The story follows an Irish ballerina by the name of Quinn, who, from the pages of this inaugural issue, seems to be wrapping up her dancing career.  Watching over her and possibly having more than just a professional relationship with Quinn is former American black ops assassin Alan Fisher.  Issue 1 takes place in Italy and is essentially one big footchase amidst dark, shadowy-drawn environments.  That lack of variation is not necessarily a bad thing as a sense of urgency and fear is almost instantly established.

Quinn and Alan are put on the defensive in dramatic fashion and the tale intesifies rather quickly.  For readers of this gritty book, I would predict a 50/50 split on the ”I like it, I don’t” opinion.  There’s action, gore, proper introductions, but I didn’t find a whole lot of complex punch and pizzazz on the pages of dancer.  Granted, it’s only the first installment of the ongoing series and there’s still a whole lot of story to tell and we’re only out of the starting block.  However, when you’re pinching pennies to determine what titles you’re going to stick with from month to month, a story needs to grab and retain a reader after the flip of the last page (if not earlier).

I’m up in the air on visiting issue 2 when that comes out next month,  just because I wasn’t completely won over with the premier.  There is a unique twist that I won’t give away that could open a whole other set of doors to the future storyline(s) of this title.  Upcoming issues are bound to take us from Italy throughout the rest of Europe, North America and parts unknown.  The result of Dancer‘s success will rest on Edmondson as the story will need to get a little more involved to bring issue 1 readers back and current non-readers onboard.  I just feel like this is a story that’s been done before.

Overall:

There have already been a few names to take the crimson arachnid mantle, but without a doubt the most popular has been Kaine Parker.  With a name like that, you’d think he’d be related to the one and only Peter Parker, right?  You wouldn’t be all that far off with an assumption like.  Kaine, you see, is the final result of a series of experiments by the villain known as the Jackal (aka Miles Warren) who cloned Peter.  We all know Spider-Man’s tagline, right?  “With great power comes great responsibility.”  Kaine holds the same DNA, but not quite the same mentality.  He’s adopted an “All of the power, none of the responsibility” mindset.

Donning his red and black suit and leaving a trail of havoc behind from the Spider Island story arc, Kaine headed to Texas in issue 1 (January 2011) where he got more than he bargained far after encountering the foul stench of death, one hulking pyromaniac serial killer from Mexico and mysterious lone survivor amidst the tragedy.  We’re up to issue 4 now and the storyline has only become more intense along the way, courtesy of writer Chris Yost (Red Robin, X-Force).  So just how much do the two costumed guys have in common?  Remove the conscience and sarcastic one-liners that Spidey has, and you’ve got yourself one very agile, non-joking, loose cannon swinging from the Houston skyline.  Okay, so Kaine may have somewhat of a soft spot in his heart for doing the right thing at times, but that doesn’t mean he’ll make a concerted to stop a robbery in progress.

Illustrating the pages of Scarlet Spider is Ryan Stegman, who is known for his work on She-Hulks and The Incredible Hercules.  Kaine’s super-human agility is soundly reflected in the equally agile and smooth, yet detailed lines of Stegman’s work.  “Flow” is an accurate term to describe his delivery and imagery that easily captures the reader’s eye.  Complimenting this brilliant artwork is inker Michael Babinski (Incorruptible) and colorist Marte Gracia, whose combined duties provides a beautifully lush environment and character portrayal that makes each issue more attractive than the last.  Simply put, this visual artistic team excels at bringing the pages of Scarlet Spider to life in an attractively gripping fashion.

Usually spin-offs tend to be watered down alter egos of the original content.  While Kaine is certainly a sort of alter ego of Peter Parker, he is definitely not watered down.  After four issues, Kaine is already on his way to achieve a more widespread stand-alone status, which, should the story and art quality remain consistent, propel him further up the Marvel ranks.  Granted, he’s not going to take over the popularity of Spider-Man, but this is proof that these rooftops are big enough for two webslingers.

First and foremost, I want to cover the artwork here, courtesy of Cary Nord (minus the cover).  Why?  Because one of the images I included in last week’s article that was released by Valiant showed more of a CGI portrayal of the X-O character instead of a traditional ink and sketch delivery.  That image is misleading as the pages of issue #1 look nothing like that, which for me and likely many other readers, is a big sigh of relief.  Cary Nord brings us a detailed landscape of artwork where emotions on the characters’ faces are easily understood without having to take one look at the dialogue to grasp the feeling of the scene.  Action sequences are also accurately portrayed, whether it’s the onslaught of a brigade or the hit-and-run tactics of a small group, Nord’s graphical layouts get the job done and then some.

The writing, and I’ll try and keep this as spoiler free as possible, is intense if nothing else.  The story Robert Venditti has conjured here is quite gripping at times and should even retain the attention despite the worst my potential A.D.D. has to offer.  Focusing on a great Visigoth warrior by the name of Aric of Dacia, the good-hearted yet cunning warrior leads his people as they defend their lands against the threat of the Roman Empire.  A phalanx, however, will be the least of Aric’s worries.  The story performs its duties successfully as it covers a variety of situations for the lead character in a seamless fashion, pitting our hero in one dire strait after another without being the least bit choppy.

For those unfamiliar with the X-O Manowar suit, it’s a living carapace of armor with a range of deadly weapons that are instantly created by itself in combination with the wearer’s thoughts.  With that being said, not anyone can don the armor and take the fight to the enemy.  The armor only allows the greatest of warriors to utilize its capabilities.  The outcome for an unworthy subject attempting to wear the suit relates to a most unpleasant experience, and while the lid isn’t blown off this vessel in the first issue (thank goodness), that bit of holding back only spells big things to come on the horizon.  My only beef is that one or two sequences made it difficult for me to suspend disbelief…yes, even in a comic book.  I’d explain myself, but I wouldn’t want to give too much away now, would I?

Venditti and Nord make for an awesome duo on the pages of X-O Manowar issue 1.  I didn’t put a lot of faith into this book going into it, and was not only surprised after flipping the last page, but highly entertained as well.  In an economy where it can be tough to stretch a dollar and one must limit their selection of title reading, X-O Manowar has only made it more difficult for me since I will definitely be pursuing issue 2 and beyond if the story quality remains at this high level.  Well done, guys.

Overall:

Readers can expect the rebirth of other classic Valiant titles this summer such as Harbinger (June 2012), Bloodshot (July 2012), and Archer & Armstrong (August 2012). According to a source on Wikipedia, the revitalized Valiant also “revealed plans to release the world’s first ‘talking’ comic book cover, featuring QR code technology that allows the reader to use their smartphone to hear X-O Manowar speak.”

Personally, I’m looking forward to these next few months as the aforementioned series were all popular titles back in the early to mid-90’s when I was just getting into comics, especially X-O Manowar, which, in a nutshell was along the lines of Iron Man but with a living suit that heals itself. Though these are some memorable books from the past, the artwork and writing is clearly dated so let’s hope the new team of writers and artists breathes renewing life into their stories.

If you haven’t been following Marvel as of late, here is a quick run-through to catch you up to speed.  Mutants, which are basically humans born with enhanced abilities, are supposed to be the next step in human evolution.  Unfortunately for them, one particular Avenger (the Scarlet Witch), stripped nearly all mutants of their abilities, leading to their near-extinction with fewer than 200 mutants alive today.  A mere fraction of that figure comprises the actual X-Men team.  With that being said, the Avengers have grown exponentially over time in team size with members now including Spider-Man, The Thing, War Machine and Red Hulk to name a few.  As for X-Men stalwarts Wolverine and Beast, those guys are on the fence as far as deciding which team to side with.  As it stands, it’s 22 versus 6.  Can someone say lopsided?  Obviously our favorite mutant team is the underdog here.

Now that you’re all caught up, let me just say that issue 1 was an awesome read and begins the holy crap! fest that is simply known as A vs. X.  With Captain America leading the Avengers and Cyclops commandeering the X-Men, a whole lot of bad blood is about to reach its boiling point.  These guys have a history and it doesn’t involve a whole lot of handshakes and smiles.  Buckle up, Marvel fans.  This is going to be one wickedly turbulent ride.   Issue #2 is right around the corner…

STEVE NILES AND MENTON3 DEBUT

THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED NOSFERATU WARS

IN DARK HORSE PRESENTS!

“I haven’t been this excited about working on something in a long time. Menton3 is the perfect artist and we couldn’t be more thrilled to be doing this at Dark Horse,” Niles said. “This year I’m making a big push to become 100 percent creator owned. Nosferatu Wars will be a big part of that, I hope.”

Steve Niles and Ben Templesmith redefined the vampire genre with the groundbreaking comic series 30 Days of Night in 2002. Ten years later, Niles is poised to make history again, as he and Menton3 blow the sparkle off of the undead in Nosferatu Wars, premiering in Dark Horse Presents later this year!

So what would be this week’s Supergirl?  That was my top pick of the September 21st debuts which outshined every other title on that date.  Will her cousin take the reins this week or would an underdog surpass the red-caped superhero?  Here are the results on the last round of issue 1′s for the New 52…

Aquaman – Was the reason you never read Aquaman before because he wasn’t cool enough?  If so, you can no longer use that as an excuse.  Not only does he kick ass and take names, but this title turned out to be one of the best of the New 52.  Geoff Johns needed to be the writer for this book and he needs to be penning Arthur Curry’s life for a long time to come.  Johns took all the aqua jokes and rolled them into one issue where bystanders threw zingers at the Atlantean king saying what so many readers have already felt about the sea hero.  The highly detailed artwork was a superb compliment to the equally brilliant story built here.  We get a little bit of Aquaman history here combined with a new breed of vicious enemies…think of piranha with limbs!  (Writer: Geoff Johns / Penciller: Ivan Reis)  Grade:  A+

Black Hawks – Oh, how I wish this was about my favorite hockey team.  Instead, it’s about a super secret band of mercenaries out to protect the world.  Think of the G.I. Joe movie, but with less colorful characters.  The book starts off with a flurry of action…and I had no idea what was going on.  Someone’s getting bit.  That guy gets punched.  This bloke’s shooting at something.  It’s a whole thing.  It seems like in each week of DC’s New 52 multiple title release dates, there has been one dud that suffers from frantic and/or hodge-podge story-telling.  Demon Knights was like that.  Wonder Woman was a little bit like that.  Black Hawks is a whole lot like that.  I established no care for any of the characters.  The artwork  was decent but that was the book’s highest point.  Other than that, we’re re-fed a story of nano technology that can enhance individuals once they’re in the host’s bloodstream.  Unique this is not.  (Writer: Mike Costa / Layouts: Graham Nolan)  Grade:  D

The Flash – While I’m familiar with Barry Allen, the fastest man on earth, I never really delved into an issue of The Flash.  Here we get a somewhat decent origin story with some proficient (but not my favorite) art and a story that holds your attention long enough to get to the whiz-bang-wow final page.  I’m not sure why the Flash wears a ring now that magically puts his costume on for him, but other than that, this book had a consistent story taking place with a great little twist thrown in for good measure.  (Writers: Francis Manapul & Brian Buccellato / Artist: Francis Manapul)  Grade:  B

I, Vampire – Here’s a story about an elderly couple with quite the romantic past.  No, they’re not wrinkled and gray.  Quite the contrary.  They look young and vibrant and they’re at least 400 years old.  This is the tale of Andrew Stanton and his former love Mary.  Andrew is the lead character in I, Vampire.  He’s one of the strongest vampires around, yet despises the bloodlust that Mary has for humans, as well as her distaste for the race itself.  Andrew will stop at nothing to keep Mary and her murderous band of followers from wiping out entire cities as gore is found in significant supply amongst the pages of this title.  The book was very muted in its lines and coloring, using a lot of shadows and mid-range blues combined with blacks for the night time sequences while going heavy on the tan and light earth tones for the sun-bathed daytime panels.  The story was a slightly difficult to follow at times as a conversation between Mary and Andrew was often playing out during events that were either currently or previously happened.  I did get the overall gist of it, which provided to be a pretty entertaining read.  With the vampiric pair mentioning Superman and the Green Lanterns, it’ll be interesting to see what’s on the horizon for this book.  (Writer: Joshua Hale Fialkov / Artist: Andrea Sorrentino)  Grade:  B

The Savage Hawkman – Carter Hall is an interesting character.  The guy has been bumped off and rejuvenated countless times, thanks in part to the Nth metal that comprises his gear.  There is a well-founded build here as we get inside the head of Hall who is trying to run from his identity, while at the same time an archeological study is taking place.  When Hall arrives on the scene, he soon finds himself unable to escape his wing-bearing Hawkman persona to take on an impending danger.  This all sounds like good fun, but it was a little stale to be honest, some of which was rehashed from any number of sci-fi films.  It wasn’t horrible, but it missed the mark of greatness by a long shot.  If it makes Carter feel any better, I give it props for best cover of the 9/28 releases.  (Writer: Tony S. Daniel / Artist: Philip Tan)  Grade:  C

Superman – This was without question the most dialogue-heavy book I had come across yet in the New 52 series.  Lois Lane is making like the Jeffersons and movin’ on up.  Superman is just coming back to Metropolis after a mysterious hiatus, and an unknown threat makes its move on the famed city from afar.  On the bright side, thank goodness it’s not Lex Luthor.  I can’t think of a villain I hate reading about more.  On the other hand, what Superman faces here is a little silly, though there are some clever aspects interspersed.  Unfortunately, I never got excited on this lone issue.  I found it depressing at times, but still, it had its significant moments that stuck out like a ray of light where you could see something was possibly building for the long term here.  I loved September 21st’s Supergirl, though I’ve got a feeling that will take a more bubblegum path (and that’s fine) whereas Superman is going to go a more serious, even darker route.  Solid writing, some lag, great art.  (Writer: George Perez / Pencils & Inks: Jesus Merino)  Grade: B-

And that concludes our coverage of DC’s New 52 reboots.  Nobody can use the excuse now that they didn’t want to jump into a story mid-stream.  Almost everything has started over so there is no mid-stream!  We’re all at the source now and while there have been some less than spectacular titles, all in all I think DC’s efforts scream victory as most of the reads have been at least good.  Reflecting back over the past five weeks, I’d have to say my favorites include Justice League, Red Lanterns, Supergirl, Detective Comics, Animal Man, Batwing and my numero uno, Aquaman.  The second issues of a lot of these stories are already starting to show up in stores so get your hands on them now!

