Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 04/21/10

It looks like this week is going to be another big week for comics fans. With so many great books hitting the stands, how will you know which books are the best choices to pick up on Wednesday? Never fear, True Believers, I've got you covered with another edition of the Post-Crisis Previews! I'm looking at a solid haul of comics this week as I break down my pull list with commentary. Want to know what to expect this week? Hit the jump to find out!

ELEPHANTMEN #25

Written by Richard Starkings

Art by Various

ELEPHANTMEN #25: THE BIG PICTURE is told entirely in splash pages and chronicles the history of the Elephantmen from the point of view of one man, making it a great jumping-on point for new readers!

Ryan: I feel a bit odd “previewing” this issue when I’ve already read it—a friend snagged me a copy at C2E2 this weekend. Since its Elephantmen, you know that I would have told you that I have very high expectations for the issue and that I’m very excited to see how the story can be told through nothing but splash pages, each by a different artist. Since I have already read it, I’ll instead tell you that it is an amazing issue for a variety of reasons and you definitely need to add it to your pull list this week. Even if you’ve never read an Elephantmen comic before, this is a must have for your collection.

GI JOE #17

Written by Chuck Dixon

Art by Robert Atkins

Snake Eyes is once again under the tutelage of his mentor the Hard Master, but to make himself whole once again, the silent Joe must find a student of his own. Also, Destro is banished to a remote COBRA gulag and if you think he's going to stay there, well, you don't know James McCullen Destro.

Ryan: The last issue provided some great setup for this issue, so I’ve got high expectations. Chuck Dixon has had a great take on Destro thus far and with the character’s back against the wall now, I can’t wait to see where Dixon takes him. Plus, any GI Joe issue drawn by Robert Atkins is a GI Joe issue that I can’t wait to read.

 

GREEN LANTERN #53

Written by Geoff Johns

Art by Doug Mahnke

A BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in! Exploding out of BLACKEST NIGHT comes the next exciting chapter in the Green Lantern mythos: ""New Guardians""! Forced together during the rise of the Black Lanterns, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Carol Ferris, Saint Walker, Atrocitus, Indigo-1 and Larfleeze must agree to disagree if their next mission is to succeed. But when one of the strangest beings from Green Lantern's past returns, the future of the Lanterns and the universe at large once again falls into question.

Ryan: The problem with any story that finds adversaries teaming-up to fight a common foe is what you do once the battle is over. Now that Nekron has been defeated, what is next for the various Lantern Corps? I really can’t imagine any alliance involving the likes of Atrocitus, Larfleeze, and Sinestro lasting very long, so Geoff Johns has his work cut out for him with this new storyline. Either that or we are going to get 22 pages of awkward silence as the heads of each Corps try to figure out what to say to one another now that the honeymoon phase is over.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #25

Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Art by Brad Walker

He's back...Thanos! How did he return? Why is he back? And what does the appearance of the galaxy's #1 threat mean for our rag-tag band of universal protectors?

Ryan: Thanos! Need I say more? Well, I probably should, otherwise the page is going to format awkwardly because the cover would be larger than the text. We wouldn’t want that, would we True Believers? Aside from fixing formatting issues, there really is no need to say anything more than “Thanos!” because you should all know that his return spells certain awesomeness for this title. I mean, we have one of the coolest villains in Marvel’s catalogue written by perhaps the greatest cosmic writers in the company’s history. There is now ay that this issue isn’t going to be ten kinds of awesome. Do you think this is enough text? If not, all I have to say is “THANOS! THANOS! THANOS! THANOS! THANOS! Yay!”

MAGDALENA #1

Written by Ron Marz

Art by Nelson Blake II

The Magdalena has been the official protector and warrior of the Catholic Church for over two thousand years, sworn to defend the Faith with the Spear of Destiny against all manner of supernatural threats. However, Patience, the latest Magdalena, has seen through the hypocrisy of her masters and struck out on her own. When her old mentor comes to her with a mission to prevent Armageddon, will she be able to resist the call?

Ryan: The good folks at Top Cow were kind enough to send me a copy of this for review. I’ve never read any Magdalena comics before this, but the concept sounds pretty enticing. A Holy Warrior who took a stand against the Catholic Church that armed her trying to stop Armageddon? Certainly sounds like it is worth a look. Not sure how it will turn out, though since it is a Top Cow comic, I know I can expect lots of eye candy and big action.

NOVA #36

Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning

Art by Andrea Di Vito

After months away, Nova finally returns to Earth! The Human Rocket and his cosmic comrades Darkhawk and Quasar return home with a dire warning about the monstrous threat about to emerge from The Fault! But there's a problem on Earth...remember that red-eyed Quasar seen on the last page of the REALM OF KINGS one-shot? A twisted version of the Protector of the Universe born in The Fault, he will do everything he can to stop the warning getting through!

Ryan: After a very odd, very high-concept previous story arc, it looks like Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning will be grounding Nova for this next storyline—literally. Nova, Darkhawk, and two Quasars? This should be a cosmic lover’s dream and I can’t wait to see how it plays out. Hopefully we’ll also see more of Namora, whose shocking return was the most intriguing aspect of the previous storyline.

POWER GIRL #11

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray

Art by Amanda Conner

Power Girl's life has been torn apart, and the last thing she needs is to find out that one of her closest allies is now one of her deadliest enemies! But, we're sorry to say, that's exactly what Satanna has managed to serve up!

