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May 17th, 2012 at 11:10 am - Best Book Nominees -
 Mucho comics this week. I read a ton. I liked a ton. Nominees!
AVX VS #2 (OF 6) – I continue to enjoy the vast majority of Avengers vs X-Men. Five books this week. AVENGERS VS X-MEN #4 was good. Polar Bear Wolverine was funny and a little different. Gave us a nice overall view of events. And put all the pieces in place for the arrival of the Phoenix! UNCANNY X-MEN #12 was good. Matched the plot in Avengers vs X-Men nicely. Showed how the X-Men got to where they were supposed to be. Went back to Tabula Rasa, which I actually enjoyed. That alien cracks me up. And Namor? Wow. The jokes and innuendos are just flying. Too much? Too much. AVENGERS #26 featured Thor fighting the Phoenix. Not sure if he won or lost, but he’s looking pretty rough. AVENGERS ACADEMY #30. I did not read. Sorry. Hope you enjoyed. AVX VS #2 gets the nomination. The Gambit/Captain America fight by Steve McNiven was awesome! Spider-Man vs. Colossus wasn’t bad either. Fight!
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #4 – No superheroes here. Nary a fight for that matter. Conan and Belit put their master plan into motion. Let’s get Conan thrown in jail! Don’t worry, Conan, after we get done robbing the place we’ll set you free! Yes, that was the plan. And we will find out if it’s successful or not next issue. I must say, Brian Wood is doing an excellent job with Conan. The dialogue and narration are outstanding. Another great issue. And I highly recommend checking it out.
DAREDEVIL #13 – Feel like I’ve been talking an awful lot about Daredevil lately. Another good issue. Really liked the switcheroo. Something just didn’t feel right about the issue until that happened. And the end was great. Where am I? Let me out of heeeeere!
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #9 – New storyline! Gonna have to pay attention to DC Universe Presents. Rotating creative teams and characters each arc makes it a little tricky sometimes. Deadman was first. It was good. Challengers of the Unknown came next. I was unable to read it. Sorry. Now comes Vandal Savage. Totally went Silence of the Lambs. Serial killer. FBI agent. Jail cell confrontation. Was excellent. Liked how they portrayed Vandal Savage, and the daughter angle worked well. Well worth giving a shot.
FURY MAX #2 – Do you keep forgetting it’s Nick Fury and think it’s the Punisher or is that just me? Great title for the story in this issue. Always good to be number one.
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #9 – John Stewart gets arrested by the Alpha Lanterns for murder! Sometimes the Corps gets a little too green and a little too busy. This was an excellent issue. Story flowed great. John Stewart showed himself proud. And I really liked it.
INCREDIBLE HULK #7.1 – For two reasons! 1) The double-page eight-panel spread of Hulk on vacation. Campfiring a Shark and a Moose. Taking a hot tub in a volcano. Battling a giant Octopus. And riding a Triceratops across the desert! 2) The love of a good woman. Hey. They were/are married! And BTW, that was a reverse Angel (Buffy’s Angel) move.
 JUSTICE LEAGUE #9 – Hope you enjoyed the first half of the book. The Shazam story is awesome. The characters are developing. We’re getting to know the “family.” Gave us a potential antagonist with the rich guy and his snotty kids. Really like where it’s going. And the Black Adam/Dr. Sivana ending was great.
NIGHTWING #9 – Will be my nomination for the Night of the Owls books this week. Just another solid issue. My favorite page of the night was when the Talon landed on the car, and then started walking towards Nightwing as his bones popped back into place. Do we like the Court of Owls? Do we like the Talons? I do. I guess. Been awhile since we’ve added to Batman’s Rogues Gallery. I believe Hush was the last one? Do think the Court of Owls and the Talons are here to stay. Unless, of course, Batman wipes them all out in Issue #10! As to the other Owl tie-ins. RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS #9 I totally enjoyed and thought Mr. Freeze was great. Liked CATWOMAN #9 more than BIRDS OF PREY #9, but both were pretty good.
SAGA #3 – Lots of new Image books I have interest in came out this week. I liked MANHATTAN PROJECTS #3, HELL YEAH #3 and THIEF OF THIEVES #4 all once again. Manhattan Projects is just a trip. If you want it weird… but Saga #3 was the best — is the best — but you know that ’cause you read it!
