When Miles first came onto the scene, there were a lot of naysayers. I hold out the belief that it was because this was simply not Peter Parker in the role of Spider-Man, and I think that is the case (if the comments to 616 Spider-Man writer and, I presume, architect Dan Slott are any indication). The most recent issue, #23, dealers with the struggles of Miles in coming to grip with his mother’s death and knowing that his being Spider-Man was the reason. That’s definitely something quite hard for a young teenager to come to terms with, never mind everything else going on in the Ultimate universe around him (which definitely seems to not be as impacting to Miles as one would expect). Without spoiling anything within this issue, and the fact that Miles has quite being Spider-Man is not a spoiler based on the cover above, this is the perfect time for a new reader to discover the adventures of Miles Morales.

Brian Michael Bendis seems to have his hands full with a number of things in the Marvel universe, but this is his child within the Ultimate line. He has directed the adventures of Spider-Man within the Ultimate line of books since day 1, and his choice to kill off Peter Parker there seemed to not be as controversial as what Dan Slott has done in the pages of Amazing/Superior Spider-Man. (Perhaps this is because when Ultimate Parker was killed, the world still had 616 Parker around… but now I am wondering which Spider-Man that was in the pages of Spider-Men?) This story is well written and doesn’t rely on countless discussion to get things going, which is one of the things Bendis was known for as the architect of the Avengers line for some time and now taking on the X-franchise. No, he is able to convey the emotion and conflict of Miles with some distinct instruction to his artistic partner to make it all happen quite well. This is Bendis at his best, dealing with the conflict of the character and it not relying on a huge battle… He has the emotional pieces and the conflict down and it’s not 2-dimensional. We have supporting characters, some of which we know from the 616 and others we don’t, but they don’t serve to distract us rather they complement the character of Miles. Bendis is currently writing THE book that I think keeps the Ultimate universe still around within the Marvel offices as the others just don’t seem to have the stories or energy or quality compared to the original Ultimate run.

Dave Marquez takes over the art duties beginning this issue, which makes it one reason why this is a great starting on point. The first “chapter” in Miles life has had him struggling to come to terms with the powers without truly understanding what it means to be Spider-Man and that was done with some wonderful art by Sara Pichelli; this next chapter in Miles’ story will be using the visuals of Marquez. And it’s a great place to start, right with the new era in Miles and one year after the previous issue. First off, the cover. This is an homage to a classic cover by classic Amazing Spider-Man John Romita, and it truly sums up the content of the issue without giving anything away. He captures the emotion on Miles’ face as well as that of the supporting cast, including someone you may not be expecting to show up. The detail is there. The feeling is there. The flashback scenes of his mom’s passing in his arms gives the emotional connection we needed in order to truly relate to Miles. He is now one of the true Marvel pantheon – he needed the tragedy in order to progress into that arena and that has now happened. Regardless of what else happens, Miles can now well and truly be considered Spider-Man.

If you cannot tell, I loved this issue. It was a new chapter without starting the series over and it was marked by several pieces: An emotional struggle. A new art team to move the character forward without the need for a relaunch. But still keeping it the same world, the same cast, as we have grown to love. This is what Marvel can do when they want to – deliver an amazing story full of strong characters, strong emotion, and truly get the reader immersed in the story. Of all the Ultimate books, this is the one I look forward to every month. I’ve heard rumors that we’re going to see the 616 and Ultimate worlds meet again, but it’s hard to say how that will pass. All I know is that wherever Miles ends up at the end of that, I will be following him.

To honor its 35th anniversary, Dynamite Entertainment launched a new series of Battlestar Galactica this week that continues the adventures of the original series. Yes, we have the story of Commander Adama, Colonel Tigh, Apollo, Starbuck, and the rest of the crew back in the day when their names actually WERE Apollo and Starbuck and not just call signs. For fans of the original series, this book appears to take place between the end of the Battlestar Galactica series but before Galactica 1980, when the ship actually did reach Earth but in the 1980s. And for fans of that original series I can honestly say that this series has the feel of the original show.

Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning are well-known for their science fiction and outer space stories, as they were the individuals who revitalized Marvel’s cosmic line several years back and introduce the team we now know of as the Guardians of the Galaxy. They are quite experience in spinning some immense sci-fi based epics and this first issue of BSG is no different. From the guilt-ridden dreams of Commander Adama  to the smart-ass attitude of Starbuck, we also see the beginnings of what is sure to be a large epic story that can spin off in any number of directions. The personas of the main characters are written quite well and actually match the personas of the original characters. There are gaps in the writing, such as when Adama asks for an update on the situation and suddenly continues to speak with no update. Although some may see this as a fault… this is how it was done in the original series as well. You cannot fault Abnett and Lanning for simply continuing what began in the series and keeping it true. In fact, had it gotten too technical , it simply wouldn’t be the same BSG. What they have done is brought some unique technology to the fleet as well, such as the use of temporal weapons that had banned by the colonies. They were charged with continuing the saga of the fleet and giving it some new life and some new energy, and they have succeeded.

Before talking about the interior art, let’s talk about the covers. The primary cover is done by Dynamite’s cover guru, Alex Ross. The detail that Ross puts into his work is simply amazing – as a result he has become one of my favorite artists. The fact that we can see the actual characters of the original series clearly portrayed truly lets the fan know this is a continuation of the original run.  The only criticism I can make on the cover is that he appears to have Adama from the series premiere and not from the time that this story takes place – you can tell by the lack of facial hair on the Commander. As with all Dynamite books, there are a number of variant covers and the one shown to the right by Chris Eliopoulos is one of my favorites. The child-looking variant covers have become quite popular and quite fun, and this one is no different. Although I am the kind of person who really dislikes the fact that the covers have almost taken a higher precedence than the story within (when a book has 20 alternate covers that’s a tad too much) but a cover or 2 is all good.

The interior art is by Cezar Razek on both pencils and inks with coloring by Vinicius Townsend. The story wouldn’t be as good without the complementary art from this team and the art is very well done. The fact that in some scenes I can actually see, without the dialogue, that the character is Starbuck as the facial appearance is easily recognizable as Dirk Benedict and the same goes for the appearance of Adama and how it looks like Lorne Greene. Additionally, the space battles have detail that makes it look amazing. This is a team that can truly get both the characters and the space epicness of the story down. Even though I am not familiar with this team, I don’t know of anyone else who could have possible pulled off this issue with the detail needed to make this a proper continuation of the series (unless Alex Ross had done the entire thing himself).

This was my favorite book of the week and one that I put at the bottom of my read list so that I read it last and it stayed forefront in my mind. I was glad to hear this was book was coming out, but was hesitant at first because most TV adaptations are either really good or really bad. This was the former. I’m looking forward to the next issue and I can say that if you are a fan of the original series you will love this continuation too.

This Saturday’s question: Which characters are (or were) better without origins stories?

Does reading the secret origin of Wolverine still make you feel a little like it’s a crappy attempt at retelling The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Whenever they redo Wonder Woman’s origin, doesn’t it get a little less believable? Wouldn’t it be cool if we never really knew anything about where Superman came from? Does the fact that even the Joker probably doesn’t really know his own origin make him that much creepier? And even though we have his parents dying when he’s a kid and his training just before the events of Year One, doesn’t part of you kind of enjoy the fact that we don’t really know much about the origin of Batman? Or do you love origins do you absolutely need to know every single detail about your favorite heroes and villains?

So go forth and debate! But be sure to back up your responses. Don’t be scared. And don’t give up. After all, no one likes a quitter. And you’re not a quitter, are you?

Speaking of those subsequent issues… They are not yet out. Why not? Well, these guys want to deliver the best product that they can. I’ve seen some sample art from issue #2, and I can honestly say that it has increased dramatically from the first issue to the samples I saw. But like all independent books, there are a few factors that require the move to a Kickstarter campaign in order to make the magic happen. And make no mistake – I feel that there is definitely magic here.

