Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews is a new feature I am trying out this week. I am going to list the various books I intend on picking up for the following week with their solicitation and cover art and add a brief expectation or remark on each one. It is not a full list of books coming out next week and not a guarantee on what I will or will not pick up either. Just a potential list of what has me interested or is on my pull list already. Feel free to list anything you might be interested in or something I might be overlooking that you think I should pick up. Hit the jump for the previews.
DC COMICS
Countdown #32
Story by Paul Dini
Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Al Barrionuevo
The Countdown to the end is on! Karate Kid battles Equus! Jimmy Olsen visits Infinity Inc. for answers! Mary Marvel falls under the spell of Eclipso! Kyle Rayner joins the Challengers from Beyond! Piper and Trickster encounter the villainy of Poison Ivy and Deathstroke!
Plus, Black Canary's bachelorette party! Guest-starring Steel, Starlight, the Flash, Zatanna, the Atom, Buddy Blank and more! Plus, more DC VILLAINS backup origin stories by Scott Beatty!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: That is actually Countdown #31's cover. DC has not solicited the covers or, at least, I could not find it anywhere. If you have been keeping up with my past reviews, you will know I am not really all that interested in this. May or may not review this issue next week, but will still be picking it up.
COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #1
Written by Steve Gerber and Matt Sturges
Art by Justiniano & Walden Wong and Stephen Segovia
Cover by Justiniano
Get ready for two incredible features in new stories that shine a light on the dark places in the DCU! The Helmet of Fate has landed…on Kent Nelson — a man so far down on his luck, he doesn’t know what luck is! The transformative nature of the helmet grants him powers he can’t begin to comprehend…but will they make his life better, or even worse? Plus, Eclipso becomes the temptress of the DCU, bribing its heroes to the dark side in more ways than one! She succeeds…and the results will shock you!
48 pg $3.99 US
Comments: Another spin off from the main Countdown series. Not overly interested in the Dr Fate part of this story, but the cover is quite cool looking, so it has that going for it. Mainly picking this up to see how much progression the Eclipso story going to make outside of the main series. This will probably be a one time buy for me and I doubt I will be getting the entire eight issues of this cash-in, er, I mean tie-in.
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PRESENTS PARALLAX #1
Written by Ron Marz
Art by Adriana Melo & Marlo Alquiza
Cover by Mike McKone & Andy Lanning
Get ready for a new series of specials focusing on members of the Sinestro Corps and tying into the “Sinestro Corps War” crossover! In this initial installment, the writer who introduced Kyle, Ron Marz, dissects what led Kyle to his downfall and explains the
Parallax entity.
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Ron Marz is a very up and down writer. This weeks Search For Ray Palmer was atrocious, but he did the best he could with the garbage DC fed him. Hopefully he can work some magic with the awesome Green Lantern Sinestro Corps storyline and his old pal Kyle Rayner. With how good the Corps War is, I will definitely take as much Green Lantern as DC is willing to throw at me. Hopefully these rushed tie-ins actually bring something to the story and do not end up simple cash-ins.
CHECKMATE #18
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky
Amanda Waller’s unauthorized Black Ops game is exposed! “The Fall of the Wall” begins here!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Ever since the Outsiders crossover, I have sort of lost all interest in this once stellar book. I think it is still pretty good, but I find it has failed to bring me back into the fold after that disastrous crossover. We will see how this weeks issue turns out. I will probably stick around for a couple more issues at least.
THE FLASH #232
Written by Mark Waid
Art & cover by Daniel Acuña
What alien menace lies beneath the Flash’s own home?
And what’s his dark, dark family secret — the one that’s helping him keep the peace in Keystone?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: The Flash relaunched with an excellent first issue last month and I expect more of the same this month. Not sure I am digging this giant Octopus villain, so hopefully that gets resolved quickly. With Acuna announced as being off the book's art chores, this book has no where to go but up. I would like to see more exploration of Bart's death and where the West's have been though. It has only been one issue though, so lots of time for Waid to touch on that.
MARVEL COMICS
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - QUASAR #3
Written by Christos Gage
Art by Mike Lilly
The daughter of Captain Marvel continues her desperate quest to end the Conquest! With two super hero legacies and the fate of her entire race on her shoulders, can Phyla-Vell–the new Quasar–even control the powerful bands on her wrists? Can Quasar trust the mysterious voice that has sent her on her quest? What is she searching for…and what in the world has happened to her lover Moondragon?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Last issue was fairly average in comparison to the first one. I expect big things from this last issue and Gage rarely disappoints with his writing. Possible candidate for Comic Book of the Week.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #30
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting & Mike Perkins
The best-selling Captain America series continues its most shocking story ever! It's the Winter Soldier versus everyone in this senses-shattering conclusion to the first arc of the EPIC "*Death of Captain America*" storyline. Winter Soldier versus Crossbones - the man who sniped Cap! Winter Soldier versus S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark's hand-picked Mighty Avengers operative! Winter Soldier versus the Red Skull! And finally - the Winter Soldier versus himself! You'll have to be there to see it!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: This book is consistently awesome month to month. And considering the title's namesake has not appeared in over half a year, that is saying a lot. It is hard to go wrong with Brubaker. High chance to be Comic Book of the Week and probably my second most anticipated book behind World War Hulk #4.
