TOP PUBLISHERS
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #59: Here's an homage to Uncanny X-Men #268. I guess you just have to know what you're doing if you buy this, because it sure looks like an X-Men book, when it is a Spider-Man book -- abd Spidey doesn't appear on the cover.
BLADE RED BAND #1 (POLYBAGGED, $4.99): The solictiations don't say much, and I don't I know what changes "Blood Hunt" made, if any, to Blade's status quo. I'm sure if he's diminished in any way, this series will fix that. After all, he's got a movie coming ... some day.
CONQUEST 2099 #1 (OF 5, $4.99): Just as Annihilation (2006) was followed by Annihilation: Conquest (2008), Annihilation 2099 is being followed by Conquest 2099. And since I didn't read the former -- I have zero interest in anything 2099 -- I don't know what to expect in the latter. However we know this: Nova 2099 is Wolverine, Dracula 2099 has a planet ("Domus Draconum") and this series will also feature X-Men 2099, Spider-Man 2099, Spider-Woman 2099 and Spidercide 2099 (first appearance).
(Don't tell HBO, but "Domum Draconum" is Latin for "House of Dragons.")
“ANNIHILATION 2099 was a blast!" writer Steve Orlando said. "But the only thing better than building out the cosmic side of Marvel's iconic cyberpunk future with an incredible squad of collaborators is getting to bring them together with the heroes of Earth for a galaxy-shaking epic of passion, revenge, and action! CONQUEST 2099 follows Dracula into the future as a tragic antihero, an imperfect leader with a righteous cause topped only by his bloodlust. Here's a space blockbuster that takes us from one side of the galaxy to the other as a ragtag band of heroes from Earth and beyond leap into the fray to protect all life not just from Dracula and his vampire legion ... but the something worse -- the conquerors of the vampire homeworld, the Death Spiders.”
(OK, "Death Spiders" sounds pretty cool.)
“ANNIHILATION 2099 was our chance to introduce some incredibly unique takes on classic Marvel characters, true in many ways to the core of the originals in theme and motive,” said Editor Mark Paniccia. “With CONQUEST 2099 these new heroes must battle the unparalleled strategy and experience of the classic Marvel Dracula, a proven leader, conqueror and monarch who now has an army of alien vampires at his command! The cosmos will never be the same!”
“Since 2099 debuted, there was always the question of what heroes might live through from the current heroic age to the next,” Orlando explained. “With ANNIHILATION, we had a great chance to dig into that question with one of Marvel's most iconic mysterious loners. When we realized that the Nova of 2099 would be a lone stranger patrolling the cosmos, one with a heavy burden of duty and death on his shoulders, it quickly became clear that there was only one person who could fit into that helmet. Already, Logan has been routinely inspired by the Man with No Name and by Kuwabatake Sanjuro. Here, it comes full circle with Logan as the intergalactic stranger coming to town, loyal only to the preservation of life and protecting common folk. This was a great chance to grab Logan from his previous 2099 appearances and vault him forward into a new, cosmic setting--and the issue was a privilege from start to finish!”
(“Since 2099 debuted, there was always the question of what heroes might live through from the current heroic age to the next,” Orlando said. Sadly, the question for me throughout the 2099 books was, "Why does this exist?")
EXCEPTIONAL X-MEN #2 ($3.99): Marvel released this video at the same time the first issue came out -- too late for me to include in that week's Comics Guide. So I'll include it now.
MARVEL ZOMBIES: DAWN OF DECAY #2 (OF 4): Here is this month's Thor #337 homage. Or is it this week's?
PHOENIX #4 ($3.99): Featuring Gorr the God-Butcher and guest-starring Captain Marvel.
SENTINELS #1 (OF 5, $4.99): These new Sentinels come from previous Marvel events -- Sawtooth from "Secret Empire," Voivod from "World War Hulk," Drumfire from "King In Black," and Lockstep from "The Death Of Doctor Strange" -- and continues the X-franchise's habit of stealing the names of villainous teams and re-using them for X-teams (Brotherhood of Mutants, Marauders, now Sentinels). These nanotechnology-enhanced, mutant-hunting, cyborg soldiers work for the U.S. government and are charged with apprehending the most dangerous mutant villains still extant in the post-Krakoa era. Those they nab go into Gramalkin Prison, formerly the X-Men's Westchester headquarters, and soon to be ground zero in an X-book crossover.
