We’ve recommended GI JOE: COBRA for a long time now. It is truly an excellent series, and arguably the best GI Joe book on the stands… especially if you are NOT a GI Joe fan. It really reads like a crime or espionage book.
GI JOE: COBRA VOL. 1 TP
$19.99
G.I. Joe has an enemy. But until now, that enemy has remained hidden. Join undercover agent Chuckles on his descent into the world of Cobra. His mission is to obtain valuable intel for the G.I. Joe team, but he just might sacrifice his soul to do it. This volume collects issues #1-5, plus the 5-page prequel, as well as the Xamot and Tomax follow-up!
After a slower "fifth week" of comics last week, it’s back to business this week with a strong lineup from both DC and Marvel!
Starting with DC, Grant Morrison’s tale of a young Superman continues to dazzle us so we’re stoked about Action Comics #4! Also from DC’s New 52, look for Scott Snyder’s Swamp Thing #4, the always eye-opening Animal Man #4 from Jeff Lemire, Tony Daniel’s Detective Comics #4, Red Lanterns #4, Stormwatch #4 and more! Plus, Penguin: Pain and Prejudice #3, Sweet Tooth #28 and Hellblazer Annual #1.
From Marvel, the lead-off hitter is clearly Defenders #1 from the superstar team of Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson! Dr. Strange, Silver Surfer, Iron Fist and Namor! Also look for the second issue of Avenging Spider-Man! Plus, Fear Itself Fearless #4 (of 12), Villains for Hire #1 (of 4), Moon Knight #8 and more! One final shout goes to the Criminal Vol. 6: Last of the Innocent TP. One of the best Criminal stories ever!
Over at Image, we’re obviously excited about Chew #22! Also from the publisher, Spawn #214 and the buzzing Strange Talents of Luther Strode #3.
Time for the Cosmic Comix Top Twenty! If you’re wondering what the good comic books are out there, this is the place to be. And in November, there were plenty of good ones! I would even say there were plenty of GREAT ones!
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 November 2011 The Best Single Issues
BATMAN #3 – After taking the top spot with its first issue, Batman does it once again behind an incredible story, a Best Book nod, and a mighty victory in the polls.
FEAR ITSELF #7.1: CAPTAIN AMERICA – Though all three issues of the Fear Itself epilogue were very, very good, this one gets the #2 spot because it told us everything we wanted to know about Bucky… and because now we’re stoked for Winter Soldier #1!
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #4 – Highly, highly readable and thoroughly enjoyable. In a lighter week, this one shined.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #3 – It came out the same week as Batman, or else it likely would have gotten Best Book honors. All action, all the time. And Wonder Woman was flat-out awesome.
COBRA ONGOING #7 – A perfectly orchestrated brawl made this one Rusty’s best book the week it came out.
RACHEL RISING #3 – Every issue of this series has been excellent and we have recommended it every time. Rachel rises from the dead! Hilarity ensues (along with violence and emotional moments). This one was good enough to get Best Book and a poll victory.
SCALPED #54 – You will likely not find a better comic book than Scalped. For scale, emotional depth and quality of story. And this issue hit all the high points. Not an easy one to just pick up out of the blue, but too good of an issue not to get a high ranking.
AQUAMAN #3 – Fish monsters are probably about what you’d expect in an Aquaman book, but these guys are extra nasty. Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis are doing a fantastic job.
DMZ #71 – It may have won Best Book, but not many people read it so we couldn’t give it a spot in the top five. We heartily recommend the trade paperbacks. If you’re wondering what to get during the Year-End Sale…
FANTASTIC FOUR #600 – You’ve probably heard most of what can be said by now – It was huge! Johnny Storm! – but it really was a great read, well worth the $7.99.
WALKING DEAD #91 – Walking Dead strikes again! Talk, talk, talk. As usual, nothing happened. But it proved once again that it is one of the most consistent reads in comicdom.
JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #631 – It took me a little while to come around on this one, but I have to agree with Rusty and Shawn: it is outstanding. If you want the full story of Thor and Asgard, you need to read it!
PUNISHERMAX #19 – Another grisly issue of Punishermax. Old Man Castle is on a tear.
KICK-ASS 2 #5 – A great issue, with plenty of asses being kicked, but it loses points for not getting to the Hit-Girl soon enough!
SECRET AVENGERS #19 – When I read this issue I said, "Well that was stock Warren Ellis." And then Rusty said, "He’s not even trying!" Believe it or not, both are compliments. Warren Ellis rules.
PENGUIN PAIN AND PREJUDICE #2 (OF 5) – One of the buzz books from DC right now and NOT part of the New 52. The story of the Penguin. You thought he was a joke? WRONG.
I, VAMPIRE #3 – The New 52 dark horse scores another great issue. Vampire intrigue!
After a one month hiatus we are back! The New DC 52, Fear Itself, the Walking Dead comic and TV show, and much, much more are all discussed!
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Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool has once again unearthed the Watchmen 2 rumor, except this time it may very well be more than a rumor. Nothing has been made official by DC Comics, but the current rumor points to Darwyn Cooke showrunning a series of mini-series prequels that takes place before the Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons classic. Andy Kubert, Dave Gibbons, J. Michael Straczynski, JG Jones, and maybe even Joe Kubert are rumored to be involved. If this is true I am against it. I expect them to be decent, even good, but Watchmen was an innovative work at the time. Anything they do now will be strictly derivative.
A near-mint copy of Action Comics #1, that was owned by Nic Cage, has been sold at auction for $2.16 million. It is now the most expensive comic book ever sold. It sounded like they did not even get a discount on it!
Gareb Shamus has resigned as Wizard World President, CEO and Director. What this means for Wizard World moving forward is anyone’s guess at the moment, but I thought it was important enough to mention.
Artist George Perez will be providing the art on a Birds of Prey story (an inventory issue so it might take awhile to see the light of day), and he is also illustrating a future issue of Supergirl. Looks like post-Superman he will stay relatively busy! I would love him to do a fill-in issue of Justice League International.
It might have been a bit of a light week, but there were some fantastic comics to read nonetheless! I hope you enjoy the reviews, and Beware of SPOILERS!
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #4
Marvel Comics
Written by Jonathan Hickman
Art by Esad Ribic
The Children of Tomorrow have expanded their empire and destroyed both their neighboring European countries and the Asgardian Gods. These highly evolved race of super humans seem almost unstoppable. Right in the middle of it all Thor rescues Captain Britain before being confronted with the Maker of this new race. After being badly beaten, Thor reveals the message the Maker had back to Nick Fury and the rest of the Ultimates.
This issue works on two levels. On the one hand it is easy to follow if you are new to the Ultimates. Sure these are different versions of characters you know and love, but it is easy to follow. It also offers a completely different experience than reading the current Avengers titles. On the other hand, as a long time reader of the Ultimate line, there are quite a few threads carried over from previous stories.
Last week, I read Next Men Premiere Edition Volume 1, which was classic science fiction as only John Byrne could do. This week, I finally read a book that I have been eagerly anticipating for months: CRIME DOES NOT PAY: BLACKJACKED AND PISTOL WHIPPED, edited/written by Charles Biro and Bob Wood; illustrated by Rudy Palais, Dick Briefer, Bob Montana, George Tuska and many more; published by Dark Horse.
I wanted to read Crime Does Not Pay (CDNP) because it is one of the most influential comic book series ever published. For those who don’t know, CDNP was the first crime comic ever published and at the height of its popularity it was outselling Superman by millions of issues per month. The trade paperback collects stories published between 1942 and 1948, and includes stories about high profile criminals such as Charles “Lucky” Luciano as well as lesser known criminals like the undertaker who cut off the heads of his clients and mounted them on his wall. All the stories are real and all of them are incredibly violent. EC Comics got blamed for the creation of the CCA, but CNDP was just as bad, if not worse.
