Keeping it short and sweet today. Talked about a load of comics on the Sunday Conversation. Including this week’s Whiz Bang! NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF HATE.
Easily one of my all time favorite series. Multiple Best Book winner in its time. Heck, as the cover states, 2007 Eagle Award winner for favorite writer, new comic book, story and villain!
Warren Ellis writes! He also wrote Planetary. Stuart Immonen draws! And he is just awesome. So good in fact that Marvel has placed its upcoming mega cross-over Fear Itself into his capable hands.
And for the next week, from Wednesday, March 2nd, to Tuesday, March 8th, the Nextwave: Ultimate Collection TP will be only $20.00!
That’s over 40% off! the suggested retail price of $34.99!
Nextwave is just flat out over the top and hilarious! And if you’re wondering, the underlying story is of course also excellent.
And this is it. The entire Nextwave series (all 12 issues) collected in this one volume! Your only complaint after reading it will be, I want more! Yes, it is that good!
Don’t fret if you’re not familiar with Monica Rambeau, Machine Man, Boom Boom, Elsa Bloodstone, and the Captain; you will be by the end of the book. Great characterization all the way around. If you’ve noticed the new and improved Machine Man running around the Marvel Universe in the last five years… guess what? He got his new found attitude in Nextwave!
Throw in Fing Fang Foom, some cuddly teddy bears of death, Forbush Man, the mindless ones and our main antogonist Dirk Anger and I can only say once again, Nextwave rocks!
The third series of WILDCATS, written by Joe Casey and featuring art by Dustin Nguyen, was truly one of the defining moments for the WildStorm team and made for some of the best comics we’ve ever read. And, as we said in the original Looking Forward column, it’s been collected before but there have been problems with quality and production and so on. Luckily, it looks like they got it right this time.
In this new title collecting issues #1-12 of the pivotal Wildcats series, Spartan decides that his team can do more for the Earth as responsible corporate citizens than heroes. But the rest of the team won’t adjust to the stuffy suit-and-tie lifestyle so easily…
Superheroes are dropping like flies, but somehow all the panelists manage to survive another Conversation!
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Here it is, the second installment of one of our newest features: the TOP TWENTY! Last month brought us the very first one, and with it came a caveat or two about the process still being ironed out and so on. Some of that still applies but this month we’re even closer!
In case this is your first time, the Top Twenty is an ongoing monthly look at two ordered lists comprising A) The top twenty single issues of the month and B) the top twenty current series in comics. How did we come up with the lists? Well, the Cosmic Comix Top Twenty Committee took several things into consideration: Best Book nominees, poll winners and poll votes, sales numbers and general buzz levels surrounding each book. Yes, your input is not only appreciated but also counts toward the rankings. So let us hear it!
Top Twenty Comics of February 2011 The Best Single Issues
GI JOE COBRA II #13 – Back-to-back winner in the Best Single Issue category. Chuckles goes out with a bang!
SPAWN #202 – An outstanding Spawn story continues. Dark, mysterious and ultimately one of the most compelling issues of the month.
TERRY MOORES ECHO #28 – Month in, month out, Echo has been killing it. Bringing the story ever closer to the ending, this issue took it to the next level AND tied it into the Strangers in Paradise universe!
BATGIRL #18 – Klarion the Witch Boy shows up for a Valentine’s Day special. It was cute, funny, well-written and just all-around good.
X-MEN LEGACY #245 and NEW MUTANTS #22 – The first two parts of the alternate timeline Age of X story, essentially the first and second halves of the same story, so we’re giving it one spot. And it’s a good spot… because it was good!
UNCANNY X-FORCE #5 – Fantomex owned this issue, which was told in a very creative way. First issue of the Deathlok Nation story arc. Hop on now!
FABLES #102 – Mister Dark is knock, knock, knockin’ on the Farm’s door. Meanwhile, Pinocchio is taking a page out of Professor X’s book. Another part one! Hoppity hop hop!