SCALPED #58 – ‘Cause it’s Scalped! You know it’s one of my all-time favorites. And we only have two more issues to go!
SECRET SERVICE #2 (OF 7) – ‘Cause I like it! Haven’t decided if it’s any good or not yet. But I like it!
Best Book of the Week? Well, I got out my staple remover, scissors, and glue. Took the Captain America/Gambit fight from AVX Vs. #2 and attached it to the Shazam story in Justice League of America #9 and the Best Book of the Week is… Voila! CAPSHAZBIT #1.
A guaranteed one-of-a-kind collectors item!
See ya!
Rusty
May 16th, 2012 at 11:06 am - Best Covers of the Day -
 I know I’m about a week late to the party on this one, and I already mentioned it in a tweet on Monday, but I have to say I LOVED the Avengers movie. I was into it from start to finish, with my favorite being basically any scene with the Hulk. In fact, I was so juiced up on it this week that I only wanted to pick covers featuring the big stars from that movie… though sadly there wasn’t a single cover this week that featured either Agent Colson or Scarlett Johansson’s behind. (Zing!) So… I went with the bunny.
SAUCER COUNTRY #3
Cover by Ryan Kelly
Politics! Aliens! Immigration issues in modern day southwest America! That’s what Saucer Country is about, in case you didn’t know. It’s got a strong following, too. And in this issue it looks like they’re upping the ante by delving into one of the most controversial issues we face today: giant bunnies that appear in the sky over our heads.
I have to say, this cover has made me realize how phony baloney rabbits are. Here’s what I mean: we think of bunnies as being in the top tier of cute animals, right up there with kittens and baby owls. But look at the mug on this guy! Rabbits aren’t cute at all! I too would be terrified if one of these things appeared above me!
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May 15th, 2012 at 4:21 pm - Highlights -
 It’s a big week for Marvel’s Avengers vs. X-Men event this week, with four AVX tie-in books! Including the main series itself with Avengers vs. X-Men #4 (of 12). Lots going on in this series so far, with battles raging all over the place in the name of the Phoenix… and events going down in space to stop the Phoenix from ever reaching Earth at all! Can’t wait to see where it goes from here. And if you’re digging all those battles be sure to check out AVX Vs. #2 (of 6), featuring extended showdowns between Spider-Man and Colossus in the first half, and Captain America and Gambit in the second half!
AVENGERS VS X-MEN #4 (OF 12)
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by John Romita Jr.
All across the globe-in the Savage Land, in Wakanda, in Tabula Rasa and more-Avenger battles X-Man for the fate of the world! Hope has a suicide mission to propose to Wolverine! While in space, the Avengers’ away team meets the Phoenix head on!
Marvel Comics’ Avengers vs. X-Men #4 (of 12) comes out on Wednesday!
May 15th, 2012 at 3:29 pm - Highlights -
 We’ll talk about Avengers vs. X-Men and all the related titles soon enough (and by soon enough I mean in an hour or so), but for right now let’s give some love to the other exciting Marvel Comics releases set for this week! For starters, Marvel has a couple different Point One issues with Fantastic Four #605.1 and Incredible Hulk #7.1 (which I have to say features a very nice painted cover). As you know, Point One issues are designed to be good places to get on board… so get on board!
INCREDIBLE HULK #7.1
Written by Jason Aaron
Art by Jefte Palo
Whatever happened to Bruce Banner…? RED SHE-HULK knows, and is NONE TOO PLEASED.
It’s also not a bad time to pick up on a little Hornhead action with Daredevil #13! While the last issue featured DD on a date, this issue looks to pick up on story elements that wound their way through the Omega Effect. Look for Megacrime to make its play!
Meanwhile, the first arc of Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice’s excellent series starring Bucky Barnes comes to a close in Winter Soldier #5! This series — featuring more action than you can shake a stick at… and also Dr. Doom — has been excellent and we couldn’t recommend it more!
 Lastly, there’s Secret Service #2, from Mark Millar, Dave Gibbons and Marvel’s Icon imprint. As you might recall, the first half of the first issue featured one of the most unbelievably great things we’ve ever read. If you haven’t seen it yet, I won’t ruin it for you… except to say that it involves Star Wars. And faulty parachutes.
