Ryan L's Thoughts
The Best Thing In July
 |
| Daredevil #1 |
Like this wasn't going to get my top spot. I am so keen for some new and good Daredevil in my stack. And I have massive faith that Mark Waid will make Daredevil good once more. Not to mention Paolo Rivera and Marcos Martin on art. This book is surely going to be good and us diehard Daredevil fans deserve it. We went through Shadowland, man. There has to be light at the end of this tunnel.
The Worst Things In July
X-Men Schism at $4.99
An X-event is hard enough to penetrate what with the dense continuity and cast of thousands but when you put the first taste of the action down as being a $4.99 comic then you're just being foolish from many standpoints. I don't understand why Marvel put their introductory issues at $3.99 if the series is going to be $2.99 regularly. Don't you want to suck the buyers in with a decent price first, like Vertigo's old $1 first issue scheme, instead of having a higher price to start off with. If Marvel were drug dealers the first hit would be one gazillion dollars. I don't see the brains behind it.
Also, as a sidenote, Jason Aaron continues a trend of having the most expensive comics in the business (bar maybe Bendis). I don't get why all his output is $3.99 because his fanbase might roll deep but surely not that deep. The price point has kept many readers away, myself included, because it just feel unwarranted. I get why Marvel charge $3.99 for Bendis and Fraction but I'm still not sold on Aaron needing that much cash. Maybe I'm just being harsh on a brother.
Secret Warriors Ends
I didn't even notice that there was no Secret Warriors in the June solicits. That's a skipped month in preparation for the final issue. Talk about teasing. I've been a fan of Secret Warriors, through its ups and downs, and it will be missed. I'm keen to see the end game Jonathan Hickman has in mind for it in this issue so let the countdown begin.
Fear Itself Tie-Ins
Man, there's a lot of tie-in material for this Marvel event. And I know you don't have to buy them all, hell, you don't even have to buy any. You buy what you want. My problem is, I'm interested in a fair degree of it. But I know I can't buy them all, the budget only spreads so thin, so I have decisions to make. I can already hear people crying, "So, your biggest annoyance is a publisher putting out too much content you want, boo hoo!" but that's not here, here's the sticky part. I know some of these tie-ins will be garbage. That's just an easy rule of thumb. You look over any event and their tie-ins have some real dreck in there, but sometimes there's an actual hum-dinger. I don't want to miss that quality one but I can't buy a bunch to cover my bets. I just have to say that even though I buy Uncanny X-Force, I won't be getting the tie-in mini. It's that simple. I'll possibly sample Cullen Bunn's Defenders tie-in, and the Fearsome Four looks like it could be awesome, or really not, but other than that the standard Wolverine and Deadpool minis will be a miss for me.
Vengeance
Also, as a sidenote, Jason Aaron continues a trend of having the most expensive comics in the business (bar maybe Bendis). I don't get why all his output is $3.99 because his fanbase might roll deep but surely not that deep. The price point has kept many readers away, myself included, because it just feel unwarranted. I get why Marvel charge $3.99 for Bendis and Fraction but I'm still not sold on Aaron needing that much cash. Maybe I'm just being harsh on a brother.
Secret Warriors Ends
I didn't even notice that there was no Secret Warriors in the June solicits. That's a skipped month in preparation for the final issue. Talk about teasing. I've been a fan of Secret Warriors, through its ups and downs, and it will be missed. I'm keen to see the end game Jonathan Hickman has in mind for it in this issue so let the countdown begin.
Fear Itself Tie-Ins
Man, there's a lot of tie-in material for this Marvel event. And I know you don't have to buy them all, hell, you don't even have to buy any. You buy what you want. My problem is, I'm interested in a fair degree of it. But I know I can't buy them all, the budget only spreads so thin, so I have decisions to make. I can already hear people crying, "So, your biggest annoyance is a publisher putting out too much content you want, boo hoo!" but that's not here, here's the sticky part. I know some of these tie-ins will be garbage. That's just an easy rule of thumb. You look over any event and their tie-ins have some real dreck in there, but sometimes there's an actual hum-dinger. I don't want to miss that quality one but I can't buy a bunch to cover my bets. I just have to say that even though I buy Uncanny X-Force, I won't be getting the tie-in mini. It's that simple. I'll possibly sample Cullen Bunn's Defenders tie-in, and the Fearsome Four looks like it could be awesome, or really not, but other than that the standard Wolverine and Deadpool minis will be a miss for me.
