AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30
Vertigo (DC) Comics
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Rafael Albuquerque
Pearl and Skinner Sweet are still hunting down this new brood of vampires in Hollywood during the 1950s. While they are dishing out some delicious violence (there are mountain lions involved), Pearl seems to be literally retracing her footsteps while she was alive in the 1920s as she loses herself in despair that Henry may never wake up again.
We learn how the Order has pacified Skinner, but there is a hint that he is laying the groundwork of his own plans. Though he appears to be somewhat reformed and shows that he cares for Pearl in his own way, she was the one that almost succeeded in killing him. The final pages of the issue proves that Pearl may have gone to a point of no return, and that secretly Skinner has exacted his revenge.
This was one of the best and most heartbreaking issues to date. I honestly care less for the Vampire Coven plot as I do seeing how the story-threads have developed since the first arc. Henry, Skinner, and Pearl were all there at the beginning and this issue marks a turning point forever for these characters. I am captivated by how the creative team put it together, and as a fan I am brokenhearted in what this means for my favorite characters.
A solid voter turnout for last week’s poll led to several title vying for the top spot. But, there had to be a winner. And that winner — the best book of the week as determined by you, the people — was Rachel Rising #10! Great choice. But like I said, it was a close race and Scalped #60 and I Vampire #12 were both only behind by one vote! All three of those titles are well within the top ten of our Best Current Series list… or at least they WILL be.
Moving on to this week, Rusty put up several nominees for your consideration, but I also added in a few of my own! The Goon #41 was good as always, while Journey into Mystery #642 kicked off "Everything Burns"… and everything is quite literally burning! Speaking of everything burning, Spaceman #9 brought that mini-series to a close and Locke & Key turned out a solid one-shot.Plus there was plenty more! But enough about me…
What was the best book of the week?
Green Lantern Annual #1 (8 Votes)
Wolverine and X-Men #15 (5 Votes)
Goon #41 (3 Votes)
American Vampire #30 (2 Votes)
Winter Soldier #9 (1 Votes)
Uncanny X-Force #30 (1 Votes)
Powers #11 (1 Votes)
Whoa mama! That is a massive list! But even STILL, I don't see my favorite. Which was... (1 Votes)
Now and then I like to talk about Now and Then captions and how much they drive me crazy! PHANTOM LADY #1 (OF 4) opened years ago. Now was on page two. SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1 opened Three Thousand Six Hundred years ago. That was so long ago it took us to page four until Now appeared. NATIONAL COMICS LOOKER #1 opened with a Then, and was at least kind enough to wait until page five before giving us the Now.
I am not picking on DC comics today. For the King of Now and Then made its triumphant return this week. MORNING GLORIES #21. Captioned thusly. Four Years Ago. Now. Four Years Ago. Now. Two Years Ago. Now. Two Years Ago. Now. Two Years Ago. Now. Two Years Ago. Now. Although to be fair, it was a 36-page comic so they had a little more time…
And it is was a sad, sad week for Marvel Comics. Nah. The comics were fine. Just some broken hearts!
Eight Nominees!
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30 – Automatic nomination. Every time. Opening caption read 1929. It was the only time caption in the entire issue. The majority of the story took place in the 1950s! And you do not want to know were Pearl is!
ANGEL & FAITH #13 – I continue to enjoy. Had a gigantic Gozilla-ish creature that spewed dark matter energy. And Kangaroos.
AVX VS #5 (OF 6) – First fight was Archangel vs. Hawkeye. Hawkeye went Wolverine. Hawkeye won. Arrow Claws! Second fight was Storm vs. Black Panther. Storm punched Black Panther in the face! What a terrible husband you are. Give me a kiss. And while there were no lawyers present, no paperwork signed, I’d have to call that a divorce! It was really good.
FF #21 – Say it isn’t so? Another merry Marvel matrimony is in jeopardy? Sadly, it is so. Crystal of the Inhumans and Ronan of the Kree, very unhappily, part ways. The political alliance that brought them together, this goes way back to the War of Kings days, has changed. And their marriage is “annulled” by Supremor and Black Bolt. Many tears were shed. It was also really good. And I really appreciated the closure. War of Kings was great!
GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 – Well, I just loved it. I’m probably way late to the party but, I finally understand what the Guardians have been up to this whole time. The whole no free will. Building a third army. The first lantern. And Black Hand was great. And I don’t know if I was supposed to know, but I surely didn’t know, about this other group of Guardians, but that was also great. And the back-up story actually added something of consequence. Great end to the first year.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12 – Okay. It’s the Justice League. Should I just get the back handed compliment out of the way first? The dialogue was not quite as bad as in the past. You can pick your own. This was a good issue. The Steve Trevor/Wonder Woman dynamic really came through. It all tied back to the Justice League tell-all book we saw many issues ago. Thought it rounded out the first year of the series pretty well. Plus, Superman and Wonder Woman did kiss. And it actually made sense why they were kissing. And I loved the ads in the back. Coming in the second year. Coming in 2013. The double page spread of the new series. And no talk about DC having too many Justice League titles. Justice League International is no more. So consider it an upgrade!
UNCANNY X-FORCE #30 – Sympathy nominee! I made it through the entire issue! Is Apocalypse back? Always did like the Shadow King.
X-O MANOWAR #4 – Will also get a nominee. I like the series. And this issue was good. Introduced something new at the end. Made me curious. Had one major problem with the issue. It was titled, c’mon take a guess, you can get it, you almost got it… Then & Now.
See ya!
Rusty
PS – Chew is the KING of time captions! In a good way.
PPS – I’m gonna have to go with GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1 as the Best Book of the Week!
Whenever we get to this time of the year, when the youngsters are out waiting at the bus stops and the teachers are all moaning to everyone who will listen about how short summer is, all I can think of is the little ditty that Adam Sandler sings in Billy Madison: "Back to school, back to school…" Yep, it’s Back to School time, folks. All over this great country of ours. And you can bet that we here in the Cosmic Comix newsroom are cognizant of it, too… especially me… because I’m about to take all these guest columnists to school on how to write a great Best Covers column! HEY-O-O-O-O-O-O!
AQUAMAN #12
Variant Cover by Robot Chicken
Come on. How could I not pick this cover? I’ve literally never seen a single episode of Robot Chicken — save for a few clips my sister sent me featuring Admiral Ackbar, which are awesome — but even still this one made me laugh.
Why? Several reasons. Mainly, it’s a pretty funny notion that Aquaman has dumpstered the entire roster of the Justice League, and now stands atop the pile of bodies like an early 20th century bodybuilder. (Though I wonder how he’d fare against the Justice League of America and the vicious Vibe!) But I also really like his stupid smile. That’s sort of how I imagine myself looking after I’ve had a few drinks.
Though some of the most interesting action in DC Comics will take place in the Annuals — about which we posted on Sunday — certainly one of the most talked about comics of the week is Justice League #12! Most sources, including the cover of the issue itself, seem to indicate that Superman and Wonder Woman will GET! IT! ON! And plus of course that Shazam story has been fantastic.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #12
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Jim Lee & Various
"THE VILLAIN’S JOURNEY" part four!
The team struggles to stay together as they try to combat their newest foe.
A shocking last page that will have the world talking!
Continuing the origin of SHAZAM!
And the only other New 52 title set to come out is Aquaman #12. This issue marks the conclusion to "The Others," and I guess we’ll find out who Black Manta is working for! Also, I have to tease the Robot Chicken Variant cover for this issue. It’s amazing! More on that tomorrow…
Also this week, look for Before Watchmen: Minutemen #3 (of 6). It’s easily been in the top tier of the Before Watchmen titles and Darwyn Cooke has been doing a knock-out job.
Finally, we wanted to give a shout to National Comics: Looker #1. This marks the second of DC’s new stand-alone series, telling one-and-done stories, exploring some of The New 52′s characters that, while cool, don’t currently have an outlet for their tales. The first issue focused on Kid Eternity and it was very, very good. This one is written by Ian Edgington, the man behind Marineman!
NATIONAL COMICS
LOOKER #1
Written by Ian Edginton
Art by Mike S. Miller
Emily Briggs was a top supermodel until she was turned into a vampire! Briggs uses her supernatural powers to protect the innocent as they navigate the corrupt world of high fashion and modeling! A fresh, sexy take on a classic DC character!
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
Because I don’t feel like I’ve given this series enough credit, just on a personal level, I’ll give the lead this week to Avengers vs. X-Men #5 (of 6)! It really has been good, with some of the fights being totally off the meter. And this issue promises two quality match-ups!
