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February 27th, 2010 at 11:00 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is one of the most critically acclaimed mainstream comic book series in recent memory. Writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely took the Man of Steel to new creative heights in a story of death, love and Bizarro’s. Truly one of the greatest Superman stories ever told. This TPB collects all 12 issues of the series!
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ALL-STAR SUPERMAN TP
$29.99
The amazing creative team of Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely create a new vision of the World’s First Super-Hero! Witness the Man of Steel in exciting adventures featuring Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Bizarro, and more! Plus: Superman goes toe-to-toe with Bizarro, his oddball twin, and the new character Zibarro, also from the Bizarro planet.
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February 27th, 2010 at 10:30 am - Miscellaneous -
 GREEN ARROW has really been making the rounds recently! Perhaps you saw this ad in Blackest Night #7 and a few other DC Comics titles (click to enlarge).
"What secret will the Emerald Archer reveal that changes everything?" We’re not 100% sure what it means but it does tease some kind of major event or happening for Ollie Queen.
Also, if you happened to read Black Lantern Green Arrow #30 you know that something important will happen to Green Arrow in the pages of Blackest Night! I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
- Andy B.
February 26th, 2010 at 11:30 am - Cosmic Madness -
 The COSMIX MADNESS TOURNAMENT begins this Monday, MARCH 1! The characters have been nominated, the field has been set and the voting is set to begin! There will be no recounts, no hanging chads and no judicial reviews. THIS IS IT.
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 comic book character?" You’ll be able to look at each match-up and click on whoever you think is the best. It’s that easy!
The final tournament field is listed in this bracket, so you can take a look at how the tournament might shape up down the road.
And remember, when the time comes for voting, it’s a wide open question and you can choose your own criteria as to who the best comic book character is: the strongest, smartest, your own personal favorite, whatever!
So check back here on THIS MONDAY, MARCH 1 and vote for YOUR favorite character!
February 26th, 2010 at 11:30 am - New Comics This Wednesday -
  Last week was a pretty strong week, comics-wise, but don’t worry because this week is coming through with some power, too!
Leading off is Ultimate Comics New Ultimates #1, written by Jeph Loeb and featuring art by Frank Cho. Marvel also has Prelude to Deadpool Corps #1, an introduction to the team led by Wade Wilson that’s been tapped to save the universe! Also, X-Men Hope #1, Invincible Iron Man #24, Stephen King’s N #1 and Mighty Avengers #34.
At DC, we’re set to get First Wave #1! It’s a new "pulp" universe starring Batman, the Spirit and Doc Savage, written by Brian Azzarello! Also, Demo Vol. 2 #2, the finale of Justice League Cry for Justice, Sparta USA #1 and Sweet Tooth #7.
And we can’t forget to mention the debut of Kevin Smith’s Green Hornet from Dynamite! Also, the finale of Garth Ennis’ horror story Crossed from Avatar and the always entertaining Chew from Image Comics.
The full list follows…
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February 26th, 2010 at 10:01 am - New Action Figures -
MARVEL SELECT SPIDER-MAN
ACTION FIGURE
The most popular super hero in the world is swinging into a neighborhood near you thanks to this unstoppable Marvel Select Spider-Man!
Each Marvel Select figure stands over seven inches tall and features multiple points of articulation, plus a deluxe display base. This classic Spider-Man is perfect for any collection or the casual Spider-Fan!
February 25th, 2010 at 4:25 pm - Best Book You Didn't Read -
 As much as last week’s book Torpedo is considered a classic on European shores, I felt like reading an American classic this week. So I read NO HERO written by Warren Ellis with art Juan Jose Ryp, published by Avatar. And yes, I decided to be blissfully ignorant of facts such as: (1) Ryp is from Spain and (2) Ellis is from England. But other than that this book is 100% American made and certainly a classic.
