On The Shelf in March 2006
Jan 04ON THE SHELF IN MARCH
by Craig Reade
BOOM! STUDIOS
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Page 236 – Hero Squared #1, $3.99. Written by Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis, Art by Joe Abraham. Here is an indy book to look out for if you are fans of Giffen and DeMatteis. Of course, if you weren’t a fan of Formerly Known as the Justice League, Hero Squared might not be for you. This is sure to have even more of that style of humor, as they are not under the constraints of an editorial department looking to “protect” characters. Any comic willing to tackle the tough questions like “is it cheating if you hook up with your girlfriend’s alternate universe double” sounds like a winner to me. The price point might look steep, but sometimes you get that with the independent books – higher cost of production and all. Don’t let that phase you if you are a fan of their brand of comic humor. 24 Pages.
DARK HORSE
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Page 22 – Conan: The Book of Thoth #1 (of 4), $4.99. Written by Kurt Busiek and Len Wein, Art by Kelley Jones and Michelle Madsen. This one should be pretty major for anyone following the current Conan ongoing. Busiek is co-writing, and it does tie into the new version of Conan, so the events of this series are sure to have some impact on the book. Thoth-amon is the classic Conan adversary, and this four issue mini sets out to explore his origins. You can bet that his appearance in the ongoing title is shortly behind. 48 Pages.
Page 40 – Star War: The Return of Tag and Bink – Special Edition #1 (of 2), $2.99. Written by Kevin Rubio, Art by Lucas Marangon. Never figured Star Wars and comedy to go hand-in-hand (well, not intentionally), but Tag and Bink looks to be just that. I never had the pleasure of reading the original “Tag and Bink are Dead” from back in 2001, but it must have had some following if it is getting a sequel five years later. Should be good for a laugh, especially for the casual Star Wars reader. 32 Pages.
DC COMICS
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Page 65 – Detective Comics #817, $2.50. Written by James Robinson, Art by Leonardi Kirk and Andy Clark. This is a huge month for DC: the start of One Year Later. I shall do my best to avoid repeating it, heaven knows I was ready to bang my head against my desk after reading “It’s One Year Later” 500 times in the DC Solicits. That one minor annoyance aside, it is tough to gauge just what kind of thing we are going to see here. In the Batman books, it seems that someone else is under the cowl, which has been rumored to be the case for some time. It really is a fresh start for DC, and if you are a potential new DC reader, this is the time to pick a random DC book and give it a go. Just about everything out this month is bound to have an element of new reader friendliness – pick a book that looks good and give it a whirl. You won’t find a month like this very often. 32 Pages.
Page 66 – Batman Annual #25, $4.99. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Shane Davis and Mark Morales. Batman Annual, huh? Annual #24 came out way back in 2000, and while this probably doesn’t yet signal a return of the DC Annual, it is an appropriate subject for one. Wondering just what was going on when they decided to bring back Jason Todd? Been dying to know how his resurrection came about, and why he returned to Gotham? This is the issue for you. With the realignment of the DCU, this is quite probably an epilogue to the current Batman story. It is nice that they are tying up this very big lose end for the readers though. Might end up driving people bonkers, even those less than satisfied with this turn of events, if they were to just drop the issue all together. 48 Pages.
Page 67 – Robin #148, $2.50. Written by Adam Beechen, Art by Ed McGuiness & Dexter Vines. A couple major changes apparent on Robin this month, the biggest has to be the new creative team. Bill Willingham has been the best thing to happen to Robin in a long time, and though it does seem to make sense that he is moving on, it doesn’t mean he won’t be any less missed. Thankfully as a result of Infinite Crisis, the new team will have a somewhat clean slate. Doesn’t mean Adam Beechen has any smaller shoes to fill, but the expectations won’t be quite what they would normally be after a handover of this magnitude. The second major change apparent by the cover is Robin’s new costume. The green is gone, and the bottom of his cape has a very distinct bat-like fringe. Not a fan of the new look myself, but I will give anything a shot once. 32 Pages.
