Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 06/05/13

A bit of a delay, but your Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews are here! There are plenty of great books to gander upon, including Astro City #1, East of West #3, Suicide Risk #2, and plenty more! Check behind that cut to check 'em all out!

Major Release

ASTRO CITY #1

Written by Kurt Busiek

Art by Brent Anderson

ASTRO CITY is back in a new, ongoing monthly series that showcases old heroes and new, as The Ambassador comes to Earth, and an ordinary man is caught up in a cosmic conflict! Featuring the return of favorites like Samaritan and Honor Guard, and the debut of some new sensations! Plus, the seeds of a new mystery: Who is the Broken Man? The entire award-winning creative team is back to kick off a new epoch of the human and the super human. Get in on the ground floor of Astro City’s next epic!

Grant: So I actually missed Astro City during its first time around, but that doesn't mean I'm not at least partially excited to see this book getting back into the swing of things over at DC. It is still somewhat frustrating that Vertigo's big "new" books mostly seem to be rehashes of old classics, but at least they were classics for a reason, right?

DAREDEVIL: DARK NIGHTS #1

Written by Lee Weeks

Art by Lee Weeks

• A gorgeous new series featuring the greatest talents in comics brings you the rest of the Man Without Fear’s story

• Legendary artist Lee Weeks returns to his favorite hero for “Angels Unaware!”

• A blizzard brings New York to a stand still -- and a young patient lies on death’s door unless Daredevil can get to him in time!

Grant: Just what exactly this title will accomplish is still a little up in the air, but I remain extremely excited for a miniseries that is advertised as a bunch of random Daredevil stories by talented creators. I'll never say no to anthology comics, no matter what their format, and I find that stories that aren't hampered by a need to cater to continuity are often some of the best. Hopefully that's what we get here in Dark Nights.

KICK-ASS 3 #1

Written by Mark Millar

Art by John Romita Jr.

Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl’s blockbuster return for the LAST EVER story arc of Mark Millar and John Romita Jr’s mega-selling series. Hit-Girl’s in jail, leaving Kick-Ass to lead the superhero team of Justice Forever. Their first mission: Bust Hit-Girl out of the clink. But superheroes have now been outlawed, leaving Kick-Ass to dodge both cops AND criminals. For the first time since donning the costume, Kick-Ass is beginning to have his doubts. Is he now in too deep to get out? The phenomenal follow-up to the Kick-Ass 2 movie coming this June. Issue #1 features six different covers by the industry’s biggest artists, all available for order. Each cover will feature a different character, and when all six covers are linked, a special message will be revealed.

Grant: I've never been a huge Kick-Ass guy, but it's hard to deny Mark Millar's impact on the comic book industry. The man definitely knows how to hype a book, with Kick-Ass possibly being one of the most hyped in his entire repitoire. So it's obviously kind of a big deal that he's closing out the series here with Kick-Ass 3. The only really surprise is that the title is coming in with so little buzz - I feel like I've heard next to nothing in the months leading up to this. We'll see if that trend keeps or not.

New Kid on the Block

HEROBEAR AND THE KID SPECIAL #1

Written by Mike Kunkel

Art by Mike Kunkel

It’s Picture Day at Tyler’s school, and naturally he’s forgotten! But before Tyler can pick his good side, he has to sneak out of class with his best friend Herobear to stop an attack on the Simpleton Bridge from the mysterious Von Klon and his Sub of Doom! …and he better not lose his hallpass in the process.

Don’t miss as creator Mike Kunkel relaunches his Eisner award winning creation at KaBOOM! with a brand new original adventure! Ask your retailer about the Herobear and the Kid Animation Cell Variant and the rare Mike Kunkel Hand Sketch Variant!

Grant: I'm not intimitely familiar with Mike Kunkel's Herobear either, but I found both the Free Comic Book Day short and the preview for this issue to be quite endearing. It looks like this book will be perfect for young readers or readers who are young at heart. Some very cute stuff at play here.

Fond Farewells

FASHION BEAST #10

Written by Alan Moore, Malcolm McLaren & Antony Johnston

Art by Facundo Percio

The final issue of ALAN MOORE’s time-lost masterpiece screams to an unbelievable conclusion. Le Patron is dead. Long live the new king of fashion. Jonni has turned Celestine’s empire into a fashion revolution. As the world at large struggles with the new sensual vision being given them, a long and sordid relationship is finally embraced. The final tarot card is flipped and the world, ready or not, must contend with the consequences.

Grant: Even ten issues in, I'm not entirely certain just who I feel about Fashion Beast. It's been an incredibly interesting comic and story, and yet I don't know if I'd qualify it as good or not. Frankly, part of me still struggles to pinpoint exactly what this whole things is about. We'll see if the final issue can clear up anything or if I'll be just as fuzzy when all is said and done.

