Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews for 08/07/13

Let's get them Post-Crisis Comic Book Previews rolling, shall we?  Lots of quality comics on the docket, including Sheltered #2, Sidekick #1, The Legend of Luther Strode #6, and plenty more!  So grab that cut and check out all the titles that are coming your way!

Major Releases

ATOMIC ROBO AND THE SAVAGE SWORD OF DR DINOSAUR #2

Written by Brian Clevinger

Art by Scott Wegner

Atomic Robo is trapped in the caverns of Hollow Earth where Dr. Dinosaur reigns as the God-King of the Interior Sun! Oh, and either the previous 65 million years will be erased from time, or the Western Hemisphere will be covered in deadly radioactive ash. So, there's that too.

Grant: As per the norm, a new issue of Atomic Robo is a major release in my books, and since I'm the one writing this column, here we are. I'm mighty excited to see how this whole nuclear bomb - Dr. Dinosaur conundrum is going to play out. Fortunately, with Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegner helming the whole thing, I at the very least know it'll be fun and exciting.

SHELTERED #2

Written by Ed Brisson

Art by Johnnie Christmas

With their parents’ blood on their hands, the youth of Safe Haven begin to splinter as doubt is cast on Lucas's leadership. New arrival Victoria finds that escaping from a compound built to keep others out is near-impossible.

Grant: While I haven't yet gotten a chance to talk about it on the site, Ed Brisson and Johnnie Christmas' Sheltered is one hell of a book. The focus on doomsday preppers (and particularly the children of preppers) made for a fascinating opening, and the blood and violence that we got last issue only looks like it's going to get worse before we reach the other end of this tale. I can't wait to see how it all shakes out.

TRILLIUM #1

Written by Jeff Lemire

Art by Jeff Lemire

It’s the year 3797, and botanist Nika Temsmith is researching a strange species on a remote science station near the outermost rim of colonized space. It’s the year 1921, and renowned English explorer William Pike leads an expedition into the dense jungles of Peru in search of the fabled “Lost Temple of the Incas,” an elusive sanctuary said to have strange healing properties. Two disparate souls separated by thousands of years and hundreds of millions of miles. Yet they will fall in love and, as a result, bring about the end of the universe. Even though reality is unraveling all around them, nothing can pull them apart. This isn’t just a love story; It’s the LAST love story ever told.

Trillium is an 8-issue series that combines rich historical adventure and mind-bending science fiction into a sprawling, unconventional love story by Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH, CONSTANTINE, ANIMAL MAN).

This amazing miniseries kicks off with 28-pages of story in a flip-book with two covers and two separate but connected stories!

Grant: Oh me, oh my. I've been waiting on more Jeff Lemire written, Jeff Lemire drawn books since Sweet Tooth ended early this year, and Trillium will most definitely be filling that hunger. I know it's early days, but I'm going to go out on a limb and say that Trillium actually looks even better than Sweet Tooth. This whole star crossed lovers who just so happen to also live centuries apart sounds absolutely fascinating. Bring it on.

New Kids on the Block

BURN THE ORPHANAGE BORN TO LOSE #1

Story by Daniel Freedman and Sina Grace

Art by Sina Grace

A young orphan named Rock was left for dead, now he's out for revenge! With partners Lex and Bear by his side, our hero will find out who burned his home and family to the ground. If that means taking on every goon, punk, and topless stripper ninja in the city... then so be it.

PART ONE OF THE BORN TO LOSE TRILOGY!

Grant: A comic book love letter to River City Ransom and its ilk may not sound like the most obvious pitch for a new series, but boy am I glad it was approved. This is the kind of thing that I probably never would have thought of myself, but after hearing about it, it's almost surprising it didn't happen sooner. An unorthodox match, it nonetheless feels like it was made in heaven.

ROBOCOP LAST STAND #1

Written by Frank Miller and Steven Grant

Art by Korkut Öztekin

Frank Miller’s incredible unproduced screenplay has been brought to life in this hardhitting Steven Grant (2 GUNS, PUNISHER: CIRCLE OF BLOOD) penned the adaptation. With all the brains, guts, and bullets that made the first film an instant classic, this is a comic event not to miss. The police force has disbanded. The people of Detroit have been evicted from their homes. ED209s and OCP officers run the streets. With OCP’s vision for Delta City well underway, Robocop may be his city’s last hope. This is Robocop’s last stand, as it was always intended to be.

Grant: I know it's something of a cardinal sin, but I've never seen Robocop. My apologies for being such an action film philistine. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I didn't realize there was an unproduced Frank Miller screenplay set in the Robocop universe. However, knowing that one exists does pique my interest. I haven't much of a clue as to how this project will actually come together, but I'm more than willing to give it a looksie.

SIDEKICK #1

Written by J. Michael Straczynski

Art by Tom Mandrake and Brian Miller

WITNESS A MODERN HERO’S FALL FROM GRACE!

The Cowl and Flyboy: renowned superhero and sidekick despite dopey names. They were famous, popular, and happy until the Cowl's assassination. Now, no one takes Flyboy seriously. Follow his trajectory from barely tolerated hero to figure of ridicule, and witness his slow descent into madness, darkness and crime.