SECRET SERVICE #2 (OF 7)
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Dave Gibbons
The world’s greatest secret agent is on the most exciting case of his career. But will the end of the world as we know it take a back seat to training his street-punk nephew to be the next James Bond? The young man’s preparation now begins in earnest, saving him from a life of desperation. Meanwhile, what’s the secret link between a series of kidnapped science fiction stars and the murder of an entire town in Middle America?
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
May 15th, 2012 at 2:53 pm - Highlights -
 Night of the Owls hits hard this week in the DC Comics titles, as we’re set to get no less than four tie-in issues, including, Birds of Prey #9, Catwoman #9, Red Hood and the Outlaws #9 and Nightwing #9! When last we saw him, Dick was at the mercy of a Talon with a longstanding blood feud…
NIGHTWING #9
Written by Kyle Higgins
Art by Eddy Barrows, Ruy Jose
"NIGHT OF THE OWLS" continues here! NIGHTWING faces another villain claiming to be THE TALON at City Hall as the Court of Owls’ plans go into action – but will he be able to figure out what’s going on before it’s too late?
It also happens to be Justice League week, which means we’re getting Justice League #9! It’s a great place to get on board as a new story arc — "The Villain’s Journey" — begins, and introduces a major nemesis of the team.
It’s also a solid week in the Vertigo camp as we’re getting Scalped #58 and Saucer Country #3. And while I’m talking about books that start with the letter S, can’t forget to mention Shade #8 (of 12)! All three books have earned praises from fans and critics alike.
 Finally, DC Universe Presents kicks off a new arc and a new creative team and features the one and only Vandal Savage! Following the conclusion of the science-fiction based Challengers of the Unknown, the new story arc begins when the nation’s best FBI profiler, Kass Sage, must reach out to her father for help in solving a desperate case. The twist? Her father is Vandal Savage. Also known as the young Alan Moore.
DC UNIVERSE PRESENTS #9
Written by James Robinson
Art by Bernard Chang
As this new tale begins, the country’s best FBI profiler, Kass Sage, must seek help on a desperate case from her father…imprisoned serial killer VANDAL SAVAGE! Chapter one of a three-part story by JAMES ROBINSON and BERNARD CHANG.
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
May 15th, 2012 at 11:00 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
Starting with the miniseries Green Lantern: Rebirth, Johns’ work on GREEN LANTERN has taken the character to new heights and to the farthest reaches of the cosmos. It’s no surprise that major events like Blackest Night and Brightest Day have been some of the most exciting in all of comicdom. And this week will be a great week for Green Lantern fans both old and new, as we’re set to get both the first collection of issues from the new series AND the latest collection from the pre-New 52 series!
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GREEN LANTERN VOL. 1 HC
SINESTRO
$22.99
The first six issues of the star-spanning series from DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 are collected in hardcover, with stories by superstar writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke! There’s an unexpected new Green Lantern in town: Sinestro. And now, this renegade GL has set a course for Korugar with one purpose: To free his homeworld from the scourge of his own Sinestro Corps – with the not-so-willing help of Hal Jordan!
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GREEN LANTERN: BRIGHTEST DAY TP
$19.99
Exploding out of BLACKEST NIGHT comes the next exciting chapter in the Green Lantern mythos: "New Guardians," from issues #53-62 of the hit series! Forced to band together during the rise of the Black Lanterns, Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Carol Ferris, Saint Walker, Atrocitus, Indigo-1 and Larfleeze must agree to disagree if their next mission is to succeed. But when one of the strangest beings from Green Lantern’s past returns, the future of the Lanterns and the universe at large once again falls into question.
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May 14th, 2012 at 4:28 pm - Highlights -
 It’s been one of the hottest new series of the year.. if not THE hottest new series of the year! Yes, it’s Saga from writer Brian K. Vaughan and artist Fiona Staples. The first issue was my pick for best book of the month in the March Top Twenty… and then when I DIDN’T pick the second issue as the best book of the month for the April Top Twenty, the panel on the Cosmic Comix Conversation took me to task for it! All I’m saying is, it’s darn good.
SAGA #3
IMAGE COMICS
Written by Brian K. Vaughan
Art by Fiona Staples
BKV’s and FIONA STAPLES’ controversial epic continues! Stranded on a mystical alien world, new parents Marko and Alana encounter their greatest fear.
Image Comics’ Saga #3 comes out on Wednesday!