I’m not going to rehash what Unit 5 is all about – I think the guys who made it can do that much better than I. So, to see what they have to say, take a look at their Kickstarter video:

You can see that I’m not the only one excited about this. Unit 5 has been featured on the FanboysInc podcast as well as on several SModcast episodes of “I Sell Comics” which is managed by Mike and Ming (whom many may recognize from Comic Booked Men on AMC).

But really, why do I think that a comic reader should care about this book? It’s quite simple.

• The story is captivating. There are very few stories that originated out of the tragedy of 9/11 but that comes to the heart of this series. We have characters who were impacted by the attacks and have made it a personal mission to fight against terrorism. It’s a great message and, even though we have seen a number of terrorism-related TV series, the comic book realm has shied away from it. This being an independent title with an extremely passionate creative team, we have characters who we only get a tease of in the first issue but who are more than just 2-dimensional characters.
• The art is intriguing. As I mentioned in my original review, I can see a number of inspirations and styles used and it’s great to see how those styles mix and mix well. I mentioned earlier that I had seen some early pics of what to expect in issue 2, and I can say that Robson has been working and is finely crafting his art. It’s becoming something that can mesh several styles into a new look that truly works and complements one another. It’s a pleasure to look at.
• It’s fun. It’s that simple. I have continually said that it reminds me of those TV shows from the 80s where the vehicle was another part of the character. Remember Knight Rider? Michael had KITT. In The A-Team we had B.A. with his van but also Murdock with every aircraft out there. He was a flying savant! Let’s not forget the cartoons of the era, too – MASK, where every character had their own vehicle which transformed into something else. These were the times when many of us were truly innocent, before the harshness of the world was placed in front of us. Unit 5 has taken the ability to blend the innocence with todayès reality and show us that heroes still exist.

So there you have it. My thoughts on this Kickstarter. It is definitely worth a look and in my opinion it is definitely worth your contribution. These guys are doing this to get the book out there, produce and create the remaining issues, as well as to get the book available so others can see what a great title this is. They aren’t out to make millions (although I don’t think they’d turn down the opportunity) but simply to deliver something that they are this passionate about. It’s definitely a treat to see creators THIS passionate, and I say that both from the intro video as well as from talking to them on several occasions. Give them a look. Give them your consideration. And if you like what you say, help to make this happen.

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

This month’s issue was a slight improvement over the last issue. It seems that new series writer James Tynion IV is starting to get his footing. It also seems that new series artist Julius Gopez is starting to slow down and take a little more time with the pencils. That being said, this is still a far cry from the book that Scott Lobdell and friends were putting out on a monthly basis. Man oh man do I miss Lobdell’s dialogue and storytelling. But he’s gone. And I have to adjust. And thankfully, this new team is making it easier as they continue their run with three characters who I, along with many other fans, love to hate and hate to love. The Outlaws are certainly not going to be topping anyone’s favorite characters lists, but that is part of the beauty of such a series as this one. The double-edged sword that is a project like this is that you have to try and make arguably hateable characters into anti-heroes that we care about while simultaneously not changing the characters so completely that you might as well be writing about different people entirely. All of that, and the fact that Lobdell had pretty much mastered it before his untimely exit, and you have quite a task. So, that being said, I’m still hopeful that eventually this series can be restored to its status as one of my favorite monthly reads.

So we start off with what is most likely going to be a temporarily memory-less Jason, being confronted by his friends and teammates. We’ve got Roy overacting as usual, and some yelling interspersed with some flashback sequences (where really showed that Gopez is definitely a suitable artist for such characters). We see Jason’s life, which, as we all already know, pretty much has always sucked. We see Roy’s life, which, again, has never been the greatest. We don’t get to see any flashes of Kory’s rotten backstory, because she puts an end to the prying evil little mind-wiping floating midget monk. (What? That’s what he is!) And we have three pretty big events taking place at the end of the issue. The first is that Starfire finally admits that she does care about Roy, and that she may have exaggerated about her Tamaranean memories, which will make a lot of grumpy post-New 52 fans happy. The second is that all three of the people from Jason’s past who have been showing up as far back as the beginning of this title are working together, which was a pleasant surprise. And the third is that Roy’s old mentor, Green Arrow, is on his trail and is going to save him… Again. Whether he likes it or not. So there are enough seeds planted for future stories that I’m going to try and put my skepticism aside and embrace the change in creative teams. This could be good. I really think there’s a lot of potential with the stories they’re setting up.

But the potentially awesome fights and team-ups are not the only reason I’m still sticking with this book. There was a brief flashback sequence that not only added to the series and its characters’ already stunning mythology, but also showed that Tynion knows how to script a good human drama sequence. The fact that Jason tried to help Roy when he was at his very worst is not that big of a shock. But the fact that he did so right before finding out that his mother was alive, which led him to his death at the hands of the Joker? That certainly changes things. And the fact that Jason never told Roy that means that there might actually be some shred of humanity left inside the Red Hood. Hopefully his memories return. Because if they don’t, that’s just going to be a pointless story that could have been so much more. I have faith. I am liking this book. I can’t wait to love it again.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

Yet another great installment in the monthly adventures of Batman’s first and greatest sidekick, brought to us by veteran Nightwing writer Kyle Higgins and new series artist Brett Booth. This book continues to prove that the Batman line is the best in comics. The dialogue is witty, quick, and realistic and the art speaks to the 90s kid in me but also the adult comic reader within. It’s one of many examples of the New 52 line really understanding the necessity of pairing a writer with an artist who complements his or her own work. It’s something that can make a good book great, which is definitely the case in this new creative team.

We start right where we left off last issue, with the Prankster continuing his (or her) single-handed fight against… well… we’re not quite sure yet. We also get to see more of Dick’s roommate and surprise third roommate, who is both female and sassy, which means she is either going to be a love interest or a villain. But the humor of their first couple of encounters is very well juxtaposed with the horror of the Prankster’s crimes. Not to mention the behind-the-scenes search for Tony Zucco and his involvement with the seemingly corrupt Chicago mayor. Another highlight in this issue is the subtle posturing between Nightwing and his informant (one of Commissioner Gordon’s from his days in the Windy City). A lesser writer/artist team would have ruined this scene, but it comes off as flawless and really cool. Which leads us to the last part of the book, which includes the first official meeting between Nightwing and the Prankster. I’m still not entirely sure about the gender of the new villain, but I think that’s what makes it so cool. I even found myself looking at the eye color of various characters to see if I could get any clues on my own. No such luck. But I’m sure we won’t have to wait much longer, because even though the cliffhanger ending shows Nightwing in a jam (with the Prankster currently holding the upper hand), the next issue blurb and advanced solicitations hint that there is a team-up in the newly-acquainted masked vigilantes.

This could prove to be interesting for a number of reasons. First and foremost, we could be given an interesting take on the whole “tragic villain” angle that almost all of the villains in the Batman universe share. Perhaps the Prankster isn’t even a villain per se, but rather, a vigilante who is possibly just more realistic in his or her approach. After all, he or she is currently only targeting those who deserve it or cross him or her. Could this simply be a New 52 version of Nite-Wing, the vigilante who was simply a more violent (but effective) version of our beloved hero? Or does the Prankster have something to do with the secret not-yet-told story about what exactly happened to all of the “masks” in Chicago? And, of course, there’s the question of who is behind that mask? No matter what the outcome, or how long it is drawn out; count me in. This book rocks.

My Rating: 5/5

The series starts off with a nice sized issue #1.  The Dream Merchant throws us right into the main characters life and struggles with his dreams.  The main character is named Winslow.  He doesn’t know why he keeps having the same dreams over and over.  It seems a bit wild that he is in a mental hospital but we can skip over that for the meat of the story.  Throughout the book the dialogue is mainly caption boxes of the main characters thoughts.  It is heavy dose of first person narrative, but it works pretty well in this first issue.  We really get the sense of what is going on in Winslow’s head.  He is not crazy but everyone thinks he might be because of all these dreams.

