The Weekly Crisis vs. Solicits for July 2013

The July comic book solicitations have been released to the wide world, and we at The Weekly Crisis have gone through them to find some of the best, worst, and coolest things that will be on offer from the comic book world come this summer.  So get out your swim trunks, because summer fun is coming your way!

Grant's Thoughts

Best Things in July

Time For More Adventure!

I've made no secret of how much I've been enjoying the Adventure Time comics. Boom! has done a superb job of finding talented people from the world of web comics and giving them seemingly free reign on Pendleton Ward's best-known and most loved property, and the results have been fantastic. There hasn't been a single Adventure Time book that I haven't dug, and it's looking like Adventure Time: Candy Capers will be no exception to that rule. I'm real excited to see Ananth and Yuko from Johnny Wander write this mini, and while I'm not familiar with artist Ian McGinty, his site is full of beautiful pictures that I want to own, so that seems like a good sign. Bring on those capers already!

Masks & Mobsters In Print

Joshua Williamson and Mike Henderson's Masks & Mobsters is one of my favourite comics coming out of Monkeybrain right, which is saying something considering all the quality stories they're dropping on a regular basis. The title really says it all. Considering capes are for many the de facto subject matter of comics, stories of villains and heroes aren't exactly novel, but Masks & Mobsters has found an in on the topic that feels fresh and new. Williamson has described the series as Gotham Central from the point of view of the bad guys, and while that's accurate, I'd say that it sells the series short. Williamson and Henderson have created a great Golden Age comic based firmly in current day sensibilities. While I've been gobbling up their digital offerings, I'm definitely going to double dip to pick up this hardcover trade.

Worst Things in July

Mommy, It's Over!

While it initially appeared that Batman, Incorporated would conclude in June, it seems we're getting one more issue of Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham goodness before they turn off the lights for good. While it's definitely a bonus to get that extra issue, I don't know how I feel about a Morrison-less Batman world. He's been working at this epic for what feels like forever, and while he's obviously going out on his own terms, I'll miss his excessively complex and hard to parse Bat-stories. Things just won't be the same without them.

If It's All Superior, Is Anything Superior?

So Marvel seems pretty keen on the new Superior Spider-Man. That's fine. That's cool. However, I don't know if it's really necessary for every single Spider-book to reflect this newfound fascination. I can kind of understand either The Supieror Foes of Spider-Man or Superior Spider-Man Team-Up, but having both seems a little excessive. And don't even get me started on Superior Carnage. That one really feels like it's just cashing in on the latest Spider-Fad.

Coolest Things in July

Gimme Shelter(ed)

It shouldn't come as a huge surprise that I'm pretty pumped for Ed Brisson's new series, Sheltered. I'd already pretty much fallen for his writing with his Murder Book stories, and then Comeback hit stands and blew me right out of the water. Sheltered sounds like it's going to be something of a departure from those, and I'm crazy excited to see what it's all about. Additionally, I would be remiss to gloss over Johnnie Christmas' involvement on this title. Christmas is a mighty talented artist, and I'm just as excited to see what he can do over the course of these issues. This one should be good.

A Traveling Man

While I've definitely been cooling on Animal Man these past few months, I was pleasantly surprised to see that Travel Foreman is coming back for the Animal Man Annual this summer. He and Jeff Lemire made some genuinely creepy issues, and I cannot wait to see what they'll cook up for Buddy Baker as he continues to mourn Cliff's death. Just the other day I was complaining to a friend of mine that DC's annuals are usually pretty big let downs, but I have a funny feeling that this one just might deliver on its promise.

Nevin's Thoughts

Best Things in July

The Big Finish

I was torn between putting this as one of the worst parts of July or one of the best. Regardless, Locke and Key, Vol 5: Clockworks is the conclusion of Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez's mind-boggling, amazing comic in wonderful trade form. This series has never failed me. The way everything combined from the very beginning is phenomenal. Hill weaned me onto his own form of crack, and I just can't get enough. From the writing of Hill to the eye-melting art of Rodriguez, Locke and Key stands as one of the best comics I have ever read. If you haven't read Locke and Key yet, your are missing out. I expect waterfalls from my eyes when I reach the last page. Don't judge.

Hello Darling

No one has a rogues gallery like Batman. All of his villains are twisted and tragic characters who merit their own story arcs, but Joker stands above them all. There's just something about that sadistic smile and his chaos that creators revel at the chance to write and draw, and that's what happened when Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo tackled Joker in The Death of the Family. Those two delivered one of the best Joker stories I've read in a long time. Snyder showed a great understanding of the Clown Prince of Crime. You see, some people just like to make Joker out to be a complete madman, but the people who really understand him know he always has a punchline. Snyder understood that. Capullo also knocks it out of the park panel after panel. The way he draws the rotting flesh strapped to Joker's face makes my skin crawl. Basically, Death of the Family trade comes out in July and I will be owning it.

