DARK HORSE COMICS
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Apocalypse Nerd #2 (of 6), $2.99. By Peter Bagge. Lots of good humor potential with this one. What does today’s modern geek do without the luxuries of modern society? Well, tabletop gaming would get boring after a while. A fun, funny series. 32 Pages.
Star Wars Empire #36, $2.99. Written by Welles Hartley, Art by Davidé Fabbri. First part of a brand new 5 part story arc. It is going to be curious to see how well the Star Wars titles at Dark Horse will fare in the months to come. Not that they won't continue to be of quality, but now that Episode II has come and gone, there is a sense of finality to the whole ting. There will always be fans, and therefore readers, but casual interest almost has to dip. Should be an interesting story to watch. 32 Pages.
DC COMICS
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Action Comics #832, $2.50. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, Art by John Byrne & Nelson. Looks like a month off for Gail Simone, and replacing here is the outstanding writing team from Majestic. Truth be told, Simone’s run still isn’t wowing on this book. Not that it is really bad writing, it just feels like it is in a holding pattern, waiting for Infinite Crisis to unravel. Maybe just a bad time all together to start on Superman? A few more months should be really telling. 32 Pages.
Astro City Local Heroes TPB, $17.99. Written by Kurt Busiek, Art by Brent Anderson. Basically you have a whole mess of Astro City here. This fifth trade collects Astro City #21-22, Local Heroes #1-5, the Astro City Special, and the short story that appeared in the DC 9-11 Volume 2 book. Quite a lot of content for the price. Anyone who has been turned on to Astro City for the first time by reading Dark Age should consider picking this one up. 256 Pages.
Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #196, $2.50. Written by J.H. Williams III & Dan Curtis Johnson, Art by Seth Fisher. This arc has gotten its share of flak for it’s dated appearance – but that really is part of its charm, isn’t it? The art is the real treat of this story right now, as well as the story setting. This title turned a real corner when it went back to being “Legends.” Nice to have a little something different for a Batman title once again. 32 Pages.
Batman Strikes #14, $2.25. Written by Bill Matheny, Art by Christopher Jones & Terry Beatty. Only real trouble with these Johnny DC books is that it is hard to come up with new things to say about them! “The” Batman still hasn’t sold me like the Animated Series Batman did. But if you were to look at this as an Ultimate Batman, it sure does get the job done a lot better than All-Star has. So it has that going for it. 32 Pages.
Breach #10, $2.50. Written by Bob Harras, Art by Javier Pulido & Alvaro Lopez. Just one more month on this book – not really that much of a surprise. New titles with unfamiliar characters are always a tough sell, but this one had to contend with some very serious major events in the DCU for readers. Some less than stellar reviews didn’t help much, but the title was a bit dull. There was probably an audience out there for it, it just came along at a bad time. 32 Pages.
Fables #42, $2.75. Written by Bill Willingham, Art by Mark Buckingham. The beginning of a new era for Fables, the first post-Adversary arc. The mystery behind who the big guy is no more, and now the denizens of Fable-town must set out to warn worlds in the Adversary’s sites that he is coming. And he has more than planted the seeds for many plot-twists to come. This book remains one of the best on the racks, and this start of a new “mega-arc” (of sorts) is the perfect place for a new reader. Come see what you have been missing. 32 Pages.
Firestorm #18, $2.50. Written by Stuart Moore, Art by Jamal Igle, Rob Stull, Patrick Olliffe and Simon Coleby. Out of the frying pan, into the fire! After a pretty solid Villains United tie-in, Firestorm stumbles into the OMAC Project this month. Moore really deserves a lot of credit – he stepped in on a floundering title and gave it just enough oomph to be a really entertaining read, crossover and all. With some luck, he will remain on Firestorm for a long time to come. 32 Pages.
Green Arrow #55, $2.50. Written by Judd Winick, Art by Ron Garney & Bill Reinhold. This issue looks like a pretty action-packed one, as Ollie trades blows with Killer Frost and Mirror Master. Still not sure why the Dr. Light angle is being revisted once again, but Winick must have his reasons. 32 Pages.
Green Lantern Rebirth HC, $24.99. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ethan Van Sciver and Prentis Rollins. An important story, but once again, a real mixed bag. The story itself was a great read, Johns managed to capture a lot of what Green Lantern always was while setting up what it will be. On its own, it is a fantastic story for a Green Lantern Neophyte to pick up and get a real grasp of what a Green Lantern is supposed to be. The real drawback of this series is the return of Hal Jordan, an unnecessary resurrection that DC felt it needed to pull off for some reason. This remains an important read nonetheless – and anyone with a passing interest in Green Lantern at all should give this book a read. 176 Pages.
