Would you believe there are only 11 new titles shipping this week? I guess now we know what happens when New Comics Day falls on Christmas Day!
Don't worry; next week the list is back up to its usual ginormous size. So let's focus on what we have instead of what we don't have, because there's enough here to warrant a trip to the comics shop -- even when you've got 30 other places to be!
DARK HORSE
CONAN TP
(W) Brian Wood (A) Becky Cloonan & Various (CA) Dave Stewart, Massimo Carnevale
FC, 152 pages, $19.99
Conan and Bêlit are the undisputed masters of the Western Ocean, their names whispered in fearful awe all along the Black Coast. But while fellow seafarers know better than to challenge their reign, other threats arrive from unexpected places. Such as when Conan returns to Cimmeria to track down an impostor destroying villages in his name, only to discover a tragic connection to his own past! Collects Conan the Barbarian #7-#12.
What could possibly be more Christmas-y than Conan the Barbarian? Well, almost everything. But if you're a Conan fan, this is good stuff.
STAR WARS OMNIBUS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC VOLUME 2 TP
John Jackson Miller (W), Brian Ching (P), Bong Dazo (P), Scott Hepburn (P), Alan Robinson (P), Dustin Weaver (P), Dan Parsons (I), Joe Pimentel (I), Michael Atiyeh (C), and Colin Wilson (Cover)
FC, 440 pages, $24.99
TP, 6” x 9”
After Zayne Carrick is framed for the murder of his fellow Jedi in training, his poor luck prevents him from clearing his name and throws him into dangerous situations all over the galaxy, leading to his final confrontation with the Jedi Masters who massacred their own Padawans!
• Expands the story of the smash-hit Knights of the Old Republic video games!
• From the New York Times best-selling novelist John Jackson Miller!
Hmmm. Could St. Nicholas have been a Jedi Knight? That would explain a lot.
DC COMICS
FOREVER EVIL #4
Written by GEOFF JOHN
Art and cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEN
1:25 Villain A cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
1:25 Villain B cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
1:25 Villain C cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
1:200 B&W Variant cover by DAVID FINCH and RICHARD FRIEND
32 pg, FC, 4 of 7, $3.99 US
RATED T • Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
In FOREVER EVIL #4, Batman must deal with the guilt of Nightwing’s identity being revealed. And even if Dick Grayson returns from the Crime Syndicate alive, will his life be forever ruined now that his deepest secret is out?
Meanwhile, Batman and Catwoman come face-to-face with Lex Luthor and his growing army in the halls of Wayne Enterprises. But what are these two teams doing there? And how does Bruce Wayne have a yellow ring?! Are Batman and Luthor fighting for the same thing or against one another?
“If the Crime Syndicate attacks — how would the villains react if they actually won? If the villains won, and they won in this way, would everyone go along with it? I don't think they would, because everyone wants something different,” writer Geoff Johns recently said. “At first glance, Lex wants to be as beloved and respected as Superman, though there is a far greater secret in his life that pushes him to strive for success in everything he does, which we’ll learn more about as the series progresses. Lex Luthor is the main character of the whole thing, and that becomes more and more clear as we move forward. In particular with issue #4. So, like Lex, we're exploring these villains and contrasting them against one another and asking — what would it take to put them in the role of good guy?”
“There's a lot of fun to be had between Lex and Bizarro. There's fun to be had between Batman and Catwoman, and when those characters collide,” Johns continued. “Some of the Syndicate members, as twisted as they are, they've been fun to write. Power Ring -- trying to conceive a character that was everything that Green Lantern usually wasn't, and amplifying that. There's a mythology with his ring that we're going to dive into that explores a very different look at what a Green Lantern could be -- if it's somebody that's based on a weak will, and a weak sense of self. We see that with Power Ring and how he's behaving, and we'll see more of that as we reveal more about him, and the source of the ring.”
