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

Page 32 - Criminal Macabre: Cell Block 666 #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Steve Niles, Art by Nick Stakai and Michelle Madsen

All that really needs to be said here is - “New Cal McDonald.” There are a bunch of you out there who pick up everything and anything Criminal Macabre, and just needed word that another one was on its way to add it on your list.

Even if you aren’t familiar with Criminal Macabre, it might be a good time to give it a look. Steve Niles is a proven master of all things dark and supernatural - thanks in large part to this very property. If you normally stick to the big 2 and are finally coming to know his work from his recent DC projects, this is a good one to pick up.

Page 34 - Hellboy: The Crooken Man #1 (of 3), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Mike Mignola, Art by Richard Corben and Dave Stewart

On a similar note, there are probably a bunch of you who added this title to your list before you even finished reading the word Hellboy. Of course, this series is set to start a week before the release of Hellboy II: The Golden Army to theaters. With the Hulk, Batman, and Iron Man movies out this summer, the Hellboy flick might have fallen under the radar for some of you, but it is coming. Dark Horse is even doing a “Hellboy Day” promotion on July second. In addition to this issue hitting the stands, Dark Horse will be putting out Bookmarks, Posters, and “variant” editions of Hellboy Free Comic Book Day issues. You will also see the Hellboy II comic adaptation this month, as well as a brand new B.P.R.D. series getting its start (The Warning #1 of 5, $2.99), which follows the events in The Killing Ground.

In all, July is panning out to be a fantastic month for Hellboy fans.

Page 44 - The Helm #1 (of 4), $3.50, 32 Pages
Written by Jim Hardison, Art by Bart Sears and Randy Elliott

This concept actually looks pretty amusing. It follows the story of a down-on-his-luck ex-employee of a video store who comes across a magic helmet. This helmet declares him to be the chosen one, and gives him incredible power. But then - the helmet realizes it made a mistake. I picture Thor - only Mjolnir is actively complaining the whole time that Thor isn’t good enough to wield it. Could be seriously funny.

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

Page 73 - Final Crisis: Requiem #1, $3.99, 40 Pages
Written by Peter J. Tomasi, Art by Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy

Well, it looks like DC is wasting no time in killing someone off as part of their Final Crisis event. Naturally, DC is being tight-lipped about who will actually die, outside the clue that it will be someone who has been a “Staple in the DC Universe for years.” Of course, that could still mean anyone - staple doesn’t necessarily mean anyone major. The image accompanying this solicit is nothing more than a spiraling flame - perhaps there is a clue in that too, but the answer will come soon enough.

Is DC trying to replicate Infinite Crisis here, an event that really began with the death of Ted Kord? You can bet on it. Will it be as successful? Read and find out.

Page 75 - Ambush Bug: Year None #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Keith Giffen and Robert Loren Fleming, Art by Al Milgrom and Giffen

I’ll bet you all couldn’t wait for another Ambush Bug series!

It might be a good time for it - in the middle of yet another Crisis, it is always good to have a couple sanctuary books you can go to and enjoy without having to worry about where the story fits into the overall event plot. This books seems to be one of those.

Of course, creator Keith Giffen is on board, as well as the original series writer Robert Loren Fleming - Giffen is also doing the art (as with the original, so those who liked his 1992 special should be sure to check this out.

Should be some honest, stress-free fun. Looking forward to it.

Page 82 - Batgirl #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 pages
Written by Adam Beechen, Art by Jim Calafiore and Johnathan Glapion

There is a lot that can be said about this - specifically regarding the mistake DC made in perverting Cassandra’s character in favor of a new Affirmative Action Batwoman…

But really do we need to? They seem to be going in the right direction now, so perhaps it is time to leave well enough alone.

This is only a mini, but it is a good sign. Adam Beechen is the man who introduced the “evil” Batgirl on the pages of Robin - he has been on the receiving end of some major backlash as a result of that, but it should be remembered that it was an editorial decision to make her “evil,” he just had the impossible task of making that logical. He isn’t Andersen Gabrych, but a series is better than no series.

A perfect situation? Not really - but it is a step in the right direction. Hopefully the only reference to “evil” Batgirl will be one or two panels explaining that she was crazy, and is better now. It really is the best way.