AVX VS #5 (OF 6)
Written by Matt Fraction, Jason Aaron
Art by Leinil Francis Yu, Tom Raney
The premier tie-in to AVENGERS VS. X-MEN marches on!
BLACK PANTHER VS. STORM!
ANGEL VS. HAWKEYE!
There’s one other AVX tie-in book this week and that’s Wolverine and the X-Men #15, which features Logan leading his own team of "classic X-Men" into battle!
The two other noteworthy X-books coming out on Wednesday are Gambit #2 and X-Treme X-Men #2. Both issues debuted last month and we still have issue #1′s for both series in stock!
Next up is Journey into Mystery #642, which marks part 1 of "Everything Burns"! We had actually thought that the last issue of Thor was the first part but this Journey into Mystery clearly says "Part 1 of 6" on the cover. At any rate, we’re looking forward to it!
Finally, there’s Avenging Spider-Man #11. Not only does it boast a solid cover by Chris Samnee, but it features art by Preacher‘s own Steve Dillon! Expect Aunt May to look not unlike Grandma Jesse Custer.
AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #11
Written by Zeb Wells
Art by Steve Dillon
BOSTON! Prepare to have your sox knocked off! A 50-ft tall red-headed madwoman versus anarmy of privatized mecha-police! Care to guess who’s caught in between? Spider-Man and Daring Damsel Carol Danvers, the new Captain Marvel!
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
Leading off the Everything Else category this week is DC’s Vertigo imprint and American Vampire #30! We really can’t say enough good things about this series. It currently sits at #3 on our Best Current Series list and we’re always excited to see a new issue.
AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30
DC COMICS/VERTIGO
Written by Scott Snyder
Art by Rafael Albuquerque
Hunting vampires is thirsty work, but Skinner and Pearl must control their bloodlust as they cross more names off the vampire blacklist. Meanwhile, Henry’s life hangs in the balance! The next AMERICAN VAMPIRE epic continues in "The Blacklist" part three.
Shifting gears somewhat, all you Star Trek and Doctor Who fans should be stoked for Star Trek The Next Generation / Doctor Who: Assimilation #4! As the CyberBorg continue to carve a swath of destruction across the galaxy, the Federation is met with the possibility of assistance… but will Captain Picard and the Doctor agree to an alliance that could be worse than the enemy they face?
Over at Dark Horse, look for BPRD: Hell on Earth – Return of the Master #1 (of 4). In the Scottish Highlands, a rogue scientist who escaped the bloody massacre in B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Russia assembles a paranormal cult bent on world destruction. It’s a new mini-series, but it may be the last BPRD mini-series, as I just read that BPRD will soon be an ongoing series starting with issue #100! Pretty cool. It did get confusing there for a while with one mini-series after the next.
Also from Dark Horse is Goon #41! I’m not even gonna look at the official solicit, I’m just gonna guess that the zombie hijinks continue. And also, The Goon is gonna punch somebody! And Franky’s gonna get drunk. Doesn’t really matter, The Goon is always good.
Our final pick is also from Dark Horse: Angel and Faith #13! This issue marks part three of "Family Reunion"!
ANGEL & FAITH #13
DARK HORSE COMICS
Written by Christos N. Gage
Art by Rebekah Isaacs
The expedition to Quor-Toth has taken an unplanned turn for Angel, Faith, Willow, and Connor. While they struggle to survive the horrors that surround them, they have also taken on a mission to stage a great escape-and not just for themselves! They must act fast, before the effect that this hell dimension is having on their thoughts and emotions overcomes them!
We’ll also be getting in more copies of Saucer Country #6, featured in this past Saturday’s In Case You Missed It column!
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
IRREDEEMABLE – written by the multiple Eisner Award-winning author behind Kingdom Come and Empire, Mark Waid — was named one of comics’ best debuts, and rightly so. The series dared to ask the question: what if the world’s greatest hero decided to become the world’s greatest villain?
IRREDEEMABLE VOL. 1 TP
$9.99
The world’s most powerful hero, Plutonian, is systematically destroying the allies he once called friends, the villains he once defeated, and the past he has locked away. What would drive a hero to become the villain he dedicated his life to defeat? A "twilight of the superheroes"-style story that examines super-villains from the writer of Kingdom Come.
We’ve now had TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS of $10 Hardcovers for the Whiz Bang. First was Marvel, then DC — which is still going and lasts through Tuesday! Well… guess what, chums! We’re about to make it THREE straight weeks!
