DARK HORSE COMICS
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Page 35 – B.P.R.D. The Black Goddess #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi, Art by Guy Davis and Dave Stewart

The good times continue to roll for fans of Mignola’s Hellboy and B.P.R.D. Universes. This is the second of three planned stories that are supposed to bring together a bunch of old B.P.R.D. plot threads. This arc picks up where the last ended, with the team off in search of Liz.

B.P.R.D. is a consistently good series that is always worth checking out.

DC COMICS
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Page 82 – Booster Gold #16, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Dan Jurgens, Art by Dan Jurgens and Norm Rapmund

Ah, one of the few times of late a tease comment by Dan Didio was really worth it. Enemy Ace! A little over a month ago, DC announced that January would feature “Faces of Evil” issues throughout their publishing line. Mostly these covers would be dominated by villains, a comment on the “Day that Evil Won” theme that is at the heart of Final Crisis. Of course, Enemy Ace has popped up in various minis (including Bruce Jones’ The War that Time Forgot), but this issue sends Booster Gold back to World War I where he will confront von Hammer. There doesn’t seem to be much beyond just having a villain on the cover to this “event,” but this alone makes it fun.

Page 83 – Green Lantern #38, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert

The full-blown introduction to the “Violet Lanterns” ends in December over in Green Lantern Corps, and this month in Green Lantern fleshing out of the Red Lanterns gets wrapped up, and the Guardians of the Orange Light are introduced. Seems like we are almost ready to have those Black Lanterns start to pop up – then it is on to Blackest Night!

Green Lantern seems to be the most entertaining corner of the entire DCU right now: this doesn’t look like it is about to change in 2009.

Page 84 – Manhunter #38, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Marc Andreyko, Art by Michael Gaydos

Eight short issues later, Manhunter is cancelled once again. In a funny way, it could be pointed out that this title’s resurrection didn’t last nearly as long as it took for DC to fulfill its promise to bring the title back.

Yeah, as irritating as the delay was, it really is the fans fault this otherwise good title didn’t make it. It seems to need pointing out time and time again, but is there any surprise that critically acclaimed books like this one don’t make it, when they are only selling twelve thousand copies a month, when horrible books like All Star Batman and Robin sell almost ten times that whenever it is released? In September, All Star Batman and Robin #10 was the only DC title in the top ten of sales with 94,057 copies sold. Manhunter #163 sold 12,234 copies. ASBaR hadn’t seen print in over six month, and was panned in the reviews just as badly as every other issue, whereas Manhunter was almost universally praised.

With sales figures like this, is it any wonder why comic publishers ignore critical reviews and just go based on what makes money? Manhunter will be missed without a doubt, but it would seem it will only be missed by a fraction of the readers who buy the All Star book.

It comes down to this – if a book is terrible, stop buying it. That is the only way great books will survive, and the truly bad won’t be forced on us so much.

Page 86 – Justice Society of America #23, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Geoff Johns & Alex Ross, Art by Dale Eaglesham

This issue is another of those “Faces of Evil” books, featuring the return of Black Adam. The idea of the Justice Society having to protect Felix Faust from an enraged Black Adam is a little amusing – why anyone would think it a good idea to imprison the soul of the woman who’s death caused someone with Black Adam’s power to go on a murderous rampage is beyond me. But hey – it is a great way to bring Adam back! Wonder if we will get a little Captain Marvel in this one as well…

Page 91 – The Spirit Special #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
By Will Eisner

Yeah, plenty of reasons to be a little nervous about the upcoming Frank Miller screen adaptation of The Spirit. Thankfully, DC is releasing more than enough of the classic material to get you through this trying time. This issue includes four classic Spirit stories – Sign of the Octopus, Black Alley, Sand Saref, and Bring in San Saref, all four from 1950 and before.

We will get through this movie yet!

Page 97 – Batman: The Brave and The Bold #1, $2.50, 32 Pages
Written by Matt Wayne, Art by Andy Suriano & Dan Davis

Well, anyone who had some small hope that Ted Kord would be returning at some point to take back the mantle of the Blue Beetle will be saddened to see the final nail in his coffin has been set. This comic is based upon the upcoming cartoon that features Jaime Reyes as the Blue Beetle alongside Batman, Plastic Man, and Aquaman. Yup – once a character makes it into Warner’s larger multimedia universe, this is a sign that they are there to stay! Not so bad in Jaime’s case, he has really cemented himself in the DCU and has become a really engaging character. This is a surprise, though not really an unwelcome one.