Page 83 - Two-Face Year One #1 (of 2), $5.99, 48 Pages
Written by Mark Sable, Art by Jesus Saiz and Jimmy Palmiotti

This one seems to have the “Year One” tag on it just for the sake of it. More than anything it looks like a Two-Face origin story that is being given the Prestige treatment. So definitely something if you are a Harvey Dent fan. Mark Sable is fairly new to comics - he had a couple of Image projects a couple years back, did a Heroes comic story, and is working on the Cyborg mini that is starting up this month. If you like what you have read of his so far, check this series out.

Page 90 - Blue Beetle #29, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Mattew Sturges, Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Matt Sturges comes aboard as the new ongoing writer for this book, taking over for the already-missed John Rogers. He is plunging directly into dangerous waters - taking a character that survived the backlash DC got when it made the move to diversify its line-up by showing race to the background and focusing on why Jaime Reyes is a hero (instead of making the minority hero’s race the #1 character trait, instead of why they are a hero in the first place, which is character suicide), and plunging him right into the “immigration” debate. This is a huge fine line - the debate over secure borders has nothing to do with race, and injecting the Blue Beetle into it because he is Mexican could have disastrous results.

Of course - it could be too soon to panic. It seems like almost every time that a comic has dealt with a political topic in the last 10 years or so, it has become an oppressive mess, sacrificing a decent story in order to get across a radical political point (you know, the usual holier-than-thou distortions), which only ends up alienating the reader. With that in mind, it only makes sense to prepare for the worst. On the other hand, Jaime Reyes is from the border town of El Paso. It only makes sense that this would be an issue at some point. As long as Sturges can tell this story without delving too deep into politics (and extreme attacks against those who don’t share his view), the Blue Beetle might skate through this writing change unscathed. Fingers crossed - Matt Sturges, don’t let us down!

Page 91 - Booster Gold #1,000,000, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns & Jeff Katz, Art by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

We have had the Zero-Hour tie in for Booster Gold - now it is time for the DC 1 Million tie in! And of course, he will have to come face to face with his 1 million counterpart, Peter Platinum. This series has been a lot of fun during its short run - sure it seems a little gimmicky that it keeps visiting these major events, but it has been a great ride so far. So why stop now? Booster Gold is still one of the best titles on the market right now, and well worth checking out.

Page 96 - Justice Society of America Annual #1, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Jerry Ordway

Gearing up for the new Power Girl ongoing is this Annual which finds her back at home in Earth-2. Obviously this isn’t meant to be a permanent move, but it is a great character building story going into her ongoing. Geoff Johns will no doubt do an excellent job with this story (as he almost always does) - it really does seem like a great choice for a Justice Society ongoing. Dunno if it indicates anything about the future of the multiverse itself as a result of Final Crisis - hopefully it has nothing to do with that at all.

Page 106 - Billy Batson and the Magic of SHAZAM!, $2.25, 32 Pages
By Mike Kunkel

Word of this one has been floating around for a bit now - it should make a great addition to the Johnny DC line. After all - there aren’t many superheroes out there that are really young kids, so the protagonist is already relatable to the target audience. Mike Kunkel has a fantastic style for this project - he has worked as a Disney animator in the past, so the look will be an easy transition for some readers. He does have a reputation for slow and late work, however - hopefully he will be able to keep up with the schedule on this book in order that it comes out consistently. If so - this book could be a pretty decent read, even for the older reader. Kunkel’s previous work on Herobear and the Kid attests to his all-ages appeal.

Page 113 - Storming Paradise #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Chuck Dixon, Art by Butch Guice

You almost have to wonder if six issues is really enough to do this concept justice! Alternate history comics can sometimes be fun, and this one has an interesting theme. Instead of dropping a nuclear bomb on Japan in World War II, an accident kills all of the scientists working on the Manhattan Project. The result is the US is forced to invade the Japanese homeland - a strategy that some thought would result in more death and destruction than the bombs themselves unleashed on Japan.

This series promises to be dark, gritty, bloody, and could possibly be a real interesting look at what the war would have been like had those two nukes not been dropped to end the war.

