Another month, another round of solicitations. This around though, things will be slightly different. In addition to a small format change, Ryan is also making his official debut on The Weekly Crisis.As for the books, DC is having a big month. Both Blackest Night and the new Batman lineup continue in addition another round of new titles coming out. The Superman books also take part in a new crossover while Adventure Comics is finally released.
For Marvel, Dark Reign looks like its beginning to wind down and the Ultimate Comics imprints launches, or relaunches depending on your point of view. Plus, there is a drastic change in the Hulk line up of books.
Hit the jump to found our opinions on the offerings from Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel.
DC COMICS
BLACKEST NIGHT
Titles Covered: Blackest Night, Blackest Night: Batman, BN: Superman, BN: Titans, Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps
Eric: While the main books continue to look great, especially with the fact that the War of Light will take place in Green Lantern during or at least for part of Blackest Night, I've lost all interest in the tie-ins. Although there could be a good story to made out of Batman fighting his zombie parents, I doubt Blackest Night will produce it. Zombie Flying Graysons need a certain level of camp, tongue-in-cheek kind of writing which I don't think Tomasi will provide. Same with Robinson and Blackest Night: Superman.
Taking these concepts "seriously" is something that will just make them look ridiculous, and lead to a bad story in my opinion. I guess the same thing could be said of Blackest Night as well. Zombie superheroes are not something that screams "serious literature," a problem I had with Kirkman's take on Marvel Zombies. Not everything needs to try and be the Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns.
Also, it looks like Ed Benes is going to be pioneering the exciting new field of zombie T&A!
Matt: Excited about Blackest Night, but the Batman one is just mind boggling. On the one hand, it's Tomasi writing. On the other hand, a cosmic event tied in with the street-level Gotham characters sounds like a really bad idea to begin with. I mean, if these characters are the cosmic threat we are lead to believe they are by the fact that they are going to go up against the Green Lanterns, what the hell are Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl going to do against them?
Also, sheesh, talk about spoilerific solicits. In case anyone missed the reveal of Earth-2 Superman coming back, here it is in full force again. It's like DC realized it messed up with the toy solicits and just ran with it regardless of whether or not anyone didn't hear about it yet.
Ryan: At first I was annoyed at the idea of there being so many tie-in minis for Blackest Night, but the concept of Zombie Flying Graysons and Beast Boy shacking up with Zombie Terra are both intriguing enough for me to pick up the Batman and Titans tie-ins. I’ll probably avoid the Superman book (I’m still cheesed about the aforementioned Superman crossover), but I’m definitely sold on the three main books (GL, GLC, and Blackest Night).
Kirk: It's hard to comment on Blackest Night with only solicits to go by. I'm excited, as I'm sure everyone is, but the only thing I can seem to look to is the possible negatives, such as the deluge of tie-ins coming out for August, many of which seem to be focusing on the more, how to I put it, oh, yes, ridiculous aspects of raising the dead, such as Terra's zombie ass shot from Benes, the Black Lanterns randomly digging up unpowered individuals purely for some cliched pyschological focus (BN: Superman).
There's also DC's bullshit use of variant covers with ludicrous order requirements, up in the 200+ range. Shame on you, DC, shame on you.
BATMAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Batman & Robin, Batman: Widening Gyre, Batgirl, Detective Comics, Batman, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens & Red Robin
Eric: I'm definitely going to keep an eye on Kevin Smith's new Batman book. I've only read his Daredevil run and part of his Green Arrow work, which I enjoyed, so I don't seem to have the violent allergic reaction to his work that some people have. Although I doubt that Batman: The Widening Gyre is only there to introduce Smith's new character, so I'm curious to what is actually about.
As for the rest, definitely passing up Batgirl now that the writer is from TV, and Smallville at that. Plus, it looks like a completely new character will be Batgirl, which makes little sense to me. Batman and Robin looks great a usual, as does Detective Comics, but I am not liking what it looks like Dini has in store for Hush/Wayne in Streets of Gotham. Seems really uninspired. Plus, how does "violent opposition" against Hush/Wayne from the DC heroes actually work? This all seems like it will complicate Bruce's actual return down the line.
Ryan: After really being impressed with Batman: Cacophony, I think that Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan’s Batman: The Widening Gyre could be a lot of fun. I just hope that DC can keep this one on schedule as well.
I’m not sure how I feel about the new Batgirl series. I don’t see any reason to replace Cassandra Cain, though I’m glad that it doesn’t appear that Barbara Gordon will be retaking the role (she is much better as Oracle). Unless the new Batgirl is Misfit (Dark Vengeance!) or there is some compelling twist, I can’t imagine myself picking this up.
I don’t care for Grant Morrison’s Batman and I really don’t like Frank Quitely’s art, so I can’t see any reason to pick up Batman and Robin #3 (especially since the Circus of the Strange sounds like another excuse for Morrison to do weird for the sake of weird—blech).
I am glad to see that Paul Dini is actually following-up on the idea that Hush made himself look like Bruce Wayne during the R.I.P. storyline. I didn’t really care for the idea initially, but Dini never ceases to amaze me with how he can turn a bad idea into a great story.
Kirk: Detective Comics and Dini's two books are still, bearing any problems with their debut issues, the only titles I'm interested in from the relaunch. I'll probably check out Morrison's and Quitely's Batman & Robin, but Morrison's Batman run failed to click with me, so I'm not as excited about this new one as others.
SUPERMAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Adventure Comics, Action Comics, Supergirl, Superman, Superman: World of New Krypton
Eric: Definitely losing interest in the Superman books. Another crossover has absolutely no appeal to me. I like the idea behind the cover design though, even if the execution is a little off.
I'm taking a wait and see approach with Adventure Comics. Its not really clear what the book is going to be about. I'm not interested in all of the guest stars that are going to apparently populate the series and I'm only really interested in the Superboy part of the book. I have little interest in the Legion. Love what Superman: Secret Files 2009 is going to do though.
Ryan: Is it really necessary to do another crossover in the Superman titles already? I may read the Supergirl and Action Comics installments since I’m already picking those books up, but I’m not going to get sucked into buying more Superman books than necessary, especially not after we just finished a major crossover storyline a few months back!
Kirk: Completely agree with Eric and Ryan about the crossovers. I'm a tad on the fence with regards to Action Comics, but a line wide crossover between the titles just killed any good will I had left in the year long stories for each seperate title.
RED CIRCLE TITLES
Titles Covered: The Red Circle: The Hangman, Inferno, The Web & The Shield
Eric: Some minor problems with the costumes aside, I really like how these look like they will turn out. There is some nice diversity among the books and they won't be tripping over each other. I'm curious as to what the follow up is going to look like though.
Matt: Excuse me, JMS? What happened with your other series made up of all golden age characters that you started some time ago? You know, The Twelve? Maybe you should finish that one before getting started on a whole new project that is eerily similar to that one. Or I guess he could still be angry with Quesada.
Eric: About The Twelve, last I heard, there was also a problem with the artist doing other work as well.
Ryan: Doesn’t DC already have enough characters of their own (plus the Milestone characters) that aren’t being used properly? That being said, I’ve always seen the Red Circle characters as being fairly generic and uninteresting—the solicits aren’t doing much to change that.
Kirk: None of these comics, from the solicits to the covers or even interviews about them, appeal to me. I think they would have been better served putting JMS on some other title and having him boost the lagging sales on many of their current comics.
DC UNIVERSE TITLES
Booster Gold #20
Ryan: This series went downhill quickly after Johns and Katz left, but I’ll still be shelling out $4 for the Blue Beetle co-feature. I’ll probably regret it later, but there is no promise that the Beetle stories will ever be collected anywhere else, so I’ll just cross my fingers that the Booster stuff has gotten better since I dropped the book.
Doom Patrol #1
Eric: Of all the books that DC has announced recently, this one of the ones that I've been looking forward to the most. I haven't read much of Giffen's work but one of things I have read of his was Annihilation Conquest: Starlord, which was some of the best material, if not the best, from Marvel's cosmic books since they started up again with Annihilation. One of the things that made it so great was the absurd cast of characters, which is something Doom Patrol is going to share with Starlord. Plus, the early concept art from the series looked great and Giffen seems to be really enthusiastic about the series.
As for the Metal Men backup, the only thing I've read from the creative team was Formerly Know As The Justice League, which I absolutely hated, but I'm not going to hold that against them. Definitely getting the first trades for this series.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance! #4
Matt: I have to admit, that's a pretty funny preview blurb. Kudos to whoever wrote it.