Page 72 – Superman #650, $2.50. Written by Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek, Art by Pete Woods. Formerly Adventures of Superman, this issue marks the start of the eight part “Up, Up, and Away,” an eight part crossover with Action Comics. DC really has only given one single line to describe this arc – “Metropolis prepares to bid farewell to a hero!” Is that hero Superman? Maybe – of course we know that it won’t be permanent if that is the case, but DC is hinting something extremely major to start the new era for Superman. Avid Superman readers find themselves with one less title to pick up this month, as the old “Superman” series came to an end last month. There is a new Superman: Classified series dues out soon, but an official start for that hasn’t been announced. Perhaps a good month to give something new a try? 32 Pages.
Page 73 – Supergirl #7, $2.99. Written by Greg Rucka, Art by Ian Churchill. Now here is something interesting – Power Girl and Supergirl taking on the roles of Nightwing and Flamebird in Kandor? Newer DC readers shouldn’t scratch their head too much, this doesn’t mean that Dick Grayson isn’t Nightwing any longer, the Nightwing being referenced here is the persona that Superman took on himself in Kandor, that became the inspiration for Dick Grayson’s new identity. So in short – different Nightwing. Don’t read too much into it! It is good that Power Girl is getting a bit more exposure, especially after the outstanding story in JSA: Classified and her major role in Infinite Crisis – it would be terrible to see her character disappear into the background once again. 32 Pages.
Page 76 – Infinite Crisis #6, $3.99. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning. What’s going to happen this issue? Who among us could possibly know? One thing is for certain though, this mini is hitting on all cylinders. It is a bit heavy for the DC neophyte, newer readers would probably have an easier time with any of the ongoings getting a fresh start this month, or checking out Deconstructing Infinite Crisis if you need a little something to help you along with this series), but for anyone who has been reading DC for a number of years, each issue has been packed with jaw droppers, and we aren’t even halfway done yet. This series represents a perfect blending of quality art and story, “giving the fans what they want,” and marketing genius. I can’t remember the last time an event was pulled off this well in the comic industry. 40 Pages.
Page 78 – Aquaman: Sword of Atlantis #40, $2.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Butch Guice. DC is really giving this book a work-over. Busiek is a big name for a title that usually only attracts real fans of the character – it is clear that they are trying to give this character a broader appeal. And from the title you can see that everything is going to be totally different for Aquaman starting this month. A side note – some readers have given DC a lot of flack for restarting a couple key titles at issue #1 (or planning to). Books like this and Hawkgirl show that it isn’t being done frivolously. If DC was really “falling to the dark side” where issue numbering is concerned, you can bet that almost all of the issues this month would have a shiny new #1. They could do it, and they would have a great excuse for it. But they aren’t – and they do deserve some credit for the restraint. 32 Pages.
Page 80 – Blue Beetle #1, $2.99. Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers, Art by Cully Hamner. Brand new Blue Beetle, and a new ongoing! Smart money is on that Jaime kid from Infinite Crisis #3 to be taking up the mantle, but since it hasn’t happened yet, things really could change. Really, it is tough to tell just how good this book will be, but there is finally a Blue Beetle ongoing, and that is reason enough to at least give it a shot. 32 Pages.
Page 83 – Green Arrow #60, $2.50. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Scott McDaniel and Andy Owens. One of Dan Dido’s little One Year Later teaser questions is answered with this issue. Introducing the Mayor of Star City: Ollie Queen. 32 Pages.
Page 85 – Hawkgirl #50, $2.50. Written by Walter Simonson, Art by Howard Chaykin. As mentioned before, this title (once Hawkman), continues on with its previous numbering as Hawkgirl #50. This title almost should have gotten a new #1, as DC is stressing the “newness” of this story. New villains, new threats, new lead character, new title, old numbering! Another potential winner for the new reader, especially for those who have some familiarity with the character from the JLA cartoon. 32 Pages.
Page 88 – Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #16, $2.99. Written by Mark Waid, Art by Barry Kitson and Mick Gray. It’s kind of tough to tell how Legion fans are going to react to this one. On the surface, another title change, same numbering – no problem, right? Is Supergirl really a strong enough character to deserve top billing here? Does this change even make sense? What will it do to the balance that Waid has struck with this story so far? Admittedly, despite my best efforts, I was never able to get into Waid’s Legion, but from my perspective, this would annoy me as a fan. Superboy and Supergirl aren’t interchangeable, and there would have to be a seriously good reason for something like this. 32 Pages.
