The Weekly Crisis vs. Solicits for November 2012

After a somewhat longer than wished for hiatus, we at the Weekly Crisis are back to offer our favourite solicitation picks for November.  There's a lot to love in November coming from all corners of the industry.  From big publisher to small, everyone has some cool and exciting stuff dropping, so hit the jump to take a gander at some of the things that caught our eye.

Grant's Thoughts

Best Things in November

BaltiMORE!

Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, and Ben Stenbeck's bevy of Baltimore short stories continues with Baltimore: The Play.  Any month where there's an issue of Baltimore is worth celebrating in my books, but I'm particularly intrigued by this issue.  An evil financer backing a mad playwright's venture to run an all-vampire cast is more than enough to bring me board.  The final line about the author being "a disembodied head of a famous American author kept in a glass case" just puts the whole thing over the top.  November cannot come soon enough.

Planetoid's Conclusion

The third issue has only just come out, but I can't wait to see how Ken Garing is going to finish up this miniseries.  Planetoid has been my favourite discovery of the year, a high-quality science fiction title that seemingly gets better and better.  It's also worth mentioning that each issue clocks in at thirty-plus pages and is sold for the low, low price of $2.99.  I don't imagine that things will be simple for Silas and his companions as they fight for survival, but it should definitely make for some good reading.

Worst Things in November

Marvel Returns to Full Sentences for Their Solicitations

If there's one thing that I can't stand, it's the manner in which both DC and Marvel have started writing their solicitations using bullet point sentences.  The entire practice smacks of laziness and drives me nuts.  So imagine my surprise when I saw that the solicitations for the Marvel NOW! books used full sentences and paragraphs and everything!  To say I was pleasantly surprised would be some serious understatement.  So why is this in the "worst" category?  Because Marvel is only doing longer solicitations for the Marvel NOW! books.  The rest of their catalogue is still half-assed bullet pointing, and I can't abide it.

Saga's Back!

The return of Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' delightful Saga also doesn't seem an obvious candidate for a "worst" item, and I am quite excited to see whatever may happen next.  The only problem is that a November release for Saga #7 means that we're going to have to go for three months before our next Saga fix.  I understand the reasons and will obviously be pleased once the book comes back, but I'm not looking forward to the wait.

Coolest Things in November

Image's Infinite Amount of #1s

Alright, so Image isn't actually releasing an infinite number of new books, but they are rolling out five brand new series, which is something to get excited about.  Even better is that all five of them look pretty cool.  Watch out for Clone, Great Pacific, Comeback, Nowhere Men, and Storm Dogs.  Each and every title looks to be something new and unique.  Image has been reinventing themselves as the company where people do awesome things in comics, and these titles look to continue that trend.

The Complete Couriers

So Brian Wood wrote a comic book series back in the mid-2000s about bicycle couriers in a future New York City who deal in all sorts of badness, including delivering illicit goods, performing hits, and all manner of things in between?  And it was called The Couriers?  This is all news to me, but it sounds absolutely amazing.  And this November, Image is collecting the entire four volumes in a 360 page trade paperback.  The real challenge will be restraining myself from trying to track down the individual books between now and then.  Can't wait.

Ken's Thoughts

Best Things in November

Fantastic Four

Matt Fraction and Mark Bagley take control of Marvel's first family, and while it seems incredibly hard to replace what Hickman has done in moving the team forward, if this is the same Matt Fraction who is writing Hawkeye and Defenders, and not the Matt Fraction who wrote Uncanny X-Men, we should be in for some good stories. And Mark Bagley is always a great artist, so it looks like we'll have one creative team for a good long while.

Worst Things in November

H'ell makes Superman Books Hell

The Superman family books gets a crossover (Action Comics excluded) dealing with what looks to be the DCnU version of Bizarro. Bizarro was kind of a dated character who was less scary and more just a silly callback to the Silver Age, so the new character H'ell is going to be super smart and evil and more powerful than everyone and has long hair and I've lost complete interest in it.

DC Comics Behind the Scenes

While on the subject of DC, it seems there are a lot of creators leaving the company for the time being, some going out in a spectacular fashion like Rob Liefield, as he will not be writing any of the books he is solicited for in October & November, ending with the #0 issues. Judd Winick is also leaving, creators are moving around, it seems like anyone not on an A-list book is part of massive reshuffling.

Coolest Things in November

Absolute Top 10

Some of the Absolute volumes have been of questionable content in terms of being books you really want to highlight as a part of the medium. Batman: Hush? Identity Crisis? Nah. Top 10, however, is a perfect choice. One of Moore's stronger stories, accompanied with Gene Ha, a story about cops having to police a world of superheroes, it's a bit like Astro City in how it's almost a love letter to the world of comics. If you've never read the series, this would be where you start.

Nowhere Men

Eric Stehpenson is Publisher of Image, and is the guy who has been spearheading the creator owned initiative that has created so many well received books. With his won book coming out this month, it should be interesting to see if he carries the same creative gusto that others in the industry bring to the company. The concept seems interesting enough, where scientists are treated as celebrities and changed the world, but for good or ill?

Ryan's Thoughts

Best Things in November

Comeback #1

This new Image title, from Ed Brisson and Michael Walsh, genuinely excites me. Maybe it's because I've already spoken to Ed about it. Maybe it's because Walsh's art is so damn good. Maybe it's because I like great new comics. Mix all that up and you have every reason to trust me when I say you need this book in your life. Thank me later.

Judge Dredd by Swierczynski

Yep, this one didn't slip past me. My favourite pulp writer on a very pulpy character. I'm sure many are worried about the conversion for Dredd to the US, I have faith in Duane Swierczynski to do me proud. Plus Nelson Daniel on art doesn't hurt a damn bit. That guy is phenomenal.

Locke & Key: Omega #1

This series is easily one of the best things to happen to and in comics the past decade. Seek out every trade in lead up to this book because it's something you have to be reading.

Worst Things in November

Jason Aaron - The $3.99 Machine

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Jason Aaron is a hell of a writer. I want to read everything he writes. But Marvel keeps pricing everything he does at $3.99 thus meaning I absolutely cannot buy into all his cool stuff. Thor: God of Thunder sounds incredibly interesting to me right now. But if it double ships and I want to buy other books, this one just might not happen for me. And that would suck.

Possibly say the same thing for Rick Remender. However, I will buy his double shipped $3.99 books because he has that much in street credits in my account.

The Defenders Ends

I don't know if this is the worst because it's ending or because it rarely lived up to what I wanted it to be and thus it needed to end. I'm torn...

Coolest Things in November

MAD Artist's Edition

If cool doesn't encapsulate this book then I don't know what to say. I wish I could afford more of these, and I know I can't get this one, but my heart goes out for it. I managed to get my hands on the Daredevil: Born Again one so I can't complain. But I still will. This things is going to be bananas.

Storm Dogs #1

This book from Image is written by David Hine. That should be enough. If not, know it's described as a 'science-fiction crime thriller." I know, right, you're sold. I am, too.

Robert E Howard's Savage Sword Vol 1

Scope out the best comic anthology for the past year by far. This book, in monthly format, is dense and intensely enjoyable. I can only imagine what getting your mitts on the first 4 issues will be like. There is a lot of grand talent to be found in here, both yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's.

Marvel NOW!

I'm genuinely excited about a few of these titles. Though, I would have been regardless of the timing or 'linewide' status. I like good comics and I have faith in Remender's Cap and Uncanny Avengers as well as Fraction's attempt to do something new with the First Family of the Marvel U. 

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