These hardcover Whiz Bangs have been such a hit with you guys that we found EIGHT more Marvel books to offer up at the $10 price. Ones you haven’t even seen yet! So, starting this week and going through Tuesday, select Marvel Hardcovers are on sale for JUST $10! As we’ve said a couple times now, these hardcovers almost always feature a complete story and are generally somewhere in the $19.99-$24.99 range. You know by now, they make for great reads and fine additions to your collection. And this week we’ve got a little X-Men: Phoenix Rising action, a couple of the very popular Marvel Noir books, David Mack’s Daredevil and much more! All available for at least 50% OFF the cover price!
This Whiz Bang lasts from Wednesday, August 29, through Tuesday, September 4! Check out the full lineup after the jump.
X-Men: Phoenix Rising HC $19.99$10.00!
She was a mutant. She was a telepath. She was dead. PHOENIX. Now, Jean Grey walks the earth again. How will her friends, her enemies, and her one true love react to the fiery spectacle of Phoenix Rising?
You might remember a few months ago when DC Comics released the the Teen Titans Annual and the Animal Man Annual. This Wednesday, in honor of the fifth week of the month, DC is following up on those with FIVE more Annuals! The 48-page issues will all pick up on existing plot threads in the New 52, including Detective Comics Annual #1 written by Tony Daniel with art by Romano Molenaar and Sandu Florea, which pits the Dark Knight against the Black Mask, who was most recently seen in Night of the Owls; or Flash Annual #1 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato, which reunites the Rogues against both the Flash and Captain Cold. And one of the most exciting is surely the Green Lantern Annual, which reunites the creative team of Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver!
Look for all five Annuals this Wednesday! Much more info after the jump!
Green Lantern Annual #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ethan Van Sciver
The conclusion of "THE REVENGE OF BLACK HAND"! Everything changes here! EVERYTHING!
Next week is what we in the comic book biz refer to as a "fifth week." Why? Because it’s the fifth Wednesday in a single month! Not quite as rare a Blue Moon (which we’re also getting this month). but just as noteworthy.
DC Comics, for example, is offering up five Annuals for the week, including: Detective Comics Annual #1, Flash Annual #1, Green Lantern Annual #1, Justice League International Annual #1, and Superman Annual #1! Also look for both Aquaman #12 and Justice League #12! Finally, there’s Before Watchmen: Minutemen #3 (of 6) and National Comics: Looker #1, the second one shot in that series, which kicked off a few weeks ago with Eternity #1.
Over at Marvel, though you won’t see the main Avengers vs. X-Men title for a few more weeks, you will get AVX Vs. #5 (of 6) this week! Also from the X-books, look for Wolverine and the X-Men #15, Gambit #2, Uncanny X-Force #30, New Mutants #48 and X-Treme X-Men #2. Meanwhile, Journey into Mystery #642 continues the epic nine-part "Everything Burns" story arc!
There’s also Goon #41 from Dark Horse, X-O Manowar #4 from Valiant, Previews and much more!
DC Comics announced that events in Justice League will find Superman and Wonder Woman taking solace in one another, and soon they will become a couple in the new DC52. There were rumors about this when the initial relaunch was announced and it took them about a year to get it going. I wonder how this will affect their regular books?
There are some Marvel Now! rumors that spouted up at Bleeding Cool the last week. Rich Johnson thinks Daniel Way and Ale Garza are relaunching X-Force. Secret Avengers may be relaunching with Kev Walker on the art and either Nick Spencer or Dennis Hopeless writing. And Brian Michael Bendis is expected to realunch Guardians of the Galaxy with Salvador Larocca.
Ivan Reis is expected to leave Aquaman after issue #16 and is rumored to be taking over Justice League once Jim Lee is finished his second six-issue stint. Rumors persist that Geoff Johns would also be leaving the title with Reis and that means Aquaman would be getting a new creative team. I am torn on this one. I like the book, but the plot moves so slow I might not mind some fresh blood on it. Not to mention there is rumored to be another Wave of new DC books in January and lots of creative shifts.
Ed Brubaker is leaving Marvel completely. We knew the creator was leaving all of his books except Winter Soldier, but now issue fourteen will be his last with Bucky and writer Jason Latour will take over the series at that point. He did not rule out returning to Marvel one day, but I would not look for it anytime in the near future. It will be hard to replace him on any of his Marvel books, and I do not envy the creators that will attempt to do so. No word on what Brubaker’s next project will be.
