On The Shelf in March 2008
DARK HORSE COMICS
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Page 30 - Serenity: Better Days #1 (of 3), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Joss Whedon, Art by Brett Matthews, Will Conrad, and Michelle Madsen
With all the work Whedon has been doing in comics these days, if he didn’t do another Serenity comic soon it would be almost insulting. But thankfully Mal and his crew are back, though in comic form. Wash and Book fans will be happy to hear that the story is set before the film, so no one is dead. Well, yet.
The single preview page released thus far looks solid - and this team did a great job on the last Serenity series. This one will no doubt be just as good.
Page 38 - Tales of the Fear Agent, $14.95, 136 Pages
By Rick Remender, Hilary Barta, Mark Ricketts, Chris Burnham, Rick Spears, Kieron Dwyer, Paul Renaud, Shane White, and Various
Oh! Not only do we get the finale of Hatchet Job, but we are also getting this one shot containing a bunch of Fear Agent stories by various creators. Man, that is a good month! It can’t be said enough times: Fear Agent is the best sci-fi title on the market today. And this includes all of the Green Lantern and Annihilation awesomeness. You really should be reading this title.
DC COMICS
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Page 69 - Tangent: Superman’s Reign #1 (of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Matt Clark, Fernando Pasarin, & Jesse Delperdang
We first got the hints of this series in Justice Leage, but this month the 12 part Tangent/DCU crossover gets started. Probably the best thing about Infinite Crisis was the return of the Multiverse - without which, those Tangent characters would probably have sat on a shelf somewhere for another decade or so. This series should be a fun little treat.
Page 71 - DC Special: Raven #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Marv Wolfman, Art by Damion Scott
Now this is a nice little surprise - a 5 issue Raven mini by Marv Wolfman? Christmas came a little late! And it looks like this series has a setting that should make for a good Raven story - a high school filled with hormonal, emotional teens manipulated by the Medusa Mask. Just what Raven needs. This should be a great read.
Page 85 - Green Lantern #29, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ivan Reiss & Oclair Albert
Now that the Sinestro Corps War has wrapped up, it does make sense for this title to shift to a more Hal Jordan oriented story. Do we really need to re-explore his origin? It is always a little iffy when a long-standing character suddenly has a “new secret about their origin, revealed!” That seems like exactly what we are being sold here.
Could be a lot of hype - hopefully it is. Johns has been a tear on this book, and it would be a shame for a sour arc to ruin a solid run. He has earned the benefit of the doubt at this point though.
Page 89 - Booster Gold Volume 1: 52 Pick-Up Hardcover, $24.99, 160 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz, Art by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund
Wow - a lot of good collections out this month! This is one you might have missed out on, and who could blame you. Booster Gold, the star of his own ongoing title? That seemed like exactly the kind of book that lasts about 12 issues - just long enough for you to get attached to it. Instead it ended up being one of the best new books of 2007. Who’d have ever thought? Well, the beauty of collected editions allows you to catch up when you miss out on a bandwagon, and this opportunity is no different.
Page 98 - Super Friends #1, $2.25, 32 Pages
Written by Shally Fisch, Art by Danny Brizuela
Yeah, it is based on the toy line, which has roots in the old Hanna Barbara cartoon show, but it is introducing the Justice League to young readers, so it gets a pass on that. This one is definitely geared at kids (as opposed to the “all-ages” approach, which is a title that is kid friendly but sophisticated enough for an adult), and will include some puzzles and games in each issue. Most comic fans probably won’t give this title a second look, but if you have kids - it is probably on your list already. Just another title that will help you bring your children to be comic geeks like the old folks!
Page 102 - The New Dynamix #2 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Allen Warner, Art by J.J. Kirby
Seems like a pretty standard Wildstorm superhero book with a plot focused on a hero who puts a kid’s life in danger while pursuing a criminal. A pretty stock story, but one that could be good if told right. The previews of J.J. Kirby’s art look pretty good - could be a solid series.
Page 114 - The Young Liars #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
By David Lapham
Did you like Stray Bullets? Well, put this title on your list. This is Lapham’s first new ongoing since Stray Bullets, and the first new series out of Vertigo in a few months now. The story is a little tough to sum up here - seems pretty complicated, but it looks like it will be a pretty decent character story, and should fit well with the rest of the Vertigo line. There will be a preview in next month’s DMZ #28 - so be sure to check out that issue if you are at all interested in this series.
