Time for your weekly dose of Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews! As per the norm, there are plenty of great looking comics to prescribe, including Buddy Cops, Peter Panzerfaust #10, Star Wars #3, and plenty more! I'll see you on the other side of the cut to talk about some of the books that you should be checking out.
Major Releases
BATMAN #18
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Andy Kubert and Sandra Hope
Backup Written by Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV
Backup Art by Alex Maleev
• Welcome guest-artist Andy Kubert!
• In the wake of unspeakable tragedy, Batman is in danger of losing his humanity!
• And in the backup story, fan-favorite character Harper Row returns—but will she be able to pull Batman back from the brink?
Grant: I think it's fascinating to see the Bat-family titles suddenly acting like what's happening in Batman, Incorporated is effecting the rest of the DC Universe after pretty much ignoring the series from its beginning. While I'm still on the fence as to how I feel about Damian Wayne's untimely death, I am pretty interested to see how its impact will be felt in different books, especially the main book. I imagine Scott Snyder should be able to do some compelling stuff with it, even if Greg Capullo isn't there to help. On the plus side, this issue sees the start of Alex Maleev's presence in the backup stories, which should be most excellent.
STAR WARS #3
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Carlos D'Anda
Princess Leia formed a secret squadron of stealth X-wings to help expose a spy within the Rebel ranks. But taking command puts her at odds with Luke Skywalker at a time they need solidarity more than ever—especially when the spy has alerted the Empire to Han Solo’s latest venture!
Grant: Brian Wood and Carlos D'Anda's Star Wars has been rock solid since issue #1. The two have really managed to conjure the sensibilities of the original Star Wars trilogy and classic Star Wars novels, and it's making for one hell of a ride. The fact that Princess Leia looks to be the book's central protagonist is particularly gratifying, as her potential has not always been seized upon and she has already shown herself to be pretty badass in the first two issues of this new series.
WOLVERINE #1
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Alan Davis
IT’S HUNTING SEASON!
The best there is at what he does gets an all-new on-going! Pay attention very closely: there’s a mystery here that even Wolverine hasn’t sniffed out yet. When Wolverine finds himself the bargaining chip in a hostage situation, he must make a decision to save a little boy that will follow him forever…literally! How can a berserker fight what he can’t see? And how far will he go to assert his humanity in the face of the Unknown? Find out when superstars Paul Cornell (CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MI:13, Doctor Who, Action Comics) and Alan Davis (AVENGERS, CLANDESTINE, EXCALIBUR, UNCANNY X-MEN) take on the Wolverine!
Grant: In case you don't already have enough Wolverine in your life, Paul Cornell and Alan Davis have your back! In all seriousness, I'm intrigued by this title due to Cornell and Davis' contributions, even if Wolverine is pretty omnipresent in the Marvel Universe. We'll see if the two can pull together something worth your comic book dollar.
New Kid on the Block
SLEDGEHAMMER 44 #1
Written by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi
Art by Jason Latour
August 1944: a man in a suit of iron armor drops from an American warplane onto a French battlefield, where he attempts to fight his way through an army of Nazis and the massive war machine they keep protected in an armory.
• Cover by Mike Mignola!
• Mike Mignola’s version of Iron Man!
• Artwork by Jason Latour (Captain America).
Grant: From the moment I heard about the existence of this book, I've been pretty darned excited. Anything Mike Mignola is worthy of interest, and I see no reason why this title won't follow that simple truth. It's got everything you could want: World War 2, super suits, and most importantly, Jason Latour's amazing art. The preview pages look absolutely gorgeous, and I can't wait to read a full 22 page comic of his art and Mignola and John Arcudi's writing.
You May Have Missed
BUDDY COPS
Written by Nate Cosby
Art by Evan Shaner
EXPLOSIONS! MONSTERS! BEER! Dark Horse proudly(ish) presents Buddy Cops, the classic tale of a demoted space cop and a 1970s android that hate each other and beat up evil things. Get ready to enjoy the laugh-inducing odd couple of Uranus and T.A.Z.E.R. as they take on gigantic orangutan and vegetation beasts while debating the sexualization of toasters! MONSTERSWAT!
• Features a brand-new cover, 24 story pages, and never-before-seen Buddy Cops material!
Grant: Buddy Cops has been one of my absolute favourite things to come out of Dark Horse Presents in a good long while. Combining the best elements of buddy cop stories with some complete dysfunctionality, Nate Cosby and Evan 'Doc' Shaner's Buddy Cops is absolutely hilarious. The storytelling is razor sharp, the art is spot on, and the entire package is a real winner. Even though this is reprinting the stories that appeared in Dark Horse Presents, it's definitely worth looking into if you missed any of those comics.