The only part of this I'm curious about is which mutants are still considered existentially dangerous. Not Magneto, helpless in a wheelchair. Not En Sabah Nur, who is still in the Otherverse (I think). Sabretooth? He's pretty small potatos. Selene and the X-Ternals? Maybe, although they've been around for a very long time pretty harmlessly.
I confess I'm not crazy about this from a personal bias from the outset: I don't want anything or anyone to replace the original Sentinels. Who doesn't love giant robots? Especially ones with a classic Kirby look? Now we have a bunch of cyborgs that look like all the other cyborgs in comics, including Deathlok, if he favored plum colors. And they're not enormous and imposing and terrifying and Terminator-like in their persistence. At least they kept the color scheme. (Bolivar Trask must have used all the purple and magenta paint in America back in 1965.) I guess the giant-robot look is too old-fashioned for These Kids Today™.
"As an X-fan going back to my first set of teeth, I couldn't be prouder or more excited to share SENTINELS with the fans,” writer Alex Paknadel (Red Goblin) said. “This book is about flawed human beings doing a dirty job for a dirty cause, and [artist] Justin Mason and I are determined to make you care about each and every one of them. Whatever your expectations are going in, I promise this book will surprise you."
My immediate expectations going in, Alex, are "meh." Also, the Captain Comics Rule of Four applies: "You can expect any group of characters numbering more than three that are created all at once to be lame and unmemorable except for one." OK, it's not very catchy. Still true, though.
STAR WARS EWOKS #1 (OF 4, $3.99): Like with Jar-Jar Binks, I try to pretend the Ewoks do not exist and have never existed. This title promises to say what happened to them after the Battle of Endor, whcih I don't need to know: In my head canon they were swallowed by Galactus, who then, stricken by too much sweetener, vomited them into a black hole.
Here's someone who's much more excited about Ewoks than I am:
“Forty years of EWOKS! Sometimes, a lot of the times, this job is just a dream — and for someone who grew up watching Return of the Jedi after every single Sunday Ski Trip, getting the chance to celebrate them and explore their world in the aftermath of the second Death Star's fall is truly beyond belief,” writer Steve Orlando. “When I was young, the Ewoks got me in the door — Wicket was my hero, a young hero like me (like I was back then) going on adventures with Princess Leia herself! Now, as an adult, it's an honor to challenge Wicket and bring all-new Ewoks to Bright Tree Village — but not just that! There's a lot more to Endor that we'll be seeing for the first time since the Ewoks animated series — this is a powerful world, a powerful ecosystem, and we'll be exploring it like never before! Join us for a caper like no other as Wicket races against time to outwit a dangerous crew of Imperial Thieves and save the Forest Moon!”
DC COMICS
Absolute Comics
ABSOLUTE BATMAN #1 ($4.99): Well, gang, the Absolute Universe begins. OK, it actually began in DC All In Special, but now it really, really begins. This one's by Scott Snyder and Nick Dragotta, which everyone probably knows already. And it corrects what is now being considered a flaw in the Batman mythos -- he's a rich man beating up on poor people -- by giving us a Batman who protects poor people and instead distrusts rich people. Hey, I can actually kinda identify with that. I never thought of Bruce Wayne as punching down before, but hmmm.
It's off to a great start, sales-wise. This issue's orders have topped 250,000, and they're already gearing up for second printings. I toldja that DC was champing at the bit to launch a new Bat-title, and that is why. Now, of course, they have to deliver.
"All in" launches
ACTION COMICS #1070: Mark Waid takes over the writing on the Superman strip as Action goes weekly (again). The description promises something wrong in the Phantom Zone that Superman has to correct. Also, Supergirl returns to the book she headlined for many years in a new backup strip.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #14 ($4.99): "It's a whole new dynamic for the Dynamic Duo as the powerhouse team of Phillip Kennedy Johnson (Superman: Warworld Saga) and Javier Fernandez (King Spawn, Nightwing) bring you the dark and mystifying next chapter in the lives of Bruce and Damian Wayne!" It's hard to remember back to when i disliked Damian Wayne. Now I think he steals every book he's in.