May 14th, 2012 at 1:42 pm - Highlights -
.jpg) This week features numerous solid releases in the Everything Else department! Image and Dark Horse both come up pretty strong, but we have to lead with Dynamite Entertainment and The Shadow #2 from writer Garth Ennis! The first issue was a great set-up and we’re anxious to see where the classic hero goes from here!
SHADOW #2
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Written by Garth Ennis
Art by Aaron Campbell
Lamont Cranston and Margo Lane fly west on Pan Am’s fabulous China Clipper- but the golden age of air travel might just mean fiery death above the clouds for our heroes. In Shanghai, Major Tateo Kondo of Japanese military intelligence puts his own plans in motion, while his American counterparts struggle to catch up. The Shadow battles aerial assassins and worse, in part two of the six-part The Fire Of Creation.
Image Comics has several titles worth mentioning this week, all of which are in their relative infancy, not the least of which is Saga #3… which we’ll talk about a little later on today!
There’s Manhattan Projects #3, which features some vintage Jonathan Hickman mind-bending sci-fi. There’s Thief of Thieves #4 from Robert Kirkman and Nick Spencer, which has so far been great. And there’s Hell Yeah #3! The first issue was highly impressive, while the second issue was a little less so. At any rate, it’s off to a very promising start.
 Our last Everything Else highlight of the day has to be Conan the Barbarian #3 from Dark Horse Comics. Writer Brian Wood has really put his own spin on the Cimmerian and if you’ve never read Conan before this is a great time to give it a shot. Rusty summed up the last issue perfectly: "The narration is simply as good as it gets. And it’s not a character monologue. It’s a narrator narrating. And it is awesome. They did call this the end of the first story arc. I would agree. Really solidified Conan’s relationship with Belit, the crew, and his overall situation. Things are only gonna heat up from here."
CONAN THE BARBARIAN #4
DARK HORSE COMICS
Written by Brian Wood
Art by Becky Cloonan
Conan’s adventures in Messantia ended with the Cimmerian nearly losing his head, but now that he has an entire pirate crew backing him up, returning to take a city’s worth of gold is just too tempting-and pirate queen Bêlit has a plan!
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
May 14th, 2012 at 11:20 am - Whiz Bang! -
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 Over the past few months many DC Comics titles have shipped with very cool black-and-white wraparound variant covers. Some you might have seen on the rack, some not. Well this week we’ve compiled a couple dozen of those variants — all of which shipped in a 1:25 ratio, which would normally mean they’d cost $25.00 — and we’re making them available for JUST $5.00 EACH! Here’s the deal:
- Starting this Wednesday, May 16, and going through Tuesday, May 22, all DC Comics black-and-white wraparound variants will be $5.00 each! As usual, they’ll all be on the front table when you walk in!
Looking through the pile we’ve got variants for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Swamp Thing, Stormwatch and several others! Can’t show you exactly what we have just yet (that would be spoiling the fun) but rest assured this is gonna be a fantastic Whiz Bang! (Edit: okay, I’ll spoil one of them… Here’s a SNEAK PEEK!) (Edit #2: Picture DE-classified!)
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May 13th, 2012 at 5:05 pm - New Comics This Wednesday -
 Because I’m in the mood to mix it up, we’ll start things off this week with Image Comics! Look out this Wednesday for the super hot new series from Brian K. Vaughan in Saga #3! Also from Image, we’re set to get Manhattan Projects #3 and Thief of Thieves #4, both of which are also new series from hot writers, Jonathan Hickman and Robert Kirkman, respectively.
Meanwhile, over at DC Comics, since we’re doing it differently this week we’ll start with Vertigo! Look for Scalped #58 and Saucer Country #3, one a series that is heading toward its final issue, the other a series that is just starting to get some heat. As for the main DCU, we’re smack in the middle of the Night of the Owls, which strikes no less than four books this week: Birds of Prey #9, Catwoman #9, Nightwing #9 and Red Hood and the Outlaws #9. We’re also set to get the first Green Lantern HC and the Catwoman Vol. 1 TP.
Over at Marvel, if you think the story is something OTHER than Avengers vs. X-Men #4 (of 12)… you’re crazy! Other AVX tie-in books this week include Avengers #26, Avengers Academy #30, AVX VS #2 (of 6) and Uncanny X-Men #12. Also look for Amazing Spider-Man Ends of the Earth #1, Fury MAX #2, Secret Service #2 (of 7), Winter Soldier #5 and more!
