I'm travelling at the moment, and even though I prepared this in advance, I totally forgot to post it this morning. So it's a little later than intended, but it's now time for your weekly dose of Post-Crisis Previews, and you're in luck, because we've a wealth of books to whet your appetite. Amongst our winning list of titles are gems such as Batwoman #5, the newest Lobster Johnson miniseries, and plenty more! So don't delay, hit the jump today!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #677
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Emma Rios
• Spider-Man and Daredevil team up – Part One!
• When Black Cat is arrested, Matt Murdock is the only lawyer who will touch her (her case… we mean).
• The next great love triangle of the Marvel Universe begins!
Grant: Oh, man! As much as I love Dan Slott on this book (and we all know that I love that a lot), the way Mark Waid has been writing Daredevil, he is pretty much the best alternative possible. It's a definite plus that that Emma Rios is along for the ride on art duties. She was impressive as heck as the Cloak and Dagger Spider-Island tie-in, and as long as she keeps up the same quality work, I'll read most anything that her name's attached to. Especially when it happens to be a book that's already on my pull list.
BATWOMAN #5
Written by J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman
Art by J.H. Williams III
“Hydrology,” the first arc of the critically acclaimed new BATWOMAN series, reaches its powerful conclusion! After the horrors Batwoman has faced, she has a final showdown with The Weeping Woman – a specter with the power to dredge up Kate’s deepest pain. Can she finally forgive herself so she can dispel this evil? And how will she respond when Chase and the DEO tighten their grip, forcing Kate to make an impossible decision?
Grant: Are 5-issue arcs becoming the norm for DC books nowadays? I really hope that isn't the case, because it's already bad enough that all of the company's books are only twenty pages long. If their collected trades start being only five issues, that means those will have thirty-six less pages of content than they did before DC started "Holding the Line". Grumpiness about page per dollar spreads aside, I'm always excited for more Batwoman. J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman have been setting the world on fire with their quality work. If they're actually going to manage to wrap everything up, I can't wait to see how they manage it.
DEMON KNIGHTS #5
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert
The pressure is mounting as the Horde prepares to breach the walls of Little Spring – but inside the town, our heroes are at each other’s throats! With their fragile alliance in tatters, and the enemy whispering in their ears, someone’s going to break – but for a reason you never saw coming!
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Emma Rios
• Spider-Man and Daredevil team up – Part One!
• When Black Cat is arrested, Matt Murdock is the only lawyer who will touch her (her case… we mean).
• The next great love triangle of the Marvel Universe begins!
Grant: Oh, man! As much as I love Dan Slott on this book (and we all know that I love that a lot), the way Mark Waid has been writing Daredevil, he is pretty much the best alternative possible. It's a definite plus that that Emma Rios is along for the ride on art duties. She was impressive as heck as the Cloak and Dagger Spider-Island tie-in, and as long as she keeps up the same quality work, I'll read most anything that her name's attached to. Especially when it happens to be a book that's already on my pull list.
BATWOMAN #5Written by J.H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman
Art by J.H. Williams III
“Hydrology,” the first arc of the critically acclaimed new BATWOMAN series, reaches its powerful conclusion! After the horrors Batwoman has faced, she has a final showdown with The Weeping Woman – a specter with the power to dredge up Kate’s deepest pain. Can she finally forgive herself so she can dispel this evil? And how will she respond when Chase and the DEO tighten their grip, forcing Kate to make an impossible decision?
Grant: Are 5-issue arcs becoming the norm for DC books nowadays? I really hope that isn't the case, because it's already bad enough that all of the company's books are only twenty pages long. If their collected trades start being only five issues, that means those will have thirty-six less pages of content than they did before DC started "Holding the Line". Grumpiness about page per dollar spreads aside, I'm always excited for more Batwoman. J.H. Williams III and W. Haden Blackman have been setting the world on fire with their quality work. If they're actually going to manage to wrap everything up, I can't wait to see how they manage it.
DEMON KNIGHTS #5Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert
The pressure is mounting as the Horde prepares to breach the walls of Little Spring – but inside the town, our heroes are at each other’s throats! With their fragile alliance in tatters, and the enemy whispering in their ears, someone’s going to break – but for a reason you never saw coming!
Grant: Last issue made for a rather surprising change of pace, but definitely in a good way. It's hard to know whether we'll have something similar this time around, focusing in on one or two of the characters, or if we'll go back to the team book atmosphere that pervaded issues #1 through #3. Either way, as long as this book keeps up the same unique elements that it's had since the opening issue, I'll be along for the ride. Demon Knights is what DC's reboot should have been about: taking the chance to tell a story that simply isn't being told anywhere else. That's exactly what Paul Cornell and company have been doing, and I've enjoyed every moment.
FRANKENSTEIN AGENTS OF S.H.A.D.E. #5
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Alberto Ponticelli
When Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out! Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!
Grant: I've said before that I've been on the fence about Frankenstein. I'm still not entirely sure where my opinion on the title stands, but the conclusion to the previous storyline was enough to keep me on board, and the tie-in with O.M.A.C. will guarantee at least one more read. See also: I love how the covers for O.M.A.C. #5 and Frankenstein #5 mirror each other, simply switching which character is winning the fight at the moment.
