It's time for your Post-Crisis Previews, everybody! As we enter the last week of January, my unofficial New Year's resolution to cut back on my comic book spending continues to do alright, relatively speaking at least. This time around, I'll be taking a gander at titles such as Flash #5, the concluding issue to Joe Hill's The Cape miniseries, and others. Hit the jump to check out these titles and plenty more!
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #23
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Raphael Albuquerque
It’s 1955 and AMERICAN VAMPIRE is terrorizing the suburbs with hot rods, teenyboppers and fangs! Learn more about the ferocious new vampire hunter Travis Kidd and his connection to Skinner Sweet. Plus: Who is that mysterious man Travis is racing? Find out in “Death Race” part 2!
Grant: I said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm overjoyed to have Scott Snyder and Raphael Albuquerque back together on this book. The opening issue of "Death Race" was the American Vampire that I know and love, and I have no reason to believe that it won't continue to impress as things move forward. I have a feeling that Travis Kidd's connection to Skinner Sweet might not be quite as exciting as the solicit would have us believe, but I've definitely been wrong before. We'll see.
FLASH #5
Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul
Central City in chaos! Iris West captive in Iron Heights prison! And as Flash tries to deal with all of it, he must also try to save the life of his old friend Manuel Lago from Mob Rule, DC Comics’ hottest new Super Villain!
Grant: I know I was a little down on the most recent issue of Flash, but that doesn't mean that I'm not excited for this issue. Titles can sometimes be a little uneven, especially when it's two gents who are doing the monthly writing thing for the first time, but as long as it remains solid on the balance of things, I'll be happy to stick around for the ride. That holds particularly true when the ride involves Francis Manapul's brilliant art.
GREEN WAKE #9
Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by Riley Rossmo
'LOST CHILDREN,' Part Four
Morley starts to understand the path laid before him as Green Wake begins to change after the rebellion settles, but the murders that happen behind the scenes are growing more mysterious. The heinous acts of violence hint at a growing thirst for blood.
Grant: Green Wake is a book of a rather different nature from most of the other comics on the stands nowadays. I'm a particular fan of the dynamic between Green Wake and its relation to the real world, and while that hasn't been the focus in the current storyline, I'm sure it will come back into play soon enough. As it stands, the murders, towns' new factions, and the growing conflict between everyone involved is more than sufficient to maintain my interest. This book is challenging in a way that few others are, which is fine by me.
JOE HILL'S THE CAPE #4
Written by Joe Hill & Jason Ciaramella
Art by Zach Howard
What pushes someone to hurt the people they love? Eric has shown us that his capacity for evil is limitless, but is something else to blame? Find out as Eric confronts Nicky in the final chapter of the critically acclaimed miniseries, The Cape, by the Eisner-nominated creative team of Jason Ciaramella, Joe Hill, Zach Howard, and Nelson Daniel. Explore your dark side.
Grant: I don't know if it's just me, but I'm finding myself a little disappointed by this miniseries. The original The Cape one-shot felt exciting and fresh. The violence and downright contemptibility of the issue was shocking, but in a good way. This time around, I feel like all the violence and depravity remains, but it seems to be lacking a bit in direction. Thus far, Eric has done some awful stuff to protect himself, but it's increasingly seeming to be solely because he can. I mean, having a character try to kill everyone who cares about them is cool, I guess, but what's the point? I guess that could be perceived as a commentary on the human condition or shirking responsibility, but I'm not sure if it makes for that enjoyable of a read.
SECRET AVENGERS #21.1
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Patrick Zircher
• CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HAWKEYE UNDERTAKE A MISSION TO THE RED LIGHT NATION, A COUNTRY RUN BY CRIMINALS FOR CRIMINALS!
• RICK REMENDER TAKES OVER AS THE NEW REGULAR SERIES WRITER WITH THIS INTRODUCTORY POINT ONE ISSUE.
Grant: Ugh, why did Marvel think it was a good idea to write their solicitations with caps lock on? The bullet lists were bad enough; I don't also need my solicitations to yell at me. Regardless, Rick Remender's star is on the rise right now, and I'm eager to see what he can do with this title. I enjoyed what I saw of Warren Ellis' run on this book, but was turned off by the $3.99 price, so seeing that this one is coming out at $2.99 is a real bonus. I'm also excited to see Patrick Zircher on another title. I liked his work on Mystery Men this past summer with David Liss, and I look forward to seeing what he does on a more mainstream superhero book.
UNWRITTEN #33.5
Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross & Vince Locke
Before she became a puppet-master, Madame Rausch was a child with more than the usual complement of troubles – and one terrifying secret. This stand-alone tale illuminates the Cabal’s past and present, as well as the origin of one of THE UNWRITTEN’s most enigmatic figures.
Grant: These .5 issues have been a fascinating look into the secondary and tertiary characters of The Unwritten. Madame Rausch kind of came out of nowhere to her current place of relative prominence in the series, but I always saw her as a pretty interesting figure, which makes the prospect of an issue dedicated to revealing more about her sounds like a fine idea to me.
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Raphael Albuquerque
It’s 1955 and AMERICAN VAMPIRE is terrorizing the suburbs with hot rods, teenyboppers and fangs! Learn more about the ferocious new vampire hunter Travis Kidd and his connection to Skinner Sweet. Plus: Who is that mysterious man Travis is racing? Find out in “Death Race” part 2!
Grant: I said it before, but I'll say it again: I'm overjoyed to have Scott Snyder and Raphael Albuquerque back together on this book. The opening issue of "Death Race" was the American Vampire that I know and love, and I have no reason to believe that it won't continue to impress as things move forward. I have a feeling that Travis Kidd's connection to Skinner Sweet might not be quite as exciting as the solicit would have us believe, but I've definitely been wrong before. We'll see.