GREEN LANTERN CIVIL CORP #1 (ONE-SHOT, $5.99): It's Earth's Green Lanterns against Thaaros, leader of the United Planets. Thaaros wants John Stewart's ring (something to do with "the Radiant Dead," and the Lanterns want to expose him for the ne'er-do-well he is. I have no idea how the book's name comes into play, or if Star Sapphire is really in this story or just on a variant cover.
Elsewhere at DC:
BATMAN #237 FACSIMILE EDITION ($4.99): I remember this issue for the terrific Neal Adams artwork, as Batman and Robin battle a villain dressed as the personification of death. However, DC says this is getting the facsimile treatment because of all the cameos -- this issue takes place at the annual Rutland (Vermont) Halloween Parade (do they still do that?), and various writers and artists can be spotted throughout. Eh, get it for the art.
BATMAN: THE CULT HC DELUXE EDITION ($39.99): This is written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Berni Wrightson, but somehow I remember being disappointed by it. Maybe my expectations were too high. Any other Legionnaries remember this one?
IMAGE COMICS
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO COMPENDIUM TP: Collects the first 50 isues of Marvel's original G.I. Joe title from 1982-86.
“This compendium marks the beginning of Skybound collecting Hasbro’s incredible backlist of G.I. JOE comics,” said Sean Mackiewicz, SVP, Publisher, Skybound. “G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero was my first comic, bursting with incredible characters and intense action, and it’s a pleasure to reintroduce readers to the original Hasbro comics that hooked a generation of fans.”
LEGO NINJAGO: SHATTERSPIN #2: I am baffled by the popularity of LEGOs, and of comics and cartoons based on toy bricks. But I am well aware that my tastes aren't universal.
SCARLETT #5 (OF 5, $3.99)
SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN — SILENT BUT DEADLY EDITION HC ($49.99): I lost a lot of Shaolin Cowboy review copies in my recent hard drive(s) meltdown, but I know enough to know that this is one weird book.
TRANSFORMERS #13 ($3.99)
DARK HORSE
NAKED CITY HC ($29.99): This is a sequel to Eric Dooker's Flood and Blood Song, which I have not read, and likely never will. Even though it's been optioned for a movie.
Drooker is a New Yorker cover artist, and is no doubt good at his job, drawing covers for New Yorkers. I like his art! But this needs to have a story that appeals to a larger audience, and I don't think it does. It's about two struggling artists, a street-corner singer who models to make ends meet, a struggling painter who hires her. It's described as a comedy, but if so it's of the rueful variety, and is such familiar territory that I didn't laugh much. Oh look, the model has menstrual cramps while posing. Is that funny? I guess so, in a slice-of-life way. Ruefully.
We all know it's tough to be a struggling artist, which is why so many of us choose jobs with a steady paycheck instead of following our dreams. It's an old story, and this one doesn't freshen it up much. I got so bored I quit halfway through. YMMV.
SÉANCE IN THE ASYLUM #1 ($3.99): I'm always a sucker for historical fiction, and certain periods are more interesting than most. Writer Clay McLeod Chapman (What Kind of Mother, Ghost Eaters) and artist Andrea Mutti (The British Paranormal Society: Time Out of Mind, Haunt You to the End) have chosen an excellent one for this story: 1865-ish in the United States, as the War of Rebellion is coming to an end. There are a lot of people with unsettled minds after such a conflict, and not just soldiers with PTSD.
Into this scenario we have a young girl who is thought to be a pyschic -- not by all, certainly, especially Enlightenment-minded medical professionals. But one doctor, distraught over the death of his daughter, does believe, and brings this girl to his asylum to see if a spiritual approach will benefit his patients. And, no doubt, he has a hidden agenda vis-a-vis his daughter. Our psychic has her own secrets, as hinted at in flashback, while the asylum itself is dangerous territory for everybody.