The one thing that immediately jumps out at you in this book is the level of violence. It is incredible how much damage one person can do to another and Biro and gang weren’t shy about showing it on panel either. For example, a man smothers his mother with a pillow on one panel and then sets her on fire to cover up his crime in the second. Then there is the splash of a man with a bullet hole in his head dripping blood, not to mention the cover! By today’s standards the violence isn’t very graphic. There are plenty of scenes of violence but it isn’t like the graphic detail of Superboy ripping people’s arms off.
I read a lot of comics. And I tend to just read the next comic on the pile without looking at the front cover. So sometimes it takes me two or three pages before I realize what title I’m actually reading. Heck, sometimes after three or four pages I still don’t know and have to look! Never have that problem with GI JOE COBRA.
You open it up, one of the myriad of GI Joe character says, "I’ll never be Cobra Commander," or more recently, "I’ll never be G.I. Joe," and you automatically know what comic you’re reading. Just makes me happy. And it is a different character speaking every issue. And while you may not be totally familiar with the character speaking, after three or four pages of their respective back story you definitely are.
But that is all prelude to the main story in Cobra #7. Steeler, the traitorous Cobra spy, tries to make his escape! Firewall, Chameleon and Lady Jaye set out to stop him! What followed was an over-the-top, down and dirty, 10-page fight scene that was absolutely fantastic! Featuring guns a-blazin’, face punches, kicks to the jaw, a knife to the gut, a shiv to the ankle and, last but not least, a bullet to the head! It was great!
Really got the adrenaline pumping. Just exhausting to even read. And your exhaustion was mirrored in the comic with an equally fantastic last page. The four combatants are sprawled on the ground, totally spent, maybe alive, maybe dead, each lying in a pool of their own blood. The only words on the page? "Oh God" and "Continued"!
Cobra #7 another great issue in one of my all time favorite series. Can’t recommend it enough. Although at this point maybe I can. Nah! Read it up!
On an unrelated note, Black Spartacus Heart Attack Machine! See ya!
A heavy voter turnout last week and a surprising victor! Plus, the top four spots all belonged to DC Comics. Very impressive. Okay, okay, I’ll tell you the winner… Shade #2! The second issue of James Robinson’s Starman-based mini-series took it down in style, with I, Vampire #3, Scalped #54 and Aquaman #3 right behind.
Things were a little on the light side this week, but there were plenty of good books to choose from. But enough of this chit-chat. Get to votin’!
What was the best book of the week?
Hmm, I think I'll have to order off-menu on this one. The best book was... (5 Votes)
Andy got me sucked in to watching The Fabric of the Cosmos. It’s part of the Nova series on PBS. Here’s the official synopsis of the show:
"The Fabric of the Cosmos," a four-hour series based on the book by renowned physicist and author Brian Greene, takes us to the frontiers of physics to see how scientists are piecing together the most complete picture yet of space, time, and the universe.
It is highly entertaining and informative. Talks about time travel, quantum mechanics, the existence of a multiverse. Just touches, scientifically, on a lot of the concepts we see week in and week out in comics and on TV. Just watched a Stargate SG-1 rerun of Carter getting sucked into a parallel universe. The Big Bang Theory throws a lot of physics references around. Rasl is deep into Nicholas Tesla and alternate worlds. And this week’s entry into Top Cow’s Pilot Season contest was THEORY OF EVERYTHING #1. Here’s the first page. It’s a murder mystery featuring… alternate universes! And also the last of the Pilot Season books for 2011. Voting opens on December 5th! I’m going with The Beauty. Catching an STD is not necessarily a bad thing. Instead of pain, suffering and becoming a social pariah, you turn into a beautiful person. And the world is full of beautiful people!
Nominees! It was a light week. Coulda stretched. SPACEMAN #2. THUNDERBOLTS #166. STAR TREK #3. (Don’t laugh, it was pretty good.) But decided against it. So you only get eight this week.