Page 101 – Mysterius: The Unfathomable #1 (of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Tom Fowler

This one doesn’t really feel like a typical Wildstorm project, and perhaps that is a good thing. Jeff Parker, of course, is the man behind the outstanding X-Men: First Class series, and Tom Fowler’s work has been seen on Green Arrow. Fowler and Parker actually seem to be a pretty good match, knowing what I do about Parker’s writing style, I could see him meshing very well with Parker’s story. The preview pages (quite funny, actually) do bear this out. This mini seems to be a safe bet.

IMAGE COMICS
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Page 142 – Frank Frazetta’s Moon Maid, $3.99, 32 Pages
Written by Jay Fotos, Art by Tim Vigil

This is the latest comic adaptation of one of Frank Frazetta’s paintings. This one is probably better classified as “Sword and Planet,” that blend of sword and sorcery fantasy and sci-fi.

Overall, these haven’t been too bad. The stories have been light – but the real focus is the imagery. If you enjoyed Death Dealer or Dark Kingdom, odds are you will like this as well.

Hrm – I wonder if this could lead to an adaptation of the Barsoom series, with a look inspired by Frazetta’s cover art? That would be outstanding.

Page 146 – G-Man #1, $5.95, 64 Pages
By Chris Giarusso

It seems like this one is a reprint, but it really isn’t labeled as such. Oh well – even if it is, it is a great opportunity to catch it if you missed it the first time around. Chris Giarusso is the man behind the Mini Marvels and Bullpen Bits strips. G-Man is very much in that style, only with wholly original characters. This was a pretty good issue, very well received when it was first released back in 2004. G-Man is solid, light humor that superhero fans will enjoy. Worth a peak if you haven’t already read it.

Page 154 – Invincible #58, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley & FCO Plascencia

Well, here we are – the start of 2009, and the first month of Robert Kirkman’s “On time in ’09- GUARANTEED” pledge. Robert Kirkman certainly made a lot of waves with his “manifesto” about what creators need to do to save comics. As many of you will remember, one of the biggest criticisms of his comments were that he didn’t mention self-published creators or those working on creator-owned titles general inability to release books on time. Kirkman being one of those. Perhaps this is in response to that – either way, hopefully he makes good on the promise. The industry will be much, much healthier if more attention is paid to deadlines, and comics once again become monthly.

Of course, every one of them has been resolicited this month (meaning he has a bit of a head start), but you have to start somewhere. Will he do it? Let’s keep track!

Solicited Robert Kirkman Issues for 2009
The Walking Dead #57, January 7th
Invincible #58, January 14th
The Astounding Wolf-Man #12, January 21st
Brit #12, January 28th

Page 170 – Velocity #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Joe Casey, Art by ChrisCross

Velocity was the winner of last year’s “Pilot Season” from Top Cow, and thus we see the first issue of her new series here. Of course, this series will likely be in the usual Top Cow style, so certainly existing fans will enjoy it. Chriscross on the art is always worth checking out, and Joe Casey’s G0dland is highly acclaimed, as was his runs on Wildcats and GI Joe. Worth taking a risk on.

MARVEL COMICS
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Page M6 – Super Hero Squad One-Shot, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Paul Tobin, Art by Marcelo DiChiara & Christ Sotomayor

Sometimes it is amazing to see all the things Marvel does for kids that just doesn’t make it into the Comic Shop culture. MarvelKids.com? Never knew it existed. It would seem that the “kids” tab on Marvel’s regular homepage actually lead somewhere. This one-shot collects a bunch of comics featured on MarvelKids.com – looks like there was some Mini Marvels influence here, but not quite as humor-oriented. Could be a good buy if you have kids.

Page M36 – Dr. Doom and The Masters of Evil #1, $2.99, 32 Pages
Written by Paul Tobin, Art by Patrick Scherberger

This book has something of an old-school flare about it. It looks like this might be a 4 issue mini series, but the solicit itself doesn’t specify. Basically this series is going to be a collection of short tales featuring a version of the Sinister Six plus Doctor Doom. Villains rarely make good protagonists in an ongoing, but for a mini, it could be a lot of fun. Expect a variety of heroes and a lot of action. Great for classic Spider-Man fans.

Page M39 – X-Men vs. Hulk #1, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Scott Clark

OK – so the solicit is a little confusing… Wolverine gets The Hulk to help him “knock Colossus down a couple pegs?” OK, that doesn’t make a lot of sense, especially since the title is X-Men vs. Hulk. Probably best not to think about it too much. Logan and Peter usually play well off each other, and a brawl with the Hulk just promises an action-packed issue. Just look forward to a brawl in this one, which is exactly what it should be.