When I was a kid, my friends and I would sit around and talk about what super power we wish we could each have.  One kid said flight, another said invisibility, a third said super speed.  Then there’s me.  I always have to be the anomaly.  I don’t make it a point (sometimes) to be that.  It’s just me.  So I of course responded with, “Gills.  I wish I had gills…so I could breathe underwater.”  I receveived responses that ranged from laughs to “Come on, what would you really want?”  Hey I wanted to be like Aquaman.  I don’t want to go out on the surface of the water in a boat.  I wanted to go underneath it.  I didn’t want to merely look at fish through the glass.  I wanted to swim with them.  Everything about the ocean has always enthralled me, and because of that, Aquaman was one cool cat in my eyes.  Though not always, he usually received less than spectacular writing from authors at DC Comics which has caused many a reader not to take him seriously, occasionally becoming nothing more than a great background character.

Stories were often mudane and plodding.  He was as colorful as Superman, but not nearly as powerful.  He had no where near the band of key rivals that Batman has, so that distanced him even further from the pack of mainstream heroes.  Nevertheless, the half-human, half-Atlantean has managed to stay afloat through 70 years of comic books.  Today, however, Arthur Curry (aka Aquaman), gets the star treatment as DC prodigy Geoff Johns (Blackest Night, Justice League) pens the literary direction of issue #1 of Aquaman, while artist extraordinaire Ivan Reis (Blackest Night, Green Lantern) breathes visual life into its pages.  This was by far and away my most anticipated title of the 52 that have been released in DC’s unprecedented sales retooling.  Was I disappointed?  NO.  Not at all.  Not in the writing.  Not in the art.  Geoff Johns did the blonde-haired water-breather a serious amount of justice.

There’s a scene in the Eminem movie 8 Mile where he and another rapper are battling out their rhymes on stage.  It involved using faults of the other person in your own rap.  Eminem’s character took his own faults and shortcomings and threw them back, leaving his hip-hop opponent with nothing left to use.  Johns does the same thing here at one point and executed it flawlessly.  He puts out there what everyone is thinking, and does so with a finely sharpened point.  The story ebbs and flows like a natural tide while showcasing a fraction of just how strong of a character, both figuratively and literally, Aquaman is.  He is now the bad ass he always needed to be, and issue #1 is just a taste of what’s to come. Reis effectively compliments Johns’ writing with the dynamic artistry and storytelling that the pair has teamed up for in the past.  Perhaps now, Aquaman will get the readership he deserves.

Two of DC’s biggest characters made their re-entrance this week along with one of the most anticipated books for me, Blue Beetle.  True, he’s not tier-1 character, but I guess I’m just fascinated by the whole Egyptian scarab thing and alien technology.  After all, humans didn’t build those pyramids, but that’s a whole other story and we’re here to talk comics, right?  Right!  So let’s get down to business…

Batman – The second biggest name in the DC Universe arrived in jaw-smashing fashion as the Dark Knight delivers one fist of justice after another.  The story seamlessly transitions from fight scene to Bruce Wayne dialogue and closes with a shocking twist that should have readers hooked in heartbeat.  The art is courtesty of former Haunt artist, Greg Capullo, who provides a gritty, more jagged style, certainly befitting of the dark parallels Gotham has to offer.  However, his drawings of the Caped Crusader are not my cup of tea.  On the upside, the colors are muted through most of the panels, which helps set the dark forboding mood we’ve come to know Batman stories so well for.  (Writer: Scott Snyder / Penciller: Greg Capullo) Grade: A-

Blue Beetle – For those not familiar with the Blue Beetle, think of it as Iron Man with organic armor.  Hey if the grocery stores are going organic, why not battlesuits too, right?  Anyway, Blue Beetle features the story of an average-Joe high schooler named Jaime Reyes.  One fateful day he comes in contact with an alien blue scarab that envelopes his body in a suit of armor that packs the firepower of a nation’s military…and then some!  This inaugural issue not only gives us background on Reyes, but on the armor itself as well, and does so quickly, but solidly enough that it doesn’t come across hurky-jerky.  There is a fair amount of Spanish dialogue throughout this title, some translated, some not.  Since it’s been 17 years since I took a Spanish class, I was really getting detached from what was going on.  Nevertheless, the backstory is above average with detailed artwork and vibrant inking.  Look for issue 2 to be a wet-your-pants unleashing of firepower. (Writer: Tony Bedard / Penciller: Ig Guara) Grade: B

Catwoman- Start off with a bang.  Literally.  This title makes its presence known out of the gate with its in-your-face panel-to-panel storytelling.  Selina Kyle is Catwoman.  Part time thief. Part time vigilante.  Full time hotness.  This was the underdog title for me this week.  I did not expect a whole lot here, but it turned out to be a well-deserved, stand-alone title for the sexy burglar.  The story isn’t as deep as I’d like it to be, but then again, is Catwoman that kind of character?  She can certainly be the Yin to Batman’s Yang…err…you know what I mean.  Bruce Wayne has a much more detailed history than Selina Kyle, but make no mistake, this isn’t the shallow end of the comic book pool.  You’ll find some expertly drawn characters here paired with writing that doesn’t make you feel like you’re out in left field.  The build-up to the action is timely, and once unleashed, makes for a thrilling ride.  (Writer: Judd Winick / Artist: Guillem March) Grade: B+

Nightwing – The original Robin helps guard the streets of Gotham as Nightwing, picking up in continuity after protecting the doom-and-gloom city as Batman for the last year.  Dick Grayson returns to his roots while facing a new enemy in this high-flying acrobatic delivery.  Most of the dialogue is that of Grayson’s thoughts, and while the writing is done well, the one-sidedness of it wore on me after a bit.  It’s still a good story with some great action.  Plus, there is a direct tie-in to the aforementioned Batman #1, which should provide for some gripping plot-work as we progress into both titles. (Writer: Kyle Higgins / Penciller: Eddy Barrows) Grade: A-

Supergirl – I know the basic cousin-to-Superman storyline, but outside of that, I was never all that familiar with the last girl of Krypton.  Let me just say that this title knocked my socks off.  It proved to be a great establishing issue and wasted little time getting some brawls thrown into the mix.  Even better than last week’s Superboy, this title excels at providing action with emotion to support another S-donning hero. The art is more than proficient (minus the cover), while the writing is intuitive and excels in establishing tension and the title character’s inner conflict. (Writers: Michael Green & Mike Johnson / Penciller: Mahmud Asrar) Grade: A+

Wonder Woman – Right behind Batman comes the third most significant DC character; none other than Wonder Woman.  First off, this title wins points for its nostalgically drawn cover, courtesy of Cliff Chiang.  The story inside, however, seems to resemble a little of what it’s like to flick a wet paint brush at a canvas.  It kind of ends up all over the place, and while it may hold imagery for some, it can be incoherent to others.  Issue 1 of Wonder Woman wasn’t quite that bad, but an origin book it is not.  All of a sudden as a reader you’re just kind of thrown into the mix.  Granted, there are some wicked action sequences, and while it wasn’t as fragmented as last week’s Demon Knights, it came close at times.  Here’s hoping they get this story ironed out with more coherency in the next issue.  (Writer: Brian Azzarello / Artist: Cliff Chiang) Grade: C

So there you have it.  Four release dates down, one to go and Supergirl comes out the big winner this week.  Next week’s New 52 releases include my most sought after book, Aquaman, this time written by Mr. Geoff Johns himself.  Some of the other DC books making their debut next week are The Flash, Teen Titans, Batman: The Dark Knight, and All-Star Western where Jonah Hex enters a 19th century Gotham and becomes the city’s first vigilante.  Let’s not forget the king daddy-o of them all…Superman.  Yes, the Man of Steel makes his entrance known on September 28th as well.  I’ll be away from Why So Blu next week so the review of any 9/28 titles will be the week after.  Thanks for your patience and happy reading!

Rather than wax on about the content of each and possibly giving spoilers away, I figured it’d be best to give a brief synopsis on each of the six first issues I bought today.  Unfortunately, I had issue 1 of Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E. in my hand in the store, then somehow put it back.  That whole sequence just escaped my memory.  Anyway, my apologies for not including that one here.  Nevertheless, here are the seven..er…six DC comics I did successfully take to the cash register today (in alphabetical order):

Batman and Robin – The Dynamic Duo is back!  Bruce Wayne and son Damian (whose granddad is none other than Ra’s al Ghul) team up for a stress-filled mission where Batman has to play team leader and parent at the same time.  The issue gives us a strong read and maintains the ominous tone we know Gotham so well for.  With young Robin in tow, the story does get pretty whiney at times, but still succeeds overall.  (Writer: Peter Tomasi / Penciller: Patrick Gleason) Grade: B+

Batwoman – For a starter issue, a little more background origin would have been appreciated.  The art pleasantly changed styles between pages and the writing is sound.  Cons to the issue include a lack of introduction and what appears to be a supernatural villain.  When I think of Batman, Batwoman, or anyone associated with the Batman universe, I think of stories a little more grounded in reality.  What appears to be an apparition on today’s pages was a quick buzzkill. On the upside, Batwoman issue 1 has the best cover of any title to come out today. Overlall, this book suffers from mediocrity.  Of any title here, this one most closely resembles kissing your sister. (Co-Writer: J.H. Williams III / Co-Writer: W. Haden Blackman / Artist: J.H. Williams III /) Grade: C

Demon Knights – I usually dig the dark stories.  Plus, Etrigan is a pretty cool character and here is his moment to shine.  Establishing a far better origin than Batwoman, we get to see how bystander Jason and Etrigan came to be one.  There is no shortage of demons and magic in this inaugural release, though many of the panels do not offer a seamless transition for the overall story.  At the end of the issue, I was left scratching my head.  It wasn’t so much a case of “oh they’ll explain that in the issues to come,” as it was a case of “WTF is going on?”  I don’t recall reading a story this disjointed before.  The art is nice.  The writing…ehhh…not so much. (Wrtier: Paul Cornell / Penciller: Diogenes Neves) Grade: D+

Red Lanterns – Here is the hottest commodity of the day.  I am not a fan of the Green Lantern universe at all, but this read was just wicked fun.  We get a brief but great background story on Atrocitus and the layout for what could be a no-holds-barred story to come.  The writing offers one very well placed bit of humor and a whole lot of angry tension, while the art brilliantly carries the visuals.  Relying on the emotion of rage, the Red Lanterns like to exact retribution swiftly and in uncompromising fashion.  I can’t wait to see them go to work.  Ain’t nuthin’ to it but to do it! (Writer: Peter Milligan / Penciller: Ed Benes) Grade: A

Resurrection Man – Little did I know of this title before today, but the name alone hooked my interest.  Mitch Shelley is almost un-killable.  Well, let me rephrase that.  He’s definitely killable.  It’s keeping him from coming back that’s the hard part.  The well-intended man who has abilities of electricity control can die and come back to life at will.  His quote early in the story of “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” says a lot about this guy and his M.O.  So who takes interest in someone of Mitch’s capabilities?  Why, those in the afterlife of course, and with Mitch on the run from something, you can bet the spirits from beyond want his soul like no other.  His background is still left a little foggy here, though there is enough substance to go on for now.  (Writers: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning / Artist: Fernando Dagnino) Grade: B+

Superboy – By far and away, issue 1 of Superboy lays the best foundation for any of today’s releases.  I, for one, was not familiar with the kid’s history and how he came to be.  Search no further.  You’ll find it all here.  Rage, love, espionage, and fear of the unknown.  These are all aspects covered in the reboot of Superboy.  You’ll see one or two familiar faces on the pages and while the story doesn’t offer a whole lot of action, it does offer quite a bit of education on the character.  The artwork typically isn’t my style, but the writing is definitely on target.  (Writer: Scott Lobdell / Penciller: R.B. Silva) Grade: A-

The following list displays the on-sale dates of all 52 new DC Comics titles.  Please note, all of the titles mentioned below are issue #1′s.