Welcome to the second post in our newest column, now titled In Case You Missed It! In which I shed light on a single issue from some recent week that you might have passed over for whatever reason or maybe just plain didn’t see. For example, last week I discussed Idolized #1, the start of what looks to be a fun new series from Aspen Entertainment. This week, we look to the skies and find an issue of Saucer Country from DC’s Vertigo imprint!
For those who don’t know, Saucer Country probably wouldn’t be chalked up as one of the top tier Vertigo books at the moment, like, say, American Vampire or Fables. It was one of the new school titles that started up about the same time as Fairest, New Deadwardians and Dominique Laveau Voodoo Child. In broad strokes, Saucer Country involves politics in the American Southwest — budgets, immigration, etc. — but at the same time the lead character must come to terms with the possibility that she was abducted by aliens! It’s a dark story that honestly doesn’t always hit the mark.
But the subject of today’s post, Saucer Country #6, was fantastic. And, you don’t need to have read the first five issues to thoroughly enjoy it. (That’s a quality we’ll be shooting for in this column: that you can read it without having read any other issues of the series.)
SAUCER COUNTRY #6
DC COMICS/VERTIGO
Written by Paul Cornell
Art by Jimmy Broxton
In this special stand-alone issue, discover the history of the UFO myth in all its brilliant, contradictory, terrifying detail. Real-life stories, extraordinary theories and some horrifying conclusions abound. Meanwhile, Arcadia’s team is in place to kick off her presidential campaign, but her enemies are circling too…
That synopsis gives you a feel for what to expect, and that first part in particular is what dominates this book and what makes it so good. I’m sure you all have some kind of vague idea about the history of UFO sightings, even if you don’t know that you have that idea. From friendly aliens to mean aliens to aliens that crashed in Roswell to aliens that want nothing more than to probe your nether regions, the narrative of "little green men" has evolved spectacularly through the years. And this comic, in the form of a speech being given at a conference or symposium, takes you the reader through that history in a fascinating way.
And, if I’m being totally honest, I have no idea what was true in the story and what wasn’t. But it all totally sounded true to me! And if I had to give one piece of advice it would be this: have your smart phone handy or be near a computer when you read it. You will want to Wiki EVERYTHING in the story. Like, for example, the "Pioneer 10 couple," who I would find out were part of a pictorial message that was sent out with the Pioneer 10 spacecraft in 1972. Also, Zeta Reticuli! Great stuff.
I found it all fascinating and at the same time it totally gave me the heebie-jeebies. Oh, and also it made me want to ride the Flight of Fear UFO-themed roller coaster at Kings Dominion… which, frankly, I’m surprised wasn’t featured in this comic book.
THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1
IDW Publishing
Written by Mark Waid
Art by Chris Samnee
I do not have much history with The Rocketeer. I really liked the Disney film, I have enjoyed IDW’s anthologies, and this is the first issue of a new mini-series by two of my favorite comic book creators. I really enjoyed the beginning of this one and definitely recommend it!
Cliff Secord has to save Sally when her plane runs into trouble. It runs into trouble because a government man testing the planes tried to force himself on her and when she stops his advances there is a malfunction with one of the parachutes that gets caught up in the plane’s wing. The G-man then threatens to shut the airstrip down if she told anyone. Sally confides this later to The Rocketeer though she does not know he is really Cliff.
Cliff is juggling many problems. Sally has a crush on him and disapproves of Betty, Cliff’s girlfriend. Cliff is trying to deal with this for Peabody’s sake because she is Peabody’s niece. Meanwhile, unknown to Cliff, a mysterious ship hides some rather menacing looking men on it. One of these men knows the Rocketeer’s identity and the other looks to do him harm.
I felt this was a great jump on point for new readers or old readers that had grown tired of the anthology stories. Mark Waid and Chris Samnee make the characters appealing while slowly building a fun story. They are a great team and I am glad IDW is getting top talent for this property.
FINAL WORD: A great first issue to this new mini-series and perfect for new and longtime fans!
Not surprisingly, Saga #6 crushed all comers in last week’s poll! Something tells me that book is once again going to perform well in the Top Twenty (soon to be renamed Best Book of the Month). It did have a couple challengers, though: Avengers vs. X-Men #10, which was excellent; Green Lantern #12 and several of the Bat-family books.