HEART #3
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Alberto Ponticelli
When Checkmate fails to bring the rogue metahuman O.M.A.C. under control, they call in S.H.A.D.E.’s best agent, Frankenstein! It’s all-out monster mayhem as O.M.A.C. and Frank battle in the streets of Metropolis. But what is Brother Eye’s real goal? It’s up to Father Time and Ray Palmer to find out! Continued from this month’s O.M.A.C. #5!
Grant: I've said before that I've been on the fence about Frankenstein. I'm still not entirely sure where my opinion on the title stands, but the conclusion to the previous storyline was enough to keep me on board, and the tie-in with O.M.A.C. will guarantee at least one more read. See also: I love how the covers for O.M.A.C. #5 and Frankenstein #5 mirror each other, simply switching which character is winning the fight at the moment.
Written by Blair Butler
Art by Kevin Mellon
M.M.A. fighter Oren "Rooster" Redmond steps into the cage for the biggest bout of his career in the shocking, penultimate chapter of this brawl-filled comic. If you bought the first two issues, this one should be a no-brainer.
Grant: The solicitation isn't exactly inspiring, but it is accurate. I've read the first two issues, and while the second one had a few too many similarities to Fight Club, picking up issue #3 is a no-brainer on my end. I've enjoyed Blair Butler's take on MMA fighting (despite not actually being a fan of the sport) more than enough to give two more issues a try. Certainly a benefit of a 4-issue miniseries. Hard to say no when two issues puts you halfway into it.
LOBSTER JOHNSON: THE BURNING HAND #1
Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art by Tonci Zonjic
When a tribe of phantom Indians start scalping policemen, Hellboy’s crime-fighting hero Lobster Johnson and his allies arrive to take on these foes and their gangster cronies!
• From the pages of Hellboy.
• First Lobster Johnson story in four years!
• Year of monsters variant cover by Mike Mignola.
Grant: As much as I love Hellboy, and as much as I love Lord Baltimore, Lobster Johnson is my favourite Mike Mignola creation. In my view, the Lobster is the perfect homage to pulp crime comics, and his earlier miniseries from 2007 was awesome. I'm not entirely sure what to expect from this story, but I'm pretty darn sure that it's going to be good, whatever it may be about.
MYSTIC: THE TENTH APPRENTICE TPB
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by David Lopez
Eisner Award-nominated writer G. WILLOW WILSON (Air, Superman, Cairo) and superstar artist DAVID LOPEZ (HAWKEYE/MOCKINGBIRD, Catwoman) join forces to bring you the story of two seemingly ordinary orphan girls whose lives are turned upside down by magic. One of them will find herself responsible for saving the world — and the other will become her mortal enemy!
Grant: I'm not actually planning on picking this guy up, but that's only because I picked up every single issue when they came out last year. I put this title here as a reminder for anyone reading at home that has been wanting to give Mystic a gander. If that sounds like you, you're in luck, because the trade paperback is dropping this week. I don't know if I could recommend this book more. Consider it a late Christmas gift to yourself. You won't regret it.
SCALPED #55
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera
"Knuckle Up" concludes with an epic confrontation that SCALPED readers have been waiting a long time to see. It's Dash vs. Shunka in a battle for the ages – and if you think you know how it's all going to end, trust us, you don't.
Grant: Jason Aaron is telling one hell of a story over in Scalped. Things have been building for a long time between Dash and Shunka, and like the solicit says, I can't even begin to imagine how this is going to play out. With this book finishing at issue #60, I find myself in the contradictory position of wanting to read more, but not wanting the series to end. On the plus side, as long as Aaron keeps up the quality, Scalped will be excessively re-readable. I'll miss all the characters once there's no new challenges for them to deal with though.
SEVERED #6
Written by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Art by Attila Futaki
“PERMANENT TEETH”
In 1916, a boy runs away from home in search of his father. But along the way he meets a salesman with sharp teeth and a hunger for flesh. SCOTT SNYDER (AMERICAN VAMPIRE, BATMAN, SWAMP THING), SCOTT TUFT and ATTILA FUTAKI (NYT Best-Selling-Artist: PERCY JACKSON) comes the most terrifying horror series of the last year.
Grant: This book has been steadily building, with each issue adding just enough to keep things on edge. Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft have been constructing quite the horror story, with Attila Futaki's pencil work as the perfect compliment. As we work towards the conclusion of the tale, I'll be interested to see how our protagonist manages to get out of the trouble he's found himself in once things really hit the fan.
UNWRITTEN #33
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross & M.K. Perker
Recovered and recharged, Tom is ready to invade the cabal’s inner sanctum as “Tommy Taylor and the War of Words” continues. And the Cabal are more than ready to receive him into the charged narrative space of the Grid. As Pullman’s trap closes, revelations about the Cabal’s true aims come thick and fast.
Grant: Things have really been moving fast in The Unwritten, which I suppose shouldn't be terribly surprising since it's been releasing twice a month. It's awfully exciting to have so many revelations coming so quickly after such a long build. The way Mike Carey and Peter Gross have meted out information about the world in this book has been picture perfect. Can't wait to learn some more.
