simone can do with the character. 32 Pages.

Page 68 – Supergirl #5, $2.99. Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund. Talk about a cover being the flashpoint of speculation. This series pits “The Girl of Steel” against “The Mistress of Might.” Naturally, Supergirl’s opponent is shadowed out, fueling a wealth of speculation. The shape of the shadow is pretty similar to the way Supergirl looks now – is this just a case of Kryptonite at work (Black K? or Green Red Blue and Gold?), splitting the current Supergirl into two? Or maybe it is Power Girl, recently called “The Mistress of Might” in the solicit for JSA Classified #4, coming off of a pair of character defining issues of her own? Or what about Linda Danvers – another Supergirl all together? Maybe it is nothing so major, but the speculation sure is fun. 32 Pages.

Page 71 – Infinite Crisis #4, $3.99. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning, George Perez and Jerry Ordway. How can you not be talking about this? There is just so much to this story, top to bottom, from the most powerful characters to the “streets;” nothing else can compare. From the cover it seems like the universe is crumbling, the solicit mentions the emergence of a destructive force – and Batman vs. Nightwing! Does the student finally surpass the teacher? If you have any interest at all in DC Comics, how can you not be reading this series? 40 Pages.

Page 73 – Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special, $3.99. Written by Bill Willingham, Art by Justiniano and Walden Wong. Of the four (five if you count Donna Troy) Countdown minis, everyone has their favorite. A lot of people would pick Villains United or OMAC Project, simply for the importance of their contribution to the onset of Infinite Crisis. In terms of sheer story quality, however, Day of Vengeance easily was the mini I looked most forward to each month. Seeing that the story is continuing, at least for this issue, makes me very happy. This issue takes the whole Shadowpact, throws in a de-mousified Phantom Stranger, Zatanna, Captain Marvel, and more, and pits them once again against a still rampaging and even more powerful Spectre. And a personal message to the fine folks at DC – could you give us a Willingham penned Shadowpact ongoing once Infinite Crisis is all wrapped up? Pretty please? 48 Pages.

Page 81 – JLA Classified #16, $2.99. Written by Gail Simone, Art by José Luis Garcia-Lopez and Klaus Janson. So why is it that the rotating creative team on the regular JLA series seemed to be such a bungle, but the same thing on the Classified book is, so far, pretty successful? The lack of pressure to maintain the ongoing storyline probably has a lot to do with it, but the difference of quality is shocking even considering that. This month, Gail Simone steps up for her turn, after what could be forgivingly described as a lackluster effort on Teen Titans. Simone will probably have more leeway with this story, and she does seem to be at her best when she has lots of breathing room to tell the kind of story she wants. 32 Pages.

Page 86 – Seven Soldier of Victory Volume 1, $14.99. Written by Grant Morrison, Art by JH Williams III, Simon Bianchi, Cameron Stewart, Ryan Sook, Mick Gray, and Frazer Irving. The first trade of the Seven Soldiers has arrived, and from the looks of things, they are opting for the chronological release approach to the volumes, rather than breaking up each of the minis into their own trade. Might not be the most popular approach, but they probably have their reasons. This trade collects Seven Soldiers #0, Shining Knight #1-2, The Manhattan Guardian #1-2, Zatanna #1-2, and Klarion the Witchboy #1. Anyone who gets this and is reading the story for the first time, don’t be too disheartened by the #0 issue – the rest of the issues are really much better, and this story is very much worth reading. 224 Pages.

Page 88 – Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy #1 (of 6), $2.99. By Joe Kubert. I know of a few people that have, at least once, have had to listen to me talk about how cool it would be if a new Sgt. Rock series were to come out. And here we have one! Just in time for my birthday! This must really be my month. Supposedly this story is based on true events – not sure what event it is based on, but that really doesn’t matter too much. Expect and outstanding story from Joe Kubert, worthy of the character. It is about time Easy Company made a return! 32 Pages.

Page 91 – Plastic Man #20, $2.99. By Kyle Baker. This makes me sad. Perhaps it is just best to be glad that we got the 14 issues past the original graphic novel material – but there was so much in that short 14 issues worth celebrating. Kyle Baker is going “exclusive” with his own label, so this cancellation probably isn’t totally DC’s doing. But there is no real way to know whether the main reason Plastic Man had to end was because Baker wanted to do other things, or if sales lagged. This book has been perhaps the most innovative and completely enjoyable for its own sake title DC had on the market over the past two years, and for myself, I am really going to miss this book. If Kyle Baker ever hooks up with DC to do another one – I will be in line for the first copy. It is going to be a very long line before another creator gets Plastic Man right like this ever again. Don’t know what I am talking about? Buy this issue and see what you were missing. 32 Pages.

