On The Shelf in February 2006
Dec 07ON THE SHELF IN FEBRUARY
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE
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Page 18 – Hellboy: Makoma #1 (of 3), $2.99. Written by Mike Mignola, Art by Mignola, Richard Corben, and Dave Stewart. A brand new Hellboy series is always a reason to take notice. This series is supposed to take place long before the events in “The Island,” the last Hellboy two-parter. Considering how popular this character is, it is a real shame that Hellboy books are put out so infrequently. At least they don’t promise it monthly, and still only put it out twice a year. That would be far worse, I guess. 32 Pages.
Page 21 – Conan #25, $2.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Cary Nord and Dave Stewart. Twenty-five issues (well, twenty-six if you count the preview issue)! It has been two years now since we first got a taste of the new Conan, and even though the buzz has died down a bit, this is still an extremely enjoyable read. It does seem to read better when you read an entire arc all at once, but there is nothing wrong with that. Month after month Conan sits pretty close to the top of my stack, and that is saying something. Conan requires patience to read, and effort, it is far from a light comic. But it rewards you for the effort. I am looking forward to another 25 issues of this outstanding series. If you still haven’t tried it, I recommend starting with some of the trades. That is the perfect way to get into this series at this point. Then pick the start of a story arc, and enjoy! 32 Pages.
Page 32 – Harlequin Pink: Idol Dreams, $9.95. Written by Charlotte Lamb, Art by Toko Hanabusa. Ok, maybe I missed hearing about this before. But now that I have noticed it, it deserves mention. It looks like Dark Horse is going to be putting out two lines of romance digest graphic novels – Harlequin Pink, a more G-rated, all ages appropriate romance story, and Harlequin Violet, a more mature themed story that is intended for more mature readers. Personally, I am not a fan of Romance stories. But this is a really, really good idea, and it is great for the industry. Comics as a whole can only benefit from having a wide range of genres to choose from. Let’s face it, most comic readers now like the superhero genre, but if the audience is ever going to expand in a permanent way, there has to be more genres readily available. This is a risk for Dark Horse, but they deserve a lot of praise for taking it. 160 Pages.
DC COMICS
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Page 63 – Gotham Central #40, $2.50. Written by Greg Rucka, Art by Kano and Stefano Gaudiano. This is the last issue of an outstanding series that is over before its time. Rumor has it that the concept will return in Streets of Gotham, but probably with a different creative team. We can only hope that whoever follows will be able to pull it off in the same spirit that made this book such a good read. DC needs a title like this in its line-up. Hopefully that void will be filled before too long. 32 Pages.
Page 63 – Nightwing #117, $2.50. Written by Devin Grayson, Art by Phil Hester and Ande Parks. Well, for everyone that was worried that there seemed to be no end in sight for this story, the end has arrived. It looks like it is going to be fairly explosive too, with not only the story with Deathstroke and Dick’s undercover dealings being resolved, but an Oracle guest appearance means that plot thread will be advanced a bit as well. This issue will be a huge one. 32 Pages.
Page 65 – Superman #226, Action Comics #836, and Adventures of Superman #649, $2.50 each. Written by Joe Kelly, Art by Tim Sale, Ed Benes, Karl Kerschl, and Dan Jurgens. If there was a month to get all three Superman titles, even if you aren’t a Superman reader, this would be it. Joe Kelly pens this three part crossover story “This Is Your Life, Superman.” This story takes a look at the life of Kal-L, the Earth-2 Superman that has returned in Infinite Crisis, and looks to figure heavily in the story. This arc will be the perfect chance for readers not familiar with Pre-Crisis DC to see just how this old Superman is different from the one we are all used to. 32 Pages (each).
Page 69 – Infinite Crisis #5 (of 7), $3.99. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning. Boy, Superman is just getting worked over pretty bad in all kinds of covers this month, isn’t he? This cover looks even more painful than the cover to Supergirl #6! Well, as you might have read, this issue finds the Superman from Earth 2 finally meeting the current Superman. So far this mini is hitting on all cylinders, and it doesn’t look like it will be slowing down soon. If you aren’t reading it, you should be. It is a good bet that people will be referring to this in 20 years the same way we refer to Crisis now. 40 Pages.
Page 82 – Teen Titans Annual #1, $4.99. Written by Geoff Johns and Marv Wolfman, Art by Paco Medina and Juan Viasco. Hey – neat. An actual annual, and Marv Wolfman writing Teen Titans again! Wolfman also is credited on issue #33 set to come out a week later. It will be really interesting to see what he will do with these characters. Anyone who is a fan of the potential Superboy/Wonder Girl relationship will want to pick up this annual for sure, it looks like that plotline is going to be picked up again. Hopefully this isn’t the only Annual we see out of DC in the coming months, but for the sake of my wallet, I hope they at least wait until Crisis has settled down to dive fully into it. 48 Pages.