Finally, there’s the second issue of Garth Ennis’ take on a classic hero from the past in Shadow #2 from Dynamite and the fourth issue of Brian Wood’s take on a classic hero, er, barbarian in Conan the Barbarian #4.
The full list follows…
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May 13th, 2012 at 5:00 pm - New Action Figures -
 WALKING DEAD SERIES 1 PREVIEWS EXCLUSIVE
RICK/MICHONNE ACTION FIGURE TWO-PACK
With civilization itself tottering after the outbreak of the zombie plague, former police officer Rick Grimes leads a group of survivors in search of shelter and safety as zombie hordes roam the countryside in Robert Kirkman’s best-selling comic book, The Walking Dead, from Image Comics. Fans of the series can add this PREVIEWS Exclusive two-pack to their collection with Officer Rick Grimes (includes bag of weapons) and Michonne (comes with sword and tools of revenge). Each figure is highly articulated and features a sculpt based on the artwork from the best-selling series.
 POP HEROES
AMAZING SPIDER MAN MOVIE VINYL FIGURE
Inspired by the urban and stylized character designs of today’s designer toys, Funko presents a new take on one of comic’s top characters, Spider-Man, with their new POP! Marvel: The Amazing Spider-Man Vinyl Figure, based on this summer’s new movie! This 3 3/4" tall figures of Spider-Man features Spider-Man’s movie costume plus all the unique design, bobbing heads, and articulation that collectors expect from Funko! Window box packaging.
 POP HEROES
JOKER VINYL FIGURE
Inspired by the urban and stylized character designs of today’s designer toys, Funko presents a new take on some classic characters with their POP! Heroes Vinyl Figures! These 3 3/4" tall figures of Batman, Robin, The Joker, The Riddler, and Penguin featur Funko’s unique design, rotating heads, and articulation. Because these figures will look great on your desk, collect all five!
 POP HEROES
SUPERMAN VINYL FIGURE
Inspired by the urban and stylized character designs of today’s designer toys, Funko presents a new take on some classic characters with their POP! Heroes Vinyl Figures! These 3 3/4" tall figures of Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, and Green Lantern feature Funko’s unique design, rotating heads, and articulation. Because these figures will look great on your desk, collect all four to build your own miniature Justice League!
May 13th, 2012 at 11:15 am - Looking Forward -
 We talked about it last month and we’re talking about it again this month: Before Watchmen. It will likely go down as the biggest event of the year for DC Comics, and for many people the most controversial! Like we said, the event will consist of several different mini-series, all showcasing adventures of the various characters in Watchmen, taking place before that seminal story by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. We saw the first issues of most of them last month and this month we get one more…
BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #1 (OF 6)
Written by Len Wein
Art by Jae Lee, John Higgins
"I have goals to achieve. Dreams to make come true." Plus, a new Crimson Corsair backup feature from writer Len Wein and artist John Higgins!
This one, featuring the original baddie Ozymandias, is being written by series editor (and original Watchmen editor) Len Wein. Just don’t call it a reboot!
“To me, a reboot is what DC is essentially doing with the New 52, which is changing costumes, origins, relationships, essentially looking at old characters through new eyes,” Wein said recently. “What we’re doing is filling in a lot of the blank spaces in a story that has already, to some degree, been told. There were still a lot of gaps in the histories of Watchmen‘s characters, and events only mentioned in passing or touched on briefly in the original story. We’re filling in those gaps in the most creative and inventive ways we can.”
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May 13th, 2012 at 11:05 am - Weekly News Roundup -
 Tony DeZuniga, the co-creator of DC characters Black Orchid and Jonah Hex, passed away this past week. The creator had suffered a heart attack not too long ago and was in poor health. Thanks for all you did for comics Mr. DeZuniga. Hex is one of my favorite characters, and I doubt that would be the case if it were not for you. Rest in Peace.
Vertigo’s excellent and fan-favorite series Sweet Tooth will end in December with issue #40. Jeff Lemire stated the book was not being canceled and has instead reached its natural conclusion. The last issue will be double-sized and fully painted. I personally am way behind on this book because I was reading it in trades, but it is a wonderful series.