Grant: J. Michael Straczynski is something of a polarizing figure in the comic book community (to put it mildly), but his return to Image Comics has been pretty alright thus far. Ten Grand isn't what you'd call revolutionary, but it's still a relatively enjoyable read. It remains to be seen if the same can be said for Sidekick. It's Straczynski's straight superhero work that's been the most steeped in controversy, so will a more sardonic book fall prey to the same problems?

Fond Farewell

THE LEGEND OF LUTHER STRODE #6

Written by Justin Jordan

Art by Tradd Moore

THE EXPLOSIVE MINISERIES CONCLUSION! Jack is loose in the world, and Luther isn't strong enough to stop him. But Petra might be.

Grant: I will freely admit that the delays to this book has been somewhat of a frustration to its reading experience, but that doesn't stop me from being pretty darned excited to get my hands on it. I do enjoy me some Justin Jordan and Tradd Moore comics. I almost wish these guys could work together all of the time. Perhaps we'll have an Epic of Luther Strode?

You May Have Missed

ATOMIC ROBO: REAL SCIENCE ADVENTURES #9

Written by Brian Clevinger

Art by Leela Wagner

In the wake of financial panic of 1893, a cabal of industrialists plot to overthrow the government. Their 'Black Coat' army stole Nikola Tesla's most top secret technologies. Now they lurk in the shadows of New York City. Starring Charles Fort, Winfield-Scott Lovecraft, and Ehrie 'Harry Houdini' Weiss!

Grant: The second volume of Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures has been really enjoyable thus far.  I like the rotating artists that Brian Clevinger has been employing, and I have high hopes for Leela Wagner.  But most of all, I've just been enjoying the look at Nikola Tesla and his own team of super scientists (I use the term "scientist" loosely).  It's definitely a fun companion piece to the main Atomic Robo series.

CATALYST COMIX #2

Written by Joe Casey

Art by Dan McDaid, Ulises Farinas, Paul Maybury

Frank Wells saved the world, but now what?! Amazing Grace fights for life in a cosmic coma! And the Agents of Change have a superhero encounter session! Don’t miss the second smash issue of the baddest comic on the stands!

• Masterminded by Joe Casey (Sex, Gødland) with art team Dan McDaid, Ulises Farinas, and Paul Maybury!

“Dan McDaid’s art continues to wow with lots of energy.” —Comic Book Resources

“Joe Casey is good at bringing reinvigorating ideas to the table . . . [he] doesn't like to play in that sandbox so much as kick a lot of dirt around within the confines of that sandbox, and that's wonderful.”—David Brothers, ComicsAlliance

Grant: Issue #1 was all kinds of dense, indecipherable, and distinct superheroics. It was also a ton of fun. I like the three different stories with three different artists that this book has going on, and as long as those two things keep up, I'll keep reading.

HELHEIM #6

Written by Cullen Bunn

Art by Joëlle Jones

THE NEW SERIES FROM SIXTH GUN WRITER CULLEN BUNN AND FAN FAVORITE ARTIST JOËLLE JONES CONTINUES! Rikard's crusade against the witches draws to an end. Only Bera, the woman he loved, the woman who raised him from the dead, remains. In order to destroy her, though, Rikard must overcome the hold she has over him. Is he her creature? Or is he, even in death, a free man? The final bloody chapter of Helheim unfolds!

Grant: Whoa, whoa, whoa! This if the final issue of Helheim?! I mean, there wasn't a ton left to do with those big ol' witch-demon battles already having happened, but I somehow missed the fact that this was a 6-issue limited series. Either way, considering the great work that Cullen Bunn and Joëlle Jones have been putting up, I'm sure that this conclusion will be of proper scale and grandeur.

The Balance

DAREDEVIL DARK NIGHTS #3

Written by Lee Weeks

Art by Lee Weeks

• Lee Weeks concludes his chapter in this special series of extraordinary creators celebrating the Man Without Fear!

• Everything may stand in his way but nothing will stop Daredevil from rescuing a young life!

• Will Matt Murdock survive the senses-shattering finale to ANGELS UNAWARE?!

Grant: While the visuals in this book continue to impress me, the actual story remains rather underwhelming. Lee Weeks' narrative just feels old and played out, and the random snippets of Biblical passages really don't seem to fit at present. Hopefully he'll be able to turn things around at least a little bit here, but since this is the final issue, I don't know if I have high hopes. Oh well, at least there's the terrific art to look forward to.

SUICIDE RISK #4

Written by Mike Carey

Art by Elena Casagrande

In the grips of the statuesque, but deadly Diva, Leo struggles to find purchase not only on his sanity, but his very existence. Trapped in Diva’s lair without hope, Leo must find a way to escape, before she destroys the very people he holds dear…

Grant: Mike Carey and Elena Casagrande's Suicide Risk isn't what I'd call a Must Read, but it's still a pretty well put together comic. Carey's story is moving along at a brisk pace and continues to reveal some interesting twists and layers, and Casagrande's art is more than its equal. We'll see if that's enough to keep me reading a few issues from now, but for the moment, I'm happy to keep on keeping on.

Pick of the Week

Sheltered #2 is definitely my Pick of the Week. Lots of enjoyable comics coming out on Wednesday, but I feel like Sheltered is the most unique of the bunch, and when you read as many comics as I do, that counts for quite a bit.

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