He meets a new doctor half way through the first issue.  This doctor helps him to find out why he keeps having this one reoccurring dream.  The falls into a dream state while the doctor is there, but this time it is not exactly the same.  Someone or something is there coming for Winslow.  He jumps up back into reality with a sense of fear from his dream. But is this reality really reality?? That comes to mind when reading issue #1 of The Dream Merchant.

The artwork is pretty solid for this type of story-telling.  The change of scenes from reality to the dream world is noticeable from the change of colors in the panels.  Konstantin Novosadov has a unique style to his line work.  His work isn’t super detailed but gives you a sense of the characters.  I think he fits in well with Nathan’s script of The Dream Merchant.  My only drawback is some of the panels have a cartoony feel to them but then again it could all be part of what they want us to see in that panel.

Overall this book has some potential.  I really dig dream style concepts and love to see them morph into something amazing.  Will The Dream Merchant do that?  I can’t tell just yet.  Even though this first issue is a solid 52 pages it still felt a bit empty to me.  It could be because the pacing of the book is a bit slower for a first issue into the series.  I wanted to know more about this world Winslow lives in and what he is trying to get from his dreams.  We will see where Edmondson and Novosadov take us when issue #2 drops next month.  I will check it out and see what dreamy road they begin to spin this story.

So head on out to your local comic book shop for this and other great books that are out this week.  Don’t know what came out this week? Well we here at Comic Booked have got you covered.  Check them all out here.

This issue is part 2 of the ultimate meeting between the 2 Karas – Supergirl and Power Girl. For those who have not been reading either this title or Worlds’ Finest, Supergirl is the cousin of Kal-El, who also escaped the destruction of Krypton. She has been having a hard time adjusting to life on Earth, what with not being able to speak the language (until recently) and living in disbelief that her “baby” cousin Kal-El is now a fully grown man. She is most definitely a fish out of water and has very few friends she can lean on to support her. Power Girl, however, is the same character… kind of. PG is the Kara from Earth-2, a parallel world where similar events occurred but in a slightly different time frame. She is older than the Kara on this main Earth (and SG has a few hilarious scenes in pointing it out) but is more established. She was shunted to Earth-1 (for lack of a better name for it right now, but also to keep it as an homage to the old DCU) as has been recalled within the pages of both World’s Finest and Earth 2, but she did not come alone. Unlike the Kara of this world, she had her best friend – The Huntress , who is the daughter of Batman and Catwoman – come along for the ride and the 2 of them were stranded. Since she first appeared, it was only a matter of time before these 2 characters met. We already saw the meeting of Huntress and her Earth-1 counterpart, Damian Wayne, and for those who have been reading the Bat-books we know that ended in tragedy. The 2 Karas, though, have met and after some early… disagreements now seem to be reconciling as to who the other is.

Writer Michael Allan Nelson (or Michael Alan Nelson – not sure which, as the cover has one spelling and the credits page has another for his middle name) has made me keep this book on my pull list. It’s well written and shows multiple personas to the same character – one a little younger, brash, and confused; the other older, wiser, but still a fish in a different pond. Nelson has crafted an issue where the two of them must rely on one another in order to survive, and this time it’s not even as a result of another alien invader attacking them both. No, it’s an attack that (based on the history of Krypton) we knew was entirely possible to occur, and it did. When the 2 Karas take refuge in SG’s underwater headquarters of Sanctuary, we have a number of really humorous interactions with the A.I. computer running the show. I’ve seen a number of cases where humor is tossed in without any regard to the character making it, but the fact that the humor originates from an A.I. is itself entertaining. Not only that, but the humor does not turn into a detriment or something that changes one of the main characters as it seems out of place. In this case, the jokes actually help the story progress in a smart way. I am extremely impressed with this issue and Nelson’s story has convinced me to keep the book coming into my collection.

The artist on the issue is Mahmud Asrar, who takes on the duties of both pencils and inks. His art is not the most detailed work, a la Jim Lee, but it’s really very good. It’s crisp, clear, and even though the Karas are the same person they do have subtle differences so you can tell they are not the same person. There’s a little more muscle on PG and I can even “see” the maturity in her face over her counterpart, but maybe that’s just me knowing the character. SG is a little thinner and actually looks like a teenager. Her stance and her attitude shows that there is a burgeoning maturity in the character and we begin to see it near the end of the issue. I think that my favorite scene in the entire issue is the splash page near the end with both Karas looking at the sunrise over the Earth from high up in the atmosphere; this panel would not be as effective without the colors provided by Dave McCaig. It’s an absolutely gorgeous scene, showcasing 2 different but the same characters, and visually setting the stage for something new to come.

This is the issue of Supergirl where we know things will start to build with more character development. These first 2 years of the New 52, we saw new takes on characters and we needed to get to know who they were, never mind letting the creators figure it out. Within the last month and probably into the next few, we will see a number of “coming of age” stories and setting a new direction for various characters. We’ve now seen this start here with Supergirl and I’m glad to say I’m sticking around to see where things are headed.

As expected with an anthology focused on political discourse regarding the Occupy protests, there are varied approaches and observations here that provide many perspectives. The three perspectives or approaches that caught my attention were J.M. DeMatteis‘, Joshua Dysart‘s, and Matt Pizzolo’s.

DeMatteis’ Occupy Comics piece, That Which is Most Needed,  takes a decidedly philosophical approach to explaining and understanding the Occupy phenomenon. At the heart of his observation and reaction to the Occupy protests is a rather simple message – a loving heart.

Sharing one of the principles of the Buddha, DeMatteis presents the one view that typically becomes eschewed when examining a progressive or radical reaction to society’s condition. He warns against demonizing those the Occupy movement protests against for risk of finding themselves losing the argument or the moral high ground.

Artist Mike Cavallaro takes very simple scenes and breathes an interesting and surreal sort of life into them by making DeMatteis a walking, talking narrator, humanizing DeMatteis’ essay. This provides an interesting segueway into the next piece from Occupy Comics that caught my eye.

Joshua Dysart, one of the most politically engaged comic book writers that I know, subverted some interesting symbolism possibly borrowed from former President Bush’s war on terror in the form of playing cards for his Casino Nation, Pt.1, co-written with Kelly Bruce. This Occupy Comics piece eschews traditional cartooning art to provide readers a veritable who’s who in the banking collapse.

Allen Gladfelter’s art provides a grim, stark feel as Dysart and Bruce provide a simple telling of the facts, which ultimately speak for themselves with veritable information that has been lost in the 24-hour news cycle. This piece provides some excellent research on the matter and does it more objectively and factually than any of the major news organizations would be inclined to do.

Not surprisingly, Matt Pizzolo’s piece Channel 1% perfectly captures his irreverent and acerbic wit in regards to politics. Often times, I believe the media tried to paint the Occupy protests into one idea or political leaning rather than draw parallels with the common threads captured in most segments of society.

Pizzolo takes his own personal observations, which he characterizes as biased, and shows a new kind of understanding when comparing the Occupy movement to the Tea Party movement. The insight from his piece is to essentially get out and see these sorts of movements with your own eyes and ears rather than accept the filtering of the media.

Pizzolo wisely points out that major media is the 1% and quite capably influences how the Tea Party and Occupy movements are initially discredited and then vulnerable to being co-opted. He aptly points out that “The revolution has been televised. That’s the problem.” Cleverly illustrated by Ayhan Hayrula, Channel 1% ends the story segment of Occupy Comics #1.

While some of the pieces in Occupy Comics #1 fell a bit flat, or in some cases lengthy in rant, I would recommend this as  whole for people interested in what this movement really looks like. Ninety percent of all media is owned by six major corporations with some major agendas for growing that market share.

Objectivity or insight on a movement that threatens their very existence isn’t something you can count on. Occupy Comics #1 engages and invites discourse. Give it a shot.