DC announced five new Annuals for August. There is Detective Comics Annual #1 written by Tony S. Daniel with art by Romano Molenaar and Sandu Florea which features the return of the Black Mask. The Flash Annual #1 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato which finds the Rogues going against Flash and Captain Cold. Green Lantern Annual #1 finds Geoff Johns reteaming with Ethan Van Sciver and Johns promises this will have major ramifications on the GL Universe. Superman Annual #1 from Keith Giffen will take Superman into space. And Justice League International Annual #1 will see Geoff Johns and Dan Didio co-writing and bringing O.M.A.C. to the series.
Popeye #1 sold out from IDW and there will be a second printing. I am glad this book is doing so well. I was always a huge Popeye fan!
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May 12th, 2012 at 11:15 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
DC Comics’ Seven Soldiers of Victory is the result of one of the most creative minds in comics, Grant Morrison, delivering one of his most groundbreaking stories ever. It’s an epic tale of life, death and redemption that explores the nature of heroism and sacrifice. Look for the artistic talents of JH WIlliams III, Simone Bianchi, Ryan Sook and others!
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SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY VOL 1 TP
Collecting Grant Morrison’s magnum opus including SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY #0, THE GUARDIAN #1-4, KLARION #1-3, ZATANNA #1-3 and THE SHINING KNIGHT #1-3.
Independently, each of these heroes is featured in a story arc that redefines their purpose in the DC Universe. But their stories also interweave with the other soldiers’ tales and tell a grander story of a devastating global threat to mankind. These reluctant champions must arise and work together to save the world without ever meeting one another.
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May 12th, 2012 at 11:00 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
Since its publication, Kingdom Come has become one of the most legendary stories in comic books. Written by Mark Waid and featuring the painted artwork of Alex Ross, it’s an Elseworlds tale that shows the DC Universe of the future; classic heroes like Batman and Superman aging, a younger fresher set of heroes looking to take their place. It won five Eisner and Harvey Awards, including Best Limited Series and Best Artist, and it couldn’t have deserved those accolades more.
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KINGDOM COME TP
Eisner Award-winning artist Alex Ross provides an amazing new cover painting for this new edition of KINGDOM COME, which features a deluxe foldout cover only on its first printing! (Subsequent printings will not include the foldout.)
Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Ross, this is the unforgettable, best-selling tale of a world spinning inexorably out of control. Waid and Ross weave a tale of youth versus experience, tradition versus change, and what defines a hero. KINGDOM COME is a riveting epic that pits the old guard – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and their allies – against a new, uncompromising generation of heroes.
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May 12th, 2012 at 10:55 am - Best Book You Didn't Read -
 Last time I read Son of the Gun Vols. 1 & 2 which was one of the grimiest, noirest, crime-iest, crime stories I’ve read in a long, long time. It was great! But after reading something that intense I needed a break. I needed a good mindless action movie in comic book form. I found that in KINGDOM: CALL OF THE WILD, written by Dan Abnett, illustrated by Richard Elson, published by Rebellion.
Sometime in the far future, man has gone into hibernation. Many years ago, the insects of the world mutated and grew to giant size. They quickly started eating everything in sight including people. As the world crumbled, the last vestiges of humanity placed themselves in suspended animation to escape the bugs. Before going to sleep, humanity created a race of genetically engineered dogs which were trained as soldiers. While mankind slept, these dog soldiers would scour the earth and destroy the insects so that man could return. This is the story of one such dog-soldier, Gene the Hackman, in the land of Auxtralia as he battles mogrel packs of canine soldiers, vicious bugs, and even humans who have managed to survive in a very crazy world.
Dan Abnett is a staple of the comic book industry both here in America and in England, too. This collects his work published in 2000AD, which you don’t often see on the stands so I was excited to read it. If you’ve read Abnett before then you know what you are getting. As expected, this is an action packed story with enough characterization to carry you between the really big explosions. Abnett has his tongue firmly in his cheek for the entire book. Every character’s name is some version of a modified movie star. There’s Gene obviously, Clara Bow (named such because her weapon of choice is a bow), and many others. Our hero is a modified dog so Abnett uses more dog analogies in the book than you can throw a stick at. It’s fun and silly and keeps the book from getting too serious. It doesn’t make you think too hard and moves at such a quick pace that you can’t help but enjoy the ride.
