September 2007
I’m still a little wiped out from walking and standing in line at this year’s Comic-Con. I saw the Heroes panel, played the Conan video game, met a bunch of comic pros, and even heard a live performance of “You Got the Touch” from the first Transformers movie, sung by the original guy. He was selling Transformer t-shirts with the caption, “Michael Bay raped my childhood.” The convention has very little to do with comics at this point, but its one big party that I just can’t miss.
September 5th:
Amazing Spider-Man #544
(Marvel Comics, $3.99)Writer J. Michael Straczynski (Rising Stars) ends his long run on ASM with “One More Day,” a four part Spidey-title spanning event. The teaser art by Marvel’s EIC, Joe Quesada (Daredevil: Father) hints at some dark times for Peter Parker (even though his “back in black” days seem to be over). The rumors are flying around the ‘net: Aunt May Dies? Mary Jane Dies? Divorce? Ultimate Uncle Ben Zombie? Pick up this oversized issue to stay in loop. Preview pages!: http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=11633
Mice Templar #1
(Image Comics, $3.99)Michael Avon Oeming first won me over with his haunting mini-series Cross Bronx. Even though I think Oeming is talented, the concept for Mice Templar didn’t intrigue me at first. Fantastical adventures about mice? Not exactly Lord of the Rings. After reading the advance kudos from other creators such as Bendis, Mignola, and Millar, I was willing to give it a shot. Then I met Oeming at SDCC, bought the beautiful Mice Templar sketchbook, and now I’m certain that this will be a critical and commercial hit. Check out this site with a handful of cool sketches: http://hiddenrobot.com/MICETEMPLAR/
Punisher MAX Vol. 8: Widowmaker TPB
(Marvel MAX Comics, $17.99)Garth Ennis (Preacher) seems to be writing a series of short novels with this title as opposed to an ongoing comic book. The stories are delivered in nice neat packages perfectly suited to the TPB format for adults who don’t have time to keep up with a monthly title. As you would expect, the book is loaded with violence, but Ennis keeps his trademark sick humor at bay. Frank Castle is as serious as a heart attack. No spandex, no rogues gallery, no goofy characters, just intense action and well-crafted suspense. In this volume, the Punisher has five ladies on his tail, and they’re out for blood. Castle killed all of their scumbag husbands! If the price tag is scaring you off, remember, all graphic novels are 20% off at Pulp Fiction.
September 12th:
Casanova #9
(Image Comics, $1.99)Casanova is in good hands with its new artist, Fabio Moon, after all he is the identical twin brother of Gabriel Ba, Casanova’s former artist. Twin brothers with different last names, go figure. I saw samples of Moon’s art at a Dark Horse panel at SDCC and it was just as eye-catching as Ba’s work. Writer Matt Fraction (Iron Fist) is loaded up with work at Marvel, but he’s still doing his best work over at Image with this psychedelic sci-fi series. Considering Fraction’s heavy workload, I suspect new issues of Casanova will be few and far between. Nevertheless, it’s always a delightful surprise in my pull box.
Seven Brothers, Series 2 #1
(Virgin Comics, $2.99)When Virgin started releasing comics, I gave several of their titles a try, some hits (Sadhu blew me away) and some misses (I was totally lost with Devi). The most enjoyable offering was Garth Ennis’ opening arc of Seven Brothers, “directed” by John Woo. Not sure what that means. Anyway, if you missed the opening of this dark adventure, this re-launch would be a perfect jumping on point. I don’t know exactly what to expect from the new writing team, but Virgin has never disappointed me with its crop of artists. Check out Virgin’s official trailer: http://www.virgincomics.com/minisites/7brothers/7bros.html
X-Men: Emperor Vulcan #1
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Ed Brubaker (Captain America) sucked me into the story of Vulcan, the lost Summers brother who took control of the Shi’Ar Empire. Now a few X-Men, including brother Havok, are stuck in space trying to deal with the bro-gone-bad. Brubaker won’t be writing this five issue mini, but he laid down such a solid prequel that Chris Yost (New X-Men) cannot possibly screw this up.
September 19th:
Conan #44
(Dark Horse Comics, $2.99)I’m looking forward to the exciting conclusion of “Rogues in the House,” Tim Truman’s faithful adaptation of a Robert E. Howard classic. Unfortunately, this title will be ending with issue fifty and re-launched as Conan the Cimmerian. Check out the explanation from Conan Editor, Scott Allie, and the inevitable grumbling from die hard Cone-heads: http://www.newsarama.com/Comic-Con_07/DHC/Conan.html
Irredeemable Ant-Man #12
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)Final issue! Dangit! Okay, the artwork looks a little goofy and the title doesn’t make the book sound too exciting, but this book is HILARIOUS!!! Robert Kirkman (Astounding Wolf-Man) has created a new Ant-Man that you would gladly see squashed (the character, not the comic). Hopefully Marvel will find some way to use the writer’s comedic genius in a different ongoing title. Thanks for the year of laughs Kirkman!
Marvel Comics Presents #1
(Marvel Comics, $3.99)This double-sized debut issue promises classic heroes, top talent, and all new stories. What has me intrigued is the teaser art featuring underused and underrated heroes from the Marvel vault, like Ka-zar, Man-Thing, and Hellcat. This will be a great testing ground for old and new characters, a petri dish for the Marvel Universe! Check out this “widescreen” cover: http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/MCP/MCP01cvr.html
September 26th:
All Star Batman and Robin #7
(DC Comics, $2.99)I finally understand this book. I think. Frank Miller is having a blast seeing what he can get away with in the confines of a mainstream comic book. Batman is a nut, Superman is a dolt, and all of the women are not much more than T & A. At first I loved this book, thinking it was just like Sin City. Then by issue four, I felt like Miller was making fun of his own audience. I pictured him laughing, “I’ll right some crap and you fanboys will buy it without question!” Now I feel like I’m in on the joke. How far CAN he go without DC pulling the plug? How foolish can he make these DC icons look? All Star Bats is great for a laugh a couple times a year (its usual shipping schedule). Check out this interesting take on issue six: http://www.silverbulletcomicbooks.com/reviews/118587601122281.htm
Daredevil #101
(Marvel Comics, $2.99)I keep thinking Marvel is going to spread writer Ed Brubaker too thin and that his work will suffer. He’s currently working on Captain America, Criminal, Daredevil, and Uncanny X-Men. Have any of the titles suffered? No way. He was recently named best writer at the 2007 Eisner awards. I couldn’t agree more. If you’re reading monthly comics, get his four titles on your pull list! In this issue of Daredevil, Matt is still reeling from the events of issue 100, and things get worse!
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #24
(Marvel Comics, $3.99)Part two of “One More Day.” You know you want it!
The Little Guys:
I bought a bunch of indie books at SDCC, most were disappointing. One diamond in the rough was “Books with Pictures” by Sina Grace, a tale of working in a real-life comic shop in Santa Monica. Grace’s book seems to be the love child of Brian Wood and Harvey Pekar, painful and hilarious realism at its best. I bought the first issue Thursday, then returned on Friday to buy issues two through five. There is a sixth issue coming out soon, and all of the older issues can still be backordered through Diamond. For more info, check out: http://www.sinagrace.com/
Back in thirty!Cory Johnson
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