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #15AU (Marvel NOW!)
This was the only tie-in to Age of Ultron this week and it was a little different than I expected. The last AoU tie-in for Avengers Assemble focused on the Black Widow; this issue focuses on several other members of the Avengers: Captain Marvel, Captain Britain, Excalibur, and the Black Knight (Dane Whitman). The entire issue takes place in London, which makes sense given the background of 3 of the 4 characters. (Even though Dane isn’t British, the heritage of where he obtained his abilities is.) Why Captain Marvel is in the UK is also explained; she was an Air Force pilot and was on vacation visiting the RAF museum. Captain Britain was an Avenger during the previous run of Secret Avengers, and Dane has been a long-time member of the team (and was one of my favorite characters on the team from back in the day). I had never heard of this Excalibur character before (at least not to my recollection so, if I have, she did not make that huge of an impression) but she seems somewhat interesting here. What I really enjoyed was what I think is a new character, Computer Graham. He’s a dude who used to write some amazing computer games in the past (think classic Nintendo style – they show some 8-bit scenes in the book) but he has the ability to actually enter a technology and interact with it on its level. So why does this pose a threat to Ultron? Well, in the opening scenes, we see the original Ultron design telling him to “Submit or Perish” and, being the Brit that he is, Computer Graham asks them why they don’t simply say “Exterminate”. So… they do. And now they sound like Daleks from Doctor Who. I loved the last Avengers Assemble AoU tie-in, and found this one good but not as engaging. There was definitely a little more humor here which I enjoyed, but the main concern I have is that the recent issue of Age of Ultron retconned the timeline and this goes back to just as Ultron was invading. I would have LOVED to have seen an Avengers Assemble tie-in that took place in that alternate timeline (like Marvel did a long time back with the original Age of Apocalypse miniseries) and establish the stories of some of those retconned characters. But this was still a good read – not the best of the bunch so far, but still good. – Kelly Cassidy

DARK SHADOWS #16 (Dynamite)
So we know 1984 doesn’t end up being a very happy year for the Collins Family, and for Collinsport in general. But now that Barnabas knows what happens he has to fight to prevent a demon in his body from killing everyone he knows. But the plan hinges on getting someone with a long history of hating Barnabas to help… which is what the future version of this character said would need to happen.
This story does run the risk of tripping over itself but so far it’s been nothing but entertaining. With the known future of Collinsport at risk we, the reader, know who needs to be dealt with and how but with the characters in the story not knowing it makes things very exciting! The big thing here is Barnabas is actually playing the hero. For all the years he hated being a vampire and worked to cure himself of his curse but it might be the strength and power his curse gives him that may help him survive the coming storm.
Dynamite has really hit a stride in this series. The serialized monthly comic book format fits the scope and tone of the story perfectly. I couldn’t be happier with this series. From the writing to the art, it’s respecting the legacy of Dark Shadows in every possible way. -Skott Jimenez

THE WALKING DEAD #110 (Image/Skybound)
This is another of those wonderfully stressful ‘calm before the storm’ issues. Nothing of any real note takes place but Robert Kirkman is clearly putting all his characters in the places they need to be for the upcoming war. While nothing ‘exciting’ takes place there are some very fine character moments in this issue. You have to appreciate Carl’s first impression of Ezekiel and his pet. It’s one of the few moments we’ve seen actually have a child moment. There is also the conversation between Ezekiel and Michonne where we finally learn a little more about the man, giving me, at least, a little more trust in the man. What was probably the golden moment of this issue is towards the end of their conversation Michonne smiles. Yes, she smile! Something we’ve rarely, if ever, seen and I have to say I actually like it. A smile looks really good on her!
So, once again, our cast is on the road to another war. But with what we’ve seen from Negan kind of puts everyone at risk. The man is a monster in nearly every sense of the word but what makes him even more dangerous is the fact that he actually doesn’t see the evil that he does as actually being evil. At least The Governor, on some level, realized this. Who is worse? I guess in coming issues we will see. -Skott Jimenez

Alright, now that we have those taken care of what about some of these other books reviewed by some of our fine contributors:

APE ENTERTAINMENT
Drew Hayes’ Poison Elves #2

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
Archie And Friends Double Digest #27
Sonic Super Digest #3
Sonic Universe #52

ASPEN COMICS
Soulfire Volume 4 #5

AVATAR PRESS
Night Of The Living Dead Aftermath #8

BONGO COMICS
Simpsons Comics #202

BOOM! STUDIOS
Fanboys Vs Zombies #14
Regular Show #1

DARK HORSE COMICS
B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth #107
Conan The Barbarian #16
Dream Thief #1
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Fall Of The House Of Usher #1
Star Wars Darth Vader And The Ninth Assassin #2
To Hell You Ride #4

DC COMICS
Batgirl #20
Batwoman #20
Birds Of Prey #20
Catwoman #20
Fables #129
Green Lantern The Animated Series #13
He-Man And The Masters Of The Universe #2
JSA The Liberty Files The Whistling Skull #6
Justice League Of America’s Vibe #4
Legion Of Super-Heroes #20
Nightwing #20
Red Hood And The Outlaws #20
Supergirl #20
Sword Of Sorcery #8
Wonder Woman #20

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Battlestar Galactica #1
Bionic Man Vs The Bionic Woman #5
Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood #27
Green Hornet #36
Kevin Smith’s The Bionic Man #20
Lord Of The Jungle #15
Mark Waid’s The Green Hornet #2
Pathfinder #7
Peter Cannon Thunderbolt #9
Shadow #13
Voltron #12

IDW PUBLISHING
Doomsday.1 #1
G.I. JOE A Real American Hero #190
G.I. JOE Special Missions #3
My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #7
Transformers Regeneration One #91

IMAGE COMICS
Dream Merchant #1
Fatale #14
I Love Trouble #5 (Replacement Copies)
It Girl And The Atomics #10
Legend Of Luther Strode #5
Morning Glories #26 (Replacement Copies)
Non-Humans #4
Think Tank #7
Vescell #8

MARVEL COMICS
Age Of Ultron #8
Avengers The Enemy Within #1
Cable And X-Force #8
Disney Girls Presents #14
FF #7
Gambit #12
Iron Man #10
Nova #4
Thunderbolts #9
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #23
Wolverine And The X-Men #29
Wolverine MAX #7
X-Factor #256

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
Bloodshot #11
X-O Manowar #13

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Madness Of Wonderland #4
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Vampires The Eternal #2

Although my pull list for this week has a mixture of a number of the books above, I have 4 here that I personally am looking forward to more than anything: Dynamite’s first issue of Battlestar Galactica and the 2nd issue of Mark Waid’s Green Hornet; DC’s He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #2; and last (but not least) Marvel’s X-Factor #256! What books from this list are you the most excited about?

The bad: First, this series is not one to jump into at a random issue. The reader needs to start at the beginning and go from there.  This is one of those books that is world building first and story second.  So this issue is not new reader friendly and with it being concept heavy it is very easy to get lost here.

That being said there is a tight narrative here; it just refuses to hold your hand and tell you where to go when you have no sense of direction.  This book is different and not for everyone but it is an enjoyable read to those who get it.  This is new science fiction where Graham and Roy’s writing weaves a tapestry of new concepts wrung from old ideas and interwoven with threads of a past history that currently infuses what is happening in the present.

Graham has taken the idea of cloning, shook out the clichés, threw it through an old carnival fun house, slammed it through the House of Mirrors, stirred it up in an old Dr. Dreadful Food Lab, and finally cooked to perfection in your next door neighbor’s Easy Bake Oven.  The clones all look different with specific skills and uses all at the beck and call of New Father John Prophet.  Some new ones in this issue include Mind-Mortar Johns who are some kind of mind bombs, Pilot-Johns who fly and the Parabalani Johns who are around for pleasure.

The characters all have depth to them and even though based off of one man they are not shallow carbon copies.  The issue has many instances of humanity whether it is from New Father John Prophet being awoken from the fear of one of his Pilot Johns, to the brain dog that remembers the time that he used to call Diehard master or with Old Man John Prophet still reeling from old war wounds.