WALKING DEAD #81 – Bad news for the inhabitants of the compound. Zombies have gotten in. Which is surprising because we really thought Rick and crew were gonna be safe there for the duration. Ha!
CINDERELLA FABLES ARE FOREVER #1 (OF 6) – Loved the first Cinderalla mini-series, loved the first issue of this mini-series. Cinderella is easily the hottest fairy tale spy in comics.
INVINCIBLE #77 – Welcome to Earth, Viltrumites!
SCALPED #46 – Red Crow’s position on the Rez continues to be challenged, Dashiell’s mother continues to be dead.
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #153 DOSM – Death abounds in the Marvel U. Have to see if Ultimate Spidey makes it out alive!
BRIGHTEST DAY #20 – Aquaman got his hand cut off. And then he was unceremoniously liquified!
WOLVERINE & JUBILEE #2 (OF 4) – Definitely a surprise hit! Especially because it’s about Jubilee turning into a vampire.
THUNDERBOLTS #153 – Big fight with evil Hyperion and a big fight with monsters pushes it into the Top Twenty.
GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS #7 – That’s two months in a row that it makes the list based on votes. Keep voting!
AVENGERS ACADEMY #9 – Probation! Probation! Kick them bad kids out!
BATMAN AND ROBIN #20 – Peter Tomasi’s delayed debut cracks the Top Twenty.
SWEET TOOTH #18 – Always creative, Sweet Tooth this month featured a landscape orientation.
FANTASTIC FOUR #588 – A touching tribute to Johnny Storm fills out the list in silence.
Top Twenty Titles of February 2011 The Best Current Series
GI JOE COBRA – What more can be said? GI Joe Cobra rules.
WALKING DEAD – There is No Way Out. And the Zombies are now in!
SCALPED – We’ve said before that Scalped includes every vice you can imagine. Now you can add politics into that list.
CHEW – As we predicted last month, it fell in the rankings… a whopping one spot! This Wednesday’s issue #17 is the first of 2011. Should be worth the wait.
BATGIRL – Cute, funny, well-written, just all-around good. These are the words that seem to describe Batgirl recently. And they are 100% true.
UNCANNY X-FORCE – Definitely not an X-book for the average bear, X-Force is continuing to create a dark corner all its own.
FABLES – Fables continues its strong run as we get ever closer to some Master Dark resolution.
ECHO – Could well go down as one of the best sci-fi stories of the past five years. Only two more issues to go!
DETECTIVE COMICS – Took a little bump downward this month as the back-up story took over as the main story for an issue… but it was still good!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN – Spidey had a good month. We got a Point One issue AND the death of Marla Jameson.
BRIGHTEST DAY – Double Aquawar month. Wonder if any of the resurrected heroes will make it out alive.
INVINCIBLE – The Vilrumites ended with a deal. Should have ended with an Invincible punch through the face!
SUPERIOR – Been a while since we’ve seen an issue (almost two months), but it’s still good enough to hang in there.
COWBOY NINJA VIKING – Really wish this would come out so it can stop getting demoted.
AVENGERS ACADEMY – Stars Tigra, Hank Pym, and a bunch of kids you never heard of and yet takes a place in the Top Twenty. They must be doing something right!
SPAWN – If the Top Twenty had actually been around years ago, this would STILL be the first time Spawn got it.
AGE OF X – Little bit of a cheat, but we have to do it. The first couple installments were solid and make this one a worthy entrant into the list.
UNCANNY X-MEN – Cyclops is breaking Quarantine. Look out!
AMERICAN VAMPIRE – A strong following keeps this one in the Top Twenty.
28 DAYS LATER – Selena finally killed whoever that was. Next issue is critical… especially with it teetering at #20 on our list.
Others receiving votes for the Best Current Series
The biggest news this past week was also the saddest. Dwayne McDuffie, creator and writer of the Milestone imprint at DC Comics, passed away from complications during surgery. He worked as a writer on cartoon shows like Justice League Unlimited, Ben 10, and Static Shock. In recent years he also had runs on both the Fantastic Four and the Justice League comic. Recently McDuffie had penned the adaptation of the All-Star Superman Animated film. Rest in Peace Dwayne. Thanks for making comics more diversified, and thank you for all of the great stories. Cheers.
