January 2007
Due to some weirdness in my work life, this column is late and short. I apologize to all of my loyal readers, both of you.
Here’s one book per week that should be worth our time and money:
January 4th:
Irredeemable Ant-Man #4
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Only one book per week and I pick this? You bet! I was on the fence about this
one when it started because Phil Hester’s (Green Arrow) sample pages in Marvel
Previews didn’t do much for me. I decided to give it a chance because Robert
Kirkman (Battle Pope) was writing it. Ant-Man is a well crafted story about some
schmuck at S.H.I.E.L.D. who steals the Ant-Man suit, then he tries to figure out how
to use it for his own personal gain. This book is not the typical Ant-Man story
starring the brooding Hank Pym, who is usually battling depression or abusing his
wife. The new guy, Eric O’Grady, is a complete jerk, but thanks to
Kirkman’s trademark wit, it’s fun to watch O’Grady's
fumblings. This book is part of a new trend at Marvel: giving A-list writers a
chance to work their magic on C-list characters, like Brian K. Vaughn on Dr. Strange
and Peter David on Wonder Man. The art in these books leans a little towards
“indie” style (a. k. a. “not very good”), but the writing
more than makes up for any artistic shortcomings. If you missed the boat on Ant-Man
and Dr. Strange, I would highly recommend rounding up the back issues. Be sure to
check out Wonder Man’s first issue, hitting the stands at Pulp Fiction on
December 13th. If you’re still on the fence, this promo blurb from Marvel
might grab you:
http://www.marvel.com/catalog/?book_id=5775
January 10th:
Thunderbolts #110
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)I’ve never read an issue of Thunderbolts, but the buzz around this new arc
has me intrigued. For those of you sitting out for the whole Civil War hullabaloo,
some super-villains are teaming up to work for the U. S. government. It’s
their chance to legally attack any hero that won’t sign the Super-Hero
Registration Act. The team has Green Goblin, Bullseye, Venom, and some miscellaneous
bad guys that you’ve never heard of. It’s not clear if the group will
still be working for the government after the conclusion of Civil War. We do know
that this book has a killer creative team working on it: writer Warren Ellis (Fell)
and artist Mike Deodato (New Avengers). Also, Wizard Magazine claims that this book
will make you “sweat adrenaline.” If this book can pull of that
biological miracle, it’s definitely worth three bucks. Check out the
eye-catching artwork in these preview images:
http://www.popcultureshock.com/index.php?p=40502
January 17th:
Civil War #7
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Will this actually be in the store on January 17th? Probably not. Marvel’s summer event is now stretching well into the winter, so I don’t have high hopes for the accuracy of the book’s shipping schedule. However, I have been enjoying Civil War, mostly because of Steve McNiven’s beautiful drawings. Mark Millar’s writing is fine, but I’m waiting to see how he delivers the goods in this final issue. Then it will be really interesting to see if Marvel sticks with the consequences of this mega-event. I’m hoping they learned their lesson with Scarlet Witch’s “no more mutants” line from House of M. She really meant “no more mutants, except for Wolverine and any other mutant that makes money for Marvel.” The whole event felt meaningless afterwards. But this time things will be different, they better be or the nerds of the world will unite, storm the House of Ideas, and toss Joe Quesada out the window.
January 24th:
Wolverine #50
(Marvel Comics, $3.99)This double-sized issue marks the start of a new creative team for Wolvie: writer
Jeph Loeb (Superman/Batman) and artist Simone Bianchi (Shining Knight). You may have
noticed Bianchi’s detailed work gracing the recent covers of Detective Comics.
This story line starts with a showdown between Logan and his old nemesis,
Sabretooth. Rogue recruited Sabretooth for her current lineup of X-Men, so the two
furry guys are technically on the same team. However, there’s just too much
bad blood between these characters for Wolverine to let things go without a brawl.
The artwork and the writing shown in the three page sample in Marvel Previews has me
adding this title to my pull list for the first time ever. Click this link for an
entertaining interview with Simone Bianchi:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=8751
January 31st:
Astonishing X-Men Vol. 3: Torn TPB
(Marvel Comics, $14.99)This is undeniably the best X-book on the market. Writer Joss Whedon (Fray) and artist John Cassaday (Planetary) have put together the best X-Men stories since the Dark Phoenix Saga. The words and pictures are so concise that it feels as if every word and every stroke of the pencil are necessary. There are no filler issues, not even any filler panels. So why would I wait for the trade and not get the floppies? For one, it’s a bimonthly book, terrible for an impatient person with a poor memory. Also, these stories feel like they’re written for trades, relatively self-contained, and the pacing feels best when the issues of an arc are read in one sitting. If you haven’t already bought volumes one and two, be sure to pick them up. All trade paperbacks are 20% off at Pulp Fiction!
Wow, all my picks are from Marvel! Maybe they’re learning from past mistakes and are stepping up their game. Either that, or they’ve finally poached all the best creators in the business.
Back in thirty!Cory Johnson
cmjmusic@yahoo.com <TOP>