ON THE SHELF IN DECEMBER
by Craig Reade

DARK HORSE COMICS
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Page 20 - The End League #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Rick Remender, Art by Matt Broome, Sean Parsons, and Wendy Broome

A new book from Remender is always worth a look (but this better not slow down Fear Agent!). This title focuses on the last “supermen of Earth” - a group that looks like clones of various Marvel and DC characters on a world being consumed by evil. This group embarks on a quest to find the one thing that can save humanity from being swallowed by the growing darkness around it. The End League bills itself as a cross between The Watchmen and The Lord of the Rings - mileage ma vary on that comparison, but Remender’s reputation deserves the benefit of the doubt here. Could be a good series.

Page 32 - It Ate Billy on Christmas, $12.95, 48 Pages
Written by Roman Dirge, Art by Steven Daily

I have always been a huge fan of disturbing Christmas stories and this looks to be exactly that. It Ate Billy On Christmas follows the story of Lumie whose brother Billy was eaten by a monster. But since Billy was such a bully, Lumie is happy about this development and keeps the monster as a pet. This story looks horribly demented and completely awesome. Can’t wait to read it.

DC COMICS
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Page 61 - Countdown: Arena #1, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Keith Champagne, Art by Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens

The start of another weekly DC mini - this one only 4 issues long though. This eventis something of a “Contest of Champions,” with three versions of the same characters from different Earths fight to see which is the most dominant. Should lead to some interesting match-ups and just a general action-packed read- a great series for anyone who enjoys hypothetical hero match-ups. This will also add even more depth to the new multiverse as we see these characters tested against DC mainstays.

Page 64 - Countdown Presents the Search For Ray Palmer: Red Son #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Alan Burnett, Art by Travel Foreman

This is the Search for Ray Palmer issue I was most looking forward to. Superman: Red Son is probably my favorite Mark Millar story (and I don’t like many), and having it brought back as an “official” universe is awesome. The reaction of the Challengers to this world will be worth the cover-price alone. The return of the multiverse has been the most interesting aspect of the Infinite Crisis fall-out, and this series, by extension, is the most compelling “aftermath” based on story concept alone.

Page 65 - Bat Lash #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Peter Brandvold and Sergio Aragones, Art by John Severin

It’s about time DC gave us another solid Western book! Granted, this one is only a mini, but hey - take what you can get. Brandvold is a pretty well known western novelist - which makes him well suited to tell a Bat Lash story. Normally the idea of a novelist coming over to write a comic is a troublesome one, but this book also has Sergio Aragones, who is more than familiar with the serial storytelling style. His technical knowledge combined with Brandvold’s experience in the genre should make an effective combination. It is really great that DC is focusing this much on the Western - still could use some non-superhero sci-fi, but you take what you can get!

Page 78 - Birds of Prey #113, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood

Sean McKeever finally makes his debut on Birds of Prey this month. This is going to be a really telling issue. Unlike on Teen Titans (a title he is very suited for), Birds of Prey is coming off of a legendary and defining run, and instead of looking at McKeever as a savior, readers will be looking at him as a successor. And with a highly skeptical eye to boot. McKeever is a solid writer who will no doubt do a passable job. At the very least, he deserves a good opportunity to prove himself here. Will be one to watch.

Page 84 - Legion of Super-Heroes #37, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jim Shooter, Art by Francis Manapul and John Livesay

“Supergirl and the” no more! Well, that kind of makes sense - since she has her own title, and is appearing in Teen Titans, this book was kind of overkill. This is the first new regular creative team the Legion has seen in a long time - as such, it is the first time in equally as long that old readers have a good moment to give the book another chance. The old team had some fans - but it really was a love it or hate it kind of thing with Waid on this title. This will be a telling issue for longtime Legion readers (who waited patiently during Bedard’s guest stint), and for new readers who might be trying this book for the first time. Another potential sample for you this month.

Page 112 - Northlanders #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Brian Wood, Art by Davide Gianfelice

It is usually worth taking a look at anything new from former Indie-hotshot Brian Wood (only “former” because he grew out of the Indies long ago). But this - this is something really off the wall for him. A nice Viking tale set around the Crusades, this story follows a price who returns to his inheritance from Constantinople only to find his people enslaved by his uncle. Wood writing a 300-type story… different, but definitely compelling. Based on the preview pages in Previews and Wood’s reputation, this issue should be on your list.