The art by Simon Roy and Gianis Milonogiannis is breathtaking.  It is consistently one of the best drawn books published today.  The pages harken back to what Jack Kirby used to put on his pages and no idea is too impossible to draw.  The cover pulls the reader in and the opening splash page hits home as to how epic and grand the book is.  Page 11 is the best one in the book and shows how massive the battle is between The New Earth Empire and Thauilu Vah.

Prophet 35 is a four out of five-star book.  The reader will have no idea what is going on at times but the world building is impeccable and it is just visually stunning book.  This is something special and is meant to be reread a few times.

Extremely in demand as a storyboard artist for films such as Inception and The Dark Knight Rises while drawing and co-writing comics like Star Wars Legacy, Hardman’s dance card is punched up more than a boxer’s face. Currently working on Star Wars Legacy for Dark Horse Comics and ready to debut his new comic Kinski, Hardman should be a worn out husk of an artist at this point, but he perseveres.

Hardman, who generously took time out of his schedule to do this Q&A, offers insights into his influences and an answer to where that quirky pseudonym of Gecko came from in this medium jumping interview.

I’ve seen through various tweets and examples of your work that appear to be well-studied in art. Did you connect with art at an early age or was this something that developed at a later point?

My mother is a fine artist so art has been a focus for me as long as I can remember. Going to museums and figure drawing workshops are some of my earliest memories. I’ve had some aptitude for drawing from an early age, and I worked at both life drawing and sequential storytelling since I was a kid. I don’t have a lot of formal art training though I did go to a visual and performing arts high school which was a great experience. I then attended School of Visual Arts in New York for a semester but dropped out when I got work in comics.

What were some of your early influences on your art and the way you approach making comic books or storyboarding?

Obviously I was a comics fan and my taste in comic art wasn’t much different than the average mid to late 80s reader. I liked George Perez and John Byrne. But I’ve always been interested in older stuff which led me to find back issues drawn by artists like Bruno Premiani and Joe Kubert. These are the guys that continue to influence me to this day.

The parallel to this was my 8th grade art teacher pushing me to draw from life and introducing me to the work of Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres. Particularly his pencil studies for portraits. You can find some examples here: http://chawedrosin.wordpress.com/2008/03/07/ingres-pencil-drawings/ Ingres along with Edgar Degas are my biggest drawing influences.

Storyboards are about communicating what the director plans to shoot more than the aesthetics of the drawings. I’m just bringing my other visual art influences to drawing the boards. But movies are collaborative so I’m often executing the director’s ideas.

If I remember correctly, you were attempting to get work in the comic book business in your late teens with companies like Malibu Comics under the pseudonym Gabriel Gecko. First, did you make a smooth transition into comics. Second, where did the Gecko pseudonym come from?

I was actually 14 the very first time I sent sequential samples to a company. It was Eclipse Comics in fact. I continued working on new sequential samples and sending them in through high school and eventually got my first work at 18 drawing War Machine for Marvel. I went on to draw some stuff for the Malibu Ultraverse titles before transitioning into storyboard work in the mid 90s. That transition worked well since the comic market was collapsing after the speculator boom just as I got my first storyboard jobs.

The name doesn’t have much of a story. I thought it would be memorable — that editors would remember seeing it on the samples. I was also enamored with Warhol’s Factory in high school. All of those people changed their names, it sounded like a good idea! What can I say? I was a teenager. I didn’t make good decisions.

After your early work in comics, you appear to have transitioned into storyboarding for a long period of time. What brought you back into comics when you have such a demanding schedule as a storyboard artist.

I was never happy with the comics work I did in the 90s, and I always wanted to come back and do work I could be proud of. Every year I’d go to San Diego Comic Con and get excited by the idea of doing more comics, but the movie business is demanding as you say, and it never quite happened. But doing storyboards for other directors ultimately isn’t that creatively satisfying. It’s pretty anonymous work as well. I wanted to tell stories I was interested in and put out work people would actually see. After finishing a particularly punishing film, I took the time to draw an OGN called Heathentown that I adapted from a script that my wife Corinna Bechko had written. It was published by Image Comics/Shadowline in 2009, and that led to freelance comics work.

I’ve also noticed that you’re rather prolific in your ability to turn out a large of amount of quality art in a short period of time. How do you manage to get so much work done without the quality of your work suffering?

Drawing the storyboards made me faster but I never feel like I’m getting enough comics work done. There’s always so much more to accomplish!

Your work is multi-faceted and wide ranging. However, you seem to have a classic style that positively brings out vintage and retro vibes from your subject-matter. It seems to come out in your taste in film and wardrobe too. Do you find yourself injecting these tastes into your work? One example that always comes to mind for me is your work on Agents of Atlas.

I deliberately set out to merge my vintage art sensibilities with a more modern style of sequential storytelling. The fact that I ended up drawing Agents of Atlas was a happy circumstance since it let me try out a lot of those ideas.

Does music figure into and influence your artistic choices? Your taste in music is superb and it seems like every portrait or scene you create has a musical element to it like a film score or theme song hidden in there.

I don’t know if there’s a direct connection though I do listen to a lot of music while I work. There’s also a musical element to the pacing of stories though that’s more a way to frame thinking about them than a direct musical influence.

While I have yet to see it, I understand you made a short film called Wrong Way Up. What can you tell me about the experience of making that, and do you have any plans to revisit film making?

I love the stressful high wire act that is making a film of any size. I have plans for directing more films, they just take a lot of money so financing a project isn’t easy. That was a lot of the appeal behind making comics. All I need to do to make it happen is sit down at a table and draw. Wrong Way Up is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMXoAgl_3vg

In comics, do you have any desire to write and draw a story solo or do you prefer collaborations like you have with your wife?

Both Corinna and I have solo projects we’re working on. My digital first series Kinski, which I’m writing and drawing, is debuting on May 15. It’s something I’ve been working on for a while, and I’m very excited to join with Monkeybrain to get it out there. You can pre-order it here: http://www.comixology.com/Kinski-1/digital-comic/DIG003863

In regards to story and plot, it’s not hard to get a good feel for the story being crafted by Niles and Harris. Somewhere in an ancient Egyptian past, our protagonist whose name has yet to be revealed (but can be found in this previous interview with Niles), finds himself on the run from devilish pursuers who strip him of his essence and leave him to die in a burning desert.

Suddenly Cairo, Egypt morphs into Cairo, Illinois as our nameless protagonist is discovered by Elliot Ness of Chicago Fed fame as the story circles back around from the opening scene, leaving readers to wonder what direction this story will be taking as ghouls and gangsters mix it up for what promises to be another great concept from the talented Niles and Harris.

For starters, Harris has dazzled comic book lovers with his idiosyncratic takes on unusual characters in the past with the stellar Starman and Ex Machina titles by telling some excellent visual narratives in ways that few artists can. Now, he steps into the horror playground of writer Steve Niles’ and doesn’t miss a beat.

The fantastic layouts and sharp transitions through the panel work take Harris to new heights as the action in this first issue of Chin Music moves like a runaway train. At the same time, the action happens so quickly in this first issue that the reader is left wondering how Harris worked such a dizzying spell of panel work to the finished end of twenty-two pages.

In regards to Steve Niles’ writing, he takes a more subtle role in this first issue by letting Harris’ art tell volumes. This is definitely a less is more approach. Much of his narrative leans on the light side of his already lean narratives and dialogue. This is an interesting direction for Niles to head when considering his larger volume of work with titles like 30 Days of Night and Criminal Macabre.

In many ways, this is a decidedly different approach by Niles that works extremely well in setting up the story. With a backdrop of noir added into this interesting horror twist, Niles makes some interesting storytelling decisions that work well for the genre and show a lot of growth for him as a writer.

Chin Music comes across as a lean narrative that embodies the characteristics of traditional noir while moving into new territory by incorporating the supernatural in a way that doesn’t cheapen or demean the genre. Certainly, there is so much more to learn about where this story is headed as Niles and Harris keep their cards close to their vest, but this first issue is crackling with potential and charisma.

