ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
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JSA CLASSIFIED #26, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Frank Tieri; Art and cover by Matt Haley and Jerome Moore

This title has a formula that works, and whenever they actually use that formula, you can be sure of a solid read. This is the start of another of those good story arcs where the creative team du jour takes a single member of the JSA and examines them in particular detail. This arc focuses on Wildcat.

Those following the ongoing Justice Society ongoing are already somewhat familiar with the character, as he factored pretty heavily in the story early on. Longtime Birds of Prey readers will also find the character familiar, as he is a regular reoccurring character on that title as well. Even with all this exposure, we have really yet to see him shine on his own, and this two part story will be a good remedy for that.

Frank Tieri is pretty fondly remembered for his stint on Wolverine. The two characters have a very similar outlook on their chosen lifestyles, and that style will work well for a story about Wildcat. Looking forward to this two-parter.

SILENT WAR #5 (OF 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics.
Written by David Hine, Art by Frazer Irving, Cover by John Watson.

David Hine has gotten a ton of praise for this work on this title, and for the series that came before it – Son of M. And deservedly so, both have been outstanding reads, and possibly the best minis Marvel has put out in quite some time.

But what about Frazer Irving? His contributions to this title aren’t overlooked, but they aren’t sung as much. As this is an Inhumans story, naturally at the very center of it all is Black Bolt. Hine is telling a very powerful emotional story with Black Bolt, but since this is a character that can’t exactly speak – a lot is falling to Frazer Irving to make this story work. And he is delivering beautifully.

This won’t have been the first time you have heard this series mentioned, and it sure won’t be the last. Hopefully Irving is getting the credit he deserves though. As great of a story as Hine is telling, without Irving’s outstanding artistic storytelling skills, the script would suffer. This mini will make an outstanding trade purchase once it is completed.

SILVER SURFER REQUIEM #1 (OF 4), $3.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Knights.
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art and cover by Esad Ribic.

Well, the Surfer is being featured in the new Fantastic Four movie, so it is time to bring on the Surfer stories?

As often happens with a Marvel Knights book, this series is most probably out of continuity. Which is just as well, because the solicit suggests pretty strongly that the Surfer is dying, and will die by the end of the series. The story is billed as a journey of self-discovery that will take us back the beginning of the Silver Surfer’s journey. Stories like this do provide an excellent overview of a character for the newcomer, and this series might be the perfect bridge between the movie and the comics for those who have never seen a Silver Surfer book before.

Artistically, the book should be a treat. Esad Ribic has done some outstanding work in the past, and the preview pages show off some gorgeous painted panels. The Silver Surfer is a majestic character that really gets a boost from picturesque art, and Ribic does seem to be just the man for that. This series should be a good one for the Silver Surfer fan.

TEEN TITANS #47, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics.
Written by Adam Beechen; Art by Chris Batista and Edwin Rosewell; Cover by Randy Green

Is this title on cruise control right now? Possibly. Teen Titans fans kind of feared the worst when it was announced that Adam Beechen would be stepping in as writer. His work on Robin has been met with some very poor reviews, and the prospect of that quality migrating over to Teen Titans was not a happy one. Thankfully, it wasn’t nearly as bad as that. He seems to be pretty much following Geoff Johns’ plotlines, and after issue #49 is in the can, he will be stepping aside for the newly DC Exclusive Sean McKeever.

“Now wait just a minute,” some of you might be thinking, recalling last week where I referred to McKeever’s start on Birds of Prey as a real test that readers should approach with caution. Why is this start a sure bet and that one a test? Several reasons. First and most importantly – McKeever has a proven track record writing teenagers. He is quite skilled at giving his teenage characters a believable voice that actual teenagers believe, and adults can understand. Teen Titans is the perfect title for someone like McKeever. An adult superheroine team? Not something we have ever seen from him.

And despite Johns’ quality work on Teen Titans, it is a title that is ready for a change. No one was looking for Gail Simone to leave Birds of Prey any time soon.

Expect lots of lose ends to be tied up over the next 3 issues. McKeever and Randy Green take over on issue #50.

SPOTLIGHT PICK OF THE WEEK

BOYS #7, $2.99, 32 Pages, Dynamite Entertainment.
Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Darick Robertson and Tony Avina.

Well, The Boys is back.