JLA #120, $2.50. Written by Bob Harras, Art by Tom Derenick & Dan Green. Those of you who read the last issue of JLA will recall the “Infinite Crisis #1 – Next!” tag at the end of the issue. Shouldn’t be any need to wait to read this issue though (but really, is anything going to bump Infinite Crisis #1 off the top of your stack?)– it looks like it deals mainly with the fall-out of the last arc, and the dissolution of the Justice League. The JLA will probably have a new face for a long time to come – so this is naturally another great jumping on point for new readers. Something we are going to be seeing a lot as Infinite Crisis rolls on. 32 Pages.
Majestic #10, $2.99. Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning; Art by Georges Jeanty & Trevor Scott. Despite the number ten on the cover, this does feel like a beginning arc of sorts for Majestic. Everything up to this point dealt with the aftermath of his trip to the DCU. Now we are finally seeing Majestic in his own setting, his own Earth. So far so good – still a good time to give this book a shot. 32 Pages.
Nightwing #113, $2.50. Written by Devin Grayson, Art by Cliff Chiang & Ande Parks. Seriously, could this title get any better? No, I mean, really? After Dixons flashback six issues, it seemed as if Grayson had to start her build all over again. Any doubts about a repeat performance were quickly dashed, however, as this story became more and more intricate and intriguing. Every week we believe that Nightwing is under cover, that he is going to come back, that he can’t sink any deeper. But deeper he goes. If it is her goal to make each and every reader really believe that Nightwing might not come back out of the darkness, she is doing a darn good job. 32 Pages.
Villains United #6 (Of 6), $2.50. Written by Gail Simone, Art by Dale Eaglesham & Wade von Grawbadger. Don’t you love it when things come together? This issue promises to reveal the identity of the Mockingbird – but we really can’t forget the action that is sure to come as Cat Man and company stand up against a Society onslaught, aided by a treasonous Cheshire. One of many titles to watch over the next week or two, as everything clicks into place. The build-up really is over! 32 Pages.
MARVEL COMICS
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Cable Deadpool #21, $2.99. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Patrick Zirchner. Tough to say what is behind it, but the last issue felt very much like starting over. Maybe it did need something of a fresh start - as good as the past several issues have been, this series never really fell into a good team-work dynamic between the two titular characters. Still doesn't - the two haven't really appeared together this arc. Hopefully this issue changes that. 32 Pages.
Exiles #71, $2.99. Written by Tony Bedard, Art by Paul Pelletier. Final part of the House of M tie-in arc is here. Everyone enjoying the Bedard/Pelletier pairing so far? Still get pangs of regret about Negation War every time I see this title mentioned now, but that is something that will probably never go away. 32 Pages.
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #1, $2.99. Written by Peter David, Art by Mike Weiringo. Still a huge shame that Waid didn't end up penning this one. Spider-Man readers should not that this is the first part of the four-month "The Other" crossover. So if you want to follow this story, you need to pick up all three of the Spider-Man books. Anyone picking up this title probably already knows that - I would just hate to see an Amazing reader confused when the next issue of that comes out. 32 Pages.
Ghost Rider #2 (Of 6), $2.99. Written by Garth Ennis, Art by Clayton Crain. Crain's art might end up being the real drawback of this book - the story is fairly decent, but the art is a bit tough to follow at times. Many of you will remember Crain's work on the Venom vs. Carnage series - the art is pretty similar here. Not as blockbuster as many might have expected, but not a terrible read. 32 Pages.
Also Available - Ghost Rider Directors Cut #1, $3.99.
Gravity #5 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Mike Norton. Sorry to say it, but this one ended up being a real disappointment for me. Not that it is a bad read, it just didn't really bring anything new to the table. Brand new hero stories aren't exactly new ground, and thus far this one isn't all that special. A rare dud for McKeever from where I am sitting. 32 Pages.
House Of M #7 (Of 8), $2.99. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Oliver Copiel. I really tried to give this one a chance - really I did. But here we are seven issues into it, and it still seems as if nothing has happened to warrant anything past one or two issues. The event feels forced, and somewhat predictable. Marvel does have the best line-up it has had in a while beyond this event though, so there are plenty of other options. 32 Pages.
Also Available - House Of M Larroca Variant Cover #7 (Of
8), $2.99.
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #5, $2.50. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Carlo Pagulayan. What kid doesn't like dinosaurs? A bit of the Savage Land comes to NYC in this issue, as the Fantastic Four have to contend with some dinosaurs running around the city. Solid all-ages goodness, as per usual. 32 Pages.
Marvel Knights 4 #23, $2.99. Written by Roberto-Aguirre Sacasa, Art by Valentine De Landro. Still a shock that this title is still around. It isn't really selling in Marvel's red zone yet, but it is a Fantastic Four title, and as such, it has much higher expectations. The new creative teams on this really haven't resonated with the fans, and it has been leaking readers ever since. Maybe there is another idea that could use this spot on Marvel's publishing line-up? 32 Pages.