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #12
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Phil Hester & Ande Parks
FINAL ISSUE! The story of Eric O'Grady comes to an end--or does it? Who lives, who dies, who gets double-crossed? The answers to these questions and many more in this final issue of the series everyone who read loved! So get your 'Save Irredeemable Ant-Man' campaigns ready. Hey, it worked for Runaways and She-Hulk. Why not Ant-Man?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Another great book that is falling by the wayside due to poor sales. I do not have the sales data in front of me, but I am sure this outsells a lot of DC books like Blue Beetle, Checkmate and Catwoman. Not sure why it is being cancelled if DC can afford to publish those books with lower sales. Must be a budget thing for Marvel that I am unaware of. Either way, sad to see this book go, but on the positive side, news last weekend puts Ant-Man on the Avengers Initiative book shortly.
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #1
Written by Various
Art by Various
Classic heroes! Top talent! All-new stories! Jump on board the landmark first issue of MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS! 4—count ‘em 4—brand new stories with a landmark wrap-around cover by J. Scott Campbell! Inside, you’ll find these incredible mysteries: Who is DAMIEN CROSS? Why will his murder shake the very foundations of the Marvel Universe? Why is SPIDER-MAN needed in outer space? Patsy Walker is HELLCAT. But then who’s the other HELLCAT? What is the SYSTEM? And what does it mean for the future of super heroes? Extra-sized first issue!
48 pg, $3.99 US
Comments: Not sure what to make of this book. I have never really been a fan of these types of books simply because they typically only have one or two stories, out of the half a dozen stories featured, that I actually like. I will give it a chance though since 52 has raised my expectations for these ensemble cast, multi-story books featuring a random mix of characters. Has the potential to be something great, but if I get an average book I will consider myself lucky.
NEW X-MEN #42
Written by Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle
Art by Scottie Young
Mutants are now an endangered species, and the New X-Men realize that they may well be the LAST X-Men! After the events of “Quest for Magik,” several of the kids have been changed forever, and the Astonishing X-Men are finally taking some time to get to know their students. But after everything the team has been through… who even wants to be an X-Man? New powers, new relationships, new team members, all on the road to the X-event of the decade!
FEATURING ENDANGERED SPECIES Chapter 12
span class="fullpost">Tired of dead ends with current mutants, Beast turns to the family that has sired the most mutants on Earth—the Guthries. The family that produced two X-MEN and may hold the key to save the mutant race.
40 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: New X-Men is one of my favourite X-Titles. It does not suffer from the huge delays of Astonishing or the decompression of Uncanny and I enjoy the characters and unpredictability of the stories that the adjectiveless X-Men cannot offer. With the Quest for Magik over, I expect this title to be back to its former glory. Not that it was bad during that arc, but magic based books are rarely interesting to me and it lowered my enjoyment of the previous arc. The cover for this issue is awesome as well. Probably my favourite out of the ones featured for next week.
PENANCE: RELENTLESS #1
Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Paul Gulacy
From the pages of Civil War: Front Line and Thunderbolts! Once he was a hero, now only a shell of Robbie Baldwin remains. As Penance, he begins a slow descent into madness: the most hated man in America, blamed for the disaster at Stamford, tortured by visions of his failure and obsessed with strange, seemingly meaningless numbers. A relentless pursuit begins...
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Not sure why I am picking this book up. Honestly do not expect much from Bleedball here. His best use was in the Deadpool / GLI one shot where Squirrel Girl tried to talk some sense into him to hilarious results. I will give it a shot though, just to see if Jenkins can redeem this formerly care free and light hearted character that was at least interesting before his drastic change.
WORLD WAR HULK #4
Written by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr
Everyone GOES! TOO! FAR! in this penultimate chapter of the Mighty Marvel Monsterpiece which is World War Hulk. The Incredible Hulk and his Warbound companions? They go too far! Dr. Strange? He goes WAY too far! Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic? They learn the precise definition of "too far" as the Hulk delivers his final judgment from his stone throne in the Great Arena!
48 pg, $3.99 US
Comments: With how fast the last issue came out, it feels like forever since this book came out. I am pumped for the big fight with Dr Strange and I honestly expect this to be the Comic Book of the Week unless something drastic happens.
