Ryan L's Thoughts
The Best Things in September
This is easily the best thing about September. I've already started a countdown for when this issue drops, and I'll be checking that countdown every day. It's Swamp Thing, and Scott Snyder, and Yanick Paquette, and Francesco Fancavilla. It's everything I ever wanted from a comic and thought too ludicrous to ask for. Who would have thought a DCU comic would ever excite me so much. The only thing that can go wrong is I'll expect far too much from this book and then it simply cannot deliver.
But that's not going to happen because this is going to be awesome.
Wolverine: Debt Of Death #1
Another lame Wolverine title makes the cut, how could that be? Check the fine print, kiddies, this one is David Aja on cover and interiors. I wait far too long between hits of Aja art. Why he's been placed on a random Wolverine one-shot. Oh, maybe because it's written by David Lapham and it deals with flying battlerobo suits in Japan. I am so sold on this thing, and you should be, too.
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The Worst Things In September
Daredevil Joins New Avengers
I've never wanted Daredevil on the Avengers and I still don't. I don't think it's the right choice for the character and as much as I love Bendis and Maleev's run on Daredevil I don't want to see Bendis now address Mat Murdock in the background. I also don't want to pick up this $3.99 title just to find my favourite character poorly used. He did it to me with Iron Fist for an arc and I want to say 'never again.' Here's hoping I can be that strong.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1
It's another relaunch for this title in like 18 months, or so. And the last relaunch went back to the original numbering pretty quickly. I know the number on the book doesn't really matter but this still strikes me as lame. Not to mention it's polybagged. 'Nuff said, right?
The Coolest Things In September
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Casanova: Avaritia #1
It's Casanova, c'mon, why do I even need to say any more? Have a look at this cover. It's gorgeous. You know if nothing else, the art will be spectacular. But I have a feeling Matt Fraction will also bring back his A game on this one, he's certainly lost it on all his Marvel books. He started strong using the Punisher and Iron Fist, even the Order was cool, but Iron Man and Thor and Fear Itself have not been great. It's time for Casanova to right some wrongs. It's time for the smart and stellar writer to return, and it's time for more Cass after years away from the shelves.
There's a lot of pressure on this book, can it deliver. Only one way to find out, pony up the cash and get the first issue.
Grifter #1
If Grifter alone wasn't cool enough, we also have him written by Nathan Edmondson. For those who haven't been keeping up, Edmondson is the writer on the fantastic spy action comic Who Is Jake Ellis? if he can bring the same level of story and kinetic awesome to Grifter then this title is going to be good. I'm certainly buying in on the ground floor and I'm super keen to see what I'll get for my efforts.
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Green Wake Vol 1 TPB
My favourite comic of the year will be collected in trade in September. If you haven't believed me when I spoke of its glory in single issues then hopefully you'll at least drop some cash on the trade. This book is such perfect horror noir and it's going to look amazing collected all together. Just look at the cover if you aren't sure.
I am still surprised at how much quality Image is pumping out this year. They might, maybe, just be the best publisher for 2011. So many good new series, so many good continuations of old titles. They're shaking things up and giving the comic fans what they say they always want. Now fans just need to go grab it, it's all available. I love that the titles from Image aren't all in a similar genre, you can go creepy and disturbing like Green Wake or you can get comics for kids, or pulpy adventures, or zombies - anything goes. I'm just a fan of good comics, no matter the genre, and Image make good comics.
And Green Wake is the best of the bunch right now.
Thunderbolts #163
YOUR EYES DO NOT DECEIVE YOU! The Thunderbolts have pulled off THE GREATEST ESCAPE IN HISTORY – and joining the powerful ex-cons are CAPTAIN AMERICA and NAMOR the SUB-MARINER! This new era takes the kings of supercrime to a whole new level- at light speed!! By Jeff Parker (INCREDIBLE HULKS) and Kev Walker (SECRET AVENGERS)
The best thing isn't the solicit, but the cover showcasing what looks like a promotion for some of the Underbolt members. So about 15 issues after the Heroic Age, we get about a 50% turnover in members, that's a pretty fair amount of time for the program to change out the cast.