IMAGE COMICS
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Page 134 - Infinite Horizon #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Gerry Duggan & Phil Noto, Art by Phil Noto

An interesting concept - but a potentially problematic one. A modern reimagining of Homer’s Odyssey is a bold proposition - it is going to take a delicate hand to make it good. And in the modern world where the United States has soldiers all over the Middle East, it is almost a perfect setting for the story. Provided Duggan and Noto can manage the adaptation, politics gets tricky as well. A lot of readers are already tired of seeing political wars fought by comic writers, and while we have enjoyed a brief respite from that, with election season gearing up, we might be in store for more of that.

If this series turns out to be an honest adaptation, it should be well worth your time and money. When the time comes, and it is another political rant wrapped in art - well, your money is probably better spent elsewhere. Let’s pray for the former - because if that is the case, Duggan and Noto could be on to something great here.

Page 137 - Invincible Presents Atom Eve #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Benito Cereno, Art by Nate Bellegarde

It is about time Atom Eve got her own mini! And to start with, huge praise for Robert Kirkman here - not only is he letting another writer handle his baby, but he isn’t demanding that all-too-annoying writing credit. I appreciate when a creator is possessive of their creation, but when you let another writer tell the story, your name belongs as an “Editor” or “Consultant” and not a co-writer. That way, everyone gets their due credit!

As you have read countless times - Invincible is the best Superhero book on the market today. It is great to see that the Invincible Universe is starting to spread its wings a little.

MARVEL COMICS
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Due to local shipping problems, a copy of Marvel Previews for the month of December was not available for page reference. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

Amazing Spider-Man #546, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Dan Slott, Art by Steve McNiven, Dexter Vines, and Morry Hollowell

This is it - the start of three-times a month Amazing Spider-Man, the start of the post-One More Day reboot (allegedly). There are a lot of potential goods and bads with this move - and a lot for readers to talk about beyond what the story is going to be. Dan Slott should be a good choice as a writer, and it is probably a good thing that he won’t be the only writer, as he has had something of a history of deadline problems, so putting as the only writer on a thrice-monthly book might not be the smartest of moves, no matter how well he might end up doing.

This shift is clearly a sales-oriented move, as we aren’t getting two more Spider-Man issues every month, rather the two extra issues will come from the recently cancelled Sensational and Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man. It does seem as if this is an effort to “encourage” (to be diplomatic) readers to buy all three Spider-Man issues a month. This might not sit well with some readers who only wanted to get one Spider-book a month, but as long as Marvel gets more takers, from a sales perspective, they will consider the move a success. This might work for them - though they claim otherwise, this move was no-doubt in response to DC’s success with 52 going into Countdown.
And despite some criticism, Countdown is still selling extremely well for DC, and Marvel would no dount like to replicate that success.

On the other hand - story is key. Word is that One More Day is meant to undo a lot of Peter Parker’s recent history in an effort to finally fix a character that has been troubled by some very questionable story directions over the years. This is a bold move story-wise, but bold moves were needed, and Marvel should be applauded for taking that step. On the other hand, editorial decisions about major characters, particularly Spider-Man of late, haven’t exactly been the best thought out ideas, and it is reasonable to fear that another misstep will be made here.

The best thing to do here is wait and see. There is plenty of potential on both sides of the coin, and no way to really tell how it is going to land.
Until December, anyway.

Marvel Holiday Special 2007 #1, $3.99
Written by Shaenon Garrity, Mike Carey, C.B.Cebulski, and Andrew Farago, Art by Lou Kang, Alina Urusov, and Nelson

Ah, the annual Holiday special - these are usually decent, fun reads, and this one should be no different. The feature story of this issue alone looks completely silly and totally appropriate for the theme.

Really, you know what you are going to get with Holiday Specials - they are fun, and it is nice to see that both Marvel and DC still put them on. A nice, harmless addition to your preorder this month.

The Twelve Preview, $2.99
By Various

This issue is a preview issue of next year’s The Twelve miniseries from J.
Michael Straczynski and Chris Weston. For those that don’t know, The Twelve will focus on a dozen heroes from the early Golden Age that Marvel has the rights to, like the Phantom Reporter, Captain Wonder, and Rocketman, unfrozen after being cryogenically frozen by the Nazis at the end of World War II, and finally discovered in the modern world. This could be an interesting concept - if handled properly, of course. This preview issue will include some reprints of classic stories from some of the characters involved, as well as some preview pages. Will be a good first look to see if The Twelve is something you might be interested in.