August 31

Justice League

September 7

Action Comics, Animal Man, Batgirl, Batwing, Detective Comics, Green Arrow, Hawk and Dove, Justice League International, Men of War, O.M.A.C., Static Shock, StormWatch, Swamp Thing.

September 14

Batman and Robin, Batwoman, Deathstroke, Demon Knights, Frankenstein: Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Green Lantern, Grifter, Legion Lost, Mister Terrific, Red Lanterns, Resurrection Man, Suicide Squad, Superboy.

September 21

Batman, Birds of Prey, Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, Catwoman, DC Universe Presents, Green Lantern Corps, Legion of Super-Heroes, Nightwing, Red Hood and the Outlaws, Supergirl, Wonder Woman.

September 28

All-Star Western, Aquaman, Batman: The Dark Knight, Blackhawks, The Flash, The Fury of Firestorm, Green Lantern: New Guardians, I Vampire, Justice League Dark, The Savage Hawkman, Superman, Teen Titans, Voodoo.

Issue #1 of the latest DC crime fighter arrived in stores today along with other first issues including those of Swamp Thing, Green Arrow, Justice League International, and the highly anticipated Action Comics, just to name a few.  As I milled about the new-release aisle in the store, I felt like it was far too premature to leave with only two comics in hand.  The Detective Comics reboot started today but issue 1 was sold out by the time I got there.  The same goes for Stormwatch and Men of War.  Then there was Batwing.  Hey, his suit looked cool and if he is good enough to get a nod of approval from Bruce Wayne, well then heck, he’s good enough for me to pick up his title.

Batwing is set in Africa amidst the very corrupt backdrop of Tinasha.  Police Officer David Zavimbe is lawman by day and vigilante by night.  Bribes and violence work the system, leaving Zavimbe and crew near powerless against the crime syndicates of the landscape.  Inspired from the Batman Inc. storyline, Batwing is one of those international figures that Bruce Wayne deemed worthy enough to wear the bat crest and be armed with all kinds of technological goodies, courtesy of Wayne Corp.

Judd Winick mans the controls at the writing helm while artist Ben Oliver is the cat behind the drawings.  Winick creates a very fast-paced, teeth-grinding ride in the inaugural issue, setting the tone for what’s to come.  You’ll find no shortage of violence and tragedy in this story, as well as a potent bout of substance to boot as hero Batwing takes on arch-enemy-to-be, Massacre.  Oliver’s artwork is nothing short of jaw-dropping, as quite often, his duties come across more as life-like brush strokes than accomplishments with a pen and pencil.  Consider these guys DC’s latest dynamic duo as the culmination of their duties unleashes one hell of a stage-setting issue.

What was merely a ”Hey that looks kinda cool” comic book in theory yesterday, is an adrenalizing delivery today.  Without a doubt I am onboard for next month’s issue 2.  Get ready for some shock and awe in the premier issue of Batwing, in stores now!

* Swashbuckling adventure in the Star Wars tradition!

* The “Verpine Jedi” in action!

Pre-Order Star Wars: Dark Times—Out of the Wilderness #2 Now @ TFAW.com

First off, hardcore fans can breathe one sigh of relief as history won’t necessarily be erased in every case.  However, many things will be reset and will most likely play out to roughly the same overall stories that have come to exist today.  The magic date for the whole release to begin is August 31, 2011.  On that fateful Wednesday, DC will start releasing their new library of titles at issue 1, which will ultimately take place over the course of a couple months.  Everything from DC fixtures like Action Comics, Detective Comics, and Superman will start over in August, while even more recently released titles like David Finch’s The Dark Knight will be reset and come shortly thereafter.  This will then be followed by the less popular though still interesting characters/titles like Blue Beetle and Static Shock.

More than a few new titles will be arriving on store shelves amidst the two-month event too.  Expect the Red Lanterns to get their own monthly book as well as the Red Hood coming back as a possible do-gooder in Red Hood and the Outlaws. You can find the full list of titles on DC’s website at http://dcu.blog.dccomics.com/the-new-52/.  Personally, I’m a little bummed that after we’ve reached landmark issues like #600 in Wonder Woman and #700 in a couple other titles, the whole thing is going back to the beginning.  The reason behind the whole campaign of 52 new #1′s is simple though.  Dollars.  It’s an aggressive marketing strategy that DC has heavily reviewed in order to bring us to the present state of affairs.  The amount of readers in comics are down.  It’s mostly males in their 30′s and 40′s following the storylines with few newbies stepping up to the plate as far as customers go.  DC’s thinking is a whole new and younger audience of untapped readers could be brought in if they didn’t feel so secluded.  Why do they feel secluded?  When you have a book on issue 210 or 536 or 700, potential readers feel too much has already taken place to just jump into a story arc this late in the game.  The best way to welcome those readers is to start from scratch.

While I don’t like to see those high-numbered issues disappear, I am a sucker for issue 1′s, so I’m just as excited for this event as anyone.  Plus, it gives me the chance to break into some potentially new exciting stories like Swamp Thing, Aquaman and Resurrection Man.  While all this is fine and dandy, the true tale of success in this multi-title relaunch will be the quality of writing.  Fifty-two different comic books starting at #1 sounds great in theory, but if the dialogue is nothing more than cookie-cutter delivery to fill the content of 52 titles, well, then mission not accomplished.  Still, let’s not get ahead of ourselves.  It’s up to DC to make this relaunch of books a completely high quality event.  Time will tell.  I’m onboard for at least a half dozen of the titles; maybe more if the story momentum is rock star.  For now, the reboots, new stories, and some costume changes are enough to draw me in.

A lifelong Frankenstein fan, Wrightson’s work on this monster has garnered universal praise for over 25 years. Now, Wrightson and Niles are collaborating on the next chapter in the life of Frankenstein’s monster. FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE turns this classic tale around, by telling the story from Frankenstein’s perspective in this 13-issue series.

“The fact that I grew up worshipping Wrightson’s Frankenstein and now I’m working on a sequel with him is mind-blowing,” said Niles. “This is the project of a lifetime for me.”

FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE ($3.99, full color, 32 pages) will be available in stores in 2012.

New miniseries based on Lovecraft’s The Dunwich Horror

Joe Lansdale brings the horror classic to the 21st Century

Original comic series from menton3 and Kasra

“A fantastic new addition … beautiful artwork” – Ashley Wood

MONOCYTE #1, available in October, tells the tale of two warring immortal races who rule a scarred world absent of duration. Death sits impotent, quietly planning his restoration. He summons Monocyte, a forgotten immortal necromancer who long ago chose sleep in his failed quest to die. With a fatal pact sealed, Monoctye strikes out as Death’s vicious proxy.  MONOCYTE is an action-adventure in a hyperrealistic fantasy setting with occult undertones, filled with visually dazzling characters, environments, and dynamic fight scenes all imbued with magical, occult, political, philosophical, social, and technological themes.

Readers can get a taste of the MONOCYTE horror through a free digital preview, available from IDW this summer. In addition to the two issue #1 covers by menton3, readers are encouraged to ask their local retailer about the variant Ashley Wood cover. Future issues of MONOCYTE will feature variant covers by such luminaries as Bill Sienkiewicz.

Ashley Wood praised MONOCYTE as “a fantastic new addition to the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Filled with menton3′s beautiful artwork, Monocyte combines cerebral complexity and entertainment in one damn fine package.”

MONOCYTE #1 (of 4, $3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores in October 2011.

GHOSTBUSTERS #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in September 2011.

“We are delighted to be announcing the third installment of our True Blood comic series,” stated James Costos, vice president of Licensing & Retail.  “The franchise has been extremely successful and offers a terrific way to for fans to engage with their favorite characters all year long.”

As with the previous stories, IDW’s TRUE BLOOD comics offer fans all-new plots with their favorite characters. In this sequel to the first New York Times best-selling TRUE BLOOD compilation, “All Together Now,” and the second series “Tainted Love,” Sookie and Eric travel to New Orleans to track down a killer named Guerra, whom Eric and Godric thought they killed in Paris more than 200 years ago. Bill Compton’s in town, too, making sure Eric doesn’t get too close to Sookie, and investigating a local Hep-D outbreak that may be connected to Guerra’s latest victims. Meanwhile, back in Bon Temps, Trubies will wonder why Pam is hanging out at Merlotte’s and what it is she wants with Lafayette.

Joining writers Mariah Huehner and David Tischman are artists David Messina and Claudia Balboni, who will bring this latest story arc to life. Messina and Joe Corroney will provide covers. Trubies everywhere will be left wanting more of TRUE BLOOD: THE FRENCH QUARTER, the newest original adventure, featuring the same erotically-charged romance, wry humor, mystery and suspense for which the show has become known.

TRUE BLOOD: THE FRENCH QUARTER #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in August 2011.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

“I couldn’t have been happier to do Wire Hangers with Alan,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer, “and to see him stretch in different areas here is even more gratifying. This is a dark, psychologically affecting and surprisingly intimate story that I’m happy to foist on an unsuspecting comic-reading public. Put another way, if you survived Wire Hangers with any part of your psyche intact, Crawl to Me should help finish the job.”

The story follows husband and wife, Ryan and Jessica. As they move into their first home together, strange things begin to occur. Half-eaten animals and other remains are found inside the basement’s crawl space. Their family dog disappears within the house.  Distant voices are heard from beneath the floorboards. The couple begins to think that an evil entity is living inside their walls. Nothing can prepare them for what they’ll discover, but Ryan and Jessica soon realize that they must set aside all they believe to be true, in order to face their inevitable reality.

CRAWL TO ME boasts three unique covers per issue featuring cover art by Robert, Silent Hill: Past Life painter, Menton J. Matthews III and UK illustrator, David Lupton. Visit the official website, at crawltomecomic.com.

“All my life, I’ve been told that I have a warped and twisted imagination. So, with these horror stories, I’m finally putting my morbid thoughts to good use,” says Robert. “When Wire Hangers was received so well by comic and horror fans last year, it really inspired me to continue creating stories in the medium. With Crawl to Me, I wanted to go even darker, but, don’t be fooled. This is not your typical, run-of-the-mill, haunted house story. It’s more of a thriller, filled with a ton of demented mind-games that will keep you guessing. Think of it like a Twilight Zone episode on steroids.”

Click here to see an exclusive preview of the comic!

CRAWL TO ME #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in July.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

First look at deluxe hardcover commemorating

70 years of America’s favorite teenagers

San Diego, CA (April 6, 2011) — IDW Publishing and its imprint, YOE Books, are proud to announce the debut of the deluxe full-color hardcover coffee table history book, ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS, edited and designed by Eisner award-winner Craig Yoe, at New York City’s Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art annual festival this weekend. MoCCA Fest attendees will get a first look at this impressive and lovingly crafted tome, which will be available nation wide by April 30th. ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERIC’A FAVORITE TEENAGERS features more than 200 pages of fascinating history, exciting biographies and rare or unpublished art, all offering a behind-the-scenes look at one of the most iconic comics of all time.

“We’re excited and honored to have our history presented so expertly by Craig and our friends at IDW,” said Archie Comics Co-CEO Jon Goldwater. “This is the kind of book that fans everywhere will cherish for some time. It’s an essential volume for longtime and new fans of Archie and the Riverdale gang.”

Archie and his pals are some of the most beloved and enduring characters in the comics medium, and have a long history stretching back to their origins in 1941. Yoe‘s exhaustive research turned up a plethora of rare and unpublished art by Bob Montana, Dan DeCarlo, and Harry Lucey, vintage photographs, unknown ephemera, and a previously unpublished autobiography of John Goldwater, co-founder of MLJ/Archie Comics. All this rich material serves as the basis for the book, which celebrates both the characters and the immensely talented artists behind them. ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS also shines a spotlight on writers Frank Doyle, George Gladir, and Craig Boldman, and contemporary Archie artists Fernando Ruiz and Dan Parent, creator of the new kid in Riverdale, Kevin Keller. The beautiful 224-page, large-format volume sports a lengthy and revealing interview with Editor-in-Chief Victor Gorelick, who has worked at Archie over a half a century!

Yoe exclaims, “Working on this book was a real thrill, to find so much unpublished art by masters like DeCarlo, and Lucey, a photo of Elvis on his first tour reading a Betty and Veronica comic, John Goldwater’s unpublished autobiography, Bob Montana’s profusely illustrated high school diary, and be able to share all this with the world had my head spinning at every turn. I felt like a teenager again!”

