JUNE 1, 2016
ANDRE THE GIANT: CLOSER TO HEAVEN (GN)
Publisher: LION FORGE
Writer: BRANDON EASTON
Art/Cover: DENIS MEDRI
Mature/$12.99
Voted Best Biographic Comic of 2015 by Comics Alliance! This lavishly illustrated authorized biography of pro wrestling legend Andre the Giant charts his entire life from the earliest days on his family's farm to his blockbuster feuds with the biggest wrestling stars of all time, exploring the dark side of fame and fortune along the way.
This came out last year, and I assume it's being re-released because it's been optioned for a movie.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
BATMAN: REBIRTH #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by TOM KING and SCOTT SNYDER
Art and cover by MIKEL JANIN
Variant Cover by HOWARD PORTER
One-shot • 32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Longtime Batman and Eisner Award-winning writer Scott Snyder co-writes with rising-star writer Tom King!
EVIL 365: Gotham City faces the threat of the Calendar Man!
This entire issue is, essentially, an ongoing conversation between Bruce Wayne and a kid named Duke, who I assume comes from the now-canceled We Are Robin. Wayne is training him to fight, but not to be Robin -- he plans something new. It looks like Duke is going to be a Bat-partner of sorts, so here's a chance to get to know him (if you didn't read We Are Robin).
This looks like Snyder's swan song on Batman; Tom King is listed as solo writer on Batman #1, with art/cover by David Finch and Matt Banning. (Tim Sale does an alternate cover.) Outside of Duke, it doesn't look like this is a book that will change much in Rebirth. Batman will ship twice monthly.
THE BIRTH OF KITARO (TPB)
Publisher: DRAWN & QUARTERLY
Writer/Art/Cover: SHIGERU MIZUKI
Paperback • 184 pages • 5" x 7.5" • B&W • $12.95 USD/14.95 CAD
The Birth of Kitaro collects seven of Shigeru Mizuki's early, and beloved, Kitaro stories, making them available for the first time in English, in a kid-friendly format and price point. With more than 150 pages of spooky and often funny, all-ages comics about the titular yokai boy, The Birth of Kitaro is the perfect introduction to Mizuki's most popular series, which has won the hearts of Japanese children and adults for more than half a century.
Weirdly, D&Q released a Free Comic Book Day preview of this book ... in 2015. Still, it's Shigeru Mizuki (Onward Toward Our Noble Deaths, Showa), so it's probably worth the wait.
Fortunately, the Baron was able to pick one up at Barnes & Noble, and provides a brief review: "A fun read -- very weird stuff."
CINEMA PURGATORIO #2
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Writers: ALAN MOORE & VARIOUS
Art: KEVIN O'NEIL & VARIOUS
Cover A: KEVIN O'NEIL
Cover B (Ancient Tome Premium): RAULO CACERES
Cover C (Code Pru): RAULO CACERES
Cover D (Modded): IGNACIO CALERO
Cover E (Perfect Union): MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Cover F (Vast): GABRIEL ANDRADE
Mature/$5.99
Welcome once again to the theatre of the macabre! Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill are your hosts as the finest creators in all of comics join us in an anthology to end all anthologies. Cinema Purgatorio is the ongoing monthly series which brings together the powerhouse creators to tell stories that only Avatar Press could. These tales claw into your brain and nest there as you attempt to recover from the horrors you've witnessed. Illustrated in stark moody black & white, every page of this series is filled with visions from the minds of your favorite creators. Every issue is perfect-bound, with no ads, and all of the works are very long-form, there are no collections planned before 2018. Jump in now and embrace the new future of comics. The one of which Alan Moore has always dreamed. It's here, now. Hiding in the dark corner. Welcome to Cinema Purgatorio.
Alan Moore alert!
CIVIL WAR II
ALL NEW WOLVERINE #9
Writer: TOM TAYLOR
Art: MARCIO TAKARA
Cover by BENGAL
CIVIL WAR REENACTMENT VARIANT COVER BY Joyce Chin
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
ROAD TO CIVIL WAR II!
• LAURA and LOGAN. We’ve seen it before.
• But this isn’t the man Laura once knew. OLD MAN LOGAN has stepped out of a dystopian future and into our world. His past full of horrors, he’s about to bring a lot of baggage, and carnage, Laura’s way.
• With a CIVIL WAR set to divide the heroes’ world, will Old Man Logan and WOLVERINE stand together against the coming nightmare? Or will they shred each other apart?
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #10
Writer: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art/Cover: MIKE DEODATO
Civil War Reenactment Variant by TBA
ROAD TO CIVIL WAR II!
