Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 10/03/12

 

With October, I suppose we're finally well into Fall (unless you live south of the equator, then you lucky devils are getting Spring), but though the air might be getting chillier, your Post-Crisis Previews continue unabated.  However, my pulls are somewhat on the light side this week, with little more than Animal Man #13 and Sweet Tooth #38 coming my way.  While I'll still go on at length about why you should be buying those books, I figured I'd grab a random set of other books and tell you my thoughts on them, even if I don't know a thing about what's going on in the title.  If that sounds interesting to you, then please hit the jump and see what kind of ramblings I have on offer!

ANIMAL MAN #13

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Steve Pugh

It's the story you've been waiting for: 'ROTWORLD: THE RED KINGDOM'!

Part one of a four-part epic in which the Earth has fallen to the Rot! Guest-starring Justice League Dark, Beast Boy and many other heroes and villains from the DC Universe!

Grant: The Rotworld storyline that's been going on in Animal Man and Swamp Thing (and to an extent Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E.) has been rather good, but as you probably well know, I'm really just here for Jeff Lemire's terrific writing. Everything this man touches seems to turn to gold, which is kind of crazy considering he's writing and drawing a number of different books for DC at present (as well as releasing his latest creator-owned graphic novel this summer). Lemire is doing all the right things, and I'm happy to keep buying his books to continue to reap the rewards of his labour.

BATWING #13

Written by Judd Winick

Art by Marcus To

Batwing vs. Father Lost and his cult of death! He's the new villain introduced in this issue - so who are the two new heroes you'll meet? Find out here!

Grant: I'm not actually planning on buying this title, but I figured I'd actually talk a little bit about why I'm jumping off this time around, instead of just leaving it off the list. While I was really taken with the opening arc of Judd Winick's Batwing (especially with Ben Oliver on art), once Batwing's battles with Massacre came to an end, the title lost a lot of its direction. Instead of featuring an African superhero where his being located in the DRC impacted his stories, Batwing slowly became like pretty much every other generic superhero book out there, which was a real shame. Issue Zero was a nice return to what made this book special, but with Winick leaving in a few issues, I'm fine to use that as a jumping off point. We had a good time together, Batwing, but this is where our paths diverge.

DOCTOR WHO VOL. 3 #1

Written by Andy Diggle

Art by Mark Buckingham

The Doctor is back!

Welcome to a new, exciting era for everyone's favorite Time Lord, as New York Times bestselling writer Andy Diggle (The Losers) pilots the TARDIS as the ongoing series architect.

Joining him for this first arc is Eisner Award-winning artist Mark Buckingham (Fables), who also will provide covers for the series.

Geronimo!

Grant: As a somewhat recent devotee of the Doctor (particularly Matt Smith's rendition), I've read a few of IDW's many Doctor Who books here and there, and while the quality sometimes varied, it's always kind of nice to get to spend a bit more time with these characters. Seeing that IDW is relaunching the series under the direction of Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham is quite promising, as both of these gentlemen have quite impressive comic book resumes behind them. While I claimed I was only buying two comics this week, I might have to actually pick this guy up and see how the Doctor, Amy, and Rory are doing.

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC: ANGRY BIRDS

By Mel White

Everyone's obsessed with Angry Birds. Devotees know all the behaviors of the birds in the game, from the speedy yellow birds to the exploding blackbirds. But what about real-life angry birds? Just what happens when real birds stop being polite and start getting angry? Find out in this funny and informative look at bird anger in the animal kingdom, a collaboration between National Geographic and Angry Birds creator Rovio Entertainment. Fans of the game will love to read these unbelievable stories, alongside fascinating photographs and familiar graphics from the game.

Grant: I'd just like to take a moment to point out how ridiculous this licensed tie-in is. While Angry Birds' popularity cannot be denied, I think it's a little much that National Geographic needs to cash in on the mania to get people to buy a book to learn about birds. I mean, don't people want to just know stuff about birds because they're cool? To answer my own question, the fact that they've tied in with Angry Birds Space to teach about space would point to a great big "no".

SCOOBY-DOO WHERE ARE YOU #26

Written by Scott Gross

Art by Scott Gross

• Fred, Velma and Daphne are on the hunt for clues in another creepy case!

• While the others hunt for clues, Scooby and Shaggy hunt for snacks!

Grant: Oh, Scooby-Doo, I'm definitely not going to read this book, but I'm so glad that it's happening. I have the fondest memories of watching this show when I was younger, despite the fact that it was never that amazing. Something about the premise of these mystery-solving teens and their talking dog just works perfectly for me, as it obviously has for many others. I'm glad that there's the opportunity for younger readers to continue to benefit from the Scooby gang's wacky hijinks. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that the "creepy case" turns out to be less creepy than initially thought and that Shaggy and Scooby find themselves some super delicious snacks.

SWEET TOOTH #38

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Jeff Lemire

The End is nearly here. The final apocalyptic clash between Jepperd and Abbot explodes with the fate of Gus and the hybrids hanging by a thread.

Grant: What more can I say about Sweet Tooth? With so many of Vertigo's long-running titles winding down or having ended, Jeff Lemire's post-apocalyptic tale is no exception to the tendency. Unsurprisingly, in finishing up this title Lemire is providing the same high-quality and tension-filled storytelling that he's been giving us since issue #1. I'm on the edge of my seat to figure out what will happen, and I don't even have the issue yet. I can't wait to know.

A light week on my end, but I'm definitely looking forward to those two Jeff Lemire books.  What do you have your sights set on?  While I'm a tad focused this time around, I know there's lots of other comics on offer.  Maybe you're a big Doctor Who or Scooby-Doo fan.  Or maybe you actually really dig National Geographic's licensed tie-ins.  Anything's possible, I suppose.

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