So apparently the second week of the month is when I pick up the most books? I'd bemoan such a lot, if it weren't for the fact that all of these books look to be kind of amazing. I definitely can't wait to work my way through these titles. Do you guys have a particular week where you have more books coming out than others? Or is your pull pretty evenly distributed over the course of the month?
Written by Mike Mignola & John Arcudi
Art by Tonci Zonjic
When a tribe of phantom Indians start scalping policemen, Hellboy’s crime-fighting hero Lobster Johnson and his allies arrive to take on these foes and their gangster cronies!
• From the pages of Hellboy.
• First Lobster Johnson story in four years!
• Year of monsters variant cover by Mike Mignola.
Grant: As much as I love Hellboy, and as much as I love Lord Baltimore, Lobster Johnson is my favourite Mike Mignola creation. In my view, the Lobster is the perfect homage to pulp crime comics, and his earlier miniseries from 2007 was awesome. I'm not entirely sure what to expect from this story, but I'm pretty darn sure that it's going to be good, whatever it may be about.
Written by G. Willow Wilson
Art by David Lopez
Eisner Award-nominated writer G. WILLOW WILSON (Air, Superman, Cairo) and superstar artist DAVID LOPEZ (HAWKEYE/MOCKINGBIRD, Catwoman) join forces to bring you the story of two seemingly ordinary orphan girls whose lives are turned upside down by magic. One of them will find herself responsible for saving the world — and the other will become her mortal enemy!
Grant: I'm not actually planning on picking this guy up, but that's only because I picked up every single issue when they came out last year. I put this title here as a reminder for anyone reading at home that has been wanting to give Mystic a gander. If that sounds like you, you're in luck, because the trade paperback is dropping this week. I don't know if I could recommend this book more. Consider it a late Christmas gift to yourself. You won't regret it.
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by R.M. Guera
"Knuckle Up" concludes with an epic confrontation that SCALPED readers have been waiting a long time to see. It's Dash vs. Shunka in a battle for the ages – and if you think you know how it's all going to end, trust us, you don't.
Grant: Jason Aaron is telling one hell of a story over in Scalped. Things have been building for a long time between Dash and Shunka, and like the solicit says, I can't even begin to imagine how this is going to play out. With this book finishing at issue #60, I find myself in the contradictory position of wanting to read more, but not wanting the series to end. On the plus side, as long as Aaron keeps up the quality, Scalped will be excessively re-readable. I'll miss all the characters once there's no new challenges for them to deal with though.
SEVERED #6Written by Scott Snyder & Scott Tuft
Art by Attila Futaki
“PERMANENT TEETH”
In 1916, a boy runs away from home in search of his father. But along the way he meets a salesman with sharp teeth and a hunger for flesh. SCOTT SNYDER (AMERICAN VAMPIRE, BATMAN, SWAMP THING), SCOTT TUFT and ATTILA FUTAKI (NYT Best-Selling-Artist: PERCY JACKSON) comes the most terrifying horror series of the last year.
Grant: This book has been steadily building, with each issue adding just enough to keep things on edge. Scott Snyder and Scott Tuft have been constructing quite the horror story, with Attila Futaki's pencil work as the perfect compliment. As we work towards the conclusion of the tale, I'll be interested to see how our protagonist manages to get out of the trouble he's found himself in once things really hit the fan.
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross & M.K. Perker
Recovered and recharged, Tom is ready to invade the cabal’s inner sanctum as “Tommy Taylor and the War of Words” continues. And the Cabal are more than ready to receive him into the charged narrative space of the Grid. As Pullman’s trap closes, revelations about the Cabal’s true aims come thick and fast.
Grant: Things have really been moving fast in The Unwritten, which I suppose shouldn't be terribly surprising since it's been releasing twice a month. It's awfully exciting to have so many revelations coming so quickly after such a long build. The way Mike Carey and Peter Gross have meted out information about the world in this book has been picture perfect. Can't wait to learn some more.
So apparently the second week of the month is when I pick up the most books? I'd bemoan such a lot, if it weren't for the fact that all of these books look to be kind of amazing. I definitely can't wait to work my way through these titles. Do you guys have a particular week where you have more books coming out than others? Or is your pull pretty evenly distributed over the course of the month?
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4 comments:
Got Amazing Spider Man (only bc it crossovers with DD), Scarlet Spider ( Chris Yost writing a superhero writing a story in my hometown Houston, which doesn't happen very often, is a must for me.), Batwoman and Severed wraps up for this week.
DC has said that for the New 52 the storylines will no longer "require" six issues to fit trades. Which I think is a WONDERFUL move. All this decompression and waste of issues just to fill a trade was (and still is, at Marvel - Bendis started all this mess) dragging down the industry. Used to be, a storyline took as long as a storyline took, be it three issues, six issues, or whatever.
@Nathan - I'm not against shorter storylines, per se, but if we start getting trades dropping on a regular basis collecting only 4 or 5 issues for the same price as the ones that have 6, that won't be nearly as acceptable.
a lot of trades already retail for a higher price then the aggregate retail cost of the single issues and folks don't really complain.
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