No Hero falls into the Superheroes in the Real World genre. In the late 1960s, at the height of the hippie movement, a group of superheroes calling themselves The Front Line appeared. They used their powers to create world peace and generally made the world a better place. Of course, being a Warren Ellis book, being a superhero comes with a price. In this case, powers are gained from taking a wonder drug that has as many side effects as benefits.
Fast forward to today and someone has killed a member of The Front Line. When one member dies, he or she is quickly replaced by a new member. No Hero is the story of Joshua, a man who wants to join to be a superhero and asks the question, “What would you do to be a superhero?” When Joshua gives up his core beliefs to be a superhero, you know things are going to go horribly, horribly wrong.
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February 25th, 2010 at 11:11 am - Best Book of the Week -
 Just a fantastic night of comics. Plenty to choose from yesterday and plenty of winners last night. C’mon, Ken, had to have found something good! COWBOY NINJA VIKING #4 was awesome once again. Read it first, okay second, WILDCATS #20 did come out, although I’m pretending it doesn’t exist these days, and for the vast majority of the night I thought it would win. CNV not Wildcats. But as with issues #2 and #3, COWBOY NINJA VIKING #4 comes in second.
Enjoyed half of NEW AVENGERS #62 SIEGEas Steve Rogers takes command, REALM OF KINGS INHUMANS #4 (OF 5) was once again high quality, and X-MEN LEGACY #233 continues to feature Rogue so that’s all good. BLACKEST NIGHT #7 (OF 8) I’m sure everyone enjoyed, GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #9 jumped out at me as the Riddler takes center stage, JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #36 jumped twenty years into the future and was surprisingly good and I even totally understood BATMAN AND ROBIN #9.
Now, my man Warren Ellis, did let me down as CAPTAIN SWING #1 (OF 4) I would call a miss and unfortunately GRAVEL #17 brought its streak to a close. Hey! Sixteen quality issues in a row, had to end sometime and to be fair Gravel was barely in the book! But CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD LAST BATTLE #3 (OF 6) was the best issue of the series yet and of course WALKING DEAD #70 was just flat out great.
So what’s left? That would be SCALPED #35.
Three weeks ago I picked SCALPED #34 as my best book of the week. It was awesome. Wrapped up the entire story line that started in the very first issue. A story that revolves around an Indian Reservation, the FBI, murders, drugs, gangs, gangsters, corruption, and betrayal. It truly is one of the greatest comics ever. Yes. Ever.
On the flip side, Scalped is a very gritty somewhat dark book and because of that I can understand why it may not be for everyone.
I made my wife read SCALPED #35. She looked at the cover, dead skeletons, and it is called Scalped, and she said I don’t think I’ll like this. I said just read it. She did. And liked it.
I loved it. It was a stand alone issue about an old married couple we had never seen before and will probably never see again. Their trials and tribulations about getting old and their struggles to survive. Dialogue was great. Feel was great. Really got to know the old couple in a short amount of time, I was totally rooting for them and the ending was perfect.
There is no filler in Scalped. Consists of thirty four straight issues that mattered. Got the feeling that Jason Aaron had been waiting to tell this story for quite some time. I can see why. It was just fantastic. One of the best single issue stories I have ever read. Scalped. Truly unbelievable. Just read it.
No Week in Review this week. Conversation on Sunday instead. And thanks to everyone for joining the no snow team yesterday. It worked. No snow. Yet. See what today brings. Keep recruiting!
See ya!
Rusty
February 24th, 2010 at 3:00 pm - Shawn's Reviews -
 On Thursday, February 11, Christopher Handley was sentenced to six months jail time after pleading guilty to possessing “obscene visual representations of the sexual abuse of children.” Handley was the first to be convicted under the 2003 Protect Act, which outlaws illustrations, cartoons, sculptures or paintings that show minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct that lacks “serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.”
He pleaded guilty to these charges almost a year ago because he owned Japanese manga books that he imported from Japan, which had images of child sex and bestiality in them. This case stretches back to 2006 when customs officials opened a package addressed to Handley from Japan and found seven manga books containing the sexually explicit images.