The Coolest Thing In July
 |
| Vengence #1 |
This 6 issue mini from Marvel is looking to blow me away for many reasons. First, it's about villains. That's always fun. Second, it's written by Joe Casey, a man who infuses fun into his work. But finally, and possibly the biggest sell, is Nick Dragotta. This is the guy who dominated on the Fantastic Four post-funeral issue and also won me over with a Deadpool/Iron Fist team up way back when. The man is a superstar and I want to see what he does here. Count me in for a Marvel title that won't feel like a standard Marvel title.
The Best Things In July
Captain America Relaunch
I know it'll likely see delays up the ying yang before a new artist steps in on the second arc, but I am quite looking forward to seeing Steve McNiven draw some Captain America action. It should be interesting to see Ed Brubaker writing Steve Rogers again, who picks up the shield again with the relaunch, after all this time with Bucky as Cap.
Joe the Barbarian Deluxe HC
This book was too good and way too pretty not to get a deluxe hardcover version. Going to be a long wait until September for this, but well worth it.
The Worst Things In July
Fear Itself & Flashpoint Tie-In Overload
I'm quite happy with how Fear Itself started and it looks to be on track to be a very good event, but I had a hard time finding any comics not tying into the event in the solicits for this month. As for Flashpoint, it's not quite as bad as Fear Itself for tie-ins, but no slouch itslef. Going to be hard following either event in full capacity for even the most dedicated of fans.
Daredevil Relaunch
While I'm not upset about Daredevil getting a relaunch in and of itself, I am upset about taking the old Daredevil book and renaming it for Black Panther when said DD title was already previously relaunched and then renumbered to the original series numbering for sales boosts. Any takers on how long it takes until this new DD series gets renumbered to coincide with another anniversary sales boosting number?
The Coolest Thing In July
Black Bolt Returns
I'm a huge Black Bolt fan, as you may know, and seeing him on the covers of FF #6 and 7 is definitely the coolest part of this month's solicits. I was actually tempted to double list this in the Worst part of the solicits as well because of his return not being handled by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning over on the cosmic side of the Marvel books, but with Jonathan Hickman at the helm, I don't think there was too much to worry about in terms of quality. I just hope they touch on his War of Kings "death" at some point.
Ken's Thoughts
Detective Comics #879-880
Scott Snyder has made this the best DC book, without a doubt. And the public seems to agree; since Snyder took over with #871 the book has been one of the few in this market to gain readers every month. This month we get the conclusion to his genuinely creepy James Gordon storyline, which doesn't resort to excessive violence but rather stringing both the reader and Commissioner Gordon along to wonder what really is the truth. This is becoming textbook material for how to write a mystery comic.
Defenders: From the Marvel Vault #1
I've enjoyed these "from the vault" stories, and hope that Marvel cleans out their inventory shelves some more. I mean, they already paid for them, might as well earn some money back on them. And anytime you see Busiek, Nicieza & Bagley together, it's like hitting all 7's at a slot machine.
The Worst Things In July
Batman: The Dark Knight #4 Fill-In Artist
Not that I continued picking up the book after a generic first issue, but the fact that with months and months of lead-in time, on top of delays since last November that all point to Dave Finch reverting back to his Aphrodite IX tardiness, issue #4 now has art by newcomer Jay Fabok. How's that exclusive contract working out for you, DC?
Superman Is Still Sad
SUPERMAN #713
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and CHRIS ROBERSON
Art by EDDY BARROWS and J.P. MAYER
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
1:10 Variant cover by JEFF SMITH
What could possibly make The Man of Steel decide to stop being Superman? Superboy and Supergirl catch up with him in Portland, Oregon, and they want answers!
It feels like this story will never end, and it's almost cycling back on itself. We get it, Superman is sad, can we just have this all be a dream on the last page and let Roberson get a shot at writing a Superman story without having to handle JMS' plot?
Fear Itself and Flashpoint Title Glut
Like Ryan L and Kirk wrote, Fear Itself doesn't know now if it wants to have stand-alone tie-ins or have them connect with the current ongoing series in the Marvel Universe. And the Flashpoint books in general look uninteresting and scream "cash grab," with the exception of Sterling Gates' Kid Flash mini and the Lois Lane mini by Abnett and Lanning. And I keep thinking that George Perez might have been better suited for drawing a 3-issue arc in Action Comics or JLA instead of a Flashpoint mini.
The Coolest Things in July
Terry Moore draws Fables #107
I like the idea of Moore coming over to draw a stand alone issue of Fables focusing around Sleeping Beauty, who hasn't been seen for about 30 issues (hopefully that's vague enough for everyone reading the book in trade).
Brilliant #1
It's hard to believe that this will be Mark Bagley's first creator owned work in his nearly thirty year career. That alone makes me want to see how he changes his style for this series. The only caveat is that the series is scheduled to be bi-monthly, but 30 pages of story each issue.