Power Girl #4
Eric: Seems like the kind of story you don't want to tell with Power Girl when you are trying to avoid of the T&A stereotype.
Ryan: This just sounds bad…like Marvel Divas bad. But, it is still Amanda Conner and her awesomeness tends to trump even the least intriguing of stories (i.e. the recent Terra miniseries). My heart says no, but my eyes say yes.
Justice League: Cry for Justice #2
Ryan: The solicitation says of the issue’s villain, “The big bad may be deadlier than all of the new team combined.” Really? The villain is deadlier than the heroes who don’t kill? I was on the fence about this book, but that sentence is so asinine I might have just made up my mind.
Secret Six #12
Eric: Not sure how to feel about the new story. Secret Six is my favourite Gail Simone work, yet I've found her Wonder Woman work to be less that ideal to the point were I dropped the series. Hopefully Wonder Woman's inclusion doesn't bring the book down.
Ryan: I’ve been waiting for Gail Simone to get around to writing Artemis, I just didn’t expect it to be in Secret Six (DC’s strongest monthly). Colour me excited!
Kirk: I'm digging the fact DC is putting a great cover artist on Secret Six in an attempt to boost sales, but I'm not a fan of the implication this is Secret Six guest starring Wonder Woman's triple E's.
Solomon Grundy #6
Eric: I might end up getting the trade of this just for all of the crazy guest stars in the series.
Titans #16
Ryan: Starfire recently broke up with Dick Grayson? When did that happen? Since when is anything that hasn’t happened within the last few years considered to be recent? Can Chris Yost save this abysmal-sounding issue? Am I even going to pick this one up?
WILDSTORM/VERTIGO TITLES
Titles Covered: Northlanders, Red Herring & Wildcats
Northlanders #20
Eric: I'm definitely interested is seeing Sven show up again and I'm curious to see how the story will play out. I wonder if it only one issue or an arc though.
Ryan: I read Northlanders in trade, but knowing that Sven is returning makes me rethinking the policy on waiting. I’m very psyched by this one.
Red Herring #1
Eric: The new creator owned book from Wildstorm that I'm looking forward to the most. Can't go wrong with a conspiracy book that has characters named Red Herring and MacGuffin. Philip Bond art doesn't hurt either!
Wildcats #14
Eric: I loved Tao from Alan Moore's 12 issue run so I curious as to what Gage will do with the character. Also, I noticed that Shawn Moll is now the series artist and I'm not sure what to make of that. I liked Googe's work and Moll's stuff from She-Hulk wasn't bad either but I definitely prefer Googe's work.
MARVEL COMICS
ULTIMATE COMICS
Titles Covered: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man & Ultimate Comics Avengers
Eric: Nice to see these series finally launch. I'll definitely be getting both of these titles. Millar and Bendis have produced the best books from the Ultimate line so its definitely nice to see them both driving the line again.
From the previews I've seen of Lafuente's art I think he's a wonderful artist to work on Spider-Man but I'm a little more concerned with Pacheco since I've never read anything with his art. Both stories sound great as well but I doubt that Peter isn't Spider-Man anymore, the only replacement I could think of would be Jessica Drew, and I'm definitely looking forward to the new cast and villains.
As for Avengers, sounds great although it seems like it would be some sort of tie-in to the Avengers movie being called Project Avengers. Nice to have Fury back in Ultimate Universe as well but was hoping Hawkeye would leave his Loeb costume behind.
Matt: I think I am going to buy these two and NOT Loeb's title, just to send Marvel the right message about the Ultimate Universe. Speaking of Loeb's title, I don't see it anywhere on these solicits, I guess the thing is late. Already.
Ryan: I’ve read the first volume of Ultimates and a few random issues of Ultimate X-Men. They were good, but it just seemed like the writers were merely rehashing storylines from the regular Marvel Universe with a few meaningless character twists. These solicitations don’t really make me think that the relaunch of the Ultimate line will be much different.
Kirk: I came back into comics with the Ultimate line of comics, so I'm fairly pleased to see the creative forces behind the line, Bendis and Millar, back at the helm. Although, I'm surprised they didn't just release an Ultimate Comics Wolverine solo title, too. Lafuente's cover for UC Spider-Man looks a little too cartoony, but I enjoyed his work on Patsy Walker: Hellcat, which didn't look nearly as cartoony as this cover.
HULK TITLES
Titles Covered: Hulk, Incredible Hulk, Incredible Hercules, Son of Hulk
Eric: A mix of good and bad. Despite the fact that I though Jeph Loeb's Hulk couldn't get any worse, it actually does. His Code Red team is perhaps the most ill conceived grouping of characters I have ever seen. What completely random and out of place group of characters is he going to come up with next?
For the good, it looks like Hulk will just be about Red Hulk and The Incredible Hulk will be about the regular Hulk, with Greg Pak writing again! Planet Hulk, and to a lesser extent World War Hulk, are the only times I've really been interested in the Hulk so its nice to see Pak return. Although the solicitation isn't exactly clear what the book will be about, I'm still interested. Not a huge fan of Ariel Olivetti's style but I think he's a good hit for the book, unlike when he was working on Cable and Punisher War Journal. Nice to see that the book will also have Savage She-Hulk back-ups by Fred Van Lente and Michael Ryan, a fantastic pairing.
I have no idea what's going in Son of Hulk though as he is appearing in both Incredible Hulk and Son of Hulk, unless there are now two of him or something. Incredible Hercules looks great as always though. A lot of fantatic stuff going on in the book and can't wait till the trade comes out.
Matt: Oh god, I am facepalming in real life. "Who is Code Red? How about Red Hulk. Deadpool. The Punisher. Elektra. Thundra. The Crimson Dynamo." Hey, Loeb, why not throw in Daredevil while you are at it too? He wears red too, and that seems to be the only common denominator for this team. This sounds like a kid came up with it, not a supposed comic book veteran that has been writing for the past 15 years.
In regards to the "new" Incredible Hulk, I am utterly confused. Between this, Hulk, and Incredible Hercules, there has been some serious liberties with numbering and series renaming and I don't even think Marvel knows who's book is who's and what number any of them is anymore.
Ryan: I loved both Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, but the introduction of Red Hulk, the renumbering, launches and relaunches and re-relaunches, and anything dealing with Skaar seems so haphazard and ill-planned that I’ve lost all interest in the Hulk line. It honestly seems like there is no plan here. Until Marvel can straighten this out, I’m keeping my distance!
Kirk: And now I will start buying Incredible Hulk again. Thank you for listening Marvel. Oh, and bi-weekly Incredible Hercules is the bestest gift ever.
SPIDER-MAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Amazing Spider-Man
Eric: Where, once again, Marvel puts an awesome creative team, in this case it is Fred Van Lente and Barry Kitson, on an arc that I have absolutely no interest in reading. I would actually prefer to read "Dark Mary Jane" over what is mostly likely going to be a massive tease turned into a story. Also, you would think you wouldn't have to tell Marvel that having two completely different creatives on the same arc was a bad idea, not to mention incredibly stupid, but you would be wrong. Marvel normally seems more on the ball than that.
Matt: Really Marvel? REALLY?
Ryan: I’m really confused as to why Mark Waid and Mario Alberti would start the Red Headed Stranger storyline, only to have Fred Van Lente and Barry Kitson write the rest of it. Still, the return of Mary Jane is something the book has been hinting at for some time, so I’m glad to see that storyline coming around. Plus, that is a great series of cover artists lined up for August (J. Scott Campbell, Adi Granov, and Stephane Roux)!
Kirk: That Adi Granov cover is fantastic. While I'm genuinely curious as to what the plans are for Mary Jane, Aunt May beat up the Chameleon in one of his last appearances. At this point, the Gibbon is a bigger threat than he is. The fact they have MJ lined up to take him on here doesn't really impress me.
AVENGERS/DARK REIGN TITLES
Titles Covered: Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers and just about anything with Dark Reign in the title or on the cover
Ryan: Dark Reign had such great momentum coming out of Secret Invasion, then Marvel squandered it by flooding the market with too many tie-ins, too fast. Do we really need Dark Reign: Mister Negative? Dark Avengers and a mini for each member of the team? A slow burn on these stories would make the entire event much more organic and would keep readers like me getting so fed up that they avoid the storyline as much as possible.
I’m glad to see that Dan Slott is going to include the Young Avengers on the Witch Hunt storyline in Mighty Avengers. As important as she is to the foundations of that team, it is only right that they team up with Slott’s haphazard Mighty Avengers squad.
Eric: Despite my better judgment, I'm actually starting to look forward to Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man.
