Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 07/31/13

Oh me, oh my, there are some absolute gems for us to look at in this week's Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews! There's all sorts of amazing books coming your way, including Collider #1, Ghost Town #2, Batman, Incorporated #13, and plenty more. Check behind the cut to take a good long look at the books you should be taking away from your shop on the morrow.

Major Releases

BATMAN INCORPORATED #13

Written by Grant Morrison

Art by Chris Burnham

Batman saves the world and loses everything.

Grant: So this is really it. After years of creating, building, and writing, Grant Morrison has finally reached the end of his extended Batman epic. To be honest, it's kind of hard to believe that we've reached this milestone. At a certain point, it just started to feel like Morrison would be writing Batman forever. Obviously that was never in the cards, but that doesn't make this any easier to believe. The hardest part is understanding how Morrison and Chris Burnham will be able to wrap up everything they've been working on in one single issue which (according to solicitations) will be of regular, 20 page, size. However, all those years of working with the Caped Crusader gives them quite a bit of faith on my part, so while I haven't a clue how they'll fit everything into the conclusion, I believe that they'll make it happen.

COLLIDER #1

Written by Simon Oliver

Art by Robbi Rodriguez

It started small: temporary gravity failures, time reversal loops, entropy reversals. With much fanfare a new government agency was formed with a mandate “to prevent and protect.” Its official title: The Federal Bureau of Physics. Humans, if nothing else, adapt to the changing parameters of their existence. What was extraordinary soon became ordinary, a part of people’s daily lives. They move on and do what people have always done: survive. But even that new status quo is now under threat. Things are getting worse, and it falls to Special Agent Adam Hardy and his FBP team to figure out what’s going on, before it’s too late…

Grant: This is a comic that I didn't know I'd been waiting for. I've stumbled across Robbi Rodriguez's art at various points throughout the internet (including Ashcan All-Stars and Frankie Get Your Gun), and I always found it to be really exciting. There's a real sense of kinetic energy and enthusiasm in his lines that I think will translate amazingly to this crazy concept from Simon Oliver. If the Portal video games have taught us anything, it's that playing with physics is fun, so this should be a laugh riot.

DAREDEVIL #29

Written by Mark Waid

Art by Javier Rodriguez

• The minor demons of Matt Murdock’s past lead to some Daredevil sized present problems.

Grant: Javier Rodriguez did an admirable job filling in for Chris Samnee last issue, and Mark Waid delivered as good of a story as ever. The look back into Matt Murdock's past is an interesting choice at this point. It's kind of nice to take a breather from the increasingly high stakes main narrative, and considering the way Waid writes, will probably end up being far more relevant than you would imagine at first blush. It also doesn't hurt that the cliffhanger from last issue was a rather thrilling one.

New Kids on the Block

3 GUNS #1

Written by Steven Grant

Art by Emilio Laiso

THE SEQUEL TO 2 GUNS, NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM UNIVERSAL PICTURES!

Trench was a deepcover DEA agent. Steadman was an undercover Naval Intelligence officer. Now, after racing headlong across the Southwest, desperately outrunning Feds and mobsters alike while trying to clear their names, Trench and Steadman are pulled into another impossible situation: brokering gun deals between the Russians and antigovernment revolutionaries...from opposite sides.

And little do they know, a Third Gun has her eyes set on the ultimate prizeand she won't go down without a fight.

Creator Steven Grant (DAMNED, PUNISHER: CIRCLE OF BLOOD) returns along with original series cover artist Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE) for more actioncomedy thrills!

Grant: I don't know much about 2 Guns, aside from the fact that it's been turned into a film starring Denzel Washington and Mark Walhberg and that its plot presumably involves all kinds of gunplay (at least 2 guns worth). There's presumably something worthwhile in the story proper, but all that I care about is that the sequel is named 3 Guns. That is straight up hilarious and almost enough on its own to get me to check this book out. I'll give it a flip through and see how I'm feeling at the comic book shop tomorrow.

ADVENTURE TIME SUMMER SPECIAL 2013 #1

Written by Abramo, Andy Runton, Becky Dreistadt, Frank Gibson, Noelle Stevenson, Ryan Pequin

Art by Andy Runton, Becky Dreistadt, Noelle Stevenson

Put on that sunscreen and grab your beach-towel, because it’s an ADVENTURE TIME summer special! Featuring all-new sun-kissed stories from acclaimed creators, starring Finn, Jake and all of your favorites and showcasing a fully-painted cover by Becky Dreistadt!

Grant: Woo! More Adventure Time comics! I recently wrote about how much I've been digging this series over at Thought Balloons, and I more than stand by all that sentiment. Boom! has created an amazing track record of bringing in some top flight creators to work on the property. I have no doubt that this summer special will continue that habit.

WOLVERINE: IN THE FLESH #1

Written by Chris Cosentino

Art by Dalibor Talajic

• Reality star Chris Cosentino tells a tale about Wolverine and food like only a Top Chef Master can!

• Adamantium claws meet steel kitchen knives in a culinary caper staring your favorite costumed Canadian!

Grant: Okay, so I almost wrote this off completely as yet another Wolverine title worth ignoring out of hand, but finally decided to at least give the solicitation a read through. Boy am I glad I did, because this sounds all kinds of amazing. I'll admit that my first instinct for a Wolverine one-shot writer wouldn't necessarily be a celebrity chef (especially one I've never actually heard of), but the more I think about it, the more excited I am to see what the heck Wolverine would get up to as a sous-chef in some fancy dancy restaurant. Could this comic be pure tripe? Possibly. But am I willing to check it out on the off-chance that it's completely brilliant? Definitely.