As for this week, Rusty put his nominees out there for your consideration. Plus, Susan added several other titles to the mix. So…
What was the best book of the week?
Rachel Rising #10 (7 Votes)
Scalped #60 (6 Votes)
I Vampire #12 (6 Votes)
Batman Incorporated #3 (4 Votes)
I've read better... (3 Votes)
Rocketeer Cargo of Doom #1 (of 4) (2 Votes)
Uncanny X-Men #17 AVX (2 Votes)
Wolverine #312 (2 Votes)
Cobra Ongoing #16 (2 Votes)
Fables #120 (1 Votes)
Batman the Dark Knight #12 (1 Votes)
Before Watchmen Dr. Manhattan #1 (of 4) (1 Votes)
Secret Avengers #30 (1 Votes)
Justice League Dark #12 (1 Votes)
Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe #4 (of 6) (1 Votes)
I am looking forward to DC’s Zero Month in September. This week’s BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #12 promised us “The Truth Behind the Death of the Waynes” next issue. And SUPERMAN #12 is threatening to tell us “What Went Wrong on Krypton.” And I am very curious to find out what the official New 52 explanation is for both! Plus we’re gonna get tons of origin stories and I love me a good origin story!
Nine Nominees this week.
BEFORE WATCHMEN DR MANHATTAN #1 (OF 4) – Was a very good origin story. I guess lots of it has been revealed before but I thought it was done great. And it time jumped (and quantum jumped) the entire issue. Which I normally hate. But that is so central to Dr. Manhattan’s character that they had to do it, and I thought they did it very well.
BRILLIANT #4 – So late. Lots of late shipping books this week. Never helps any series. First issue was not good. Second issue was better. Thought issue #3 was great. Thought this issue was even better. A fantastic bullet to the head totally changed the plot once again. For Bendis fans only! Multiple 12-panel talking head pages appear! And there is a conference table involved! But I totally think it’s worth reading.
COBRA ONGOING #16 – Zowza! It was bookended with some plot. It had a 13-page fight scene in the middle! Zowza! It was great. Second “OK Corral” dust-up for Lady Jaye and Ronin. Cosmic Madness will feature the Greatest Female Superheroes next year. We’re gonna have to do some cheatin’ and get them in the tournament! “Please get me out of this chair. My foot is bleeding onto my face” and “Need immediate medical response at the Zurich extraction point” sum up the issue nicely. Third best book of the week!
DEADPOOL KILLS MARVEL UNIVERSE #4 (OF 4) – Is now a must read mini-series. Taskmaster was awesome. And Man Thing was awesome. And the ending was a very nice touch. Actually gonna get some 2nd prints of issues #1 and #2. If you don’t want to wait for the trade, if you do want to read it now, let us know we can have you all four issues in two weeks!
I VAMPIRE #12 – HA! Explained/recapped everything. Perfectly. And Stormwatch showed up. James will be happy to hear that the question of, “Who are we supposed to be stopping?” was answered with, “Just look for the guy with the white hair.” HA! And according to Mindnighter — he had binoculars and a much better look — Mary is indeed naked. HA! And the non-fight with Apollo was great. As was Twig. As was the ending. Second best book of the week!
SCALPED #60 – Just decided to win. Easily the Best Book of the Week. A great last issue caps off an extraordinary series. Even with the shipping delay I fell right back into the story and the issue reinforced to me just how good Scalped really is. And now was. Thank you, Jason Aaron. Thank you, RM Guera. Thanks to everyone involved for giving us one of the Best Comic Book Series of All Time!
SUPERCROOKS #4 (OF 4) – Had plenty of Mark Millar twist to it. It was a superhero robbery story in essence. Will have to read it in its entirety again to see how well those twists and turns actually worked. But it was very cool when I was reading it and had a very interesting ending. Will totally be a trade paperback spotlight. Keep your eyes peeled!
UNCANNY X-MEN #17 AVX – This was my complaint about the Mr. Sinister story four months ago when it started! It’s so far behind current events at this point the story doesn’t matter! But… BUT… it was good. And how they “Phoenix’d” Mr. Sinister was incredible! Plus it does look like Uncanny will catch up with the timeline next month.
Besides that, all I got to say is I hope you enjoyed your delayed copy of BATMAN INCORPORATED #3. I did like it but shipping delay and Grant Morrison do not belong in the same sentence. Not your fault, Grant! Still see no reason why we had to hold it.