IDW Publishing and Yoe are excited to debut ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS at the MoCCA Fest, held only a few short blocks from where the Archie comics were conceived. Continuing the connection between the book and the museum, ARCHIE features a full reprint of a story where the Archie Gang visits the MoCCA museum and meets Chairman Ellen Abramowitz.

Expected to be an immediate sellout after the official launch later this month, only a small number of the sought-after ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS will be available to MoCCA attendees. Also debuting at MoCCA Fest from IDW and YOE Books will be the sea-and-see worthy POPEYE: THE GREAT COMIC BOOK TALES BY BUD SAGENDORF.

MoCCA Fest will take place this weekend, April 9th and 10th at the Lexington Avenue Armory, at 68 Lexington Avenue in New York City. For more details, visit www.moccany.org.

ARCHIE: A CELEBRATION OF AMERICA’S FAVORITE TEENAGERS ($49.99, 224 pages, hard cover, full color) will be available in comic and books stores on April 20, 2011. ISBN 978-160010-7542.

For more information about Yoe! Books, visit www.yoebooks.com.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

San Diego, CA (March 31, 2011) – IDW Publishing is pleased to announce that GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 has sold out just a day after making its debut at comic book retail stores throughout North America. Written by Eric Powell and Tracy Marsh, with artwork by Phil Hester, the rapid sell-out marks a fantastically successful return for the giant fire-breathing lizard to comics. To meet the continued demand and ensure fans everywhere have access to the comic,  GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 will be stomping its way back into stores in a ground-shaking second printing.

“We’re absolutely excited to see such a huge response to GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS,” said Ted Adams, IDW Chief Executive Officer. “We thought a sell-out for the first issue might be in the cards, but selling out in one day exceeded even our own lofty expectations. We definitely feel a special second printing is in order, and we will be producing one as quickly as we can as a huge thanks to all the many retailers and fans who have supported us so tremendously in bringing the King of Monsters back to comics.”

The second printing of GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 will feature the Alex Ross illustrated cover from the first printing with a new foil logo. The reprint issues are slated to arrive at comic book retail stores on May 11, 2011.

“It’s immensely gratifying to see this kind of support for our Godzilla comic,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer. “It was already our largest print-run ever, so to have it sell out on the first day of release is a testament to a great retailer base and to very appreciated support from fans. We promise more and more monsters in the subsequent issues as repayment for your kindness.”

In GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS, a full-scale apocalypse is brewing. The monsters are a force of nature whose attacks are as sudden and random as a lightning strike. There will be no clean-cut heroes with perfectly chiseled chins and capes billowing in the wind; only ordinary human beings struggling desperately to survive in a world gone mad.

GODZILLA®: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 (2nd Printing – $3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on May 11.

Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.

San Diego, CA (March 19, 2011) – IDW Publishing and BBC Worldwide America have today announced the global digital launch of IDW’s critically acclaimed DOCTOR WHO comic book series. Doctor Who fans worldwide can now follow the Doctor’s comic book adventures on their Apple iPads and iPhones, and Sony PSPs, along with IDW Publishing’s entire catalog of DOCTOR WHO comics, which is now out in digital form.

One of BBC Worldwide’s most successful franchises and the longest running science-fiction television series in the world, Doctor Who follows the adventures of the Doctor, the mysterious traveler who, with his human companions, journeys throughout all of time and space, facing a variety of foes and righting wrongs. IDW’s extensive catalog of DOCTOR WHO comics features both original stories and reprints of classic adventures. Currently, IDW’s DOCTOR WHO brings readers all-new adventures of the Eleventh Doctor that augment the on-screen excitement.

“We’re excited to bring out DOCTOR WHO comics on the PSP, as it’s a perfect comic for the game audience,” stated Jeff Webber, IDW’s director of ePublishing. “For Apple devices, while all of the issues are also available in our IDW Comics app for our regular readers, there are many ravenous DOCTOR WHO fans that may not be familiar with the comics. So we created a stand-alone DOCTOR WHO Comics app that lets us feature the Doctor at the top level of the app store, offering users worldwide a completely focused experience.”

Ed Casey, Director of Licensing, BBC Worldwide America, who brokered the deal, said: “DOCTOR WHO fans are loyal and passionate and I’m sure they’ll love the fact that they can now get their favorite Time Lord in this 21st century format.”

Prior to this digital launch, IDW’s DOCTOR WHO comics were only available in print in North America. Available to international readers for the first time, DOCTOR WHO digital series presently includes over forty issues, with more added each month. The full catalog is available for iPads and iPhones as a custom branded app, and as individual issues on the PSP.

Added Webber, “Plus, it’s just awesomely fun to build an app that keeps the look and feel of something that could be a part of the TARDIS itself. It’s just possible that the app might start pulling in comics from the future that haven’t even been created yet!”

Doctor Who returns to BBC AMERICA screens in the U.S. on Saturday, April 23.

The Walking Dead

Haunt is another Image title that has been running just over a year with issue #13 now out at your local comic book store. It revolves around two brothers, Kurt and Daniel Kilgore. Kurt was special ops merc who was sold out on a mission and was KIA as a result. Daniel, is his distant sibling; a priest who enjoys cigarettes and hookers (art imitating life, eh?), but even as a man of the cloth, Daniel is incessantly doing his own soul-searching in his very unpleasant life. Kurt comes back as a ghost and can only be heard and seen by Daniel, and while most of their conversations start and end about as happily as a failed marriage, the two can combine into one entity, forming the supernatural being known as “Haunt.” In short, the best way to describe it is Spawn meets Venom.

Co-created by Spawn mastermind Todd McFarlane, Haunt delivers one gripping story arc after another with enough gore to make Jason Vorhees stand and applaud. To transfer this fantastic phantasm to television or the big screen is no small feat. After all, the last time an Image superhero went big time, the audiences came out small time. The Spawn movie was poorly received by the public and left fans hungering for something more substantial. The movie just wasn’t very good. Then again, Robert Kirkman wasn’t attached to that project.

McFarlane spilled the beans about a filmed Haunt project in the Post Mortem section of Haunt issue #13 saying, “I was at a few meetings this past week in Hollywood, and was putting Haunt in front of people from both the TV and film worlds. One of the easiest ways to keep this character going a long time is to keep making him more and more popular.” On a personal note, Haunt is my favorite comic book title, and as is the case with most like-minded fans out there, and even those not familiar with the character for that matter, we all want something like a Haunt TV series or movie to unleash a wow factor that can surpass the heights of Mount Everest, just like the way The Walking Dead did on AMC. At last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, one certain artist informed me that Haunt is the best-selling title at Image. This just goes to show Haunt is already solid in the ink and paper medium. If the creative minds at Image can take that formula to a camera, then we’ve got another winner from the third largest comic book company around.

Kirkman has penned a range of Image titles, from Battle Pope to the über popular zombie apocalypse, The Walking Dead.  Recently, Kirkman and Howard concluded work on one of my personal favorites, The Astounding Wolf-Man.  With finale issue #25 come and gone from store shelves and season 1 of The Walking Dead television show in the books, Kirkman found the time to work on yet another weapon in the Image arsenal.  At last year’s San Diego Comic-Con, I interviewed Jason Howard who informed Why So Blu that both he and Kirkman were working on a brand new comic book, though details at the time were kept to an absolute minimum. 

Well, the cat’s out of the bag now and the duo’s secret has now gone public as their newest title will be Super Dinosaur.  Hey, when you have a cigar-smoking, womanizing man of the cloth taking on Satan’s minions (Battle Pope), you’ve already passed the point of no return, so why not go for broke?  Honestly, that’s no knock to Kirkman and Howard’s latest work involving an armed-to-the-teeth reptile (and let’s not forget about those teeth!).  I’m looking forward to what sounds like an action-filled, fast-paced, rocket-toting romp through Kirkman and Howard’s imagination.  Look for Super Dinosaur from Image/SkyBound this spring!

At first glance, I thought the art would take some getting used to.  It was a bit cartoony…scratch that…it was very cartoony, but as I soon discovered, the art fits the mood of the characters and the world in which they live.  So what is Chew about?  Obviously there’s some culinary connection, right?  Hey, I didn’t put that clever title together for my health.  You bet your medium-well steak that food has a lot to do with this.  You see, Tony Chu is a cop; a detective actually.  He also has one very unique and odd characteristic.  Tony is a cibopath.  Yeah, I didn’t know what that meant at first either.  It turns out he gets these crazy images flooding through his mind whenever he tastes something.  They’re not just any images.  He can actually trace the history of what he’s eating.

While that may sound cool (or not), these images are often disturbing or just too much to take on all at once.  For instance, if he eats a grape, he will be able to see the vine it came from, the vineyard the vine was from and the seed that sprouted that grape.  That doesn’t sound so bad, but wait, I’m not finished.  If he eats a ham sandwich, he’ll be able to see the pig that provided his meal as well as the moment the pig was slaughtered and the pain the animal went through.  Thanksgiving must be hell for this poor guy.  There is a bright spot in all this as one item on the menu does not give Tony Chu a mental playback of his food.  Beets.  Beets are the only thing that he can devour without experiencing an rush of newfound memories.  Needless to say, Tony is one skinny dude as a result of his, um, talent.

So how would any of this benefit an officer of the law?  When you can trace the history of something by attempting to eat it, who needs forensics?  Dead body?  Bite down on it.  Tony will be able to tell you how the victim died, when, and by whose hand the deed was done.  His ability can come in especially handy, as grotesque as it may be, when the authorities are following a cold case.  Sure it’s a little disturbing but Tony Chu is always one to bite the bullet (or ear…or finger) and take one for the team.

If you’re as curious or now as crazy about Chew as I am, you have arrived at the perfect time.  Image Comics has recently released a hardcover collection of the first ten issues titled Chew: The Omnivore Edition – Vol. 1.  The ongoing story guides readers down a curiously dark yet entertaining trail through the words of Layman and the art of Guillory.  If you’re not sold on my appreciation of Chew, then look no further of the feedback it’s gotten so far:

• 2010 “Best New Series” Nominee (Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards)
• “Best Indy Series of 2009” (IGN)
• “Best New Series of 2009” (MTV)
• “Offbeat, zany, unsettling and disturbingly enjoyable.” (ComicBookResources.com)

So there you have it.  Hopefully you a got a little education on Chew and Tony Chu (if you didn’t, I suggest gingko biloba for memory enhancement) and the unbeaten path that its creators have traveled in delivering such a twisted but fun tale. Fear not, as Chew doesn’t end here.  The ongoing series continues but this beautiful collection is one awesome starter and looks far more presentable than 10 bagged and boarded comics.  Follow the Amazon link below and dig in to your hardcover copy of Chew today.  Bon appétit!

In the autumn of 2009, Radical Publishing unveiled the first issue of a three-part series, using the same name as its internet kin.  Individual issues are extremely difficult to find in stores and it wasn’t until this year that Radical released the trio of books in a trade paperback format.  Behind wordsmith David Hine, you’ll find nothing short of a carefully crafted, morbid story of a highly secretive government group known as the Federal Vampire and Zombie Agency.  With figurehead and experienced fang guru Dr. Hugo Pecos at the story’s center, Hine slowly unravels the agency’s revival, its new recruits (two of which are his grandchildren), and a vampire-hatched plot to unleash a zombie virus upon the masses.

David Hine’s ability to tell a story successfully portrays a collage of emotions amidst a conversely intelligible forefront.  He has a knack for being able to draw readers in deep, so much to the point that they can and will feel sympathetic to even the most grotesque and tormented of creatures.  In addition, Hine is equally as crafty to throw in a few twists and turns as the FVZA storyline takes readers into an abyss of humanity, beyond points of no return.  These unexpected developments in the plot seamlessly gel with the existing path the characters have traveled.

A comic book’s writing is paramount.  Without at least a fair level of quality in this area, the publication is as good as kindling.  But, should you be so fortunate as to already have this key attribute in place, adding a good artist is just a bonus.  Adding an amazing artist is pure publishing bliss.  The pages of FVZA are beautifully rendered, courtesy of artists Roy Allan Martinez and Wayne Nichols.  It is a visual layout that is nothing short of extraordinary as the finished artwork looks more like brushstrokes than pencil lines.  Whether the scene is of a zombie’s fiery demise or a desert landscape at sunset, Martinez and Nichols masterfully accomplished the moods at hand.

While this isn’t exactly a brand new book, FVZA is one that is without a doubt worth a read, and since it comes from a smaller press company, it was a no-brainer to promote this 2010 book while giving our readers a heads-up on what they could be missing.  FVZA plays out like a film and maybe that’s one of the reasons I was so drawn to it.  It is without question one of the high watermarks of Radical’s titles.  There was no putting this down as conspiracy fills the land of the undead with Dr. Pecos’ team hunting the incisor-favored baddies on their own territory.