Kirk: I'm going to be seriously considering dropping Dark Avengers with Fraction at the helm. While I like Fraction as a writer, I find his Uncanny X-Men unbearable. We'll see how I feel when the summer comes around.
As for the rest of the Dark Reign titles, it looks like a lot of them are finally wrapping up. Next month's solicits should be interesting to see. I wonder if Marvel has another wave of Dark Reign miniseries lined up or not.
WAR OF KINGS TITLES
Titles Covered: War of Kings, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova & War of Kings: Warriors
Kirk: If that Nova cover doesn't have you pumped for August's issue, nothing will sell you on Marvel's best monthly comic. In contrast, that final cover for War of Kings might turn you off from the conclusion to that event. Didn't see one solicited, but I hope there's a variant.
Ryan: Everything about the War of Kings solicitations screams awesomeness. To me, there is nothing better in mainstream comics right now than Marvel’s cosmic books. The only downside that I can see is the fact that the event comes to a close in August (and my fear that Guardians and Nova are the next books to be chopped after Captain Britain’s cancellation this week!).
Matt: I am conflicted. On one hand, I don't want this event to end, on the other, I am totally excited to see how it ends.
X-MEN TITLES
Titles Covered: X-Force, Cable, X-Factor, X-Men: Legacy, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, Wolverine: Weapon X, Wolverine: Origins, X-Men: Forever, Deadpool, Deadpool: Suicide Kings, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth & fifty or sixty other X-titles due out this month
Ryan: X-Force sounds extremely promising this month. The idea of an X-23 focused plot has me very intrigued, as does a face-off between Cyclops and Wolverine over Scott’s poor decision making skills (about damn time).
Do we really need 4 Deadpool books in one-month? Is he really getting that popular? I know that people are pumped about his appearance in the Wolverine: Origins movie, but this is getting ridiculous.
I think it is a little odd that the best sounding X-books this month are the non-canon titles (the First Class books and X-Men: Forever). I think my problem is that I already have “Dark Reign” fatigue because of the excessive numbers of tie-in minis, so once it spills into the X-franchise, I just can’t bring myself to care.
Kirk: I, too, am puzzled over just how much Marvel is pushing Deadpool. I suppose guest starring in a movie and having your own movie green lit has its perks. They should have put him in Captain Britain and MI13 and had him using a fake British accent all the time instead so we could keep that book. Could rename it Captain Brit-X and the X-treme MX13 for maXimum X-posure and increased sales. No, I'm not bitter. /sarcasm
MARVEL UNIVERSE
Avengers: The Initiative #27
Matt: Sounds like this title is heading on a new direction. I'm all for it.
Crossfire #1
Eric: Another Soleil book, and one I'm definitely getting. Sounds absurd, fun and with some nice drama to go with it.
Ryan: Yet another Soleil book that I will be picking up in trade. I don’t know much about this series, but the solicitation is intriguing and the cover art is gorgeous. I’m so glad that Marvel is continuing with these imports (even if they are pricey!).
Fantastic Four #570
Eric: I don't care how long they delays will be, I don't want fill in art on this! Also, I really hope Hickman really cuts lose on this, he definitely has a lot of great ideas and Reed trying to solve everything does sound great.
Matt: Really excited for what Hickman is going to bring to the table for the Fantastic Four.
Ryan: Wasn’t this solicited a few times before? Why are you making me wait for this, Marvel? Why?! This creative team is too “fantastic” to be delayed any longer!
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire
Eric: Jason Aaron's last arc on Ghost Rider. Not sure why it's a separate mini but I'm guessing there is going to be a relaunch with a big name creative team or artist.
House of M: Masters of Evil #1
Eric: Where Marvel redefines the term beating a dead horse. To be fair, they have said that the trades sell really well and Gage is a pretty good writer, but I'm not picking this up.
Kirk: I have no idea what Marvel is thinking with this. Make this a Hood series and set it in the main universe if you want to deal with the Hood. He had absolutely nothing to do with House of M nor the other recent retread of the House of M by Gage with the Avengers.
Luke Cage: Noir #1
Matt: Call me crazy, but I think I am interested in this. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. I guess I'll wait to see what the reviews are like for it.
Marvel Spotlight: Summer Events
Eric: ...The "Real" Clone Saga? I'm filled with dread, curiosity and excitement, all at the same time!
Kirk: I imagine it just repeats much of what was discussed in the Life of Reilly with regards to how the story played out. Wonder if they'll mention the proposed Mephisto ending they discussed at one point that was dismissed as ridiculous and something Spider-Man would never have agree to or have anything to do with it.
The Marvels Project #1
Eric: I will read this and I will enjoy it but I'm having a hard time getting excited about it.
Matt: Along with Reborn, Brubaker sure is going to have a busy couple of months with these two projects, Captain America, and his creator-owned work. I am a little concerned, though, because the Marvels Project sounds an awfully lot like Ultimate Origins except for the 616 universe, and we all know how THAT ended with the much maligned Ultimatum.
Ryan: I don’t have much of an interest in the plot for this one, but I have faith that Brubaker and Epting will pull off something worth reading here. As it stands though, the solicitation isn’t strong enough for me to pick it up issue-by-issue, so I’ll wait for trade.
Kirk: Been eagerly awaiting this one. Not sure what to expect though. Is it setting up something for Captain America and the rest of the Marvel Universe to pick up on? Is it just a random story set in the past? I'm sure it will be great, but I'm just not sure why yet, ahah.
Punisher: Noir #1
Matt: If I made a list on things I wanted to see from a Punisher: Noir comic, Frank Castle shooting at mobsters with a Tommy Gun would be in the number one spot. So why the hell did they give him regular handguns?
Runaways #13
Ryan: After being disappointed by both Joss Whedon and Terry Moore, I’m putting a lot of pressure on Kathryn Immonen to redeem this once amazing title. The solicitations sound like she is approaching it with more respect for the characters than either Whedon or Moore (who wrote them like caricatures of BKV’s creations), which makes me feel a bit better. Unless her first few issues are amazing though, I’m not sure I’ll be sticking around long enough to see who Chase is apparently murdering.
Kirk: I think the problem with Terry Moore's run was that we were all expecting a book about teenagers and their problems and he wrote, either on his own or through editorial mandates, a teenage super hero comic. The strongest points of his run were the down time moments, like the Runaways playing Wii or camping out. Sad he wasn't able to do more of those types of stories.
If Kathryn Immonen can do something as fun and light hearted as the Hellcat miniseries, I think Runaways might finally hit its stride again.
Secret Warriors #7
Eric: Nice to see Marvel finally drop Bendis's name from the credits, don't know who the artist is though but I wish Caselli could do a monthly on a regular schedule.
Ryan: I’m not familiar with Alessandro Vitti, but I’d pick this book up if it was my three-year old niece drawing it—Hickman is just that good. With the promise of Ares coming to get Phobos, I can’t imagine this will be anything less than spectacular. This is easily the best new book of 2009 thus far.
Kirk: Have no fears Ryan, Vitti is a great artist. You can check out some samples for him from Hellblazer, 100 Bullets and Stormwatch PHD if you want an idea of what his work is like. While the writing should still be top notch and I like Vitti's work, I'm still a little disappointed Casselli needed a break already. His art has grown by leaps and bounds since The Initiative and will be missed.
DARK HORSE/IMAGE/INDIES
Dead @17: Afterbirth #3
Ryan: After all of the struggles that Josh Howard faced in getting his books out on time with Viper Comics, I really hope that things go well for him with his first Image miniseries. It really doesn’t seem like Image cares to hype it much based on the briefness of this solicit, though. Hmmm…
Exurbia
Ryan: It’s always interesting to see an editor taking up the writing reigns and the results have a tendency to be strong. Scott Allie is Dark Horse’s true “Editor of the Weird” (Hellboy, Buffy, Umbrella Academy, and the Goon), which explains the sheer insanity of this solicit. I’m not thrilled with the sample art from the cover, but the concept of doomed suburbs and a talking rat prophet has me more than curious about the story.
G-Man: Cape Crisis #1
Eric: Since Mini Marvels is no longer an option. Definitely worth buying.
Matt: I'm not so sure if I'm getting this, probably will wait for the trade. A lot of the charm with mini-marvels came from the in-jokes and winks/nudges at the readers who knew the Marvel U, which are now gone.
Insomnia Café
Ryan: This sounds a lot like the plot to an episode of the Twilight Zone, doesn’t it?
Invincible #65
Eric: And Atom Eve is dead and so is absolutely any interest I may have had in this series. She could up having the first comic book death in Invincible though.
