So in a new feature for the site, once a month Pulse Glazer and I are going to take a look at the sales figures for the previous month and then pick out five title from Marvel, and another five from DC, with the guidelines being that these must be ongoing series, and they have to sell at #70 and below. These are going to be books that we enjoy but the masses don’t seem to have taken to. These are books that you really should give a look at, because you might really enjoy a lot of books on this list!
And if you’re really up for a challenge, Glazer and I each do five of these write ups….try and guess which of us does which!
5. Deadpool Max – No one is as sick of Deadpool as me, and trust me, I followed him from early X-Force straight through Cable and Deadpool until this current surge just drove me off. He was among my favorite characters, and was ruined. But, hey, this isn’t that Deadpool. This is an absurd government assassin story by David Lapham and Kyle Baker. That’s right. Stray Bullets David Lapham. Young Liars David Lapham. Handling Marvel’s hottest character as a nutjob, romantic government assassin. Then you add in Kyle Baker, the multiple Eisner winner of Truth, Plastic Man and Wednesday Comics’ Hawkman. This is creative and original comics under the Marvel banner. It’s not only a great read, but deserves more support so we get more books like it.
4.Thor: Mighty Avenger – If you are one of those, then this isn’t for you, and damn you for it. A truly wonderful title, everyone seems to have ignored this because its all ages. Well, you were wrong to do so. Wrong! This is the single most charming and enjoyable book on comics stands. It takes a god and tells a human story with great guest stars and wonderful characterization, while not being afraid to go all out crazy. The last issue came out this Wednesday. Buy it so we might at least get the final four promised issues… and so you can experience a truly unique comic.
3. New Mutants – While I definitely skipped out on most of the first year of this title, once I finally got around to reading it I was hooked. Writer Zeb Wells has found a way to make the original New Mutants relevant to the X-Men family as well as bring the entire original team back under one roof. On top of that, he’s shown his own little knack for continuity with the Fall of the New Mutants arc as he picks up on plot points seemingly forgotten since Inferno. Not to mention that he brought Doug Ramsey and Warlock back into the fold with an uncommon level of finesse. The title is entertaining, and it’s a very different read than the other X books as it truly does come across like a group of close friends, almost a family, working together and far less like a super hero team. Now, I predict this book will see a definite jump in numbers during Age of X, I can’t recommend to you guys enough to go out and read the fine work that Zeb Wells has put in thus far.
2. Generation Hope – This book is only three issues in and already struggling in sales, which makes me wonder where all the X-Fans are at? Hope has been a huge deal with multiple crossovers built around her, and now she’s given a team featuring her fellow ‘new mutants’ and it doesn’t sell? I know the X-Men line is doing just fine, with even Daken and X-23 selling well enough to not even be eligible for this list, hell, only the two X titles on this list were even eligible for this list, so why isn’t Generation Hope doing better? Kieron Gillen (upcoming Uncanny X-Men co-writer) has crafted a fun story as he tries to flesh out the Five Lights, and while no, it isn’t the Generation X or New X-Men of past, it’s a well written and very entertaining title that is trying to showcase a few new characters in the X-Universe after several years of “No More Mutants” putting a dampener on new characters. If you like the X-Men, you really do owe it to yourself to check this book out before it goes away just as fast as Gillen’s S.W.O.R.D. did before it.
1. Secret Warriors – If it isn’t major continuity, some people just don’t care; I get it. But come on. If you love in continuity Marvel stuff, you’re reading Fantastic Four and love it. This is by Jonathan Hickman, the same guy. The book was launched as co-written by Brian Michael Bendis. It’s got a Stan Lee original Nick Fury as star. Espionage mixed with young heroics mixed with superheroes and continuity, this book has everything. Check out one of the more original works Marvel has put out in years. Fully in continuity, just incase you’re one of those.
5. Rebels – I understand everyone is all crazy about Lantern stuff, but you kind of have to realize, the stuff you like about those cosmic comics cannot just be found in Lantern books. DC is also putting out Rebels, an awesome cosmic comic that also features all the hallmarks of the GL stories you’ve so loved from Blackest Night to plenty of GLs and all the various races you’ve grown to care for. Don’t sleep on this, especially if you like Bedard’s Green Lantern Corps- this is his book, too.
4. Power Girl – Under the creative team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Amanda Connor this book was must read for twelve issues, and while since then it’s tapered off in it’s readership as fans haven’t seem to have taken to the change of tone in the book since Judd Winick took over, but it’s still a fun book! Karen still has an interesting supporting cast, but more important than that with the Generation Lost tie-in status that the book has, Peeg frequently finds herself working with Batman (Dick Grayson) and doing everything her power to remember Max Lord (hasn’t worked yet). With a few new potential rogues thrown into her gallery, and the definite potential to truly come into her own, I just want to tell everyone to give Power Girl a chance, especially if you enjoy Generation Lost.
3. Booster Gold – This book may not have the same charm that it did under veteran writer, and Booster creator, Dan Jurgens, but that isn’t to say that it’s not a good book anymore. It’s entertaining and promotes a concept that is very original and cleverly handled. Not to mention that the Greatest Hero You’ve Never Heard Of can be an incredibly likeable character, even when he’s being an insufferable whiner. There’s a strong supporting cast which includes, but is not limited to, a man that we the readers know to be Booster’s son, Rip Hunter, as well as Booster’s sister Michelle, and the always lovable Skeets. While the book might not always be the greatest, it is always pretty fun, and never seems to have a problem getting a laugh out of readers.
2. Secret Six – Have you heard legends of John Ostrander’s Suicide Squad? I know I have, but I wasn’t around to experience it and had to find it far later. Trust me, the book lives up to the legend. Well, Gail Simone is putting out quite the legendary in the making run on Secret Six and it’s going far too ignored. With notable characters like Bane and Deadshot, famous guest appearance characters like Vandal Savage and Lex Luthor, this is the best noble villain book I’ve ever read. Try it and don’t be searching for that legendary book you could have picked up when it was out.
1. Batgirl – Do you like fun titles about interesting characters, written by people who don’t sacrifice character depth for plot purposes? Do you like Batman and his extended family? You’d like Batgirl, which, after seventeen issues, a tie-in with Red Robin, and a Road Home one shot, is easily one of the best three Bat titles. Writer Bryan Q. Miller has taken Stephanie Brown, the former Spoiler, and truly made her into not only Batgirl, but a character that we care is Batgirl. Artistically the book has been graced by the presences of Lee Garbett, Pere Perez, and Dustin Nguyen which is one hell of a pedigree. Well written and gorgeous! What astonishes me is that the Bat name doesn’t help this book sell more, as it straddles the limbo line of seventy. It’s a great read, and if you haven’t given it a shot yet you owe it to yourself to give it one. You won’t regret the trade purchase, and you definitely won’t regret adding it to your pull list.