Are there spirits? Well, in this story, I certainly expect something. While not necessarily part of any of Mike Mignola's universes, where such things are commonplace, Seance shares Mingola's sensibility. I expect a morbidly, shockingly good ride, regardless of the reality of spooks. I'll be back for issue #2.
STAR WARS: HIGH REPUBLIC PHASE III — DISPATCHES #1 ($3.99): More all-ages Star Wars.
STAR WARS: VADER’S CASTLE HC DELUXE LIBRARY COLLECTION ($49.99): This is a collection of an anthology miniseries where ghosts and goblins are suggested to be part of the Star Wars universe. They're not going to establish that for the franchise as a whole, of course, so this is an outlier of dicey return. The first story leaves it open-ended if such things exist, while I didn't finish the second.
Oops! Gave away the punchline! That's right, I gave up midway through, like I did with Naked City. It's Star Wars, so it's stuff I like, but it's some stories are too cartoony and a little too all-ages for me.
IDW PUBLISHING
MONSTER HIGH HALLOWEEN SPECIAL #1 ($5.99): More Wednesday Lite, if that's what you're in the market for.
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG ANNUAL 2024 (ONE-SHOT, $7.99): A first issue, for those who are into STH.
MORE COMICS
ADRIFT ON A PAINTED SEA GN (Avery Hill, $18.99): A cartoonist mixes his cartoons with his mother's fine-art painting in a memoir.
ASGARDIANS VOL 2: THOR TP/HC (First Second, $12.99/$21.99): Adaptations of Norse legends starring Thor. This is a series of books on Norse gods by the same guy who did a 12-book series on the Olympians. (The first volume of this series featured Odin.)
BABY BLUES COLLECTION: EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE TP (Andrews McMeel, $19.99): Comic-strip collectors' alert!
BACK TO FAIRTAYLIA VOL 1 (Invader Comics, $24.99): Looks too cartoony for my taste, but the cover appears to be an homage to the original Barbarella movie poster:
Plus, they provided a preview:
BIG NATE: THE NATE FILES HC (Andrews McMeel, $19.99): Comic-strip collectors' alert! (is anyone a fan of this strip? It reads like watered-down "Calvin & Hobbes"/"Dennis the Menace" to me. Maybe I'm missing something.)
BLASFAMOUS HC/DM Exclusive (DSTLRY, MR, $30.00/$75.00): This is by Italian artist Mirka Andolfo (Sweet Paprika, Punchline, Superman vs. Lobo), who has quite a following in the U.S. In this one, pop stars are elevated to divinity, their godhood dependent on their social media numbers. "Clelia, the reigning queen of pop, finds her throne shaken by a newcomer radiating with enigmatic charm." HERE'S a first look.
BUNNYMAN’S FURRY NIGHTMARE (Zenescope, $6.99): "An 'innocent' trip to Furry-Con leads Floyd the Bunnyman and Jack the Jackalope down a rabbit hole of secret societies and wacky celebrities." This sounds very similar to the plot of Image's Plush.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN: THE ORIGINAL SERIES VOL 1 OMNIBUS HC (Titan, $125.00)
DAY OF THE DEAD GIRL #1 (Magma Comix, $3.99): A coroner moves back in with her mother in a small town just as the local Brujeria's Brujas start turning up dead. That's "coven" and "witches," respectively, in Anglo. Both writers are Hispanic, but moreover, both might be familiar to Legionnaires. AJ Mendez wrestled with the WWE from 2009 to 2015, and Aimee Garcia played Ella Lopez on Lucifer. Here's a ScreenRant FIRST LOOK.
FANTAGRAPHICS UNDERGROUND: AMALGAM HC (Fantagraphics, $60.00): The artist uses multimedia to tell impressionistic stories of her immigrant Polish ancestors. Do modern artists not have interesting lives of their own? Here's a PREVIEW.
FEMFORCE #204 (AC Comics, $5.95): This cover looks familiar. Is it an homage to a She-Hulk cover? A He-Hulk cover? Maybe a Conan cover (given the giant snake)? Or Big Barda? You know, it might be Big Barda. Seems Kirby-esque.
