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MARVEL COMICS
This week in "Vampire Variants"
Here are this week's Vampire Variant homage covers, in anticipation of May's "Blood Hunt." Can you guess the original covers? Answers below.
THE ANSWERS
- Amazing Spider-Man #48, by Annie Wu, homages Giant-Size Dracula #3.
- Daredevil #8, by Stephen Segovia, homages Tomb of Dracula #70.
- Wolverine #48, by Jonas Scharf, homages Tomb of Dracula #26.
This week in "Fall of X"
AVENGERS #13
By Jed MacKay and Francesco Martarino: Avengers vs. Orchis Part 2! Evidently there's more of those Stark Sentinels than anybody ever dreamed. But I'm not really worried about a team that has Thor, Captain Marvel and Scarlet Witch on it.
I'd like to include Vision as a big gun, as powers-wise he is one. But historically he hasn't been. He's often been a victim of what they called "The Worf Effect" on Star Trek: The Next Generation. And that's where the writer shows how bad-@$$ his new villain is by having him take out the toughest hero right off the bat. On ST: TNG it was Worf, who, again and again, was knocked unconscious at the beginning of the battle. So often, in fact, that his castmates named the practice The Worf Effect. (In '60s and '70s Justice League of America, it was Green Lantern who was usually taken out early, so as to give Batman and Green Arrow a chance to do something. But the practice didn't have a jazzy name.)
Anyway, for years and years, I noticed how often Vision was the first Avenger to be taken down in most battles. I figured it wasn't that he was the biggest gun on the team (although often he was) as much as the fact that, as an android, you could do terrible things to him and he'd be right as rain by the next issue. Scramble his brain? Cut off a limb? Electrocute him? No problem! A wrench and some duct tape and he'll be good as new by lunch. In the meantime, the writer has achieved his goal of establishing the villain's bona fides.
As for "Blood Hunt," Vision is solar-powered, and the premise of "Blood Hunt" is perpetual dakrness. Oops!
Strange Variant Cover of the week!
What is this Avengers #13 variant cover by Ron Lim depicting, you say? I think I've got it figured out. Answer below. No peeking!
THE ANSWER
It's the George Perez cover to Avengers #1 (second series, 1998) from behind. But not all the way behind. The reader's POV is directly behind the Beast, directly in front of Rage and back of and between Sersi and Black Panther. The rainbow effect on the right is from Crystal, and the giant leg is Giant-Man's. Here's the original for comparison:
RISE OF THE POWERS OF X #4 (OF 5)
X-MEN: FOREVER #2
Mutant books not specifically connected to "Fall of X" this week include WOLVERINE #48 (Part 8 of "Sabretooth War"), SCARLET WITCH AND QUICKSILVER #3 and WOLVERINE: MADRIPOOR KNIGHTS #3.
This week in Spider-Man:
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #48, JACKPOT & BLACK CAT #2, SPIDER-PUNK #3, SPINE-TINGLING SPIDER-MAN TP, SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #6 and SYMBIOTE SPIDER-MAN 2099 #1 2ND PTG LEINIL YU VARIANT.
This week in the Ultimate Universe:
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #4
By Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto.
Brace yourself for: Ultimate Gwen Stacy! Or as she's known in this universe, Mrs. Harry Osborn. (Bleah!) And guess how Harry spends his evenings? Yeah, you know.
Other Ultimate books this week include ULTIMATE UNIVERSE #1 2ND PTG BRYAN HITCH VARIANT and ULTIMATE X-MEN #1 3RD PTG SANFORD GREENE VARIANT.
This week in Star Wars:
STAR WARS: DARTH MAUL — BLACK, WHITE & RED #1 (OF 4)
Each issue will have a complete, standalone story, with a different creative team. The first story is "The Final Occultation," by Benjamin Percy and Stefano Raffale.
Being a superficial Star Wars fan, I don't know much about Darth Maul. From my perspective, he appeared briefly 25 years ago in The Phantom Menace, and was beaten by a padawan. I'm sure for those who read the books, he's a larger and more formidable presence. In the first story, he's sent by Palpatine to investigate when a prison ship carrying a mysterious group called the Final Occultation goes offline.
