ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade

DARK HORSE COMICS
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Criminal Macabre Two Red Eyes #1 (Of 4), $2.99. Written by Steve Niles, Art by Kyle Hotz and Michelle Madsen. Seems like we don’t get Cal McDonald stories nearly enough. Fans can rejoice, however, as we are just about to start up a brand new four issue story featuring the big, bad, Nosferatu himself. If a horror/detective story sounds good to you, pick this issue up. You will enjoy it.

DC COMICS
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!

52 Week #33, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by Various; Backup features by Waid and various. You know, it really would only take the slightest of nudges at this point to turn Ralph Dibny into a full-blown noir-detective. And that would be kind of cool. This issue is a Christmas-oriented issue, which could be good. It features Batwoman though, which isn’t too much to get excited about. As always, it seems 52 is solid, but not something to really geek-out over. That isn’t too bad though – all the sensationalism was starting to get exhausting…

Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis #47, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Kurt Busiek; Art by Phil Winslade and Butch Guice. Just a short three issues left on Busiek’s run – seems like Aquaman can’t get a break- twice now in recend years this book has had a writer that managed to make this character interesting outside the normal group of fans, and both times that run ended far too soon. Hopefully Tad Williams will be able to keep that interest level up, but this character is extremely difficult to keep up a universal appeal with. But that is in the future – we still have a few issues left to enjoy. Also Available: Aquaman Sword Of Atlantis Once And Future TPB, $12.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Butch Guice. Collects Aquaman #40-45.

Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #213, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Matt Wayne; Art by Steven Cummings. It seems like this title might actually be on the way out. There is no issue solicited for February, and though January’s isn’t tagged as a Final Issue, with Batman Confidential out, it makes little sense to keep this book going. Hopefully these last two issues are strong ones.

Birds Of Prey #101, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone, Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood. Well, last issue we got a new team – and there are some interesting new characters added in the mix. As was speculated before, Manhunter will be a part of the team. Her tendency to kill should make for some interesting conflict down the stretch. Hopefully her solo book keeps going though!

Catwoman #62, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez. This issue is supposed to focus primarily on the missing year. Not a terrible idea, Catwoman OYL felt the most like walking in on the middle of the story of just about every DC book. Which this made the story better, it does leave a ton of questions that needed to be answered eventually. Should be a good issue for any readers who might still be confused.

Checkmate #9, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Greg Rucka, Art and Cover by Jesus Saiz. It has taken a few issues, but this title has ceased to be questionable. At first things were good, but it just seemed rocky – that just isn’t the case anymore. A great thriller, and one that is now pretty safe to recommend each month.

Ion #9 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ron Marz; Art by Greg Tocchini and Jay Leisten. Here is another one that got a lot better over recent issues. Tougher in this base because it is a mini, and shouldn’t require any build-up time, but Marz has managed to smooth out the bumps and make Ion enjoyable after-all. The final issue of this mini has been solicited for March – no telling what is going to happen to Kyle Rayner after that.

Omega Men #3 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Andersen Gabrych; Art and Cover by Henry Flint. This series has been really generic thus-far, but not really bad. DC has been doing an excellent job with their cosmic superhero stories, and even the generic action ones are fairly safe to read and enjoy.

Secret Six #6 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone; Art by Brad Walker and Jimmy Palmiotti. Secret Six wraps up this month, and has been a pretty solid series thus far. Not mind-bogglingly great, but a very worthy sequel, and more great exposure for Catman. Should make for a good trade read.

Shadowpact #8, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Shawn McManus. This issue promises to focus on Ragman, which is certainly nothing to complain about. He is possibly the most interesting character in that whole group. This title has benefited greatly from the art shift, though a regular artist would be a huge help. It looks like Tom Derenick is
going to take over for the foreseeable future next month – still not totally sold on his style for this story, but it is a step in the right direction.

Superman For Tomorrow Vol 2 TPB, $14.99, 160 Pages. Written by Brian Azzarello; Art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Almost don’t even want to mention this one. It is mind boggling how Brian Azzarello’s arcs on Superman and Batman were so lauded by DC – but it seems clear that some readers feel the same way. In any case, this trade collects the aforementioned Superman arc. If you are a real fan of Azzarello, you may want to give it a shot.