X-Men by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee Omnibus vol. 1
While there are basically 6 of the 28 issues in this omnibus drawn by Jim Lee, this era of the X-Men is what set the stage for the 90's, both the good and the bad. And the stories in this run are pretty darn fun; the first appearances of Jubilee and Gambit, Psylocke goes Asian thanks to Acts of Vengeance, the end of the Australia era, and buildup to Claremont's final big story with the Shadow King.
The Best Things in July
DC Keeping Things in Print
I'll admit that I rag on DC quite a lot, but I was impressed with some of the reprint choices offered recently. It seems that they are doing a better job these days of keeping things in stock. Asides from several quite popular omnibuses, such as All-Star Superman and Watchmen (among others), there's also new printings of popular trade series like Hitman, Transmetropolitan and Sandman. Keeping these trades in stock is an important job, and I'm glad DC is doing it.
Captain America Double Serving
Everyone has seen the come back of Steve Rogers to the Captain America role, particularly since the movie was announced. However, for the longest time, I have thought that it would have been a good idea to produce two Captain America titles, one set in the past with Steve under the role, and one set in the present with Bucky. What Marvel offers for July is no quite that, but it still sounds pretty good to me. Ed Brubaker, Mark Andreyko and Chris Samnee on the Captain America & Bucky title sounds absolutely fantastical.
The Worst Things in July
Retro-Grade Comics
I really, really don't understand these Retro-Active series of comics. Superhero comics already feed largely on nostalgia of eras past, so I can see why this would seem like a good idea at first glance. However, they are also largely exclusively for people who have read these comics in the past. Having not even been born in 70's, let alone fondly remembering the comics of that era, I have absolutely zero interest in this project. Should be interesting when they get to the 90's though...
The Bigger They Are...
I know everyone else already mentioned it, but holy crap, Fear Itself is HUGE and seems to be getting bigger every month. Just from a quick head count, there are twenty five tie-ins to Fear Itself (plus the main series). This means that in July, there are going to be on average eight FI titles on the stand every week. That's a whole lot of event comics!
The Coolest Things in July
Wolverine by Jason Aaron Omnibus
It's no secret that I love Jason Aaron. His run on Wolverine has been phenomenal, and I am glad that he is getting an Omnibus collecting basically all of the Wolverine stories he has written up until the latest relaunch. I already own almost all of it already, but I think I might buy this Omnibus anyway. It would certainly look nice next to my Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron Omnibus!
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story
This sounds absolutely fascinating. A crime comic that is non-fiction, detailing the investigation behind a real serial killer a couple of decades ago. Comics have always lacked in the non-fiction department (barring autobiographical comics), and I am glad that Dark Horse is releasing this one. Should make for a very interesting read, at least.
Kirk's Thoughts
The Best Things In July
 |
| Captain America #1 |
I know it'll likely see delays up the ying yang before a new artist steps in on the second arc, but I am quite looking forward to seeing Steve McNiven draw some Captain America action. It should be interesting to see Ed Brubaker writing Steve Rogers again, who picks up the shield again with the relaunch, after all this time with Bucky as Cap.
Joe the Barbarian Deluxe HC
This book was too good and way too pretty not to get a deluxe hardcover version. Going to be a long wait until September for this, but well worth it.
The Worst Things In July
Fear Itself & Flashpoint Tie-In Overload
I'm quite happy with how Fear Itself started and it looks to be on track to be a very good event, but I had a hard time finding any comics not tying into the event in the solicits for this month. As for Flashpoint, it's not quite as bad as Fear Itself for tie-ins, but no slouch itslef. Going to be hard following either event in full capacity for even the most dedicated of fans.
Daredevil Relaunch
While I'm not upset about Daredevil getting a relaunch in and of itself, I am upset about taking the old Daredevil book and renaming it for Black Panther when said DD title was already previously relaunched and then renumbered to the original series numbering for sales boosts. Any takers on how long it takes until this new DD series gets renumbered to coincide with another anniversary sales boosting number?
The Coolest Thing In July
 |
| FF #6 |
I'm a huge Black Bolt fan, as you may know, and seeing him on the covers of FF #6 and 7 is definitely the coolest part of this month's solicits. I was actually tempted to double list this in the Worst part of the solicits as well because of his return not being handled by Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning over on the cosmic side of the Marvel books, but with Jonathan Hickman at the helm, I don't think there was too much to worry about in terms of quality. I just hope they touch on his War of Kings "death" at some point.