Here's a sneak peek at some of David Finch’s interior art for FOREVER EVIL #4, which shows Batman revealing the Bat Cave to Catwoman for the first time, as well as Ethan Van Sciver’s variant cover for the issue, which depicts Batman using the powers of his yellow ring against the Crime Syndicate’s Power Ring. For more information, please visit DC Comics’ official press blog.
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
We've seen Batman wear the Green Lantern ring on occasion before (including a memorable episode on one of the cartoons), but haven't most of us arrived at the conclusion that Batman would be more likely to be recruited by the Sinestro Corps? Evidently Geoff Johns thinks so too, and I'm eager to see how it plays out.
Images courtesy DC Entertainment
JUSTICE LEAGUE #26
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art and cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by AARON KUDER
1:100 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for details.
A FOREVER EVIL tie-in! Why has the Crime Syndicate really come to our Earth? What are their darkest secrets? And how will their actions fundamentally change the Justice League as we know it? Meanwhile, Grid controls the world’s power and communications, but what does he truly want from the Syndicate? Plus, a member of the League struggling to survive plots a path of return...and revenge.
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.
This gets Justice League back on schedule, which is pretty important for the ongoing "Forever Evil" crossover. That's good. Note, of course, that this cover is an homage to the cover of Justice League (2011) #1.
IDW PUBLISHING
DOCTOR WHO SPECIAL 2013 #1
(W) Paul Cornell (A/CA) Jimmy Braxton
In this special one-shot story celebrating the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who, a strange force flings the TARDIS and the Doctor into our own universe! Once here, the Doctor encounters a 10-year-old girl who happens to be a huge fan of the Doctor Who TV show. The Doctor grapples with being a fictional character and monsters lurking at the girl's school on the way to coming face-to-face with the actor who portrays him, Matt Smith!
$7.99
If this were being published by DC, they'd call it an "Earth-Prime" story. But whatever, I don't usually enjoy stories set on "our" world, because the whole point of setting stories on fictional worlds is that wonderful things can happen there. On our world, those dreary laws of physics hold sway.
IMAGE COMICS
THE SAVIORS #1
Story JAMES ROBINSON
Art / cover J. BONE
32 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99
James Robinson returns to creator-owned comics with a tale of sci-fi horror
In THE SAVIORS, debuting in December from Image Comics, writer James Robinson (Earth 2, Starman, The Shade) and artist J. Bone (The Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror, The Spirit) introduce us to Tomas Ramirez. He has a nice job at a gas station, the cops don't give him any trouble, and the weather's nice. Life is easy, and Tomas likes easy. But when he stumbles upon an extraterrestrial conspiracy to take over the world, his life becomes anything but easy. He's thrown into a fight for the future of the Earth against an unstoppable threat, and his only hope is to find allies before it's too late.
A story that starts small before ballooning into a worldwide conspiracy, THE SAVIORS is Robinson's return to creator-owned comics after several years away, and he's ecstatic at the freedom and storytelling possibilities that comes with owning your work.
"It's great to be doing a series where anything goes. Where a character can seem the main focus for several issues only to die suddenly,” said Robinson. “Where an arc can end and another begin in a different part of the world with a different cast and focus. Where an up-coming arc might even focus on the aliens' perspective. To be able to do something with so very few rules is very liberating and a lot of fun."
J. Bone is similarly excited for THE SAVIORS: "I'd always wanted to draw a horror/monster book in my cartoon style, but told as a straight up scary story. After some long phone calls and email exchanges, James came back with a terrific Monster in the Desert story that just hit me right in the nostalgia. I love old black-and-white horror movies—guys in rubber suits, teens racing through the desert on dune buggies and convertibles. The old sheriff called in because someone's killing all farmer Jones's cattle. That's the kind of story James wrote except with quite a few modern twists."
THE SAVIORS throws ordinary people into extraordinary situations, pits them against unkillable lizard monsters, and does it all with the aid of a fun, cartoony art style from Bone and crisp dialogue from Robinson.