The First Wave books have been canceled by DC Comics. Yes, the mini-series will finish, but Doc Savage and The Spirit will be ending. Therefore we won’t be seeing the storyline J.G. Jones had written for Savage. This saddens me because I feel like it was a huge missed opportunity. The six issue mini-series took a little over a year to complete, Doc Savage was not very good, and The Spirit main story had been overshadowed by its superior back-up tales. It is a shame. I loved the main mini-series.
Marvel Senior Editor Steve Wacker will be taking over the reigns of the Marvel Adventures line. This line has been directed at younger readers, and bringing in one of their best editors to take over Marvel Adventures is to illustrate the company’s commitment towards these books. I’m curious as to how this will affect the line overall. I guess we’ll find out soon.
Opened with a totally gratuitous five-page shower scene….which was awesome!
And then Tambi walked into the room and started throwing Darcy’s name around and it was doubly awesome!
Annie/Julie is now 10 feet tall! Ivy is now 10 years old! And the Phi Collider is going to create a black hole!
As a series I have enjoyed since the very first issue gets ever closer to its last issue, TERRY MOORES ECHO #28, easily gets my vote this week.
Absolutely loved that Mr. Moore tied it into the Strangers in Paradise universe.
I’m actually happy that the series is ending, cause the story is over, no need to stretch it out, just go out with a bang, which is what Echo looks like it’s gonna do.
And, no, the forest dwelling animals (and a sea gull) have nothing to do with it.
Converstation on Sunday! Talk at you then. See ya!
Not surprisingly, GI Joe Cobra II #13 totally nuked the competition in last week’s poll. Though I am a little disappointed we didn’t have as high a voter turnout as the week before. Guess Chuckles and the cast of GI Joe Cobra don’t have the pull that Batgirl does!
This week, Rusty gave us a whole slew of nominees, starting with several double pleasures: X-Men Legacy #245 and New Mutants #22, Fantastic Four #588 and Amazing Spider-Man #655, and Justice League Generation Lost #20 and Power Girl #21. Also, Spawn continues its mystifyingly good run and Scalped is, well… Scalped! Plus, I added the new Iron Man 2.0 series, fan-favorite American Vampire, Avengers #10 and more!
What was the best book of the week?
Terry Moores Echo #28 (11 Votes)
Fantastic Four #588 (6 Votes)
Detective Comics #874 (3 Votes)
Amazing Spider-Man #655 (2 Votes)
X-Men Legacy #245 (2 Votes)
A fine line-up of choices. Sadly, I don't see my favorite. More in the comments! (2 Votes)
Double the pleasure. Double the fun. With a double dose of Best Book Nominess this week.
Don’t really see how you can separate X-MEN LEGACY #245 Age of X Part One from NEW MUTANTS #22 Age of X Part Two. Same writer. The first one ended the second one picked right up from there. Liked it all. Good pace. Good story. Totally digging the Age of X. As my Gram always said, you can’t beat butter with a toothpick.
Both FANTASTIC FOUR #588 and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #655 went silent in mourning for the first half of the issue as the deaths of Johnny Storm and Marla Jameson last issue sink in. Thought both were well done. Can’t believe they both came out the same week. Probably liked FF a little more as Spidey went dreaming in ASM and I’m not a fan of that. Thought the most interesting page was Annihulus and his so called evidence. To which I would reply, that is not evidence, this is!
Which brings us to JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST #20 and POWER GIRL #21. Which are more intertwined than ever as the Max Lord story rolls on. I prefer my Power Girl. I know lots of you out there prefer your Generation Lost. It might help them all if someone wrote down on a piece of paper, MAXWELL LORD IS ALIVE.
And I’m counting that as three. Which means I got seven more picks!
DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #884 – Yep. Deadpool Team-Up. Cover was great. The Watcher was hilarious. And sometimes. Sometimes. They get Deadpool right.