Page 83 – Warlord #1, $2.99. Written by Bruce Jones, Art by Bart Sears. So is this the way of things when a big writer signs an exclusive with DC? First they resurrect an old classic (Simone- Rose and Thorn, Kubert – Sgt. Rock), and then they work their way into the main body of DC titles? Probably a coincidence, but if not, it isn’t such a bad way to go about things. Warlord should be appealing to fans of the “Sword and Sorcery” brand of fantasy comics, or just the genre in general. It is nice to see Bruce Jones’s name out there once again, though I am personally waiting to see what he will do if he ever gets assigned to one of DC’s more iconic ongoing books. Maybe once OYL gets going? 32 Pages.
Page 87 – Wonder Woman #226, $2.50. Written by Greg Rucka, Art by Cliff Richards and Ray Snyder. This, too, is a Final Issue, though you can bet that we will see a brand new issue #1 next month. Not only for the legal property ownership reasons, but also that there is no way that DC is going to get ready to launch a Wonder Woman movie if there is no ongoing comic being printed. So this isn’t so much as a final issue as it is an ending for Rucka’s run on the book. No matter how much you liked Rucka and Co. on this title, the DCU is undergoing some major changes, and it is times like this where sometimes it is a good idea to give someone else a shot at the concept. And, believe it or not, there were a lot of readers that never really liked Rucka’s take on the character, and for those readers this is a change for the better. Hopefully Rucka can end his run on a high note. 32 Pages.
Page 102 – The American Way #1 (of 8), $2.99. Written by John Ridley, Art by Georges Jeanty and Karl Story. Maybe this series is an effort to build something of a foundation for the Wildstorm Universe? Not a bad idea. Since it doesn’t have the storied history that the Marvel and DC Universe’s have, nothing wrong with creating one. It looks like this series will be set in the 60s, and focus on a government created super group meant to defend the country against all sorts of threats, earthbound and extraterrestrial. Should be worth at least a try. 32 Pages.
DYNAMIC ENTERTAINMENT
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Page 244 – Painkiller Jane #1, $2.99. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti, Art by Lee Moder. Well, the Sci-Fi channel is doing a Painkiller Jane movie, so it is only natural that we would get a new series. A couple months late, of course, but better late than never. And better than 12 months too early! If your are unfamiliar with the character, Painkiller Jane is basically a suicidal version of the Punisher. Avid Punisher fans might remember a Punisher/Painkiller Jane crossover done by Marvel a couple years back. This series should be a real treat for fans of the character. 32 Pages.
EXHIBIT A PRESS
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Page 268 – Supernatural Law #1, $3.50. By Batton Lash. Supernatural Law is one of those books that has been around forever, but a lot of you might not have heard of. Any of you out there who enjoy Dan Slott’s take on She-Hulk will definitely want to give this a shot. Supernatural Law follows the legal exploits of Wolff and Byrd, Counselors of the Macabre, as they represent all of the creatures that go bump in the night as they do battle in the courtroom. I could try to convince you, but why not see for yourself. Visit SupernaturalLaw.com and see for yourself what you think. 32 Pages.
IDW
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Page 284 – The Transformers: Beast Wars #1, $2.99. Written by Simon Furman, Art by Don Figueroa. Finally, it looks like this series is going to happen. More and more I am starting to think that this Transformers franchise is the beginning of big things for IDW. We can only hope that this convinces them to drop the cover price of their other titles down to the $2.99! In any case, it will be nice to finally see a Beast Wars comic hit the shelves. 32 Pages.
IMAGE COMICS
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Page 150 -Invincible #31, $2.99. Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree. I understand why Image is touting the “From the writer of Ultimate X-Men!” thing, but if you ask me, in a perfect world, it should be the other way around. This title is, quite frankly, the best super hero title on the market today. X-Men has the name, but Invincible has the quality. There are a lot of you out there still not reading this book – you need to check it out. This issue should be a big one for fans of the long-quiet Atom Eve, who has been in Africa for some time now. Tension is sure to be an issue as Mark takes his girlfriend to Africa to visit her in this issue. It will be nice to see her character once again, this is a dangling thread that has been neglected just long enough for my taste. 32 Pages.
MARVEL COMICS
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Page M10 – Marvel Knights Spider-Man #23, $2.99. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Art by Angel Medina. A brand new creative team takes over this month as Marvel passes the reigns from one “Terrific Ten” writer (Hudlin) to another. Also of note is Angel Medina of Spawn fame doing the art. Could be the right move to inject some new life in this title now that The Other is wrapped up. 32 Pages.
Page M17 – Daredevil #82, $2.99. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Michael Lark. Goodbye Bendis and Maleev, hello Brubaker and Lark! This is the perfect time to jump aboard Daredevil, at lest, for the few people that weren’t reading the previous epic run. This issue weighs in at an extra-big forty pages with no ads, a great way to start off things for a brand new creative team. There is no way of knowing if this team will live up to the high standard set by their predecessors, but there is only one way to find out. 40 Pages.