Matt: ATOM EVE, NO! Also, isn't it kind of funny that some of the books Image solicits have the warning "MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES", but Invincible doesn't? Chances are someones insides are going to come out of their bodies somehow in this issue.
Star Wars: Legacy #39
Ryan: This solicit spotlights both my most and least favorite things about this series. On one hand, I love how the story continuously builds upon itself, which we see here in the return of Cade’s mother and the new Lord of the Sith; rather than treating each arc individually, Ostrander is treating the series as one long narrative. Kudos for that. On the other hand, the number of coincidences and unnecessary nods to the original series (such as R2-D2’s inexplicable return early in the series) is completely inorganic—in this case, it’s Cade returning to Luke’s childhood moisture farm. Why?!
Tyrese Gibson’s Mayhem
Ryan: You know, normally I’d say it’s good for the industry to have any sort of celebrity attached to a comic, but Tyrese Gibson’s first foray into comics sounds so incredibly generic that I’m willing to rethink that position.
COLLECTIONS
Batman: Gotham After Midnight TPB
Eric: I didn't hear anything overly positive about the series but the art looked incredibly strange, in a compelling way, and it's only $20 for 12 issues so I may end up buying this at some point.
Captain America: The Death of Captain America HC
Matt: What the hell? This issue has issue #25 again, has less issues that the previous one, and costs the same?
Kirk: What is up with the re-inclusion of issue #25? I suppose it does set the tone for the stories moving forward, but people aren't jumping in on the second volume of an omnibus either, so there's really no point to it. I'll still be picking it up, but won't be surprised if the solicit changes later to fix the duplicate issues supposedly included.
Elephantmen: Damaged Goods TPB
Eric: I'm buying this but there seems to be a huge gap in the collections for Elephantmen. The first trade only collects up to issue #7 and I have not seen collections for the missing issues. At least these issues seem to be stand alone in nature. Three issues and a nice sketchbook sound like a good for $13 as well.
Ryan: I’m really surprised that this trade is only collecting issues #18-20 (all of which were amazing), rather than the full series of “Dangerous Liasons” stories. Of course, only collecting these stories is a great way to introduce readers to Marian Churchland by spotlighting her work only. I’m curious about the new short story, though not enough to pick up the trade of issues that I already have in singles.
Grandville
Eric: I've been hearing a lot about this lately and some previews I've seen definitely look interesting. I may pick this up in hardcover if a trade doesn't come out relatively quickly.
Ghost Rider: The Last Stand
Eric: The second trade from Aaron's Ghost Rider run, which it looks like Marvel forgot to solicit it since it is being released in July.
Heroes Return
Eric: I'm actually considering buying this. I jumped on the Heroes Reborn stuff at the tail end, the Galactus and Wildstorm crossovers, and I remember Heroes Return being pretty good. I've never read any of the Heroes Reborn one-shots though so I'm a little wary about those.
Kirk: This solicit almost seems to indicate that the whole mystery Reborn series is about Heroes Reborn in someway.
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve Collected Edition
Eric: You know, I'd be tempted to buy this if Kirkman actually wrote it.
James Robinson's Complete Wildcats
Eric: Finally resolicited, and with more issues! I've been waiting for this for a while now and I'm glad to see that DC didn't cancel it.
Jersey Gods Vol 1: I'd Live For You and I'd Die For You
Eric: I'm not quite if I going to get this. I'm kind of tired of all of the Kirby knock offs at Image right now but at least they tend to lead to some imaginative material so there is that. This will probably end up being something that I buy if I can't think of anything else to get.
Killer of Demons
Eric: The concept sounds great and I'd buy this for the Wegener art alone but Yost is not a writer that I necessarily like so I'm looking forward to this with some mixed expectations.
Kull Vol 1: The Shadow Kingdom
Eric: Normally, I'd pass this up but its written by Arvid Nelson and I've recently gotten into Rex Mundi, which is fantastic, so I'm definitely looking for more of his work to check out. Story doesn't sound that bad either.
Marvel Bromance
Matt: This seems a little bit early for April's fools. I can't believe they went for that title.
Superman: Kryptonite
Eric: Definitely buying this. Aside from an interesting story premise, it's written by Darwyn Cooke with art by Tim Sale. The creative team alone is worth the purchase. Curious as to why issue 11 is collected in the trade. Was there some sort of delay or was it a follow up to issues #1-5?
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas
Matt: This quote totally rubbed me the wrong way "It's the X-Men for cool people." - Grant Morrison. I mean, he freaking WROTE X-Men, where he made them all cool with their new leather outfits. Seems a little odd to me. Other than that, I'll be buying this one.
Eric: To be fair, I'm sure Morrison's talking about all of the X-Men books after he left.
Ryan: The solicitation for this collection makes a lot more sense than the plot to the actual book did. Still, if you dug the first miniseries (which you need to read right now), you should enjoy this one, even if Gerard Way turns up the nonsense to 11.
BLACKEST NIGHT
Titles Covered: Blackest Night, Blackest Night: Batman, BN: Superman, BN: Titans, Green Lantern, Green Lantern CorpsEric: While the main books continue to look great, especially with the fact that the War of Light will take place in Green Lantern during or at least for part of Blackest Night, I've lost all interest in the tie-ins. Although there could be a good story to made out of Batman fighting his zombie parents, I doubt Blackest Night will produce it. Zombie Flying Graysons need a certain level of camp, tongue-in-cheek kind of writing which I don't think Tomasi will provide. Same with Robinson and Blackest Night: Superman.
Taking these concepts "seriously" is something that will just make them look ridiculous, and lead to a bad story in my opinion. I guess the same thing could be said of Blackest Night as well. Zombie superheroes are not something that screams "serious literature," a problem I had with Kirkman's take on Marvel Zombies. Not everything needs to try and be the Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns.
Also, it looks like Ed Benes is going to be pioneering the exciting new field of zombie T&A!
Matt: Excited about Blackest Night, but the Batman one is just mind boggling. On the one hand, it's Tomasi writing. On the other hand, a cosmic event tied in with the street-level Gotham characters sounds like a really bad idea to begin with. I mean, if these characters are the cosmic threat we are lead to believe they are by the fact that they are going to go up against the Green Lanterns, what the hell are Nightwing, Robin and Batgirl going to do against them?
Also, sheesh, talk about spoilerific solicits. In case anyone missed the reveal of Earth-2 Superman coming back, here it is in full force again. It's like DC realized it messed up with the toy solicits and just ran with it regardless of whether or not anyone didn't hear about it yet.
Ryan: At first I was annoyed at the idea of there being so many tie-in minis for Blackest Night, but the concept of Zombie Flying Graysons and Beast Boy shacking up with Zombie Terra are both intriguing enough for me to pick up the Batman and Titans tie-ins. I’ll probably avoid the Superman book (I’m still cheesed about the aforementioned Superman crossover), but I’m definitely sold on the three main books (GL, GLC, and Blackest Night).
Kirk: It's hard to comment on Blackest Night with only solicits to go by. I'm excited, as I'm sure everyone is, but the only thing I can seem to look to is the possible negatives, such as the deluge of tie-ins coming out for August, many of which seem to be focusing on the more, how to I put it, oh, yes, ridiculous aspects of raising the dead, such as Terra's zombie ass shot from Benes, the Black Lanterns randomly digging up unpowered individuals purely for some cliched pyschological focus (BN: Superman).
There's also DC's bullshit use of variant covers with ludicrous order requirements, up in the 200+ range. Shame on you, DC, shame on you.
BATMAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Batman & Robin, Batman: Widening Gyre, Batgirl, Detective Comics, Batman, Batman: Streets of Gotham, Gotham City Sirens & Red RobinEric: I'm definitely going to keep an eye on Kevin Smith's new Batman book. I've only read his Daredevil run and part of his Green Arrow work, which I enjoyed, so I don't seem to have the violent allergic reaction to his work that some people have. Although I doubt that Batman: The Widening Gyre is only there to introduce Smith's new character, so I'm curious to what is actually about.
As for the rest, definitely passing up Batgirl now that the writer is from TV, and Smallville at that. Plus, it looks like a completely new character will be Batgirl, which makes little sense to me. Batman and Robin looks great a usual, as does Detective Comics, but I am not liking what it looks like Dini has in store for Hush/Wayne in Streets of Gotham. Seems really uninspired. Plus, how does "violent opposition" against Hush/Wayne from the DC heroes actually work? This all seems like it will complicate Bruce's actual return down the line.
Ryan: After really being impressed with Batman: Cacophony, I think that Kevin Smith and Walt Flanagan’s Batman: The Widening Gyre could be a lot of fun. I just hope that DC can keep this one on schedule as well.