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

Page 154 - I Kill Giants #1 (of 7), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Joe Kelly, Art by J.M. Ken Niimura

Could be an interesting series - especially from someone with the sense of humor Joe Kelly has. He has proven he can handle the silly with his legendary Deadpool run, and his Space Ghost showed he can handle the serious and brutal - this series looks like it might be a combination of the two. It follows a 5th grade girl who carries around a Norse hammer, claiming that she hunts and kills giants. Of course, the question is - is she telling the truth?

Regardless of the answer to that question, this series looks like it could be pretty interesting.

Page 180 - Broken Trinity #1 (of 3), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Ron marz, Art by Stjepan Sejic

This issue is the beginning of Top Cow’s very own summer event series, bringing together Witchblade, The Darkness, and Angelus, one which promises the usual Big Event offering - a major “loss” (death?), a new big player to the universe, and a lot of action. This series might be difficult to follow if you aren’t that versed in the Top Cow universe (though the “primer” they put out on Free Comic Book Day will be of help), but it should be an explosive read if you follow any of these characters. Great for Top Cow Fans.

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

Page M20 - Captain America: White #1, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Tim Sale

Marvel announced this one a couple months back at Wizard World LA - the return of Loeb and Sale’s “Colors” series, this time with Captain America in the spotlight. Like the previous Colors books, this series will turn back the clock (well, that is kind of obvious, since Steve Rogers is still dead) and follows Cap and Bucky during World War II.

Of course, this isn’t the official start of the series, more of a teaser - the issue will include an all-new Origin of Bucky story, and the standard sketches, scripts, and interviews. If you are planning on picking this series up when it gets its official start, this is a good issue to grab.

Page M23 - Fantastic Four: The True Story #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Paul Cornell, Art by Horacio Dominguez

Should be a fun little mini - True Story somehow finds the Fantastic Four travelling inside the realm of fiction, fighting to save the characters in various classics. Of course, this isn’t exactly a new idea - Jasper Fford’s Thursday Next series (outstanding by the way) has book-jumping at its foundation - but just because this has been done before doesn’t mean it won’t be good. The theme might be the same, but you can bet there will be major differences. Sometimes the “Exploration” part of the Fantastic Four gets forgotten when continuity burdens the title itself - this series is a good opportunity to explore that aspect of the team once again. Could be interesting.

Page M28 - Immortal Iron Fist #17, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Duane Swierczynski, Art by Travel Foreman

Brand new creative team for the Immortal Iron Fist - of course, this is always a scary time. For a long time, thanks to Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker, this title has been one of Marvel’s quiet hits. This move is particularly scary - going from having two outstanding, well-established writers to Swierczynski, who has some novels under his belt and is writing the Cable ongoing - but overall nothing remarkable under his belt. Will he be able to keep up the quality? We can hope. Of course, it is at the very least worth a shot.

Page M33 - Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Paul Tobin, Art by Alvin Lee

Ah - this new title makes the Marvel Adventures Free Comic Book Day issue make a little more sense. The opening arc is going to feature a team-up of Iron Man, Spider-Man, and the Hulk, but on an ongoing basis, this title will feature four issue arcs that will showcase either single characters who don’t have their own Marvel Adventures book, or groups of characters who might not normally work together. Fans of the ongoing Marvel regular continuity might not appreciate the Marvel Adventures books as much, but they are consistently great reads - stories that stick to the basic form of classic characters, and don’t get bogged down by complex story elements. Pure superhero action that you can actually share with kids. A lot to appreciate here.

Page M40 - Patsy Walker: Hellcat, Agent of the Initiative #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Kathryn Immonen, Art by David Lafuente

Well, it looks like Marvel enjoyed Kathryn Immonen’s Hellcat story in Marvel Comics Presents, because she is back with her own mini. The serial in MCP wasn’t terrible, but it didn’t really seem like a story that demanded a new series for Hellcat - but perhaps she will read a little better in larger chucks. That serial did have the feel of a single one-issue story that was arbitrarily broken up.

This is good news for hellcat fans though - and any exposure for B and C list characters is always a good thing in the Marvel line-up.