Good grief, another interesting book from Image, by another big-name creator who has fled the Big Two. This is getting to be a habit -- and a good one! I'm not crazy by the cartoony art, but Robinson has earned the benefit of the doubt from me.
MARVEL COMICS
AVENGERS #24.NOW
JONATHAN HICKMAN (W) • ESAD RIBIC (A/C)
Variant cover by Simone Bianchi
Variant cover by Agustin Alessio
MEGA FOLDOUT VARIANT by DANIEL ACUÑA
DEAPOOL VARIANT BY TBA
MARVEL MEOW VARIANT by TBA
BLANK VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE
“ROGUE PLANET” - Part 1 of 5
• Captain America and Iron Man plan for the next version of the Avengers.
• A runaway planet is on a collision course with Earth.
• A visitor from the future helps save the day.
• AVENGERS #24.NOW = AVENGERS #1 IN ALL-NEW MARVEL NOW!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99
I've gotten the impression this is leading into Avengers World #1, coming out next month. Regardless, I'm reading all the Hickman Avengers titles, just to see where he's going. He's got me curious!
ORIGIN II #1 (OF 5)
Written by KIERON GILLEN
Art & Cover by ADAM KUBERT
Sketch Variant by Adam Kubert
Variant Cover by SALVADOR LARROCA
Deadpool Variant by TBA
Variant Cover by Skottie Young
Blank Variant Also Available
Special Digital Edition Offer! Each copy comes with a FREE digital edition download of ORIGIN II #1, ORIGIN #1, & WOLVERINE: JAPAN’S MOST WANTED INFINITE COMIC #1!
Featuring a special Collector’s Edition Acetate Cover!
Experience an all-new chapter in the secret origin of one of Marvel’s most mysterious characters – but first, Marvel is proud to present your new look at ORIGIN II #1! ORIGIN II, the five part landmark comic event, brought to you by the all-star creative team of Kieron Gillen & Adam Kubert, chronicles an untold tale of the man who would become the Wolverine. One that shapes the hero he was destined to become!
Set a few years after the events of Origin, ORIGIN II finds James Howlett running with the wolves…until something unexpected brings him back into the world he left behind. Follow the first X-Man as he finds his way back to civilization and runs afoul of someone Sinister. Someone who has just discovered mutantkind for the first time. Plus, discover the shocking secret behind James’ greatest foe! Now he must choose: is he man or is he beast?
Plus, don’t miss out on Marvel’s most ambitious cover treatment yet! In celebration of this landmark series, Marvel is giving ORIGIN II #1 the red carpet treatment with a special acetate cover! Gorgeously rendered by superstar artist Adam Kubert, this unique cover features an ominous base layer underneath a second acetate layer of the clawed mutant entering the fray! Click here to see the cover in action on Marvel.com. A special sneak peek of the acetate cover was sent to retailers for preview and features a Sinister surprise underneath the ominous base layer.
RETAILERS PLEASE NOTE: In anticipation of this issue’s popularity, Marvel will have plenty of copies available to order!
Every issue of ORIGIN II #1 also features a SPECIAL DIGITAL COMICS OFFER! In addition to a free digital copy of ORIGIN II #1 on the Marvel Comics app for iOS and Android devices, each copy also includes a free digital edition of ORIGIN #1 & WOLVERINE: JAPAN’S MOST WANTED INFINITE COMIC #1!
The first Origin was something of a let-down for me; after all the mystery surrounding Wolverine's past, it turned out to be somewhat pedestrian (except for the claws and such). In fact, it read something like a gothic romance, never one of my favorite genres. This one promises to be nothing more than a lot of running around in the woods naked, which is more fun to do than to read about. Or so I'm told.
Well, chin-chin, let's hope for the best.
And what's an acetate cover? Marvel helpfully sent out a press release to explain:
Get ready for Marvel’s most ambitious cover treatment yet! In celebration of the landmark Origin II series, which unveils the mysterious mutant’s storied past, Marvel is giving Origin II #1 the red carpet treatment with a special acetate cover. Gorgeously rendered by superstar artist Adam Kubert, this unique cover features an ominous base layer underneath a second acetate layer of the clawed mutant entering the fray! Click here to see the cover in action on Marvel.com.