Annihilators: Earthfall #1
The team behind the excellent Annihilators mini return in September to bring the pain to the Avengers. And anything other than plot armor should make for a very interesting Avengers butt kicking. I mean, who does Wolverine think he can really beat up on the team? Cosmo alone can take on every Avenger except for Thor, maybe.
NEAR DEATH #1
story JAY FAERBER
art SIMONE GUGLIELMINI
cover TOMM COKER
SEPTEMBER 21
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99
Markham is a professional killer who has a near death experience during a botched mission. Determined to avoid ever returning to the Hell he glimpsed, Markham dedicates himself to balancing the scales. He's going to save a life for every life he's taken. And he's taken a lot of lives...
A new ongoing crime series for fans of Criminal and the novels of Lee Child and Robert Crais.
This sounds like a premise worth reading about, a little bit of My Name Is Earl mixed in with Hitman and Criminal.
Batman #1
Scott Snyder gets to relaunch the flagship bat-book, and brings Greg Capullo along with him. Now that he's at DC, I wonder if Capullo will change his style compared to his Marvel and Image work. I can pretty much guarantee the book will be good without even reading it, that's how much faith I have in Snyder. I can only hope Snyder doesn't stretch himself too thin or pick one of his books to take priority over the others.
The Best Things in September
Annihilators: Earthfall
More Marvel cosmic. This time they put the beat down on Earth's heroes. If Marvel cosmic and the biggest guns in Marvel's stable beating up the Avengers doesn't sell you, I'm not sure what will.
DC, DC and more DC
While there are aspects of the revamp that are still vague, there's no doubt in my mind DC will be the best thing in September. Action Comics? More Green Lantern? Swamp Thing? Animal Man? These and so many more have me pumped to be a comic fan again. Should be a great month trying out all the new books.
The Worst Things in September
Spider-Island
Is anyone interested in this 'event'? Anyone? The only thing good coming out of that is that Herc cover...
The Coolest Thing in September
Batman, Inc Deluxe HC Cover
Just look at it! That is an amazing cover. How could you not want to buy that
?
The Best Things in September
Cosmic vs. Earth
Aw yeah! This is easily one of the best news about September. If they want to continue the cosmic saga that DnA have been weaving as a series-of-miniseries, then I am all for it. The fact that the art team from the previous miniseries continues is just gravy on this awesome serving of comic goodness. I also find it really funny that this is easily the most exciting thing for Kirk, Ken and me coming from Marvel in September. Are we that easy to pander to? Yes, of course we are.
Everyone Gets Spider-Powers
I honestly don't mind the amount of tie-ins to Spider-Island, just because it has already provided plenty of great visuals for those covers. I mean, how can you not love those covers with Herc, Kingpin and freaking J. Jonah Jameson using Spider-powers?
The Worst Things in September
Holy Batman Titles, Batman!
We have already talked about it in depth before, but in all the excitement about the DC relaunch I haven't seen anyone mention the fact that there are going to be four Batman titles (five, once Batman, Inc. re-starts in 2012), all starring the same person under the cowl, Bruce Wayne. Part of the fun of the past years of multiple Batman titles was that all of them featured different dynamics. For example, Batman and Robin was about Dick and Damian, Batman, Inc. was about Bruce, Detective was Dick solo, and so on. Sure, Bruce Wayne is a deep character, with plenty of facets to him, but four titles for a single character seems like overkill to me (and that's without counting any appearances in other Bat-titles or Justice League). I mean, remember when it was Deadpool that had four different titles and everyone was crying bloody murder? Where are those people now?
The Coolest Things in September
Massive The Darkness Collection
I can't say I'm a fan of the series, as it never really interested me that much, but if you are looking for good value for your money, you really can't do better than The Darkness Compendium Vol. 2. Featuring a whooping 1240 pages of story, it only costs 60 bucks. That's close to fifty issues plus extra content, so it rounds up roughly above 1 dollar per issue. And this is before you factor in Amazon discounts and the like. Unless you travel back in time to 1980, you are not going to find cheap comics like this. The only thing I am not sure is the quality of the paper, or if the pages are in black and white.