I’m not sure how I feel about the new Batgirl series. I don’t see any reason to replace Cassandra Cain, though I’m glad that it doesn’t appear that Barbara Gordon will be retaking the role (she is much better as Oracle). Unless the new Batgirl is Misfit (Dark Vengeance!) or there is some compelling twist, I can’t imagine myself picking this up.
I don’t care for Grant Morrison’s Batman and I really don’t like Frank Quitely’s art, so I can’t see any reason to pick up Batman and Robin #3 (especially since the Circus of the Strange sounds like another excuse for Morrison to do weird for the sake of weird—blech).
I am glad to see that Paul Dini is actually following-up on the idea that Hush made himself look like Bruce Wayne during the R.I.P. storyline. I didn’t really care for the idea initially, but Dini never ceases to amaze me with how he can turn a bad idea into a great story.
Kirk: Detective Comics and Dini's two books are still, bearing any problems with their debut issues, the only titles I'm interested in from the relaunch. I'll probably check out Morrison's and Quitely's Batman & Robin, but Morrison's Batman run failed to click with me, so I'm not as excited about this new one as others.
SUPERMAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Adventure Comics, Action Comics, Supergirl, Superman, Superman: World of New KryptonEric: Definitely losing interest in the Superman books. Another crossover has absolutely no appeal to me. I like the idea behind the cover design though, even if the execution is a little off.
I'm taking a wait and see approach with Adventure Comics. Its not really clear what the book is going to be about. I'm not interested in all of the guest stars that are going to apparently populate the series and I'm only really interested in the Superboy part of the book. I have little interest in the Legion. Love what Superman: Secret Files 2009 is going to do though.
Ryan: Is it really necessary to do another crossover in the Superman titles already? I may read the Supergirl and Action Comics installments since I’m already picking those books up, but I’m not going to get sucked into buying more Superman books than necessary, especially not after we just finished a major crossover storyline a few months back!
Kirk: Completely agree with Eric and Ryan about the crossovers. I'm a tad on the fence with regards to Action Comics, but a line wide crossover between the titles just killed any good will I had left in the year long stories for each seperate title.
RED CIRCLE TITLES
Titles Covered: The Red Circle: The Hangman, Inferno, The Web & The ShieldEric: Some minor problems with the costumes aside, I really like how these look like they will turn out. There is some nice diversity among the books and they won't be tripping over each other. I'm curious as to what the follow up is going to look like though.
Matt: Excuse me, JMS? What happened with your other series made up of all golden age characters that you started some time ago? You know, The Twelve? Maybe you should finish that one before getting started on a whole new project that is eerily similar to that one. Or I guess he could still be angry with Quesada.
Eric: About The Twelve, last I heard, there was also a problem with the artist doing other work as well.
Ryan: Doesn’t DC already have enough characters of their own (plus the Milestone characters) that aren’t being used properly? That being said, I’ve always seen the Red Circle characters as being fairly generic and uninteresting—the solicits aren’t doing much to change that.
Kirk: None of these comics, from the solicits to the covers or even interviews about them, appeal to me. I think they would have been better served putting JMS on some other title and having him boost the lagging sales on many of their current comics.
DC UNIVERSE TITLES
Booster Gold #20
Ryan: This series went downhill quickly after Johns and Katz left, but I’ll still be shelling out $4 for the Blue Beetle co-feature. I’ll probably regret it later, but there is no promise that the Beetle stories will ever be collected anywhere else, so I’ll just cross my fingers that the Booster stuff has gotten better since I dropped the book.
Doom Patrol #1
Eric: Of all the books that DC has announced recently, this one of the ones that I've been looking forward to the most. I haven't read much of Giffen's work but one of things I have read of his was Annihilation Conquest: Starlord, which was some of the best material, if not the best, from Marvel's cosmic books since they started up again with Annihilation. One of the things that made it so great was the absurd cast of characters, which is something Doom Patrol is going to share with Starlord. Plus, the early concept art from the series looked great and Giffen seems to be really enthusiastic about the series.
As for the Metal Men backup, the only thing I've read from the creative team was Formerly Know As The Justice League, which I absolutely hated, but I'm not going to hold that against them. Definitely getting the first trades for this series.
Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance! #4
Matt: I have to admit, that's a pretty funny preview blurb. Kudos to whoever wrote it.
Power Girl #4
Eric: Seems like the kind of story you don't want to tell with Power Girl when you are trying to avoid of the T&A stereotype.
Ryan: This just sounds bad…like Marvel Divas bad. But, it is still Amanda Conner and her awesomeness tends to trump even the least intriguing of stories (i.e. the recent Terra miniseries). My heart says no, but my eyes say yes.
Justice League: Cry for Justice #2
Ryan: The solicitation says of the issue’s villain, “The big bad may be deadlier than all of the new team combined.” Really? The villain is deadlier than the heroes who don’t kill? I was on the fence about this book, but that sentence is so asinine I might have just made up my mind.
Secret Six #12
Eric: Not sure how to feel about the new story. Secret Six is my favourite Gail Simone work, yet I've found her Wonder Woman work to be less that ideal to the point were I dropped the series. Hopefully Wonder Woman's inclusion doesn't bring the book down.
Ryan: I’ve been waiting for Gail Simone to get around to writing Artemis, I just didn’t expect it to be in Secret Six (DC’s strongest monthly). Colour me excited!
Kirk: I'm digging the fact DC is putting a great cover artist on Secret Six in an attempt to boost sales, but I'm not a fan of the implication this is Secret Six guest starring Wonder Woman's triple E's.
Solomon Grundy #6
Eric: I might end up getting the trade of this just for all of the crazy guest stars in the series.
Titans #16
Ryan: Starfire recently broke up with Dick Grayson? When did that happen? Since when is anything that hasn’t happened within the last few years considered to be recent? Can Chris Yost save this abysmal-sounding issue? Am I even going to pick this one up?
WILDSTORM/VERTIGO TITLES
Titles Covered: Northlanders, Red Herring & WildcatsNorthlanders #20
Eric: I'm definitely interested is seeing Sven show up again and I'm curious to see how the story will play out. I wonder if it only one issue or an arc though.
Ryan: I read Northlanders in trade, but knowing that Sven is returning makes me rethinking the policy on waiting. I’m very psyched by this one.
Red Herring #1
Eric: The new creator owned book from Wildstorm that I'm looking forward to the most. Can't go wrong with a conspiracy book that has characters named Red Herring and MacGuffin. Philip Bond art doesn't hurt either!
Wildcats #14
Eric: I loved Tao from Alan Moore's 12 issue run so I curious as to what Gage will do with the character. Also, I noticed that Shawn Moll is now the series artist and I'm not sure what to make of that. I liked Googe's work and Moll's stuff from She-Hulk wasn't bad either but I definitely prefer Googe's work.
MARVEL COMICS
ULTIMATE COMICS
Titles Covered: Ultimate Comics Spider-Man & Ultimate Comics AvengersEric: Nice to see these series finally launch. I'll definitely be getting both of these titles. Millar and Bendis have produced the best books from the Ultimate line so its definitely nice to see them both driving the line again.
From the previews I've seen of Lafuente's art I think he's a wonderful artist to work on Spider-Man but I'm a little more concerned with Pacheco since I've never read anything with his art. Both stories sound great as well but I doubt that Peter isn't Spider-Man anymore, the only replacement I could think of would be Jessica Drew, and I'm definitely looking forward to the new cast and villains.
As for Avengers, sounds great although it seems like it would be some sort of tie-in to the Avengers movie being called Project Avengers. Nice to have Fury back in Ultimate Universe as well but was hoping Hawkeye would leave his Loeb costume behind.
Matt: I think I am going to buy these two and NOT Loeb's title, just to send Marvel the right message about the Ultimate Universe. Speaking of Loeb's title, I don't see it anywhere on these solicits, I guess the thing is late. Already.
Ryan: I’ve read the first volume of Ultimates and a few random issues of Ultimate X-Men. They were good, but it just seemed like the writers were merely rehashing storylines from the regular Marvel Universe with a few meaningless character twists. These solicitations don’t really make me think that the relaunch of the Ultimate line will be much different.
Kirk: I came back into comics with the Ultimate line of comics, so I'm fairly pleased to see the creative forces behind the line, Bendis and Millar, back at the helm. Although, I'm surprised they didn't just release an Ultimate Comics Wolverine solo title, too. Lafuente's cover for UC Spider-Man looks a little too cartoony, but I enjoyed his work on Patsy Walker: Hellcat, which didn't look nearly as cartoony as this cover.
