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

Page 28 - Kull #1 (of 6), $2.99, 40 Pages
Written by Arvid nelson, Art by Will Conrad, and José Villarrubia

This Kull mini is going to adapt Robert E. Howard’s “The Shadow Kingdom” story - his first Kull story - for the comic medium. This story is set shortly after Kull becomes King of Valusia and deals with the Serpent Men, a reptile race of humanoids who use magic to disguise themselves as human. Kind of sounds a little like Skrulls, don’t they? Makes you wonder of Marvel’s Secret Invasion story brought this old classic to the mind of someone at Dark Horse.

The Shadow Kingdom is a good one - and should be a nice pick for readers who appreciate a good fantasy story.

Page 33 - My Name Is Bruce, $3.50, 32 Pages
Written by Milton Freewater, Jr., Art by Cliff Richards

Could it be possible that Bruce Campbell has jumped the shark? I don’t know - looking at this comic and the movie it is attached to, the idea of Bruce Campbell playing himself (an arrogant, can-do-anything, real-life action star version of himself to boot) just doesn’t taste right. But again, maybe that is just me.

Fans of the actor will no doubt check out the film, and along with it this companion one-shot comic. The word “companion” suggests that this comic isn’t just an adaptation, that there is more material to be had here. Maybe it is just a comic about the movie. Nonetheless, there are plenty of Campbell fans out there, and if you plan to see the movie, this issue is a good buy.

Page 34 - Gigantic #1 (of 5), $3.50, 32 Pages
Written by Rick Remender, Art by Eric Nguyen and John Rauch

A new mini from Rick Remender is always worth checking out. This series is an admitted “twist” on The Truman Show, where a brainwashed alien superhero is put on Earth to be the subject of a reality show, following his exploits as he attempts to save the Earth from danger. Fear Agent proves that Remender has a good grasp of sci-fi, and the concept writes itself - this series seems like a safe bet. Looking forward to checking this one out.

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

Page 62 - Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion Day 1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 pages
By Billy Tucci

Tucci seems really excited to take on Sgt. Rock, which is a great place to start. So often you see writers just assigned to a character, and while they usually appreciate the opportunity, you don’t often see a writer with such passion about a character or topic these days. Tucci’s story is somewhat based on real life events, and it looks like he aims to celebrate the American solider, instead of finding a way to demonize them (as too often happens). A good Sgt. Rock story is always worth reading… and it looks like this one will be at least that.

Page 64 - Terra #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, Art by Amanda Conner

While we are waiting patiently for the debut of Power Girl’s new ongoing series, we can check out this new Terra mini by the same team. This is the new Terra that popped up a while back in Supergirl (in fact, this series has been “in the works” for at least two years now), and while this isn’t about the classic Terra that most people identify with, we can expect this series to touch on the origins of each of the different versions of the character.

No idea if this series will lead into the Power Girl ongoing or not, though Power Girl does make an appearance here.

Page 70 - Batman: Cacophony #1 (of 3), $3.99, 40 Pages
Written by Kevin Smith, Art by Walter J. Flanagan and Sandra Hope

Well - it is begging to be said, so why not say it. Let’s hope that Kevin Smith decides this series is worth actually finishing. Yes, yes, DC says that it has the entire script finished and in-hand, but that isn’t going to stop a lot of readers who were stung after Smith just decided not to bother with the Spider-Man/Black Cat series (though, he did manage to finish the final three issues of this six issue mini some three years late), and many readers are still wondering where the second issue of Daredevil/Bullseye: The Target is some six years later.

Kevin Smith fans will probably eat this series up, accepting DC’s assurance that all the scripts are in. Though smarter money is on waiting for the trade here, if you really have to have it.

Page 76 - Guardian of Metropolis Special #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by James Robinson, Art by Pere Perez

Looks like the original Guardian is back- kind of a shame, since Morrison’s Jake Jordan was one of the few bright spots of that Seven Soldiers mess, but what can you do. Nonetheless, Jim Harper is a good character, and should make for a decent story. This issue is going to build on the events in Superman’s Pal, Jimmy Olsen Special #1, so you should remember to pick that issue up in October if you plan to get this one. This issue promises the “true” origin of the Guardian - possibly worth checking out for that alone.