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
It is Tony against some of his closest and dearest friends as the portents of civil war rock Tony and his status quo to its very foundation. We can’t tell you anything else without spoiling Civil War II, but you will NOT want to miss this emotional and explosive chapter.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
CIVIL WAR II #1
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art by DAVID MARQUEZ
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Variant Covers by DAVID MARQUEZ, STEVE MCNIVEN and MICHAEL CHO
Team Iron Man Hip-Hop Variant by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Team Cap Hip-Hop Variant by TERRY DODSON
Character Variant by PHIL NOTO
Virgin Black & White Connecting Variant B by KIM JUNG GI
Battle Variant by CHRIS SPROUSE
Party Variant by YASMINE PUTRI
Hot Wheels Variant by MANUEL GARCIA
Sketch Variants by STEVE MCNIVEN & YASMINE PUTRI also Available
56 PGS. • Rated T+ • $5.99
This is it! War comes to the Marvel Universe this June as the Earth-shattering comics event of 2016 comes to comic shops with a jam-packed double-size issue! Today, Marvel is pleased to present your exciting look inside CIVIL WAR II #1 – from chart-busting creators Brian Michael Bendis and David Marquez! The fan-fave creative team that brought you Invincible Iron Man join forces once more to bring you a tale of hero against hero – and a Marvel Universe divided in two!
Ulysses – a young Inhuman with the power to profile the future has emerged. His new abilities send shock waves through the superhuman community. Divided among themselves, will they use Ulysses to prevent danger before it happens? Or should they allow the future to unfold unaltered? As his new powers send shock waves rippling across the Marvel Universe – battle lines will be drawn. Do you stand with Iron Man? Or will you side with Captain Marvel?
Will the heroes of the Marvel Universe wield the power of “predictive justice” to change the future or battle to protect tomorrow? Battle lines will be drawn. Lives will be changed. Heroes will fall. The comic book event that will have the world talking kicks off on June 1st in the double-sized CIVIL WAR II #1!
For more information on CIVIL WAR II, visit Marvel.com, and join in on the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #CivilWar2!
FIGHT! Artist Kim Jung Gi Covers CIVIL WAR II With Epic Black and White Connecting Variants!
The heroes of the Marvel Universe collide this June – and today Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the epic connecting variant covers for each issue of CIVIL WAR II! Rendered by acclaimed artist Kim Jung Gi – Iron Man, Captain Marvel and the heroes that stand with them engage in all-out battle across these eight connecting black and white covers!
A internationally renowned artist based in South Korea, Kim Jung Gi has become an internet sensation thanks to his ability to visualize an entire drawing before putting pen to paper. Known for his lush black and white illustrations, Kim Jung Gi brings his incredible talents to the Marvel Universe for the first time as he brings to life one of Civil War II’s seismic battles!
Watch an exclusive behind the scenes video to see how this incredible piece was brought to life!
Beginning this May with Civil War II #0 and continuing across all 7 issues of the blockbuster event, no fan can afford to miss out on these eight exciting new variants!
Please note these eight covers will ship only in black and white.
CIVIL WAR II #1 LAUNCH PARTY OPT-IN
Do you stand with Captain Marvel or do you stand with Iron Man? Make your choice when the biggest comic of the year explodes into comic shops on June 1st! That’s right, we’re kicking off the Summer with the biggest comic event of the year and we’re making sure your local comic shop is armed and ready for Civil War II to engulf the Marvel Universe! Not only is your local retailer the place to be on June 1st to get your hands on CIVIL WAR II #1, but fans will also be able to receive special items exclusive to these parties at participating retail stores.
To ensure the launch of CIVIL WAR II is the biggest sales success of 2016, each retailer opting in to the event will receive a Civil War II Party Kit, containing exclusive promotional materials. Check your Marvel Mailer for more information on how to opt-in by 04/18 to ensure your store has access to these items and exclusives.
“War may be brewing in the Marvel Universe, but the party is at your local comic shop,” says Marvel SVP, Sales & Marketing, David Gabriel. “CIVIL WAR II escalates the conflict of its predecessor to new heights, and we’re backing retailers with huge incentives, promotional materials, limited edition variants and more. We’re committed to making sure anyone and everyone is buzzing about this event and that starts with making sure our retail partners are armed and ready to make CIVIL WAR II their biggest title of the year.”
All qualifying retailers will receive the following as part of the Civil War II Party Kit:
- Civil War II Invitational Postcards
- Civil War II Build Your Own Captain Marvel Piece 1 (of 6)
- Civil War II Michael Cho Lithographs
- Civil War II Putri Gwenpool Party Sketch Variant
But that’s not all! Retailers who qualify will also be eligible to order the CIVIL WAR II #1 Gwenpool Party Variant. From artist Yasmine Putri, Gwenpool is about to get in on the Civil War, but she may have prepared for the wrong one. This one-of-a-kind variant only available at Civil War II launch parties should not be missed!
Retailers are encourages to check their Marvel Mailer or Diamond Daily for more information about Civil War II and Civil War II Launch Parties.
The battle lines are drawn, and the heroes of the Marvel Universe are faced with a choice: wield the power of “predictive justice” to change the future as they see fit, or reject it and allow tomorrow to unfold unaltered. Choose your side this June as the marquee comics event of the year begins in CIVIL WAR II #1!
