Both Ryan's and my thoughts and expectations for the titles on each of our pull lists for the coming week can be found in the Post-Crisis Previews after the jump.
AVENGERS ACADEMY #3Written by Christos Gage
Art by Mike McKone
You've heard of ""Scared Straight""--when impressionable teens are brought inside a prison to get the harsh truth about criminal life from the inmates themselves. Well, the Academy kids are about to experience it super-villain style...courtesy of Juggernaut and the new Thunderbolts program! But it's another inmate that captures their attention...the man who imprisoned, experimented on and tortured them: Norman Osborn! When The Raft goes into lockdown, are they trapped inside with him, or is he trapped inside with them? Plus: the origin of Hazmat! And guest appearances by Luke Cage, Iron Fist and Valkyrie! Don't miss the next chapter in the most unpredictable Heroic Age title of all!
Ryan: I can’t see anything about “Scared Straight” without thinking of the recent SNL skits with Keenan “Good Burger” Thompson that have been surprisingly hilarious. That has nothing to do with this comic, but its worth noting. Avengers Academy has been top-notch in its first two issues, so I have no reason to believe that this won’t be another great issue. Now that we know Finesse has a major dark side, I think we could be in for some pretty great scenes between her and the Thunderbolts. Plus, any issue guest starring Iron Fist is on its way to a win in my book.
BATMAN BEYOND #3 (OF 6)Written by Adam Beechen
Art by Ryan Benjamin & John Stanisci
Batman's investigation into the murders of Dark Knight villains past and present leads him to old associates of Bruce Wayne...some of whom aren't so happy to see him. While the mysterious killer picks his next target, the rift between Terry and Bruce widens.
Kirk: Rift between Terry and Bruce widens? What? When did this rift start? This better not be more Batgirl-like character assassination from Beechen slipping into what has otherwise been an enjoyable miniseries so far.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #51Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Ardian Syaf
BRIGHTEST DAY continues as Hannu, the Green Lantern who does not want to use his power ring, is the only hope to rescue Kyle Rayner, John Stewart and Ganthet. Does he stand a chance against an entire planet controlled by Cyborg Superman? Plus, what are the Qwardians are up to?
Kirk: Bedard and Syaf have managed to keep me hooked on Green Lantern Corps since taking over for Tomasi and Gleason. I'll admit there's a slight dip in quality, particularly on the art side of the equation, but I'm still very much enjoying this title. Can't wait to see more of Cyborg Superman and what he's been up to.
SECRET AVENGERS #4Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Mike Deodato Jr
The fate of one hero and the birth of another will be decided here, as the Secret Avengers true enemy is finally exposed! It's an all-new kind of Avengers by award-winning writer Ed Brubaker and acclaiming artist Mike Deodato, Jr.
Kirk: That's such a great cover. I've been dying to see what happens with regards to that image since it first popped up many moons ago. Pretty safe bet the Worldmind just speaks to Steve Rogers based on what's happening in this series so far, but damn if it wouldn't be cool to see him deputized for the duration of the story until they free Nova from the Serpent Crown's control.
Ryan: This is the make-it-or-break-it issue for Secret Avengers. I love the creative team, the lineup is fantastic, and Mike Dedodato’s art has been stellar. Unfortunately, Brubaker has made some major missteps over the last few issues, including completely writing out half of the characters, that have completely killed this book’s momentum. Unless things turn around with this issue, I will be dropping what should be one of Marvel’s most exciting titles.
SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN #1Written by Fred Van Lente
Art by Mahmud Asrar
SHADOWLAND: POWER MAN #1 (of 4) Written by FRED VAN LENTE Penciled by MAHMUD ASRAR Cover by MIKE PERKINS Exploding out of the blood-strewn streets of Shadowland: the all-new, all-different Power Man! Who is he? Why is he one of the few heroes to oppose Daredevil's rule over Hell's Kitchen? And what is his connection to Daniel Rand's School of Thunder dojo...and the killer called Bullseye? That's what Luke Cage and Iron Fist must discover--before the vengeful swords of The Hand find this young mystery man first! All-out martial arts action begins here as Fred Van Lente (MARVEL ZOMBIES 3-5) and Mahmud Asrar (SIEGE: YOUNG AVENGERS) introduce a new star with a host of secrets!