Done to Death
Are you sick of Twilight and any other story that portrays vampires as romantic teenage heartthrobs? Apparently, so were Andrew Foley and Fiona Staples, who are releasing an OGN about an editor who is out to kill any writers who submit any Twilight-like material. This sounds like a very fun and tongue-in-cheek book and I am glad that IDW are publishing it. Not to mention, it has art by Fiona Staples, so at the very least you know this will look absolutely gorgeous.
But that's not going to happen because this is going to be awesome.
Wolverine: Debt Of Death #1
Another lame Wolverine title makes the cut, how could that be? Check the fine print, kiddies, this one is David Aja on cover and interiors. I wait far too long between hits of Aja art. Why he's been placed on a random Wolverine one-shot. Oh, maybe because it's written by David Lapham and it deals with flying battlerobo suits in Japan. I am so sold on this thing, and you should be, too.
Daredevil Joins New Avengers
I've never wanted Daredevil on the Avengers and I still don't. I don't think it's the right choice for the character and as much as I love Bendis and Maleev's run on Daredevil I don't want to see Bendis now address Mat Murdock in the background. I also don't want to pick up this $3.99 title just to find my favourite character poorly used. He did it to me with Iron Fist for an arc and I want to say 'never again.' Here's hoping I can be that strong.
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #1
It's another relaunch for this title in like 18 months, or so. And the last relaunch went back to the original numbering pretty quickly. I know the number on the book doesn't really matter but this still strikes me as lame. Not to mention it's polybagged. 'Nuff said, right?
The Coolest Things In September
It's Casanova, c'mon, why do I even need to say any more? Have a look at this cover. It's gorgeous. You know if nothing else, the art will be spectacular. But I have a feeling Matt Fraction will also bring back his A game on this one, he's certainly lost it on all his Marvel books. He started strong using the Punisher and Iron Fist, even the Order was cool, but Iron Man and Thor and Fear Itself have not been great. It's time for Casanova to right some wrongs. It's time for the smart and stellar writer to return, and it's time for more Cass after years away from the shelves.
There's a lot of pressure on this book, can it deliver. Only one way to find out, pony up the cash and get the first issue.
Grifter #1
If Grifter alone wasn't cool enough, we also have him written by Nathan Edmondson. For those who haven't been keeping up, Edmondson is the writer on the fantastic spy action comic Who Is Jake Ellis? if he can bring the same level of story and kinetic awesome to Grifter then this title is going to be good. I'm certainly buying in on the ground floor and I'm super keen to see what I'll get for my efforts.
My favourite comic of the year will be collected in trade in September. If you haven't believed me when I spoke of its glory in single issues then hopefully you'll at least drop some cash on the trade. This book is such perfect horror noir and it's going to look amazing collected all together. Just look at the cover if you aren't sure.
I am still surprised at how much quality Image is pumping out this year. They might, maybe, just be the best publisher for 2011. So many good new series, so many good continuations of old titles. They're shaking things up and giving the comic fans what they say they always want. Now fans just need to go grab it, it's all available. I love that the titles from Image aren't all in a similar genre, you can go creepy and disturbing like Green Wake or you can get comics for kids, or pulpy adventures, or zombies - anything goes. I'm just a fan of good comics, no matter the genre, and Image make good comics.
And Green Wake is the best of the bunch right now.
Ken's Thoughts
The Best Things in September
Thunderbolts #163YOUR EYES DO NOT DECEIVE YOU! The Thunderbolts have pulled off THE GREATEST ESCAPE IN HISTORY – and joining the powerful ex-cons are CAPTAIN AMERICA and NAMOR the SUB-MARINER! This new era takes the kings of supercrime to a whole new level- at light speed!! By Jeff Parker (INCREDIBLE HULKS) and Kev Walker (SECRET AVENGERS)
The best thing isn't the solicit, but the cover showcasing what looks like a promotion for some of the Underbolt members. So about 15 issues after the Heroic Age, we get about a 50% turnover in members, that's a pretty fair amount of time for the program to change out the cast.