“The silent assassin has a busy inner world," Percy told StarWars.com. "He is loyal to Palpatine, but that does not make him a puppet or a tool. He is willing to make his own decisions — ones that could shake the very fabric of the galaxy — as is the case in this chiller and thriller of a story, ‘The Final Occultation.’”
“Darth Vader: Black, White & Red was a huge success for us and fans went wild for it,” Editor Mark Paniccia said. “We immediately started getting requests to feature Darth Maul for our next journey into the unique Black, White & Blood comic format. Ben and Stefano serve a story filled with horrors you haven’t seen before in a Star Wars tale.”
STAR WARS BY GILLEN PAK OMNIBUS HC, STAR WARS: DOCTOR APHRA VOL 7: DARK DROIDS TP and STAR WARS: JANGO FETT #2 also ship this week.
Elsewhere at Marvel:
DAREDEVIL #8
Story by Saladin Ahmed, Erica Schultz, Ann Nocenti, D.G. Chichester & Elsa Sjunnerson, Art by Aaron Kuder, Tommaso Bianchi, Jan Bazaldua, Stefano Raffaele, Ken Lashley, Erica Koda & Ty Templeton, covers by John Romita Jr., Frank Miller, J. Scott Campbell, John Romita Sr., Simone Bianchi, Stephen Segovia.
It's the 60th anniversary of Daredevil (it first appeared in April 1964), so this is an oversize edition. Anybody know the legacy number for this issue? No, I'm not going to figure it out for you. I still have a long way to go on this Guide.
Here's the description: "Ahmed and Kuder’s DAREDEVIL finds Matt balancing his new duties as a Catholic priest with an ongoing war against mysterious demonic entities targeting those close to him. After discovering that the demons are the living embodiment of his own seven deadly sins, Matt and Elektra are ready to go on the offensive. In DAREDEVIL #8, the duo finally confront the unsettling truth of the mysterious new gang terrorizing Hell’s Kitchen. In the midst of that chaos, an old foe with the blood of Matt’s closest allies on his hands returns."
G.O.D.S. #7
The penultimate issue of this miniseries features a variant cover that looks very familiar, but I can't identify it. There are lots of covers with Thanos holding up a fist enclosed in the Infinity Gauntlet, any of which could be candidates. Maybe all of them! But the trade dress makes me think there's something specific here. Anybody got an idea?
X-MEN #130 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the first appearance of Dazzler.
DC COMICS
This week in "House of Brainiac"
POWER GIRL #8
By Leah Williams and Eduardo Pansica & Júlio Ferreira. Covers by Yanick Paquette, Mark Brooks, W. Scott Forbes, and Irvin Rodriguez. All of the other superheroes of Metropolis have been kidnapped, leaving Power Girl alone to defend the city. Well, until Crush shows up. Assuming that will help in any way.
This week in Batman:
BATMAN: THE DARK AGE #2 (OF 6)
By Mike Russel and Mike Allred. Bruce Wayne is in jail, and sees a chance to get out by volunteering for a tour of Vietnam. Wow, what a terrible idea! Esecially since he's under the thumb of Sgt. Ra's al Ghul! (How is this guy a non-com in the U.S. Army?)
Other Bat-related books include BATMAN: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #12, DETECTIVE COMICS #1084, HARLEY QUINN #39, JOKER: THE MAN WHO STOPPED LAUGHING VOL 2 HC and PENGUIN #9.
Elsewhere at DC:
SHOWCASE #22 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the first appearance of the Silver Age Green Lantern (as if you didn't know).
ZATANNA BY PAUL DINI TP: Collects Zatanna #1-16, Zatanna: Everyday Magic and DC Infinite Halloween Special #1. Might be worth getting for the Adam Hughes cover alone.
IMAGE COMICS
DRAWING BLOOD #1 (OF 12)
By Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), writer David Avallone (Elvira, Batwheels), artists Ben Bishop (The Aggregate, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin) and Troy Little (Rick and Morty, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).
This book is a cloaked autobiography — a “true fictional story” — of Eastman himself. His alter ego is "Shane Bookman," who co-creates Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls at age 20, and the book follows the subsequent "roller coaster life of a successful comics creator."