ANGEL & FAITH #4 – So ends a very good first arc. The Mohra demon blood will not be bringing Giles back to life. And if you thought Wolverine channeling Professor X was funny, Angel channeling Giles was downright hilarious!
COBRA ONGOING #7 – Girl fight! Okay, it was three highly trained GI Joe women pitted against a Cobra spy but, nonetheless, GIRL FIGHT!
DAREDEVIL #6 – So ends a very good first arc. They sure are making a big deal of Marcos Martin leaving the book. Virtually apologizing for it on the letters page. He is a great artist but so is Paolo Rivera and I think the title will continue to excel without any problem. Marcos is headed for another top secret project from Marvel and the internet rumor mill is awhirl with a potential Howard the Duck/Dazzler team up!
FABLES #111 – Looks like Winter is going to be the new North Wind. Looks like Bufkin got hanged! His attorney was great. He opened with, "The quicker you confess to all your crimes, the sooner I’ll be in a position to negotiate the most humane form of execution for you." And ended with, "Congratulations, Bufkin! You’re going to be hanged today" — "Oh? And that’s good news why, exactly?" — "Because hanging is very humane. I argued them down from having you eaten alive by Tiger Beetles, because I’m just that good a lawyer."
GOBS #3 (OF 4) – Mentioned my love of Gobs and basically anything by Richard Moore in the past. Always worthy of a shout out. I do like it a lot. The Chip trade came out this week, too. Enjoy!
ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #4 – Another excellent issue. Thought Ultimate Thor was going to bite the dust, too. But no. The high octane, large scale production that has been the Ultimates toned it down a notch this issue and settled into a status quo. The City has stopped its outward expansion. Conquering Europe seems to be enough at this point. You leave us alone and we will leave you alone is their new mantra. And I thought it was the right direction to take with the title. The pace was so fast, the world would have been conquered in two more issues and this ain’t a mini-series! Loved the Asgard bits. They may all be dead but we’re not done with them yet. And even liked the big reveal at the end. Read it up!
UNCANNY X-MEN #2 – The return of Mr. Sinister has been great. He’s totally toying with Cyclops and his team at this point. And I do believe he’s as powerful as he’s being portrayed. Gonna be interesting to see how they eventually defeat him. Although the best part of the book was probably Hope as a sharpshooter. "What kind of idiot actually puts a target on his forehead?" was a great line. Now I’m rooting for an X-Men/Walking Dead crossover so we can see who is a better shot: Andrea or Hope?
X-MEN LEGACY #259 – Does get downgraded as it’s set before Uncanny X-Men #1 and Wolverine and the X-Men #1 and a large chunk of the issue is devoted to Rogue’s decision about which team to join. Really should have come out a month or two ago. But that’s an editorial snafu. The issue itself was great. Seems a psychic hitchhiker came back with the team from outer space. And the whole second half of the issue really built up the anticipation as to who this mysterious hitchhiker might be. It was really well done and I couldn’t wait to find out how it was. Thought it might be Phoenix. Or maybe even Nightcrawler. Turned out to be Ariel. And I will have to google her to find out exactly who she is/was but it was still great.
Conversation on Sunday. Finally! Sale starts on Wednesday. Hurrah!
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After a slower "fifth week" of comics last week, it’s back to business this week with a strong lineup from both DC and Marvel!
SCALPED – It takes quite a book to keep Batman down. And that book is Scalped. Incredible how good it really is. (
Rich Johnston at 
It might have been a bit of a light week, but there were some fantastic comics to read nonetheless! I hope you enjoy the reviews, and Beware of SPOILERS!
Last week, I read 
I read a lot of comics. And I tend to just read the next comic on the pile without looking at the front cover. So sometimes it takes me two or three pages before I realize what title I’m actually reading. Heck, sometimes after three or four pages I still don’t know and have to look! Never have that problem with 
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Andy got me sucked in to watching 
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