Frankly, Chin Music looks exciting and fun. Put this one at the top of your pull list if you haven’t made a trip to your local comic shop yet. It’s a powder keg of a comic waiting to explode.

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

Before I could even start to complain about how the artist and writer team had abandoned a book that was just starting to regain its steam and find its footing, I was immediately distracted by the action and intrigue that new series writer Alex Kot and artist Patrick Zircher bring in the first few pages. Now, I’ll be honest with you, Zircher has been one of my favorite artists even as far back as his days illustrating Marvel’s Thunderbolts, so it wasn’t hard to win me over in the art department, but the script is what really sealed the deal for me. This story essentially just continues on from the last issue’s events and not really “starting over new,” like many comics do when they switch creative teams. And I love the bravery of not announcing the switch. Not declaring it a new title. And for the first time in ages, not destroying every single thing that a previous run had established.

I could spend this review talking about the art, but it’s obvious to anyone who knows good art that this is just about as perfect as we can ask for in a superhero comic. I could spend this review talking about how utterly amazing the characterization is for this lovable team of murderous psychopaths and misunderstood anti-heroes, but that would simply do a disservice to the expertly-written dialogue within its pages. But I will say that the utter savagery displayed by the Unknown Soldier and the reveal at the end of James Gordon Jr. not only being alive, but working (or is it competing) with Amanda Waller behind the scenes caused me to set the comic aside and do probably the nerdiest dance that has ever been seen. (Thankfully, it was not actually seen. But trust me… It happened.)

This has been one of my “must-read” books ever since its beginning, but I had found that it was starting to lose its footing, as stated before. Well, let me tell you all right here and now… If this creative team is here to stay, this book is not only going to get back onto that list on a monthly basis, but it might very well climb to the top. Amanda Waller is one of my absolute favorite characters in all of comics and the inclusion of James Gordon Jr. is nothing short of a stroke of brilliance. I’m so glad that Gail Simone’s terrible treatment of the character was not the last time we got to see him. And I’m absolutely giddy to see what sort of carnage he has up his sleeve. Thanks for delivering a book that I didn’t know I wanted. This is by far the best book of the week from DC, and though it is early, quite possibly the best of the month. I can’t recommend it enough. Go buy it. And enjoy it. And help hold its new creative team accountable to keep up the awesome work.

My Rating: 5/5

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

The five stages of grief are continued to be explored in this great bookend title to the main Batman series. This issue, titled Batman and Red Hood, explores the first stage: Rage. And Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason continue to shed light on the story that takes place immediately after the death of Damian Wayne. And even though it’s starting to point (or possibly misdirect) towards the new Robin’s identity, I for one am continually pleasantly surprised by the depth and strength of characterization within each and every frame of this series. It is beyond comparison and by far one of the very best books on the stands. Monthly, this title makes me an even bigger Bat fan. And I’ve been reading every Bat title, crossover, team book, and spinoff for over a decade.

How fitting that Jason Todd, the first Robin to die under the wings of the Batman, and quite possibly the only angrier character in the DC Universe than Bruce himself, be chosen as the second stage of grief guest star. The fact that we get another glimpse of Carrie Kelley at the beginning doesn’t sour the issue because there is plenty of Jason and Bruce angst to fuel the rest of the story. They beat the crap out of a bunch of terrorists, yell at each other, blame each other, and then kick each others’ asses. It’s a perfect example of what puts the “fun” into the dysfunction of the Batman family. Of course, as with all moments fuelled entirely by rage, there is absolutely no closure. And how fitting that we get a final page, seemingly unrelated to the rest of the issue, with the angriest of all Batman villains, Two-Face.

This title continues to amaze me. I don’t think I could do it justice even if I had a weekly column just highlighting the never-wasted spaces within each frame, never-boring action sequences, and never-cliché dialogue. You can certainly tell that Tomasi is a fan-turned-editor-turned-writer and Gleason is a veteran who really loves his characters and the adventures he puts them through month-in and month-out. Along with the main Batman title, this comic truly proves that this is a serious medium. There are important issues being discussed with believable characters and fantastic, yet realistic scenarios in a lot of comic books, but none are ever so consistently enjoyable. Not only is this a great read, but it’s also a relevant one. I am looking to see how Carrie’s involvement plays out, as well as the Two-Face inclusion, and not to mention, the fact that we’re going to be treated to a Batgirl not written by Gail Simone, which is always a plus in my book.

My Rating: 5/5

This Saturday’s question: Would the comics industry survive without the “Big Two” around?

If DC went away, would Marvel survive? If Marvel said bye-bye, would DC pick up the slack? If one, or both, decided to call it quits, would the industry as we know it survive? Would companies like Image and Dark Horse rise from the ashes of the superheroes and their creators? Would web comics take over? Would anthropomorphic, fantasy, humor, and war comics finally get their time in the spotlight? Do you think one company would buy up the rights and keep the legends going strong? Or do you think something much more outlandish and creative would happen instead?

So go forth and debate! But be sure to back up your responses. Don’t be scared. And don’t give up. After all, no one likes a quitter. And you’re not a quitter, are you?

Spoiler alert! You have been warned!

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo never disappoint when they’re on their own, so it should come as absolutely no surprise to the readers of Batman that they continue to produce anything less than stellar when they work together. They do something very special in this, what some would refer to as a “filler story,” though. They manage to make a story that shouldn’t matter, well… matter.

As we conclude this brief interlude between Requiem and Zero Year, Clayface is up to no good and even more maniacal and murderous than ever. He has managed to not only capture Bruce Wayne and Lucius Fox, but also explain a pretty believable motive for doing so: He’s simply sick and tired of rich people not letting him impersonate and then blackmail them. So Lucius equips Bruce with a prototype costume (which fans of the Batman Beyond universe will absolutely love) and aids his employer in aiding himself (or, you know, Batman) in besting Clayface yet again. But the ending provides us with not only a great fight sequence (and some new powers for Clayface), but also a few revelations. The first of which is that Clayface can no longer return to the form of Basil Karlo, which is definitely an interesting twist. And the second, and possibly even more deadly, is that there is a chance that Karlo may have figured out that Bruce Wayne is in fact Batman. The masquerade plays out quite quickly, but a lifetime of imprisonment might just open up a bunch of new questions for the former actor. Not to mention the fact that he should probably know by now, especially after the events of the Hush storyline a few years back. We then get a touching final two pages with Alfred and Bruce talking about how Damian’s death will not destroy Batman like Jason’s did. And finally, we get to see the moment we’ve all been waiting for. Not one of anger. Not one of violence. But rather, for the first time in years, we get to see Bruce show a little humanity as he openly sheds a tear for his one and only true son. And the best part about this issue is not the emotion, the tear, or even the excellent fact that it wasn’t an entire issue (or two issues) of such. It’s the fact that Alfred is there with him, at his side, resting a hand on his surrogate son’s weary shoulder.

With yet another great backup story by James Tynion IV and Alex Maleev, this is yet another excellent issue that any Bat fans would find a welcome addition to their growing collection. This two part double feature not only simultaneously redefines Clayface as a villain worthy of the Batman’s attention as well as growing the Batman mythos as a whole, but also manages to do something that I have thought was no longer possible: making Gotham seem fresh, new, and exciting. Another great issue, guys! Can’t wait for Zero Year, and the brand new, never-before-told origin of the greatest hero in all of comic books.

My Rating: 5/5

Now, for those about to read this, there are some spoilers near the end but nothing about the plot itself – just some moments that I found really enhanced the story in one way or another. If you don’t want to read about those until you read the issue, do not read the 2nd last paragraph of this review.