Page 89 – Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Volume 1, $16.99. Written by Bob Haney, Marv Wolfman, and Len Wein, Art by Nick Cardy, Bruno Premiani, Bill Molno, Irv Novick, Lee Elias, Bill Draut, Sal Trapani, and Jack Abel. A look back at the origins of the Teen Titans in this Black and White collection of Brave and the Bold #54 and 60, Showcase #59, and teen Titans #1-18. The Showcase Presents line, much like the Marvel Essentials before it, is an ideal way to get a look at the vast library of now historic comic stories. Anyone interested in the roots of the Teen Titans should pick this collection up. 528 Pages.
Page 89 – Teen Titans #34, $2.50. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Tony Daniel and Sandra Hope. Like most of the other titles this month, this month’s Teen Titans features a new beginning. The thing that suck out most for me, though, was mention of the “secretive Titans East.” Maybe this is wishful thinking, but if that means we are finally going to see Mas Y Menos in the regular DC Universe, that is more than enough reason to pick up this issue. 32 Pages.
Page 106 – Red Sonja/Claw the Unconquered: Devil’s Hands #1 (of 4), $2.99. Written by John Layman, Art by Andy Smith. When I first saw this, it looked like that Wildstorm got its hands on the Red Sonja property. That would be huge! But alas, it is just a crossover with Claw, a character that should be familiar to long time Wildstorm fans (but one who leaves me scratching my head). Should be par for the course as crossovers go, but an eye-catching one for Wildstorm fans. 32 Pages.
Page 113 – American Virgin #1, $2.99. Written by Steven T. Seagle, Art by Becky Cloonan. It is really tough to know what to make of this new Vertigo series. It follows the journey of a leader of a virginity movement, as he is faced with constant and almost violent temptation to break his vow and give in to his lustful desires. The solicit compares this to Y the Last Man (there is even a 7 page preview in this month’s Y, which is out this week), which only makes it a little more confusing. 32 Pages.
IMAGE COMICS
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Page 135 – Lions, Tigers, and Bears #1 (of 4), $2.99. Written by Mike Bullock, Art by Jack Lawrence. One of the first dents in Alias Enterprises had to be the departure of Runemaster Studios from their stable. As such, this title moved back to Image, and starts a brand new four issue mini this month. Alias is far from done with, but there are those that are afraid that instead of being everything that CrossGen promised to be, it could slowly become everything CrossGen ended up being. No matter what happens, it is nice to see that an outstanding title like this one is able to find a home somewhere. 32 Pages.
Page 136 – Truth, Justin, and the American Way #1 (of 5), $2.99. Written by Scott Kurtz and Aaron Williams, Art by Guiseppe Ferrario. Who doesn’t look at this and think “The Greatest American Hero?” I can’t be the only one. Aliens, a hapless dork given a super suit, the extreme right-wing pro America FBI agent – heck, the suit is even very reminiscent of the one Ralph Hinckley wore. Hate to call Kurtz unoriginal, but there just has to be something more to this than the obvious parallels. At least, I hope! Of course, all of you know Kurtz’s work on PvP, so there is a good bet that there is going to be a lot of humor in this series. His track record should be reason enough to give it a look. Hopefully this is more tribute and influenced by than carbon copy. 32 Pages.
MARVEL COMICS
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Page M7 – Ultimate Spider-Man #91, $2.50. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mark Bagley. A couple interesting things in this new story arc. First and foremost is the introduction of Ultimate Deadpool. There is a good chance I am the biggest Deadpool fan you know of, but I have to admit that there is a part of me that is wondering why we need an Ultimate Deadpool. At the very least, I do hope that Bendis does something interesting with him. On the flip side there is the continuation of what has to be the best storylines in the Ultimate Universe – the Peter Parker/Kitty Pride relationship. That is the prime example of what the Ultimate line was supposed to be about – familiar characters, in situations that would be unheard of or plain impossible in the regular Marvel Universe. Nice to see that concept isn’t being abandoned. 32 pages.