“The completely fictional true stories of Shane 'Books' Bookman sums it up the best," said Eastman. "Set squarely in our collective world of comics, part autobiographical, part tall tales and legends, I wanted a fictional character we could really put through the paces. Drawing Blood is all that and a basket of kittens …”
Avallone added: "When Kevin told me his idea for the project that became Drawing Blood, I immediately understood three things: it was something that hadn’t really been done before in comics, it could be really amazing … and that I wanted to write it with him. He kindly brought me on as co-creator, and we’ve had a blast turning all the crazy stories of a life in comics into this funny, entertaining and heartbreaking saga of survival and redemption in show business."
"Drawing Blood truly is a story unlike any other …" said Bishop. "It’s not only a glimpse behind the scenes at the world of making comics, and what life might be like decades after co-creating one of the world’s biggest franchises — but a look inside the tormented mind of the comic’s creator — as he searches to reconnect with that part of himself who once drew pictures on his bedroom floor with his brother and dreamed of one day making comic books for real. We all put our hearts and souls into this book and it’s so incredibly special to each of us. I know people are going to be able to feel that when they’re reading. Get ready …"
“The Mirage Studios Turtles had a massive impact on me wanting to become a comic creator so there’s a lot of full circle happening for me with Drawing Blood and the Ragdolls," said Little. "Being able to collaborate with this team to create and expand a metafiction where I get to draw cats with ninja weapons based on a hit property that never existed, creating a sort of Mandela effect. … I mean, you all remember the cartoon series from the '90s, right? Those cats were badass!"
DUKE #5 (OF 5)
FERAL #2
Here's an homage to the A Nightmare on Elm Street movie poster.
UNIVERSAL MONSTERS: THE CREATURE OF THE BLACK LAGOON #1: See REVIEW.
DARK HORSE
DAWNRUNNER #2
Is this over-the-shoulder, stink-eye? IT COULD BE!
OPERATION SUNSHINE: ALREADY DEAD #1 (OF 4)
By writers Marcus Parks & Henry Zebrowski and artist David Rubín.
This is the second miniseries starring a group of young, alienated vampires. This time they're trying to steal a magical object to turn themself human and get rid of vampires altogether. Heh! These kids today!
Actually, I can't really blame them. Sure, vampires are immortal. And yes, the movies make them sexy. But really, they're undead. They won't enjoy food or drink. They never get to watch a sunset (or sunrise). They would smell bad. Their breath would be horrendous. And I seriously doubt vampires would remain human enough to want sex. I think you'd just be a stinky J. Wellington Wimpy: friendless, asexual and hungry all the time. Like the vampires in The Strain. That's no way to go through eternity!
“Operation Sunshine is the kind of comic that comes along once in a while and within the first few pages, I know it's going to be something special. The art is a beautiful juxtaposition between horror and humor with a story that is grounded but lays the foundation for a much larger mythology.” — Comicon
“A transformative and entertaining spin on the same old vampire story.” — AIPT Comics
“The cartoonish art is a great complement to the tone of the story — never making anything too dark or scary that would turn non-horror fans off, but still scratching the itch for anyone wanting a twisted visual to go with their vampire story.” — Derby Comics
IDW PUBLISHING
CATS: A SMITHSONIAN COLORING BOOK SC: We're probably all too old for coloring books. But if you like cats, you might want this just to look at it (and color in secret).
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #150
By Vincenzo Federici Variants: Kevin Eastman, Sophie Campbell, Dan Duncan, Jesse Lonergan.
