Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 07/04/12

Happy Independence Day Eve, one and all!  In the spirit of the occasion, I humbly offer your this week's round of Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews!  While they may not be directly related, there's still quality books coming our way on the USA's birthday, and that's definitely something worth celebrating!  So hit the jump to get a glimpse of some of those rockin' books, like Animal Man #11, Punisher #13, and more!

ANIMAL MAN #11

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Steve Pugh

• The stunning conclusion of “Extinction Is Forever”!

• Big things are in store for the next chapter in the Animal Man saga – and they start here!

Grant: Jeff Lemire is on fire over at DC right now.  Animal Man is easily one of the best things that the company is publishing at the moment, and it looks like his work is going a long way to turn around Justice League: Dark.  Lemire just seems to know how to tell good stories with honesty and heart to them.  At a time when it can sometimes feels like comics are lacking those qualities, it's always good to see books with his name on the stands.  And Animal Man is a great example of that skill.  Can't wait.

BATWING #11

Written by Judd Winick

Art by Marcus To & Ryan Winn

• BATWING faces off against the deadly Beijing gangster dragon known as LONG!

• Guest-starring NIGHTWING!

• BATWING’S armor is equipped with a new array of Bat-gadgets!

Grant: While I wasn't thrilled to have Marcus To over on Flash, I have been enjoying his work on Batwing.  Judd Winick continues to offer us some interesting adventures starring the newest addition to the Bat-family, but I have to reiterate my earlier gripe: is it so hard for him to stand on his own as a character?  Do we really need the continued guest stars (in the form of Nightwing this time around)?  For that matter, with all the "wings" going around, will our heroes be able to avoid getting confused over who's who?  On a slightly more serious bent, this series has been seriously good, so why is bragging about Batwing's armour being "equipped with a new array of Bat-gadgets" the best they can come up with?  That's the least convincing thing I've read in weeks.

DIAL H #3

Written by China Mieville

Art by Mateus Santolouco

• Nelson gains an unlikely ally, just as his career as a hero looks like it might be over before it’s begun!

• Meanwhile, SQUID and X.N. may be gaining a new ally of their own, one who could prove to be unstoppable.

• The origin of the latest wielder of the H dial continues here!

Grant: After a strong opener from this book, the sophomore effort wasn't quite up to par.  While things got pretty muddled last issue, I'm hoping that China Mieville and Mateus Santolouco will be able to get things back on track.  From the solicitation, it's a little hard to tell how this will play out, but sometimes you gotta try to stay on the optimistic side of things.  We shall see how this all shakes out.

CREATOR-OWNED HEROES #2

Written by Steve Niles, Jimmy Palmiottie & Justin Gray

Art by Kevin Mellon & Phil Noto

"TRIGGERGIRL 6," Part Two

by JIMMY PALMIOTTI, JUSTIN GRAY & PHIL NOTO

In this sci-fi thriller, Triggergirl hits the ground running, fighting her way to the White House to assassinate the President of the United States. Can nothing stop this one woman killing machine?

“AMERICAN MUSCLE,” Part Two

by STEVE NILES & KEVIN MELLON

Facing the realization that he has led the gang to a dead end, Gil takes matters into his own hands. Unfortunately, heading into a mutant infested desert my yourself leads to big, nast trouble.

PLUS! An interview with PAUL POPE, a PHIL NOTO art gallery, con photos, and original articles all celebrating the creator-owned spirit!

Grant: I had a lot of fun with the first issue of this new publication.  Getting some bite-sized creator owned stories made for an entertaining read, and I really dug all the extra writeups, interviews, and the like.  It also helps that the creators on these stories are all pretty darned talented.  Having the likes of Phil Noto and Kevin Mellon on art is never a bad thing.  It's still early, but I'm definitely liking where things seem to be heading.

PUNISHER #13

Written by Greg Rucka

Art by Marco Checchetto

• Fight or Flight continues!

• A friend switches sides.

• Cole becomes the hunted!

Grant: It's a good thing that more Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's Punisher is all I need to pick up this title, because that solicitation is pretty weak.  Fortunately, it's hard to argue with what, for my money, has been Marvel's best title in 2012.  Rucka's writing is dependably good and Checchetto has long ago won me over with how amazing his artwork is.  I'm also cautiously excited for the Punisher "event" thing in October.  We'll see what the details are at Comic Con, but hopefully it doesn't distract from the great yarn that Rucka and Checchetto have been weaving.

SWEET TOOTH #35

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Leff Lemire

THE SECRETS OF THE PLAGUE REVEALED AT LAST!! Dr. Singh arrives in Alaska and uncovers the origins of Gus and the hybrid children and the cause of the plague that decimated the world! This is the issue fans have been waiting for as the mysteries of SWEET TOOTH are revealed and the story amps up to its climax!

Grant: As wonderful as Animal Man is (and it's pretty wonderful), I am definitely of the belief that Jeff Lemire's best work is his creator-owned properties.  That's where Sweet Tooth comes in, as this has been some of his best work in comics (although I'm more than prepared to move that crown over to The Underwater Welder when it drops).  I love the story and world he's created here, and I'm eager to get the skinny on how the whole virus broke out.  Explaining the cause of post-apocalyptic worlds can be a dicey endeavour, but I believe that Lemire will be able to pull it off with seeming ease.

I must say, it looks like this will be a pretty good way to start July off on a high note.  What will you be reading come July 4th?

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