Before I launch into my own thoughts on the matter I want to give some additional information. This was from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF):
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February 24th, 2010 at 11:03 am - Best Covers of the Day -
.jpg) It’s February 24, which means that we are officially less than one month away from spring! I don’t know about you, but what it means for me is that I have officially less than one month left in the fight to hold on to my sanity. Judas PRIEST, will this winter never end??
Lucky for me, this is a massive week of comics and I’ve got some fine covers to show you. We’ll start off in an area I don’t really devote that much time to: Deadpool. (Joke!)
THOR #607
DEADPOOL VARIANT
Last week I imposed a moratorium on myself for Power Girl boob jokes. Perhaps I should consider a moratorium on covers having to do with Deadpool. Seems like every week I include something that has to do with him! It’s okay, though, because I’m gonna say this cover doesn’t even count as being Deadpool related.
Yes, the squirrel at stage center is wearing a Deadpool mask, but really it’s just an excuse to do a very funny spoof on a news story from sometime last year. Perhaps you remember the squirrel ruining a couple’s scenic picture? It may have been a flash in the 24-hour news cycle pan, but it still cracks me up to this day. Kudos to whoever thought of bringing it to comics.
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February 23rd, 2010 at 11:48 am - Weekly News Roundup -
 DC ENTERTAINMENT President Diane Nelson confirmed who would be stepping up to fill outgoing Publisher Paul Levitz’s shoes. In a surprise move, both DC’s executive editor Dan Didio and WildStorm editorial director Jim Lee have been named co-publishers of the company. Splitting the job of Publisher between Didio and Lee seems specific in Warner Bros.’ intent that the film divisions become closer to DC Comics to replicate the success of The Dark Knight. Lee maintains residence on the west coast and Didio in New York on the east coast. Both have stated they will be taking turns moving between the west and east coasts to monitor things as the company moves forward.
Before the interwebs complained too much about lack of Lee art, Lee assured fans that this would not mean he had given up drawing. He says, “drawing comic books is actually part of my new job description, and I actually plan on increasing the frequency of which you will be seeing my work.” For the last year or more Lee has been busy designing the character looks for the massive DC Universe Online game coming from Sony Online Entertainment. That’s why he has not done many comics. That and of course “officially” All-Star Batman and Robin is just on “hiatus.”
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February 21st, 2010 at 11:00 am - Rustys Week in Review -
 As I was sorting my comics to read for the night one of the first things I noticed was the UNCANNY X-MEN #521 cover. Magneto in meditation. Thought it was very appropriate. Ommmm. After the blizzard last week getting back to normal this week was high on my list and taking a deep breath and regrouping was totally in order. Ommmm. Didn’t last long as Thursday the credit card machine went down and we are busy, busy, busy around here as of late, Cosmix Madness is almost here!, but I sure did enjoy my moment of Zen.
But Magneto was not actually meditating in the issue. As Scott, Emma, and the rest of the X-Men come to find out he was using his mutant powers to reach out and find Kitty Pryde’s long lost bullet ship and redirect it back towards earth. Why? That we don’t know. As you may remember from the end of Josh Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run, the bullet ship is a planet destroyer and Kitty Pryde saved the Earth from destruction by phasing into the bullet and thus having it phase safely through the planet and she’s been lost in space ever since. Now Cyclops jumps to the conclusion that Magneto is going bad once again and is going to use the bullet ship to destroy the earth. Not so sure. This latest reincarnation of Magneto has only been shown to be working in the X-Men’s best interest and I think he has a positive use in mind for Kitty and her bullet. Either way for some unknown reason the whole Kitty and her bullet storyline is very fascinating to me and I was very happy to see it being addressed.