DETECTIVE COMICS #874 – Jim Gordon? Jim Gordon!?!? Where’s my crazy albino man-bat? Part three? Part three!?!? Where were parts one and two? Oh. The back up stories were part one and two. Oh. Usually don’t read those. This was pretty good though. Better go back and read those back up stories.
MORNING GLORIES #7 – Because I like the overall concept, the cheerleader cover was great and this issue actually made sense.
SCALPED #46 – Because it’s Scalped!
SPAWN #203 – Another good issue. Pace could be faster. But I say that about most books.
TERRY MOORES ECHO #28 – Opened with a totally gratuitous five-page shower scene.
UNCANNY X-MEN #533 – Convenient! Fast-Acting! Easy to use! I want to be Adam-X!
Last week, we announced the final field of contenders for the COSMIC MADNESS 2011 TOURNAMENT! As you know, the tournament is set up just like the NCAA Basketball Tournament, with the deciding factor for each "game" being, "Who is the best superhero team?"
The first games are scheduled for MARCH 9. But before those first votes are cast, we wanted to give you a chance to review the teams to see how they’re composed. Below, the match-ups and teams in each of the four regions!
And, to make this year that much more awesome, you can fill out your own bracket for a chance at winning prizes! Brackets will be available this Wednesday, Feb. 23. Come by the store, pick one up, fill it out, and win! (Just remember to bring it back of course.) The grand prize is a $100 gift certificate to Cosmic Comix! More prizes will be announced in the coming weeks. Keep reading to learn even more…
Today is an important day, my friends. Even from the basement of Cosmic Comix News Corp., which is where the Best Covers desk resides, we can see it. As the Whiz Bang bangs along and the second installment of our other new feature, the Top Twenty, comes this weekend, there’s still something even bigger taking off today… Cosmic Madness! More on that subject later today, but I wanted to give you a little tease for how good a day it’s going to be.
So, yes, while major revolutions are taking place in the Middle East and corrupt decades-long dictatorships are being overturned, our concern here is but one thing: COMIC BOOKS. And more immediately, the covers of those comic books.
DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #884
It might come as a surprise to some of you, but sadly none of the teams that Deadpool formed over the run of Deadpool Team-Up made the cut for the Cosmic Madness tournament. Which is really too bad because I think the team-up of Deadpool and Franken-Castle could have made a deep, deep run.
As for this cover, how can you not love it. As for me, I love it enough to break my own moratorium on Deadpool covers! The Watcher, doing what he does… in Deadpool’s bathroom. I especially like that the bubbles in the bath are pink, indicating that Wade has a preference for Mr. Bubble brand bath bubbles. Verrrrry slick, product placement, Marvel. Very slick indeed.
BTW, is the toy Deadpool is playing with supposed to be a SHIELD Helicarrier toy? Hard to tell, but I think so…
It’s a new era for the ASTONISHING X-MEN! As Warren Ellis’ run comes to a close, so begins Daniel Way’s. And from the sound of it, he’s taking the series toward a whole new genre: horror!
ASTONISHING X-MEN #36
Written by Daniel Way
Pencils & Cover by Jason Pearson
Not all monsters are easy to spot — some of them live among us, undetected or long forgotten. Some of them live inside us, in the dark corners of our hearts, feeding on our secret fears of loss. But in the Marvel Universe, most of them live on Monster Island. Or, at least, they did. A mysterious exodus is underway; monsters spilling onto nearby shores – with catastrophic results – and it falls upon a small group of X-Men to both save the population from destruction and to solve an imposing riddle: What are monsters afraid of?
New series writer Daniel Way (Deadpool) is joined by superstar artist Jason Pearson to bring you a widescreen, mega blockbuster story filled with classic Kirby monsters, heart-stopping revelations and over-the-top action!
I guess those nearby shores are Japan, because Daniel Way said, "Let’s just say the X-Men go to Japan because it’s what they do; both for those whom they protect, and for one another."