Marvel's big summer event is here, and since I haven't read this first issue, I'm not sure what I can add that all the PR above hasn't already said. I will offer the observation that this Civil War could actually have a Thor, an Iron Man, a Captain America and a Spider-Man and a female Spider-person on each side, since currently there are two of each!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
CONTROL #1 (OF 6)
Writer: ANDY DIGGLE, ANGELA CRUICKSHANK
Art: ANDREA MUTTI
Cover A: BEN OLIVER
Cover B: GUISEPPE CAMUNCOLI
32 pages / Mature / $3.99
Detective-Sergeant Kate Burnham isn't making any friends in the Washington DC Police Department. That makes her the perfect scapegoat when a routine homicide investigation threatens to blow open a criminal conspiracy that reaches to the upper echelons of the DC power elite. Kate makes it go away, or they make her go away. Cop or criminal, power is all about control, applied top-down from the penthouse elite to the hustlers on the street. But what happens when the street pushes back ...?
This issues is mostly set-up, but it's an interesting set-up with a great twist at the end. It's a cop story, although not quite a procedural, and there are political-thriller elements as well. We don't know what the central mystery is all about, so that might add a third genre. The art is a bit scritchy-scratchy for my taste but the action was clear and the pacing on the money.
DEADPOOL #13
Written by GERRY DUGGAN, CHARLES SOULE and DAVID WALKER
Art by JACOPO CAMAGNI, GUILLERMO SANNA, ELMO BONDOC and PACO DIAZ
Cover by FRANCISO HERRERA
Variant Covers by ROB LIEFELD and RON LIM
Power Man and Iron Fist Variant by CHRIS STEVENS
Daredevil Variant by KHOI PHAM
Hit Monkey Variant by BRENT SCHOONOVER
Action Figure Variant by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
Rebirth Variant by DAVID NAKAYAMA
96 PGS • Parental Advisory • $9.99
What do you get when you take a Merc With a Mouth, two Heroes for Hire and a Man Without Fear and mash ‘em together? Why, the massively oversized DEADPOOL #13 of course! This June, this quartet of heroes collide in the first-ever 4-part crossover in one issue! We’re not joking – this issue contains two full issues of Deadpool, one issue of Power Man and Iron Fist and one issue of Daredevil! Writers Gerry Duggan, David Walker and Charles Soule join forces with artists Jacopo Camagni, Guillermo Sanna, Elmo Bondoc and Paco Diaz to bring you one for the history books! When Deadpool takes a gig protecting a banker who betrayed his nefarious cartel partners, they seek the help of ADA Matt Murdock, who calls in the assistance (and fists) of Luke Cage and Danny Rand! Things are going to get ugly. Get ready for a mega-violent, street-level, gut-busting, face-punching, kung-fuing, ninjitsuing crime story you won’t want to miss! It all goes down this June when DEADPOOL #13 explodes into comic shops everywhere!
If you like Deadpool, here's a whopping 96 pages of him in a single issue. If you don't like him, you probably don't care how many pages there are, since you won't be buying this.
DOUBLE TAKE
This week brings the fourth issue of all nine titles in Bill Jemas' Double Take line, which spins off the 1968 George Romero movie Night of the Living Dead. All issues are Mature/$2.50.
FRANKEN FRAN OMNIBUS VOL 2 (TPB)
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer/Art/Cover: KATSUHISA KIGITSU
$19.99
Dr. Frankenstein has met his match in Franken Fran! Somewhere, out in the sticks of rural Japan, there is a mysterious manor that is home to the greatest surgeon who ever lived. Actually, the surgeon hasn't been seen for years, but Fran, his reanimated daughter, takes up the family profession in his stead. Starting with the bolts that protrude from her head, Fran isn't exactly what you would call a normal girl, nor is the cast of horribly disfigured creatures who join her. Join Fran, her twisted sister Veronica, and the rest of her monstrous entourage in a gruesomely hilarious tale that would put Mary Shelley to shame! Collects volume 3 and 4 of the original manga.
That looks like a monster only a man would build!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
GHOSTBUSTERS: NEW GHOSTBUSTERS #1 IDW GREATEST HITS EDITION
Writer: ERIK BURNHAM
Art/Cover: DAN SCHOENING (A & C)
FC • 32 pages • $1.00
Introducing IDW's Greatest Hits! One-dollar versions of key issues and launch-points from your favorite IDW books! Think the new movie is the first time we've seen female Ghostbusters? Think again!
Since I give Marvel's first-issue reprints a shout out below, I felt it only fair that I do the same for this week's IDW first-issue reprint.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
GREEN ARROW: REBIRTH #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by OTTO SCHMIDT
Cover by JUAN FERREYRA
Variant cover by STEVE SKROCE
One-shot • 32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Together again for the first time, the Emerald Archer meets Black Canary. Questioning everything Green Arrow believes in, Dinah Lance throws the hero’s world upside down, forcing him to question what he cares about more: his morals or his money?
BULL’S-EYE: “Readers are aching for the reunion of Green Arrow and Black Canary, and we’re finally going to give it to them.” says writer Benjamin Percy. “Also returning? Green Arrow’s goatee.”