Ken's Thoughts
The Best Things In July
 |
| Detective Comics #879 |
Scott Snyder has made this the best DC book, without a doubt. And the public seems to agree; since Snyder took over with #871 the book has been one of the few in this market to gain readers every month. This month we get the conclusion to his genuinely creepy James Gordon storyline, which doesn't resort to excessive violence but rather stringing both the reader and Commissioner Gordon along to wonder what really is the truth. This is becoming textbook material for how to write a mystery comic.
Defenders: From the Marvel Vault #1
I've enjoyed these "from the vault" stories, and hope that Marvel cleans out their inventory shelves some more. I mean, they already paid for them, might as well earn some money back on them. And anytime you see Busiek, Nicieza & Bagley together, it's like hitting all 7's at a slot machine.
The Worst Things In July
 |
| Batman: The Dark Knight #4 |
Not that I continued picking up the book after a generic first issue, but the fact that with months and months of lead-in time, on top of delays since last November that all point to Dave Finch reverting back to his Aphrodite IX tardiness, issue #4 now has art by newcomer Jay Fabok. How's that exclusive contract working out for you, DC?
Superman Is Still Sad
SUPERMAN #713
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI and CHRIS ROBERSON
Art by EDDY BARROWS and J.P. MAYER
Cover by JOHN CASSADAY
1:10 Variant cover by JEFF SMITH
What could possibly make The Man of Steel decide to stop being Superman? Superboy and Supergirl catch up with him in Portland, Oregon, and they want answers!
It feels like this story will never end, and it's almost cycling back on itself. We get it, Superman is sad, can we just have this all be a dream on the last page and let Roberson get a shot at writing a Superman story without having to handle JMS' plot?
Fear Itself and Flashpoint Title Glut
Like Ryan L and Kirk wrote, Fear Itself doesn't know now if it wants to have stand-alone tie-ins or have them connect with the current ongoing series in the Marvel Universe. And the Flashpoint books in general look uninteresting and scream "cash grab," with the exception of Sterling Gates' Kid Flash mini and the Lois Lane mini by Abnett and Lanning. And I keep thinking that George Perez might have been better suited for drawing a 3-issue arc in Action Comics or JLA instead of a Flashpoint mini.
The Coolest Things in July
 |
| Fables #107 |
I like the idea of Moore coming over to draw a stand alone issue of Fables focusing around Sleeping Beauty, who hasn't been seen for about 30 issues (hopefully that's vague enough for everyone reading the book in trade).
Brilliant #1
It's hard to believe that this will be Mark Bagley's first creator owned work in his nearly thirty year career. That alone makes me want to see how he changes his style for this series. The only caveat is that the series is scheduled to be bi-monthly, but 30 pages of story each issue.
X-Men by Chris Claremont & Jim Lee Omnibus vol. 1
While there are basically 6 of the 28 issues in this omnibus drawn by Jim Lee, this era of the X-Men is what set the stage for the 90's, both the good and the bad. And the stories in this run are pretty darn fun; the first appearances of Jubilee and Gambit, Psylocke goes Asian thanks to Acts of Vengeance, the end of the Australia era, and buildup to Claremont's final big story with the Shadow King.
Matt's Thoughts
The Best Things in July
 |
| Absolute All-Star Superman Reprint |
I'll admit that I rag on DC quite a lot, but I was impressed with some of the reprint choices offered recently. It seems that they are doing a better job these days of keeping things in stock. Asides from several quite popular omnibuses, such as All-Star Superman and Watchmen (among others), there's also new printings of popular trade series like Hitman, Transmetropolitan and Sandman. Keeping these trades in stock is an important job, and I'm glad DC is doing it.
Captain America Double Serving
Everyone has seen the come back of Steve Rogers to the Captain America role, particularly since the movie was announced. However, for the longest time, I have thought that it would have been a good idea to produce two Captain America titles, one set in the past with Steve under the role, and one set in the present with Bucky. What Marvel offers for July is no quite that, but it still sounds pretty good to me. Ed Brubaker, Mark Andreyko and Chris Samnee on the Captain America & Bucky title sounds absolutely fantastical.
The Worst Things in July
 |
| DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman – The ‘70S #1 |
I really, really don't understand these Retro-Active series of comics. Superhero comics already feed largely on nostalgia of eras past, so I can see why this would seem like a good idea at first glance. However, they are also largely exclusively for people who have read these comics in the past. Having not even been born in 70's, let alone fondly remembering the comics of that era, I have absolutely zero interest in this project. Should be interesting when they get to the 90's though...
The Bigger They Are...
I know everyone else already mentioned it, but holy crap, Fear Itself is HUGE and seems to be getting bigger every month. Just from a quick head count, there are twenty five tie-ins to Fear Itself (plus the main series). This means that in July, there are going to be on average eight FI titles on the stand every week. That's a whole lot of event comics!