And while I still have some issues with Uncanny X-Men, mainly that I think Matt Fraction writes the characters too young, too hip, it’s all just a little too cute, I have been generally pleased with my Uncanny X-Men since around issue 500. Really like the fact that they are tying it into not only Josh Whedon’s Astonishing X-Men run but also into Grant Morrison’s New X-Men run. They are probably the two most defining X-Men runs in the last ten years and well worth reading. Fantomex shows up and was actually pretty cool and they also mentioned John Sublime, both of whom first appeared in Grant’s New X-Men run. John Sublime was revealed to be the leader of the “predators” and I have to say they have made his group into a very credible threat. Maybe that’s why Magneto needs Kitty and/or her bullet to stop Mr. Sublime. We shall see.
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February 20th, 2010 at 12:00 pm - Looking Forward -
 The month of April has been shaping up pretty nicely, as we’ve seen over the past couple weeks. DC is debuting Brightest Day while Marvel is unleashing another round of Ultimate Avengers. And if what I’m about to show you is any indication, the other publishers are bringing some quality books to the table, too. In particular, there are quite a few solid trade paperbacks set to come out, starting off with store fave Cowboy Ninja Viking.
COWBOY NINJA VIKING TP
IMAGE COMICS
Written by AJ Lieberman
Art by Riley Rossmo
Tasked with creating a counter-intelligence unit, Dr. Sebastian Ghislain turned to those long thought useless to society: patients with Multiple Personality Disorder. Now all but one of these "Triplets" has gone rogue, and it’s up to Cowboy Ninja Viking to find and stop this band of ridiculously disturbed – but highly effective – assassins!
As Ain’t It Cool News said, "Cowboy Ninja Viking is one of those rare occasions where something that should be nothing but a guilty pleasure ends up being way deeper and better written… this book is just the gift that keeps on giving."
And as Rusty said, "It is a fantastic comic. Not counting the usual DC/Marvel fare, I just don’t remember the last time a new comic jumped out at me the way this issue did… The writing was top notch. Intelligent. Funny. Raunchy. Dialogue was great. And the plot is just getting started. Very impressive."
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February 20th, 2010 at 11:30 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
In the summer of 2004, dream-team creators Joss Whedon (Buffy, Angel) and John Cassaday (Planetary) presented an explosive, all-new flagship X-Men series – marking a return to classic greatness and the beginning of a brand-new era for the X-Men! They were the ASTONISHING X-MEN and they make for the second of this week’s X-Men Trade Paperback Spotlights. (You might have read about the new Astonishing line in Shawn’s column a few days ago.)
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ASTONISHING X-MEN BY WHEDON & CASSADAY
ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TP
$29.99
Expectations were high when Joss Whedon was announced as the writer of the new ASTONISHING X-MEN series. With Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Whedon had created one of the most popular TV shows of the 1990s; now, teamed with superstar artist John Cassaday, he was taking on the best-selling X-Men. Their storyline took inspiration from the classic sagas of the ’70s and ’80s, while forging ahead with a thoroughly modern take on the mutant team. From the opening pages of a Sentinel attack to the unexpected return of a beloved X-Man, Whedon and Cassaday kept fans breathlessly awaiting each new chapter of their epic story. Now, the complete saga – acclaimed as "Series of the Year" by Wizard magazine and a "Must Have Gift" by TV Guide – is collected across two softcover volumes. Collecting ASTONISHING X-MEN (2004) #1-12.
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February 20th, 2010 at 11:00 am - TPBs & Graphic Novels -
Sixteen million mutants dead – and that was just the beginning! In one bold stroke, writer Grant Morrison propelled the X-Men into the 21st century – masterminding a challenging new direction for Marvel’s mutant heroes that began with the destruction of Genosha and never let up. Regarded as the most innovative thinker of the current comic-book renaissance, Morrison proceeded to turn the mutant-hero genre on its ear. Gone were the gaudy spandex costumes – replaced by slick, black leather and an attitude to match.
Now, his entire Eisner Award-nominated run on NEW X-MEN is collected across three titanic trade paperbacks! And it’s the first of this week’s X-Men Trade Paperback Spotlights.