To buy your copy of FVZA, head over to Radical’s website at:
http://www.radicalpublishing.com/shop/shop-browse/36-fvza

To check out the site that started it all, you’ll find the FVZA’s home on the web here:
http://www.fvza.org

The hardcover, with due dates ranging from Halloween to November 9th depending on your source, features several short stories from writers Tim Seeley, R. H. Stavis, Nick Tapalansky, Stefan Hutchinson, Brian Holguin, Blake Leibel, and illustrators Robbi Rodriguez, Jeff Zornow, Lizzy John, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Jim Daly, and Tommy Castillo.  Creator Dan Fogler was on hand at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con for autographs where a preview issue was released.  The book featured two Moon Lake stories while also containing a sneak-peak of the title Days Missing.  In this issue were the stories “His Final Escape!” which focused on a Harry Houdini-like escape artist, attempting to prove a point to some townsfolk who knew more about the body of water he was diving into than he did.  As one character put it, “I don’t care how good he is.  He ain’t comin’ back up if he goes down.”  “His Final Escape!” provides some showman talent, a little arrogance, and a murky abyss of lost souls that combine for a uniquely entertaining and spooky read.

Does the name Timothy Treadwell sound familiar?  How about ‘The Grizzly Man’?  They are both one in the same.  You may remember Treadwell from his documentaries in the wild where he often stood just feet from grizzly bears that both he and his girlfriend would film.  Sadly, both were killed by their films’ subjects in 2003.  “Black Bear Blues” borrows from the Treadwell tragedy but substitutes black bears for grizzlies and also removes one very territorial grizzly for one bloodthirsty were-bear.  The tale’s pace moves with a hungry ferocity and pulls no punches when getting to the point.  Watch the claws fly in this über-violent Mother Nature slasher this November!

While whetting the appetites of many, this appetizer issue is just a taste of things to come when all 112 pages arrive at Amazon and bookstores nationwide this fall.  In the meantime, check out all of the other great titles from Archaia and Archaia Black Label at http://www.archaia.com.

San Diego, CA (August 18, 2010) – HBO and IDW Publishing are excited to announce that True Blood #1 has sold out! The first issue of this sexy, visually striking comic series launched with huge success at San Diego Comic-Con and comic retailers throughout North America and kicks off the first-ever comic book series based on the hit HBO series True Blood. To meet the continued demand, IDW and HBO are rushing a second printing to stores for a release date of August 25th.

Developed with the show’s Oscar®-and Emmy®-winning creator, Alan Ball (HBO’s Six Feet Under, American Beauty), IDW’s True Blood series is the exclusive, official show comic, adding new and unique layers of supernatural drama to the wildly original Emmy®- and Golden Globe®-winning television show.

True Blood #1 boasted a print run of over 53,000 copies, sold through comic stores and other outlets, and offering multiple covers. IDW and Diamond Comic Distributors also offered exclusive versions of the first issue at San Diego Comic Con, all of which were sold out by the end of the show. The second installment of the series will release on August 18th.

“The passion fans have for True Blood has elevated the series to new heights and it continues to grow as the story unfolds,” states James Costos, VP Global Licensing and Retailing. “With the sell-out success of the comic’s first printing, it is clear that there is an insatiable thirst for different iterations of the television series, and we’re excited to expand the impact of the comic series and get it into even more hands with this second printing.”

Beginning with issue #1, the True Blood comic series offers the same erotically-charged romance, wry humor, intriguing mystery and suspense the show has become known for. In this comic book series, Sookie and many other Bon Temps locals find themselves waiting in Merlotte’s bar for a strangely portentous raging storm to subside. Soon, they discover they’ve been trapped by an entity that feeds off of raw emotions and begins killing off the patrons one by one until his hunger is sated.

The plot was developed with Ball, along with series writers Elisabeth Finch and Kate Barnow, and co-written by David Tischman and Mariah Huehner. Beautifully illustrated by top tier artist David Messina, the series captures all the bloody details and sexy reveals of this exciting new adventure. Renowned artists J. Scott Campbell, Joe Corroney, and Andrew Currie join Messina in providing covers for the first issue.

The True Blood comics explore the ongoing adventures of telepathic heroine Sookie Stackhouse, her vampire lover Bill Compton, best friend Tara Thornton, enigmatic and ancient vampire sheriff Eric Northman, loyal boss Sam Merlotte, brother Jason Stackhouse, perpetual-virgin vampire Jessica, and the flamboyant cook Lafayette Reynolds.

True Blood #1 (of 6, 2nd printing, 32 pages, full color, $3.99) will be available in stores on August 25th.

True Blood #2 (of 6, 32 pages, full color, $3.99) will be available in stores on August 18th.

Kosinski’s duties can be found as the creative mind on the sci-fi pages of OBLIVION, which has just been picked up by Disney to be made into a feature-length film.  RadicalPublishing.com describes the story as, “…set on a future Earth, where civilization lives above the clouds and scavengers collect ancient artifacts from the polluted surface below.  When one young scavenger finds a crashed spacecraft planetside, it leads him on a journey filled with romance and adventure.”  Kosinski was courted by other studios, but it seems like it was his already-established relationship with Disney (via Tron: Legacy) that planted OBLIVION lock, stock and barrel at the house of the mouse.  While the OBLIVION book will land in stores this fall, there is no word yet on a release date for the film.  One would venture to guess the movie could arrive in theaters in late 2011 at the earliest with a date some time in 2012 as a bit more likely.

When the Image big shot set out to create the heroic werewolf, he was in need of an artist who set himself apart from the rest of the pack.  Kirkman needed the sketch talents of someone who could breathe life into the idea that was growing in his head.  He found a guilty party in the very capable Jason Howard.  Howard took some time from the chaos of Comic-Con to speak with Why So Blu about the impending conclusion of The Astounding Wolf-Man, his thoughts on the departure, and what future projects lie on the horizon.

WSB: When was the concept of Wolf-Man first presented to you?
JH: I don’t remember the year, probably ’06, ’07.  Robert (Kirkman) and I had worked on another kind of one-issue thing for Image and he wanted to do a new superhero book and I was up for it.  So he threw out the idea of werewolf superhero and then we kind of talked about it and I worked on some designs and developed it together that way.  The initial concept was his and we ran with it from there.

WSB: When you work with him or any writer on a book, how does that work?  Do you present the artwork first or does he come at you say “Hey this frame, we need to have an angry individual here.  It’s gonna look like this, etc.”?
JH: Working with Robert, he writes full scripts so the story of the book is driven by him as far as the events that happen.  I get the script from him that says page 1, this happens, page 2 kind of details it and I do my best to draw that and add things that I think will make it cool or just dynamic and clear as possible.  Then, if there are things in it that I have, like ideas that would change the actual content of the story, then I call him or email him and we talk about it.  It’s not too often.  He knows a thing or two about writing (laughs), so it works out pretty well.

WSB: Unfortunately, Wolf-Man is coming to a close soon.  Was that planned from the beginning or was this a premature ending?
JH: Well, Robert always told me that it wasn’t going to go on forever.  We didn’t have a number set.  As we were coming up to 25, he was kind of wrapping up with the story a lot of key plot points that were going on since the beginning of the series.  He thought it might make sense to tie it up there.  Twenty-five is a nice round number.  He and I have another project that we want to do that we’ve been kind of talking about and doing sketches for for a while, so that’ll give us an opportunity to jump onto something else.

WSB: Do you get attached to the characters, to a project?
JH: Yeah, I’ll be working on the last issue of Wolf-Man after Comic-Con.  Even on issue 24, I finished that and I was like “Oh no! That’s next to the last issue.  I kind of like drawing this guy or that,” but I’m really excited about this next project too so it’s all good.  If I get that lonely or homesick from Wolf-Man, I can always draw him in my sketchbook.

WSB: When is the last issue of The Astounding Wolf-Man due out?
JH: I’m not sure when it’s on the schedule for.  It’s not finished yet, so it’ll be in the next month or two.

WSB: You mentioned ‘the next project’, but you’re tight-lipped about that.  When can we expect that to hit the street?
JH: I don’t know the answer to that either, hopefully sooner than later, but there are some schedule things Robert and I have to figure out as far as when it will come out, how much we want to have done before it launches and all that kind of stuff.

WSB: So that is another project with Robert Kirkman?
JH: Yes, that was part of the reason when it was time to end Wolf-Man.  That kind of made it not as sad as it could have been because we’re both excited about this other thing.

WSB: Is Wolf-Man dead after this story line or can we expect to see him in the future?
JH: Uh, no comment.

WSB: Ha ha!  Alright, I’ll let the readers draw their own conclusion.  We appreciate your work and what’s coming on down the line!
JH: Sure!  Thank you.

Whatever the mysterious project is of Howard and Kirkman, we don’t have to wait as far as Howard’s works are concerned.  He recently teamed up with fellow Image artist Ryan Ottley (Invincible, Haunt) to create the wildly outlandish Sea Bear & Grizzly Shark.  Both talents split their duties with Howard writing and drawing Sea Bear while Ottley does the same with Grizzly Shark.  The stories are loosely tied together with an evolutionary mix-up being the root cause of nature’s mismatch.  An enhanced soldier has a vendetta with the Sea Bear while a backwoods family tries coexisting (sometimes) in a forest of Grizzly Sharks.  These black & white tales are quick reads that contain an odd mix of limb-severing violence and humor, perfect for disturbed readers such as myself.  Sink your teeth into a copy today and be sure to check out The Astounding Wolf-Man as well!

Press release:

Machete #0

• Robert Rodriguez and Aaron Kaufman (writers)
• Stuart Sayger (artist)
• Zach Howard (colorist)

This special #0 issue carves its story from Robert Rodriguez’s upcoming “Grindhouse” flick, Machete! In this introductory issue, which will lead into an all-new series in December, Rodriguez himself, alongside producer Aaron Kaufman, pens the ultimate “Mexploitation” tale of revenge as we see what drew Machete to first pick up the blades…

• FC
• 32 pages
• $3.99

Expected in-store date: 9/15

*

Speaking of symbiotes, the panel stated that there will be a revival of characters on the horizon involving the gooey life forms.  One such being to make his return is none other than Carnage, one of the most feared villains in the Marvel universe, but also one of the most requested by readers.  With Hybrid, Anti-Venom, Venom, and Toxic all out there somewhere, there is no telling which of these will become a more prominent symbiote player…if any. 

Personally I’m still amped about the whole Carnage thing.  He’s just one of the most violent and wicked-looking characters around and he disappeared before I got back into reading comics.  It wasn’t really stated if it will be Cletus Kasady or someone else.  Though Kasady met his demise in space, I’m sure the creative writing crew at Marvel will be able to bring him back.  Heck, if Cap can come back by saying the gun that shot him was a time travelling device, I’m sure my neighbor’s six-year old can figure out a better revival for the scarlet maniac.

Lastly, Spidey himself will undergo some new changes.  Peter Parker will land a career, and one that pays quite well.  More money means better Spidey gadgets and more gadgets means more ways to thwart the opposition.  The fun doesn’t stop there though for our hero.  In addition to his new array of toys, the panel was tight-lipped about, they did Spider-Man will have a variety of new costumes as well, one of which was all black with a neon green spider logo, the other was a Fantastic Four uniform.  Ooh’s and ah’s littered the air at the sight at the sight of Spider-Man in the blue threads featuring the prominent circled 4, but no further information was given on Parkers new closet of wardrobes.  If anything was certain at the close of the Spider-Man panel, it’s the fact that the future looks exciting for our web-spinning hero.

The Alaska natives have brought something truly distinctive to the comic book world.  As the super hero genre overflows with repetitiveness, the artistic duo have delivered a black and white comic book story that mixes the macabre with medical science and a little other-worldly magic for good measure.  Hey, a little mystic potion never hurt anyone, right?  Okay, maybe a little, but Witch Doctor is going to take that to the next level.  The story provides an air of complexity at times along with consistent thought-provoking storytelling as the title’s practitioner goes to work on extracting a vampire-like organism from a reanimated corpse.

I will be the first to admit, I was, up until very recently, an anti black and white comic reader. With The Walking Dead turning that feeling on its head, I eagerly jumped into Skybound’s Witch Doctor.  The Seifert/Ketner tandem is pure chemistry on paper as they deliver an eye-popping story of curious proportions. If there is any drawback to the title, it’s the waiting period for issue 1.  Witch Doctor will hit stores in 2011.  Even so, if the rest of the series is like the promo issue, then this one is definitely worth the wait.  Until then, I suggest grabbing a promo copy and visiting the title’s official website at www.witchdoctorcomic.com.  If you thought House was a bit disturbed, wait until you delve into the world of the Witch Doctor.

As the white light was introduced to us all, its power became visibly apparent, resurrecting the lives of twelve individuals, both hero and villain.  From Arthur Curry to Captain Boomerang, the group almost instantly reverted from their zombie-like, black ring state back to their human form.  Now that the Black Hand is in the detainment of the Indigo Tribe and Nekron is at least temporarily not a threat, Blackest Night has come to a close.

