Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 05/29/13

Do you know what time it is?  It's Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews time!  We've some most excellent comics for your previewing pleasure, including The Wake #1, X-Men #1, Five Weapons #4, and more, so hit the jump to see it all!

Major Releases

THE WAKE #1

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Sean Murphy

'THERE'S SOMETHING DOWN THERE. . . '

When Marine Biologist Lee Archer is approached by the Department of Homeland Security for help with a new threat, she declines, but quickly realizes they won't take no for an answer. Soon she is plunging to the depths of the Arctic Circle to a secret, underwater oilrig where they've discovered something miraculous and terrifying. . .

Writer Scott Snyder (BATMAN, AMERICAN VAMPIRE) and artist Sean Murphy (PUNK ROCK JESUS) bring their acclaimed talents to this sci-fi/horror epic that explores the horrors of the deep, probes the origins of human history, and leaps far beyond to a frightening future. 

Grant: Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy made some beautiful comics together with American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest a few years back.  Since then, both creators have been making some great books with other collaborators, so I'm mighty excited to see what they'll get up to in this reunion.  Can't wait to see how The Wake shakes out.

X-MEN #1

Written by Brian Wood

Art by Olivier Coipel

Because you demanded it!

The X-Women finally get their own book, from critically acclaimed superstars Brian Wood (X-MEN, ULTIMATE X-MEN, DMZ, The Massive) and Olivier Coipel (AVX, HOUSE OF M, THOR)!

An old enemy shows up at the X-Men's door, seeking asylum from an ancient evil come back to earth.

Meanwhile, Jubilee has come home, and she's brought with her an orphaned baby who might hold the key to the earth's survival. . . or its destruction.

Against a backdrop of what seems like an alien invasion and an eons-spanning war between brother and sister, Storm steps up and puts together a team to protect the child and stop a new threat that could destroy all life on earth! 

Grant: The title's release has been somewhat delayed, but I'm really hoping the wait will be worth it.  There's certainly a lot to be excited about.  Marvel is dropping an X-Men book starring an all-female cast, which is cool.  Brian Wood's long been a reliable writer, and he seems to have really upped his game of late.  And Olivier Coipel is a top flight artist.  It has been announced that Coipel will be away from the book for at last issue #4, but that still means we have at least three issues worth of Wood - Coipel collaboration to enjoy.  And that's exactly what I intend to do.

New Kid on the Block

ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #1

Written by Jeff Parker

Art by Chris Samnee

Don't miss the debut of this all-new, digital-first series starring The Man of Tomorrow, written and illustrated by some of comics' finest talents! Witness Superman's first encounter with the work of Lex Luthor, brought to you by Jeff Parker (Hulk) and Chris Samnee (Daredevil)! 

Grant: Like my excitement for Batman: Li'l Gotham #1, I recognize that this story has already been serialized online, but since I haven't read it online, I'm still excited to see this hit stands tomorrow.  It's a Superman book set in classic continuity, written by Jeff Parker, and drawn by Chris Samnee.  Seriously, what's not to like there?  I've been hearing lots of good things about The Adventures of Superman since it started hitting the 'net, and I'm eager to get a look at it for myself.  If you haven't already checked out these stories, perhaps you'd like to do the same.

You May Have Missed

ADVENTURE TIME ANNUAL #1

Written by Roger Langridge, Derek Fridolfs & Others

Art by Roger Langridge, Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen & Others

THE FUN WILL NEVER END IN THIS SPECIAL EXPANDED ADVENTURE TIME ANNUAL! Featuring some of the hottest talent in comics today putting their creative spin on the land of Ooo! A great tool for bringing readers into the series and an awesome book for die-hard ADVENTURE TIME FANS! Featuring stories from Roger Langridge, Derek Fridolfs, Dustin Nguyen and others!

Grant: My devotion to Boom!'s excellent Adventure Time comic books is well documented in both my Preview and Review columns, and while the usual suspects of Ryan North, Shelli Paroline, and Braden Lamb won't be working on the annual, I'm still pretty excited for it.  It definitely doesn't hurt that Boom! has tapped some of my favourite creators in Roger Langridge and Dustin Nguyen.  The only part of this solicitation that I don't like is that Boom! didn't give us a complete list of creators that will be contributing to the issue.  I understand that solicits need to get out the door months before a book will be released, but it seems a little sloppy and rude to not give credit to everyone who will be working on the comic.