Page 108 - The Sandman: The Dream Hunters #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Nail Gaiman, Adaptation by P. Craig Russell

20 years after the release of The Sandman, we are seeing this adaptation of a prose story put out some 10 years ago. To boot, the cover for this issue will be drawn by Yuko Shimizu, who provided illustrations for the original story.

Chances are, if you are a Neil Gaiman fan you already know of the story, and are already interested in picking this adaptation up. The preview pages look decent so far - Russell’s art is, as always, a good fit for the story style.

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

Page 152 - Noble Causes #40, $3.50, 32 Pages
Written by Jay Faerber, Art by Yildiray Cinar and Ryan Vera

This one is a real shame. Noble Causes was a great series that was a highly enjoyable read. Especially after Cinar took over on the art - his style was just a perfect fit for the story. Even as a fan of this series, it became impossible to keep up with after a while because the title was so late all the time. That is the problem with most Image books - they are nearly impossible to follow since you literally have no idea when the next issue will come out.

Really sorry to see this property go, but if the mini format works better for timeliness, then I am all for it. Hopefully this is not the end of Noble Causes.

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

Page M11 - Ultimatum #1, $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by David Finch

Normal event rhetoric? Lessee… must have book, massive disaster, defining moment of truth, setting the stage for the universe for years to come… yup. It’s all there.

Ultimatum is promising to change the entire Ultimate Universe… that might not be a terrible idea. Of course, they should leave Spider-Man alone, there has never been anything wrong with that book, but all of the other Ultimate books really could use a fresh approach. Event fatigue will be a factor on this one - but thankfully, it only crosses into the Ultimate books with a few Annuals thrown in. The event itself gets going this month - all of the Ultimate books in September are on the checklist for the event, so if you are looking to follow Ultimatum, now is the time to start picking those issues up.

Page M20 - Adam: Legend of The Blue Marvel #1 (of 4), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Kevin Grevioux, Art by Mat Broome

No - it looks like this Blue Marvel is different than the duplicate of Marvel Boy. Marvel is trying something a little weird here - coming up with a new “powerhouse” hero (read: Superman clone), but making him a relic from the 60s that disappeared. Marvel seems really taken by the idea of having a Superman equivalent in the Marvel Universe - they really pushed Sentry for a while, but that just didn’t seem to work very well. Is this series the beginning of another attempt? Possibly - could be a good read nonetheless. Grevioux is doing good things on New Warriors, and this story does seem like a pretty original idea for Marvel. Could be worth checking out.

Page M22 - Avengers: The Initiative Special, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Christos Gage & Dan Slott, Art by Steve Uy

Avengers: The Initiative has been one of Marvel’s best books, and far & away the best Avengers title on the market right now. One of its strengths has been the variety of characters that appear in the book. Sure, some characters come and go, some characters are more successful than others, but they are always taken seriously, no matter how low in the overall Marvel Universe pecking order they are. Readers appreciate that.

One of the consequences of a title with so many characters are certain plot elements that just can’t fit into the regular story. Thankfully, when a title sells well, dangling plot elements like that can be dealt with in a special issue! The story in this issue will go back to Hardball’s involvement with Hydra, Komodo discovering his secret allegiance, and the untold origin story of Trauma (written by a returning Dan Slott). This will be a good issue - and a must for Avengers: The Initiative fans.

Page M34 - Guardians of the Galaxy #7, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by Paul Pelletier

Well - only 7 issues into it, and already a new line-up. I suppose that kind of makes sense - start with the familiar characters, then bring in a few new ones to solidify a stronger “team.” Gamora and Ronan didn’t seem much like team players anyway. Still, from the looks of the cover, the new team is mostly familiar anyway, and it is a good bet that Star-Lord will be back at some point. Guardians has been a highly entertaining book during its short run - this new arc should be more of the same. It should be a good chance for a new reader to jump onboard, being the beginning of a new arc - if you have missed this title so far you should give it a shot in November.