WINTER SOLDIER #19

Written by Jason Latour

Art by Nic Klein

• High above Earth, the ELECTRIC GHOST has set a plan in motion that tears at the very fabric of reality. As the universe threatens to unravel, only THE WINTER SOLDIER can stop it – But does he even want to?

• Writer Jason Latour (Loose Ends, Wolverine) and artist Nic Klein (Dancer, Viking, Doc Savage) bring you the fiery conclusion to THE WINTER SOLDIER’S latest deadly mission!

Grant: Another series that I don't know if I was exactly in love with it or no, I will nonetheless be sad to see Winter Soldier end. I definitely fell out towards the end of Ed Brubaker's run, but Jason Latour and Nic Klein's arrival was enough to bring me back into the fold. Latour's scripts didn't exactly light my world aflame, but I have really enjoyed Klein's art on the book. His work has been most excellent, and I'll be eager to see where he lands next.

The Balance

BEDLAM #7

Written by Nick Spencer

Art by Ryan Browne

"Way Back When."

Grant: Bedlam is something an enigma to me. It started out like a hurricane, hitting with a premise that really shook things up in my books. But from there, it feels like things got a little confused, and so much of what made this book feel special and different kind of feel to the wayside. Even Riley Rossmo's art wasn't quite enough to keep my interest. However, due to creative differences, Rossmo's out of the picture and newcomer Ryan Browne is tagging in for the next arc. Will it be enough to spice things back up? Only time will tell.

EAST OF WEST #3

Written by Jonathan Hickman

Art by Nick Dragotta

“THE DRAGON”

Death's reign of terror over THOSE WHO RULE continues, as the forces of the END TIMES continue to work to bring about the Apocalypse. It's the END OF THE WORLD: Someone dies, someone lives, and someone falls in love.

Grant: East of West continues to be an incredibly pleasant surprise. For once, I actually love Jonathan Hickman's writing, as he's created one heck of a cool post-apocalyptic world with some wicked cool characters to populate it. And having Nick Dragotta in on art only makes this book all the sweeter. We're only two issues in, but bring on more, I say. Bring on more.

POLARITY #3

Written by Max Bemis

Art by Jorge Coelho

As Tim starts to become comfortable with his new powers, he begins fighting the good fight unconventionally, attacking evils relevant to people of his generation. Meanwhile, Dr. Mays seems to have his own plans for Tim… Issue #3 of POLARITY is teeming with even more dark humor and commentary on the life of an indecisive 20-something as only SAY ANYTHING frontman Max Bemis could write.

Each issue comes with a free download for a new original song written and performed by Max Bemis!

Grant: Considering that Polarity scribe Max Bemis hasn't written a comic before, Polairty has been surprisingly good. Telling the story of a young artist with mental problems whose mental problems are actually superpowers. It's kind of an odd premise, but it's been fun thus far. Of course, it's also been nice to see more original series' from Boom!, so that's something I'm happy to support.

SUICIDE RISK #2

Written by Mike Carey

Art by Elena Casagrande

After barely surviving a super-powered bank heist gone horribly wrong, beat cop Leo Winters vowed to try and find a way to stop them. Following a lead, he discovered two lowlifes who seemed to be able to grant a person powers… for the right price. Thing is: you don’t get to choose which power. It’s seemingly random, a crap-shoot, a risk. And now Leo will find out just how big of a risk he took…

From Eisner Award-nominated creator Mike Carey (THE UNWRITTEN, X-MEN: LEGACY) and hot newcomer Elena Casagrande (HULK, HACK/SLASH) with covers by Tommy Lee Edwards (Marvel’s 1984) and Stephanie Hans (JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY), SUICIDE RISK is a high octane, mind-bending exploration of what it means to be a hero.

Grant: Speaking of original series, Suicide Risk #2 has also been a real pleasant surprise. I'd heard only minor rumblings before looking through the issue, so didn't really know what to expect. Fortunately, Mike Carey was up to his same old tricks, delivering one heck of an opener of a world where superpowers are available for the right price and most every buyer ends up turning bad. It's a little early to know exactly where things are going, but it seems pretty clear that it'll be somewhere that's worth reading.

Pick of the Week

There's so many dandy books hitting stands this week, but I'm going to have to give the edge to Daredeveil: Dark Nights #1. The concept sounds like a winner to me, and the mystery as to what exactly we'll be getting in book makes the anticipation all the sweeter. Bring it on, Dark Nights.

What about you? What title is scratching your comic book itch this week? If the desire takes you, let us know in the comments below!