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May 11th, 2012 at 6:12 pm - Shawn's Reviews -
 Going to have to disagree with Rusty this week. I was not much of a fan of Wolverine and the X-Men #10, since that issue had characters turn their back on Logan, while Cyclops showed up "once and for all" to find out which side Wolverine was on. Guys, we just hashed that out in Schism. It’s only been ten issues. I am guessing not much has changed. I felt it was the first issue where the progress of this awesome book was finally impeded by the crossover. Hey, I have liked Marvel’s recent little crossovers (I even reviewed one this time around), but the new issue of Wolverine and the X-Men and New Avengers 26 felt like both were trying too hard to pull the Marvel Universe together. Both did not make the cut this week.
INVINCIBLE #91
Image Comics
Written by Robert Kirkman
Pencils by Ryan Ottley
Inks by Cliff Rathburn
The case of mistaken sides and small character moments are on display in this month’s Invincible. We know that Mark survived being exposed to the virus and that Dinosaurus saved Mark after being badly beaten by Freddie Mercury. As Mark has a conversation with Dinosaurus’ alter ego we get a glimpse into what Mark thinks both about Dinosaurus and about Mark’s own brother, Oliver. I thought these statements speak volumes about these characters that have done some questionable things in the past.
In the middle of their conversation Atom Eve, the new Invincible, Oliver, and Allen converge on their location and try to take down Dinosuarus. This is because Freddy Mercury lied to Atom Eve about Dinosaurus trying to kill Mark, and so we have an obligatory superhero fight via misunderstanding. During the course of the fight Mark punches Allen and his arm literally falls apart.
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May 11th, 2012 at 11:00 am - Best Book Weekly Poll -
We have to give it up for Earth 2 #1, which totally put a hurting on the poll last week, beating out its nearest competitor (Avengers vs. X-Men #3) with twice as many votes! Detective Comics #9 also had a good showing and all three were excellent.
We’ve got lots of different choices for you this week, so let’s not hesitate! Tell us…
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May 10th, 2012 at 11:10 am - Best Book Nominees -
 Did see the Avengers movie. As did most of the United States. Broke $200 million! Liked the Avengers movie. As did everyone I’ve talked to. I’ve been told it’s the greatest movie of all time! Now, I’m not a big fan of most comic book movies. But I will be jumping on the Avengers bandwagon. Do think it’s the best Comic Book movie I’ve seen. Although I am partial to Speed Racer. Don’t laugh! It’s awesome! And when Batman comes out this summer. And when Spider-Man comes out this summer. When any comic book movie comes out from now on. My only question will be, “Was it better than the Avengers?”
Nominees!
Starting with the Avengers vs. X-Men tie-ins. Three titles! Liked them all. All worthy of nominations!
NEW AVENGERS #26 – The Iron Fist parts are great. The Iron Fist/Phoenix girl is great. But Leonardo Da Vinci? Seriously? I know there are some SHIELD fans out there. But. Seriously? That book, and what happens in that book, needs to stay in that book.
WOLVERINE AND X-MEN #10 – Wolverine and Cyclops talked. And talked. And talked. And I liked it. Thought it was a conversation that we needed to have. Also liked that some of the X-Men left to help Cyclops. It all just makes sense to me.
X-MEN LEGACY #266 – Gave us the perfect one-panel recap on why the Avengers are fighting the X-Men. And Rogue crushed Thor on page one and Captain America on page two. Too bad it was a daydream. Frenzy baiting crazy as crazy can be Moon Knight was also highly entertaining.
Batman The Night of the Owls tie-ins. Three titles! Liked them all. All worthy of nominations!
BATMAN AND ROBIN #9 – Was my favorite of the three. Robin was great. Loved how he took charge. Did do some pages on Gotham in the year 1778. Batgirl did some pages on Gotham circa 1946. And I really like how they have been building the history of Gotham City throughout the Bat-books recently. If you’re curious where the Gotham history started, look no further than the Batman Gates of Gotham trade.
 BATGIRL #9 – You know what annoys me about Batgirl? She always loses the fight! It’s utterly ridiculous and needs to be rectified. This issue was more about Commissioner Gordon, the GCPD and the Talons. Loved the Owl Signal.
BATMAN #9 – Was good. Batman beat up some Talons with the help of his pet dinosaur! But was almost a placeholder for the crossover and seemed to be treading water waiting for all the tie-in issues to come out so it can bring us to a climatic conclusion next issue. Which I’m sure it will.
More nominations!
CAPTAIN AMERICA #11 – Maybe for the first time since the renumbering. Shock to the System Part One. The Scourge is back! He’s killing super-criminals under witness protection. It’s up to Captain America to stop him! Diamondback and Dugan were great. Art was great. Story is off to an excellent start.
