You’d think the week after the biggest day of the year in comic book world would be a little on the light side, and in some respects it is, but there are also some downright huge books coming out!
We’ll start with DC’s Brightest Day #1! To quote a sultry singer of old, it’s a new dawn, it’s a new day… and everyone in the DCU is feeling good. A couple of other big #1′s from DC, too. Look for Superman: War of the Supermen #1, which Jim feels is DC doing things the right way. And don’t miss the new Vertigo series I, Zombie #1! (Not to be confused with iZombie, which would be pretty cool.)
From Marvel, the story is X. We’re getiing Astonishing Spider-Man Wolverine #1, the debut of a new series from superstars Jason Aaron and Adam Kubert, plus Uncanny X-Men #524 and X-Men Hellbound #1, both Second Coming tie-in’s! And, Spectacular Spider-Girl #1 and Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #2!
I know I swore off superheroes but I can’t help myself some days, especially when it’s a book that I grew up with like HARDWARE. Written by Dwayne McDuffie with art by Denys Cowan, published by DC’s Milestone line, Hardware was one of the great new titles that I fondly remember from the 1990s. This book collects the first eight issues of the original series.
Hardware is the story of Curt Metcalf, a brilliant scientist working for a large corporation. When he approaches the owner of the company, Edwin Alva, about receiving royalties for his inventions, he is informed that he is little more than a dog and will get nothing. As you can imagine, this angers Metcalf. While reviewing his work contract in an attempt to get more money, he learns the company is corrupt and involved in many, many illegal activities. Metcalf develops a series of weapons and armor, a la Iron Man, to battle Alva and the corporation and goes to war with them.
It should come as no surprise this is a well written book because Dwayne McDuffie is the author. McDuffie has a flair for creating exciting superhero stories and this book is no exception. The stories race along at breakneck speed with plenty of action and lots of character development.
Lots and lots of comics this week. And I thought going in that the Everything Else category could easily provide the winner this week as it was a tremendously strong lineup that included SCALPED #37, NORTHLANDERS #27, GI JOE COBRA II #4, INCORRUPTIBLE #5, STUMPTOWN #3, and INVINCIBLE #71. All quality titles. All previous best book winners.
And while I thought both Marvel and DC comics had a pretty good night, I personally enjoyed THOR #609 quite a bit and the Punisher portrayal in ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1 was a beautiful thing, I think its high time we add the WALKING DEAD to our best book winners list.
So without further ado I am declaring WALKING DEAD #71 as the Best Book I Read this week.
Suppose you want some reasons. Cause if you read it you probably thought, that was good, another solid issue, nothing spectacular but I liked it. Which is always a "problem" with such a consistently good title. So Reason #1, it needs some single issue love! And I do love the Walking Dead.
Reason #2, Carl is the man! Just check out the cover! And he has more sense than the rest of them combined. Pappa Rick tells Carl to relax, take it easy, enjoy being a kid, we’re safe now that we’ve found this great new place to live. Carl’s response. "But dad, what about when we leave here? I don’t want to get used to this, it’ll make us weak. I don’t want to die." Out of the mouth of babes and a shocking observation to the stunned Rick.
Reason #3, a few pages later Andrea basically expresses the same opinion to Rick, adding what will we do when these new found friends of ours actually find out how screwed up our little group is? Rick’s response with an evil smirk on the last page, Are you kidding? Have you been watching these losers. If they ever try anything we’ll just take this place from them and make it our very own. Another classic Walking Dead moment! Forget the shave and a haircut, crazy Rick is already back!
If you’re not reading the Walking Dead you definitely should. It is so much more than a zombie book. Highly recommend starting with the first trade paperback. Actually a lot of you are already reading the series in trades versus the single issues….which gets us back to Reason #1. And in fact, we sell more Walking Dead trades than any other title and it is the only comic we sell more trades of than the singles. Just goes to show you how good the series is.
No Week in Review on Sunday. We will be taping a Cosmic Comix Conversation! And of course, Free Comic Book Day is Saturday!
I feel like I’m getting old because I want so desperately to start this off with, “You kids don’t know how good you have it nowadays.”
That’s right, forget the economy. Forget that volcanoes erupt in Iceland or that the Orioles suck badly even for them, and that a film like The Back Up Plan can do better at the box office than the film adaptation of Andy Diggle and Jock’s The Losers. (What is wrong with the movie going public?) So with all of these things in mind, you might want to ask why I say that you kids have it so much better? Four words: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY.