The New 52 re-launch of this character was terrible. Joshua Fialkov dropped a lot of the revamp when he rescued the book, and I find that it continues to improve the closer it gets to its pre-New 52 incarnation. Apparently DC agrees with me! Green Arrow #1 follows June 15, and will ship twice monthly.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
GREEN LANTERNS: REBIRTH #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and SAM HUMPHRIES
Art and cover by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Variant cover by ALEX GARNER
One-shot • 32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Creative powerhouse Geoff Johns puts the ring on again as he, co-writer Sam Humphries and artist Ethan Van Sciver debut a new era of emerald greatness! Rookie Green Lanterns Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz tackle the universe’s toughest beat: Earth.
HOT TICKET: Geoff and Ethan brought Hal Jordan to epic status with the original GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH in 2004!
Oh, look, they're dropping most of The New 52 changes in Green Lantern, too! Hal Jordan will have a ring again (and won't be on the run), and the Corps will return from the Relic universe where they've been for a year. So that was just a waste of time, wasn't it? OTOH, it looks like they're keeping the two new Lanterns for this book, both of whom debuted in The New 52, so the Flashpoint changes aren't all erased.
I like the Simon Baz GL fine. I don't know much about Jessica Cruz, who last I saw had the parasitic Power Ring from the evil Earth-3 universe on her finger. Clearly that has changed, but I didn't read where that happened so don't know how it did, or how she got a regular GL ring. If anyone wants to educate me, feel free.
Green Lantern #1 will arrive June 15, and will ship twice monthly.
INCREDIBLE HULK: HERB TRIMPE MARVEL ARTIST SELECT SERIES (HC)
Publisher IDW PUBLISHING
Writers: STAN LEE, ARCHIE GOODWIN, ROY THOMAS, HARLAN ELLISON, LEN WEIN, BILL MANTLO, HERB TRIMPE
Art/Cover: HERB TRIMPE
HC • FC • $112.50 net discount item • 416 pages • 9” x 13”
This oversized, limited-edition hardcover celebrates the late, legendary Herb Trimpe’s time on The Incredible Hulk with a carefully-chosen selection of Trimpe’s most impactful issues pulled from his decades long career with Marvel and The Incredible Hulk. Each copy of this 679-copy limited-edition hardcover is slip-cased, hand-numbered, and signed by Herb Trimpe himself.
This collection only available in this limited-edition run!
Trimpe was never my cup of tea -- the whole time John Severin was inking him, I was wishing Severin was drawing the book, too -- but for many folks who grew up with it, the Trimpe Hulk is the definitive one. I can well understand that, and for them, IDW is providing an early Christmas present.
INDEH STORY OF THE APACHE WARS (GN)
Publisher: GRAND CENTRAL PUBLISHING
Writer: ETHAN HAWKE
Art/Cover: GREG RUTH
$25.00
The year is 1872. The place, the Apache nations, a region torn apart by decades of war. The people, like Goyahkla, lose his family and everything he loves. As he burns his family's possession's he has a vision. A hawk rises to tell him that he can never be killed by a man. It is this vision that prompts the young Goyahkla into action. He approaches the Apache leader Cochise, his son Naiches, and the entire Apache nation to lead an attack against the Mexican village of Azripe for retribution. It is this wild display of courage that transforms the young brave Goyakhla into the Native American hero Geronimo. But the war wages on, lives continue to be lost, and all of Apache is conquered but one-Cochise's band. When it looks like lasting peace has been reached, it seems like the war is over. Or is it? Indeh captures the deeply rich narrative of two nations at war who then try to find peace and forgiveness in a time of great upheaval. Based on incredible research, Indeh offers a remarkable glimpse into the raw themes of cultural differences, the horrors of war, the search for peace, and what is ultimately retribution.
Stories about Native Americans always depress me, because I know how they ultimately end.
JAMES JOYCE: PORTRAIT OF DUBLINER (GN)
Publisher: ARCADE PUBLISHING
Writer/Art: ALFONSO ZAPICO
Cover: JEFF ZAPATA
$22.99
Winner of Spain's National Comic Prize, here is an extraordinary graphic biography of James Joyce that offers a fresh take on his tumultuous life. A rebel and nonconformist in Dublin and a harsh critic of Irish society, Joyce left Ireland in self-imposed exile with his wife, moving to Paris, Pola, Trieste, Rome, London and finally Zurich. He overcame monumental challenges in creating and publishing Dubliners, Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man, Ulysses and Finnegan's Wake. With evocative anecdotes and hundreds of ink-wash drawings, Alfonso Zapico invites the reader to share Joyce's journey, from his earliest days in Dublin to his life with his great love, Nora Barnacle, and their children, and his struggles and triumphs as an artist.
I once wrote a paper on Portrait of an Artist as a Young Man in college, and the professor who taught the class (that I barely attended) -- a visitor from England who fancied herself a Joyce expert -- thought it was so good that she thought the stupid American must have plagiarized it. When I convinced her I hadn't, she gave me a "C." Go figure.
KICK-ASS TPB BOX SET SLIPCASE
Written by MARK MILLAR
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA JR.