Page M55 - Squadron Supreme 2 #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Howard Chaykin, Art by Marco Turini

Whoa whoa - Howard Chaykin on Squadron Supreme? Needless to say, that is a little scary. Chaykin is capable of producing good work (most recently, Bite Club was fantastic), but whenever Chekin takes up the writing chores on anything that involves the “US Government,” the political soapboxing is usual not far behind. It is uncanny - the moment politics enters into a Chaykin story, the overall quality takes a severe nosedive. Considering Mark Milton’s back-story and character, this is cause for concern.

It is still too soon to write this one off, however. They are coming off a successful crossover with the Ultimate Universe, and this series will feature Ultimate Nick Fury, who was left behind in the Supreme-verse after that crossover ended. Let’s just hope this series is more Bite Club, and less Challengers of the Unknown.

Page M58 - True Believers #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 pages
Written by Cary Bates, Art by Paul Gulacy

This one is a little bit of a mystery - the solicit for True Believers reads like most of Marvel’s solicits these days - vague, full of slick wording that tries to convince you that this is the best comic ever, but without giving many details at all about what the series is actually about. To be fair - the current solicit writers are doing a much better job than they did a few years back, but it is still nice to read a solicit where they simply tell you what a new series is about, instead of a string of catch-phrases and grandiose, edgy proclamations.

You are able to clean that this series should be about a female team of “investigative reporters” who dig up the dirt on anyone with secrets in the Marvel Universe (Good, evil, or government), and post it online for all to see. Could be an interesting concept if executed properly. Worth checking out.

Page M59 - Astonishing X-Men #25, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Simone Bianchi

This is the start of the brand new Astonishing X-Men creative team of Ellis and Bianchi, taking over for the highly acclaimed Joss Whedon and John Cassaday. This really should be the start of something good. As good as Whedon and Cassaday’s Astonishing run was, it was quickly overshadowed as the X-Men titles began to improve in the last couple of years. Now that the X-titles have started to come together and maintain a consistent minimum quality, the time is ripe for another leap forward. Warren Ellis could be the man to deliver that. Once again the ingredients are there for something special - I can’t wait to see what Ellis and Bianchi do with it.

Page M61 - Uncanny X-Men #500, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, Art by Greg Land and Terry Dodson

This has to be some kind of first - I can’t recall another Marvel title that actually reached the 500 mark before without some kind of numbering gimmick - a real accomplishment! As well as an appropriate start to a brand new status quo. Brubaker and Fraction seem to work very well together (especially when Fraction takes the lead), so the latter’s addition to the writing credits is nothing but good news. We are yet another “new beginning” for the X-Men… hopefully between this title and Astonishing, we can finally overcome the years of bad stories that have bogged the X-Men’s continuity down.

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

Page 233 - Maintenance Volume 3, $9.95, 104 Pages, Oni Press
Written by Jim Massey, Art by Robbi Rodriguez

This is one of those titles I really wish I caught on to much earlier. Oni’s Free Comic Book Day effort featured an issue of Maintenance, and after that one small example I was already hooked on the series. Having read through the first collected volume of the series, I can say it is well worth the money. The story follows a pair of ordinary blue-collar guys who happen to work as part of the maintenance staff of a Supervillain Think Tank that offers they services to villains of all types. It is a very clever and entertaining read. It doesn’t seem like there is really any real starting point - this collection should be as good a place to start as any. You will enjoy this title.

Craig’s Top Five of the Month

5 - Storming Paradise #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC/Wildstorm - A potential sleeper hit.

4 - Astonishing X-Men #25, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel Comics - New creative team for Astonishing - even better than the original, if you ask me.

3 - Hellboy: The Crooken Man #1 (of 3), $2.99, 32 Pages, Dark Horse - With the Hellboy movie just around the corner, you can bet Mignola and company will pull out the stops on this series to attract new readers.

2 - Justice Society of America Annual #1, $3.99, 48 Pages, DC Comics - Seems like Power Girl’s stock in the DCU is really on the rise.

1 - Uncanny X-Men #500, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics - The first even natural 500 from Marvel, and a new direction for the X-Men is certainly worth notice.

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

Post your comments in the Forum!

---