Donatello is going to time travel to the past to stop the current big bad. Which could become the comics equivalent of a clip show. Here are some creator quotes:
Sophie Campbell: “I still can't quite believe I've gotten to work on this much TMNT, I thought for sure I'd get the boot in the first year but nope — here I am four years later still here against all odds. It's really been amazing, truly a dream job. I wonder what my 10-year-old self would think if she knew what she'd go on to eventually do. The fact that this chapter is ending and I'm leaving the series is bittersweet, I'll miss it for sure but it's time to move on and let somebody else have a shot at the Turtles, and I'll be back for more before you know it, whatever form that might take. As two great men once said, ‘change is constant’ and ‘life at best is bittersweet.’ ”
Vincenzo Federici: “The meaning of this experience as a TMNT artist is too much for me to describe. If someone has had the opportunity to listen to my crazy speeches at NYCC panels in the last two years, they know that the TMNT were the main reason to make me choose this job when I was seven. And that's it! When Tom Waltz asked me to be the artist on ARMAGEDDON GAME I was so excited that I stopped sleeping for two days! Then, at the end of that event series, I was asked to be the main artist on the ongoing series until issue #150 and this was the ultimate blast. I was truly inspired by the previous artist's job, this helped me to create a personal vision of the TMNT and their world. This Road to #150 is an amazing run, full of surprise and action. Many revelations will be made and the fans will be delighted by them. I feel that TMNT is an evergreen title and they are able to cross generations. I put all of myself into these pages."
Ronda Pattison: “It's been a real career highlight to be part of such an impressively long run of TMNT with IDW, right from the beginning. I've worked with some amazing colleagues — writers, editors, an impressive array of artists — some of whom I'm lucky enough to call friends now. Most of all, I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such a beloved franchise and — hopefully — leave my mark in some small way.”
Shawn Lee: “Having grown up a fan of the comics, the cartoons, the toys, it's just a fantastic feeling to have contributed, in my small way, to this quirky self-published comic turned global smash!”
Fero Pe: “As a fan of Turtles since the '80s and living through the Turtlemania of the '90s, it was always a dream to be able to participate in anything related to my heroes. Since issue one of IDW's TMNT came out, I told myself that I wanted to participate in that comic. Having the opportunity to draw them, and for several issues, exceeded any expectations. I am very grateful.”
Dan Duncan: “The Turtles introduced me to comics as a kid, so this book was not just the job that started my career, it changed my life. I'm so proud of my time here and grateful to IDW, Nickelodeon and Kevin Eastman who let me be a part of it. Even after I left, I was excited to be a fan and while it’s sad to see something so special wrap up, I hope everyone is as proud as I am and as a fan I'm excited to see what's next. Congratulations to you all!”
Tom Waltz: “Back in 2011, when I was first asked to join Team TMNT at IDW as the ongoing series writer, I was praying I'd at least get four issues of the story I'd concocted out to the public before I was run out of town. But before I knew it, four issues became 12, then 25, then 50 ... and suddenly I was at issue #100, and it was time to hand the main writing reins over to the amazingly talented Sophie Campbell. And here we are now, on the final stretch of The Road to 150, and Sophie has taken our beloved TMNT series to new and exciting heights during her fantastic run, all the while maintaining the core consistency of what makes a TMNT tale a ... well, a TMNT tale. Family, friendship, relatable protagonists, nuanced antagonists, real-world dangers and drama mixed with gritty street action and fantastical adventures, and on and on. It's all been there every step of the way for Sophie's fifty issues, and she's gonna wrap it all up with one mind-blowing bow on top. What a great time to be a shellhead!”
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MORE COMICS
A FOX IN MY BRAIN GN by Lou Lubie (Fairsquare Comics): Here's an artist autobiography that I think may actually deserve to exist. Lubie is evidently a "cyclothymic," which is a new term for me. Wiki tells me it's not bipolar disorder, but close. So here's a GN that which could be a balm for those in a similar boat, and educational for those with a cyclothemic in their life.
ANIMALS RULE THIS WORLD by Luke Milton (Black Panel Press): The only human left in a world suddenly populated by anthropomorphic animals discovers that they're not at all cute and cuddly. Do you think they remember what he used to eat? Yeah, probably.
ARCHIE SHOWCASE JUMBO DIGEST #18: HALFWAY TO HALLOWEEN
BIO MECHS #1 (OF 5) by Jay Sandlin and Cleber Souza Lima (Blackbox Comics): The planet of Bio Mechs is invaded by insectoids from The Hive. Isn't this the beginning of a new line of comics connecting four or five B-level lines of toys? (Yes, B-level. You know, the sort of discount action figure your grandparents would get you for Christmas when you specifically asked for an Optimus Prime Transformer.) I thought I read a press release to that effect somewhere, but now Google can't seem to find it.