FIENDS OF THE EASTERN FRONT VOL 2 TP (Rebellion / 2000AD, $24.99): UK comics alert! This one writes vampires into history's wars, which if done cleverly, could be cool.
FRANKIE BOY MONSTER #1 (OF 5, Cosmic Lion, $10.00): A boy put together with dead body parts grows up with a helicopter parent. That's the pitch, but you'd think he'd have bigger problems.
I CAN COUNT TO TEN SC (Titan, MR, $19.99): Sounds like a kids book, but it's really a naughty take on a kids book.
INCREDIBLE STORY OF COOKING HC (NBM, $34.99): The history of cooking, from the invention of fire to present. Sadly, there are no photos of the invention of fire, which seems an oversight to me. Anyway, I was sent a review copy and didn't read it, so I'm covering up my guilt with jokes. Here's a PREVIEW.
JONNY QUEST #3 Dynamite, $4.99): I'll bet a dollar that's Jade's daughter, because only in comics do children grow up to be exactly like their parents, to fill narrative needs.
MURDER KINGDOM #1 (OF 5, Mad Cave, $4.99): Fred Van Lente tells a story about a princess role-player at a theme park who must turn detective because someone is killing all the role-players in grisly Brothers Grimm fashion. (Those stories were gruesome!) Pretty clever idea
NIGHT OF THE SLASHERS #1 (Magma, $3.99): The solicitations say Hill Creek is a nice place to live except the one night a year when everyone turns into murderous maniacs. You know, I don't think that would be a good place to live, even the other 364 days. That's just messed up. Anyway, here's a PREVIEW.
SCAB GN (Fantaco, MR, $12.95): A boy and his zombie at the end of the world. Apparently this came out in 1993 and is being reprinted.
SHADOWMAN & PUNK MAMBO TALES (ONE-SHOT, Valiant, $5.99): I'm getting the Resurgence miniseries, but I'm deciding on other Valiant books on a case by case basis. I'll look at this one in the shop.
SHI: RETURN OF THE WARRIOR #1 (OF 2, Crusade, MR, $5.99): Billy Tucci returns.
TERMINATOR #1 (Dynamite, $4.99): Normally I would read and review this. As Roddy Ho says on Slow Horses, "It's a good franchise." And it's written by Declan Shalvey. But it's already Monday and I haven't posted yet! I'll try to catch up with issue #2.
TOXIC AVENGER #1 (OF 5, Ahoy Comics, MR, $3.99): Ahoy Comics alert! Here's another I've got a review copy of, but I've run out of time. You'll have to make your own decision about this book, Matt Bors (Justice Warriors) resurrects Troma's satirical superhero. Here are some of his words:
"As first announced by Hollywood Reporter, I will be writing a new Toxic Avenger comic book for AHOY based on the cult classic Troma movies, debuting this Fall. I’m collaborating with artist Fred Harper, whose great and grotesque take on Toxie you can see below. We are combining elements of the movies with the 1991 cartoon Toxic Crusaders to create an entirely new story that blends mutant gore and environmental satire. You can read a little more about the details at the Hollywood Reporter.
"This is the first of three or four big projects I will announce this year and one I’m neck deep in writing at the moment. If you liked my mutant-laden political cartoons or the satire of Justice Warriors, then you will like the direction I’m heading in with this project. I have a lot planned for Melvin Junko, the 98-pound weakling who is transformed into a hideously deformed creature of superhuman size and strength.
"This will be the first Toxic Avenger comic book since a Marvel run in 1991 and we are having gobs of fun with this series. There is also brand-new movie starring Peter Dinklage that is expected to get a wide release this year, so the Toxic Avenger is back and all superheroes who aren’t from New Jersey are over. Sorry.
"Whether you love Troma films, know nothing about the character, or I have just unlocked deep memories of watching the cartoon on Saturday mornings in the early 90s, there will be something here for you to enjoy. Much love to AHOY and Troma for letting me try something new with the character."