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NEW X-MEN BY GRANT MORRISON
ULTIMATE COLLECTION VOL. 1 TP
$34.99
It all starts in the steaming jungles of South America, and it ends at the front lines in the war for our genetic future! Also, as protesters lay siege to the Xavier Institute, Professor X lies in a coma — trapped within the shattered form of his evil twin! Cassandra Nova, the psionic psychopath inhabiting Xavier’s body, has returned to Earth — with the might of the entire Shi’ar Imperium! Collects New X-Men #114-126 and Annual 2001.
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February 19th, 2010 at 12:19 pm - New Comics This Wednesday -
  Quite a few heavy-hitting titles lined up for the last week of February!
We’ll start with DC. The big releases in The Original Universe appear to be Blackest Night #7 and Batman and Robin #9. Also look for the long-awaited Flash Rebirth #6 and several Vertigo titles, including: Scalped #35, Northlanders #25 and Madame Xanadu #20!
Meanwhile, Marvel’s got a regular avalanche of books coming out next week. The lead-off hitter appears to be the Siege tie-in Thor #607, along with several other Siege books like Avengers Initiative #33, Dark Wolverine #33, New Avengers #62 and Thunderbolts #141. Plus the final issue of Ms. Marvel!
We’re also set to get Cowboy Ninja Viking #4 from Image Comics, March Previews, and a double shot of Warren Ellis Avatar books, including the brand new Captain Swing #1 and the always excellent Gravel #17, both of which received the coveted cover spots above!
The full list follows…
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February 19th, 2010 at 11:49 am - New Action Figures -
This Wednesday we’re getting in three mini-busts from DC Direct’s Heroes of the DC Universe line. They’re not necessarily new, but we’re getting a limited quantity in and putting them on the table for $39.99! We’re getting Batman, Flash and Green Lantern!
The busts were sculpted by the likes of Carlos Pacheco and Gary Frank and each one was sculpted by Jean St. Jean. Each bust stands about 6" tall.
February 18th, 2010 at 4:00 pm - Best Book You Didn't Read -
 After the silliness of Afrodisiac last week, I needed to read something that had an edge to it. I wanted something that was dark and grim and gritty and just plain mean! I found exactly what I was looking for in TORPEDO VOLUME 1, written by Enrique Sanchez Abuli with art by Jordi Bernet and Alex Toth, published by IDW.
In case you weren’t aware, "torpedo" is 1920s slang for a contract killer. That’s right, the main character is a hitman. Set in 1930s New York, Torpedo is the story of Luca Torelli, a killer for the mob. He is as amoral and cold as they come and his "adventures" reflect that. The first several stories set the tone for the entire book. In one instance, Torelli is ordered to hit a man who’s been cheating the boss. The problem is that Torelli used to run scams with the man and has a soft spot for him. Torelli knows that business is business, but what about friendship? In another tale, a young woman needs protection for her father’s business. Torelli is one of the best but she has no money. Torelli doesn’t work for free and he decides she can pay her debt in favors. When she tries to renege on her part of the deal, things turn ugly. These stories are typical of what you’ll find in this book.
This book collects the earliest Torpedo stories originally written in the early ’80s and they still hold up today. Abuli wrote each story in such a way so that the extreme violence was often offset by some very black humor. You could make an argument that Torpedo is like a cross between Ennis’ Punisher series and his Hitman series. The stories have the violence levels of Punisher Max, but the tongue-in-cheek attitude of Hitman. Each story is short and concise and the most amazing part is Torelli is constantly cold hearted and ruthless. Almost every time there’s an opportunity to become a white knight, he doesn’t do it. Unless of course it makes him lots of money or there’s some other personal motivation. While that may sound exhausting, it never is. I found I was reading the stories just to see what kind of trouble he found himself in next and who he would crush to get his way. Abuli managed to create a true anti-hero that you can root for in Torelli.