Kirk: I know this is just a random Shadowland tie-in, but Fred Van Lente and Mahmud Asrar is a pretty damn compelling creative team. I'm not sure how I feel about a new Power Man, but I'm willing to pick this up just to see what Van Lente has in store and to see some of Asrar's art.
THE SPIRIT #5Written by David Hine and David Lapham
Art by Moritat and Michael William Kaluta
"Frostbite"" continues with The Spirit on thin ice – literally! As Central City is engulfed in a whiteout blizzard, Ebony's on the brink of death and The Spirit must carry her across town to save her life — with every hood in town baying for their blood!
And in the co-feature, THE SPIRIT: BLACK & WHITE, Stray Bullets and YOUNG LIARS scribe David Lapham teams with MADAME XANADU master Michael Wm. Kaluta to tell the tale of the deadliest New Year's ever! It's ""666 in 10...9...8...""
Ryan: As much as I dug Mark Schultz’s opening arc on this series, David Hine’s first issue completely blew the first story out of the water. His natural chemistry with artist Moritat has taken this series to a whole new level. Was that a fluke? I hope not, but we’ll find out this week with the follow-up issue.
STAR WARS: LEGACY #50Written by John Ostrander
Art by Jan Duursema
The galaxy is teetering on the edge of a new future, with everyone fighting for a foothold — not to mention their lives! The galaxy that emerges from this chaotic battle could even end up without a Skywalker to carry the legacy that so many have come to depend on...
The final issue! Sith versus Sith! Jedi versus Sith! Imperials versus Sith! Cade Skywalker versus Sith! It's all-out war!
Ryan: The final issue of Star Wars: Legacy?! Say it ain’t so! I’ve loved this series since day one, but Ostrander and Duursema have really hit their stride in the last year with some of the most densely packed comics I’ve read in a very long time. While there will be a follow-up miniseries to close out Cade’s story, there are a ton of story threads to be closed out here. As long as the creative team doesn’t leave us hanging, this could definitely top this week’s Rankings.
SUPERGIRL #55Written by Sterling Gates
Art by Jamal Igle
Enter: Bizarro Supergirl! But how did she get to Earth and just what does she want? The real Supergirl better find out fast, or else there won't be much left of Metropolis to save! And to make things worse, an even bigger threat looms on the horizon with an eye for the Girl of Steel!
Ryan: We haven’t seen much of her, but I’m already won over by Bizarro Supergirl simply because of Jamal Igle’s great design and my faith that Sterling Gates can build a solid script around her. After a year or so of being a victim of the Superman family of books being tied up in crossover after crossover, this title is finally on the right track once again.
THUNDERBOLTS #147Written by Jeff Parker
Art by Kevin Walker
Guest-starring the Avengers Academy! A scared-straight visit from the next generation of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes goes horribly wrong and Luke Cage isn't sure which of his Thunderbolts he can count on to regain control of The Raft! Also, can Cage keep objective when he realizes one of the prisoners is the man who once controlled his wife: the sinister Purple Man? Find out in the latest chapter of the book that ToyFare magazine says “can’t not be awesome”!
Kirk: Thunderbolts has been a real treat since Parker took over. Purple Man should make for an interesting villain. Looking forward to seeing how Luke Cage reacts to him knowing the history between Purple Man and his wife, as related in Alias.
UNCANNY X-MEN #527Written by Matt Fraction
Art by Whilce Portacio
The fallout of SECOND COMING is still taking its toll on the X-Men. We can't tell you anything else until the end of SECOND COMING!
Ryan: I’m really digging the concept of The Five Lights, with the X-Men searching out the first five mutants that have appeared since M-Day, but this series has been so inconsistent for the last few years, so I’m really not sure how long I’m going to hold out. Whilce Portacio is definitely the weak link here, but if Fraction can put together a solid enough script, this issue could ride the momentum of Second Coming to being a solid read.
WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #14Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Davide Gianfelice
During the shocking events of SECOND COMING, Logan lost one of his dearest friends: Nightcrawler. Now with the reading of Nightcrawler's will, Logan learns that his friend had one last request, something Logan can not refuse, no matter how much it might pain him. Don't miss this stirring series finale that helps pave the way for next month's WOLVERINE #1
Kirk: From what I understand, there wasn't much of a send off for Nightcrawler outside a brief funeral scene and Logan and Storm sharing a moment in the aftermath of Second Coming. I'm kind of interested in seeing what Aaron has in store for us with this reading of Kurt's will and how it will affect Wolverine.
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12 comments:
Dropped GLC and dropping Secret Avengers after this issue. GLC because its okay but not as good as Tomasi and Gleason and Secret Avengers b/c its just not a very good book despite the A-list creative team.
secret avengers using a plot in which a superhero is deputized for an intergalactic police force??? wow that seems to be a rip-off from some popular comic book that I can not remember right now....
PRITT
PRITT: Yeah, it's a plot from an earlier issue of Nova. They've already deputized plenty of people over the years, you know?
But hey, maybe they will make a Nova Steve Rogers action figure, I'll be all over that!
Also, did you know that there was a time when the Nova Corps deputized a planet? I wonder where they get all these kooky ideas from!
What a great week. My three favorite comics are coming out this week. Of all things, I didn't expect Avengers Academy and Thunderbolts to have a crossover, especially when the T-bolts just got a new roster (after this it's Shadowland, another crossover).
ombined they will probably make for great reading. Norman Osborn? Purple Man? IRON FIST? (it's like they put him in there just for you, Ryan ;) )
The third book is Secret Avengers. I'm not dropping it but #2 and #3 have been a let down, but I have high hopes for #4
Interesting, but it should be noted that first appearance of Nova was 1976 and the distinguished competition had their green lantern corps appeared from 1959... almost 18 years before, so yep that is also some interesting data.
DIANA
Kirk and Ryan S. - Amazing Spider-man #640 and New Avengers #3 also come out this week. Did y'all drop those books?
Kirk and Ryan,
Have both of you dropped "Streets of Gotham" due to that whole co-feature being bigger than the main feature last month? Or are you going to flip through it at the comic shop and make the decision to pick it or skip it then?
Kirk and Ryan
Never mind. I just saw the preview for "Streets of Gotham" on CBR, and Dini isn't even credited on the cover. It looks like the Two-Face story will take over the entire comic this month.
So that means (hopefully) that the "House of Hush" will begin in September, take a month off in October for "the Return" event, then resume in November, but continity-wise may be before Bruce's return.
It also means that I will be skipping "Streets of Gotham" this month, which I am not happy about.
Quite frankly, this whole situation is incredibly frustrating to me, because Paul Dini is ten times better at writing Batman than Grant Morrison. Case and point: "Heart of Hush" was a better story than "Batman R.I.P." in spades. However, because Dan Didio is absolutely in love with Morrison's convoluted, silver-age fetish stories, the better Bat-writer Dini is getting the shaft.
It has become clear that Dini, is looking at this situation as, "why should I put my Batman work ahead of my successful TV work and Zantanna, when clearly even the "Batgirl" book is more important to DC than mine."
Okay, rant over. I will however, be picking up the "House of Hush" issues of Streets, no matter how long it takes. Because I know at the end, it will be a better story than Morrison's "Return of Bruce Wayne."
P.S.>>Kirk and Ryan, will either of you be picking up the Hush issues of Streets, or is this the end of it for you?
P.S.S.>>Hey Morrison, the whole "Batman Inc." concept was tried already, in the Red Cirle book "The Web." It was cancelled in ten issues.
Ex Machina #50
That's all that needs to be said
Hey I actually read all 10 issues of The Web and liked it
I do not think 'm gonna read the green lantern rip-off comic from marvel. Thats not original
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