DARK HORSE COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Abe Sapien: The Drowning #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Mike Mignola, Art by Jason Shawn Alexander and Dave Stewart

Man, a good month for B.P.R.D. fans, eh? This new Abe Sapien series starting, the second issue of the 1946 series - lots of Hellboy related titles these days. This series is Abe’s first solo book, taking him back a quarter of a century to when he was sent to recover the remains of a warlock defeated 100 years earlier. Mignola is penning this one himself, an extra perk for his long-time fans. Should be a good read.

Fear Agent: Hatchet Job #4 (of 5) (#20), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Rick Remender, Art by Jerome Opena and Michelle Madsen

You know, it is kind of nice to see that even though these are solicited as minis, Dark Horse is still keeping up the original numbering. #1 of The Hatchet Job boasted a nice big #17, and it definitely felt like a #17 considering we were just jumping into the action. This could change at any time, but this book has been pretty well monthly since the jump from Image, and it shows no signs of stopping. Great news - it is one of a rare few outstanding Sci-Fi comics on the shelves these days. Some is better than none, but with so few, we need to support what we have!

DC COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Action Comics Annual #11, $4.99, 64 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns and Richard Donner; Art and cover by Adam Kubert

Hey now! Another piece of the One Year Later mess finally stumbles across the finish line. Sometimes it is easy to forget how many marquee DC books were in limbo at once. Just when you think they finally have everything tied up, and other annual appears.

This sounds extremely negative, but it is a fair criticism. In almost every case, DC went for name marketability, and didn’t really consider the future when they did it. It was a mistake, and they certainly paid for it in the long run.

On the plus side, all of you who have been waiting all this time for the conclusion will finally have some closure, and that is always great news.

All Star Superman #10, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Frank Quitely and Jamie Grant; Cover by Quitely

Usually, I try and shy away from titles that are put out as infrequently as this book, but in this case I have to make an exception. All Star Superman is such an enjoyable read (the polar opposite of its Batman counterpart) that it really is worth picking up when it comes out. Especially if you like Superman, but just not enough to really get into any of this other ongoing books.

All Star Superman is ideal for the casual Superman reader. Let’s face it - it is kind of hard to read Action Comics or Superman sometimes. Not that they can’t be good, but some people just want a classic, standard Superman story, and those are kind of impossible to tell anymore. That is the kind of thing we get here. And it does go to show that Grant Morrison does still have it sometimes. Well worth picking up.

Blue Beetle #24, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by John Rogers; Art and cover by Rafael Albuquerque

You know, it didn’t really seem possible that this new Blue Beetle would take hold, especially when considering how powerful Ted Kord’s end was, but man, is this title great or what? Jaime has really come into his own, and is really starting to feel like a proper Blue Beetle. This arc should be particularly exciting, finally some more on The Reach and the origin of the scarab. It could well be a defining story for young Jaime. This is the third part of a story that begins in December, so be on the lookout for issue #22 as well this month.

The All-New Booster Gold #0, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Katz; Art and cover by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Speaking of Blue Beetle, did anyone here honestly believe a year ago that today two of the best books DC had on the shelf would be Blue Beetle and Booster Gold?

So some of you might be wondering what is up with the Issue #0 - well, if you recall, Zero Hour was an event back in the early 90’s which counted down from issue #4 to #0. Zero Hour was meant to do a little cleanup after some more problems popped up in the wake of the original Crisis. This issue is supposed to tie into that event, including Parallax himself, Hal Jordan.

Great title - very much worth your $3. Especially if you are a big fan of DC continuity. Definitely one to check out this month.

JSA Classified #35, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by B. Clay Moore, Art by Ramon Perez, Cover by Sean Chen

A new JSA Classified arc is always worth mentioning, especially since they still seem to be doing it right (well, this latest arc has been hampered by some iffy art, but the story is strong). This issue is a start of a brand new three part issue that focuses on Wildcat. A lot of new readers might wonder what the big deal is about a boxer in a cat costume. If this story is done right, it should be a decent character exploration that will not leave newer readers with any questions. Ted Grant is a great character - hopefully Moore does him justice.