It actually seems like an idea I might have had when I was 11. Free comic books. Mmmmm. Sadly, they were never free, not when I was a child. Now it is a yearly event, during which all of the publishers in the industry can try to entice new readers or convert current fans (or both) into giving the comics they put out on a monthly basis a chance. I like to think of it like Festivus for comic book fans.
As you may or may not have heard by now, there’s a little movie called Iron Man 2 opening next weekend. By most accounts, it will be the biggest superhero movie EVER. No exaggeration! It’s riding on the wave behind this Saturday’s Free Comic Book Day, the biggest day of the year for comic book stores. Put them together — the biggest superhero movie ever combined with the biggest day of the year for comic book stores — and I guarantee you they will form like the Wonder Twins. We may just create a wormhole from all the power! (For aliens to come and attack us.)
So, in honor of Iron Man, I had to go with the All-Iron Man Variants edition of the Best Covers column. You probably remember a while back I told you about Marvel’s Iron Man by Design variant covers line. Well, a bunch came out this week and I loved them! (This included an Invincible Iron Man #25 Iron Man by Design variant, which I found a little too meta.)
THUNDERBOLTS #143
The credit for this Iron Man design goes to Greg Horn, and it appeals to one of my all-time favorite things. (No, not Deadpool covers, wise guys) I’m of course talking about pinball, the greatest game of any kind in the history of gaming! Including Trivial Pursuit!
As you can see, Iron Man’s innards are a mind-boggling array of bumpers and flippers, and around his body are tracks, blinkers, dingers and donkers worthy of a Bally- or Williams-made table. Tommy would be impressed.
You’ve seen mention of Drew Rausch here before: he’s a former subscriber and longtime friend of Cosmic Comix, a talented artist who appeared at FCBD a few years ago. He moved to the west coast a while back and recently did some excellent work on SLG’s Sarah Winchester.
These days, he’s been working hard on a comic called ELDRITCH!, which, as he says, is "a comic action horror sci-fi adventure drama that injects a big fat gob of decaying Lovecraftian awfulness straight into the oily face of sunny Botoxed California." How can you not like the sound of that?
Anyway, Eldritch! is in this month’s Zuda competition over at the DC Comics website. (Zuda is DC’s webcomics imprint.) The winner of the competition gets a year-long contract with DC Comics. Now, we’re not telling you how to vote… BUT I think you know what side our bread is buttered on.
And Drew has some advice for those voting: after you vote for the strip, add it to your favorites and give it a five-star rating. This all gets logged in and counted for the winner! So vote! Contest ends April 30.
Hey, this is a big week; no if’s, and’s or but’s about it. A ton of great reading all leading into Free Comic Book Day and then leading into May, which has more new series being launched by Marvel and DC then I have seen in a very long time.
Let’s steer away from the capes and tights and give you the scoop on the other category to start the week.
First up is Madame Xanadu #22 from DC’s Vertigo imprint. This series is one of my top 10 series right now and there are two main reasons: the story and the art. The art is absolutely gorgeous and if it is possible I think I have a crush on you, artist Amy Reeder Hadley, because you can draw so well. She has a fluidity to her work that makes it come to life and has what is flat out the prettiest line work in the business. Matt Wagner is telling great arcs that are building a larger world for Madame Xanadu. What makes it even better is that Matt places all of this firmly in the normal DCU, even though it is a Vertigo book. This issue guest stars John (Martian Manhunter) Jones.
Next up is Stumptown #3 from Oni Press with Greg Rucka on words and Matt Southworth playing pencils. The publishing schedule on this series could use a little push, but with Rucka leaving the DC nest for now maybe this series starts to come out on a regular basis. Check the store, as I think there is still copies of issues #1 and #2 around if you need to catch up. (Indeed there are! – Ed.) This is a noir type tale set in the modern day with our private eye being a woman named Dex. Well-written and well-drawn, nothing to not like about this book.
From Abstract Studios we have Echo #21. If I have not sold you on this book yet, I need to try harder. This is a very literate comic that has a rich story and compelling characters. Terry Moore is a writer/artist at the absolute top of his game doing what will go down as the best work of his life. Trades are around to fill in the blanks, but I’m betting if you read an issue or two you will be hooked. The lead character is Julie Martin and the metal that has attached itself to her body is giving her the echo of its creator Annie. This book has assassins, political intrigue, science fiction, spies, mothers, lovers, car chases, bad guys, good guys and more. This series is the real deal.
