Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 06/24/09

This week's comics release list is staggering and the Post-Crisis Previews are overflowing with quality comics from both DC and Marvel this time around. My most anticipated book has to be Greg Rucka's and JH Williams's Detective Comics. I've been waiting to see what both do with that book for a long time and the wait is finally over. Other noteworthy releases include the gamut of cosmic books, such as Green Lantern, Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova, as well as a slew of other favourites, like Wolverine: Weapon X, Incredible Hercules and Thor. Hit the jump to see what I'll be picking up and what I think of each book set for release.

AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE #25
Written by Chris Gage
Art by Humberto Ramos

"THE INITIATIVE: DISASSEMBLED" reaches its shocking conclusion! The full effects of Dark Reign take hold as Norman Osborn reshapes the Initiative into a place to train the Dark Avengers of tomorrow! And wait until you see who's running things now...(Hint: they're on the cover!) But what will happen to the Gauntlet, Tigra, Trauma and the other heroes who've made the Initiative what it is? Oh, Norman has plans for them as well... DON'T MISS THE ISSUE THAT CHANGES THE INITIATIVE FOREVER!

Kirk: CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL TO COOL! LOUD NOISES! In all seriousness, this issue will decide if I continue on with this series or not. Whether this all new direction with Taskmaster as head of the Initiative and Norman Osborn pulling the strings works out or not needs a solid first issue or I'll be dropping this title from my pull list in favour of other titles.


DARK AVENGERS #6
Written by Brian Bendis
Art by Mike Deodato

DARK REIGN Big, bold choices! That's what Norman Osborn's H.A.M.M.E.R. and Avengers have been all about! And with every bold choice comes more and more risk! And with risk comes pressure! And with pressure...come the voices. How long can Norman Osborn hold it together? And what is he willing to do to make it look like everything is just fine!

Kirk: Dark Avengers started out as one of the best books Bendis has written probably since New Avengers first launched or his Daredevil days. However, the last issue or two have seen some troubling 'same voice' Bendis speak that has plagued much of his New Avengers of late and with such a diverse cast of villains on the time, that's just not right. It's still a fun book, but is quickly losing its appeal with me.


DARK REIGN: ELEKTRA #4
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Clay Mann

Elektra may be the world’s greatest assassin, but do sheer numbers win out when every other killer in the western hemisphere is after the price on her head? And who’s sending them? But Elektra will never discover the truth if she doesn’t survive Bullseye in the first place! Guest-starring WOLVERINE! By Zeb Wells (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and Clay Mann (DAREDEVIL)!

Kirk: Dark Reign: Elektra, while not deep on story, has been surprisingly entertaining. One of the few Dark Reign miniseries I gladly recommend.



DETECTIVE COMICS #854
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by JH Williams and Cully Hamner

"Elegy" part 1 of 4! A new era in the history of DETECTIVE COMICS begins as Batwoman is unleashed on Gotham City! Marked by the blood-red bat, Kate Kane is a soldier fighting her own private war – one that began years ago and haunts her every waking moment. With a script by Greg Rucka and breath-taking art by JH Williams III, you've never seen anything like this!

Featuring the debut of a new co-feature starring The Question written by Rucka! Odds against you? Alone and nowhere to turn? Willing to fight, but you don't know how? When you're searching everywhere for an answer, sometimes all you need to do is ask the right Question. Renee Montoya again dons the faceless mask to help those in need, all the while searching for her own answers in this new adventure with art by Cully Hamner (BLUE BEETLE).

Kirk: Could call this my most anticipated book of the week. Looking forward to seeing Batwoman finally get fleshed out as a character and JH Williams's art is simply amazing. Add a Question co-feature also by Greg Rucka and there's almost no way this issue could be bad.


GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #1
Written by Paul Dini
Art by Guillem March

This all-new series features the bad girls of Gotham City! Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other people's rules regardless of which side of the law they're on. These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it. But can they get along and work as a team? And who will get hurt along the way? DETECTIVE COMICS and STREETS OF GOTHAM writer Paul Dini kicks off this brand-new ongoing series with amazing artwork by Guillem March (JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY, GOTHAM GAZETTE).

Kirk: The preview for this didn't overly impress me, but I'm a fan of these characters and Paul Dini, while often times to devoted to his pet characters from the DCU animated days, can typically be relied on to do a good job with all three of these characters. As DC's other villains book, Secret Six, is one of my favourites, I'm hoping Gotham City Sirens can continue the trend.