Teen Titans #42, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns; Art by Peter Snejbjerg; Cover by Tony Daniel. It has always been a good thing that DC has been so up on mentor or sidekick type characters, but sometimes you wonder if they make way too many teen versions of heroes. Do we really need a mini Blue Devil? Kid Devil aside, this has still been a great read – this
title has really shaped up in recent months. Titans East will be going into full swing next month, so now is the time to jump aboard, so as not to miss anything.

Wildstorm

Albion TPB, $19.99, 144 Pages. Plot by Alan Moore; Written by Leah Moore and John Reppion; Art by Shane Oakley and George Freeman. Wow, this series actually finished? It must have if they are releasing the trade, but it seemed perpetually delayed. Like father, like daughter, eh? This one is best for the Alan Moore fans – and anyone who kind of got lost during the
long wait between issues, and want to read it all in one go.

Red Menace #2 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo and Adam Brody; Art by Jerry Ordway and Al Vey Cover by Ordway. A let down? Possibly. But honestly, the whole McCarthy-era anti-hero thing has become a pretty clichéd story concept. The first issue was really light on plot as a result. Maybe this will get better as it goes on.

Vertigo.

Deadman #5, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bruce Jones, Art by John Watkiss. The first arc of Bruce Jones’s latest ongoing wraps up this month, and it really isn’t too terribly different than any of his other DC efforts, perhaps a little better. Should be a passable read for those who are open to a revamped Deadman character.

Hellblazer #227, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Denise Mina; Art by Leonardo Manco. OK, so the concept is a little silly, but sometimes that works well on a book like this. Keeps it interesting. Mina has been doing a great job on this book after a somewhat of a slow start – her run on Hellblazer stopped being a topic of concern some time ago. Might not be the best time for a new reader to check out Constantine – but if you are one of those, you really need to start with some old trades no matter what issue it is. This is a character that you need a little more time to ease into.

Y The Last Man #52, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan; Art by Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan Jr. Motherland ends here – Y definitely has the feel of a title gearing up to end soon. Two more arcs to go though, so there is a lot of story before it all comes to a head. It is actually a good thing that this book is ending – as great of a read as it has been, this just isn’t one of those stories that can go on for ever and always and still keep that oomph. Vaughan picked the right time to bring the curtain down on this one.

IMAGE
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Darkness Level 0, $2.99, 24 Pages. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Mattias Snygg. This comic is meant to lead into a video game – so it is tough to know what to make of it. You really won’t be able to tell if you will like the game from the story, and though it may well serve to introduce Estacado to a new reader, it might not be the best way to get a taste of the comic itself. Probably best for those existing fans of Darkness, and anyone who is looking to pick up the game.

MARVEL COMICS
Order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Avengers Disassembled, $24.99, 184 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by David Finch. Seems like a holiday release – all of these hardcovers seem to come out in much greater numbers around this time. But then again, why not? What comic geek doesn’t like a good hardcover to put on the bookshelf or the coffee table? This one is from a couple years ago (has
it been so long?) – the end of the “old” Avengers. The book collects Avengers #500-503 and the Avengers Finale.

Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #4 (Of 8), $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Joe Casey, Art by William Rosado and Tom Palmer. Sorry, there is just nothing that anyone can say to convince me that a 32 page comic is worth $3.99! Especially from Marvel. From one of the small indie-publishers, it is possibly excusable, but from Marvel? Come now, they should be able to
make up production cost increases in ad revenue alone! This series would have a much larger potential audience if it was priced at the standard $2.99.

Cable Deadpool #35, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Reilly Brown and Jeremy Freeman. Ah, Cable and Deadpool, adversaries. All is right with the world again. This title continues to be a great read, though it still suffers from Patrick Zircher’s departure. The art hasn’t been terrible, but man he was just perfect for this book, especially since he got all the kinks worked out a couple arcs into it. Really looking forward to seeing where Nicieza takes this story.