Marvel Milestones Blade Man-Thing & Satana, $3.99. Written by Marv Wolfman, Steve Gerber, and Roy Thomas, Art by Gene Colan, Val Mayerik, and John Romita. A horror friendly issue - reprinting stories from Tomb of Dracula #10, Adventure into Fear #16, and Vampire Tales #2. Notable in this issue is the Adventure into Fear story, as it inspired the screenplay for the Man-Thing film. Of course, the Tomb of Dracula story that introduced Blade. Don't be expecting the Snipes version of the character here, this is original Blade. Should be worth picking up for anyone who only knows the current version of the character for that story alone. 48 Pages.
Marvel Monsters Where Monsters Dwell, $3.99. Written by Peter David, Jeff Parker, and Keith Giffen, Art by Arnold Pander, Russell Braun, and Keith Giffen. Marvel sure seems to be doing a lot with the monster themed books this month, aren’t they? Seems like this year people are gearing up for Halloween more than I can remember in a long time. Hey – if this leads to a permanent horror presence at Marvel, I am all game. 48 Pages.
Marvel Nemesis Imperfects #6 (Of 6), $2.99. Written by Greg Pak, Art by Renato Arlem. Well – the game is out. And it looks like it was about as well received as the comic tie-in was. Not to bash Marvel for it – it seems like EA Games is bumbling a bit lately (at least this game doesn’t have teeny-tiny fighters as a bug), and this game is another in a line of misses. Thankfully, with the rash of hot Marvel titles on the market now (Ultimate Spider-Man and X-Men Legends II to name a pair), Marvel has nothing to worry about in the game department. Sure, it’d be great to see a solid Marvel fighting game, but it doesn’t look like it is to be this time around. 32 Pages.
Mega Morphs #4 (Of 4), $2.99. Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Lou Kang. Last issue of the giant robot series for Marvel, right before DC starts up with theirs. Marvel must think there is an audience for this out there. I don’t doubt that this is true, but I can’t figure out for the life of me what the appeal is. There are plenty of giant robot stories out there that are perfectly fine – what this brings to the table is a bit murky. 32 Pages.
Mutopia X #4 (Of 5), $2.99. Written by David Hine, Art by Lan Medina. Last two issues of this House of M tie-in, and the very end of the District X series. This is really tragic in a way. Like Hine’s work on this series or no, few Marvel books garnered the serious critical acclaim that District X did. Sure, it didn’t have blockbuster sales, but rarely are the books in the top ten the actual best books on the shelves. Shame about this is that Hine isn’t being given a chance to really give this book a wind down – once the reality-bending crossover is over, so is the series. Seems just a bit too sudden a way of ending a series with a fanbase as solid as District X had. 32 Pages.
Ultimate X-Men #64, $2.50. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Stuart Immonen. The mutants vs. the Ultimates over the fate of Magneto. Not a bad bit of action, and it doesn’t look like there will be any new Ultimized characters this issue. So credit where credit is due! I still feel this title introduced way too many mutants too quickly, but at least Vaughan is getting a good arc out of it this time around. Good time to be on board this book. 32 Pages.
Wolverine #34, $2.50. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Javier Saltares. Part two of the three part Wolverine House of M tie in story. Way has a tough job here – satisfy fans of Millar’s more action-oriented run, appeal to unhappy Rucka fans who fled the title after the fairly drastic shift in tone, and fit the story into Marvel’s House of M event story. No, not an enviable position in the least. 32 Pages.
X-Men Bizarre Love Triangle TPB, $9.99. Written by Peter Milligan, Art by Salvador Larocca. Yes, bizarre is a good way to describe this one. Despite some fan unrest about the soapish nature this title took on (highlighted during ******’s run), Marvel gave readers the writer they wanted, but the soapish nature remained. This trade comes at a good price, but as a read, it will be something of a shock for fans of Milligan’s work. It is most atypical. Collecting X-Men #171-174. 96 Pages.
Craig's Pick of the Week
Infinite Crisis #1 (of 7), $3.99. Written by Geoff John, Art by Phil Jimenez & Andy Lanning. Seriously, was there any doubt at all that this would be the pick of the week? Are any of you not reading this? If you consider yourself a fan of superhero comics, you have to be picking this one up, no questions asked. The seeds of this series were planted long ago, the threads slowly drawn and weaved. This series is going to shape the whole of the DCU. And no, this isn’t the usual promise that publishers give you whenever they have a major event, anyone who has been reading the build-up will tell you that this is very much the real deal. If you have never picked up a DC Comic in your life, this is the one you finally need to try. 40 Pages.
_________________
Well, okay, but some of the comments I've heard about fans is that they're idiots. -Peter A. David
There is no such thing as a job Americans won't do. There are only jobs Americans won't do for slave wages.
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