Fear not, readers.  All is still not well on the planet.  As one story comes to a close, another is born.  Hot on the heels of its predecessor, Brightest Day has hit the ground running as issues #0 and #1 are now available with a certain someone at the tale’s forefront.  Deadman, a prominent player in the mass struggles of Blackest Night, has been bestowed with a rare white ring, yet he is practically invisible and mute to the world around him.  Any desire to jump into action is squelched by the item adorning his finger.  His frustration continues to grow as he and readers soon learn the influence of the black rings is still very much ‘alive’.  I don’t want to give too much away here, but let me just say that things are definitely not back to normal.

Strap in for another intense ride as astounding writers Geoff Johns and Peter Tomasi gear us up for another round of dramatic, heart-stopping conflict.  Also, keep your eyes peeled for the various sub-series of Brightest Day in the pages of Flash #1, Titans: Villains for Hire #1, Birds of Prey #1, and Green Arrow #1, just to name a few.

Pick up Issue #0 today!

Asgard is in shambles, the death toll is catastrophic, and the Sentry seems to have been defeated (and disintegrated) and Steve Rogers, our true Captain America, has returned.  In proper timing, Tony Stark, while not 100%, is on the mend and Thor has expressed his appreciation from the help of the mortals in their attempt to save Asgardian and human alike.  The God of Thunder has also declared a pact of unity between the two races should the face of evil ever rise again (which can’t be too far around the corner).

There was a point to everything that has gone down in Marvel’s many worlds which culminate to the date of 5/19/10.  This Wednesday, one of the most famous teams in the realm of comic books is about to return.  The Avengers will once again grace the shelves of comic book stores everywhere, as Iron Man, Thor, and Luke Cage comprise the revival. Wait…no Cap?  Steve Rogers will indeed be a presence but expect him to take on a more administrative role as he works side by side with the President of the United States.

Marvel has been on a hot streak with its smash-mouth storylines that have taken place since the passage of the Superhero Registration Act.  Look for the masterminds of its brilliant titles to keep up the fast-paced, intense reads as we progress into a new era.

Hollywood has finally discovered that superhero comic books make pretty good movies. But instead of exploring the thousands of characters created for comic books over the last hundred years, Hollywood is content to crank out sequel after reboot of the same old characters doing the same old things. How about giving some other spandex-clad heroes a chance?

By Geoff Shakespeare

10. Luke Cage

Source: Marvel Comics

When he made his debut back in the seventies in Marvel Comics, Luke Cage was just about the most embarrassing comic book character ever created. A black, streetwise hero obviously created by people who had never met a black person or walked on a street, Powerman (as he was then boringly known) was borderline offensive, had a terrible yellow costume, and generally stunk up the joint with real-life “ghetto” expressions like “Sweet Christmas!” until he was quietly shuffled off to the side of the Marvel Universe with all the other also-rans.

Rescued from the comic closet of shame by modern creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Luke Cage has become just about the coolest hero on the block. His basic story is the same. He’s a streetwise superstrong tough guy with unbreakable skin- but gone are the awful pseudo-ebonics and the Dolomite stereotypes. The guy doesn’t even wear spandex anymore! Arguably the most popular superhero not to wear a costume, a movie featuring him would avoid the inherent silliness of a grown man wearing tights to fight crime and focus on the inherent silliness of a grown man fighting crime in regular clothes.

9. Spider-Woman

Source: Marvel Comics

Just like Luke Cage, Spider-Woman was a seventies hero pulled from the loser bin and pressed back into crime-fighting service. Originally just Spiderman with boobs (albeit nice ones), Spider-Woman has morphed into a superpowered sci-fi superspy who plays all the angles, gets in bed with everyone, and double and triplecrosses good guys and bad guys alike. With boobs. Since Sam Raimi’s trio of Spider-Man films basically lead the current wave of mega-grossing comic book movies, the Spider brand is a household name. Rather than the recently announced reboot of Spider-Man, why not try something a little more feminine? Isn’t it about time we see how being poisoned by a radioactive spider and developing amazing abilities feels like for a woman? Add to that Spider-Woman’s cooler powers, way cooler costume, and total lack of Spider-Man’s teen angst, and a movie featuring her is a no-brainer. With boobs.

8. Black Panther

Source: Marvel Comics

One of the first black superheroes in mainstream comics, Black Panther is the superhuman leader of a technologically advanced African kingdom who fights crime between cabinet meetings and public appearances. Besides the fact that he just looks cool, Black Panther could add some much needed diversity to the superhero movie world. Instead of rich, bored white billionaires like Tony Stark and Bruce Wayne putting on cool costumes and battling evil, a Black Panther movie would feature a rich, bored, black billionaire putting on a cool costume and fighting crime. Wesley Snipes has talked for years about making a Black Panther movie, but in between not paying his taxes, getting arrested, and another Marvel character (Blade), he’s never found the time to do the Black Panther justice. The character is currently appearing in an animated series on BET played by Djimon Hounsou. When that flames out, maybe Hollywood will give him another try. Lord knows Wesley Snipes could use the work.

7. Lobo

Source: DC Comics

For the most part, Hollywood has stuck with the heroic types when it comes to comic book movies. Your Supermans, your Batmans. The good guys. But there are a lot of great anti-heroes in the funny books as well. It’s not like there haven’t been a ton of movies about heroes with shaky morals. Hollywood has a long history of churning out great flicks with kill-hungry leading characters. People love Dirty Harry, Charles Bronson, Snake Plissken, and the like. And who doesn’t secretly root for Jason to slice those jerky campers in theFriday The 13th movies? Enter the biggest anti-hero of all time. Lobo.

Lobo’s story is pretty simple. He’s an unstoppable, heavily armed alien bounty hunter with an insatiable thirst for wanton destruction, hard alcohol, and ladies of ill repute. And that’s it. His comics usually feature him going after an equally evil S.O.B. and causing all kinds of nasty havoc in the process. He looks like a cross between a Hell’s Angel and a vampire, and he has more guns than a Michigan militiaman. Maybe that’s the problem. He’s too crazy and evil to be a leading character. But make him the villain in the next Supermanmovie and we guarantee a hit. Even if it flops at least he’ll be better than Kevin Spacey. Was anybody everreally afraid of K-Pax beating the Man of Steel?

6. Plastic Man

Source: DC Comics

This is the character that CGI was made for. With the power to change into any shape or object he can imagine, Plastic Man is just waiting to stretch and contort his stuff on the big screen. The character is also famous for being a bit of a goof who cracks wise just as much as he fights crime. From his original appearances in the ’30s until the modern day, Plastic Man has been one of the comic book world’s best funnymen. A superhero movie about a lovable nut who can change into wild and crazy shapes might be a nice change from all the “grim and gritty” ultraviolence of the modern superhero movie.

A big screen version of the character would have been a perfect role for Jim Carrey, if he hadn’t gone all “serious.” There have been rumors floating around for a few years that the sometimes awesome/sometimes awful Wachowskis were interested in making a Plastic Man flick and even wrote a screenplay. Unfortunately, they want Keanu Reeves to play the lead role. Dudes, he’s supposed to be made of plastic, not wood.

5. Power Girl

Source: DC Comics

A female superhero with the same powers as Superman, Power Girl isn’t all that original. She’s got all the standard powers. She’s superstrong, nearly invulnerable, and can fly faster than a speeding something or other. Taken at face value, Power Girl doesn’t seem to have enough going on to even warrant her own Saturday morning cartoon, let alone a big screen summer movie. Lucky for her, nobody’s looking at her face.

Yes, fortunately for Power Girl and slobbering perverts everywhere, there are two big reasons a movie featuring her would be a huge success. We don’t want to sound like pigs here, but Power Girl is the most stacked superheroine in comics. And that’s saying something considering the only woman in the comics who isn’t at least a Double D is Peter Parker’s little old Aunt May. Some of you may be thinking sure, she’s got big hooters, but you can’t fill the theaters with jugs alone. First of all, shame on you, and second of all, Power Girl has a lot more going on than just her twins. In the right creative hands, she could be a role model for women everywhere. A strong, powerful hero who saves the world while celebrating her beauty and sexuality in a healthy, positive way.

Okay, that sounds a little creepy, but don’t worry. They’ll get it right. It’s not like Hollywood has ever gone cheap and exploitive.

4. The Creeper

Source: DC Comics

The Creeper has never been an A-list character, but now more than ever he’s a hero for our times. By day, he’s a reactionary TV pundit known for making outlandish claims and incendiary comments. By night he’s a crazy freak who jumps from roof to roof fighting crime in a fright wig.  Not only do you get all the lovable psychopathology of a character like the Joker, but his alter ego is basically a thinner, more muscular Glenn Beck. Who coincidentally also makes his living being a charming mental case. As The Dark Knight has shown, people are into watching a crazy dude act crazy as long as he gets some good zingers in. And as Glenn Beck has shown, people love watching guys in ties make bizarre claims about current events.

A Creeper movie could combine the Joker’s anarchic charm with some good ol’ fashioned reactionary fear-mongering. Finally, the Left and the Right would have a movie they could both cheer for! A Creeper movie might be the very thing we need to heal our fractured nation. Or, it could just be a really fun movie to see baked. Either way is cool.

3. Metamorpho

Source: DC Comics

Another shape-changer, but this one can take on the properties of any element. Metamorpho looks great and has powers that would look awesome onscreen. Imagine a guy who can turn any part of his body into any shape made of any element known to man. Hell, the porno possibilities alone boggle the mind. But a Metamorpho movie doesn’t just have to be a CGI wank job. Metamorpho has one other thing going for him. Unlike just about every other superhero out there, Metamorpho’s a regular schlub like the rest of us. Metamorpho is the working man’s superhero. It’s about time we had a superpowered crimefighter we could relate to. Enough of the lonely billionaires with tortured souls and kick-ass underground hideouts. It’s about time we had a superhero who knows the difference between kielbasa and bratwurst. A hero who’d rather use his hideout to throw Super Bowl parties than as a place to hang out with his preteen “ward.”

Metamorpho may be an impossible being capable of fundamentally altering his very physical composition and transcending human existence on a whim, but he’s still a guy. And that’s just what we need in the superhero movie world.

2. Green Arrow and Black Canary

Source: DC Comics

In most comic book movies, women are usually relegated to being the sexy bait that the villain uses to lure the hero into his badly designed, easy-to-escape deathtrap. Sure, they’ll chuck in a love scene here or there to keep the girlfriends happy, but none has had the stones to make a superhero movie where the romance is the story. That’s where Green Arrow and Black Canary come in. A world class archer with a bag of trick arrows and a sexy martial artist who has a sonic scream, Green Arrow and Black Canary have all the toughness of your regular superheroes, but with a nice love story to bring in the ladies. Think Mr. and Mrs. Smith crossed with X-Men. You get all the pulse-pounding action of a superhero movie combined with all the heart-racing romance of a chick flick. Throw in a sexy guy as Green Arrow and a sexier girl as Black Canary and the rest writes itself.

Almost every movie in the top 10 these days is either a comic book movie or a romantic comedy anyways. Put the two together and just try to keep the public out of the cineplex.

1. The Doom Patrol

Source: DC Comics

Like the X-Men, but weirder, The Doom Patrol is a classic superhero team, with all the action and drama that goes along with it. Made up of the tough-as-nails, regular Joe, Robotman, pretty, stretchy former model Elasti-Girl, the surprisingly upbeat Negative Man, and their wheelchair-bound, Professor-X-with-a-beard leader the Chief, the Doom Patrol is a superhero team made for the movies. With their sexy outsider’s angst and impossible powers, they’re custom designed to appeal to every moody, power-fantasy-tripping teenager on the planet. Plus, they have some of the most unique enemies in the history of comics. Their chief villains were a talking French mercenary gorilla, a brain in a jar, and a dude called the Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man.

Still not convinced? Consider this. A Doom Patrol movie would feature scenes of a super-powered robot with a human brain fighting a superintelligent talking monkey with a machine gun. If you wouldn’t step over your own grandmother to be first in line to see that, then you have no business calling yourself a lover of the cinematic arts.

Alan Ball’s hit HBO series, the sensually sizzling story of the lives and loves of vampires, mind readers, and all manner of creature, comes to IDW! Blood and sex mix on a hot rainy night at Merlotte’s, when Sookie and her friends are trapped by a vengeful spirit who feeds on shame. People die and dirty secrets are revealed as Sookie, Bill, Eric, Sam, Tara, Jason, and Lafayette are all coerced to dig deep and tell painful memories from their past — those things we all have locked within us that we never tell another living soul!

Bon Temps, Louisiana has never been stranger, or more twisted, in a story co-plotted by True Blood series creator Alan Ball with a script by David Tischman (Bite Club) and Mariah Huehner and lush art by David Messina (Star Trek: Countdown). Bonus inside every issue: an exclusive pullout gatefold poster by David Messina!

“This comic venture is very, very different in tone for me. Instead of a crazy over-the-top monster-fest like El Superbeasto, I wanted to create something that works more on a slice of life human level,” states Zombie, “After El Superbeasto became a movie, I felt I had taken that style as far as I could. So, I really needed Baron Von Shock to be something fresh in writing and in art.“

“After publishing The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, we jumped at the chance to work with Rob again on Baron Von Shock,” says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “Baron Von Shock is darkly humorous, thrilling and uncompromising – everything fans expect a Rob Zombie story to be.“

What Ever Happened to Baron Von Shock? #1, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be in stores May 26th, 2010.