It’s a day that ends in “y,” so that must mean we’re getting another Marvel teaser! You know, because everything at Marvel these days is a big tease. Today it’s a teaser for Shadowland, the upcoming “street level heroes” by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan. This one featuring Punisher shooting Spider-Man in the crotch! (Seriously, that’s what it looks like!) Am I the only one that wishes David Aja was doing this? Speaking of which, what has he been up to lately? Hmm?
Grant Morrison has been doing the rounds to talk about Bruce Wayne’s return and Batman & Robin. One of the highlights is that after Batman & Robin there will be another series Morrison writes for the new Batman status quo. He says he has another two-years’ worth of stories untl he’s finished with Batman. He also says his Multiversity series might come out in Summer 2011.
New Vertigo series American Vampire is now sold out of the first issue. Issue #2 came out last week. It’s been a fine new addition to the Vertigo stable of comics and features Stephen King’s first actual comic book writing. (Not just a based on story by credit.) Don’t miss out. There will be a second printing of the first issue.
I’ve got a bone to pick with Marvel. It seems that Spectacular Spider-Girl is now moving from an ongoing to a four-issue mini-series. Writer Tom DeFalco has issued a calling for fans to please pre-order the book so Marvel can see the interest early, mostly in hopes for it to be an ongoing. (Incidentally, people, if there is a series you support and you frequent a comic store, you should put it on your pull list. Looks like Marvel is looking at numbers… before the comic ever hits the stands!)
Now, my bone to pick is that fans are always saving Spider-Girl in one form or another. It has been previously canceled twice and rescued in one way or another by fans. So my question to Marvel is this: since we’ve been here before with Spider-Girl why on EARTH would you clear a new ongoing only to change your mind AFTER it was announced and before the first issue comes out? As far as I am concerned, this is poor planning and bad form by Marvel. They’re screwing with dedicated fans of the character. (This one’s for you, Matthew!) Why bother making the announcement at all? It is obvious now you had no plans on standing behind the series. Either commit or put it to bed, you fickle freaks.
ULTIMATE AVENGERS #6 Marvel Comics Written by Mark Millar Pencils by Carlos Pacheco Inks by Dexter Vines
It’s the Ultimate Avengers vs. Red Skull in a throwdown! Although I thought the ending here was quite good and very cool, looking back on the arc as a whole seemed to weaken the story. We’ve got great big Millar story beats (something he’s good at) with cool moments and choice dialogue. From issues #2-5 Cap has gone “rogue” to go after his son. The Ultimate Avengers even chase him down for a little while before going after the real bad guy. That whole subplot disappeared.
Some of the newbies are interesting but Nerd (Clone) Hulk has to go. How Cap beats the Red Skull is done well. The twist at the end with Ultimate Nick Fury was both kind of cool and messed up all at the same time. My biggest problem is that Cap is “on the run” for most of the arc, shows up and stops his son, only to get a couple lines at the end thanking Fury and that’s it? Cap went AWOL because the government lied about his having a son and that his son was a grade-A bastard and now everything’s cool? Say what? Talk about plotholes you could drive a truck through.
Gonna keep it short today. Getting ready for Free Comic Book Day! Always a lot of fun and this year should be no exception. Plenty of free goodies to be given away along with of course free comics and a storewide 25% off sale. And it all happens this coming Saturday!
On to this weeks comics! And what I thought was the second best book I read this week. DV8 GODS AND MONSTERS #1 (OF 8) from Wildstorm!
Now you know I love my Wildstorm. And Warren Ellis, who is my favorite writer as you may also know, wrote the first arc for DV8 way back in 1996, but it only lasted for a couple years and while I probably read the Warren Ellis issues at some point, I know I didn’t read the rest of the series. Why do I mention this? I recognized exactly one character in this issue. Going in just as blind as you are.
Did have Brian Wood’s (Northlanders, DMZ) name attached to it I was very interested to see what was what. And what we got was a team of teenaged superheroes stranded on a mysterious primitive planet. They have no idea why they are there. We have no idea why they are there. One by one the members of DV8 start disappearing. Lost in the wilds of their new planet.
Come to find out that the various tribes of the planet have each adopted a member of DV8 as their “god”. Being primitive people, super powered individuals would seem like gods to them. Makes sense. And as the book is titled, Gods and Monsters, you can see where this is all headed. Pretty much gonna be Lord of the Flies. And I’m in.