The Coolest Things in July
 |
| Jason Aaron's Wolverine Omnibus |
It's no secret that I love Jason Aaron. His run on Wolverine has been phenomenal, and I am glad that he is getting an Omnibus collecting basically all of the Wolverine stories he has written up until the latest relaunch. I already own almost all of it already, but I think I might buy this Omnibus anyway. It would certainly look nice next to my Ghost Rider by Jason Aaron Omnibus!
Green River Killer: A True Detective Story
This sounds absolutely fascinating. A crime comic that is non-fiction, detailing the investigation behind a real serial killer a couple of decades ago. Comics have always lacked in the non-fiction department (barring autobiographical comics), and I am glad that Dark Horse is releasing this one. Should make for a very interesting read, at least.
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14 comments:
Man I just bought this year the Spiderman, Incredible hulk, X-Men and Wolverine Omnibuses and they are just gorgeous, the quality is amazing. I am a DC fanboy mostly but the quality of these editions is making me more of a Marvel fanboy. I am about to buy the three Thor omnibuses (by StanLee, Simonson and Strackynski). Damn they are expensives! But worth every penny.
I'm looking forward to buy the X-Men by claremont/lee and the Wolverine by Jason Aaron Omnibuses. I hope they stop producing this gems of books because I will keep spending more money on them. Oh crap
Enrique G.
Ryan L: Daredevil is definitely the best thing going in July!! Can't wait for this relaunch, though I've been a little weary about Waid's writing since "The Wild Wests".
Kirk: Relaunches and re-numbering are just what they do....so much I don't even pay attention anymore.
Ken: Detective Comics is quietly the best monthly DC is putting out, and hopefully everyone will start noticing Snyder's genius.
Finch is such a great artist...but the delays and now this is just frustrating me right out of collecting it.
Matt: I suffer from "event-lag", so I'm getting fed up with Flashpoint & Fear Itself....won't be collecting either, just can't handle it anymore! lol.
I hope you read Torso, Matt. Good book, and also true crime.
Im excited for july. lots of good stuff. tie ins for fear itself and flashpoint were ridiculous. Im already picking up books that tied in to fear itself. The only book i gave into was journey into mystery. Gillen got me hooked so fast that i love this book. Detective has to be my favorite dc book out along with secret six and american vampire. I can definitely say im a snyder fan boy. Thank god im not doing flashpoint
Say what you will about both events being bloated but they sell. I like that DC at least is keeping Flashpoint to the main mini, Booster Gold, and then just the related minis. It is nice that it isn't gumming up all their other books. Fear Itself on the other hand is both spawning minis left and right and infecting the ongoing titles of seemingly every Marvel title.
I find the renumbering and then launch of a new number one of Thor, Captain America, and Daredevil to be quite stupid by Marvel. Same with FF undoubtedly going to get renumbered back into Fantastic Four by the time it would have reached #600. Especially a character like Thor who more than likely will not be able to support two books which means after sales drag on Journey Into Mystery his title will merge into it for a new numbering and a bump in sales.
I'm with Ryan on how much we should spend on comics. I don't buy their $4 comics, and some series which go down in price lose me on the first issue....
Wake up, Marvel! You won't win this battle with your fans. (and thank you, DC, for recognizing our pain)
I thought you'd discuss Bane...
I hope Gail Simone handles him.
@The Dangster - I actually just found out I forgot to paste my Bane comment into the post when we were putting it together when my brother mentioned it was in the banner, but not mentioned.
Basically, the cover was awesome and I was looking forward to seeing what happens with Bane. Is he back on Venom? The tubes have a radioactive symbol, so something new? Was also going to discuss whether it was as a result of his trip to Hell and finding out he's not the noble spirit he thinks he is and is actually a bad guy.
I know Secret Six is supposed to have a revolving line up and I know Bane's role as a villain will be expanded now he's a featured villain in the new batman movie.
I just wonder... is there a way to get villain back to his 90's prime evil villain status AND stay on the team?
I'm not sure. With a movie role, I'm actually surprised he's still with the Secret Six and they arent shoehorning him back into the Bat books (probaby *shudder* with Tony Daniel or David Finch "writing" it).
The way Tony Daniel is creating legacy villains in his Batman run, we'll see a little Bane kid in the coming months, Veneno de Cráneo, the illegitimate son of Bane.
Matt-
Regarding retro-grade comics...
As you get older you'll eventually start to get tired of current creators re-hashing story lines that they feel nostalgic about from their childhood and you'll actually want to go back and read those original stories. The best ones were written before 1990.
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