While previous trips to Japan have included ninja attacks and glimpses into Wolverine’s history, this excursion pits the X-Men against aspects of Marvel’s history: giant creatures on the run from Monster Island.
"With Jason Pearson handling the art I just had to go with the biggest and the best [Marvel monsters]: Monstro, Fin Fang Foom-hell, all of ‘em," says the writer.
Sounds pretty cool, and obviously a good place to jump on. Astonishing X-Men #36 comes in on Wednesday!
This Wednesday marks the debut of IRON MAN 2.0 #1, from writer Nick Spencer and artist Barry Kitson! Spinning directly out of Invincible Iron Man, “This is an ‘evolve or die’ story,” said Spencer. “This [series] is all about challenging the way Rhodey operates, the way he fights, even the way he looks at the world.”
Here’s the official take:
IRON MAN 2.0 #1
Written by Nick Spencer
Penciled by Barry Kitson
New mission! New armor! New Iron Man! Lt. Col. James Rhodes is War Machine…the single most advanced one-man weapon of conventional combat. But wars aren’t fought?the way they used to be – and when Rhodey has to face a?mysterious enemy he can’t shoot, can’t bomb, can’t even see, he’s going to be forced to evolve…or die. Find out why War Machine becomes Iron Man 2.0 in the 3-part launch arc?of this all-new ongoing series! By breakout sensation Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Action Comics) and the legendary Barry Kitson (Incredible Hulks, The Order)!
From status quo to supporting cast to threats to the way he’ll be approaching the Marvel Universe, everything will be new for James Rhodes in Iron Man 2.0, hence why Spencer feels the armor change became a necessity:
“Rhodey is facing a new challenge that’s different from anything he’s ever come up against before. This new adversary is a symbol for the changing face of war in the new century, and to face it, War Machine will have to undergo a dramatic overhaul. He’s changing the way he fights, going from essentially a walking tank to something faster, stealthier and more versatile. The new armor allows Rhodey to cut through the static and work with deadly precision.”
The X-Men lead the way next week with several members of the family set to put out new issues. Look for X-Men #8 and Uncanny X-Men #533; X-Men Legacy #245 and New Mutants #22, which are the next two chapters in the Age of X saga; AND the long-awaited Astonishing X-Men #36! Also from Marvel, Avengers #10, Secret Avengers #10, Fantastic Four #588, Invincible Iron Man #501, Iron Man 2.0 #1, Thor #620 and more! Big week for the House of Ideas.
Over at DC, look for Detective Comics #874, which marks the beginning of a new storyline in a so-far excellent run by Scott Snyder. Also, Action Comics #898, Green Arrow #9, Power Girl #21 and JSA #48. Plus, hard not to like a double shot of Scalped with both Scalped #46 and the Scalped Vol. 7 TP!
My first choice is easily the PUNISHERMAX HC. Jason Aaron (Scalped) brings his brand of punishing to the Punisher. Introduces the Kingpin. Heck introduces the Punisher. Violence and depravity abounds!
Personally I need to read the ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK HC Loved the first issue. Second issue was also great. Then we waited over a year for issue three to come out and I have no idea how it ended. Know I liked the beginning. Now I will have to read the end.
The Illuminati have recently showed up again in the pages of Avengers and the NEW AVENGERS: ILLUMINATI HC is where it all begins. I do hate the Illuminati as a concept. I find it a all a little silly. And Captain America isn’t happy either! Although this is a good read and if you like the idea of the Illuminati it is a must have.
Captain America does indeed jump through time in the CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN HC. The Death of Captain America is of course a big event in Marvel history and you could check it out just for that reason alone. Or you can read it for this.
We got your Hawkeye and Mockingbird series, we got your Widowmaker mini-series, and this past week we got Hawkeye Blind Spot #1. Hawkeye is going blind! Hmmm…does that make him Daredevil…Anyway it all started with the NEW AVENGERS: THE REUNION HC. Mockingbird is back from her time with the Skrulls but does she still love Hawkeye?