Excellent set up. Excellent first issue. See where it goes from here.
As you almost certainly saw by now (and FOR SHAME if you didn’t), in the days before Free Comic Book Day we are putting certain items out on the tables at fantastic prices.
Joining the Silver Age comics on the back table are several boxes stuffed with trade paperbacks and they’re all available for 50% OFF! You’ll find all sorts of stuff in there, running nearly every genre and publishing company in comics! And every single trade paperback in those boxes is 50% off! Come on by!
Jeff Smith’s new adventure series RASL is a stark, sci-fi series about a dimension-jumping art thief, a man unplugged from the world who races through space and time searching for his next big score – and trying to escape his past. It’s this week’s Trade Paperback Spotlight! And we’re offering the Pocket Edition, which measures 6 1/2" x 9" and collects seven issues in one heart-pounding book!
[And if you never got around to reading his breakthrough (and awesome) series Bone, there's no time like the present!]
RASL
POCKET BOOK ONE TP
$17.95
Collected in this new pocket edition is the hard-boiled, sci-fi tale of Jeff Smith’s inter-dimensional art thief known only by the strange four letter word found spray-painted at the scene of a crime: RASL. It’s a sci-fi/noir tale of violence and corruption where murder and passion mix with folklore and cutting-edge physics.
Holy smokes, this week looks like a big one! A bunch of good books coming out but we’ll give the nod to Ultimate Comics Avengers 2 #1 from Mark Millar and Leinil Yu. Also from Marvel this week, several Siege books including Thor #609, New Avengers #604, Mighty Avengers #36 and Siege Secret Warriors #1. Plus, Invincible Iron Man #25, Captain America #605, Fantastic Four #578 and more!
Over at DC the story is the Trinity: Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman! For Supes, we’re getting Superman #699, Superman Last Stand of New Krypton #3 and Action Comics #889. For Batsy, Detective Comics #864 and Gotham City Sirens #11. And Finally for Wonder Woman… Wonder Woman #43! Plus Scalped #37, Northlanders #27 and Madame Xanadu #22 from Vertigo.
It’s also a double Kirkman week with Walking Dead #71 and Invincible #71 from Image. And finally, we’re looking forward to Stumptown #3, Terry Moore’s Echo #21 and Incorruptible #5!
Four second-generation Justice Society of America heroes are grouped together to make up the second series of action figures based on the art of Alex Ross!
Just as Geoff Johns’ "Thy Kingdom Come" story arc has brought the Kingdom Come Superman into current continuity, this series of action figures also features a fully articulated, original sculpt of the character.
Figures included: Cyclone, Stargirl, Hourman and Kingdom Come Superman!
Each figure features multiple points of articulation and a base.
MARVEL MINIMATES
1ST APP X-MEN FOUR-PACK
Featuring Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Iceman, and Beast, with this set Minimate-aholics will be able to complete their set of the founding X-Men with the First Appearance Angel available in Marvel Minimates Series 31. Cyclops, Marvel Girls, and Beast include interchangeable heads so you can show the heroes behind the masks – Scott Summers, Jean Grey, and Henry McCoy.
MARVEL MINIMATES
X-FACTOR FOUR-PACK
This box set of X-Factor Minimates features new versions of Beast, Cyclops, Iceman, and Marvel Girl as they appeared in X-Factor #1! Cyclops and Beast include interchangeable heads allowing you to show the heroes under the masks. Iceman includes his Ice Blast Accessory.
DC HEROES WAVE 12
NIGHTWING ACTION FIGURE
Some of DC Comics’ greatest heroes join the DC Heroes action figure line from Mattel with these new 6" action figures.
Each features a detailed sculpt based on their comic book costume, multiple articlation points, and accessories.
In case it wasn’t obvious, I love old comics. I love Bronze Age books. I love Silver Age books. But, I really love Golden Age books because they’re new to me and so different from everything else on the market today. I also love foreign books because I enjoy seeing how other cultures use comic books to tell stories. There aren’t many chances to combine my love of Golden Age and Foreign material, so when it does happen I’m thrilled. And this week’s book, BLACK BLIZZARD by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, published by Drawn & Quarterly, is the perfect combination.
From the back cover: "Susumu Yamaji, a twenty-four-year-old pianist, is arrested for murder and ends up handcuffed to a career criminal on the train that will take them to prison. An avalanche derails the train and the criminal takes the opportunity to escape, dragging a reluctant Susumu with him into the blizzard raging outside. They flee into the mountains to an abandoned ranger station, where they take shelter from the storm. As they sit around the fire they built, Susumu relates how love drove him to become a murderer. A cinematic adventure story, Black Blizzard uncovers an unlikely love story and an even unlikelier friendship."