Page 97 – Elfquest: The Discovery #1, $3.99. Written by Wendy and Richard Pini, Art by Wendy Pini. Elfquest – a reprint series no longer at DC. For months we have been seeing past Elquest issues reprinted, but now it seems that it was an effort to build up the audience for this new book. The Discovery will be a bi-monthly, full color, four issue mini that will no doubt send fans of the book into a tizzy of anticipation. Nice to see some brand new material – with all the genres making a come-back in the medium, fantasy still hasn’t really made a full resurgence yet. Hopefully this series will lead to a few more like it. 40 Pages.

Page 114 – The Exterminators #1, $2.99. Written by Simon Oliver, Art by Tony Moore. A new Vertigo series is always cause to take notice, and this has the makings of something that could be special. Probably the biggest selling point is the art by Tony Moore, who many of you will remember from that first outstanding arc of The Walking Dead. The story revolves around an exterminating company who start to encounter more than your garden variety of pests. On the surface, this seems like an idea that might get stale fast, but there will no doubt be a lot more to this story than a few guys killing rodents. 32 Pages.

IDW

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Page 280 – The Transformers: Infiltration #1, $2.99. Written by Simon Furman, Art by E.J.Su. This series could be a huge boon for IDW on two fronts. The first one is obvious – Transformers has its own built-in audience who are more than thrilled that the series is starting up once again just one year after Dreamwave closed up shop. For them, this is an outstanding way to start the year. On the other hand – one of the biggest hurdles IDW has faced is its usual $3.99 cover price. This is something they seem to wear like a badge of honor, but a lot of readers are quite open with the fact that they don’t buy IDW because of that cover price, and never will. Maybe if this series does well at the $2.99 cover price, and IDW sees what kind of audience will open up to its line-up at the lower rate, we will see that $3.99 start to go away. And that would be a great thing for the industry in general. 32 Pages.

IMAGE COMICS

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Page 140 – Invincible Script Book #1, $3.99. Written by Robert Kirkman. Script books generally don’t offer much new in the way of storyline advancement – if you are picking this up for that, you will be disappointed. But from the collector’s perspective, this is a real treat. Beyond that, script books can provide a pretty fascinating insight into comic creation in general. This stage in the creation of a comic book isn’t often seen by the reader, and will help tell how much of the story is Kirkman, and what little quirks the artists added in to make it their own. 40 Pages.

MARVEL COMICS

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Page M4 – Ultimate Extinction #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Brandon Peterson. Probably a classic example of issue tardiness and Ellis’s occasional extreme slow pace being more harmful to a book than helpful. This is the final arc of the three chapter “Ultimate Galactus” story, something that would be considered by many to be a huge event in the Marvel Universe. But the story seems to have just dragged on – with late issues and a build-up that really could have been wrapped up in an issue or two, rather than two entire series. Sure, this series will still sell, but not nearly as well as it could have. Those who have been anxiously waiting the final part will have their wish this January though. 32 Pages.

Page M9 – Ultimate X-Men #66, $2.50. Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Tom Raney. I haven’t read Ultimate X-Men in a very long time. On a rare occasion to see what is going on, sure, but I have been unable to avidly follow it since it became indistinguishable from a regular 616 X-title. But just when I start to think that I would never want to read the book again, something like this happens. There probably isn’t anyone better suited to writing this title – providing Kirkman is given the leeway he would need to make it work. I am very much looking forward giving this title another shot this month, finally. 32 Pages.

Page M17 – Ares #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by Michael Avon Oeming, Art by Travel Foreman. This series has real potential. Oeming has really proven himself as a writer with his work on Thor and Beta Rey Bill (Six was pretty good too, but a pretty different kind of story). Ares is in a different pantheon, but the tone of the story should be very much the same, and is therefore right up Oeming’s alley. This mini has the potential to be one of the early sleeper hits of 2005. 32 Pages.

Page M19 – Daredevil #81, $2.99. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Alex Maleev. The end of an era – and this issue is going to be huge. How could it not be? Fans of this run are no doubt shedding a tear, but sometimes an ending can be a good thing. Bendis has had more than enough time to plan and plot for this ending, so you can bet that he has found a way to get it just right. Next month the new creative team gets its crack at it, and while different, you can bet that Brubaker will do a fantastic job. So now is a good time to start, if you are one of the 4 or 5 not reading this book yet. The explosive ending, followed by a new beginning? Sounds like a perfect time to me. 32 Pages.