CHERNOBYL: FALL OF ATOMGRAD GN by Matyas Namai (Palazzo Editions): The Chernobyl disaster told through the lives of those affected, including engineers; firefighters; doctors; soldiers; and the children, families and animals in the surrounding towns and villages. It's not a story we should be allowed to forget.
CONAN BARBARIAN #10
THE CULT OF THAT WILKIN BOY: INITIATION #1 (ONE-SHOT)
By writer Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and artist Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters), Archie Comics.
This is the second Archie Horror series starring Bingo Wilkin. He's now a music manager, and a rock star. Also the devil incarnate, which may not be too big a stretch. Bingo first appeared in 1968, a spin-off from the Riverdale gang in Archie Comics.
"I'm so excited to have the chance to write a new Bingo story," Bunn said. "INITIATION stands completely on its own as a fun, dark little horror tale. But, for those who have read THE CULT OF THAT WILKIN BOY, it continues the tale of deviltry and supernatural shenanigans in an exciting way. Returning to this world, I wanted to tell a tale that was a natural progression for Bingo but was also an amplification of the nightmarish horror that surrounds him."
DASIG GN by Kristian Kabuay & Lauren Lola, and Ponsi Alfonso & Joe Aquilizan (Mature, 10 Ton Press): Dasig is a young warrior-in-training, as his country is invaded. It's historical fiction drawing from actual events in Philippine history, which sounds pretty cool. Nerds of Color has an interview and some interior pages.
DEATHSTALKER #1
Written by Slash, Steven Kostanski, Tim Seeley (Grayson, Hack/Slash, Money Shot) with art by Jim Terry (Come Home, Indio), Mature, Vault Comics.
This is an adaptation of the 1983 movie Deathstalker, which somehow involves the guitarist from Guns n' Roses. Cover E down there is the actual movie poster, I think.
DICK TRACY #1 by Alex Segura, Michael Moreci, Chantelle Aime Osman, Geraldo Borges (Mad Cave): This looks ... really good.
Set just after World War II, the book promises to incorporate all the allies and villains you expect to see. In fact, I see Flattop right down there on Cover B. Also, Tracy looks mean. I can believe nobody makes fun of his yellow hat.
EVERYTHING SUCKS: NOAH'S MILLIONS (ONE-SHOT) by Michael Sweater (Silver Sprocket): A story about a slacker who stumbles into a lot of money left in a bloody sack in a fast-food restaurant bathroom. I started reading it, and lost interest. I found it was hard to root for the lead character. Maybe if I was in my own slacker period?
FALLEN: SELF MADE MAN (ONE-SHOT) by Ryan Garcia and Jose Holder (CEX Publishing): A superhero wonders if the good he's done justifies his brutal crimefighting methods.
FILTHYRATBAG GN by Celeste Mountjoy (TarcherPerigree):
"Celeste Mountjoy makes art that explores anxiety, feminism, addiction, body image, relationships, and power." Some of those words mean different things to different people. Here are some examples on YELLOWTRACE.
THE HARROWING GN by Kristen Kiesling and Rye Hickman (Amulet Books): A girl named Rowan Sterling has premonitions, and is kidnapped to a school where there are others of her kind, named "Harrows," who are used to prevent crimes.
JUDESSEY GN by Shay Charka (Wicked Son): "Judessey depicts the journey of Leon, a Jewish professor from Poland who finds himself in the midst of World War II, who strives to find his way home while battling the monsters of Europe." Basedon on Homer's The Odyssey. It's a clever idea, but "Judessey"? Really?
JUST ANOTHER STORY: GRAPHIC MIGRATION ACCOUNT GN by Ernesto Sade (Graphic Universe): A graphic novel about a mother and son traveling from El Salvador to the U.S. Amazon has a PREVIEW.
KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF JUSTICE OGN
By writer Joe Corallo and artist Gaia Cardinalli (Mad Cave): "A new take on the classic '90s animated hit King Arthur & The Knights of Justice!" They call this a fantasy, but I have never imagined myself to be a football player.
LIFE IS AN OPEN DOOR ONE-SHOT (Critical Entertainment): An anthropomorphic-animal story about a Dalmation who (checks notes) works from home. Here's a PREVIEW on Instagram.