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
776 PGS. • Mature • $50.00
You loved the movies, now get the entire bloody, action-packed story of Kick-Ass and Hit-Girl inside a single slipcase! Dave Lizewski has the suit, and he's got the name -- but with no special powers and outmatched by New York City's most hardened criminals, can Kick-Ass survive? At least Mindy "Hit-Girl" McCready knows a hundred ways to kill a man, thanks to her Big Daddy. Together, Dave and Mindy make one heck of a team, but what happens when these two vigilantes spark a viral super-hero trend? The villainous Red Mist descends, Hit-Girl gets banged up, and soon costumed vigilantes everywhere are running for their lives! This box set comes with a bumper body count! Includes KICK-ASS TPB, KICK-ASS 2 PRELUDE: HIT-GIRL TPB MOVIE COVER, KICK-ASS 2 TPB and KICK-ASS 3 TPB.
If I'd known this was coming, I wouldn't have bought them all as individual TPBs. Grrr.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
LOOKERS #0
Writer: MIKE COSTA
Art/Cover A: RENATO CAMILO
Cover B (POV): CHRISTIAN ZANIER
Cover C (Sexy Sleuths): RAULO CACERES
Cover D (Sultry): MATT MARTIN
Cover E (Wrap): RENATO CAMILO
Mature/$6.99/Nude Variants $7.99
A giant 80 page debut issue! Mike Costa delivers a new generation of bad-ass babes in the debut of Lookers! The twenty year-old title gets a fresh launch as twenty year-old sister Michelle and Tanya take down 21st century trolls.Tanya has no inhibitions and Michelle has a violence addiction - but together they help people that are violated in the cyber world. Fresh off the heels of Belladonna, Costa delivers another smoking hot new Boundless series that is a high octane romp through online sex shows and fast powerful women! Lookers is a sultry modern version of Charlies Angels run by Hugh Hefner! This ultra-size issue also features the complete classic Lookers / Pandora graphic novel epic, in color for the first time!
Boundless delivers a host of sexy stunning covers with this issue including a Regular & Wraparound Cover by series artist Renato Camilo, POV & Leather cover by Christian Zanier, Sultry Cover by Matt Martin, and a Sexy Sleuths Cover by Raulo Caceres. Plus an array of super limited covers for the collector including a Costume Change Set (limited to 250 sets) by Christian Zanier. For the erotic art collectors, there is a Painted Century Nude Set of 3 books (limited to 100 sets) by Michael DiPascale and a POV Nude cover by Christian Zanier, a Sultry Nude cover also by Martin, a Regular and Wrap Nude Cover by Camilo, and a Sexy Sleuths Nude Cover by Caceres! To see the uncensored adult covers, please visit www.boundlesscomics.com.
If some of the poses on these covers look a little uh, flamboyant, consider that there are nude variants available.
MEN OF MYSTERY #100
Publisher: AC COMICS
Writer: RICHARD E. HUGHES & Various
Art: BOB POWELL & Various
Cover: STEPHANIE HEIKE
$29.95
100th issue! Extra Pages! All-superheroine theme, covering costumed/super gals that debuted before DC's Wonder Woman. Characters include Miss Victory, Amazona, Invisible Scarlett O'neill, Usa-Spirit Of Old Glory, Magician From Mars, Woman In Red, Lady Fairplay, Spider Queen, Pat Patriot and 11 more. Artists include Powell, Cardy, Mooney, Godwin, Giunta and more.
Congratulations, Men of Mystery, for making it to the century mark!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
OTHER SIDE OF SECRET VOL 1 (GN)
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer/Art/Cover: YOSHIKAWA HIDEAKI
Mature/$12.99
The Other Side of Secret is an ongoing fantasy series that follows a young man hoping to save his sister and atone for his mistakes after crossing over into a strange fantasy world of magic and monsters. Yuto has been plagued by the disappearance of his sister after he witnessed her vanish through a strange portal. Years later, he sees two girls emerge from the same magical doorway. Not about to let this chance to find his sister pass him by, Yuto follows them back through it and is transported to a strange and dangerous world. There Yuto finds his sister but at a price. A terrible mistake costs the lives of many of that world's inhabitants, and Yuto is to blame. Can Yuto atone for what he's done and bring his sister back home with him?
I can understand why this girl is on one knee. She probably has trouble maintaining her balance when she walks.
PROVIDENCE #9
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Writer: ALAN MOORE
Art/Covers: JACEN BURROWS
Mature/$4.99
The world of H.P. Lovecraft has begun to invade the mind of Robert Black. His quest began as project to write a book but the more he is exposed to these horrors the closer to the edge of insanity he is pushed. The cracks in the world seem to be widening as he nears some inexplicable crescendo of horror. Alan Moore and artist Jacen Burrows have created the most realized version of Moore's Lovecraftian vision ever published. Fans and classical scholars have flocked to the pages of Providence to decipher the many layers of story being told in this masterpiece. Moore has written every cover detail, every single page, and every nuance of this work to create an unforgettable series. Fans of Moore's immersive style and meticulous grasp of storytelling will be thrilled to add this essential piece of comics history to their collections! Available with Regular, Pantheon, Portrait, Dreamscape Wraparound, Women of HPL, and a special Ancient Tome Incentive cover, all by collaborator Jacen Burrows.