And although there will still be a Voodoo Zero issue coming out and her adventures will continue in the pages of Grifter, I would like to say goodbye to my beloved Voodoo this week. VOODOO #12 summed up my feelings with one simple line. “I feel bad for you, Voodoo." As do I. If you want to know the real Voodoo, read this… or this. It will make you feel better.
(Once again, we have a guest columnist filling in for regular Best Covers writer Andy B.! This week: StEvO If you, too, have an interest in writing a Best Covers column — perhaps because you think you could do a better job… to which I say, GOOD LUCK, CHUM — just send us an email! And, as always, just click any of the covers to enlarge.)
Hello fellow fans of comic book covers! While it was my intention to go out and see The Campaign, someone needed to write the Best Covers column. Sometimes you just need to step up and be the hero… or in this case the columnist. So let’s get to it!
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #12
Cover by David Finch & Richard Friend
Not only have I always appreciated Finch’s artwork, but this cover reminds me of a bar scene. I could only imagine walking into a bar (in Ocean City, of course) with Scarecrow being the bartender.
Me: "What’s on tap?"
Scarecrow: "Batman test tube shots!"
Me: "Got anything else?"
Scarecrow: "What? Are you scared?"
Me: "Not really. I just imagine Batman leaving one hell of a hangover!"
Scarecrow: "But they’re orange flavored!"
Me: "Oh well then, I will have two!"
This Wednesday marks the release of the final #1 issue in the Before Watchmen event: Dr. Manhattan #1! The mini-series is being written by J. Michael Straczynski, who is also writing the Nite Owl title, but possibly more interesting is that Adam Hughes will be providing the art. If you don’t know that name, you surely know his work. His Power Girl covers are the stuff of legend! Anyway, we’re definitely looking forward to this one, as Dr. Manhattan is one of the most interesting characters in comic book history.
BEFORE WATCHMEN DR MANHATTAN #1 (OF 4)
Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Len Wein
Art by Adam Hughes, John Higgins
“I watch as a box containing a mystery is lowered into the soil.” And don’t miss the latest chapter of the CRIMSON CORSAIR backup epic from writer LEN WEIN and artist JOHN HIGGINS!
DC Comics’ Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan #1 comes out this Wednesday!
We’ll kick of the DC highlights this week with the book that was actually supposed to come out a few weeks ago — Batman Incorporated #3 — but, as I mentioned in the shipping post, it was delayed due to content that might have been perceived as insensitive in light of the recent events Colorado. At any rate, the first two issues were superb and we hope Grant Morrison keeps it up!
BATMAN INCORPORATED #3
Written by Grant Morrison
Art by Chris Burnham
The DC COMIC – THE NEW 52 debut of…MATCHES MALONE?? BATMAN is hot on the trail of whoever is trying to kill DAMIAN – and he’s not going to like what he finds!
Also look for one of our favorite New 52 titles in I Vampire #12! It’s been absolutely EPIC in scale and the story of Andrew Bennett’s battle against the army of Van Helsing has been incredible. Until now, Bennett has held a firm grip on the vampires around him, but this issue heralds the arrival of Stormwatch! And that firm grip of his might get a little looser.
Then there’s Justice League Dark #12. Jeff Lemire continues his run, which got off to a fantastic start a few months ago. If you’re into some of the more magical characters of the DCU — like Zatanna, Darkman and even John Constantine — this series is well worth a try.
The other book we’re really looking forward to from DC this week is Batman: The Dark Knight #12! Not long ago, Gregg Hurwitz took over on the writing duties and this series has really taken a strong turn for the better. Plus, look at that cover. AWESOME!
BATMAN THE DARK KNIGHT #12
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Art by David Finch, Richard Friend
BATMAN has been captured by THE SCARECROW, who wants THE DARK KNIGHT to be his guinea pig for the ULTIMATE fear toxin.
Don’t miss revelations about THE SCARECROW’s past!
Click here for a complete list of titles coming out this week!
As you might know, Amazing Fantasy #15 — the first appearance of Spider-Man — is dated August 1962, which makes this month the 50th anniversary of the one and only wall crawler! And Marvel has been celebrating the half-century mark in style with several special releases. You might have already seen Point One titles like: Peter Parker Spider-Man #156.1, Sensational Spider-Man #33.1 and 33.2, and Web of Spider-Man #129.1! And if you didn’t see them, come on by the store!