“With this year’s special December 24th on-sale date, we wanted to give retailers a cover that really popped off the shelves,” said Marvel’s SVP of Publishing Sales, David Gabriel. “With this acetate treatment and marquee position as one of the only two Marvel Comics on sale that week, we’re positive that no reader can miss—or resist – Origin II #1!”
In anticipation of this cover’s immense popularity, Marvel will have plenty of copies available for retailer orders to appease customer's demands! Select retailers will receive a cover preview sheet before this item’s FOC date, and attendees at Marvel’s New York City Comic-Con Retailer Breakfast presentation will receive a free cover preview sheet as well.
“The first acetate cover I ever saw was on Marvels and it blew my mind. We’re looking to do the same thing with this cover to Origin II,” said X-Men Senior Editor Nick Lowe. “Adam Kubert is a living comic book legend and this cover demonstrates that out of the gate. Top it off with Frank Martin’s delicious colors? The rendering, the concept and the surprise that readers will get when they lift the top layer of the cover drives home what a can’t-miss event Origin II is.”
Clear as mud? Let me help: Wolverine's hand is on the acetate overlay, and the background (with the wolves) is on the interior cover. So open the acetate cover, and it's just wolves. Close it, and Wolvie's hand is in the foreground.
OTHER PUBLISHERS
DECEIVERS #1
Publisher: BOOM ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Steven Grant (A) TBD (CA) Stéphane Roux
WHY WE LOVE IT: Everybody loves a good underdog story, and we're no exception. Make that double for your classic Robin Hood-style "steal from the rich, give to the poor" yarns, and when you couple that with Steven Grant's (2 GUNS) crackling dialogue and beautiful artwork from ? We couldn't resist!
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: DECEIVERS is a globetrotting espionage action/comedy populated by charming, clever characters and thrilling sleight of hand, perfect for fans of films like Catch Me if You Can and the Ocean's 11 series.
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: Lincoln McCord and Prince Adony Zaruka are two American con men living abroad in Europe, posing as an oil magnate and the descendant of long-lost royalty to live the high life by leeching off the European elite. But when an international thief begins wreaking havoc on their marks, the deceivers are enlisted by a rogue CIA agent to help entrap him.
$3.99
Where has Steven Grant been? I used to love his work back in the '80s, so I'm tempted to try this one.
FAIRY QUEST VOL 1: OUTLAWS TP
Publisher: BOOM ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Paul Jenkins (A/CA) Humberto Ramos
WHY WE LOVE IT: The combination of Paul Jenkins (DEATHMATCH, Inhumans) and Humberto Ramos (Amazing SpiderMan) delivered a smart, but sweet fairy tale we're smitten with.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE IT: Jenkins and Ramos took fairy tales and created a rich, unique world that is at once familiar and wholly original. Adventure, beautiful art, and a girl and her wolf. What's not to love?
WHAT IT'S ABOUT: The world of Fablewood, where all of the stories that have ever been told live side by side, is a sinister place indeed! Under the watchful eye of the dreaded Mister Grimm and his Think Police, Red Riding Hood and her Wolf must risk everything to try and escape and find sanctuary in a mysterious place called the Real World...
$14.99
This is a little too close in concept to Fables for comfort, but Jenkins & Ramos are both A-listers, so it may be worth a look.
ROBOTECH VOLTRON #1
Publisher: DYNAMIC FORCES
(W) Tommy Yune (A) Elmer Damaso (CA) Tommy Yune
Part 1 of 5. Two of the greatest anime legends of all time are about to collide in one epic saga! The Lion Force team face the return of a mysterious ancient adversary that could jeopardize the very existence of Voltron itself. The repercussions threaten to reach across the fabric of time and space, all the way to Earth. How will Roy Fokker and the Skull Squadron cope with such a new menace, especially with the Zentraedi looming over Macross Island? What opportunities will King Lotor pursue in a crisis like this?
