Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 11/28/12

Time for your weekly round of Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews!  There's a ton of quality material coming your way this week, including the latest edition of the ever affable Adventure Time books, Chris Roberson and Alex Ross' new Masks series, and the fourth issue of Ken Garing's brilliant Planetoid.  So hit the jump to check my thoughts on these books and plenty more!

ADVENTURE TIME #10

Written by Ryan North

Art by Shelli Paroline & Braden Lamb

Backup Story Written by Jon M. Gibson

Backup Story Art by Jim Rugg

THERE’S NO BETTER TIME TO JUMP INTO THE ALL-AGES SENSATION! Join Jake the Dog and Finn the Human as they have sensational adventures in the magical land of Ooo! If you haven’t checked out the comic book adaptation of the hit Cartoon Network show, now’s the time!

Grant: This solicitation is somewhat light on the details, but its overly thrust is still accurate: you should be reading Adventure Time.  Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb have been doing a bang up job delivering quality comics month in and month out, and I imagine issue #10 will be no exception.  This belief is bolstered by the fact that North has mentioned that Adventure Time #10 will be a Choose Your Own Adventure comic, something that hasn't been seen since The Unwritten #17 (which was amazing, in case you didn't know).  It's hard to say if Adventure Time #10 will outdo that earlier effort, but I'm certain that finding out will be one heck of a good time.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE #33

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Rafael Albuquerque

Blood, fire and death…the final chapter of "The Blacklist" is here and not everyone is going to make it out alive. Don't miss the stunning conclusion to the biggest AMERICAN VAMPIRE epic so far!

Grant: Oh, man.  Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's American Vampire has been absolutely amazing of late.  "The Blacklist" has been a hard hitting story, hearkening back to the series' early days and bringing some unexpected faces back into the fray.  The whole thing has made for some excellent reading, and I see no reason to imagine that the conclusion in this issue will be any different.  The only downside here is that when books like American Vampire claim that "not everyone is going to make it out alive", you know they mean business.  I, for one, will definitely miss whoever doesn't make it through this issue.

BATMAN INCORPORATED #5

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Chris Burnham

• Return to the future world seen in BATMAN #666, where Damian has taken over the mantle of the Bat!

• The whole world has gone mad. The only sane people left are in Arkham Asylum – where Batman is the warden!

Grant: Batman #666 was a crazy departure from the norm, leaping forward to a dystopic future where Damian had long-since taken on the mantle of Batman.  Unfortunately for Gotham, Bruce's demise doesn't mean good things for the people of the city.  It was a fascinating done-in-one story, and I'm intrigued to see why Grant Morrison has deemed it worthwhile to return to that well.  Whatever the reason, I bet that it will make for a pretty darn good read.

BEDLAM #2

Written by Nick Spencer

Art by Riley Rossmo

"Swing Low."

Grant: The opening issue of this new series from Nick Spencer and Riley Rossmo was crazy intense.  While Madder Red, the book's manic supervillain and lead character, obviously owes a lot to the Joker, Spencer and Rossmo both did an excellent job of making the character much more than a simple Clown Prince of Crime clone.  Instead, we have a deranged and broken character who has a defined backstory and history (even if we don't yet know what it is) that will be able to grow and evolve as a character.  Things are still somewhat confusing at this early juncture, but I'm eager to get to spend more time with Madder Red and the people of Bedlam to get a better idea of what all is going on.  And at $3.50 for thirty pages of comic with no interrupting ads, the whole thing feels all the sweeter.

CHEW #30

Written by John Layman

Art by Rob Guillory

“SPACE CAKES,” Conclusion

The bonus-sized wedding issue, CHEW’s half-way point, and the issue that is gonna take EVERYBODY by surprise. Sure, it’s a terrible jumping-on point for new readers, but did we mention the FREE TRI-FOLD POSTER COVER, at no extra cost?

Grant: I cannot say enough good things about John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew, and like American Vampire, if they say things are going to be getting real, you better believe them.  I don't know what can be coming, but these two creators like to hit the milestone issues with big shake-ups, so be on the lookout for something big and something unexpected.  Should be good.

MASKS #1

Written by Chris Roberson

Art by Alex Ross

Starring The Shadow, The Green Hornet, Kato, and The Spider, in a story that only Dynamite could tell!

Before superheroes, there were Masks! They’ve always said it can’t happen here… but what if it did? It’s 1938, and the Justice Party has swept into office in New York State. But the newly-elected officials are in the control of powerful criminals, who quickly corrupt the law to their own advantage. When a fascist police state is instituted, the only ones who stand in defense of the innocent are masked vigilantes like the Shadow, the Green Hornet, Kato, and the Spider. Also, look forward to future appearances of Black Bat, Miss Fury, Black Terror, Green Lama and more!

When the law is unjust, justice must be an outlaw!

Grant: I have no idea whether or not this series is going to be any good, but Alex Ross' inclusion has guaranteed that I'll at least check it out.  I mean, how can you say no to this guy?  His painted comics are some the purtiest things in the business!  I mean, the inclusion of all these classic pulp characters helps, but I'm going to be there to see Ross' gorgeous interiors.

MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #1

Written by Katie Cook

Art by Andy Price

Welcome to Ponyville, home of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and all your other favorite Ponies! Something’s not right in the town though, as some of the inhabitants are acting very, very strange! It’s up to the Mane Six to find the source of the weirdness before it’s too late!

Grant: I haven't actually experience the resurgence of My Little Pony-ism that has been the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic TV show, but it's definitely been on my radar.  All the My Little Pony love is practically overrunning the internet, and while I don't know if I'm yet ready to take the plunge and watch the actual show, I am willing to check out its comic book equivalent.  And considering the massive amount of pre-orders on this book, it sounds like I'm far from being alone on that one.  Now we just need to see if it's any good...

PLANETOID #4

Written by Ken Garing

Art by Ken Garing

After a period of calm the Ono Mao strike back! How long can the newly formed settlement survive without the protection of Silas?

Grant: It's hard to believe that the last issue of this series came out way back in August.  The delays in Planetoid's schedule has been a bit of a bummer, but with the first three books being as good as they were, I'm hard pressed to be too upset about it.  There's just too much to love about this book.  Garing's world building has been fascinating, his art has been stunning, and his sense of storytelling has been ridiculously impressive.  They always say that good things come to those who wait, and in this case, I'm pretty confident that the expression is going to hold true.

There's an embarrassment of riches hitting stands this week, but I'm definitely the most excited about checking out the latest issue of Planetoid.  What are you waiting to get your hands on?  Something from the Big 2?  One of the smaller companies?  Hit the comments to share your thoughts with the world at large!

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