This week sees what it arguably the biggest of the anniversary issues in Amazing Spider-Man #692! Much has been reported about this one over the last couple of days, mainly that it’s the 50th anniversay of Spider-Man and it’s a big freakin’ deal! But also, it’s been reported that Spidey gets himself a sidekick in this issue! Will it make for an interesting update to one of comicdom’s most beloved characters? We’ll have to read it and find out!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #692
Written by Dan Slott
Art by Humberto Ramos
Special 50TH Anniversary Issue! Join us for a once in a lifetime event: the one, true 50th Anniversary Issue of the Amazing Spider-Man. A special over-sized issue harkening back to the legend the legend that started it all! Get ready for an all-new tale about a different kind of power and responsibility… Plus original stories by Dean Haspiel, Joshua Hale Fialkov & Nuno Plati!
Marvel Comics’ Amazing Spider-Man #692 comes out this Wednesday!
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AMERICAN VAMPIRE #30
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Now and then I like to talk about Now and Then captions and how much they drive me crazy! PHANTOM LADY #1 (OF 4) opened years ago. Now was on page two. SUPERMAN ANNUAL #1 opened Three Thousand Six Hundred years ago. That was so long ago it took us to page four until Now appeared. NATIONAL COMICS LOOKER #1 opened with a Then, and was at least kind enough to wait until page five before giving us the Now.
GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1
Though some of the most interesting action in DC Comics will take place in the Annuals — 
Finally, we wanted to give a shout to National Comics: Looker #1. This marks the second of DC’s new stand-alone series, telling one-and-done stories, exploring some of The New 52′s characters that, while cool, don’t currently have an outlet for their tales. The first issue focused on Kid Eternity and it was very, very good. This one is written by Ian Edgington, the man behind Marineman!
Next up is Journey into Mystery #642, which marks part 1 of "Everything Burns"! We had actually thought that the last issue of Thor was the first part but this Journey into Mystery clearly says "Part 1 of 6" on the cover. At any rate, we’re looking forward to it!
Our final pick is also from Dark Horse: Angel and Faith #13! This issue marks part three of "Family Reunion"!
We’ve now had TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS of $10 Hardcovers for the Whiz Bang. First was 
Next week is what we in the comic book biz refer to as a "fifth week." Why? Because it’s the fifth Wednesday in a single month! Not quite as rare a Blue Moon (which we’re also getting this month). but just as noteworthy. 
DC Comics announced that events in Justice League will find Superman and Wonder Woman taking solace in one another, and soon they will become a couple in the new DC52. There were rumors about this when the initial relaunch was announced and it took them about a year to get it going. I wonder how this will affect their regular books?
Welcome to the second post in our newest column, now titled In Case You Missed It! In which I shed light on a single issue from some recent week that you might have passed over for whatever reason or maybe just plain didn’t see. For example, last week I discussed 
THE ROCKETEER: CARGO OF DOOM #1
I am looking forward to 
This Wednesday marks the release of the final #1 issue in the Before Watchmen event: Dr. Manhattan #1! The mini-series is being written by J. Michael Straczynski, who is also writing the Nite Owl title, but possibly more interesting is that Adam Hughes will be providing the art. If you don’t know that name, you surely know his work. His Power Girl covers are the stuff of legend! Anyway, we’re definitely looking forward to this one, as Dr. Manhattan is one of the most interesting characters in comic book history.
We’ll kick of the DC highlights this week with the book that was actually supposed to come out a few weeks ago — Batman Incorporated #3 — but, as I mentioned in the shipping post, it was delayed due to content that might have been perceived as insensitive in light of the recent events Colorado. At any rate, the first two issues were superb and we hope Grant Morrison keeps it up!
The other book we’re really looking forward to from DC this week is Batman: The Dark Knight #12! Not long ago, Gregg Hurwitz took over on the writing duties and this series has really taken a strong turn for the better. Plus, look at that cover. AWESOME!
As you might know, Amazing Fantasy #15 — the first appearance of Spider-Man — is dated August 1962, which makes this month the 50th anniversary of the one and only wall crawler! And Marvel has been celebrating the half-century mark in style with several special releases. You might have already seen Point One titles like: Peter Parker Spider-Man #156.1, Sensational Spider-Man #33.1 and 33.2, and Web of Spider-Man #129.1! And if you didn’t see them, come on by the store!