Shadowpact #22, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Matt Sturges; Art and cover by Phil Winslade

So, is this book cancelled? The solicit mentions a finale, but we aren’t given any indication that it is indeed done. Is it just me, or is this the way DC seems to cancel books these days? They won’t specifically say a book with some fan following is cancelled (Didio was asked about this book back in September in Baltimore, and he wouldn’t give an answer), instead putting it on “hiatus.” Manhunter fans are still wondering when the next promised issue is going to come out.

Shadowpact was a decent title - admittedly it had a tough start - a lot of people who were checking it out expected Justiniano-type art, and Willingham is about as far from his style as you can get. This was off-putting, and made the book tough to get into. Even with improvements in later issues, it never really picked up any steam. A real shame - this is a great team with a great writer. They should have just put Justiniano on it in the first place!

Tiny Titans #1, $2.25, 32 Pages
Written by Art Baltazar and Franco; Artwork and cover by Art Baltazar

OK, some of you might groan looking at this, but it might not be all bad. This is clearly a kids title, and it was announced at the same time as Kunkel’s Shazam book (Which should be awesome, even if I would rather see a new Herobear and the Kid out of him), so there is some potential here.

If you are curious about Baltazar’s work, some of his Wolf-Boy comics are available online here. This is a real easy way to see if this is your thing, or if it is something you might be able to enjoy with your kids.

IMAGE COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Invincible #51, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree

Any new “jumping on” point for Invincible is a great thing. Having passed 50 issues, it is tough to claim that this is a title unencumbered by continuity (one of its main selling points early on), but even now it remains among the top tier of Superhero books on the market today. And from the looks of things lately, and this issue in particular, it is evolving. Which is excellent!

There is a reason this title has lasted as long as it has. And if you consider yourself a fan of the Superhero genre and still haven’t checked this one out - well, here is a great chance to correct that oversight.

The Magdalena/Daredevil, $3.99
Written and penciled by Phil Hester, inked by Ande Parkes, cover by Hester and Stjepan Sejic.

You know, this seems like a really natural crossover. Not only for the Catholic connection (which Hester should factor heavily in the story), but the two characters do seem very similar in attitude to me.

I know that these intercompany crossovers can sometimes be light and fluffy - an excuse to fight, and little more, but lately these Top Cow/Marvel crossovers have been decent, if a little bizarre. The Witchblade/Wolverine crossover comes to mind. This is one to check out, even if you are a little wary - could be rather good.

MARVEL COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Cable & Deadpool #50, $3.99
By Reilly Brown with Fabian Nicieza

Well, we have all heard about it, but the end has finally come - the last issue of another Deadpool ongoing. It might be a good time to speak at length about the illogic of giving Cable his own ongoing, leaving the better half of this title to fade into obscurity, but the fact is that you have heard it before, and likely agree already. Of course, there is still hope that an unannounced Agency X or Deadpool ongoing will start up in March - high hopes to be sure, but that is all we’ve got at this point.

Farewell once again Wade Wilson - hopefully we see you again sooner rather than later.

Fantastic Four 554, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Mark Millar, Art by Bryan Hitch

Depending on your perspective, this is either a really good or a really bad thing for the Fantastic Four. It is fair to point out scheduling issues: even though Marvel promised that the second run of Ultimates would be done in advance (and on time all the way through), it didn’t take very long at all for that title to become ridiculously late. They did produce some great issues, which can’t be denied, but many felt it just wasn’t worth the wait. If they can manage to keep this title on time, it might make for a decent twelve issues. Fingers crossed.