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February 18th, 2010 at 12:58 pm - Best Book of the Week -
 Nice to get back to a normal Wednesday after the blizzard last week and I was very much looking forward to reading comics last night. Was very happy with the Marvel books as I enjoyed the usually good DAREDEVIL #505 and GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #23, thought DOOMWAR #1 (OF 6) got off to a good start and I even found some merit in DARK AVENGERS #14 and UNCANNY X-MEN #521.
Of course both INVINCIBLE #70 and POWER GIRL #9, while not knocking my socks off, were both good once again. INCORRUPTIBLE #3 was also very solid and I can even see why JOE THE BARBARIAN #2 (OF 8) could be considered for best book of the week (although I now have an entirely different problem with the series) but I am going with GI JOE COBRA II #2 as my pick for Best Book of the Week.
Why did I like it so much? Well, GI JOE COBRA II #2 gets high marks for, wait for it, expanding the plot. Always a winner in my book. It is not going to be a simple rescue Chuckles from the clutches of Cobra mini-series. Chuckles has put a somewhat elaborate plan into action to take Cobra down. And as a reader we are not sure exactly what that plan is. Which I liked. Lots of intrigue in the storyline and I can’t wait to see where it goes.
Also solved my only problem with the first issue. There was some question as to whether or not, the new Jinx, whose real codename was revealed to be Chameleon, was also the Baroness. She’s not. And I thought that was very important to clear up one way or another.
Great scene with Baroness getting questioned by Cobra High Command. Great scene with Chuckles escaping from prison. Lots of twists and turns to the plot and really kept you on your toes as a reader as you were never sure exactly what would happen next. And not in a confusing way. In a, whoa, didn’t see that coming, interesting way.
It was only a matter of time before GI JOE COBRA won. The first mini-series was excellent, as was the first issue of this mini-series and I highly recommend it. Especially if you are not a GI Joe fan. It really reads as a crime/espionage book and is like no other GI Joe comic we have seen before.
Everything on Sunday. In the meantime, YO JOE!
See ya!
Rusty
February 17th, 2010 at 3:00 pm - Shawn's Reviews -
 Marvel recently announced a new line of comics using ASTONISHING X-MEN as the example. Astonishing X-Men originally began as a new comic by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday, which told in-continuity X-Men tales that were able to stand on their own rather than be roped into the current ongoing subplots in the regular books. It was also an extremely easy jump-on point for new readers or casual readers of the X-books. Astonishing X-Men, under Whedon and Cassaday, had a beginning, middle and an end. If you had been away from the X-Men for two months, two years or two decades, you could have come on and picked everything up easily and enjoyed it for what it was.
Putting big name talent on in-continuity books while allowing the creative teams to tell more of the kinds of stories they want, rather than adhering to major company mandates, Marvel is re-launching Astonishing X-Men Xenogenesis and also including a new book, Astonishing Spider-Man/Wolverine. After a day to think about it and get some info from some of the creators involved, I think that, handled properly, this could be a really good creative endeavor for Marvel.
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February 17th, 2010 at 11:36 am - Best Covers of the Day -
 A nice big old week of comics this week and boy have I got some nice covers to go along with it! I feel like my spark has been off for over a week now, with the snow and such, but today I’m feeling the groove! Why? Because the sun is shining (behind the clouds), the birds are chirping (underneath the snow) and baseball season starts next week (in Florida)!
Sigh. Oh well, on with the show.
DAREDEVIL #505
DEADPOOL VARIANT
I gave you a heads-up about these Deadpool variants last week, and this week I figure hey Deadpool isn’t getting enough exposure these days so why not give him another little boost. Think globally, act locally, that’s my motto.
This image (click on it to blow it up) is a play on Frank Miller’s classic cover to Daredevil #187, which itself just has Daredevil whining on a completely white background. The version here adds a very funny Deadpool scratching a chalkboard, crumpling up aluminum foil and blowing on a dog whistle, which are all presumably torturous to Daredevil’s ultra-hearing.
If I had created this image of annoying sounds, I would have also included the sound of forks striking teeth while eating, the sound of ERASING a chalkboard, and paper being ripped from a spiral-bound notebook.
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