Ultimates 3 #1, $2.99
Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Joe Madureira & Christian Lichtner

Whew! When I first saw that there was going to be another Ultimates series, I was afraid that Millar and Hitch would be at the helm once again.
Considering their past “timeliness” issues, combined with their recent gig on Fantastic Four, it was perfectly reasonable to suggest that a Millar/Hitch Ultimates 3 would never come out. Thankfully for the sake of the property, it has been handed over to some new blood.

This will be very healthy for this title. The Ultimate Universe has suffered over the past couple years, and new blood on this book will hopefully bring some new, better ideas into the mix. And if the book manages to stay on time for longer than three months, it will have already taken a huge step in the right direction!

Amazing Spider-Girl #15, $3.99
Written by Tom Defalco, Art by Ron Frenz, Sal Buscema, and Impacto

Spider-Girl is ten years old? Has it really been so long? I suppose it makes sense - 116 issues of Spider-Girl, plus What If #105… that comes out to nine years and nine months if you assume twelve issues a year… wow. Well, it is great to see that Marvel is marking the occasion with a bunch of “guest” appearances and a bonus-sized issue. And a mention of Spider-Girl becoming the Black Tarantula’s widow? They are married, or will be? What?!?!

It is still tough to get over ten years. This title that readers fought tooth and nail to save time and time again is going to be over a decade old.
Impossible. It just goes to show that on occasion, with the right tactics, the comic publishers do listen to the fans. Congratulations Spider-Girl - glad to see you made it here!

Ultimate Iron Man II #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Orson Scott Card, Art by Pasqual Ferry and Justin Ponsor

Wow did it take a long time for this sequel to come out! Card’s first foray into comics was a surprisingly enjoyable one (not that he wasn’t expected to do a decent job, but transitioning from novels to comics can be problematic), and this release has been highly anticipated since it was first announced some time ago. A shame Kubert is DC exclusive, but there are very few projects that simply must have a specific artist - Ferry is more than adequate to the task.

The first Ultimate Iron Man was a great read that really flushed out Ultimate Tony Stark as an interesting and compelling character. This should be a can’t miss mini.

Exiles #100, $3.99
Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Tom Grummett, Scott Hanna, and Wil Quintana

The final issue of Exiles! Well, not really. Just like with Spider-Girl, Marvel is cancelling this title and releasing a brand new #1 in the form of New Exiles (where are we on that “New in the title” quota again?). The new series promises an all-new team which may be met with some mixed results, since a lot of people read this book solely for Blink and Morph. Still, it is an issue #100, so we get a few extras, along with a reprint of the original Exiles #1, so there is a bit of a send-off here. But it looks like this is far from the end for the concept.

World War Hulk: Warbound #1, $2.99
Written by Greg Pak, Art by Leonard Kirk

It is a surprise that it took Marvel this long to start a Warbound series. The group is made up of some fairly well established characters, and it would be a shame to let them fade into obscurity once World War Hulk is in the past and the Hulk goes back to being the Hulk. And since these are pretty well Pak’s characters, you can bet that they will be handled well. Some people might be a little wary of World War Hulk at this point, but this series is really for those people that were following the Hulk during his exile - they will get the most out of this.

Hulk vs. Fin Fang Foom
Written by Peter David

Ah, the holidays must be coming, because all the “fun” books are hitting the stands. Pretty easy to know what to expect here - fighting, and lots of it. The issue is double-sized, but most of those pages are going to be reprints of other “classic slugfests,” making this issue really all about the brawl. Harmless fun here - little more.

Craig’s Top Five of the Month

#5 - Bat Lash #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics Love me some Western comics!

#4 - Amazing Spider-Man #546, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics A bold move - potentially the solution to all the problems Spider-Man has had over the past two decades.

#3 - Ultimate Iron Man II #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics Finally Card is back!

#2 - It Ate Billy on Christmas, $12.95, 48 Pages, Dark Horse This book just looks too cool for words.

#1 - Northlanders #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics Surprised? This is Brian Wood all grown up. He has proven he is a skilled writer, but now that he has moved past the indie teen angst stuff, it is exciting to see him stretch his wings like this. This could be a surprise hit.

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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