PETER PANZERFAUST #10
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by Tyler Jenkins
'PARIS' Conclusion The aftermath of a dangerous rescue mission leaves the group fractured and forever changes the face of their war. 'Both magical and adventurous without needing the aid of pixie dust or giant crocodiles (not saying that throwing in the croc wouldn't be awesome though). PETER PANZERFAUST is a title that you should be checking into every month and I'm giving this issue 4 out of 5 stars.' - Major Spoilers
Grant: What more can one say about Kurtis J. Wiebe and Tyler Jenkins' Peter Panzerfaust? This title has slowly developed into one of the most genuine and heartfelt comics hitting stands on a regular basis, expertly combining elements of World War 2 with those of Peter Pan. When you think about it that way, it's a pretty simple idea, but Wiebe and Jenkins have taken that concept and have run with it, turning it into something special. You should be reading this book.
END TIMES OF BRAM & BEN #3
Written by James Asmus and Jim Festante
Art by Rem Broo
Bram grows his cult following by throwing Burning Bram – a 66.6 hour festival of Rock, Revelry, & Revelations! But when Ben chooses to side with Heaven, all Hell breaks loose! Plus: the reveal of the true Antichrist, someone gets roofied, and a shock ending you’d least expect!
Grant: The End Times of Bram & Ben has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2013, as James Asmus, Jim Festante, and Rem Broo have routinely delivered some incredibly funny comics centring around the apocalypse. Things look like they'll really be heating up this issue, with the amazingly named Burning Bram taking place to really up Bram's efforts at becoming the Antichrist. It's hard to say exactly where this whole book is headed, but as long as it keeps with the funny, I'm more than happy to be along for the ride.
The Balance
Written by Peter J. Tomasi
Art by Patrick Gleason and Mick Gray
• You dare not miss this issue!
• It’s the BATMAN AND ROBIN story of the year!
Grant: While Scott Snyder's take on Damian's demise should be well worth reading, it's hard to deny that Batman and Robin looks to be the title that will be most effected by the event. DC has already announced that the book's title will be rotating through the other Bat-family members in the coming months, but it should be interesting to see how this issue deals with that fallout. Is the solicit oozing in hyperbole? Probably. But maybe Batman and Robin #18 will live up to the hype.
Written by Joey Comeau
Art by Mike Holmes
BASED ON THE HIT SERIES FROM ADVENTURE TIME CREATOR PENDLETON WARD!
The Bravest Warriors are deep undercover at an alien beauty pageant. . . but none of them are winning Miss Congeniality!
Grant: After a bit of a slump towards the end of the first story arc, Joey Comeau and Mike Holmes came out swinging in Bravest Warriors #5 to kick off story arc number two. Beauty pageants seem to be rife for storytelling goodness, something that is doubly true when you throw in bazookas, katannas, and evil doppelgangers. There's a lot of high concept for Comeau and Holmes to juggle as this arc moves forward, but here's hoping they stick the landing a little better this time around.
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by Bernard Chang
• After thirty years, the Demon Knights are slowly pulling themselves back together—but there’s an army of vampires waiting to tear them apart!
• What punishment does Xanadu have in store for Etrigan the Demon?
Grant: In the past few issues, Robert Vendittit has shown that he can do the Demon Knights concept just as well as Paul Cornell, and Bernard Chang has been right there with him, delivering some of his best work on this series yet. The mysterious vampire invasion idea that they're running with seems pretty alright; all I ask is that they try to speed up their storytelling just a bit. Two issues in and we still don't quite have the band back together. Hopefully we can accomplish that and then some by the end of Demon Knights #18.
Written by Roger Langridge
Art by J. Bone
Cliff Secord on the run! Betty in the clutches of the ghastly Otto Rune! And what is Peevy’s connection to the missing scientist? All this and more... as the Rocketeer must prevent nothing less than the wrath of the Lord Himself! More pulp action in the great Dave Stevens tradition!
Grant: The opening salvo of Roger Langride and J. Bone's Rocketeer miniseries was adventurous, lighthearted fun. The book wasn't exactly on the same level of Langridge's earlier Thor: The Mighty Avenger, but that's not exactly a fair comparison. This comic seems a lot more self-aware, perhaps with a slightly larger focus on younger readers, but the two series really follow each other in that they both have excellent art. J. Bone is doing some mighty purty things in his rendition of Cliff Secord and company, and Jordie Bellaire's colours aren't hurting the final product one bit.
Pick of the Week
With all these wicked looking books coming out tomorrow, it was a bit of a struggle to single out just one to take home the Pick of the Week accolades, but I'm going to have to go with Sledgehammer 44 #1. The talent behind this comic is out of this world, the concept sounds like a heck of a lot of fun, and it's hard to say no to that Mignola magic.
What are you looking forward to this week? Hit the comments to share your thoughts and let us know!
What are you looking forward to this week? Hit the comments to share your thoughts and let us know!
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2 comments:
Cool
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