Alan Moore alert! That's two Alan Moore comics in a single week!
SECRET WARS: LAST DAYS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE (HC)
Written by AL EWING, CULLEN BUNN, NATHAN EDMONDSON, G. WILLOW WILSON, DAN SLOTT, NICK SPENCER,
ROBBIE THOMPSON & DENNIS HOPELESS
Penciled by LUKE ROSS, LEE GARBETT, PAUL DAVIDSON, GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA, PHIL NOTO,
ADRIAN ALPHONA, MITCH GERADS, MICHAEL ALLRED, RAMON ROSANOS, TANA FORD & NATACHA BUSTOS
Cover by ESAD RIBIC
840 PGS./Parental Advisory…$75.00
Trim size: oversized
Before SECRET WARS arrives, everything must end! In the final hours of the Marvel Universe, everyone is a Mighty Avenger! Facing Ragnarok, King Loki makes his move! Magneto, once Earth’s enemy, fights to be its savior! Black Widow meets her fate still seeking redemption! On the brink of disaster, Ms. Marvel meets Captain Marvel! Punisher goes out with a bang! Silk seeks her family before the sky falls! Ant-Man dances with destiny! And Spider-Woman gets pulled back in! But when the entire universe is extinguished, what’s next for the Silver Surfer? Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA AND THE MIGHTY AVENGERS #8-9, LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD #14-17, MAGNETO (2014) #18-21, BLACK WIDOW (2014) #19-20, MS. MARVEL (2014) #16-19, PUNISHER (2014) #19-20, SILVER SURFER (2014) #13-15, ANT-MAN: LAST DAYS, SILK (2015A) #7 and SPIDER-WOMAN (2014) #10.
I'll probably get this and the main collection, although "Secret Wars" already feels like a million years ago.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
THE SHADOW: DEATH OF MARGO #1 (of 6)
Writer/Art/Cover A: MATT WAGNER
Colorist: BRENNAN WAGNER
32 pages / Teen+ / $3.99
Legendary creator Matt Wagner returns to both write and draw an all-new tale for the first and most famous of all pulp heroes, The Shadow! Following his critically acclaimed work on The Shadow: Year One and Grendel vs. The Shadow, Wagner once again lends his masterful talents to unveil "what evil lurks in the hearts of men." In a storyline that is sure to rock The Shadow's relentless crusade against crime, Dynamite is proud to bring readers The Death of Margo Lane -- a five-issue series written and drawn by Wagner and colored by his talented son, Brennan Wagner. For years, Margo Lane has served as The Shadow's faithful "friend and companion," the closest and most intimate of all his many agents. But when will that proximity to The Shadow's dark and violent world take its ultimate toll on her? And what effect will his lover's loss have on the driven and brooding Master of Darkness? This series presents a powerful and resonant tale in the sort of pulse-pounding pulp style that only Matt Wagner could deliver!
"Matt Wagner excels at pulp. While other authors have gone down the road of making use of the tropes -- modernizing it, using it ironically, sticking elements of it in different genres - Wagner comes across as though he's traveled to modern times from the era in which it was birthed." -- WeTheNerdy.com
If you like Matt Wagner's work, as I do, then you'll enjoy the first issue, as I did. It's in line with his previous Shadow work, which I thought was top flight. But I do hope the title is hyperbole, as Margo is essential in the storytelling process with The Shadow. She's the reader's POV, plus without her, The Shadow has no one to explain his thoughts to. Without Margo, The Shadow's actions, motives and plans will be utterly opaque.
STAN LEE: MARVEL TREASURY EDITION SLIPCASE (HC)
Written by STAN LEE with LARRY LIEBER, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH & TOM DEFALCO
Penciled by JACK BINDER, AL AVISON, JOE MANEELY, STAN GOLDBERG, STEVE DITKO, JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, JACK DAVIS, DICK AYERS, SOL BRODSKY, WALLY WOOD, JOHN BUSCEMA, GENE COLAN, JIM STERANKO, NEAL ADAMS, GIL KANE, BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, JOHN ROMITA SR., MOEBIUS, MARCOS MARTIN & BRUCE TIMM
Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL, JACK KIRBY, DON HECK, STEVE DITKO & GENE COLAN
816 PGS./Rated T+ / $200.00
Trim size: Vibranium-sized
Face Front, True Believers, and treasure this super-sized celebration of the incredible career of Stan Lee! More than 70 years of stories featuring dozens of Lee’s beloved co-creations — including Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Avengers, Daredevil and Nick Fury — all in his signature, senses-shattering style! These astonishing tales of suspense, horror, fantasy, romance, comedy, cowboys, super heroics and more prove beyond doubt that Stan is “The Man!” Collecting INCREDIBLE HULK (1962) #1, AVENGERS (1963) #1 and #15-16, X-MEN (1963) #4-5, SGT. FURY #8, FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL #2-3, DAREDEVIL (1964) #7 and #47, CAPTAIN AMERICA (1968) #109, THOR (1966) #179-181, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #96-98, MARVEL PREMIERE #3, SAVAGE SHE-HULK (1980) #1 and SILVER SURFER: PARABLE #1-2 — plus material from CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #3 and #16, MYSTIC COMICS (1940) #6, SUSPENSE #29, BLACK KNIGHT (1955) #1, MILLIE THE MODEL #100, LIFE WITH MILLIE #10, AMAZING ADULT FANTASY #9 and #11, AMAZING FANTASY (1962) #15, TALES TO ASTONISH (1959) #35, TALES OF SUSPENSE #39, RAWHIDE KID (1955) #33, PATSY WALKER #119, STRANGE TALES (1951) #135, THOR (1966) #146-152, SILVER SURFER (1968) #3, OUR LOVE STORY #5, AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (1963) #365 and #634-645, MARVEL 75TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION and the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN newspaper strip.