AMALA'S BLADE #2

Written by Steve Horton

Art by Michael Dialynas

Master assassin Amala targets the royal figurehead of the low-tech Purifiers. Standing in Amala's way? Twin blademasters. Annoying ghosts. Hallucinogenic poison. And a secret from Amala's past too unhinged to be believed . . . even by Amala!

* Debuted in the award-winning Dark Horse Presents.

"Striking visuals." -Thirteen Minutes

Grant: I was quite taken with Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas' opening issue of Amala's Blade last month.  Telling the story of Amala, the greatest assassin the realm has ever known, the book is chock full of fantasy and science fiction goodness.  And did I mention that she is haunted by the ghost of everyone she's ever killed?  Despite the potential for morbidity, the book's tone is surprisingly light, as the creators focus more on humour than you might expect.  It also helps that Amala is a great leading lady.  She's relatively badass and filled with more sass than you can shake a stick at.  If you missed out on the first issue, I'd definitely recommend giving this series a look.

ATOMIC ROBO: REAL SCIENCE ADVENTURES #8

Written by Brian Clevinger

Art by Caanan Grall

It's 1893 and a cabal of industrialists plot to overthrow the rule of law! All they need is Nikola Tesla's top secret project to do it! Starring Annie Oakley, Wong Kei-Ying, and an electrifying train heist like you've never seen!

Grant: The opening to the second volume of Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures last month with issue #7 was quite strong.  Unlike the first volume, where each issue featured a number of short stories of varying length, volume two of RSA is focused on one ongoing story focusing on Nikola Tesla and his team of adventurers that were introduced in one of the initial volume's shorts.  It's been a nice change of pace, as Tesla and company make for a narrative that is distinct from the main Atomic Robo books.  I'm also excited because it looks as if Clevinger will be collaborating with a different artist each issue.  The solicitation didn't have the artist listed, but I believe we'll have Caanan Grall of Max Overacts, a delightful little webcomic that you should definitely check out.  Can't wait to see the world of Robo as interpreted through Grall's pen.

The Balance

B.P.R.D.: VAMPIRE #3

Written by Mike Mignola, Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá

Art by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá

A nobleman vampire's life is spared after a horrific bargain made with the evil goddess Hecate, and now the bloodthirsty Simon Anders will put that deadly deal to rest.

* A direct sequel to the critically acclaimed B.P.R.D.: 1948!

* From the Eisner Award-winning creators of Daytripper-Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon!

Grant: B.P.R.D. has been a triumphant return to the Mingola-verse for Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá.  The two hyper-talented Brazilians have slipped back into things without skipping a beat, already delivering two issues that feel like a gorgeous mixture of Mike Mignola pacing and their own inimitable style.  I'll take any excuse to read Moon and Bá's work, and Vampire is a great one.  Hellboy books are pretty much some of the best comics you can find - this one is no exception.

CHEW #34

Written by John Layman

Art by Rob Guillory

On the trail of the vampire!

Grant: I don't write that much about Chew beyond the monthly mention of the title in my Previews, but you shouldn't take that as a slight against its quality.  If anything, you should see it as the opposite.  John Layman and Rob Guillory have been making one of the best, most consistent books for the past three years, and after a certain point, it's hard to find different ways to say the same thing: Chew is great.  The collections for this series make it super easy to catch up, and the individual issues are always gangbusters.  With a 60-issue run in the cards, we're over halfway done, but things are only getting better as we move forward.  This is definitely a book you should be reading in one form or another.

FIVE WEAPONS #4

Written by Jimmie Robinson

Art by Jimmie Robinson

Tyler has to battle the Gun Club, beat the faculty's scheme to expel him and keep his secret identity safe at the school of Five Weapons. Not a problem for Tyler's devious calculations - except this time he doesn't have a plan. 

Grant: Jimmie Robinson's Five Weapons has been one of the most pleasant surprises of 2013 thus far, as this amazingly family friendly book about a school of assassins has been all kinds of fun.  Robinson's playful script and equally playful art have been the perfect one-two punch in the story of young Tyler trying to survive the school of Five Weapons without any type of weapon of his own - except for his mind, of course!  It's admittedly a little late to jump on board this book, but if you can track down the back issues, I can't recommend it strongly enough.

Pick of the Week

As per the norm, there's plenty of books that I can't wait to sink my teeth into, but I'm going to have to go with X-Men #1 as my pick of the week this time around.  The involvement of Brian Wood and Olivier Coipel alone is enough reason to give this book the edge, but when you add in the comic's hook and the extra wait we've had to go through, it's really a no brainer.

What about you?  What book (or books) do you have your eye on this week?  Hit the comments to share your thoughts!

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