DC COMICS
Countdown #32 Story by Paul Dini
Breakdowns by Keith Giffen
Written by Tony Bedard
Art by Al Barrionuevo
The Countdown to the end is on! Karate Kid battles Equus! Jimmy Olsen visits Infinity Inc. for answers! Mary Marvel falls under the spell of Eclipso! Kyle Rayner joins the Challengers from Beyond! Piper and Trickster encounter the villainy of Poison Ivy and Deathstroke!
Plus, Black Canary's bachelorette party! Guest-starring Steel, Starlight, the Flash, Zatanna, the Atom, Buddy Blank and more! Plus, more DC VILLAINS backup origin stories by Scott Beatty!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: That is actually Countdown #31's cover. DC has not solicited the covers or, at least, I could not find it anywhere. If you have been keeping up with my past reviews, you will know I am not really all that interested in this. May or may not review this issue next week, but will still be picking it up.
COUNTDOWN TO MYSTERY #1Written by Steve Gerber and Matt Sturges
Art by Justiniano & Walden Wong and Stephen Segovia
Cover by Justiniano
Get ready for two incredible features in new stories that shine a light on the dark places in the DCU! The Helmet of Fate has landed…on Kent Nelson — a man so far down on his luck, he doesn’t know what luck is! The transformative nature of the helmet grants him powers he can’t begin to comprehend…but will they make his life better, or even worse? Plus, Eclipso becomes the temptress of the DCU, bribing its heroes to the dark side in more ways than one! She succeeds…and the results will shock you!
48 pg $3.99 US
Comments: Another spin off from the main Countdown series. Not overly interested in the Dr Fate part of this story, but the cover is quite cool looking, so it has that going for it. Mainly picking this up to see how much progression the Eclipso story going to make outside of the main series. This will probably be a one time buy for me and I doubt I will be getting the entire eight issues of this cash-in, er, I mean tie-in.
TALES OF THE SINESTRO CORPS PRESENTS PARALLAX #1Written by Ron Marz
Art by Adriana Melo & Marlo Alquiza
Cover by Mike McKone & Andy Lanning
Get ready for a new series of specials focusing on members of the Sinestro Corps and tying into the “Sinestro Corps War” crossover! In this initial installment, the writer who introduced Kyle, Ron Marz, dissects what led Kyle to his downfall and explains the
Parallax entity.
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Ron Marz is a very up and down writer. This weeks Search For Ray Palmer was atrocious, but he did the best he could with the garbage DC fed him. Hopefully he can work some magic with the awesome Green Lantern Sinestro Corps storyline and his old pal Kyle Rayner. With how good the Corps War is, I will definitely take as much Green Lantern as DC is willing to throw at me. Hopefully these rushed tie-ins actually bring something to the story and do not end up simple cash-ins.
CHECKMATE #18Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Joe Bennett & Jack Jadson
Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky
Amanda Waller’s unauthorized Black Ops game is exposed! “The Fall of the Wall” begins here!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Ever since the Outsiders crossover, I have sort of lost all interest in this once stellar book. I think it is still pretty good, but I find it has failed to bring me back into the fold after that disastrous crossover. We will see how this weeks issue turns out. I will probably stick around for a couple more issues at least.
THE FLASH #232Written by Mark Waid
Art & cover by Daniel Acuña
What alien menace lies beneath the Flash’s own home?
And what’s his dark, dark family secret — the one that’s helping him keep the peace in Keystone?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: The Flash relaunched with an excellent first issue last month and I expect more of the same this month. Not sure I am digging this giant Octopus villain, so hopefully that gets resolved quickly. With Acuna announced as being off the book's art chores, this book has no where to go but up. I would like to see more exploration of Bart's death and where the West's have been though. It has only been one issue though, so lots of time for Waid to touch on that.
MARVEL COMICS
ANNIHILATION: CONQUEST - QUASAR #3Written by Christos Gage
Art by Mike Lilly
The daughter of Captain Marvel continues her desperate quest to end the Conquest! With two super hero legacies and the fate of her entire race on her shoulders, can Phyla-Vell–the new Quasar–even control the powerful bands on her wrists? Can Quasar trust the mysterious voice that has sent her on her quest? What is she searching for…and what in the world has happened to her lover Moondragon?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Last issue was fairly average in comparison to the first one. I expect big things from this last issue and Gage rarely disappoints with his writing. Possible candidate for Comic Book of the Week.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #30 Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Steve Epting & Mike Perkins
The best-selling Captain America series continues its most shocking story ever! It's the Winter Soldier versus everyone in this senses-shattering conclusion to the first arc of the EPIC "*Death of Captain America*" storyline. Winter Soldier versus Crossbones - the man who sniped Cap! Winter Soldier versus S.H.I.E.L.D. and Tony Stark's hand-picked Mighty Avengers operative! Winter Soldier versus the Red Skull! And finally - the Winter Soldier versus himself! You'll have to be there to see it!