I own most of this material in multiple forms. But I'm glad to see tributes of this sort to "The Man" while he's still around to appreciate them.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
SPIDER-WOMEN OMEGA #1
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Written by JASON LATOUR, DENNIS HOPELESS and ROBBIE THOMPSON
Art by NICO LEON
Colors by RACHELLE ROSENBERG
Cover by YASMINE PUTRI
Action Figure Variant by JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
40 PGS. • Rated T+ • $4.99
THE TITANIC CONCLUSION TO THE SPIDER-EVENT OF 2016!
The final battle begins this May as these three wallcrawlling, webslinging women charge headlong into danger in SPIDER-WOMEN OMEGA #1 – the epic conclusion to the Spider-Women crossover! Writers Jason Latour, Dennis Hopeless and Robbie Thompson all join forces along with artist Nico Leon to bring this 8-part crossover to its blockbuster end. With Silk out of commission, Spider-Woman and Spider-Gwen make their way back to Earth-65 for a desperate, impossible battle. They’re outgunned, outmanned and out-planned. How could they possibly match up to the might of Earth-65’s Cindy Moon and her agents of S.I.L.K.? They don’t know either – but they have to try. Don’t miss the Earth-shattering finale that will shake Cindy Moon, Jessica Drew and Gwen Stacy to their very cores! SPIDER-WOMEN OMEGA #1 comes to comic shops and digital devices this May!
Needless to say, this isn't really a first issue -- it's the last issue of the Spider-Women mini-series, which was three issues sandwiched between Alpha and Omega issues. In other words, Spider-Women was a five-issue miniseries with three first issues.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
SUPERMAN: REBIRTH #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and JAIME MENDOZA
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Variant cover by ANDY PARK
One-shot • 32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
The world needs a Man of Steel, but can Superman protect the world while raising a super-son with his wife, Lois Lane?
IT BEGINS: Now it's Clark's turn to be Pa Kent and teach his son what it means to be super, but who is hunting Superman's son—and why?
When this issue opens, the New 52 Superman is dead, and the Man of Steel who takes his place is the one from before Flashpoint, who is married to Lois Lane and has a son, Jonathan. This issue stars the new/old Superman and The New 52 Lana Lang, the former hoping to nudge along the resurrection of The New 52 Man of Steel, which he fully expects to happen, with a skeptical Lana going along for the ride. In the process, we get to know these two a little better, plus we get a recap of the 1992 "Death of Superman" storyline. Superman #1 follows on June15, and will ship twice monthly.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #1 ($3.00)
TIMELY COMICS ALL NEW INHUMANS #1 ($3.00)
TIMELY COMICS CARNAGE #1 ($3.00)
3 for $3! Introducing TIMELY COMICS!
They’re the comics everyone is talking about, and now is your chance to hop on board before you get left in the dust! Marvel is proud to announce TIMELY COMICS, a new publishing initiative debuting this June! Timely Comics is a new imprint of titles specifically designed to get you caught up with hot new Marvel titles.
Reprinting the first three issues of select titles at a suggested retail price of $3.00, TIMELY COMICS will take you on a path through the restored Marvel Universe! Whether it’s the formation of the Avengers, Daredevil’s fight for Chinatown, the birth of the Totally Awesome Hulk – TIMELY COMICS has it all and so much more!
The titles that sold out everywhere and burned up the charts are back, so don’t miss out on them now! Your favorite new series awaits, so get 72 giant pages of action, adventure and excitement with TIMELY COMICS – three issues for just $3.00!
Since you're going to see a bunch of these this week and in the coming weeks, I thought I'd pass along the press release explaing what they are.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
TMNT: BEBOP & ROCKSTEADY DESTROY EVERYTHING #1
Writers: BEN BATES, DUSTIN WEAVER
Art: BEN BATES
Cover: NICK PITARRA
Subscription Variant: DUSTIN WEAVER
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
After their defeat in TMNT #50, the dull-witted Bebop and Rocksteady, everyone's favorite warthog and rhino mutants, are feeling dejected and without purpose. However, when they stumble across a time-travel scepter, they realize that their craziest, most destructive adventure awaits! Will the universe survive?