IMAGE COMICS
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Page 144 - Dead Space #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Antony Johnson, Art by Ben Templesmith
Normally video game comics aren’t really something to get too excited about (with some rare exceptions), but considering the rise in popularity of Sci Fi books, and the popularity of the Halo comic, this one might just be different. Dead Space is a Sci Fi/Horror game that is set to come out this fall, and this series will serve as a prequel to the story in that game. If anything, the art is sure to be intense - Ben Templesmith is certainly the man to go to for dark horror stories. This series might end up being surprisingly good.
Page 146 - Noble Causes #32, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jay Faerber, Art by Yildiray Cinar & Ron Riley
Looks like Noble Causes is getting a bit of a revamp - not a terrible idea, as sometimes soap operas need a refresher. It does seem like they are going to go with a little less drama and a little more action, which might prove to be a good call. Faerber and Cinar are a great team on this book - so there is little doubt that it will be high quality. But the biggest problem plaguing this title was its timeliness - books just ended up being too late and terribly difficult to track down (especially if you weren’t watching shipping lists every week for it). Hopefully they are addressing that problem - if Noble Causes continues to have a regularity problem, all the revamps in the world won’t help sales much. Even still - it is good to be cautiously optimistic here.
MARVEL COMICS
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Page M3 - Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1 (of 5), $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Robin Furth and Peter David, Art by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove
The news broke some weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean the solicitation is any less major. The first Dark Tower mini series was a huge success - so fans are no doubt already putting this sequel on their pull lists. It was a little disappointing that there wasn’t much marketing for this series outside the normal comic circles. Bookstores seemed a logical place to really push this series, but the collection doesn’t seem to be getting any more attention than any other graphic novel might get. That is a universal trend, sadly - Jodi Picoult’s Wonder Woman hardcover and Orson Scott Card’s Ultimate Iron Man have been seen just sitting there among the pile of graphic novels, with nothing to draw fans of their prose work over to the graphic stories. Kind of a sad missed opportunity to really expose comics as a literary art form if you ask me.
In any case, we are still getting a very well written and well received comic out of all this, so all is not lost. Hopefully non-comic reading King fans will get word of this series and venture over to the graphic novel section of their local bookstore.
Page M21 - Avengers Fairy Tales #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by C.B. Cebulski, Art by Joao Lemos
These Fairy Tales minis have been hit and miss - usually they are at the very least well written, but a lot of times things just seem a little too contrived. The Avengers and Peter Pan do make a good fit though, especially when you break the members down to their core components. The eternally young Peter (Captain America) with his partner Tinker Bell (Wasp) basically sold me. If you have enjoyed these Fairy Tale minis, this one is sure to be a good one.
On another note - who is this Claire Wendling? The cover for this issue is the first of her work that I have seen. And while I normally critique art beyond what works and what is terrible, that cover is absolutely brilliant. I can instantly think of a dozen other titles she would be a perfect ongoing artist for. Looks like she has mostly worked in France up to this point - here’s to hoping that she starts to do a little more work on this side of the pond in near future.
Page M32 - Incredible Hercules #115, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente, Art by Khoi Pham
Brother vs Brother! Sorbo vs Smith! I guess a Hercules comic wouldn’t really be right unless things got started with a good brawl with Ares pretty quick. Much to the surprise of a lot of readers, the first issue of Incredible Hercules (well, it is still titles Hulk until #113, but it is essentially Herc’s book now) was actually pretty decent. Even the stuff with Amadeus Cho aren’t bad. This title could be a sleeper hit this year. Which means it is a good time to jump aboard!
Page M35 - The Last Defenders #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Joe Casey, Art by Jim Muniz
This title is claiming lineage to the original Defenders concept, but it seems to be a little bit different. Colossus and She-Hulk aren’t exactly “outsiders,” and it is a little weird not having Strange involved here, but we have a New Warriors without any New Warriors involved, and a Champions of LA (well, until the name change) that was unconnected to the original, and we have a Hulk comic with no Bruce Banner, so new seems to be the name of the game at Marvel these days. The focus of this title is a little vague, but they are promising “hi-octane superheroics.” An unabashed superhero book can be a real good thing if done right, so this might be worth a shot. Nice to see Nighthawk around again in any case.
Page M40 - Secret Invasion Saga, $0.00, 32 Pages
Written by John Rhett Thomas
Wow - a free 32 page book? Even if it has a lot of ads, that is one heck of a way to promote your summer event. This issue is going to outline the Skrulls activity on Earth from their first appearance all the way through the discovery that Elektra and Black Bolt were replaced by Skrulls. Should be a good way for the uninformed to get caught up on the Skrulls before the event gets in full swing.
