Buying off the comic book rack – Oct. 10, 2012
My buddy Steve from Third Eye Comics takes a look at Wednesday’s new releases including the debut of Marvel Now:
MARVEL NOW begins this Wednesday!!
Folks, let me start off by saying this: I was lucky enough to read one of the advance copies Marvel sent us of this, and I gotta tell you: IT WAS FANTASTIC.
Holy crap, this is the best the Avengers comics have been in a long, long time. I mean, we loved the hell out of Avengers vs. X-Men, but it’s been a while since we’ve got really, truly excited about the regular ongoing AVENGERS series in the Marvel U.
But, bringing UNCANNY X-FORCE writer RICK REMENDER on as the flagship writer of the line was the perfect choice, and with ASTONISHING X-MEN: GIFTED artist JOHN CASSADAY handling art…. this book hits home runs on both counts: story and art.
I mean, the book delivers everything you could want from a good Avengers series — it’s a good mix of fan-favorites and legendary icons. It captures the same kind of bigger-than-life action that the AVENGERS film does, while at the same time providing those clever character-building moments like Whedon did so well.
DON’T MISS OUT ON RED SHE-HULK #1!!
The only other MARVEL NOW launch title to drop this week is the brand new RED SHE-HULK ongoing series, and folks, I gotta tell you: don’t sleep on this one, ’cause it has all the makings of a true sleeper hit.
I mean, most importantly: this was a fantastic read. Great artwork, and great storytelling with a character that normally wasn’t really at the top of my list of must-reads.. but, after this first issue? I’m pretty hooked.
Who is Red She-Hulk? Well, during the evolution of the HULK series in the last decade, there was a RED HULK introduced, who we came to learn was the Hulk’s eternal nemesis: General Thunderbolt Ross. Shortly after, we learned that Ross’ daughter, Betty, and the former love interest of Bruce Banner, had returned… as the RED SHE-HULK.
In RED SHE-HULK #1, we learn that the Marvel Universe’s most powerful woman is on a one-way path of destruction… and her targets? EVERY SINGLE SUPER-POWERED BEING IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE. Seriously.
BATMAN: DEATH OF THE FAMILY begins!
BATMAN has been… well, in all honesty, the best monthly superhero book on the stands. Since issue #1. Seriously. Every month. All the way awesome. Every issue.
BATMAN #13 is the single coolest issue of BATMAN I have read in nearly two decades. This is the kind of BATMAN issue that you’ll be seeing the cover of for years and years to come when people talk about great moments in Batman’s past. This ranks up there alongside KILLING JOKE, folks. I’m serious: you’re going to lose your minds when you read it.
Now, imagine these two titans tackling the Clown Prince of Crime.. and his grand return to the DC NEW 52? It’s been over a year since we last saw the Joker — and his face, which got sliced off at the end of Detective Comics. Now, he’s resurfaced, and he’s worse than he ever was before.
His mission statement? The end game. This is it. The Family must DIE. Batman, Nightwing, Batgirl, the Robins… they’re all going down, because the Joker knows his own game is nearing it’s end… and, we cannot wait to see how this all plays out.
DEATH OF THE FAMILY PRELUDE: BATGIRL #13!
One of the cooler features of the DEATH OF THE FAMILY arc is that Greg Capullo is providing some very unique, very special covers for each issue.
We all know Barbara’s history with THE JOKER, right? I mean, THE KILLING JOKE is on it’s way to becoming required reading in most schools, right? :) Seriously though, it’s an iconic moment in comic history when the Joker reigned terror on the Gordon family and the fallout from that was what happened to Barbara.
But, what’s been even more iconic has been her journey back, and her recovery from the event that disabled her a long-time ago. Now, The Joker is back.. and he remembers all too well what he did to Batgirl many years ago, and in issue #13 of this week’s BATGIRL.. we see the DEATH OF THE FAMILY kick into high gear.
AVENGERS VS. X-MEN: CONSEQUENCES #1!
Big-time Third Eye Favorite, Kieron Gillen (JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY) brings his talents to this kick-ass limited series that explores the fallout surrounding the recently concluded AVENGERS VS. X-MEN, and we’re pretty pumped to see the story he’s got to tell.
As many of you guys know after reading last week’s AVENGERS VS. X-MEN #12, Cyclops kind of went out in a blaze of glory, and in a weird way, got what he set out to accomplish: the prolonged existence of mutantkind.
Now, with mutants popping up across the world, and the Marvel Universe as a whole moving in a new direction, we’re eager to see how both the X-Men, and the Avengers, are going to handle this.
*THE RISE OF THE THIRD ARMY CHAPTER 2* continues
John Stewart discovers the arrival of a new Green Lantern on Earth, but before he can brief Baz on his destiny: the Third Army strikes, and all hell breaks loose.
The Guardians (those little blue guys who invented the Corps) have grown tired of failing in their effort to bring peace and order to the galaxy.
First, they failed with the soulless Manhunter androids, and now they feel they’ve failed with the reckless Lantern Corps.
What’s left to do? Create a THIRD army. An army that’s able to reason, but isn’t as free-willed as the Lantern Corps… but to do this, they have to terminate EVERY SINGLE LANTERN that’s currently operating, and that is where things get kick-a$$.