GREEN LANTERN #42
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Philip Tan and Jonathan Glapion

The conclusion to "Agent Orange"! Hal battles the leader of the Orange Lanterns in a bizarre confrontation between will and avarice! But what is the true secret behind the power of the Orange Light? And what value does it hold for the other Corps?

Kirk: I've probably come off a little harsh on Green Lantern of late, but I'm not hating it in the least. It's more of a victim of its past success and I'm holding it to a higher standard than most books because of it. In that regard, I've found it a bit lacking over the past months, especially compared to its sister title, Green Lantern Corps. Here's hoping the follow up to Larfleeze's "hand"-iwork last issue will end this Agent Orange storyline with a bang.


GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #15
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Brad Walker

A WAR OF KINGS TIE-IN! Caught between the Shi’Ar and the Inhumans, how can our heroes pretend to be the Guardians of anything if they can’t even defend their own headquarters Knowhere? With nothing less than the entire future of everything at stake, it’s the defining moment for the book Aint It Cool News calls “an overdose of cool”!

Kirk: Horrible cover aside, Guardians of the Galaxy is back on track after a few months of so-so issues. Looking forward to the brawl in this issue as the Inhumans, Shi'ar and Guardians all clash on Knowhere.



INCREDIBLE HERCULES #130
Written by Fred Van Lente & Greg Pak
Art by Ryan Stegman

Pull up a courtside seat for The Trial of this or any other Millennium! PLUTO, Lord of the Dead, is trying ZEUS for Crimes Against Creation in the infernal depths of Hades, with 500 slavering Damned serving as jury, AMADEUS CHO for the defense, and the lead witness for the prosecution...is the incredible HERCULES!

Kirk: A trial? Not what I expected after the ending to last issue, but Incredible Hercules has yet to disappoint me.





NOVA #26
Written by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art by Andrea Di Vito

A WAR OF KINGS TIE-IN! He’s back! Nova Prime goes to war! It’s high tech, full throttle sci-fi combat mayhem as the Human Rocket blasts into the firestorm to find and rescue the Corps centurions swept up in the catastrophe! And one of them is a certain Robbie Rider...missing and presumed dead! It’s not too late to join the latest cosmic event in a jump-on-board issue of the book Aint It Cool News calls “a new classic in Marvel’s line-up."

Kirk: Nova's back, F*** YEAH!

This public service announcement has been brought to you by the Richard Rider for Nova Prime committee.


SECRET WARRIORS #5
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Stefano Caselli

The smashing first arc of Marvel's best new series comes to a climax as the battle between H.A.M.M.E.R., HYDRA, rogue S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, and the Howling Commandos begins! This is the first shot in a war that will result in the establishment of a new global power structure...and who's caught in the middle? You guessed it: Nick Fury and his team of Caterpillars.

Kirk: So, is Nick Fury's team called the Caterpillars or Secret Warriors? Or are they the new Howling Commandos? Whatever they're called, I likes them and what I likes, I likes a lot.




THOR #602
Written by J. Michael Straczynski
Art by Marko Djurdjevic

The cataclysmic, catastrophic events of THOR #600 have rocked Asgard. What unexpected way do his true friends figure out to help him? And what could possibly be the next step in the devious Loki’s sinister schemes and machinations?

Kirk: Are schemes ever anything but sinister? And doesn't machinations simply mean schemes? Isn't that redundant to list schemes and machinations? Solicit grammar nazis need to know!






WOLVERINE: WEAPON X #3
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Ron Garney

In the third issue of this all-new ongoing series from the same creative team as last year's sold-out "Get Mystique" storyline, the super soldiers of Strikeforce X have Wolverine trapped in the jungles of Colombia. They are heavily armed, ruthlessly brutal and outnumber him 12 to 1. But when one of their ranks disappears and screams begin to ring out through the darkness each night, the soldiers ask themselves…who's really the hunted?

Kirk: Last issue blew me away, so I'm strapped in and rearin' to go for this one.




X-FORCE #16
Written by Craig Kyle & Chris Yost
Art by Clayton Crain

“MESSIAH WAR” The MESSIAH WAR's final battle has begun, but both Wolverine and Cable know the horrible truth...they simply cannot win. Stryfe is too powerful and Bishop's plan to kill Hope has destroyed the future of mutantkind. Their only chance of survival lies in a threat deadlier than anything they face now. The end is here.

Kirk: I've made no secret of my displeasure with the Messiah War storyline, but have typically enjoyed Yost's and Kyle's parts of the event. If the cover is any indication, it looks like Apocalypse will be joining the fray this time around.

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