Page M51 - Iron Man: Weapon of S.H.I.E.L.D. #35, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Christos Gage, Art by Sean Chen

Looks like this will be the last issue of this title - leading into a brand new War Machine ongoing starting next month. Of course, Gage will not be helming that series, which is unfortunate, but Greg Pak is taking the helm, so all hope is not lost.

Some people question whether another Jim Rhodes book will be successful. After all, previous War Machine books weren’t exactly successful. These days, however, things aren’t so sure. Nova is a great example of a character that was never wildly popular, but whose solo book is doing fantastic. With the right writer, anything is possible. And with the quality of work Pak is putting out these days, things look good in the short term for a War Machine title.

If you are at all curious about the upcoming book, do be sure to pick this issue up, as it will no doubt lead right into it.

Page M53 - Nova #19, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Art by Wellington Alves

Speaking of Nova, looks like issue #19 is going to be a big one.

Once before since this title began, Abnett and Lanning have hinted at the return of the Nova Corps. Looks like with this issue it might finally be happening. Looks like Worldmind is going to be back as well - no telling how angry is going to be after the accident that shut his system down a couple issues ago.

Nova has been one of the most entertaining titles on the rack these days, and certainly on the top of the heap at Marvel. The prospect of a reconstituted Nova Corps is a huge step for the book. Looking forward to seeing where Abnett & Lanning take this one.

Page M64 - Thor: Man of War, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Matt Fraction, Art by Patrick Zircher and Clay Mann

This is the third Thor one-shot from Matt Fraction, and if the first two are any indication it should be worth picking up. This issue finds Odin, tired of Thor’s rebellious nature, turning on his son to put down his complaints once and for all. Odin vs. Thor - not too bad for an action one-shot, now is it? This team did a decent job on the last two one shots… you can expect this issue to be no different. A nice, safe bet.

Page M77 - X-Men/Spider-Man #1 (of 4), $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Christos Gage, Art by Mario Alberti

Rather than just one team-up, this mini looks like it is going to be a series of team-ups spanning the entire history of the Marvel Universe (though you can bet that there will be a common thread throughout the whole story). Sometimes retrospectives like this can be interesting - and keeping in line with the “everything Gage touches is gold” rule which seems to be holding up so far, this series should be an outstanding read. A definite safe bet.

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

Page 201 - The Greatest American Hero #1 (of 6), $3.50, 32 Pages, Arcana Studios

By Katt, Folino, O’Reilly, and Hilinski

Wow - William Katt writing a Greatest American Hero story? Well, it is a great 80s geek dream come true, but can he tell a good story? I would imagine that with the help of the more experienced comic writers working on this book, they will put together something decent.

Arcana has a great recommendation for putting out a quality product. There are few Independent publishers I would feel comfortable with putting out a book based on this nugget from my childhood - and Arcana is definitely one of them. Looking forward to checking this one out.

Page 222 - Farscape #1 (of 4), $3.99, 24 Pages, Boom! Studios
By Rockne O’Bannon, Keith R.a. DeCandido, & Tommy Patterson

The price seems a little steep for a 24 page comic, but I doubt Farscape fans are really going to mind. This series is going to be written by the creator of Farscape, Rockne O’Bannon, and is considered (for all intents and purposes) Season 5 of Farscape. The story will take us to Hyneria, and will pick up pretty shortly after the Peacekeeper Wars ended.

Between this and the upcoming Sci Fi Channel Web Series, it is a good time to be a Farscape fan. Now if we can only get a little more Firefly…

Craig’s Top Five Of The Month

#5 - Noble Causes #40, $3.50, 32 Pages, Image A goodbye - hopefully the Nobles will be back in mini form soon.

#4 - Terra #1 (of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics A good preview of the upcoming Power Girl team.

#3 - Avengers: The Initiative Special, $3.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics One of Marvels best books, consistently. Looking forward to getting more on this dangling plot thread.

#2 - Gigantic #1 (of 5), $3.50, 32 Pages, Dark Horse Rick Remender is always worth trying. This one looks interesting.

#1 - Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion Day 1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics As excited as Billy Tucci seems about this series, you almost have to pick it up.

The opinions in this article are the writer’s alone, and no not necessarily reflect the views of X-World Comics or comiXtreme.com.

Post your comments in the Forum!

---