Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 09/12/12

Is it next week already? I guess that means it's time for the Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews! There's a cornucopia of comics coming your way, including a slew of Issue Zeroes from DC, the latest issue of Image's Chew, and my personal favourite for the week, Stumptown #1! So hit that jump to look at these books, along with plenty more!

AMERICAN VAMPIRE: LORD OF NIGHTMARES #4

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Dustin Nguyen

Felicia has done everything she can to protect her son Gus from her bloody past, but as their quest to capture and kill the most powerful vampire of all time builds to its terrible conclusion, she realizes protecting him from the past might be impossible – and the truth might be the key to their survival.

Grant: I really like these American Vampire miniseries. Scott Snyder has created a fascinating world in the main book, and I'm always happy to get the opportunity to take a look at the world from different perspectives. It's also a plus that the characters that seem to get spotlighted in the miniseries are always of such high calibre. And let's not forget how good the artists Snyder recruits are. I'd been waiting for what seemed like ages for Dustin Nguyen to draw another book, and I haven't been disappointed here.

BATMAN #0

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion

Backup Written by Scott Snyder & James Tynion IV

Backup Art by Andy Clarke

• Bruce Wayne has returned from his worldwide quest to take the law into his own hands!

• This issue reveals the early steps of building everything that surrounds Batman – the costume, the cave, the car, the gadgets!

Grant: It's some low-hanging fruit, sure, but do we really need another Batman origin story? It's only been done a bajillion times in comic books and pretty much everywhere else. I'm obviously not going to write it off due to the quality of the creative team at work here, but I am definitely skeptical that this story needs telling again. We'll see what they can manage, but this horse has been flogged so thoroughly that's nigh unrecognizable at this point.

CHEW #28

Written by John Layman

Art by Rob Guillory

“SPACE CAKES,” Part Three

Remember last story arc when Tony Chu got kidnapped? This issue he gets kidnapped again! How lame is that? Meanwhile, we shamelessly pander to comics’ coveted “furry” demographic.

Grant: John Layman and Rob Guillory's Chew is a perennial hit. It never takes itself too seriously, yet consistently tells some of the funniest and most enjoyable stories out there. That being said, I feel as if this arc has been a little directionless thus far. It's not a huge concern, as each individual issue continues to thrill, but they don't yet seem to be building up to a bigger picture yet. I'm confident that things will become clear soon enough, but it is something that I've been noticing of late.

CONAN THE BARBARIAN #8

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Vasilis Lolos

At home in Cimmeria, Conan feels a confidence he hasn’t experienced in some time. However, Bêlit is unsure of herself among Conan’s family and clan in this strange, frozen land, a dangerous variable as the two face not only the impostor Conan, but also his vicious army!

Grant: Argh. Becky Cloonan off the book again? I kind of suspected as much, but I hoped that I'd be wrong. As much as I enjoyed James Harren's time on the second arc, and as much as I enjoy Brian Wood's writing, Cloonan's presence on this book was a huge draw for me. It's my constant refrain, but it remains constant for a reason: Cloonan is just that good. I'm unfamiliar with Vasilis Lolos' previous work, but he has some awfully big shoes to fill.

DEMON KNIGHTS #0

Written by Paul Cornell

Art by Bernard Chang

• Deep in the past of The New 52, Etrigan the Demon and Jason Blood struggle against Merlin and Lucifer!

• The horrible curse that unite them is revealed!

Grant: Wait, when did Bernard Chang become the new ongoing artist for this series? I can't seem to find an announcement anywhere. I just saw it as a throwaway line in this article (and the future solicitations to back that up). I've nothing against Bernard Chang, but I really felt that Diogenes Neves and Oclair Albert were as much a part of what makes Demon Knights special as Paul Cornell's writing. I'm going to be awful sad to see them go, but hopefully they'll be showing up elsewhere soon enough. As for the actual solicitation for this issue, I gotta say that it doesn't fill me with confidence. It sounds like this is going to be an all Etrigan issue, which is too bad in my books, because he is the character I care about the least. Oh well, it is only one issue after all, and then we can get back to the whole crew.

PUNK ROCK JESUS #3

Written by Sean Murphy

Art by Sean Murphy

As Chris grows up to be a teenager, he starts to question his existence, rebelling against his “captors” in front of the whole world. Meanwhile, Gwen’s depression has Thomas and Epstein worried, but all Slate sees is increasing ratings...