• Everyone's favorite numbskull mutants of mayhem get their first mini-series!
• The most ambitious TMNT event yet!
• Every week in June sees a new issue crazier than the last!
• Written by Dustin Weaver (Infinity Gauntlet) and Ben Bates (TMNT) with a rotating roster of amazing artists including Sophie Campbell, Giannis Milonogiannis, Nick Pitarra and Ryan Browne!
• See Bebop and Rocksteady in the upcoming movie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows!
• Limited variant cover by Kevin Eastman!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
TULLUS: ADVENTURES OF A CHRISTIAN BOY IN ROMAN TIMES #1
Publisher: MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Writer: JOSEPH HUGHES NEWTON
Art: BOB MAGNUSEN
Cover: DANNY FROLICH
$4.99
Originally published in the pages of What to Do, Boys' World and Girls' Companion, beginning in 1943, the "Tullus" comic strip was about a young Roman Christian in the first century CE. Tullus, a Christian in Roman times, is trying to help his friends recover a treasure. The treasure has been stolen by the wolf clan, led by a mysterious figure named Gold Wolf. Tullus and his friends are captured and enslaved by the wolf clan, but Tullus, thanks to his Christian faith, earns the respect of his captors. Gold Wolf falls in love with Julia, the daughter of the man to whom the treasure originally belonged. Will Tullus win the freedom for himself and his friends?
I remember stuff like this from my Boy Scout days, and wonder if that stuff was English, too. It's remarkable only in its exaggerated ethnocentrism, in which pagans of every stripe are very impressed with Christians.
WAR STORIES VOL 4 (TPB)
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Writer: GARTH ENNIS
Art/Cover: TOMAS ARIA
Mature/$19.99
Garth Ennis' visionary series reaches deep into the recesses of history and finds the most spine chilling tales of conflict and war throughout the modern era. This new volume delivers powerful stories that illustrate the horror and humanity within the violence and misery. In this tome are two stories written by Ennis and illustrated by Thomas Aria including: Our Wild Geese Go: "T'was England bade our wild geese go, that small nations would be free ..." In the Second World War, any Irishman wanting to fight the Nazis had to join the British army -- the Republic of Ireland having declared neutrality when the war began. Now, a small unit of Irish soldiers join the advance into Germany- where the going is rough and the enemy nowhere near surrender. And old tensions remain from Ireland's own struggle for independence, as well as the bloody civil war that followed. The Tokyo Club: How do you join The Tokyo Club? Simple. You climb into your single seat, single engine fighter -- loaded with fuel and ammunition -- and fly 700 miles across the open Pacific until you reach the mainland of Japan. There you fight off any enemy aircraft attempting to hit the American bombers you're escorting to their targets. Still alive? Now comes the fun part. You fly another 700 miles back home to your airstrip on Iwo Jima, fuel running lower and lower, nothing but ocean for miles around. Any battle damage you've suffered will reduce your chances even further. Make it back and you're in the club. And more good news: you get to do it all again tomorrow. This volume collects War Stories #10-15 of the ongoing comic book series.
The percentage of home runs Ennis hits with these stories is better than any baseball player who ever lived, and most comics anthologies.
Replies
While the Franken Fran stories certainly do have their share of fan services, there's also some fairly interesting medical-themed "weird horror" in there, as well.
I just picked up a bunch of Ennis War Stories for a buck apiece at a con -- I probably have a duplicate or two from my original collection, but figured if I do, I can give the new ones away to someone who'll like them. I'm hoping his war books for Dynamite are as good, since I just picked up a bunch of them on PDF (as well as the entirety of The Boys) on a recent Humble Bundle sale.
I'm pretty sure Jessica Cruz got a legitimate GL ring at the end of this week's Justice League 50.
And I think Duke has appeared in Snyder's Batman, too, not just We Are Robin. I like that Snyder was more interested in adding new characters to the Batman universe -- Bluebird, Duke -- rather than just putting new faces into old positions (though he's done that too).
DC is trying to make their books more palatable to me but there's nothing grabbing at me.
And I'm not happy about that!
CONTROL #1 (OF 6)
Writer: ANDY DIGGLE, ANGELA CRUICKSHANK
It occurs to me that the traitorous brother in the Arrow TV show was named Andy Diggle.
HERB TRIMPE: I'm a Herb Trimpe fan, and I think he never looked better than when inked by Jack Abel. I notice this collection does not list Steve Englehart as one of the writers. How could they release a collection such as this and not include #167-170?
Jessica Cruz becomes a member of the GL Corps in Justice Leage #50. The Black Racer kills Volthoom (the entity that resided inside the Earth-3 Power Ring) and frees her from its grip. Then she is somehow gifted with a new ring. It's not clear if the new ring came off a dead GL or if it was created out of thin air somehow.
I suppose I'll get that story in Justice League Vol. 8 ... ?