There is also a trading card. Here's more from Ahoy:
“THE TOXIC AVENGER delivers what Troma fans want,” said AHOY Comics Editor-in-Chief Tom Peyer. “The series has violent action, gross mutations, bursting pustules, eye-popping visuals, and trenchant humor.”
“If there was ever a superhuman hero for these toxic, miserable times, Toxie is the one!” said Lloyd Kaufman. “Only AHOY Comics and Bors & Harper could pull this off...er...mop this up! Toxie and the Troma Team can’t wait ‘til you read -no, experience - the art and stories that the Toxic Avenger Comic Book will explode in your brain, your soul, and your heart. Above all, remember - Toxie loves you and so do I.”
“This series will combine elements of the original films with the Toxic Crusaders cartoon and characters in familiar ways, updated to tell a story of environmental devastation, corporate control, and social media mutation,” said Bors. “THE TOXIC AVENGER is first and foremost an environmental satire, one about a small town and its unremarkable people trapped and transformed by circumstances they don’t control. The story Fred Harper and I are telling is about people frustrated by authorities telling them not to worry about their life, that things are fine, even as their dog mutates in front of their eyes. And at its core it is about a powerless boy, Melvin, who finds out he can be incredibly strong, hideously mutated, well-admired, and incredibly heroic… but still ultimately powerless over human behavior.”
“In addition to the environmental and action satire at the forefront of this story, TOXIC AVENGER will skewer corporate PR, influencer culture, and the mainstreaming of conspiracy theories” added Bors. “It isn’t paranoia if they’re really out to pollute you!”
WILDFLOWER EMILY TP/HC (Godwin Books, $14.99/$22.99): Emily Dickinson bio.
WORLD OF ARCHIE JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #144 (Archie, $9.99)
Here's a complete story:
YOUNG NO'MADDS #1 (OF 4, Battle Quest, $4.99): Two teens compete for an object of power in what looks like a D&D sort of world. Normally they would have lost me at "teens," but in this case they lost me earlier, with the unnecessary punctuation in the title.
Replies
I guess you just have to know what you're doing if you buy this...
I'm pretty sick of these "funny animal" variants.
Here is this month's Thor #337 homage. Or is it this week's?
Homage covers, too.
Now we have a bunch of cyborgs that look like all the other cyborgs in comics...
They look kinda like Machine Man.
"As an X-fan going back to my first set of teeth..."
I'd like some perspective on that. Like, what year was that?
Here's someone who's much more excited about Ewoks than I am
You and me both, brother. (That first cover's an homage to Marvel's original Star Wars #94, BTW.)
...this issue takes place at the annual Rutland (Vermont) Halloween Parade (do they still do that?)
They do.
BATMAN: THE CULT HC DELUXE EDITION ($39.99): This is written by Jim Starlin and illustrated by Berni Wrightson, but somehow I remember being disappointed by it. Maybe my expectations were too high. Any other Legionnaries remember this one?
I was disappointed by it, too. Starlin's stories are never as good when he doesn't do the art, and this was Wrightson's "new style."
SHAOLIN COWBOY: CRUEL TO BE KIN — SILENT BUT DEADLY EDITION HC ($49.99): I lost a lot of Shaolin Cowboy review copies in my recent hard drive(s) meltdown, but I know enough to know that this is one weird book.
Discussion (with all of your previous comments) HERE. I have read all of Shaolin Cowboy except The Shaolin Cowboy Adventure Magazine (an illustrated pulp "replica"), which I own, I just haven't gotten around to reading yet.
Like with Jar-Jar Binks, I try to pretend the Ewoks do not exist and have never existed.
I was 10 when the Ewoks were introduced, and even back then I didn't like them.
BATMAN AND ROBIN #14
No joke, I go through the solicitations every month, and I just found out there is a Batman and Robin book. Guess, I'm just not that observant.
SHAOLIN COWBOY
I bought the first series, and I just didn't get it.
FEMFORCE #204
I didn't know this series was still being produced. Congrats, because it seems like it has been coming out forever.
I bought the first series, and I just didn't get it.
The point is the highly-detailed art (and the ultra-violence, of course), but what I don't get is the point of a prose Shaolin Cowboy story with only spot illustrations.