Page M8 – Spider-Man & Arana Special, $3.99. Written by Tania Del Rio, Art by Jonboy Meyers. This is the first time that Arana has really appeared in Marvel Previews in the last three months. The last issue, #12, was slated for a December release, and that was the last we heard of her. Yet there was no cancellation announcement – they just stopped soliciting Heart of the Spider. In all likelihood the book is cancelled, and this is the finale, wrapping up the whole Wasp/Spider-Clan story arc. There is a good chance that this character will see light again – it doesn’t seem like the kind of thing Marvel would just drop. Maybe a return in the digest format? 48 Pages.
Page M17 – Black Panther #14, $2.99. Written by Reginald Hudlin, Art by Scot Eaton. You know that reaction you get when you see something or someone that is trying way too hard to be “great” or “cool?” I get that feeling each and every month looking at the solicit for Black Panther. For over a year now Marvel has lead off each and every month telling us how groundbreaking the latest issue of this title will be, how it will rock the very foundation of the Marvel Universe. It just never seems to happen. This month’s “history in the making” that will “send reverberations throughout the Marvel Universe” is the Black Panther’s epic search for a bride. Of course, on the cover, you see a whole line-up of Marvel’s leading ladies, from Storm and Rogue to She-Hulk and Sue Richards (wait, isn’t she married?). About the only thing I can think to say is that it is possible to have a good story that is well worth reading that DOESN’T rock the foundation of anything. In fact, you need to have a whole bunch of stories like that before you can honestly seek more, and expect people to take it seriously. Perhaps Black Panther should seek to be captivating on its own, before it looks to rock the foundation of the Marvel Universe month after month. 32 Pages.
Page M21 – Squadron Supreme #1, $2.99. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Gary Frank. Supreme Power moves to Marvel Knights, and takes on a more familiar name. This pretty well signals the end of the MAX line (well, you would think – Punisher is still kicking), but then there wasn’t really much going on in Supreme Power outside a little nudity that wouldn’t fly in a Marvel Knights book anyway. Readers of Supreme Power should find this title pretty much a continuation of the previous story. Should be a smooth transition. 32 Pages.
Page M28 – Annihilation: Prologue, $3.99. Written by Keith Giffen, Art by Scot Kolins and Ariel Olivetti. If you are a fan of the cosmic level character in the Marvel Universe, Annihilation should appeal to you. Marvel is looking to bring these characters out again, and is using this story as a vehicle to do just that. Personally I have never been a fan of that kind of character, but the shot of Nova front and center on the cover of this one is more than enough to make me consider it. Nova is one of those characters with huge promise that never got the treatment he really deserved. Maybe this series will change all that? Hope so. It should be noted that there are no ads in this issue. A series like this will rely heavily on the epic scale of the art, and having ads break that up can only harm the story. Kudos to Marvel for at least starting out like that. 48 Pages.
Also Available: Essential Nova Volume 1, $16.99. Collecting Nova #1-25, Amazing Spider-Man #171 and Marvel Two-in-One Annual #3
Page M34 – Fantastic Four: First Family #1 (of 6), $2.99. Written by Joe Casey, Art by Chris Weston. This mini looks to be basically a “FF:Origin,” which could prove to be an interesting read. The origin of the Fantastic Four is something that has been touched on a lot lately, but there is bound to be a lot more than that going on in this six issue series. This is definitely one for fans to look out for, as well as anyone who isn’t really looking to get into the FF ongoing, but wouldn’t mind a brief diversion with the First Family. 32 Pages.
Page M36 – I Love Marvel: Masked Intentions, $2.99. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Paco Medina and Mike Norton. Squirrel Girl makes her triumphant return this month, and she is after Speedball? Well, there have been stranger couples. Another set of New Warriors take center stage in the second story – Justice and Firestar are finally looking to tie the knot. Of course, with any wedding story, someone has to get cold feet. But which will it be? A definite pick-up for New Warriors and GLA/X fans. 32 Pages.