Ryan: There are only two more issues left of Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Amanda Conner’s run on Power Girl, which means I’ll only be buying it for two more issues! While this fact does disappointment me greatly, I won’t wallow in my sorrows when this week’s issue sounds absolutely stellar. Terra versus Power Girl, drawn by Conner? Looks like this creative team is going out with a bang.

SIF #1

Written by Kelly Sue DeConnick

Art by Ryan Stegman

SPINNING OUT OF THE PAGES OF THOR! The Asgardian warrior Sif was no stranger to battle; the heft of steel, the pitch of combat, the spray of an enemy's blood...she even craved it. But when Asgard and its people made their glorious return through the power of Thor, Sif's body was stolen and possessed by crafty Loki. Cowed by such defilement, Sif hasn't been her true self...until a former lover and mate in arms comes to her with a call to battle and blood-spattering adventure... Now Sif sets out with Beta Ray Bill to fight her way back to true warrior's glory!

Ryan: I honestly know almost nothing about Sif except that she is an Asgardian pal of Thor’s and that she is known for kicking all sorts of ass. Normally that would mean that I probably wouldn’t pick up a one-shot like this, but I do have a “Buy on Sight” policy for Ryan Stegman’s work these days. I already know that Stegman has the chops to draw ass-kicking ladies, but with Beta Ray Bill making an appearance in this book, I can’t wait to see how he handles drawing outer space thunder-horses. Only in comics, folks…only in comics…

THE SPIRIT #1

Written by Mark Schultz and Dennis O’Neil

Art by Moritat and Bill Sienkiewicz

The Spirit returns in an all-new ongoing series! Central City destroys everyone who lives within its borders...so it's a good thing The Spirit already died once! International crime syndicate The Golden Tree wants to help Central City's Octopus consolidate control over the underworld and the Spirit is the kind of mess the Golden Tree was created to clean up. They've offered the Octopus the services of one of their finest assassins to take his breath away for good – and the sight of this killer would get anyone's heart pounding! This issue also features the debut of the eight-page THE SPIRIT: BLACK & WHITE co-feature, showcasing the industry's finest talent. And who better to kick things off than DENNIS O'NEIL and BILL SIENKIEWICZ?

Ryan: I’ve always been very hot-and-cold with The Spirit. I think that the character is awesome in theory and there is no doubting the fact that Will Eisner did some amazing stories with his creation, but when anyone except Eisner is at the helm, the results vary greatly. I’m not terribly familiar with Mark Schultz, but I do know that Dennis O’Neil and Bill Sienkiewicz will do a great job with the back-up. The real reason for me to pick up this issue, though, is the lead story being drawn by Justin “Moritat” Norman, who has done wonders with the Elephantmen franchise for the past several years before making his “big leagues” debut here. I cannot wait to see what sort of magic he’ll be working here!

TOY STORY #3

Written by Jesse Blaze Snider

Art by Nathan Watson

It's Buzz Lightyear vs. Buzz Lightyear in this final showdown to determine who will return to Andy's room in triumph! Will the Buzz we know and love return to his rightful place beside Woody and the other toys, or will the upstart new Buzz take his place in Andy's heart? (Note: This is not this week's cover!)

Ryan: Kudos to Jesse Blaze Snider sending me review copies of his comics, especially after I wasn’t the kindest reviewer to his early Toy Story issues. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this book has gotten better and better with each subsequent issue, so I’m pretty excited to dig into this week’s issue. Snider was very close to capturing the spirit of the films in his last issue, but will he finally do so this week?

ULTIMATE COMICS: SPIDER-MAN #9

Written by Brian Michael Bendis

Art by David LaFuente

It's the return of Spider-Woman! And guess who she totally makes out with in this issue! What?? Yeah, you heard me!! Wanna see a Spider-Man story you have never ever ever ever seen before? We promise you, it's right here!! All this and Kitty's Pryde's world comes crashing down around her as the U.S. government comes to Midtown High to collect her.

Ryan: I can’t say that I really care who Spider-Woman makes out with in this issue. I don’t even know who the Ultimate Spider-Woman is; I hope that doesn’t hinder my enjoyment of this issue. If the previous issues are any indication, though, I know I’m totally going to dig this issue as I’ve loved this series since jumping on at the relaunch. There are few books that I look forward to as much as this one, which means this issue is already one of the front-runners for Book of the Week.

X-MEN: LEGACY #235

Written by Mike Carey

Art by Greg Land

The X-Men chasing Cable and Hope have lost a teammate. They aren't giving up, but the trail has gone cold. That's where Rogue comes in. But how could she know where Hope and Cable are? And the battle between the New Mutants and Hodge's forces ends here!

Ryan: I was really, really, really hoping that the X-Franchise Editors would make the right choice and keep the Second Coming event free of Greg Land’s tracings, but sadly, my hopes were all for naught. To make things worse, Land is drawing a section focused on my favorite X-Men member, Rogue. You can imagine my disappointment. Of course, my disappointment is nothing compared to the anger of the hundreds of legitimately talented artists that will never get to work for Marvel when someone like Greg Land, whose work is, quite frankly, pathetic, dishonest, and disrespectful to the industry, does.

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