Paul Cornell has been a long-time favorite writer. I would like to think I would give any title he writes a chance to entice me into picking it up regularly. When he started with DC’s Demon Knights, I was quite skeptical about the concept but instantly had it as one of my favorite books of the DC relaunch. He launched Saucer Country under the Vertigo imprint recently as well and that series just came to an end; it also was on my regular pull list. Then word he was going to do Wolverine came and now I had to give a Wolverine solo book a try. From the first page of #1, I was hooked. This was a story where you can jump right in and, holy crap, did it have all the elements of a great story: action, adventure, and (one thing we don’t see enough of from Logan) humanity. This issue showed Logan attempting to get to the core of what had happened in the first few issues and solve that problem, with help from his new sidekick/best buddy Nick Fury. No, not the classic Nick, but the Nick Fury that premiered recently in the pages of Battle Scars and is the son of classic Nick. Now, even though I’m not the biggest fan of that arc as that brings us closed to the Marvel movie universe, Nick is treated as a decent character here. He’s not too overbearing or arrogant (as I’ve seen in other releases); no, maybe it’s the fact that he respects Logan… or just downright fears him. But I like how Cornell has depicted Fury here – he’s not his father, but I get the feeling that he will be learning a lot about working with the superhuman community from Logan, one of the few heroes who will get down and dirty when he has to, and Nick respects that. But there’s also the humorous elements of this series that I absolutely loved – I’ll get to those in a minute.

Alan Davis’ art is also one of the reasons for picking up this book. He’s also been a long-time favorite artist of mine, especially back when he did a few Uncanny X-Men issues and then his entire run on Excalibur. He seems to have a huge fondness for Marvel’s mutant community and to see him taking on Wolverine without the rest of them is great. The futuristic tech that Logan is up against is drawn quite well by Davis; he has a knack for looking at some of the more “out-there” kind of things, making them unique and alien, but not making them TOO campy. (It’s gotta look somewhat campy – that’s part of the charm.) Even though Nick is a relatively new character and is (somewhat) based on Samuel L. Jackson (who was the original inspiration for the Ultimate universe version of Nick Fury), he manages to get some of the visual cues of Sam Jackson on certain panels and angles. Very few artists can make a character look like their actor counterpart successfully, so if Marvel is going to go in the direction of creating a stronger synchronization between the comics and the live-action universe, then you may as well go all-out and make that connection. Whether by intent or not, Davis managed to meet that need here.

I mentioned the humor in this issue and Cornell has a way of putting just that right touch into the stories, sometimes just with the introduction of a character. We saw a few other friends of Wolverine who were helping him out. One of them was a character long-missing from the Marvel Universe, Ann-Marie Hoag. Who was she, you may ask? Does anyone recall a series called Damage Control? She is the CEO of the insurance company that cleaned up after superhuman attacks. I think the last time I personally saw her in anything was the aftermath of World War Hulk as that is my last recollection of Damage Control even being mentioned. And I love the fact that Cornell has brought her into the story. Additionally, a little touch of Wolverine pointing out the obvious to a still-learning Nick Fury of why he didn’t take the mystery back to the Jean Grey school or to the Avengers. Not only did Cornell actually acknowledge the fact that Wolverine is on both teams, he was able to explain why this story is taking place away from both of them. Usually, there’s just a story where Logan is doing what he does because he works better alone; the commentary throughout that entire page shows that Logan is a team player but he picks which team he uses to help him in a way that makes absolute sense.

Can you tell this was one of my favorite reads of the week? To engage me, the story needs to draw me in or needs to be fun or needs to be something unique; then the art needs to complement that on top of everything else. That is my personal criteria for an engaging book. And this issue succeeded in that. It also made me not mind the new Nick Fury a little (still not thrilled but I think the correct writer could do something with him – and that seems to have happened here). I recommend giving this new Wolverine series a look-see as I think you’ll like what you find within its pages.

New York, NY—May 10th, 2012— This August, superstar writer Jonathan Hickman is joined by fan-favorite artist Mike Deodato to pit the Illuminati against their biggest threat yet  in New Avengers #9! Tying into the blockbuster event of the summer, Infinity, New Avengers #9 shows fans what new threats lie beyond the edges of the Marvel Universe!

With the Avengers fending off an intergalactic threat on the edges of the Marvel Universe, Earth becomes the most vulnerable planet in the system! Enter Thanos, the galaxy’s most ruthless threat and an unparalleled force of brutality who brings order to the chaos of life through murder. Earth’s last hope may lie in the hands of a man who can level cities with a single whisper – Black Bolt, king of the Inhumans. But is the combined might of the clandestine group of Avengers enough to push back Thanos and his deadly group of lieutenants – the Cull Obsidian?

“As with Avengers, Jonathan’s issues of New Avengers are a critical part of the overall Infinity story. There are elements that were set into place in the earliest issues of the series that he and Deo will be paying off on here.” explained Executive Editor, Tom Brevoort, Marvel Entertainment. “You could maybe enjoy INFINITY without them, but you’re really not going to want to.”

This August, the intensity of Infinity is turned up a notch as Hickman and Deodato show the power of the Mad Titan in New Avengers #9!

NEW AVENGERS #9
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art & Cover by MIKE DEODATO
ON SALE AUGUST 2013!

So, is Thanos going to be a real threat for the first time in years? It’s shaping up to be a very interesting event!

#MarvelINFINITY

…until now

New York, NY (May 9th, 2013)—She’s one of the biggest new characters to debut in the Marvel Universe in over 20 years, and today Marvel is proud to unveil your first look at ANGELA – redesigned by Marvel Entertainment’s Chief Creative Officer & superstar artist Joe Quesada! Angela, created by New York Times Best Selling writer Neil Gaiman & industry icon Todd McFarlane, makes her dynamic debut into the Marvel Universe this June, in the star studded conclusion to the critically acclaimed event Age Of Ultron with Age Of Ultron #10!

“Angela is going to make her mark rather quickly. She’s going to hit the ground running and cut a large swath through the Marvel Universe – both literally and metaphorically,” explained Joe Quesada, Chief Creative Officer, Marvel Entertainment. “ We have huge plans for her, and the mystery of who she is and where she comes from is something I think Marvel fans are going to be blown away by.  Actually, I know they will!”

However, Angela isn’t the only one making her way over to the Marvel Universe as Neil Gaiman makes his long awaited return to Marvel in over six years! Starting this July, Gaiman teams with blockbuster writer Brian Michael Bendis and fan favorite artist Sara Pichelli to take the angelic bounty hunter to the outer limits of the Marvel Universe in an all new arc starting in Guardians Of The Galaxy #5! Alongside Star-Lord, Iron Man, Rocket Raccoon, Drax, Gamora & Groot – Angela must help the Guardians take down threats putting the galaxy at risk, showing why she’s one of the most feared women in the Marvel Universe!

“It’s no coincidence that Angela’s debut comes around a time when we’re reminding fans that there’s a reason we call the space our stories take place in, the Marvel Universe,” said Axel Alonso, Editor In Chief, Marvel Entertainment. “What Neil and Brian have planned for the character in Guardians of the Galaxy is going to definitely turn some heads, and nobody can miss where it goes from there!”

The arrival of Angela to the Marvel Universe marks one of the most important moments in comics history! With a major player like the fearless warrior making her presence known – no fan can miss how her debut impacts the Marvel Universe and beyond! It all begins in the universe shattering Age Of Ultron #10 in June, and continues in the hottest new book of the year, Guardians Of the Galaxy #5!

AGE OF ULTRON #10 (APR130589)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by BRYAN HITCH, BRANDON PETERSON, CARLOS PACHECO, ALEX MALEEV, BUTCH GUICE, DAVID MARQUEZ & JOE QUESADA!
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
FOC – 5/27/13, ON-SALE 6/19/13

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5 (MAY130589)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & NEIL GAIMAN
Pencils & Cover by SARA PICHELLI
FOC – 7/1/13, ON SALE – 7/24/13

So, what do you think? Will she be able to function in the Marvel Universe?

#AgeOfUltron

The first problem is with the story itself. The book does a decent job of explaining the world the character comes from without retreading too much of the past series in scene. Most of the “catch-up” is handled through exposition coming from a cliche’ “old man around the campfire.” However, while you never want to retread the past books too much, this one seems to not do enough. I moved through the book having no real idea at the origin of the character or her motivations. There is also a big villain reveal within the book, but with no real set up for just what the character’s presence means to the world of the story. The whole story feels loosely threaded together, relying far too heavily on recognizable names and places. Once the name of a character or place is dropped (in a far too obvious bold font that shouts at the reader *Hey! You get this reference!*) the book feels its job is complete.