DEATHSTROKE #9 – Say what!? By Rob Liefeld!? Are you kidding me!? I kid you not. Should have been issue one. A much better portrayal of Deathstroke. Plus Zealot. And Lobo. Who was awesome. Are you kidding me? I kid you not!
FAIREST #3 – Continued to tell us Rose Red’s history. Still not done. It is quite the story. Love the imp, the Snow Queen and the art! And I would currently rank it ahead of the main Fables book. At least for now.
FATALE #5 – Said the end of act one. It was a very exciting ending. All sorts of stuff happened. Not totally sure what all of it meant. But it was all very exciting. Will be interesting to see how much the setting and the players change, if at all, in act two.
PUNISHER #11 – Was an internal affairs interview with Detective Seever. Which was the only “real time” story. Everything else was told as a flashback from the detective’s perspective. Mentioned Rachel Cole-Alves. The Punisher is looking for her. Carlie Cooper was in it. Shawn, along with many other Spider-man fans, will be happy to know she’s moved on with her life and seems to have no intention of dating that Parker boy again. Plus the Punisher capped a boat load of Zombies!
SUICIDE SQUAD #9 – and RESURRECTION MAN #9 really read like one complete story. They were both good. Really like that Suicide Squad is usually either Deadshot or Harley centered. Think those are the right characters to showcase. And we’re not done with Resurrection Man just yet. The crossover probably helped the title and I’m curious to see what happens next.
 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10 – They blew up Washington DC this issue. Literally. Reed launched an anti-matter attack. DC is virtually gone. Secretary of Energy Howard is now the President of the United States. And to top it all off Reed enacted the “Invincible under the Sun” protocol. Which while I also have no idea what that means, it sounds damn impressive, and things are not looking good. Unless you’re rooting for Reed Richards to conquer the entire world! And I so totally am.
WALKING DEAD #97 – Do you hear motorcyles? Oh. It’s only four guys. You want what? You want our stuff? I don’t think so. Andrea? Pkow! Pkow! That’s two. Michone? Svaash! That’s three. Here’s a head. Go tell your boss theirs a new sheriff in town. And his name is Rick Grimes! BTW – Welcome home, we’re moving, I’m pregnant, I only remember violence, kiss me Rick, and Abraham and his buddy are about to become payback!
Also think GREEN LANTERN #9, INVINCIBLE #91, and BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #9 all deserve nominations. All good books but I have nothing to say about them today. I do have something to say about MARVEL ZOMBIES DESTROY #1 (OF 5). It featured Dum Dum Dugan, Howard the Duck and Nazi Zombies from another dimension! And that speaks for itself.
Best Book of the Week? Well. You know my default is the Walking Dead. Did anything beat it this week? Punisher came close. Ultimates came close. But no. Nobody did. Poll with be interesting. I’m never sure how y’all will react to each individual issue of the Walking Dead. Knew Earth 2 would win last week. It was good. Just hope they haven’t pulled a Houdini on us cause I have no idea what to expect in issue #2. Anyhoooww. Poll goes up tomorrow! Vote it up!
See ya!
Rusty
May 9th, 2012 at 11:18 am - Best Covers of the Day -
 Happy Wednesday, readers! Many, many good covers to pick from today. I honestly had a difficult time narrowing it down to just four picks! BUT! I soldiered on, I manned up, I sallied forth, and four covers is what you’ve got. I don’t think you people appreciate the SHEER AGONY I go through on a weekly basis to bring you this column. I am tortured right to my very soul wondering whether or not the right decisions have been made! And when I say "tortured to my very soul" I mean "I think about it for a few minutes while I’m checking Facebook for the latest kitten videos."
WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN #10
Cover by Chris Bachalo
Gotta go with Wolverine and the X-Men as the most eye-catching cover of the day today. Keep your tired old action shots for another time, because Chris Bachalo is just gonna give you Cyclops’ head! The TOP HALF of Cyclops’ head to be exact, almost as if he’s peeking over a wall at you. "I see you, reader," he says. But wait! This IS an action shot! Check out Cyclops’ glasses and you’ll see a very angry headmaster with his claws out. Very cool.
On a side note, I also have to say that the way Cyclops is shown here reminds me of the penguin from that Wallace & Gromit flick "The Wrong Trousers." Am I wrong?
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ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #10
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