Page M23 – X-Statix Presents: Dead Girl #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by Peter Milligan, Art by Michael Allred. Back into his element – this will make not only fans of X-Statix happy, but also Milligan fans who are still a bit frustrated with his work on X-Men. It is a Dead Girl solo book – with Dr. Strange playing a major role in the story. At this point, doesn’t look like there will be much in the way of appearances by the rest of the team, though cameos are probable. Maybe if this does well, we will see a Dead Girl/ Dusk team-up mini? Yeah, wishful thinking… 32 Pages.

Page M36 – New Mangaverse #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by C.B. Cebulski, Art by Tommy Ohtsuka. Boy, it seems like Marvel is trying really, really hard to get a piece of that Manga market, isn’t it? Not totally sure they are approaching it the right way though. The original Mangaverse idea was decent – it had its good books and its bad ones. But instead of starting with that decent foundation, creating a Mangaverse imprint and occasionally putting out a mini, the idea was dropped for years. Another all-around Mangaverse mini was put out, and the idea vanished once again. What is behind this latest return is a mystery, and while it might be good, it feels like Marvel is going for the Manga home-run once again, and when that doesn’t pan out, the idea will go back on the shelf for a few years. This might be totally wrong – but that is what it feels like to me. 32 Pages.

Page M37 – Nextwave #1 (of 12), $2.99. Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Stuart Immonen. We are getting a lot of Ellis mini efforts these days, and that can only be a good thing. This book throws up a few red flags – it looks like it is dripping with political proselytization, which ends up appealing only to the people who happen to agree with the ideology. Politics in literature can be a great thing, if it is presented in such a way that the reader is forced to think about the philosophy being presented in a critical fashion. From the sound of the solicit, that isn’t what we are going to get. It is still way too early to make that call though, and there are a few positive things that you might want to look out for in this book. The return of Else Bloodstone being one – it’s been years since she took over the Bloodstone mantle in that long forgotten but quite fun mini. This issue also guest stars Fin Fang Foom, if you can believe it. Lots of potential for good and bad in this one – will have to wait until January to see where it falls. 32 Pages.

Page M46 – Sable and Fortune #1 (of 6), $2.99. Written by Brendan Cahill, Art by John Burns. Sometimes a character you thought was dated and doomed to obscurity finds a way to pop up again, and just end up all over the place. Silver Sable is this year’s retro favorite. Fans of the character might enjoy this series, though it looks like it is painting the beginning of a whole new chapter for Silver Sable. Perhaps building her up as more of a Black Widow type? Could be good for the character. Should be interesting. 32 Pages.

Page M47 – Astonishing X-Men Saga, $3.99. Cover by John Cassaday. Admittedly, Astonishing X-Men has been a decent read. Far better than the other X-Men books on the market, you can be sure of that. And this issue seems geared at potential new readers, not wanting to jump on the book for the first time, in the middle of the story. Makes sense. The long and short of this issue is that it condenses the entire first year into one issue, catching up the newer readers to the present. Here is the telling thing though – straight from the solicit itself: “Here’s the entire story in one easily digestible 48 Page one-shot!” The thing is – I believe it! It is completely and totally plausible that they took an entire year of Astonishing X-Men, trimmed all the fat, and condensed it into a perfectly legible and enjoyable 48 page story. The way comics are padded these days, you could probably do that with a lot of comics, either at DC or Marvel. The very fact that this issue will exist should tell us all a lot about the product we are buying. 32 Pages.

Page M48 – Cable/Deadpool #24, $2.99. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Patrick Zircher. The fight may be a mismatch, but the fact that it took this long to appear on the pages of a comic is perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Marvel’s two most well-known wise-crackers come to blows in this issue as Spider-Man guest-stars. You might point out the classic Deadpool #11 as a Spider-Man crossover, but since Deadpool never actually came face-to-face with Spider-Man in that issue, it hardly counts. Hopefully, Zircher leaves a lot of room for text bubbles on this one. If this fight isn’t verbose, it will be a real let-down. 32 Pages.