Page M44 – Ms. Marvel #1, $2.99. Written by Brian Reed, Art by Roberto De La Torre, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Chris Sotomayor. You almost expect Bendis to be writing this one too, but for a change it is not the case! Books like this are a sign of one very good thing happening at Marvel in the wake of House of M that many people might not consider. House of M got a lot of flack because it didn’t really change the status quo for Mutants in the Marvel U all that much. Sure there were supposed to be way less of them, but very few major characters were really effected. If you think about it though, for the longest time, most of the new books that were released were mutant related. Need a new ongoing, stick an X-Man in a solo book. Now the non-mutants in the Marvel line-up get a chance to shine. Ms. Marvel. Spider-Woman. Even Daughters of the Dragon. It is still early yet, but if we are going to see this kind of variety in Marvel’s ongoing line-up as a result of House of M, can you help but call it a positive? 32 Pages.
Page M49 – New Avengers Illuminati, $3.99. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Alex Maleev. Fresh off their stint on Daredevil, Maleev and Bendis tackle this New Avengers spin off special. It is supposed to be a prologue of sorts, but it will end up being a catalyst for the upcoming Civil War event that Marvel is teasing right now. So will Civil War be something of real substance, or just an attempt by Marvel to have its own Infinite Crisis? Hopefully not the latter – Marvel has a bad reputation these days of following DC with flimsy copies of their event specials. Even if it is, with some luck they will have learned the lessons of House of M and be a little more deliberate with this one, and build a story that truly cuts at the fabric of the Marvel Universe. 32 Pages.
Page M52 – Tales of the New Universe: Nightmask, $2.99. Written by Fred Van Lente, Art by Arnold Pander. This is the second time the New Universe has popped up recently – this can’t be a coincidence. This month there are three New Universe specials, as well as an 8 page back-up story in Amazing Fantasy. Now it is the 20th Anniversary of the New Universe, which is a reason for something like this, but when you consider how poorly the New Universe really fared (it lasted around three years? Really a speck in the grand scheme of things), there must be something else going on here besides a tribute. This has the feel of a reintroduction, not a reminiscing. 32 Pages.
Page M55 – The Pulse #14, $2.99. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Michael Gaydos. This is the last issue of the Pulse for Bendis and Gaydos. You won’t hear me say this about Bendis often, but he was really a flop on this book. The Pulse had so much potential, but it really only ended up being a mush of a backdrop of other stories he was working on. It deserved better. This book had the potential to be Marvel’s Gotham Central, and now that a new creative team is coming aboard, maybe it will finally be just that. Bendis has done some great work for Marvel, but in this case it will be good to see what someone else can do with this title. 32 Pages.
Page M59 – Thunderbolts #100, $3.99. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Tom Grummett. Reverting to original numbering – good! Just don’t bounce back to a new #1 in the next couple years, please? In addition to a pretty exciting regular story, this issue will be jam packed with tons of extras. A good month for Thunderbolts fans, it looks like they are doing this issue right. 104 Pages.
Craig’s Top Five of the Month
#5 – I Love Marvel: Masked Intentions, $2.99, Marvel. Squirrel Girl and Speedball – a match made in heaven.
#4 – Annihilation: Prologue, $3.99, Marvel. The makings of something big at Marvel. You could say this is copying Rann/Thanagar War, but as dull as that ended up being, Marvel should blow that one away easily.
#3 – Ms. Marvel #1, $2.99, Marvel. This feels fresh. Marvel needs more of this.
#2 – Infinite Crisis #6, $3.99 DC Comics. You are all reading it. You know why it is up here!
#1 – Blue Beetle #1, $2.99, DC Comics. First real new title coming out of Infinite Crisis. Some goot potential here.
Craig’s Collection of the Month
Page M89 – J2 Volume 1, $7.99, Marvel. Written by Tom Defalco, Art by Ron Lim. Spider-Girl was not my favorite MC2 title. Sure, I have stuck with it all these years, but my favorite has been, and always will be J2. Bless the Marvel digest program for bringing this title back! Sure it is just a reprint of issues #1-6, but hey – if it does well, who’s to see we won’t see J2 back someday? This is a great all-ages read, and is a perfect story for a digest release. Easily the best collection of the month. 144 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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