Originally viewed as a champion of Earth, the caped hero donned in red and white prevented mass destruction, saving countless lives on numerous occasions, all the while dealing with society’s sarcastic quips, cut-downs, and general ungratefulness along the way.  The Plutonian tried to let the barrage of negativity roll off his back as his exterior maintained a smile for the cameras.  But when strangers and friends alike turn their back on increasingly distraught crusader, get ready for a personality overhaul of epic proportions.

The once-hero-now-villain unleashes hell on society as well as his former teammates without restraint in this engrossing page-turner.  With a script brilliantly assembled by Mark Waid, former writer on The Flash and Captain America, we the readers are presented with a dark story of one hero’s goodwill that, through social contamination, no longer exists.  The outcome is nothing short of sadistic.  Currently the story rests at two volumes with the first released in July of 2009.  Its follow-up came out in March of 2010 while volumes 3 and 4 are due to arrive this July and November respectively.

If there is one graphic novel that I highly recommend, it is Irredeemable.  My only complaint in this is that when I finished volume 1, I did not have volume 2 in my library to continue onward.  The book is full of anger, anticipation and fear on a global scale.  Follow the Amazon links below to secure your copies of Irredeemable today…

Let me be the first to say don’t let ‘free’ make you think these are half-arsed comics.   Last year’s Free Comic Book Day featured some great stuff, such as issue #0 of DC’s Blackest Night, cluing the public in to what greatness was about to ensue over the next eight months with that story.  Make no mistake though, the titles released are not just for the action-seeker or mature reader.  There are issues and stories that cater to people of all ages.  A few of this year’s titles include the Iron Man/Thor teamup, War of the Supermen, Archie, and Fraggle Rock.

Many comic book stores open their doors at midnight for the fan fest (which means be there on April 30th before 11:59pm) so break out the lawn chairs and secure your place in line.  Enjoy this annual event and hang out with your fellow comic book readers!

Since December of last year, I’ve worked diligently to cover a lot of Predator ground and read every Predator comic book out there that I could get my hands on.  Well, let me put an asterisk by that.  I decided not to include any Aliens vs. Predator stories here for the simple reason that there is enough content under the AVP titles for another top ten list.  The cosmic hunters have faced a barrage of other worthy opponents over the years in the pages of Predator vs. Magnus: Robot Fighter (not too shabby) to Superman vs. Predator (disappointing).  So what stories made the list and what takes the cake as numero uno?  Without further delay, I give you The Top 10 Predator Comics of All Time:

#10:  Tarzan vs. Predator: At The Earth’s Core – Truly an engrossing comic book read, Tarzan vs. Predator was one of the best stories that contained the Predator race.  In the end, however, I cannot bring myself to put this one higher on the list purely on the reason that this is not necessarily a Predator story.  It’s a Tarzan story that happened to have Predators in it.  A more accurate title would be Tarzan vs. The Lizard People That Hypnotize Everyone.  Again, this read comes highly recommended but the Predators become such secondary players in this game of cat and mouse that they ultimately end up in the backseat.  If you took the Predator relation out of the equation, the writing and plot of this story exceeds most of what is on the list you are about to read, thus warranting a higher placement.

#9:  Hell Come A Walkin’ – Focusing on a pivotal point in American history, this story takes place during the War Between the States.  Deadlocked in a standoff, a small group of Confederates trade shots with an equally sized band of Yanks.  While the soldiers speak of war stories amongst their respective sides, a Predator is attracted to the conflict and starts picking off members of the warring factions, one by one.

#8:  Cold War – Serving as a sequel to Concrete Jungle, we once again follow the gritty path of Detective Schaefer as he continues to search for information on what happened to his brother.  This time, he ends up leading a team of Americans in the frigid tundra of Siberia and comes in contact with a band of not-so-merry Ruskies.  When the female Russian commander begins to question her own allegiances, she turns to Schaefer to stop the Predator threat from killing even more of her countrymen.  The art is dated and the storytelling gets a little tedious at times, but its overall content is enough to secure its place on the list.

#7:  Xenogenesis – With its vivid coloring and smooth lines, Xenogenesis paired its art with a story of deceit, honor, and greed.  Set in a future of enhanced soldiers, even the humans’ best technology is still of little concern to the Predators’ superior toys.  Admiral John Dancer of the Royal Navy directs a super task force known as Spearhead, but where his intentions lie are questioned by those he’s in charge of.  Armed to the teeth and possessing cat-like agility, the team has been studying the tactics and behavior of Predators for years in hopes of dominating the spear-bearing beasts.

#6:  Batman vs. Predator III – Though the first sequel may have not made this list, its follow-up did. BVPIII threw Robin into the fray along with long-standing super villain, Mr. Freeze.  While it may seem like a hokey collage at first glance, rest assured that the story was sturdy and smartly assembled.  With the Predators reaching Bruce Wayne’s last nerve, he intends to drive home the point that the alien hunters are not to return again to Batman’s stomping grounds.

#5:  Nemesis – From India to Her Majesty’s United Kingdom, a dreaded Yautjas soon lays claim to London as its new hunting ground.  Set in the late summer of 1896, we follow the dark journey of Captain Edward Soames as his steps over cobblestone road bring his keen mind to discover one clue after another.  It all relates to the grim reaper tallying a body count in the capital of England. With a little help from a secret society, Soames aims to lure out the mystery that’s been killing his comrades.

#4:  Captive – Albeit a short read, this story wastes no time in getting straight to the point.  At some moment in the not so distant future, an enviro-dome facility manned by humans, some rather cyborg-esque, monitor the behavior of a captured Predator.  The blood hits the fan when an overzealous man-in-charge sends in the troops to pick up what he thinks is the lifeless body of his alien prisoner.  Predators aren’t all brawn.  They’re resourceful bastards as well.

#3:  Batman vs. Predator – The best crossover of the lot, Batman faces one of his most worthy opponents of all time.  The Caped Crusader nearly encounters death as an alien hunter begins his hunting jaunt with some of Gotham’s most notorious criminals and champions and later moves on to more challenging prey that included one very wealthy vigilante.  With a little technological prowess of his own, Batman intends to level the playing field.  This title was so successful it went on to produce two sequels.

#2:  Bad Blood – Who said paintball isn’t lethal?  In one of the highest toe tag tallies in the genre, Bad Blood put a twist on things as it introduced a rogue Predator that did not adhere to the same tribal standards maintained by his brethren.  The blood-thirsty outlaw turns out to be a serial killer of his own race and crash-lands in the New Jersey Pine Barrens.  Chased by other Predators and the CIA, the rogue enters a mass game of paintball and proceeds to lay waste to one competitor after another.

#1:  Concrete Jungle – Although sometimes obnoxiously colored, Concrete Jungle brought forth a very solid story as it tied in NYPD Detective Schaefer to his brother Dutch and the almighty Predator race.  Yup, that’s right, the same Dutch that Schwarzenegger played over twenty years ago.  In Concrete Jungle, we get a little backstory on the aftermath of the first Predator movie and Detective Schaefer’s struggle to find the whereabouts of Dutch while coming face to face with the race hunting the city he was sworn to protect. The writing, courtesy of Mark Verheiden, was simply riveting as readers are taken from the streets of New York City to the jungles of South America in what turned out to be one of the more lengthy Predator stories told.

Honorable Mentions:

1718 – This very brief but entertaining tale offered background on the black powder pistol handed to Danny Glover at the end of Predator 2.  The gun was engraved with the year ‘1718’ and the name ‘Rafael Andolini’.  Writer Henry Gillroy penned the script for this early 18th century story that shows a Predator hunting down a band of mutiny-bound sea farers.

Predator vs. Judge Dredd – While Judge Dredd is no longer one of the more popular characters in the DC universe, he did contribute to an entertaining 3-part series against his thermal vision foe.  Assassinating judges from afar and out of sight, the Predator claimed trophy after trophy until one roughed-up and very unhappy Dredd catches up to the hunter.

…And there you have it.  With another movie on the horizon slated for this July (Predators) and another round of Predator titles from Dark Horse creeping into store shelves around the globe, it is obvious that the content and want for Predator is endless.   Perhaps this list will be due for a revision in the future based on that upcoming material, but for now, I recommend any of the four Predator Omnibus collections to harness the spirit of the invisible hunter from beyond.

Make sure to pick up the below titles and get your Predator on!

With that being said, the floor eventually gave out on some of the smaller companies.  One of which was Valiant Comics, a company founded in part by former Marvel Editor-In-Chief, Jim Shooter and Steve Sassarsky, the former band manager of the Allman Brothers.  The two encouraged investors to provide them with the backing needed to create a new company, and start one they did.  Valiant was soon on its way to publishing-success.  According to one article on Wikipedia, Valiant, at one point, garnered a 12% share of the market with DC slightly ahead at 16% and Marvel dominating with 30%.

So what was it that made this newcomer such a hit?  It was the intent of Shooter and crew to deliver solid storylines that had far-reaching effects within the Valiant universe.  Not that it’s necessarily right or wrong, but so often today we see a hero or villain do something rash or even devastating that is easily ‘corrected.’  Take Marvel for instance. Captain America was shot on the steps of a courthouse a few years back.  Steve Rogers was no more as the blonde-haired, shield-wielding patriot bit the dust.  Or did he?  Of course not.  As it turns out, the gun used to ‘kill’ him was actually a time/dimensional transporting contraption.  Don’t get me wrong.  I love the Cap’s character, but if you’re thinking what I am in regard to that method of revival, it is somewhere along the lines of, “You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Valiant didn’t take such drastic measures without a solid plan in place first.  If someone was off’d, a pistol wasn’t going to be the magic time machine that brought them back.  The company focused its sights on originality, though many parallels can be made between their characters and those from other publishers.  Still, call them original or call them copy-cats, Valiant’s formula and their occasional chrome covers worked.  Financial success was due in part to some of their biggest titles such as Harbinger, a story of a new breed of humans with gifted super-abilities.  These enhanced beings were known as Harbingers and were being used to dominate the world.

Then there was Magnus Robot Fighter, which was actually a title founded in the early 60′s but modernized by Valiant.  Fast forward 2,000 years into the future and the world of mutiny-acting robots that are out to harm humans.  Magnus, whose skin was as strong as steel, had the ability to take on the anti-social mechanical menaces and literally rip them apart.  Despite his awkward attire (apparently in the year 4000, we’re all going to wear laser-repellant tunics, Stormtrooper boots, and 1980’s NBA shorts), the title drew enough attention for an eventual crossover with Dark Horse’s Predator series.

What do you get when you cross the Union Jack with a ninja? Ninjak! Actually a ‘who’ and not a ‘what’, Ninjak was a British citizen growing up in Asia who learned the ways of the ninja. His lightning-quick reflexes as well as his marksmanship and mastery of the blade would prove useful when the time came to avenge his father’s death. Also meeting success at the same time as Ninjak was X-O Manowar. X-O was a similar concept to Iron Man, in that a well-meaning man donned a suit of armor to wreak havoc on the bad guys, except with X-O, he fought aliens and his living armor could heal itself. Other solid titles in the Valiant mix included Archer & Armstrong, Turok Dinosaur Hunter, and Bloodshot; a soldier enhanced by microscopic robots called nanites that enabled him to fight better and heal faster…wow…GI Joe movie anyone?

I’m not quite certain why a company such as Valiant, who encountered significant success and grabbed a large piece of the comic book pie, fell to their doom.  Logic would hold that smaller companies such as Dark Horse and Image should have also gone the way of the dodo, but then again, I can only take what I know from the surface.  Either way, Valiant certainly left its mark in the industry, although its creations have parted ways due to rights auctions after the company met its end.  Efforts have been made to try and recoup some of the old team of characters as a new Valiant emerges and efforts are currently in the works to bring one of its titles to the big screen.  Look for a Brett Ratner (director of Rush Hour) / Paramount team-up in the future as they work on a live action film based on the Harbinger series.

For those readers and collectors seeking the Valiant titles, I suggest Amazon for the more recent hardcover releases of Harbinger: The Beginning and X-O Manowar: Birth books.  For the old material from the 90’s, there is always ebay, but I’m one for supporting small businesses so I say check your local comic book store.  Most places have impressive back-issue collections for your sorting pleasure.

For information on the Valiant universe, check out http://www.valiantentertainment.com.

Rob Zombie explores the gruesome world of fame and fortune with Baron Von Shock
 
Berkeley, CA – 15 March 2010 Is there anything ROB ZOMBIE can’t do? From music to television to movies, Zombie has proven himself to be a boundary-jumping entertainment juggernaut. In May, he returns to conquer comics with ROB ZOMBIE PRESENTS: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BARON VON SHOCK? Zombie has concocted a delightfully depressing tale about the seduction of celebrity culture and its pitfalls. BARON VON SHOCK is illustrated by DONNY HADIWIDJAJA and VAL STAPLES and published by Image Comics.
 