Well, we had a great time with the 79¢ Back Issue Overstock Sale – even let it go on for an extra week – but the time has come for new business. It’s another bang-up Whiz Bang this week as we’re offering no less than SEVEN different Marvel Premiere hardcovers for just $10.00 EACH! This week only!
You probably remember a few weeks ago when we had the Fantastic Four hardcovers for sale, and that one was such a hit that we decided to it again, except this time we’ve expanded beyond just the FF! We’ve got Punisher, Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man and more!
So, from Wednesday, February 23, to Tuesday, March 1, seven Marvel Premiere HCs are available for the bargain price of just $10.00! Normally they go for $20.00 or $25.00 apiece, which makes this Whiz Bang worth OVER 50% OFF!
All Whiz Bang hardcovers are listed below, starting with Jason Aaron’s Punisher!
PUNISHERMAX: KINGPIN
PREMIERE HC $24.99 $10.00!
Written by Jason Aaron
Penciled by Steve Dillon
An all-new story from the acclaimed team of Jason Aaron (WOLVERINE: WEAPON X) and Steve Dillon (PUNISHER: WELCOME BACK FRANK), two guys who were born to tell the exploits of Marvel’s most brutal vigilante. Wilson Fisk is a bodyguard for mob boss Don Rigoletto, but he has his eyes on a much bigger prize, and he’s gonna use Frank Castle to help him realize his dreams. It’s the biggest story in MAX history, as we witness the birth of the greatest villain the Punisher has ever faced. Collecting PUNISHERMAX #1-5.
It’s time once again to cover all the exciting releases set to come out a couple months down the road from publishers NOT called Marvel or DC. You’ll get some Dynamite, some Image, some Dark Horse and even some IDW! If you’re wondering what Marvel and DC have lined up for the month of April, wonder no more! We’ve already covered them, here and here.
So let’s get right into it with a property that’s been one of the hottest in all of comics!
GI JOE VOL 2 #0
IDW PUBLISHING
Cobra Civil War begins here The Commander is dead! Long live… Cobra Commander?! But the questions is, who will be the NEXT Cobra Commander?! The role of Commander must be filled-now the most lethal and cunning Cobra operatives will compete to reign supreme. The winner – he who kills the most Joe’s – will take the reins of Cobra! Bonus: Ninja Force! Yeah, baby! 30 big pages of story at regular price! This is the place to jump on board and see what everyone’s been talking about!
You’ve heard us talk about GI Joe Cobra almost too many times to link here. (Almost!) A monumental event brought GI Joe Cobra #13 to a close and now it’s time to start the Cobra Civil War, which will apparently affect the regular GI Joe book too! This zero issue will mark the beginning and then after it there will be a GI Joe #1 and a Cobra #1.
We have good news and bad news this week as some books sadly make the chopping block (curse you DC!), Canada’s superhero team makes a triumphant return, Lois Lane passes away, and two unsuspecting comic book properties get the video game treatment. It is all right here my dear, twisted, little Heathens. So come on in and learn about the things I learned about.
Marvel has released all of these teasers for Fear Itself recently seeing various characters attempt to pick up five different Thor-like Hammers with each teaser reading: Who Are Worthy? I doubt we are going to get a Thor Corps (of course with Marvel you never know), so does this have anything to do with the supposed “God of Fear” appearing in the series? I guess time will reveal all.
It looks like DC is using the impending Flashpoint to end a number of low performing series. Batman and the Outsiders #40, Doom Patrol #22, Freedom Fighters #9, R.E.B.E.L.S. #28, and JSA All-Stars #18 will be the last issue of their respective series. Some of the creators on these books will find themselves working on Flashpoint books, but no one knows if any of these titles will be rebooted in the aftermath of Flashpoint. Doom Patrol and REBELS specifically were critical darlings here at the store. They had a passionate fanbase. I’m sorry they did not sell a bit better to secure a place in DC’s lineup.