$3.99
Not my cup of tea, but I'm pleased for the Robotech fans. Happy Holidays, you wacky robo-kids, you!
Replies
I agree, Captain. Origin was never the epic tale it was supposed to be and never felt right as Wolverine's beginnings. I needed more than "Daddy never loved me!"
I gonna pass on The Saviors but might get Deceivers.
I'm holding off on Robotech/Voltron #1 until I get a good look at it, after the holidays. Few, if any, blender-stories work, much less make sense past the first issue. I disdained Amalgam (the Marvel/DC blender storyline) and really don't have that much enthusiasm for such concepts.
However, I do point out, some actually work, in concept. Dark Horse actually made the Aliens Vs Predator comics GOOD, long before the pair of limping films (long time AvP comic fans can spot a few concepts in AvP-R that make sense), which sparked a number of crossover comics (Hellraiser/Nightbreed for example), of which I have the Aliens, Predator & Terminator ones (I still hope for a JLA-Aliens comic/story). Marvel will NEVER do anything like this, especially after being assimilated by Disney.
I'm going to pass on Origin II.
The Dr. Who Christmas Special comic? Also a pass. And I consider myself a fan of Dr. Who.
Forever Evil #4, I suspect a LOT of fans have been expecting since the days of the Sinestro Corps started scooping up recruits, with Batman being one of the first (but quickly rejected due to his prior contact with a GL Ring) & there are many home-made & official Sinestro Corps Batman figures, images, video game skins, ect. I may give it a quick skim just to see what happens.
I'll definitely be picking up The Saviors -- Robinson and Bone is a team too good to miss!
AVENGERS #24.NOW ACX ACUNA VAR
SAVIORS #1 (MR)
Actually, nothing for me this week. Well nothing that I hadn't already pre-ordered. I may go in at take a look at Saviors and Deceivers. I'm always up for something new.
Origin was a disappointment for me as well, but perhaps for a different reason. On Earth-J, Logan was chosen to become “Weapon X” for one reason: his mutant healing factor, which allowed his bones to be infused with adamantium and the mechanical claws not to be rejected. In “Days of Future Past” we even saw the housings which were inserted into his forearms. I completely reject the notion of “bone claws” as well as any story which incorporates them. I could possibly accept it as an “Elseworlds” (I know that’s DC, but it’s not really a “What If?” either), but I have no interest in a further story which perpetuates breaking my willing sense of disbelief.
I know how you feel, Jeff. I mean how do bone claws work biologically? How do you retract them? They're bones! They have to be attached to muscles and ligaments. They don't pop out of your body!
And claws are not made of bone. They're evolved fingernails!
I liked the idea of the implanted claws as well, for the sake of characterization: Logan would have reason to hate and resent implanted claws, so every time he used them it would only fuel his rage at the Weapon X program.
Also, I thought it was still canon that he was chosen for Weapon X because of the healing factor. Is that not so any more? I assumed other guinea pigs in the project also had some sort of healing factor, just one not as powerful as Logan's, which is why he was the only one to survive.
And we know that there were at least nine attempts before Logan, because one of the dumb Big Reveals in Logan's history was that the "X" in Weapon X was the Roman numeral 10. (I say dumb because Logan's history has been one of a sequence of Big Reveals about his shadowed past, and when they ran out of clever ones they started using dumb ones -- like the bone claws. Changing Weapon X to Weapon 10 was dumb, because we already knew Weapon X had had subjects prior to Logan, so the numeral added nothing, and "Weapon X" with a letter had resonance with the X-Men and the "X" gene, whereas "Weapon Ten" does not. So I think it was a bad idea.)
Anyway, if you don't need a healing factor to survive Weapon X, how DO you survive it?
Captain Comics said:
The key, Skipper, is to get the writer on your side.
Words of wisdom, Lloyd. Words of wisdom.
The Baron said:
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