Page M49 - Power Pack: Day One #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Fred Van Lente, Art by Gurihiru and Colleen Coover
They have been minis, but I honestly can’t remember the last time there wasn’t a Power Pack series going. It has been that long! Sure, I could look it up, but that is missing the point. Power Pack was a fun, kid-friendly title that seemed destined to failure every time it was given an ongoing. And here it is again - alive and kicking. The origin story too - those can get tired, but beyond basic recaps the Power Pack origin isn’t one that is touched on a lot.
As always, it should be a fun read that is very kid safe. Plus this series has come pencils from Colleen Coover - and that her work is always welcome.
Page M59 - Cable #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Duane Swierczynski, Art by Ariel Olivetti
It still doesn’t make sense. Why would you take Cable & Deadpool, and start a new series by cutting out the good parts of that title? And a series that involves Cable being a battling babysitter to boot?
Confusing is the only word that describes it. I am already one fan singing “Bring Back Deadpool…”
Page M66 - Wolverine: First Class #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Fred Van Lente, Art by Andrea Di Vito
This one could go either way. On the one hand, Marvel stumbled upon something special with X-Men: First Class. Comics really did need a pure, old-fashioned X-Men book without all the mutant inflation from over the years. But as much as that formula worked, how much of it was the idea, and how much of it was Jeff Parker? This series should tell us if First Class is viable as a franchise, or if Parker is just good at what he does.
Page M69 - Logan #1 (of 3), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Eduardo Risso
Wow - there sure are a lot of Wolverine books this month. A bunch!
In any case, this mini seems to be setting out with the same purpose that Wolverine: Origins had when it got started - to show how Logan deals with his newly returned memories. It will probably be better this time around - three issues is enough time for a fairly concise story, and you can’t doubt Vaughan’s writing credentials. If you are a Wolverine fan, this might be a good one to pick up in some form.
Though, something else is disturbing about this issue. Has anyone else noticed that we are getting an awful lot of one-shots and minis priced at $3.99 from both Marvel and DC these days. And is a cardstock cover really worth the extra dollar? Especially when there seems to be more attention paid to the quality of the pages at times, instead of what is on them?
Things like this make me think that we might be on the verge of a major shift in comics. Prices can’t rise this dramatically without any repercussions.
[b]Page M87 - Ultimate Iron Man II Hardcover, $19.99, 96 Pages
Written by Orson Scott Card, Art by Pasqual Ferry[/size]
Wow - we have barely got issue 1, and the collection is already solicited? It should be interesting to see how this affects single issue sales.
Either way - this should be a great collection to pick up. Card’s first Ultimate Iron Man was outstanding, and this one is off to a great start. Not a whiff of padding yet - a real rarity in comics. A tight, enjoyable read.
INDEPENDENT COMICS
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Page 202 - Echo #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Abstract Studios
By Terry Moore
Even though the excitement for Moore’s upcoming run on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane seems to have dominated the news, even more exciting is the beginning of his latest self-publishing project, Echo. This one looks like it will be more of a dark sci fi drama, but since Terry Moore is known for his strong characters, it is doubtful the genre will make much of a difference on the enjoyment factor. Can’t wait for this one to get going!
Craig’s Top Five of the Month
5 - Secret Invasion Saga, $0.00, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics. A free, full-size preview of a major summer event is a great idea. Let’s hope the rest of the event is as well!
4 - Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1 (of 5), $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics. It is great to see this title continuing.
3 - Tales of the Fear Agent, $14.95, 136 Pages, Dark Horse. Too much Fear Agent is still not enough.
2 - Serenity: Better Days #1 (of 3), $2.99, 32 Pages, Dark Horse. The Firefly crew back in comics is a wonderful thing. There are so many stories left to tell.
1- Echo #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Abstract Studios. A no brainer. Having missed the chance with Strangers in Paradise, I am looking forward to getting aboard this one from the first issue.
Collected Edition of the Month
Page M87 - Ultimate Iron Man II Hardcover, $19.99, 96 Pages, Marvel Comics
Written by Orson Scott Card, Art by Pasqual Ferry
Wow - we have barely got issue 1, and the collection is already solicited? It should be interesting to see how this affects single issue sales.
Either way - this should be a great collection to pick up. Card’s first Ultimate Iron Man was outstanding, and this one is off to a great start. Not a whiff of padding yet - a real rarity in comics. A tight, enjoyable read.
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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