HULK TITLES
Titles Covered: Hulk, Incredible Hulk, Incredible Hercules, Son of HulkEric: A mix of good and bad. Despite the fact that I though Jeph Loeb's Hulk couldn't get any worse, it actually does. His Code Red team is perhaps the most ill conceived grouping of characters I have ever seen. What completely random and out of place group of characters is he going to come up with next?
For the good, it looks like Hulk will just be about Red Hulk and The Incredible Hulk will be about the regular Hulk, with Greg Pak writing again! Planet Hulk, and to a lesser extent World War Hulk, are the only times I've really been interested in the Hulk so its nice to see Pak return. Although the solicitation isn't exactly clear what the book will be about, I'm still interested. Not a huge fan of Ariel Olivetti's style but I think he's a good hit for the book, unlike when he was working on Cable and Punisher War Journal. Nice to see that the book will also have Savage She-Hulk back-ups by Fred Van Lente and Michael Ryan, a fantastic pairing.
I have no idea what's going in Son of Hulk though as he is appearing in both Incredible Hulk and Son of Hulk, unless there are now two of him or something. Incredible Hercules looks great as always though. A lot of fantatic stuff going on in the book and can't wait till the trade comes out.
Matt: Oh god, I am facepalming in real life. "Who is Code Red? How about Red Hulk. Deadpool. The Punisher. Elektra. Thundra. The Crimson Dynamo." Hey, Loeb, why not throw in Daredevil while you are at it too? He wears red too, and that seems to be the only common denominator for this team. This sounds like a kid came up with it, not a supposed comic book veteran that has been writing for the past 15 years.
In regards to the "new" Incredible Hulk, I am utterly confused. Between this, Hulk, and Incredible Hercules, there has been some serious liberties with numbering and series renaming and I don't even think Marvel knows who's book is who's and what number any of them is anymore.
Ryan: I loved both Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, but the introduction of Red Hulk, the renumbering, launches and relaunches and re-relaunches, and anything dealing with Skaar seems so haphazard and ill-planned that I’ve lost all interest in the Hulk line. It honestly seems like there is no plan here. Until Marvel can straighten this out, I’m keeping my distance!
Kirk: And now I will start buying Incredible Hulk again. Thank you for listening Marvel. Oh, and bi-weekly Incredible Hercules is the bestest gift ever.
SPIDER-MAN TITLES
Titles Covered: Amazing Spider-ManEric: Where, once again, Marvel puts an awesome creative team, in this case it is Fred Van Lente and Barry Kitson, on an arc that I have absolutely no interest in reading. I would actually prefer to read "Dark Mary Jane" over what is mostly likely going to be a massive tease turned into a story. Also, you would think you wouldn't have to tell Marvel that having two completely different creatives on the same arc was a bad idea, not to mention incredibly stupid, but you would be wrong. Marvel normally seems more on the ball than that.
Matt: Really Marvel? REALLY?
Ryan: I’m really confused as to why Mark Waid and Mario Alberti would start the Red Headed Stranger storyline, only to have Fred Van Lente and Barry Kitson write the rest of it. Still, the return of Mary Jane is something the book has been hinting at for some time, so I’m glad to see that storyline coming around. Plus, that is a great series of cover artists lined up for August (J. Scott Campbell, Adi Granov, and Stephane Roux)!
Kirk: That Adi Granov cover is fantastic. While I'm genuinely curious as to what the plans are for Mary Jane, Aunt May beat up the Chameleon in one of his last appearances. At this point, the Gibbon is a bigger threat than he is. The fact they have MJ lined up to take him on here doesn't really impress me.
AVENGERS/DARK REIGN TITLES
Titles Covered: Dark Avengers, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers and just about anything with Dark Reign in the title or on the coverRyan: Dark Reign had such great momentum coming out of Secret Invasion, then Marvel squandered it by flooding the market with too many tie-ins, too fast. Do we really need Dark Reign: Mister Negative? Dark Avengers and a mini for each member of the team? A slow burn on these stories would make the entire event much more organic and would keep readers like me getting so fed up that they avoid the storyline as much as possible.
I’m glad to see that Dan Slott is going to include the Young Avengers on the Witch Hunt storyline in Mighty Avengers. As important as she is to the foundations of that team, it is only right that they team up with Slott’s haphazard Mighty Avengers squad.
Eric: Despite my better judgment, I'm actually starting to look forward to Dark Reign: The Sinister Spider-Man.
Kirk: I'm going to be seriously considering dropping Dark Avengers with Fraction at the helm. While I like Fraction as a writer, I find his Uncanny X-Men unbearable. We'll see how I feel when the summer comes around.
As for the rest of the Dark Reign titles, it looks like a lot of them are finally wrapping up. Next month's solicits should be interesting to see. I wonder if Marvel has another wave of Dark Reign miniseries lined up or not.
WAR OF KINGS TITLES
Titles Covered: War of Kings, Guardians of the Galaxy, Nova & War of Kings: WarriorsKirk: If that Nova cover doesn't have you pumped for August's issue, nothing will sell you on Marvel's best monthly comic. In contrast, that final cover for War of Kings might turn you off from the conclusion to that event. Didn't see one solicited, but I hope there's a variant.
Ryan: Everything about the War of Kings solicitations screams awesomeness. To me, there is nothing better in mainstream comics right now than Marvel’s cosmic books. The only downside that I can see is the fact that the event comes to a close in August (and my fear that Guardians and Nova are the next books to be chopped after Captain Britain’s cancellation this week!).
Matt: I am conflicted. On one hand, I don't want this event to end, on the other, I am totally excited to see how it ends.
X-MEN TITLES
Titles Covered: X-Force, Cable, X-Factor, X-Men: Legacy, Uncanny X-Men, Wolverine, Wolverine: Weapon X, Wolverine: Origins, X-Men: Forever, Deadpool, Deadpool: Suicide Kings, Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth & fifty or sixty other X-titles due out this monthRyan: X-Force sounds extremely promising this month. The idea of an X-23 focused plot has me very intrigued, as does a face-off between Cyclops and Wolverine over Scott’s poor decision making skills (about damn time).
Do we really need 4 Deadpool books in one-month? Is he really getting that popular? I know that people are pumped about his appearance in the Wolverine: Origins movie, but this is getting ridiculous.
I think it is a little odd that the best sounding X-books this month are the non-canon titles (the First Class books and X-Men: Forever). I think my problem is that I already have “Dark Reign” fatigue because of the excessive numbers of tie-in minis, so once it spills into the X-franchise, I just can’t bring myself to care.
Kirk: I, too, am puzzled over just how much Marvel is pushing Deadpool. I suppose guest starring in a movie and having your own movie green lit has its perks. They should have put him in Captain Britain and MI13 and had him using a fake British accent all the time instead so we could keep that book. Could rename it Captain Brit-X and the X-treme MX13 for maXimum X-posure and increased sales. No, I'm not bitter. /sarcasm
MARVEL UNIVERSE
Avengers: The Initiative #27
Matt: Sounds like this title is heading on a new direction. I'm all for it.
Crossfire #1Eric: Another Soleil book, and one I'm definitely getting. Sounds absurd, fun and with some nice drama to go with it.
Ryan: Yet another Soleil book that I will be picking up in trade. I don’t know much about this series, but the solicitation is intriguing and the cover art is gorgeous. I’m so glad that Marvel is continuing with these imports (even if they are pricey!).
Fantastic Four #570
Eric: I don't care how long they delays will be, I don't want fill in art on this! Also, I really hope Hickman really cuts lose on this, he definitely has a lot of great ideas and Reed trying to solve everything does sound great.
Matt: Really excited for what Hickman is going to bring to the table for the Fantastic Four.
Ryan: Wasn’t this solicited a few times before? Why are you making me wait for this, Marvel? Why?! This creative team is too “fantastic” to be delayed any longer!
Ghost Rider: Heaven's On Fire
Eric: Jason Aaron's last arc on Ghost Rider. Not sure why it's a separate mini but I'm guessing there is going to be a relaunch with a big name creative team or artist.
House of M: Masters of Evil #1Eric: Where Marvel redefines the term beating a dead horse. To be fair, they have said that the trades sell really well and Gage is a pretty good writer, but I'm not picking this up.
Kirk: I have no idea what Marvel is thinking with this. Make this a Hood series and set it in the main universe if you want to deal with the Hood. He had absolutely nothing to do with House of M nor the other recent retread of the House of M by Gage with the Avengers.