Grant: I've already done my fair share of raving about this book, but I can't help myself sometimes. Sean Murphy has proven on multiple occasions that he is a talented artist, but Punk Rock Jesus has solidified his place as a talented writer, too. There's a lot going on in this book, and it feels a little bit like it's still finding its legs in some ways, but that only means the best is yet to come. And when each issue is 32 pages of black and white Murphy artistic goodness for the low, low price of $2.99, there's virtually no reason not to be reading this book. The value alone is worth it, never mind the quality.

STUMPTOWN VOL. 2 #1

Written by Greg Rucka

Art by Matt Southworth

From Eisner Award-winning writer Greg Rucka and acclaimed artist Matthew Southworth comes a new STUMPTOWN mystery! When Mim Bracca, guitar player for the Portland-based rock group Tailhook, returns home from a long tour, she finds not everything made it back with her. Can P.I. Dex Parios track down her missing baby?

Grant: It's been a long, long while since I realized that anything with Greg Rucka's name on it is worth buying, but Stumptown holds a special place in my heart. I wasn't paying quite as close attention to the industry when the first volume dropped, and it only got into my hands due to the owner of my local shop assumed that I'd be interested and pulled me a copy without me asking. Boy was he right. Rucka and Matt Southworth's story of private eye Dex Parios blew me away. It started with a bang and never let up for a second. This second volume almost slipped under my radar, too, which makes my recent discovery of its existence all the more exciting. I can't wait to see what happens here. If you like good comics, you'll like Stumptown.

TEAM 7 #0

Written by Justin Jordan

Art by Jesus Merino

• Threads of the entire DC Universe collide in this new series set in the early days of The New 52 from writer Justin Jordan (The Strange Talents of Luther Strode).

• As Superman emerges, so too does the world’s counter measures against him and his kind!

• Dinah Lance, Amanda Waller, Steve Trevor, John Lynch, Alex Fairchild, Cole Cash, Slade Wilson are Team 7 – and their story will change everything you know about The New 52!

Grant: I don't know much about Team 7, except that I'm interested by its premise and the creative team. The idea of a group of non-metapowered humans coming together in response to the potential threat posed by the appearance of Superman sounds pretty cool to me. And after The Strange Talents of Luther Strode, I'm intrigued to see what Justin Jordan will do with a mainstream superhero title from DC Comics. The only way I could be more interested would be if King Faraday was one of the team members. Now that would've been awesome.

THE MASSIVE #4
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Garry Brown

Searching for essential supplies in a post-Crash black market, Callum Israel struggles to maintain his moral code in a new world where survival requires working within the gray area. But can this environmentalist’s pacifism survive in a violent world when a ghost from his past as a corporate mercenary resurfaces?

Grant: A book about a militant environmental group living in a world where it seems as if the environment has kicked the bucket should be way more interesting than this book has been. It's abundantly clear that Brian Wood has put in a ton of research and backstory into making this a believable world with deep characters, but things just aren't clicking. After three issues, the story seems to be moving at a snail's pace, and the raison d'être behind this book and its characters still isn't clear. I'm hoping that a new arc can shake things up, but if something doesn't change soon, I'm going to have to part ways from The Massive.

WINTER SOLDIER #10

Written by Ed Brubaker

Art by Butch Guice

• Her mind cracked and warped, can Bucky save the Black Widow…from herself?

Grant: I'll be honest, I'm not quite sure why I keep buying this book. While Ed Brubaker is telling a compelling noir tale of espionage and mystery, I just can't get engaged in it. The longer this series goes on, the less I seem to care. I seem to be buying the issues in the hopes that things will suddenly click and I'll be back into the story all of a sudden. Seeing that written out, it strikes me as pretty unlikely. I think this might be my last issue with the title. Ironically, as I've found the inner-content to be less and less of interest, I feel as if the covers for Winter Soldier have been improving in direct relation. Funny, that.

That's me for the week. While there's a few books I'm not one hundred percent sold on, I'd say that, for the most part, I'm pretty excited for what's to come. I'm especially eager to have a copy of the latest Stumptown issue in my hot little hands. What about you? What are you exciting for this week? Hit the comments to share your thoughts.