Giant-Sized Astonishing X-Men #1, $4.99, 64 Pages
Written by Joss Whedon, Art by John Cassaday

The issue number might confuse some people, but this issue is indeed the finale to Cassaday and Whedon’s run on Astonishing X-Men. Say what you will about their run, but it certainly was a real turning point for the X-Men franchise when it launched. It was far better than all of the other X-titles at the time (even though some Whedon fans loved it just because, but there is no denying its merits), and it really showed that it is still possible to tell a good X-Men story today.

The other X-books are vastly improved today, but they all still have a bit to go before they are really excellent again. Astonishing X-Men helped show the way. Their work on this book will be missed, for all its ups and downs.

Incredible Hercules #114, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak, Art by Khoi Pham and Paul Neary

It isn’t a huge surprise, but this month reveals that it is indeed Hercules taking over the Hulk’s title. Doesn’t really seem like a natural shift (like Hawkgirl was when she took over Hawkman), but Herc should do well in his own book, so this could still be good. This issue features the Champions of Los Angeles - yes, Marvel should be able to use that name, so long as it isn’t on the title itself (like DC’s Captain Marvel is ok in the book itself, but they use Shazam on the cover). So rabble rousing needed here (even if it is fun)! But hey - it is nice to see the CoLA popping up again. Yeah, there is The Order, but it really isn’t the same. The West Coast still needs more representation in Marvel!

Marvel Comics Presents #6, $3.99, 48 Pages
By Various

Marvel has been fairly criticized by me for the way they marketed this title - it would only be right to praise them for doing what is proper. This is how this title should be presented - an awesome action shot of Captain America, with a matching story inside. This is the way you sell an anthology book - put the marquee character on the cover, give us a story, and then let other writers and artists showcase their more original, less marketable stories to round the issue out.

This title is off to a solid start, but outside the first issue (and maybe the latest Magneto issue), Marvel really hasn’t put much glitz on it. Sure, some of the stories are top notch, but we all know that it isn’t the quality that sells. Captain America sells, and people want to read this kind of story. What a great hook to get people into the book, no?

Captain America or no, you should be reading this book, if only for the Vanguard story. Good stuff.

Nova Annual #1. $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by Mahmud Asrar, Wellington Alves Kelbs Jr, and Guru

Ah, it looks like Nova will be tying into Annihilation: Conquest after all! This is actually the perfect way to do it. To lock Nova into a major event tie in for so long just a few short issues after it launched would be a mistake, but it would also be a mistake for Nova not to be involved at all. The one arc and this Annual is just about right. And the long-time Nova fan in me is just ecstatic that Nova is doing well enough to deserve an annual in the first place!

You really can’t praise this book enough, Abnett and Lanning have kept the fire hot, and almost a year after this title launched, it is still going strong. It is among the cream of the Marvel publishing catalog right now, and should be on your list every month.

Thunderbolts: International Incident, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Christos Gage, Art by Ben Oliver

With the regular Thunderbolts book’s schedule kind of off and on right now (no one is really sure why it is late), we have been getting some Thunderbolts one-offs to kind of fill the gap. And thus far it has been pretty successful - Cage can be counted on to tell a solid story, and if anything, the one-shot format might turn a few new readers on to the book. Breaking Point did fairly well, and this one has a hook interesting enough to make a good story out of. Stinks that the regular title seems to be on hiatus for the moment, but it is better that something like this come out than nothing at all!

INDEPENDENT COMICS
Pre-order any of the below titles by clicking here!

Zorro #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Dynamite Entertainment
Written by Matt Wagner, Art by Francesco Francavilla

There was nothing wrong with the Papercutz Zorro per se, it was good,a s an all-ages book goes. But a more mature Zorro title would definitely have an audience, especially among the newfound Western comic fans. And it is awesome to see Matt Wagner on this book - can’t wait to see what he has in store for the Fox. This title could be a real sleeper hit - and since it is Dynamite (and thus, sometimes hard to find), you should preorder it soon. Can’t wait for this one.

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!

---