Luke Cage: Noir #1
Matt: Call me crazy, but I think I am interested in this. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY. I guess I'll wait to see what the reviews are like for it.
Marvel Spotlight: Summer Events
Eric: ...The "Real" Clone Saga? I'm filled with dread, curiosity and excitement, all at the same time!
Kirk: I imagine it just repeats much of what was discussed in the Life of Reilly with regards to how the story played out. Wonder if they'll mention the proposed Mephisto ending they discussed at one point that was dismissed as ridiculous and something Spider-Man would never have agree to or have anything to do with it.
The Marvels Project #1Eric: I will read this and I will enjoy it but I'm having a hard time getting excited about it.
Matt: Along with Reborn, Brubaker sure is going to have a busy couple of months with these two projects, Captain America, and his creator-owned work. I am a little concerned, though, because the Marvels Project sounds an awfully lot like Ultimate Origins except for the 616 universe, and we all know how THAT ended with the much maligned Ultimatum.
Ryan: I don’t have much of an interest in the plot for this one, but I have faith that Brubaker and Epting will pull off something worth reading here. As it stands though, the solicitation isn’t strong enough for me to pick it up issue-by-issue, so I’ll wait for trade.
Kirk: Been eagerly awaiting this one. Not sure what to expect though. Is it setting up something for Captain America and the rest of the Marvel Universe to pick up on? Is it just a random story set in the past? I'm sure it will be great, but I'm just not sure why yet, ahah.
Punisher: Noir #1
Matt: If I made a list on things I wanted to see from a Punisher: Noir comic, Frank Castle shooting at mobsters with a Tommy Gun would be in the number one spot. So why the hell did they give him regular handguns?
Runaways #13
Ryan: After being disappointed by both Joss Whedon and Terry Moore, I’m putting a lot of pressure on Kathryn Immonen to redeem this once amazing title. The solicitations sound like she is approaching it with more respect for the characters than either Whedon or Moore (who wrote them like caricatures of BKV’s creations), which makes me feel a bit better. Unless her first few issues are amazing though, I’m not sure I’ll be sticking around long enough to see who Chase is apparently murdering.
Kirk: I think the problem with Terry Moore's run was that we were all expecting a book about teenagers and their problems and he wrote, either on his own or through editorial mandates, a teenage super hero comic. The strongest points of his run were the down time moments, like the Runaways playing Wii or camping out. Sad he wasn't able to do more of those types of stories.
If Kathryn Immonen can do something as fun and light hearted as the Hellcat miniseries, I think Runaways might finally hit its stride again.
Secret Warriors #7Eric: Nice to see Marvel finally drop Bendis's name from the credits, don't know who the artist is though but I wish Caselli could do a monthly on a regular schedule.
Ryan: I’m not familiar with Alessandro Vitti, but I’d pick this book up if it was my three-year old niece drawing it—Hickman is just that good. With the promise of Ares coming to get Phobos, I can’t imagine this will be anything less than spectacular. This is easily the best new book of 2009 thus far.
Kirk: Have no fears Ryan, Vitti is a great artist. You can check out some samples for him from Hellblazer, 100 Bullets and Stormwatch PHD if you want an idea of what his work is like. While the writing should still be top notch and I like Vitti's work, I'm still a little disappointed Casselli needed a break already. His art has grown by leaps and bounds since The Initiative and will be missed.
DARK HORSE/IMAGE/INDIES
Dead @17: Afterbirth #3
Ryan: After all of the struggles that Josh Howard faced in getting his books out on time with Viper Comics, I really hope that things go well for him with his first Image miniseries. It really doesn’t seem like Image cares to hype it much based on the briefness of this solicit, though. Hmmm…
Exurbia
Ryan: It’s always interesting to see an editor taking up the writing reigns and the results have a tendency to be strong. Scott Allie is Dark Horse’s true “Editor of the Weird” (Hellboy, Buffy, Umbrella Academy, and the Goon), which explains the sheer insanity of this solicit. I’m not thrilled with the sample art from the cover, but the concept of doomed suburbs and a talking rat prophet has me more than curious about the story.
G-Man: Cape Crisis #1
Eric: Since Mini Marvels is no longer an option. Definitely worth buying.
Matt: I'm not so sure if I'm getting this, probably will wait for the trade. A lot of the charm with mini-marvels came from the in-jokes and winks/nudges at the readers who knew the Marvel U, which are now gone.
Insomnia Café
Ryan: This sounds a lot like the plot to an episode of the Twilight Zone, doesn’t it?
Invincible #65
Eric: And Atom Eve is dead and so is absolutely any interest I may have had in this series. She could up having the first comic book death in Invincible though.
Matt: ATOM EVE, NO! Also, isn't it kind of funny that some of the books Image solicits have the warning "MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES", but Invincible doesn't? Chances are someones insides are going to come out of their bodies somehow in this issue.
Star Wars: Legacy #39
Ryan: This solicit spotlights both my most and least favorite things about this series. On one hand, I love how the story continuously builds upon itself, which we see here in the return of Cade’s mother and the new Lord of the Sith; rather than treating each arc individually, Ostrander is treating the series as one long narrative. Kudos for that. On the other hand, the number of coincidences and unnecessary nods to the original series (such as R2-D2’s inexplicable return early in the series) is completely inorganic—in this case, it’s Cade returning to Luke’s childhood moisture farm. Why?!
Tyrese Gibson’s Mayhem
Ryan: You know, normally I’d say it’s good for the industry to have any sort of celebrity attached to a comic, but Tyrese Gibson’s first foray into comics sounds so incredibly generic that I’m willing to rethink that position.
COLLECTIONS
Batman: Gotham After Midnight TPB
Eric: I didn't hear anything overly positive about the series but the art looked incredibly strange, in a compelling way, and it's only $20 for 12 issues so I may end up buying this at some point.
Captain America: The Death of Captain America HCMatt: What the hell? This issue has issue #25 again, has less issues that the previous one, and costs the same?
Kirk: What is up with the re-inclusion of issue #25? I suppose it does set the tone for the stories moving forward, but people aren't jumping in on the second volume of an omnibus either, so there's really no point to it. I'll still be picking it up, but won't be surprised if the solicit changes later to fix the duplicate issues supposedly included.
Elephantmen: Damaged Goods TPB
Eric: I'm buying this but there seems to be a huge gap in the collections for Elephantmen. The first trade only collects up to issue #7 and I have not seen collections for the missing issues. At least these issues seem to be stand alone in nature. Three issues and a nice sketchbook sound like a good for $13 as well.
Ryan: I’m really surprised that this trade is only collecting issues #18-20 (all of which were amazing), rather than the full series of “Dangerous Liasons” stories. Of course, only collecting these stories is a great way to introduce readers to Marian Churchland by spotlighting her work only. I’m curious about the new short story, though not enough to pick up the trade of issues that I already have in singles.
Grandville
Eric: I've been hearing a lot about this lately and some previews I've seen definitely look interesting. I may pick this up in hardcover if a trade doesn't come out relatively quickly.
Ghost Rider: The Last Stand
Eric: The second trade from Aaron's Ghost Rider run, which it looks like Marvel forgot to solicit it since it is being released in July.
Heroes ReturnEric: I'm actually considering buying this. I jumped on the Heroes Reborn stuff at the tail end, the Galactus and Wildstorm crossovers, and I remember Heroes Return being pretty good. I've never read any of the Heroes Reborn one-shots though so I'm a little wary about those.
Kirk: This solicit almost seems to indicate that the whole mystery Reborn series is about Heroes Reborn in someway.
Invincible Presents: Atom Eve Collected Edition
Eric: You know, I'd be tempted to buy this if Kirkman actually wrote it.
James Robinson's Complete Wildcats
Eric: Finally resolicited, and with more issues! I've been waiting for this for a while now and I'm glad to see that DC didn't cancel it.
Jersey Gods Vol 1: I'd Live For You and I'd Die For You
Eric: I'm not quite if I going to get this. I'm kind of tired of all of the Kirby knock offs at Image right now but at least they tend to lead to some imaginative material so there is that. This will probably end up being something that I buy if I can't think of anything else to get.
Killer of DemonsEric: The concept sounds great and I'd buy this for the Wegener art alone but Yost is not a writer that I necessarily like so I'm looking forward to this with some mixed expectations.
Kull Vol 1: The Shadow Kingdom
Eric: Normally, I'd pass this up but its written by Arvid Nelson and I've recently gotten into Rex Mundi, which is fantastic, so I'm definitely looking for more of his work to check out. Story doesn't sound that bad either.
Marvel Bromance
Matt: This seems a little bit early for April's fools. I can't believe they went for that title.