This story was just plain bizarre. When The Boys was first announced by DC/Wildstorm, there was one quote that really stood out – Ennis promised that The Boys would “out-Preacher Preacher.” With the news that DC dropped this title not because of sales, but because after six issues it was uneasy with the tone. My question is, with a lead-up like that, what did they expect?

What’s done is done, though, and when it comes down to it – a publisher has a right to chose what kind of books it will print. Thankfully for the fans, DC seemed to be particularly accomodating when it came to keeping this title alive. The Boys has a new home at Dynamite, the cover price will remain that same, and even though Darick Robertson is still DC exclusive, he has special dispensation to continue working on The Boys. So all is right in the world.

All of you who were following this title can breath once again.

DARK HORSE COMICS

STAR WARS KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #17, $2.99 Now: $2.59

DC COMICS

52 VOL 1 TP, $19.99 Now: $15.99
ACTION COMICS #850, $3.99 Now: $3.19
AMAZONS ATTACK #2 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.69
BLUE BEETLE #15, $2.99 Now: $2.59
COUNTDOWN 48, $2.99 Now: $2.69
DEADMAN #10, $2.99 Now: $2.79
GREEN LANTERN #20, $2.99 Now: $2.39
JSA CLASSIFIED #26, $2.99 Now: $2.69
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #6, $2.99 Now: $2.69
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA VAR ED #6, $12.99
TEEN TITANS #47, $2.99 Now: $2.79
TEEN TITANS GO #43, $2.25 Now: $1.99

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

BOYS #7, $2.99 Now: $2.59

IMAGE COMICS

WITCHBLADE #106, $2.99 Now: $2.59

MARVEL COMICS

ANITA BLAKE VAMPIRE HUNTER GUILTY PLEASURES HANDBOOK, $3.99 Now: $3.49
AVENGERS NEXT REBIRTH TP, $13.99 Now: $11.99
CIVIL WAR COMPANION TP, $13.99 Now: $11.99
DAREDEVIL #97, $2.99 Now: $2.69
INCREDIBLE HULK 2ND PTG FRANK VAR #106, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW AVENGERS ILLUMINATI #3 (OF 5), $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW EXCALIBUR #20, $2.99 Now: $2.69
NEW X-MEN CHILDHOODS END VOL 4 TP, $10.99 Now: $8.99
PUNISHER PRESENTS BARRACUDA MAX #4 (OF 5), $3.99 Now: $3.49
SILENT WAR #5 (OF 6), $2.99 Now: $2.69
SILVER SURFER REQUIEM #1 (OF 4), $3.99 Now: $3.19
SPIDER-MAN FAIRY TALES #1, $2.99 Now: $2.69
ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #42, $2.99 Now: $2.79
WOLVERINE #54, $2.99 Now: $2.69
WORLD WAR HULK PROLOGUE WORLD BREAKER 2ND PTG RIO VAR, $3.99 Now: $3.49
X-23 TARGET X #6 (OF 6), $3.99 Now: $3.49

Huh?

Look, I appreciate extending a story when it really deserves it, but do the editors of Wolverine need an intervention here, or what? Initially Loeb and Bianchi’s run was hailed as 3 issues of fast paced action that would settle once and for all the question of why Wolverine and Sabretooth hate each other. That gave readers pause – no one really cared why they hate each other, but figured a three issue fight between the two had to be good, so why not. What we got was something no one expected – a three issue snore-fest with a fight so boring that three issues just weren’t enough to contain it – the arc would have to be stretched to five. And the big mystery? Homo Lupine? That’s an idea that makes a demon Nightcrawler look like a stroke of genius.

It is a corny plot device, but trust me, I think if issue #55 ended with Wolverine waking up, and finding it was all a dream, Wolverine fans around the globe would stand up and cheer.

Goodbye Dan Slott

The idea of Dan Slott ending his run on She-Hulk is right up there with Simone leaving Birds of Prey. In other words, tragic.

But that is exactly what is happening. Slott is ending his run with issue #21, making way for some yet-unannounced major project. Of course, the smart money is on some Spider-Man title (possibly Amazing – the cards seem right for that one), which would certainly be a good fit. Slott can blend serious and fun extremely well, and knowing Slott’s difficulty in managing several ongoings at once – well, if I were him, and I was offered Amazing Spider-Man, I’d drop She-Hulk just as fast.

If it isn’t Amazing, hopefully it is about as big – I’d hate to lose Slott on She-Hulk just to get him on New X-Men.

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!

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