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: This book is consistently awesome month to month. And considering the title's namesake has not appeared in over half a year, that is saying a lot. It is hard to go wrong with Brubaker. High chance to be Comic Book of the Week and probably my second most anticipated book behind World War Hulk #4.
IRREDEEMABLE ANT-MAN #12 Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Phil Hester & Ande Parks
FINAL ISSUE! The story of Eric O'Grady comes to an end--or does it? Who lives, who dies, who gets double-crossed? The answers to these questions and many more in this final issue of the series everyone who read loved! So get your 'Save Irredeemable Ant-Man' campaigns ready. Hey, it worked for Runaways and She-Hulk. Why not Ant-Man?
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Another great book that is falling by the wayside due to poor sales. I do not have the sales data in front of me, but I am sure this outsells a lot of DC books like Blue Beetle, Checkmate and Catwoman. Not sure why it is being cancelled if DC can afford to publish those books with lower sales. Must be a budget thing for Marvel that I am unaware of. Either way, sad to see this book go, but on the positive side, news last weekend puts Ant-Man on the Avengers Initiative book shortly.
MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS #1 Written by Various
Art by Various
Classic heroes! Top talent! All-new stories! Jump on board the landmark first issue of MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS! 4—count ‘em 4—brand new stories with a landmark wrap-around cover by J. Scott Campbell! Inside, you’ll find these incredible mysteries: Who is DAMIEN CROSS? Why will his murder shake the very foundations of the Marvel Universe? Why is SPIDER-MAN needed in outer space? Patsy Walker is HELLCAT. But then who’s the other HELLCAT? What is the SYSTEM? And what does it mean for the future of super heroes? Extra-sized first issue!
48 pg, $3.99 US
Comments: Not sure what to make of this book. I have never really been a fan of these types of books simply because they typically only have one or two stories, out of the half a dozen stories featured, that I actually like. I will give it a chance though since 52 has raised my expectations for these ensemble cast, multi-story books featuring a random mix of characters. Has the potential to be something great, but if I get an average book I will consider myself lucky.
NEW X-MEN #42 Written by Christopher Yost & Craig Kyle
Art by Scottie Young
Mutants are now an endangered species, and the New X-Men realize that they may well be the LAST X-Men! After the events of “Quest for Magik,” several of the kids have been changed forever, and the Astonishing X-Men are finally taking some time to get to know their students. But after everything the team has been through… who even wants to be an X-Man? New powers, new relationships, new team members, all on the road to the X-event of the decade!
FEATURING ENDANGERED SPECIES Chapter 12
span class="fullpost">Tired of dead ends with current mutants, Beast turns to the family that has sired the most mutants on Earth—the Guthries. The family that produced two X-MEN and may hold the key to save the mutant race.
40 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: New X-Men is one of my favourite X-Titles. It does not suffer from the huge delays of Astonishing or the decompression of Uncanny and I enjoy the characters and unpredictability of the stories that the adjectiveless X-Men cannot offer. With the Quest for Magik over, I expect this title to be back to its former glory. Not that it was bad during that arc, but magic based books are rarely interesting to me and it lowered my enjoyment of the previous arc. The cover for this issue is awesome as well. Probably my favourite out of the ones featured for next week.
PENANCE: RELENTLESS #1Written by Paul Jenkins
Art by Paul Gulacy
From the pages of Civil War: Front Line and Thunderbolts! Once he was a hero, now only a shell of Robbie Baldwin remains. As Penance, he begins a slow descent into madness: the most hated man in America, blamed for the disaster at Stamford, tortured by visions of his failure and obsessed with strange, seemingly meaningless numbers. A relentless pursuit begins...
32 pg, $2.99 US
Comments: Not sure why I am picking this book up. Honestly do not expect much from Bleedball here. His best use was in the Deadpool / GLI one shot where Squirrel Girl tried to talk some sense into him to hilarious results. I will give it a shot though, just to see if Jenkins can redeem this formerly care free and light hearted character that was at least interesting before his drastic change.
WORLD WAR HULK #4 Written by Greg Pak
Art by John Romita Jr
Everyone GOES! TOO! FAR! in this penultimate chapter of the Mighty Marvel Monsterpiece which is World War Hulk. The Incredible Hulk and his Warbound companions? They go too far! Dr. Strange? He goes WAY too far! Iron Man and Mr. Fantastic? They learn the precise definition of "too far" as the Hulk delivers his final judgment from his stone throne in the Great Arena!
48 pg, $3.99 US
Comments: With how fast the last issue came out, it feels like forever since this book came out. I am pumped for the big fight with Dr Strange and I honestly expect this to be the Comic Book of the Week unless something drastic happens.
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