Superman: Kryptonite
Eric: Definitely buying this. Aside from an interesting story premise, it's written by Darwyn Cooke with art by Tim Sale. The creative team alone is worth the purchase. Curious as to why issue 11 is collected in the trade. Was there some sort of delay or was it a follow up to issues #1-5?
The Umbrella Academy: DallasMatt: This quote totally rubbed me the wrong way "It's the X-Men for cool people." - Grant Morrison. I mean, he freaking WROTE X-Men, where he made them all cool with their new leather outfits. Seems a little odd to me. Other than that, I'll be buying this one.
Eric: To be fair, I'm sure Morrison's talking about all of the X-Men books after he left.
Ryan: The solicitation for this collection makes a lot more sense than the plot to the actual book did. Still, if you dug the first miniseries (which you need to read right now), you should enjoy this one, even if Gerard Way turns up the nonsense to 11.
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24 comments:
Excuse me, JMS? What happened with your other series made up of all golden age characters that you started some time ago? You know, The Twelve?He said recently that The Twelve should be finishing up reasonably soon, since artist Chris Weston is available again.
Eric, dude, dude, dude! READ JERSEY GODS! It has been so incredible, I love it and I bet you'll love it too. It's far from a Kirby Knock Off, it's such an incredible book and I highly, highly, like...super highly, recommend it. It's incredible.
I'm also tempted to avoid the Utopia event, more really for the sake of my wallet.
I just bought the Captain America by Brubaker Omnibus brand new for $20. I don't think I'll be picking this one up, though. I have all of the singles. I might have if they had thrown in that last stretch of issues up to #50. Bumout.
I don't understand the Omnibus system. Take the Brubaker/Daredevil book. There would only be about 15 issues in the second volume. Unless they include the Annual and Tarantula special, which still only adds two. How does this work? That seems awfully small to. Same question for the Bendis Omnibus. If there's a second volume, it would only add up to about half of the first one. Agh.
@Eric
Agree on Wonder Woman. I really liked her first few arc, but only after I read them in one run. I was thinking about switching to hardcovers after this last arc, but the last few issues have really picked up so I'm around for a while.
Wait, Marvel Bromance?
Picking up all the Blackest Night main stuff. GL, GLC and the title series. The minis are going to be disappointing at best. Frowns.
Batman, Detective Comics are givens, not sure what to do about the rest, it's on a wait and see process.
I'm mildly interested in all the Superman stuff, but not sure why. Supergirl has been better than expected, but not amazing, World of New Krypton has been awesome, Superman has been okay and Action Comics continues to amaze me. Adventure Comics is probably a given though, I like the Legion and the fact that Johns has expressed some of his plans for the book already has me excited. Get to it!
More Secret Six!
Pak on Hulk is some of the best comic book news I've heard since Johns on JSA. Excited, so very excited.
I'll pay attention to ASM, but probably nothing more.
Fuck Avengers until there's a single Avengers titles. Too many teams, not enough heroes.
War of Kings may be the last we see of Cosmic books in Marvel for a while, so I'm going to be reading them, hoping DnA does much like Cornell did with Captain Britain and allow the book to 'possibly' finish once WoK ends. Fun stuff.
I'm hoping the X titles seperate themselves from Dark Reign sooner rather than later, and that the whole 'summers rebellion' thing can actually be an event worth reading, but if it isn't, my interest in the x books will wane fast.
Fantastic Four oh how I wish you weren't delayed. Less delays, more sales.
Marvels project has me excited, but for no apparent reason. Go Brubaker.
I might pick up Secret Warriors if this whole Ares going after Phobos thing plays out. Good stuff.
To be perfectly honest, I feel that there is a lot of revived DC creativity coming this summer--and thank God. What with the disastrous Amazons Attack and ultimately pointless Countdown, they need to bring some seriousness to their game.
Of all the Superman books, I'm definitely game for World of New Krypton (which is really reaching its stride), Action Comics (surprisingly entertaining), Supergirl (solid monthly read), and Adventure Comics (come on...it's Superboy, whom I love).
From Batman, I've got to get Detective Comics (the art alone is just dazzling--I'm a sucker for pretty), Outsiders (Tomasi is certainly the rising star writer of DC), and possibly Streets of Gotham or Gotham City Sirens.
I am frankly only interested in getting the Blackest Night issues only--no tie-ins.
Secret Six is always entertaining, and Wonder Woman is becoming surprisingly strong. I'm also enjoying the Dance and Escape issues of Final Crisis Aftermath--we'll see if Ink will hook me. And yeah, Doom Patrol and Wednesday Comics--pure DC goodness.
You know, my comments look awfully short compared to all the other ones.
@Ethereal
I hope the Summers Rebellion is something that just stays in X-Factor. Normally I'd say it doesn't feel important, since it's not reflected elsewhere, but David is doing such a great job and I'd hate to see it ruined by other writers roping it into their books.
Yep, Secret Six! Feeling terrible about this, but I didn't think it'd make it to 12 issues. O happy days.
@mq1986
Supergirl is definitely the strongest of the four Superman books right now. What an age we live in.
@Matt Ampersand
Fired!
@Matt - It isn't that yours are short, it's just that I've got a tendency to be long-winded!
I love those Mary Jane covers, but I just can't bring myself to be optimistic about her return. The only Mary Jane stories I want to see right now involve her getting back together with Peter. Anything else would just be a tease.
@Klep - I liked the covers, too, but I'm surprised they have a cover with MJ watching Peter swing off as Spider-Man and what look like wedding photos on the wall in this BND era. Seems like it's unused art from a while back (Ive had the image for months now, didnt know it was a cover) and they just decided to go with it now.
"I don't understand the Omnibus system. Take the Brubaker/Daredevil book. There would only be about 15 issues in the second volume. Unless they include the Annual and Tarantula special, which still only adds two. How does this work? That seems awfully small to."
When they printed the first one, they had no idea how much longer he'd be on the book. He decided to leave at #500 relatively recently.
re: Superman: Kryptonite
"Curious as to why issue 11 is collected in the trade. Was there some sort of delay or was it a follow up to issues #1-5?"
The story was due to run in issues #1-6, but issue 6 got delayed and eventually got released as issue 11.
@colonel green
Ah, I did not know that. Thanks.
Issue #25 of Captain America is part 1 of the storyline. Would you rather they start off with part 2?
I think the problem was that #25 is in both collections, so we're paying the same price with less issues and one is already included. But it makes sense, now, I think. It gives #1-24 a sense of closure, despite being part one of the story. Everything in the first 24 books was leading up to that one moment. Hmm.
Rawnzilla: I agree that it does make sense to include it, as you said it is the first part of the storyline. However, I don't think anyone is going to buy the second Omnibus on a whim (especially considering the price) without owning the first one already. The least they could have done is lower the price of this second collection.
I cut Utopia. Costs too much. Meaning I'm finally dropping Uncanny too.
Keith, I feel you, man. But I'm holding on 'til at least #512. The ending to this last Uncanny was a complete "whoah"-moment for me, so I'm eager to see how it wraps up. If the ending falls flat, I'm dropping it, too.
The ONLY Batman Comics worth collecting are those by Grant Morrison. Obviously, you have to have an IQ to be able to appreciate but for those who don't there's always the boilerplater offered by Dini, Winick, and Rucka. Honestly, I can't believe that no one on this forum can appreciate the Fantastic work Grant Morrison is doing.
Harsh words, Anonymous. I loved R.I.P. and was on the edge of my seat the entire run. Having said that, all of the new Bat-family creative teams do solid work, on their own terms. There's pretty good diversity in the books and each caters to a specific demographic. This forum allows for an equal variety of opinion. Dini does some really fun and great done-in-ones. I love Winick's character work. Rucka is, at minimum, a fantastic writer. While his Action run seems to lag right now, his past work with Montoya has been fabulous. Paired with the gorgeousness of Williams III, Batwoman, and the Question, Detective Comics is going to be brilliant. There isn't a bad book in the bunch and there's certainly no need to resort to insults.
Morrison has some of the smuggest fans on the internet.
Matt, you have no idea.
Hey, just to clarify re: the Elephantmen trades:
Volume 2 "Fatal Diseases" collects issues 8-15 plus the Pilot and has been out for a couple of months in hardcover.
All three of Marian Churchland's issues (#18-20) sold out in comic shops, so we put together the "Damaged Goods" TPB to keep those available until the "Dangerous Liasons" arc is completed (at #23) and released in hardcover.
So there you go! Thanks, as always, for the coverage and kind words.
JG
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