MIYAMOTO MUSASHI'S BOOK OF FIVE RINGS GN (Tuttle Publishing): What a painless way to absorb this classic from Japan's most famous swordsman.
POOH VS BAMBI #1 (OF 3): Yes, Winnie the Pooh and Bambi, in the vein of the recent Blood and Honey movie. And it's by Zenescope, so covers C and D have the usual half-naked chick.
PROJECT CRYPTID #8: Ahoy Comics alert!
SO LONG SAD LOVE GN by Mirion Malle and Aleshia Jensen (Drawn & Quarterly): A woman reconnects with her creativity as an artist while discovering she prefers love with other women. I assume the two are related, at least in this GN.
SPECTREGRAPH #1 by James Tynion IV and Christian Ward (DSTLRY Media): A reclusive billionaire rumored to be involved in the occult finally dies. The estate goes on sale ... and now the richest men and women, who long wondered what's in there, are about to find out.
That's pretty interesting!
SWORDS OF GLASS VOL 1 HC by Sylviane Corgiat and Laura Zuccheri (Humanoids): A fantasy epic that the Humanoids site says isn't quite all-ages but closer to YA. In a fantasy kingdom, four magic swords must be united to prevent catastrophe.
TUSKERS #3 (OF 3)
WIFWULF TP by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Dailen Ogden (Vault): This is a reinterpretation of the werewolf myth, and one that was supposed to come out more than a year ago. I have no idea what the delay was. But consider that "wif" is Old English for woman (wife) as "wer" is Old English for man. Kinda gives the game away!
X-O UNCONQUERED HC: Valiant alert! (But not, AFAIK, part of "Resurgence.")
Replies
The reader's POV is directly behind the Beast, directly in front of Rage and back of and between Sersi and Black Panther. The rainbow effect on the right is from Crystal, and the giant leg is Giant-Man's.
So this must be drawn from the POV of... Hercules?
And guess how Harry spends his evenings? Yeah, you know.
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, but I know how I'd spend my evenings if I were married to the Ultimate Gwen Stacy.
Anybody know the legacy number for this issue?
#670.
G.O.D.S. #7 - The penultimate issue of this miniseries...
Is anyone out there actually readin this? I'd be interested in hear an opinion. (I may tradewait.)
...features a variant cover that looks very familiar, but I can't identify it... Anybody got an idea?
The trade dress reminds me of Cosmic Powers.
Is this over-the-shoulder, stink-eye? IT COULD BE!
I say... YES.
DICK TRACY #1 - This looks ... really good.
If so, it will be the first non-Gould Dick Tracy comic book that is. I'll be buying it regardless. (It's already on my p&h list.)
So this must be drawn from the POV of... Hercules?
If I had to say, I'd say it's from Rage's POV. Hercules would be above his line of sight. But I could be wrong.
I'm not quite sure what you're getting at, but I know how I'd spend my evenings if I were married to the Ultimate Gwen Stacy.
This is why you'd be a terrible supervillain. Harry ignores Ultimate Gwen Stacy and spends his nights, instead, as the Ultimate Green Goblin.
But your heart is in the right place. Or something is.
Anybody know the legacy number for this issue?
#670.
Geez, you're good.
Is anyone out there actually readin (Gods)? I'd be interested in hear an opinion. (I may tradewait.)
I am tradewaiting. But normally a Hickman book is praised to the skies, with breathless commentary on every issue. With this book, it's crickets. Suspicious. I'll wait until somebody actually reviews the thing before I'll commit.
The trade dress reminds me of Cosmic Powers.
YES! That's the trade dress I was vaguely remembering.
If [good], it will be the first non-Gould Dick Tracy comic book that is. I'll be buying it regardless. (It's already on my p&h list.)
That's true of a lot of comic-strip characters. It's rare to find a good Phantom comic book, or Mandrake. Gasoline Alley and a host of others never made the cut. I guess some concepts work in only one medium. Or maybe later creators just don't understand what made it cool in the first place.
Speaking of Mandrake, Hermes Press is going to start reprinting the dailies this month or next (they're being vague). But the first two books are already available for pre-order at Hermes and Amazon.