“This comic venture is very, very different in tone for me. Instead of a crazy over-the-top monster-fest like El Superbeasto, I wanted to create something that works more on a slice of life human level.” states Zombie, “After El Superbeasto became a movie, I felt I had taken that style as far as I could. So, I really needed Baron Von Shock to be something fresh in writing and in art.”
 
“After publishing THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO, we jumped at the chance to work with Rob again on BARON VON SHOCK,” says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “Baron Von Shock is darkly humorous, thrilling and uncompromising everything fans expect a Rob Zombie story to be.”

 

In BARON VON SHOCK, Rob Zombie returns to comics with a dark dramedy describing the fantastic rise and spiraling decent of celebrity. Being in the right place at the right time isn’t always a good thing, as Leon Stokes aka Baron Von Shock finds out first hand. His sudden rise to fame as a local television horror host meets with unexpected results. BARON VON SHOCK proves to be a roller coaster of emotion that only Rob Zombie can deliver.
 
BARON VON SHOCK #1, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be in stores May 26, 2010. Also available: ROB ZOMIE PRESENTS THE HAUNTED WORLD OF EL SUPERBEASTO .

Ottley is staying with Image so don’t dial your psychiatrist just yet.  He is merely switching duties to work on another Image title; Invincible.  In his stead, Greg Capullo, previously overseeing the layout of Haunt, will be assuming pencil duty.  I know, I know.  We all hate change.  Hey, give the guy a chance though.  Capullo didn’t get to where he’s at from not having talent.  The exciting future of Haunt is just around the corner with an upcoming stand-alone issue 6, a new story arc beginning in issue 7, and the almighty Volume 1 collection due out March 29^th. 

Pre-order your copy today!

Secret Invasion

A shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrull invaded earth, kidnapped several key players and transformed into their likenesses, thus fooling everyone.  Tony Stark’s Iron Man armor took a hit from a computer virus while he was wearing it, which was quite the ‘shocking’ experience for the billionaire playboy.  He’ll be recovering for some time.  Deadpool was on his way to comic book super stardom when he was setting up to make a big hit on the Skrull Queen and stop the oncoming galactic threat.  Unfortunately, Norman Osborn (formerly the Green Goblin), intercepted a transmission that would have enabled Deadpool to be hero of the day.  Osborn set up shop, took his shot, and the Skrull Queen was deader than Jimmy Hoffa with cement shoes.  The world praised his efforts to no end, but the real superheroes were well aware that the former criminal had to have a hidden agenda.

Dark Reign

Take the Marvel Universe and turn it on its head.  Everything that you know is no longer.  Remember expert archer Hawkeye of the Avengers?  Yeah, he’s not the same guy you once knew.  That’s super villain Bullseye now behind the blue suit and purple mask.  Venom?  Eddie Brock is long since removed from the black alien symbiote.  Mac Gargan is now donning the midnight goo.  You’ll remember him as Spider-Man’s old tail-toting nemesis, The Scorpion.  These fellas and a few more comprise the new (Dark) Avengers team, led by Norman Osborn in his red, white and blue Stark armor, going under the name Iron Patriot.  Osborn is out to remove mutants, vigilantes and anyone who disagrees with him.  He follows his own rules and certainly is out for himself in the end, though his surface appeal is one of a do-gooder for the people. 

Siege

With Thor’s homeworld of Asgard now hovering above a small Oklahoma town, the God of Mischief, Loki, has teamed up with Norman Osborn.  Using the muscle of the Dark Avengers, Loki encourages Osborne and friends to wage an all out war on the Nordic stronghold and its inhabitants.  Let the games begin.

You will remember some years ago that Captain America was shot on the steps of a courthouse at the conclusion of the Civil War story, ending the life of this righteous, shield-wielding hero.  Welcome back, Cap.  Steve Rogers has returned and this lad’s got an axe to grind (after all, who really dies in comics but the nameless common folk?).  We’re already on the second issue of a four-part series that will feature old friends rejoining alliances to wreak some havoc on Osborn’s devilish ways.  Captain America, Iron Man, and Thor are about to take the battlefield as a team once again.  Each is a force to be reckoned with on their own, but combine their strengths along with a hunger for retribution, and you have one determined trio of really pissed off good guys.  The artwork is great, the writing is nail-biting, and the action is feverish.  Some really long-standing walls are about to fall and heads will fly in the Siege.  Rock n roll, Marvel.  You hit the ball out of the park on this one.  

What are you waiting for?  Bring home the first two issues of Siege today!

As you’ve probably guessed, Giant Monster is not a new release, but by golly this story is just too darn good not to talk about.  Brought to us from BOOM! Studios, Giant Monster features some vividly gritty artwork by Nat Jones and a basic yet entertaining story by Steve Niles.  Some of you may be familiar with arguably his most popular work, the vampire fright fest known as 30 Days of Night.  You can pretty much guess from the title what Giant Monster is about, but there’s a little more to it…okay, not much but that’s what makes this book work, courtesy of Jones and Niles.  The story follows space shuttle commander Don Maggert in his departure from an international space station back down to earth.  Now Don’s been successful in his career but his marriage leaves something to be desired.  Poor guy.  Things are about to get a whole lot worse for the astronaut. 

After a crash landing in the salty abyss, our giant monster surfaces and the rest is just ‘tears everything to hell’ history.  Think of Godzilla but faster and with a lot more blood.  The book is a fun, gory read with the anti-hero bashing cities and dining on their citizens.  Not car, nor boat, nor plane is safe from this angry red behemoth though the military will try their all to bring down the beast.  Strikingly violent, action-packed and even a little tongue-in-cheek at times, Giant Monster is certainly a worthy buy that had this writer reading its pages with anxious delight.  

Order Giant Monster today!

]]> http://whysoblu.com/giant-monster-is-a-smashing-good-time/feed/ 2 http://whysoblu.com/bob-fingermans-from-the-ashes/ http://whysoblu.com/bob-fingermans-from-the-ashes/#comments Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:39:23 +0000 Blu-ray Brian http://whysoblu.com/?p=5709 We just received a press release from IDW Publishing that we thought was interesting enough to pass along to our readers.  What is From The Ashes?  I have no idea, but after reading about it I am intrigued to say the least.  The graphic novel is published by the same people who brought us 30 Days of Night, another favorite of ours.  So why not?  Let’s give them the floor.  Check out the full press release below from IDW about their newest upcoming graphic novel From The Ashes by Bob Fingerman.  Also, check out the You Tube video commercial for the graphic novel here.

SAN DIEGO, CA – IDW Publishing is proud to announce that Bob Fingerman’s From the Ashes, a graphic novel collecting the renowned series, will debut on February 10, 2010. A “speculative memoir,” From the Ashes pits Fingerman and his real-life wife, Michele, against the radioactive elements in a post-apocalyptic New York City, positing an alternate timeline that starts in the lead up to the 2008 presidential election.

“The problem with most memoirs is there just aren’t enough mutants and zombies in them for my liking,” said Fingerman, and he rectifies that problem in spades in this gorgeously drawn, sharply written satire.

“From the Ashes is my speculative memoir of ‘what might yet be’ (well, not really). It’s an open love letter to my wife — but not a gummy, icky, Nicholas Sparksy Harlequin Romance kind of thing,” wrote Fingerman in a recent HUFFINGTON POST piece. “I don’t want to leak spoilers, but readers should take special pleasure in the messianic depiction of a scary TV pundit, far-right religious whackos, celeb corpses, tinges of Oz (as in The Wizard of as well as the HBO series). With nearly six billion dead, there’s plenty of room to share my nuclear holocaust.”

Additionally, From the Ashes also offers a refreshing twist on how both women and marriage are usually portrayed in comics. Fingerman, the critically acclaimed writer/artist of Beg The Question, Recess Pieces, Connective Tissue, and the well-received novel Bottomfeeder, depicts himself and his wife as equals and best friends. Michele is as adept at kicking zombie ass as she was at wielding her blackberry in her pre-apocalypse career, and Fingerman’s love for her (and for cartooning) radiates from every page.

From the Ashes boasts an introduction by comedian Marc Maron (of the popular podcast WTF) as well as over 25 pages of additional material not in the original issues. 
 

About Bob Fingerman

Native New Yorker Bob Fingerman is the award-winning creator of such critically acclaimed graphic novels as Beg the Question, White Like She and Recess Pieces, as well as the novel Bottomfeeder. In Bottomfeeder, Fingerman took on the vampire genre, tossing away the typical gothic and romantic trappings in favor of portraying the down to earth story of a working class Queens-bred vampire. In Recess Pieces he whipped up a bloody maelstrom of adorable moppets and the undead set within the confines of their school. In the uneasy romantic roman à clef Beg the Question he presented anxious young love in the streets of Brooklyn long before gentrification. In his eighth graphic novel, From the Ashes, Fingerman continues his love affair with New York in his most personal work to date. Fingerman also just sold his latest novel, Pariah, to Tor (Tom Doherty Associates Books) for a Summer 2010 release.
 
About IDW Publishing

IDW is an award-winning publisher of comic books, graphic novels and trade paperbacks, based in San Diego, California. Renowned for its diverse catalog of licensed and independent titles, IDW publishes some of the most successful and popular titles in the industry, including: Hasbro’s The Transformers and G.I. JOE, Paramount’s Star Trek; Fox’s Angel; the BBC’s Doctor Who; and television’s #1 prime time series CBS’ CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. IDW is also home to the Library of American Comics imprint, which publishes classic comic reprints; Yoe! Books, a partnership with Yoe! Studios; and is the print publisher for ComicMix.
 
IDW’s original horror series, 30 Days of Night, was launched as a major motion picture in October 2007 by Sony Pictures and was the #1 film in its first week of release. More information about the company can be found at IDWPublishing.com.

Fans of the founding AVP storyline will remember her as the independent, hard-nosed Ryushi citizen who found herself fighting xenomorphs (Aliens) side-by-side with the Hunters (Predators).  She was eventually ‘invited’ into their culture, though very reluctantly by some within the species.  Apparently Noguchi is doing well these days running a big game hunting lodge on the earth-like planet of Bellatrix 2.  However, the days prior to her currently peaceful and financially successful life as manager and guide are about to bring her back to the hunt…and I don’t mean gazelles. 

A renegade band of Predators have made their presence known on a far off mining world worked by humans.  As we’ve seen in the movies and the increasingly vast library of Predator comics, this race is bad to the bone in their own right.  Now what if they had xenomorphs on a leash?  You will find that exact frightening image in the pages of AVP: Three World War.  That is one hell of a guard dog.  With no regard for the honorable hunt like their more commonplace brethren, the rogues are out for the ruthless kill.  Civilian or Marine.  Armed or helpless.  These blood-thirsty killers will make no discrimination to the hapless souls that cross their path. 

Noguchi’s expertise of the race is called upon as a bewildered military stands before her, armed to the hilt with no idea of what to do next.  The storyline will take readers through mid 2010 when the six-issue series is expected to wrap up.  Issue one kicked open the door with a bang.  Buckle in for what looks like one action-filled ride!

Bring the war home today!

Remender: Hey, do you mind if I do a story with all the Universal Horror monsters that Marvel seems to own?  I’m a super big fan of those flicks, and I want to tell some stories teaming up a vampire (I’ll use Morbius, The Living Vampire, because Paul Cornell already used Dracula really well in Captain Britain), a mummy, a werewolf, and a gill creature.

Editor: That sounds all well and good there, Rick, but I can’t really give you the go-ahead, because books like that don’t sell well at all.

Remender: Well, what if I had Norman Osborne sic Daken (Wolverine’s son) on The Punisher, and when all is said and done, The Punisher is in a ton of little pieces, and all those monsters Six Million Dollar Man him back together?

Editor: You don’t think all of those fans of the Punisher won’t get upset that you kill him off?

Remender:  Howsabout we get John Romita Jr. to draw the “death” issue?  All the fanboys will pick it up, and once they read that then they’ll have to pick up the next issue to see how we bring him back.

Editor: What do we call this whole thing?

Remender:  That’s easy.  FrankenCastle!

And that’s some of the stuff you’ll see in Punisher #11.

I don’t know about you, but when I heard about this whole idea, I thought it was one of the dumber things Marvel has done.  It doesn’t reek of desperation, because who in their right mind would think this would be a cool story?  But at the end of the day, whether it’s because Remender has made me care about the monsters, or because Tony Moore draws one of the coolest-looking Man-Things out there, this is a good book.  Remender has an obvious love for these “forgotten” characters, and seeing Frank Castle interact with them, while being a bit odd, is also, undeniably, cool.

I understand that this isn’t for everybody, but if you also enjoy the Universal Horror Monsters, think Man-Thing is more than just a joke, or just want to see how a concept this insane was pulled off, then this is the book for you.