Page M54 – Sentinel Squad O*N*E #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by John Layman, Art by Aaron Lopresti. Still seems kind of early to tell the real meat of this story – seems like I say that a lot when it comes to the House of M and the aftermath these days. This five issue mini focuses on a group of soldiers who pilot the Sentinels, and how they came together. Tough to tell how important an origin story of a group that hasn’t really surfaced yet will be, but considering the new status of mutants, you can bet that Sentinels will be a major part of that. 32 Pages.

Page M61 – X-Men: The 198 #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by David Hine, Art by Jim Muniz. Not quite the sweeping restructuring of the X-Men titles from a publishing perspective that some might have expected in the aftermath of House of M– and possibly not from a character perspective either. 198 refers the number of mutants remaining after the events of House of M. So is 198 too many, not enough, or a cop out? There are arguments to be made for all three options, but at the end of the day, none of it matters. The publishing line-up of Marvel doesn’t matter so much as story quality, and if this story improves the quality of the remaining X-books, then it is a good thing for all involved. Instead of nitpicking about a number, we should all instead hope for the best. 32 Pages.

Page M92 – New Warriors: Reality Check, $14.99. Written by Zeb Wells, Art by Skottie Young. Some of you might have been put off by the art on this book, or just a general unfamiliarity with the New Warriors in general, and ended up missing out on a pretty entertaining read. In this story, the New Warriors, forever trying to make it to the big time, sign on to do a reality show that will follow their exploits across the country. Honestly, it is kind of a surprise that this idea hasn’t been done before and often, what with the continued popularity of that kind of show. A great read – one you should pick up if you missed it in issue format. 144 Pages.

Craig’s Top Five Ten of the Month

Yes – normally this is a top five. But January seems to be a huge month for important issues, so I decided to make it a top ten this month. Just so that everything that deserves mention gets mentioned!

#10 – Supergirl #5, $2.99, DC Comics. My gut tells me that the Supergirl we have now is going to be very different from the Supergirl we end up with once all is said and done. This issue could be critical to the direction this character takes.

# 9 – Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #1, $2.99, Dark Horse. Dark Horse celebrates its 20th anniversary in 2006 – that is an impressive milestone by anyone’s standards. Along with it, comes a new era in Star Wars comics. This series should do well by any Star Wars fan with really no where left to turn for new material, now that the movies are all said and done.

#8 – Catwoman #51, $2.50, DC Comics. This idea didn’t even occur to me when the whole Villain Mind-wipe story hit, and it should have been the first thing we all thought of. Pfiefer has been handed a gold-mine, and you can bet he is going to mine it for all that it is worth.

#7 – Ultimate X-Men #66, $2.50, Marvel. Kirkman is the writer. Do you really need another reason to give this a look?

#6 – X-Men: The 198 #1 (of 5), $2.99, Marvel. The new shape of the Marvel Universe – at least as far as mutants are concerned.

#5 – Day of Vengeance: Infinite Crisis Special, $3.99, DC Comics. I meant what I said – this would make an outstanding ongoing series. Hopefully this sells well enough to warrant one.

#4 – Plastic Man #20, $2.99, DC Comics. It has been a long time since I have been this upset at the end of a comic. The issue hasn’t even come out yet, and already I miss it. This Plastic Man was living proof that the current popular hero comic mold isn’t the only way to do things.

#3 – Daredevil #81, $2.99, Marvel. Another “end of an era” issue – the last for Bendis and Maleev. Unlike Plastic Man, Daredevil will go on, however. This team deserves a great send off for all they did on this title.

#2 – Sgt. Rock: The Prophecy #1 (of 6), $2.99, DC Comics. High up there in the rankings, but warranted. Sgt. Rock has been gone too long.

#1 – Infinite Crisis #4, $3.99, DC Comics. Is any justification really required? Infinite Crisis. Go buy it.

Craig’s Collection of the Month

Page 69 – Superman: Sacrifice, $14.99. Written by Greg Rucka, Mark Verheiden, and Gail Simone, Art by Ed Bened, John Byrne, Karl Kershl, Rags Morales, and various. This trade is pretty much a required supplement to the OMAC Project, and I recommend that anyone who read that mini pick this trade up if you missed the story. You will all remember the sudden leap forward that OMAC took part-way through the series, almost like you skipped a chapter or two in a novel – well, this story fills in that blank. In it is the much talked about confrontation between Wonder Woman and Superman, the fight that lead to the killing of Max Lord, a pivotal moment in the entire Infinite Crisis set-up. With so much going on during the Countdown period, this storyline is one that a lot of readers might have missed. An excellent second chance. 192 Pages.

NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.

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