Page M46 – Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider, $4.99, 48 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Marv Wolfman, Art by Juhn Buscema and Sal Buscema

New to Nova? Long time fans of old Buckethead probably don’t need this refresher (though it may be worth picking up for the “framing sequence” by the current Nova writers), but this issue reprints Nova Volume 1 #1 and #4, originally printed in 1976. This issue being printed seems to suggest that Abnett and Lanning may be planning to revisit some of the things we saw in this early issues, before Nova became as popular as he now is. Who says patience doesn’t pay off? Also this month is Nova #21, which will still be dealing with the return of the Nova Corps on Earth. Old New Warrior fans will be happy here since it seems that Darkhawk is still going to be around. And here we thought his guest appearance was going to only be an issue or two.

Speaking as someone who has watched Nova book after New Warriors book get cancelled time and time again, it is amazing to see the character finally achieve some success. And it looks like it isn’t going to slow down anytime soon.

Awesome.

Page M50 – Punisher #1, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Rick Remender, Art by Jerome Opena

Looks like “War Journal” is being dropped in favor of an ongoing Punisher book. Possibly makes sense, since Civil War is a thing of the past, and that was pretty much the only reason we had the “War Journal” tag on this title anyway. Remender and Opena have done an ok job on this book – the two have worked together in the past on Fear Agent (though with luck, this title won’t experience similar deadline issues), and they do work well together. The solicit hints at a “Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe” direction for this book, which is always a good direction for Frank Castle.

Page M58 – Thor #600, $4.99, 104 Pages
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Stan Lee, and Chris Giarrusso, Art by Oliver Copiel and Chris Giarrusso

Isn’t cancelling a book a few times and later relaunching with new #1s, only to revert to “classic numbering” when a major milestone is reached a little like having your cake and eating it too? Don’t get me wrong, 600 issues is a milestone, but it isn’t really continuous, and not quite the same as if the book ran 600 issues without interruption or renumbering. Not that it isn’t a big deal anyway to Thor fans, and Marvel is pulling out all the stops for this issue. In addition to the continuing story, Thor creator Stan Lee offers a new story, and there will be an extended Mini Marvels Thor story. Perhaps not as big a deal if we really got 600 continuous issues, but it is still something to take note of. Good month for Thor fans.

Page M61 Secret Invasion: War of Kings, $3.99, 48 Pages
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning, Art by Paul Pelletier and Bong Dazo

After two Annihilations, is there any reason not to give this team a chance on another event? Instead of dealing with Nova and the usual gang of Marvel Cosmic heroes, this book deals more closely with the X-Men and Inhumans, with the Guardians of the Galaxy added in for familiarity. The “prelude” is set to end with this issue, and will focus on the two opposing kinds, Black Bolt and Vulcan. Seems like this will likely get going with the main event in February – something to look out for, especially if you have enjoyed DnA’s fantastic work at Marvel of late.

INDEPENDENT COMICS
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Page 327 – The Middleman Collected Series: Indispensability Compendium TP, $19.95, 336 Pages, Viper Comics
Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach, Art by Les McClain

This collection has been released before, but in the meantime, the first season of The Middleman was broadcast on ABC Family. The series was fantastic (well, the comic always was, but it translated well to TV), and now this title is on many more radars.

This trade collects the first three volumes of The Middleman – basically the entire series to date. Considering how many issues are in this volume, it is a great bargain for the price. And you will definitely enjoy it.

There still has been no word on whether The Middleman TV Show is cancelled or if we will be seeing a Season 2. So pick this book up, check out the show, and share it with as many people as you can. It is great TV, and it would be a shame to see it go away.

Craig’s Top Five Of The Month

#5 – Manhunter #38, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics. The final issue – not a tremendous surprise, but it will be sad to see this one go.
#4 – Nova: The Origin of Richard Rider, $4.99, 48 Pages, Marvel Comics. – Perhaps Abnett & Lanning is finally going to incorporate some of Richard Rider’s history into the outstanding Nova series? About time!
#3 – Velocity #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Image Comics. The winner of the 2008 Pilot Season. Shows potential.
#2 – B.P.R.D. The Black Goddess #1 (of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages, Dark Horse. New BPRD is always worth checking out.
#1 – Thor #600, $4.99, 104 Pages, Marvel Comics. 600 Issues for Thor… may not be in a row, but that is still a nice accomplishment.

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

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