Page M19 – Punisher: Bloody Valentine, $3.99. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, Art by Paul Gulacy. Am I the only one that finds it slightly disturbing that almost every year we get Punisher Valentine’s Day and Christmas specials? Don’t get me wrong, it is great fun, but it really has to make you think sometimes. This one shot brings Suspiria back into the life of Frank Castle. Great fun in the usual Punisher style. 48 Pages.
Page M21 – Fury: Peacemaker #1 (of 6), $3.50. Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Darick Robertson. Well, if Sgt. Rock can make a come-back, why not a Howling Commandos Nick Fury? Some people will point to this as another example of Marvel copying an idea from DC, but hey: if Ennis can tell a decent Sgt. Fury story, why not let him? Who cares what the motivations are, as long as we get a decent product. 32 Pages.
Page M31 – FF Presents: Franklin Richards, Son of a Genius – Everybody Loves Franklin, $2.99. Written by Marc Summerak and Chris Eliopoulos, Art by Chris Eliopoulos. It is entirely awesome that Marvel is putting out another one of these. Granted, it isn’t all new material, but half new is good enough to start with. You might think it strange that an all-ages comic has gotten so much hype, but in this case, you really need to believe it. This title needs to be an ongoing in the worst way. Hopefully this one sells well so we can see many more in the future. 32 Pages.
Page M34 – Incredible Hulk #92, $2.99. Written by Greg Pak, Art by Carlo Pagulayan. Planet Hulk starts here, as does Pak’s opportunity to make this title his very own. This is supposed to be the Hulk event of the year, and is supposed to (if you believe the hyperbole) shape the character for some time to come. No matter what it ends up accomplishing, it is the perfect time to pick up a Hulk book for the first time. It is the first issue of a major story, and there is no telling when the next good chance to jump aboard will be. 32 Pages.
Page M42 – Giant-Size Ms. Marvel #1, $4.99. Written by Brian reed, Art by Rob De La Torre. 16 pages of new material in this issue, accompanied by reprints of classic Ms. Marvel stories from Captain Marvel #18, Ms. Marvel #1-2, and Ms. Marvel #20. The real drawing point of this Giant-Size issue, like most of the others, is the reprint material. Since each of those issues are 25 years old or older, a lot of comic readers might not be familiar with the stories. To some, that is a good enough reason to check it out. 96 Pages.
Page M57 – Astonishing X-Men #13, $2.99. Written by Joss Whedon, Art by John Cassaday. Whedon and Cassaday are back for another year run. Upsides? More Astonishing X-Men for the fans who only thought they’d get twelve issues, another six months of a more than decent X-Men book, and big kudos to Marvel for resisting the urge to slap a new #1 on this one? Downside? Bi-monthly. Oh well, you can’t have everything! 32 Pages.
Page M82 – Marvel Minimates Max: Galactus Statue, $85.00. OK, I don’t normally mention the toys here, but the sight of a giant 8″ tall lego-man Galactus is just too funny. If you love minimates, you are really going to love this thing.
Page M101 – Essential Moon Knight, $16.99. By Various. Moon Knight is really making his way in the world these days, isn’t he? Regular appearances in the Marvel Universe, and Ultimate version, and now an Essential collection? As a fan of the character, this one is going to be on my list. Collects Werewolf by Night #32-33, Marvel Spotlight #28-29, Peter Parker, Spectacular Spider-Man #22-23, Marvel Two-in-one #52, Hulk Magazine #11-15, 17-18, 20, Marvel Preview #21, Moon Knight #1-12, and Marvel Team-Up Annual #4. It’s a good background for the character at a more than reasonable price. 528 Pages.
Craig’s Top Five of the Month
#5 – Gotham Central #40, $2.50, DC Comics. This might really be the end, unlike Wonder Woman and the Flash. Rucka on this title will be missed the most out of any of the endings this month.
#4 – Wonder Woman #226, $2.50, DC Comics. Another Rucka ending, higher on the list because of its import, but you know a new #1 is around the corner.
#3 – Invincible #31, $2.99, Image. I don’t use the description “Best superhero book on the market today” lightly.
#2 – Infinite Crisis #5 (of 7), $3.99, DC Comics. Might have Earth-2 Superman fighting the Post-Crisis Superman. Isn’t that reason enough to give this one a look? Like you aren’t reading it already.
#1 – Daredevil #82, $2.99, Marvel. The beginning of another great era on this book? Could be…
Craig’s Collection of the Month
Page 143 – Mora: All the Beasts Will Show Their Teeth, $12.99, Image. By Paul Harmon. If you missed out on this series the first time around, this will be your second chance. Harmon spun a pretty unique tale with this mini, one that a lot of you might not have heard about. It is a pretty clever tale of a witch told through the eyes of a tortoise and a hare. This trade collects all four issues of the mini, as well as several bonus pages with pin-ups, sketch concepts, and layouts. Should read very well in the collected format. 128 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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