Ghosts are Awesome

What do you get when you mix five literary ghosts, supernatural powers, and a pulpy Indiana Jones? Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray. From its humble beginnings as a Kickstarter project to its soldout first issue, Five Ghosts has become a wonderful success story. The whole gothic feel of Frank J. Barbiere's story and Chris Mooneyham's art give it a unique vibe that is always a thrill to read. We've already seen them conquer Nazi punching and giant spiders. I can't wait to see what crazy monstrosities occur in the last issue when it lands.

Worst Things in July 

Letting Go

Oh, what the hell. I'll say it anyway. I am seriously upset about Locke and Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks finishing. I'll need to find something to fill the void.

Coolest Things in July 

A New Day Dawning

Image is promoting Invincible #105 as though this should be the jumping on point for people new to the series. If this is true, then I urge you to dive in, because Invincible is one of Image's best long-running series. Robert Kirkman knows how to write a good superhero story, Ryan Ottley's art never disappoints, and the cast of reoccurring characters are one of a kind. If you've ever wanted to read Invincible without shelling out the money for 18 collected volumes, this is the time.

Hansel's Thoughts 

Best Things in July

More from Ed Brisson!

Ed really won me over with Comeback so I'm in on Sheltered.

Travel's Back!

On sale in July, 48 (less with ads I guess) sweet, sweet pages by Travel Foreman. I was a little heartbroken when Travel left Animal Man and I am so glad to be able to feast my eyes on his work again. 

Batgirl Beyond

I liked the run a few years ago, waiting for the trade of this new one. If this isn't Max, Terry's friend I will retroactively move this to the "worst" section.

Worst Things in July 

Take It From My Cold Dead Hands

I'm joining Nevin on saying that Locke and Key, Vol. 5: Clockworks ending is leaving me a broken husk of a person. I will be in the shower in the fetal position weeping for the foreseeable future after reading this volume

Coolest Things in July 

Catch Up On These!

Glory, volume 2: War Torn and Nowhere Men, volume 1: Fates Worse Than Death both come out this July, and while far from perfect, are amazing and great books to read all in one go. Joe Keating, Ross Campbell and friends bring Glory to and amazing and heartwarming conclusion. Way to go guys. In Nowhere Men, yeah ok the hype is a little crazy, but I'm in. I'm in for the crazy scientist, the poor mutated workers from the satellite and I can't wait for the story to come clean and reveal it's secrets to me.

Wear This!

SAGA “LYING CAT” T-SHIRT!

Yeah, I got to get this. Who else is in?

Ken's Thoughts

Best Things in July

Nova's New Creative Team

Zeb Wells and Paco Medina taking over Nova makes me more interested in reading about the new cadet who is placed in the very tough position of making the audience care about him more than the totally awesome Richard Rider. There's even a hint that Richard will be back, and if Wells can last on the book beyond a story arc, this will be the nice shot in the arm to the cosmic line, the only thing being better is if Abnett and Lanning return.

Batman '66

It's a brilliant idea, putting a good writer in Jeff Parker on a book that takes place around one of the more iconic Batmans in media history. Heck, it's what an older generation still thinks is Batman, not the Christopher Nolan gritty stuff. The only bad thing is Mike Allred couldn't draw all the stories, just the cover.

Worst Things in July

No More Director's Cut Issues

Batman sees DC's foray into the Director's Cut edition of issues for the  beginning of Zero Year, where, much like Marvel's tryst with the format it includes scripts, rough penciled pages, little bits of commentary. It's really half-assed.  And you get the joy of paying two bucks more for the issue when it originally came out, wow! 

Superior Is the New Normal

Like Grant wrote, too much Superior diminishes the idea, and doesn't really stop the fact from occurring that Peter will be back, probably right after this Superior push, so it feels like a pointless endeavor. Maybe some more love on the other, existing Spider-Man books Venom and Scarlet Spider, which are incredibly consistent in quality and able to branch out much more than just slapping Superior on everything else.

Avengers Is Also the New Normal

Avengers AI, on top of spoiling the events of Age of Ultron (Marvel just can't help themselves), is another Avengers series, only this time based around the reality of the singularity being an untapped look into the regular Marvel Universe. It's an interesting idea for sure, and one Hickman could explore in his titles, but to get it's own series, with Hank Pym and Vision being the only real big names? You're setting a concept up to fail. At least when Mighty Avengers was around it was only the third or fourth Avengers book, not the eighth.

Coolest Things in July

Matteo Scalera on Hulk

Perfect choice. Yu's detail really made the first five issues stand out, but Scalera has this rought style that can really work, especially in the non-Hulk scenes, and really give the book a rougher, Phil Hester look to it. Mark Waid's a lucky guy in getting some really nice artists to compliment his writing.

That's how we saw solicitations for July.  Was there anything else in that big ol' list that really caught your eye?

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