Black Blizzard was one of the first gekiga books. The same way that Eisner stopped creating comics and started creating graphic novels, Tatsumi stopped creating manga and started creating gekiga. Written in the late 1950′s, Black Blizzard is written for an adult audience and is crime noir at its finest.This isn’t today, ultra-gritty, ultra-grimy and ultra-violent crime. This is 1950s style noir with a good man placed in a very bad situation. While the overall situation may be cliché by today’s standards, the execution is flawless.
For the second week in a row a DC book that I have been enjoying on a regular basis breaks through to win Best Book of the Week. Last week it was Secret Six. This week it is Brave and the Bold.
J. Michael Straczynski became the regular writer for the series with issue #27 and each issue showcases different characters of the DCU in self contained stories. Now, his first two attempts were ho hum at best, okay, the Flash/Blackhawk team up in issue #29 was downright awful but with the release of issue #30 and the addition of the tagline, Lost Stories of Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow, on the cover the series really started to find its groove and I have liked every issue since.
This week’s issue, BRAVE AND THE BOLD #33, featured Wonder Woman, Zatanna, and Batgirl. And it wins cause if you are reading comics to feel an emotional attachment to the characters it can’t be done better than this.
Had the potential to go heavy cheesecake and the story starts out with Zatanna recruiting Wonder Woman and Barbara Gordon for a girls night out. They go dancing. And a good time is had by all. And if that would have been all the book was I probably would have been fine with it.
But about two thirds of the way through the issue Zatanna and Wonder Woman are shown crying and you’re not sure why. Come to find out that Zatanna has had a premonition about Barbara Gordon’s future.
Got to remember this is a lost tale of yesterday and at this point Barbara Gordon is Batgirl. And if you read any current DC comics you know Barbara Gordon is no longer Batgirl. And you probably know why. And that’s how the book ended.
Very emotional issue. Would have to be a heartless bastard not to have felt something. Happy at the beginning. Sad at the end. Actually makes you want to cry. Very well done.
The folks that are bringing us the Grant Morrison documentary are also delivering a Warren Ellis documentary in 2011. This little trailer is wonderfully moody. It’s Warren Ellis with a cigarette, whiskey and some haunting imagery. CAPTURED GHOSTS coming next year. I will find a way to own it. Yes. (I also want to check out that Morrison doc.)
Last week, at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), there was a DC Nation Town Hall. Toward the end of the town hall, after a round of questions directed at the fans who were asked what they would do if they were given the job of co-publisher of DC Comics, Jim Lee wanted to offer his answer as well. Which isn’t fair since he really IS a co-publisher for DC. Jim Lee said: “Lower the price of monthly comics.”
He went on to say that price isn’t necessarily an issue for “committed fans” but it is for the casual readers. “It completely doesn’t exist in any other business,” he continued, “You guys are very, very selective. You will pay more for certain creators, and sometimes you are blind to the price point because you are so passionate about it.” Lee finished by saying that for new readers price is absolutely an important issue.
Now I don’t want to get your hopes up in hearing Lee say this. Prices won’t be dropping overnight. The best we have at the moment is that a co-publisher for DC Comics thinks price is an issue and therefore is not defending it the way I’ve heard Joe Quesada do so often. That’s not to say Quesada is wrong, not at all. But he’s definitely not talking about the problems high-priced books cause for trying to attract new readers.
I could get into a whine fest about pricing but that is not what I want to do. Instead, I thought I would offer some ideas to share with you (and Jim Lee if he wants to put me on the payroll and trade concepts) about some of the things both DC and Marvel can do to help the pricing issue.
The following is an open letter to the readers of the Cosmic Comix website.
Dear You,
Today marks the beginning of what will surely be a good week here at The Cos. A good week for you and a good week for me. We’ve both been blessed with several titles that I believe are going to be excellent reads, including the new Crossed series by David Lapham, a new issue of Gravel, Joe the Barbarian, two Second Coming tie-ins and much more. But what I’d really like to discuss with you today is something called "the cover."
The cover is a big part of a comic book. It’s that thing that goes around the outside of the book. It acts as a protective covering that binds together the pages of comic books. And it is often the deciding factor as to whether or not you decide to buy the issue… or really it’s what gets you to notice the issue in the first place. Some covers are good, some are bad, some are downright generic, some are pure shock value. And some are good enough that I feel compelled to write you about them.