The art within the book itself is another sticking point for the reader. Larry Watts’ art is very stylized, with rough lines and thatching. However, a red flag for me is if I can’t understand the actions/movements of a character. The stylized art causes there to be too many scenes where objects aren’t the correct size and Robyn’s movements become questionable.

On the positive side, the dialogue is handled nicely for the most part. As the characters are shown in different worlds the dialogue becomes a humorous mixture of old-world fairy tale language and more modern colloquialisms. The result is a pleasurable humor throughout most of the book, with the dialogue between characters working to move the reader past some of the more difficult visual sections.

Overall, I am not certain where this miniseries is heading. By the end of the first book, there was not enough narrative tension or build-up to excite me for the next issue. Sadly, this seems to be another chance to put an attractive woman in tight clothing and watch her jump around. I do urge you to keep in mind that this is an introductory issue to a series, which almost always suffer from building or building upon, a world for the reader. However, with only 5 issues in the series, the book is going to have to make up some ground very quickly in order to be successful. The artwork was a problem for me, but this might not be an issue depending on your preference; regardless though, there are times where the character movements and actions just do not look natural or fluid. It will be interesting to see where the next issue takes the miniseries, but for now, I’d consider picking it up for the nice cover only.

DC Comics made the 2nd announcement of this series on their blog  today; the first announcement coming from another source, but what’s it all gonna be about?

So, based on the first issue of the ongoing series of MOTU, this falls into continuity with that run. Skeletor appears missing and now Hordak is coming to Eternia (and his lieutenant is someone who is familiar to many MOTU fans). But it sounds like the Masters are on the hunt for Skeletor for reasons unknown (which means that maybe they drive Hordak back for a while). But, for many of us longtime MOTU fans, this raises some questions (and now, yes, I may dive into fanboy mode so please bear with me – these are not the most serious of questions but are posed in the spirit of fun):

• How do they get to Earth? We have seen the Sorceress killed in the miniseries and it appears that the Masters are reluctant to trust their old comrade Orko in any way; I get the feeling that He-Man would rather kill him than trust him. So the magical powers of the Masters appears minimized, unless Grayskull has some weird portal to cross dimensions. (Which then begs the question: is Eternia in one of the other 52 universes that make up the DCU?) Dear Lord, please do not let it be done with a musical instrument like in the original Masters of the Universe movie. Just… no.
  
• Will He-Man remember Superman? For long-time DC readers, remember that the first published MOTU comic was done by DC in the 1980s in the pages of DC Comics Presents #47 as well as a short story inserted into a number of DC comics back then. In fact, Superman (who is susceptible to magic) was taken over by Skeletor. Since this happened in the previous DCU, there was obviously a connection between the DCU and the universe where Eternia existed. Now that He-Man has his memory back (read the miniseries, really!) will he recognize Superman or will he forget?  (We know Superman probably won’t recognize him as a result of Flashpoint and the New 52, but maybe the DC Eternia was destroyed way back when in the original Crisis and is now brought back with the return of the multiverse… More credence to this being associated with the New 52! It may mean that He-Man won’t remember Superman after all and this could explain it.)

So there you have it. With Giffen taking over the cosmic worlds of the New 52, is it out of the realm of possibility that MOTU is part of the New 52 in some other parallel universe? Sure, it doesn’t have “The New 52″ stamp on it (yet) but this crossover could make it happen!

OK, I’m done. When I read the news on this today this was the first thing that came to mind. Not because I think it’s ridiculous, but because it sounds like it would be immensely fun! That’s one thing that DC has been lacking of late, especially as they have removed some of their more fun books like Young Justice (although I am loving Ame-Comi Girls…). Let me end this with the following thought…

As has been the case in most of the early issues, Star Wars #5 is action-packed! We are thrust directly into the dangerous moment we left our pilots in at the end of issue #4. Throughout the action we begin to see exactly how relationships have formed since the Battle of Yavin. The underlying plot is quite compelling and leads us on a science fiction mystery. While there is some jumping around from scene to scene, it isn’t difficult to keep up with the different stories occurring in this issue. In fact, the only thing that makes things difficult is that it can be difficult to tell who is who behind those X-Wing helmet visors but luckily, the characters are called out by name more often than not.

So far, I’m truly enjoying this series and this issue only takes things up a notch. We are slowly taking in-depth looks into characters we only saw a glimpse of in the original movies, as well as discovering new characters that help shape our heroes of screen. Aside from the compelling plot and interesting characters, Brian Wood (writer) knows how to leave the audience wanting more with fantastic little cliff hangers in every issue, especially this one. Star Wars #5 truly gives you the feel of an intense action Sci-Fi TV show but in comic book form.

Star Wars #5 X-Wing

Star Wars #5 TIE Pilot

Carlos D’Anda’s artwork is superb, especially when it comes to ships and our favorite Sith Lord, Darth Vader. While things look familiar and you can easily pick out an X-Wing or TIE Interceptor, the creative team for this series has given the Star Wars universe their own special touch, creating unique designs and moods for these familiar objects. One thing I’ve truly enjoyed from each of these issues has been the cover art. Rodolfo Migliari does not disappoint in Star Wars #5. The cover is very well done, though Han looks like he is staring deep into my soul.

Overall, this issue does a great job moving the story forward on all three major fronts while keeping the action at full throttle. This is one of the few comic book series that leaves me dying to find out what happens next. Needless to say, I’m pumped for issue #6 next month!

May the Force be with you, always.

Another important thing to note is that as “Wrath of the First Lantern” comes to a close, so does the incredible run of Geoff Johns and his creative team. This marks the final Green Lantern story they will be working on together, at least as far as we know. Geoff Johns has been regarded by many as the man who saved Green Lantern. Now, I’ve always been a huge fan of these heroes, especially Hal Jordan but Geoff Johns did some truly incredible things for the character and series as a whole.

In 2005, Geoff Johns brought back our famous GL, Hal Jordan. I’m sorry for the lack of a spoiler alert but I think seven years is long enough to allow us to talk about this together.  He wrote Green Lantern: Rebirth, Infinite Crisis as well as others. Much of the modern mythology behind the Green Lanterns, their corps and the other lanterns corps is a direct result of John’s influence. So let’s take just a moment to reflect on how far my favorite hero, Green Lantern, has come since 2005.

Alright, on to my review of Green Lantern Corps #20 - “Wrath of the First Lantern: Epilogue”. This issue feels very anticlimactic, I’m hoping in part because the true finale is coming out in a couple weeks in Green Lantern #20. As most of the “Wrath of the First Lantern” has in this series, the issue focuses primarily on Guy Gardner and how he handles the aftermath of this story arc. I think you could put this issue in the “feel good” category for our GL protectors but #20 does very little to further the story or our characters.  The positive here being that you don’t seem to lose a whole lot by reading this issue prior to Green Lantern #20. The villain is not compelling and seems to be only used to force some level of threat into an otherwise docile book. In short, I am not thrilled with this issue.

Green Lantern Corps #20 Cover Cropped

Green Lantern Corps #20

The illustrations are solid aside from one frame that has Guy using his ring in an awkward appearing way. This creative team definitely has our heroes looks down whether we are talking primary Green Lanterns like Guy, John or Salaak or our less common characters from other corps or family members.

DC Comics definitely wants us to know that new creative teams are coming, though. We are presented with advertisements for Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps and Green Lantern: New Guardians on sequential left pages, informing us of the new creative teams to come in their respective #21 issues. There are also some additional ads of the same nature.

Between the lackluster issue and all of the push for the new creative teams, I’m actually heavily looking forward to #21 rather than feeling nostalgic for the current team. From a marketing perspective, that seems like the perfect plan.