Last week I read Meat Cake, which was as far out into left field as you can get in comic books. While I enjoyed it, I needed something more ordinary this week. Actually, I needed huge amounts of ordinary, so when I saw that a second volume in the Miss Don’t Touch Me series has been released, I immediately knew what I was going to read. This week I read Miss Don’t Touch Me Volume 2, written by Hubert, illustrated by Kerascoet, published by NBM.
Our heroine Blanche is back! Now, having brought her sister’s killer to justice, she is trying to escape her life as a dominatrix in a Parisian brothel. But escape is not as easy as one would expect when you are a highly sought-after commodity. Along the way she manages to become embroiled in brothel politics and power grabs, be reunited with her mother who abandoned her as a child and, surprisingly, find love.
Miss Don’t Touch Me Volume 1, first published way back in 2009, was one of my picks for best book of 2009, so Volume 2 came with very high expectations. I am happy to report Volume 2 is even better than Volume 1.
Quite a week at the Best Book Weekly Poll! We had a record number of voters making it an all-out battle between Batgirl #18 and Spawn #202… with Batgirl ultimately coming out on top. Don’t wanna get too much into it, but we will say that the artist on Spawn has some friends in Poland and they were turned onto our little poll somehow. And Batgirl? That’s another story altogether! Guess she’s got some fans of her own. But, to quote Joe Jackson, it’s alright. It’s a nice warm-up for Cosmic Madness 2011!
So let’s keep those votes hot and heavy as we go into this week. Rusty gave us a fine list of nominations, including Avengers Academy (starring Taskmaster), Justice League of America (starring Eclipso), Supergirl (starring Damian), Uncanny X-Force (starring Deathlok) and Wolverine and Jubilee (starring… well… you know who). I’ve also thrown into the mix Garth Ennis’ newest series Jennifer Blood, the start of a new arc in Wolverine, a new Silver Surfer mini-series and more! So…
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GI JOE COBRA II #13 – Back-to-back winner in the Best Single Issue category. Chuckles goes out with a bang!
GI JOE COBRA – What more can be said? GI Joe Cobra rules.
The biggest news this past week was also the saddest. Dwayne McDuffie, creator and writer of the Milestone imprint at DC Comics, passed away from complications during surgery. He worked as a writer on cartoon shows like Justice League Unlimited, Ben 10, and Static Shock. In recent years he also had runs on both the Fantastic Four and the Justice League comic. Recently McDuffie had penned the adaptation of the All-Star Superman Animated film. Rest in Peace Dwayne. Thanks for making comics more diversified, and thank you for all of the great stories. Cheers.
Opened with a totally gratuitous five-page shower scene….which was awesome!
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Double the pleasure. Double the fun. With a double dose of Best Book Nominess this week.
Last week, we announced the 
It’s a new era for the ASTONISHING X-MEN! As Warren Ellis’ run comes to a close, so begins Daniel Way’s. And from the sound of it, he’s taking the series toward a whole new genre: horror!
This Wednesday marks the debut of IRON MAN 2.0 #1, from writer Nick Spencer and artist Barry Kitson! Spinning directly out of Invincible Iron Man, “This is an ‘evolve or die’ story,” said Spencer. “This [series] is all about challenging the way Rhodey operates, the way he fights, even the way he looks at the world.”
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The X-Men lead the way next week with several members of the family set to put out new issues. Look for X-Men #8 and Uncanny X-Men #533; X-Men Legacy #245 and New Mutants #22, which are the next two chapters in the Age of X saga; AND the long-awaited Astonishing X-Men #36! Also from Marvel, Avengers #10, Secret Avengers #10, Fantastic Four #588, Invincible Iron Man #501, Iron Man 2.0 #1, Thor #620 and more! Big week for the House of Ideas.
Thought we might check out 
It’s time once again to cover all the exciting releases set to come out a couple months down the road from publishers NOT called Marvel or DC. You’ll get some Dynamite, some Image, some Dark Horse and even some IDW! If you’re wondering what Marvel and DC have lined up for the month of April, wonder no more! We’ve already covered them, 
Last week I read 