Let me begin with something called a "variant cover." A variant is something that the comic book people only send us a few of. They are very stingy with them for some reason (jerks), which kind of sucks because more often than not they are cool. Like in the case of this Justice League of America #44 variant.
What makes this cover so good, I believe, is that it touches on several of the most basic principles of aesthetic enjoyment… most notably that it has a pretty girl on it. Which immediately puts it in my good graces. Also, I love the big splash of color on the white background, a recent trend I blame solely on Apple’s iPod and Mac commercials.
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You’d think the week after the biggest day of the year in comic book world would be a little on the light side, and in some respects it is, but there are also some downright huge books coming out!
I know I swore off superheroes but I can’t help myself some days, especially when it’s a book that I grew up with like HARDWARE. Written by Dwayne McDuffie with art by Denys Cowan, published by DC’s Milestone line, Hardware was one of the great new titles that I fondly remember from the 1990s. This book collects the first eight issues of the original series.
Lots and lots of comics this week. And I thought going in that the Everything Else category could easily provide the winner this week as it was a tremendously strong lineup that included SCALPED #37, NORTHLANDERS #27, GI JOE COBRA II #4, INCORRUPTIBLE #5, STUMPTOWN #3, and INVINCIBLE #71. All quality titles. All 
I feel like I’m getting old because I want so desperately to start this off with, “You kids don’t know how good you have it nowadays.”
So, in honor of Iron Man, I had to go with the All-Iron Man Variants edition of the Best Covers column. You probably remember a while back I told you about Marvel’s 
First up is Madame Xanadu #22 from DC’s Vertigo imprint. This series is one of my top 10 series right now and there are two main reasons: the story and the art. The art is absolutely gorgeous and if it is possible I think I have a crush on you, artist Amy Reeder Hadley, because you can draw so well. She has a fluidity to her work that makes it come to life and has what is flat out the prettiest line work in the business. Matt Wagner is telling great arcs that are building a larger world for Madame Xanadu. What makes it even better is that Matt places all of this firmly in the normal DCU, even though it is a Vertigo book. This issue guest stars John (Martian Manhunter) Jones. .jpg)
It’s a day that ends in “y,” so that must mean we’re getting another Marvel teaser! You know, because everything at Marvel these days is a big tease. Today it’s a teaser for Shadowland, the upcoming “street level heroes” by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan. This one featuring Punisher shooting Spider-Man in the crotch! (Seriously, that’s what it looks like!) Am I the only one that wishes David Aja was doing this? Speaking of which, what has he been up to lately? Hmm?
New Vertigo series American Vampire is now sold out of the first issue. Issue #2 came out last week. It’s been a fine new addition to the Vertigo stable of comics and features Stephen King’s first actual comic book writing. (Not just a based on story by credit.) Don’t miss out. There will be a second printing of the first issue.
ULTIMATE AVENGERS #6
Gonna keep it short today. Getting ready for Free Comic Book Day! Always a lot of fun and this year should be no exception. Plenty of free goodies to be given away along with of course free comics and a storewide 25% off sale. And it all happens this coming Saturday!
As you almost certainly saw by now (and FOR SHAME if you didn’t), in the days before 
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JSA SERIES 2 
MARVEL MINIMATES 
MARVEL MINIMATES 
DC HEROES WAVE 12 
In case it wasn’t obvious, I love old comics. I love Bronze Age books. I love Silver Age books. But, I really love Golden Age books because they’re new to me and so different from everything else on the market today. I also love foreign books because I enjoy seeing how other cultures use comic books to tell stories. There aren’t many chances to combine my love of Golden Age and Foreign material, so when it does happen I’m thrilled. And this week’s book, BLACK BLIZZARD by Yoshihiro Tatsumi, published by Drawn & Quarterly, is the perfect combination.
For the second week in a row a DC book that I have been enjoying on a regular basis breaks through to win Best Book of the Week. 
Last week, at the Chicago Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2), there was a 
The cover is a big part of a comic book. It’s that thing that goes around the outside of the book. It acts as a protective covering that binds together the pages of comic books. And it is often the deciding factor as to whether or not you decide to buy the issue… or really it’s what gets you to notice the issue in the first place. Some covers are good, some are bad, some are downright generic, some are pure shock value. And some are good enough that I feel compelled to write you about them.
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