Civil War Front Line #9 (Of 11), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Ramon Bachs, Steve Lieber, and John Lucas. The problem with this title is that it is a supplemental book meant to dig into the details of a much larger event. And since that larger event is turning out to be an illogical mess, this title seems to be geared towards damage control, if only unintentionally. The most interesting part of it has been the Speedball issue, and even that one has a lot of holes in it. If you are really enjoying Civil War, than you have nothing to worry about here.

Civil War War Crimes One Shot, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Frank Tieri, Art by Staz Johnson. As many tie-in stories as there has been to Civil War, you really have to wonder if the one-shots were even necessary. But on the other hand, it is hard to imagine than anyone expected less of Marvel. This story focuses on the criminal element and how they are coping with the events in the Marvel Universe. Specifically the Kingpin, and his dealings with Tony Stark. Pretty much a must-read if you are really deeply involved with the Civil War story.

Criminal #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Sean Phillips. It was impossible for any Ed Brubaker fan to look at this title and not think “Sleeper.” The good news is, this isn’t an attempt to remake Sleeper – it is its own story. The better news is, it is just as good, and just as gritty. It is great to see these two working together again – this title has a great future.

Daredevil Father HC, $24.99, 200 Pages. By Joe Quesada. Hmm, a Daredevil: Father hardcover. Good to be the King, I guess. Or in this case, the editor-in-chief.

Fantastic Four #541, $2.99, 32 pages. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Mike McKone and Andy Lanning. The saving grace of Civil War really has been these tie-in arcs. Where there has been almost total failure in the character development and motivation departments in the event mini, the writers of these tie-ins have done a fairly good job at damage control, and working their stories to fill in those gaps. Wolverine going after Nitro is perhaps the best example, but Straczynski has been doing well for his part, especially when it comes to the inner dynamics of the Fantastic Four and Reed’s inexplicable behavior.

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #15, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Peter David, Art by Scot Eaton. Sometimes Peter David is an easy target for criticism, but there are times when it is impossible to deny his skill, especially when it comes to the depth he can bring to stories. His attention to continuity, for example, is exemplary. This was perhaps the best possible way to bring back Deborah Whitman, and he has thus-far handled this story extremely well. Should be a fun issue.

Iron Man #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Daniel Knauf, Art by Patrick Zircher. Another Civil War tie-in issue, the cover leads you to believe that he will once again be tangling with Captain America. Probably another example of a pin-up cover, but what can you do. Of course, also out this week is the Iron Man Captain America one-shot, detailing a secret meeting between the two where they attempt to “work things out.” Lots of material this week if you are interested in Iron Man’s role in Civil War. Also Available: Iron Man Captain America Casualties Of War One Shot CW, $3.99, 48 Pages[/b]. Written by Christios Gage, Art by Jeremy Haun and Steve Epting.

Ms Marvel #10, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Reed, Art by Mike Weiringo, Wade Von Growbadger, and Chris Sotomayor. Marvel has been hinting at something new for Ms. Marvel in the near future – wouldn’t be surprised to see hints of it in this issue. Ms. Marvel hasn’t exactly been that deep of a character, but outside the ridiculousness of her costume, this title hasn’t really given much cause to gripe. It has been a decent action read, and never pretended to be anything more. Hopefully they don’t end up trying too hard with whatever they have in mind – that could potentially ruin this book.

New Avengers #26, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Alex Maleev. Those of you who missed this team on Daredevil will no doubt want to give this issue a look. Marvel has made clear that they intend the Avengers to be a multi-title team, not unlike the X-Men in terms of sheer numbers in their stable. There is the upcoming Mighty Avengers title, and it wouldn’t be much of a surprise to start seeing solo titles featuring Avengers members to feature some kind of marking to link them together. With the focus being on expanding the Avengers universe, there are some old members that need lose ends tied up – two of them get a little attention this month in the Scarlet Witch and Hawkeye. Can probably expect a House of M revisit… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Hopefully they finally put that plot thread to bed.