Fond Farewells

AMALA'S BLADE #4

Written by Steve Horton

Art by Michael Dialynas

Master assassin Amala uncovers Prince Markos' plan to reignite civil war between Modifiers and Purifiers! Can she stem the tides of war? What is the deadly secret her mother carries? And will Amala face her long-lost destiny?

"This is female-led swashbuckling fun for the whole family."–Comic Book Resources

Grant: Amala's Blade has quietly been going about its business these past three months with Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas routinely delivering some amazing fantasy action starring one of the greatest female protagonists I've come across in a long time. I'm sad to see this miniseries come to its end, but I'm real pumped to see how Horton and Dialynas wind everything up. And if we're really lucky, perhaps this won't be the last we see of Amala or her blade.

B.P.R.D. VAMPIRE #5

Written by Mike Mignola, Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá

Art by Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá

After the bloody encounter in the woods, only Professor Bruttenholm himself can put an end to this vampire hunt and get to the bottom of the mystery of the undead of Český Krumlov.

• 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: While I came into this series quite excited for Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá to be collaborating on comics again, since that first issue dropped, I haven't really been feeling this miniseries. There have been some solid moments - some real great stuff - but overall I've found the tale to be a little slower than absolutely necessary. Here's hoping that this finale will wrap things up in a satisfying manner that adds some much needed context and interest to the previous chapters.

You May Have Missed

BEDLAM #8

Written by Nick Spencer

Art by Ryan Browne

"Tell The Truth."

Grant: While I continue to find the terse Bedlam solicitations to be somewhat frustrating, I found myself enjoying the actual book quite a bit more with Ryan Browne's arrival on art. It's never great to see an artist leave a title - especially when that artist is Riley Rossmo - but the changeover to Browne seemed to give Bedlam a new spring to its step - at least for that one issue. Bedlam #8 will be an opportunity to see if that's a lasting change or if things will revert to where they were before.

GHOST TOWN #2

Written by Ryan K. Lindsay

Art by Daniel J Logan

The unthinkable has happened. In the wake of the terrorists' time-displaced attacks on Baltimore and Las Vegas, Washington, DC has been evacuated. With the government uprooted, the abandoned Capital has become a refuge for bandits, smugglers, hardened criminals, and those who have chosen to stay behind.

Grant: Once again, your friend and mine Ryan K. Lindsay is invading your comic book stands with his first issue of Ghost Town. This time, he's brought along the talented Daniel J Logan on art duties. While this is listed as issue #2, this is Ryan's first issue writing the series. And don't worry if you missed out on #1, as it was primarily concerned with setting up the situation you can read in the above solicitation. Indeed, Ghost Town #2 is a perfect jumping on point for readers looking for something new, and to toot a friend's horn, it's a pretty enjoyable read. The impending bomb is always in the background, but as the solicit says, this issue is all about those who have stayed behind in Washington, DC, and they are some interesting characters.

The Balance

ANIMAL MAN ANNUAL #2

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Travel Foreman

Still reeling from the shocking death of his son, Buddy Baker is taking his grief out on the world around him. But in this special story, learn how the bonds of family can be stronger than the forces of evil—even when that evil is a horde of massive, slavering spiders!

Grant: I've never been a big fan of Annuals. The idea doesn't really make sense to me. If you have a series coming out every month, why do you need an extra issue once a year? It certainly doesn't help that the Annual's place in the overall narrative never seems to be quite certain. Is it a time to continue what's going on? Tell a nice little done in one story? Link up with some other books for a slightly longer couple part tale? It looks like Animal Man Annual #2 will keep the story rolling right along, but the thing that actually makes me excited for this issue is the return of Travel Foreman to the book. His art is what gave the series such a unique feeling to start, and while there have been plenty of talented creators since his departure, Animal Man hasn't been the same since he left. I'm frankly surprised the solicit doesn't make explicit reference to this reunion. Oh well, I suppose the importance thing is that it's happening.

THE WAKE #3

Written by Scott Snyder

Art by Sean Murphy

A new species has been discovered at the bottom of the ocean, and as a result people are dying. Is it the missing link? Or a link to something even bigger? Marine biologist Lee Archer and her crew have to find out before things get much, much worse…

Grant: I have been rather underwhelmed by Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy's The Wake. The pacing has been glacial thus far, with the barest of glimpses at the strange, dystopian future hinted at in issue #1 overtaken by the (surprisingly) mundane existence of discovering a new species in the depths of the ocean. There simply hasn't been much beyond exposition going on in these first two issues, and I hope we have a deviation from that norm here, because otherwise I'm more than prepared to abandon ship on this one. Despite Snyder and Murphy's individual talents, the two have yet to come together in a cohesive or compelling manner.

Pick of the Week

Collider #1. Without a doubt. Robbi Rodriguez's unique visuals combined with Simon Oliver's awesome story concept sounds like it will add up to be one of the most fun comics this summer. It's also nice to see Vertigo releasing some books that actually look to be treading new ground, as opposed to the old series relaunches that they've been all up into of late.

What books are grabbing your eye? Hit the comments to let us know!