Annihilators: Earthfall #1
The team behind the excellent Annihilators mini return in September to bring the pain to the Avengers. And anything other than plot armor should make for a very interesting Avengers butt kicking. I mean, who does Wolverine think he can really beat up on the team? Cosmo alone can take on every Avenger except for Thor, maybe.
The Worst Things in September
Spider-Island Tie-In Glut
I guess when Marvel started Spider-Island, the original intent was to make a tie-in issue for every person in Manhattan? That's what it seems like with new one-shots and mini series popping up every month. There is no need for an Avengers tie-in on top of a random anthology book like I Love New York City.
Half of the DC Relaunch/Reboot
Some of the titles are genuinely interesting, but as mentioned in our DC roundtable discussion, it feels like half the books are being sent out to die a meaningless death. Tony Daniel writing another book? I, Vampire getting on the Twilight bandwagon 6 months too late? Paul Cornell goes from Action Comics to Demon Knights, a book with no major star AND set in the middle ages? I would really like to see the dartboard DC made when throwing out the 52 darts to see where they stuck.
I guess when Marvel started Spider-Island, the original intent was to make a tie-in issue for every person in Manhattan? That's what it seems like with new one-shots and mini series popping up every month. There is no need for an Avengers tie-in on top of a random anthology book like I Love New York City.
Half of the DC Relaunch/Reboot
Some of the titles are genuinely interesting, but as mentioned in our DC roundtable discussion, it feels like half the books are being sent out to die a meaningless death. Tony Daniel writing another book? I, Vampire getting on the Twilight bandwagon 6 months too late? Paul Cornell goes from Action Comics to Demon Knights, a book with no major star AND set in the middle ages? I would really like to see the dartboard DC made when throwing out the 52 darts to see where they stuck.
The Coolest Things in September
NEAR DEATH #1
story JAY FAERBER
art SIMONE GUGLIELMINI
cover TOMM COKER
SEPTEMBER 21
32 PAGES / FC / T+
$2.99
Markham is a professional killer who has a near death experience during a botched mission. Determined to avoid ever returning to the Hell he glimpsed, Markham dedicates himself to balancing the scales. He's going to save a life for every life he's taken. And he's taken a lot of lives...
A new ongoing crime series for fans of Criminal and the novels of Lee Child and Robert Crais.
This sounds like a premise worth reading about, a little bit of My Name Is Earl mixed in with Hitman and Criminal.
Batman #1
Scott Snyder gets to relaunch the flagship bat-book, and brings Greg Capullo along with him. Now that he's at DC, I wonder if Capullo will change his style compared to his Marvel and Image work. I can pretty much guarantee the book will be good without even reading it, that's how much faith I have in Snyder. I can only hope Snyder doesn't stretch himself too thin or pick one of his books to take priority over the others.
Kirk's Thoughts
The Best Things in September
More Marvel cosmic. This time they put the beat down on Earth's heroes. If Marvel cosmic and the biggest guns in Marvel's stable beating up the Avengers doesn't sell you, I'm not sure what will.
DC, DC and more DC
While there are aspects of the revamp that are still vague, there's no doubt in my mind DC will be the best thing in September. Action Comics? More Green Lantern? Swamp Thing? Animal Man? These and so many more have me pumped to be a comic fan again. Should be a great month trying out all the new books.
The Worst Things in September
Spider-Island
Is anyone interested in this 'event'? Anyone? The only thing good coming out of that is that Herc cover...
The Coolest Thing in September
Batman, Inc Deluxe HC Cover
? Matt's Thoughts
The Best Things in September
Aw yeah! This is easily one of the best news about September. If they want to continue the cosmic saga that DnA have been weaving as a series-of-miniseries, then I am all for it. The fact that the art team from the previous miniseries continues is just gravy on this awesome serving of comic goodness. I also find it really funny that this is easily the most exciting thing for Kirk, Ken and me coming from Marvel in September. Are we that easy to pander to? Yes, of course we are.