New Avengers Illuminati #1 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis and Brian Reed, Art by Jim Cheung and Rick Morales. Following up on the old Illuminati story – it is kind of scary to see that this is a 5 issue mini, considering how slow and dull the old one shot was. There is some potential for sparks as most of these characters aren’t exactly seeing eye to eye, but the danger is there for a long 5 issues of talking heads. Done right, this could be a great lead-in to the return of the Hulk. So here’s to hoping for the best.

Punisher #42, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Leandro Fernandez. The conclusion to the Man of Stone arc. You can’t really add anything to what has been said time and time again about Ennis on Punisher. The man is the best possible writer to handle the Punisher today, and he never gives you any reason to doubt that. Should be an explosive conclusion, as always.

She-Hulk 2 #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Dan Slott, Art by Rick Burchett. The origin of Awesome Andy! About bloody time! Dan Slott has been consistently good on this title, and you have no doubt heard repeated recommends to pick this book up. This is probably the best possible time – this issue is a stand-alone time-marker, that will allow you to get settled into some of the characters before the “new direction” kick starts next month.

Thor Blood Oath TPB, $14.99, 144 Pages. Written by Michael Avon Oeming, Art by Scott Collins. Another great Asgard series from Oeming … pardon me, it is tough to come up with an adjective to describe them. Pantheon? Dunno. Oeming just works miracles with all of these Thor stories – or stories related to Thor or some God character like Beta Ray Bill. This was an excellent read and will satisfy in the collected format.

Thunderbolts #109, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Tom Grummett and Gary Erskine. Another “new direction -” Marvel seems to be gearing up for a lot of those. In this issue, Songbird is the focus, as she attempts to patch together the team after the events in the last arc. Once again, this is a good place to start-up – next month’s issue is the beginning of new things, and this will allow you to ease into what is to come. Thunderbolts has been outstanding up to this point – there is no reason to believe things will be any different in 2007.

Ultimate Spider-Man #103, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mark Bagley. This story arc is probably a little longer than it needed to be, but that has become kind of a given when dealing with a Bendis story. This issue is notable for Bendis and Bagley breaking Kirby and Lee’s old record for the longest continuous run on a Marvel comic by a creative team. I think it is safe to say that the former probably jammed in way more story, but it is an accomplishment all the same. Congratulations!

Union Jack #4 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Christios Gage, Art by Mike Perkins and Andrew Hennessy. The mini wraps up here – naturally, if you missed it, you are probably going to have to wait for the trade on this one. This story spins out of the recent Captain America arc featuring Union Jack, and considering how good that story was, this mini came with some high expectations. Probably didn’t quite deliver, but the series has been a solid action read nonetheless.

Wolverine By Claremont & Miller Premiere HC, $19.99, 144 Pages. Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Frank Miller and Paul Smith. As you might have guessed, this hardcover collects a classic Wolverine tale by this team from Wolverine #1-4, as well as issues #172-173 of Uncanny X-Men. This one would probably make a great gift for the Wolverine fan in your life.

X-Men First Class #4 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Roger Cruz. This series doesn’t seem to offer much that is new – the original X-Men team has been a subject often poured over, so it would be a little foolish to expect anything amazing here. Still, it hasn’t been half bad, and might actually be a lot better for those that haven’t seen many of these stories.

Zombie #4 (Of 4), $3.99, 32 Pages. Written by Mike Raicht, Art by Kyle Hotz. Once again – not too bad. Might not sit well with traditional Simon Garth fans, but on the whole this series has been a decent read.

Craig’s Pick of the Week

Fables #56, $3.50, 40 Pages, DC/Vertigo. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha. That is the great thing about this book – so simple an idea can come along, and you just wonder why it hasn’t been done before. Santa Claus. Fable, or no? How could he not be? But then again, this is SANTA we are talking about. Maybe he is something even greater than that? Even better news is that this story is extra-big… which means that Willingham is really going to do Santa’s introduction justice. Hard to believe, but I don’t think I have ever been more excited about an upcoming issue of Fables. Also Available: Fables Vol 8 Wolves TPB, $17.99, 160 Pages[/b]. Written by Bill Willingham; Art by Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Shawn McManus, Andrew Pepoy. Collecting Fables #48-51.

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

Want to comment on this week’s newsletter? Give your feedback here!

Post your comments in the Forum!