Written by Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato
Art by Francis Manapul
Central City in chaos! Iris West captive in Iron Heights prison! And as Flash tries to deal with all of it, he must also try to save the life of his old friend Manuel Lago from Mob Rule, DC Comics’ hottest new Super Villain!
Grant: I know I was a little down on the most recent issue of Flash, but that doesn't mean that I'm not excited for this issue. Titles can sometimes be a little uneven, especially when it's two gents who are doing the monthly writing thing for the first time, but as long as it remains solid on the balance of things, I'll be happy to stick around for the ride. That holds particularly true when the ride involves Francis Manapul's brilliant art.
GREEN WAKE #9Written by Kurtis J. Wiebe
Art by Riley Rossmo
'LOST CHILDREN,' Part Four
Morley starts to understand the path laid before him as Green Wake begins to change after the rebellion settles, but the murders that happen behind the scenes are growing more mysterious. The heinous acts of violence hint at a growing thirst for blood.
Grant: Green Wake is a book of a rather different nature from most of the other comics on the stands nowadays. I'm a particular fan of the dynamic between Green Wake and its relation to the real world, and while that hasn't been the focus in the current storyline, I'm sure it will come back into play soon enough. As it stands, the murders, towns' new factions, and the growing conflict between everyone involved is more than sufficient to maintain my interest. This book is challenging in a way that few others are, which is fine by me.
JOE HILL'S THE CAPE #4Written by Joe Hill & Jason Ciaramella
Art by Zach Howard
What pushes someone to hurt the people they love? Eric has shown us that his capacity for evil is limitless, but is something else to blame? Find out as Eric confronts Nicky in the final chapter of the critically acclaimed miniseries, The Cape, by the Eisner-nominated creative team of Jason Ciaramella, Joe Hill, Zach Howard, and Nelson Daniel. Explore your dark side.
Grant: I don't know if it's just me, but I'm finding myself a little disappointed by this miniseries. The original The Cape one-shot felt exciting and fresh. The violence and downright contemptibility of the issue was shocking, but in a good way. This time around, I feel like all the violence and depravity remains, but it seems to be lacking a bit in direction. Thus far, Eric has done some awful stuff to protect himself, but it's increasingly seeming to be solely because he can. I mean, having a character try to kill everyone who cares about them is cool, I guess, but what's the point? I guess that could be perceived as a commentary on the human condition or shirking responsibility, but I'm not sure if it makes for that enjoyable of a read.
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Patrick Zircher
• CAPTAIN AMERICA AND HAWKEYE UNDERTAKE A MISSION TO THE RED LIGHT NATION, A COUNTRY RUN BY CRIMINALS FOR CRIMINALS!
• RICK REMENDER TAKES OVER AS THE NEW REGULAR SERIES WRITER WITH THIS INTRODUCTORY POINT ONE ISSUE.
Grant: Ugh, why did Marvel think it was a good idea to write their solicitations with caps lock on? The bullet lists were bad enough; I don't also need my solicitations to yell at me. Regardless, Rick Remender's star is on the rise right now, and I'm eager to see what he can do with this title. I enjoyed what I saw of Warren Ellis' run on this book, but was turned off by the $3.99 price, so seeing that this one is coming out at $2.99 is a real bonus. I'm also excited to see Patrick Zircher on another title. I liked his work on Mystery Men this past summer with David Liss, and I look forward to seeing what he does on a more mainstream superhero book.
UNWRITTEN #33.5Written by Mike Carey
Art by Peter Gross & Vince Locke
Before she became a puppet-master, Madame Rausch was a child with more than the usual complement of troubles – and one terrifying secret. This stand-alone tale illuminates the Cabal’s past and present, as well as the origin of one of THE UNWRITTEN’s most enigmatic figures.
Grant: These .5 issues have been a fascinating look into the secondary and tertiary characters of The Unwritten. Madame Rausch kind of came out of nowhere to her current place of relative prominence in the series, but I always saw her as a pretty interesting figure, which makes the prospect of an issue dedicated to revealing more about her sounds like a fine idea to me.
These are the books that I'll be rounding out January with. How are things looking on your end? Any books you're chomping at the bit to get your hands on? Do you think I'm way off base with my thoughts on The Cape? Let me know!
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8 comments:
Walking Dead. All else is second fiddle.
Picking up: Elephantmen (finally ships), American Vampire & Unwritten (I really dislike the double ship on this book)
Trying out Secret Avengers....
Looks like a solid, solid week.
Patrick Zircher just completed a five issue run on (Red) Hulk that was great! He's also going to be drawing issue 50 of the same title, according to the May solicits.
Patrick Zircher is only doing the 21.1 issue of Secret Avengers.
Gabriel Haardman is the regular artist on the title from what I read in interviews.
@Anon - Looking at the solicits, you are correct. I also see that the actual ongoing will be priced at $3.99, so I guess I'm only buying Secret Avengers #21.1!
Oh man, I totally agree with your thoughts on The Cape. The first issue was amazing, two upped the stakes, but issue three was a flat out disappointment. I hope that this mini will finish out on a high note, but I feel that there is a lot of story left to tell that can't be covered in just one issue.
I'm really excited about Remender's run on Secret Avengers. He's a perfect fit for it, and he's pretty much become an instant buy for me.
It's great to see Zircher getting so many assignments lately. The last regular gig I remember him having was way back on Fabian Nicieza's Cable and Deadpool. That said, I'm thrilled that Hardman is the regular artist. His work has really impressed me. I've got such high hopes for Secret Avengers now.
Great Wk for me. American Vampire, Secret Avengers, FF and F4. Plus I get to pick up Shade 1-4 tomorrow as well.
My reviews! http://www.adventuresinpoortaste.com/2012/01/25/comix-weekly-1252012/
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