Everyone Gets Spider-Powers
I honestly don't mind the amount of tie-ins to Spider-Island, just because it has already provided plenty of great visuals for those covers. I mean, how can you not love those covers with Herc, Kingpin and freaking J. Jonah Jameson using Spider-powers?
The Worst Things in September
We have already talked about it in depth before, but in all the excitement about the DC relaunch I haven't seen anyone mention the fact that there are going to be four Batman titles (five, once Batman, Inc. re-starts in 2012), all starring the same person under the cowl, Bruce Wayne. Part of the fun of the past years of multiple Batman titles was that all of them featured different dynamics. For example, Batman and Robin was about Dick and Damian, Batman, Inc. was about Bruce, Detective was Dick solo, and so on. Sure, Bruce Wayne is a deep character, with plenty of facets to him, but four titles for a single character seems like overkill to me (and that's without counting any appearances in other Bat-titles or Justice League). I mean, remember when it was Deadpool that had four different titles and everyone was crying bloody murder? Where are those people now?
The Coolest Things in September
I can't say I'm a fan of the series, as it never really interested me that much, but if you are looking for good value for your money, you really can't do better than The Darkness Compendium Vol. 2. Featuring a whooping 1240 pages of story, it only costs 60 bucks. That's close to fifty issues plus extra content, so it rounds up roughly above 1 dollar per issue. And this is before you factor in Amazon discounts and the like. Unless you travel back in time to 1980, you are not going to find cheap comics like this. The only thing I am not sure is the quality of the paper, or if the pages are in black and white.
Done to Death
Are you sick of Twilight and any other story that portrays vampires as romantic teenage heartthrobs? Apparently, so were Andrew Foley and Fiona Staples, who are releasing an OGN about an editor who is out to kill any writers who submit any Twilight-like material. This sounds like a very fun and tongue-in-cheek book and I am glad that IDW are publishing it. Not to mention, it has art by Fiona Staples, so at the very least you know this will look absolutely gorgeous.
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9 comments:
Liked all your thoughts and comments. although on the Daredevil front, he might actually work for New Avengers and not in some abstract form. Bendis might just be able to put some extra angst into the team because Matt's recent exploits in ShadowLand. Of course I could be wrong, I still like The Champions and Defenders.
I am very excited about seeing Swamp Thing once again on a regular basis. Snyder will do a tremendous job on this character and the art appears to be wonderful.
P.S. Love the blog...Keep up the great work!
Ryan, it's like you read my mind about that Wolverine one-shot. The solicit was completely forgettable, but I will buy absolutely anything with David Aja's name on it. The story he did with Ann Nocenti in Daredevil #500 still blows me away every time I read it.
I'm kind of torn about Spider Island. The number of tie-ins has exploded, but I think it's a fun idea and many of them sound pretty interesting.
I liked how Kirk said, "Does ANYBODY like this Spider-Island shit?" and then the post right after is, "Man, I LOVE this Spider-Island shit!" Personally, I'm on board with the idea, and I love the creative team.
Also, according to Batman fans, he doesn't have ENOUGH ongoings. You should see the whining for a Tim Drake on-going, or Stephanie Brown, or Cassandra Cain.
@Jeremy: To be fair, I didn't say that I was loving the crossover, just the visuals that it has created so far. I honestly don't know if it it'll be any good or not.
Also, I don't mind different ongoing titles for different characters. If they want to make a series for each member of the Bat-family, that's alright with me. However, 4 titles following the life of Bruce Wayne feels a bit too much.
@MattDuarte: 6 if you count both justice leagues
Thanks Ryan. I did not notice the solicit for the Wolverine one-shot (because it was a Wolverine one-shot), but now I'm definitely getting this
I have a strong feeling JLA won't come out in time monthly after the first few issues. Lee is definitely gonna take his time
@Steve+Naymlap - YES! I'm glad I spread the Aja love. I was worried it being one of many Wolvie one-shots it might go unnoticed by art from Aja is always a reason to celebrate. I'm really looking forward to the issue.
@Jeremy - I also found that hilarious. Glad it wasn't missed.
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