Welcome to the 20th edition of ‘Leave Your Spandex @t the Door’! This week marks the first appearance of a new column feature, as I shift through the 500-page massiveness that is the PREVIEWS catalog, with the help of my good pal and fellow 411reviewer, Dave Graham.
(Check out Dave’s recent reviews of Detective Comics #788, Hulk: Grey #2, Ultimate Spiderman #49 and Caper #1)
For reader convenience my insightful comments are in plain text, while Dave’s distilled wisdom is highlighted in bold text! On to the Previews:
DARK HORSE
Dave: FREAKS OF THE HEARTLAND #1: First solicitation of the catalogue and already I’m excited about a comic. I wouldn’t necessarily call myself a fan of Steve Niles, but his stuff so far has been at least interesting, and this comic is no exception. A story about a child who is of monstrous size and strength, forced to live in the barn behind the house, and looked after by his doting older brother. The single preview page of art is enough to make me buy this comic.
Manolis: I’ve never read anything by Steve Niles before, but the concept intrigues me and the preview art page is indeed striking.
CHOSEN #2: or ‘Ultimate Jesus’, as it is tenderly and shamelessly referred to by the creators. The idea is simple and caustic: what if you’re a teenager and you discovered you were the Messiah? Actually, Jodie on the cover bears a striking resemblance to me (I’m nicknamed ‘Jesus’ by my friends), and with Peter Gross on pencils (from the Devil to the Messiah), how can I resist temptation?
I love the idea behind this. And with Millar writing it can’t fail to be totally irreverent. Great stuff!
LOVE ME TENDERLOIN: A CAL McDONALD MYSTERY (one-shot)Another Steve Niles book but this time he is paired with his regular collaborator, Ben Templesmith. I’ve read an issue or two of CAL McDONALD and enjoyed it, plus the story in the one-shot SLEEPING WITH YOUR NIGHTMARES was thoroughly enjoyable. Add to this hook “meat is murder” and colour me intrigued.
TALES OF THE VAMPIRES #2: With the impending demise of the ongoing BTVS comic series, seeing a new comic set around the Buffy mythos is certainly a relief. Not just a Buffy comic though, this is an ongoing anthology written by members of the Mutant Enemy crew, namely Brett Matthews, my personal favourite Jane Espenson, and the man himself, Joss Whedon. This issue includes art from Scott Morse, and the twisted art of Ben Templesmith.
HELLBOY TPB COLLECTION: It’s my deep shame that I have yet to read any Hellboy stories, but with the movie fast approaching, and this stylish series of trades re-released by Dark Horse, I can’t think of a better chance to dive in.
DC
Mainstream
DC: THE NEW FRONTIER: Darwyn Cooke writes and illustrates the ‘pre-origins’ of DC’s silver-age heroes, chronicling their adventures before they put on their masks. The mini has a risky format, shipping in 6 oversized, therefore pricey, issues, but DC seems 100% wiling to support this project, using it as this month’s frontrunner. Darwyn Cooke is the king o’ style, and has a deep love for Silver Age comics, especially Hal Jordan, so I’m predicting an instant classic in this.
I’m not a fan of the DCU at all, especially not the Silver Age DCU, but this just intrigues me no end. This series just looks fun
WONDER-WOMAN #200: THIS is what I call an anniversary issue! Anniversary issues should be cause for celebration of the characters, and this one surely looks like it is: Mega-sized (64 pages), with 4 extra stories by notable talents like Eric Shanower (AGE OF BRONZE), Linda Medley (CASTLE WAITING) and DeFillipis/Weir amongst others, telling stories from throughout WW’s career. I don’t follow WonderWoman’s monthly adventures, but I’m getting this for all the extras. (Did I forget to mention the handful of pinups? No anniversary issue should be without!).
SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY #1: I initially completely skipped this title’s solicitation based on the simple fact that it was a Superman series. When I was going through Previews for the second time, I actually read the sample pages, and the Superman cake reading “Happy Birthday Clark†caught my eye. When I actually read the solicit text I realised that Kurt Busiek was writing, and when I read the sample pages I got hooked. A kid named Clark Kent and living in Kansas, of course people will constantly making Superman comparisons. Then the kid starts to develop super-powers… The art may not be my cup of tea, but the writing of Kurt Busiek will make me pick this up, especially based on the sample provided.
This is a re-pairing of Busiek with his SHOCKROCKETS (yay for Gorilla Comics!!) collaborator, Stuart Immonen, and it looks like a novel concept. It should be noted the book takes place in the ‘real world’ where Superman is a comic-book. Unbreakable/Enigma, much?
SUPERMAN: “STRANGE NEW VISITORâ€: Do they really expect this to work? In order to bridge the gap between the old creative teams and the new superman super-teams DC are having a four-part crossover involving Superman being replaced by the Wildstorm Universe’s Mr Majestic. Why? No reason that I can see. As far as I’m concerned a strong Superman is good for comics, not necessarily good for me, but good for comics in general. Why then delay a re-launch by a month? As much as I enjoy Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning’s work, this just screams “crossover for crossover’s sakeâ€. This is why comics are inaccessible. Roll on next month.
Remember Marvel’s 13th issue extravaganza following ‘Heroes Reborn’, before ‘Heroes Return’ (cringe)? A crossover between the Wildstorm characters and the Reborn heroes, taking place in the course of one month, throughout the Reborn books’ #13 issues. Surely didn’t work then, I doubt it will now. (Didn’t James Robinson write those stories? Waste of talent…)
SUPERMAN: RED SON TPB: Now here’s a Superman title that interests me. A big part if it is Mark Millar, but the idea of twisting Supes’ origin and having him land inside the Iron Curtain just sparks something in me. The first issue was solid on both the story and art fronts, and I said I’d wait for the trade. Well here it is.
H-E-R-O #12: I want my loyalty fees! This was my big concept for my fictional pitch at a H-E-R-O story, having a man use the device to transform into a superheroine. Only in Pfeifer’s take the man didn’t wish for the sex change, and certainly didn’t wish to lose the device afterwards…
I’m definitely not a fan of this series, but the idea behind this issue is very strange – and therefore very appealing to me. I can see huge potential in the idea, and this may just have to be bought…
NIGHTWING #89: “This issue… something happens!!†At least, that’s how I read this solicitation. This is ‘the single most shocking issue of the year’. I AM curious to see, especially since this foreboding solicit wasn’t deemed worthy of the ‘spotlight’ treatment that the nightwing tpb got…
Wildstorm
GLOBAL FREQUENCY: PLANET ABLAZE TPB: This is another title that after reading issue #1 I decide to wait for the trade. A story about an international web of 1001 agents spread throughout the world, each able to drop whatever they are doing in their “normal†lives to save the world in 30mins at a moment’s notice. All it takes is a call from Miranda Zero. Ellis writes this unique comic book, and the art chores are handled by rotating artists, fitting in nicely with the title’s compartmentalised story. I’ve been waiting for this.
A cast of 1001? And to think we berate Chuck Austen for Uncanny X-Men! The roundabout of artists is impressive, with Steve Dillon, Glen Fabry, Jon J Muth and Liam sharp as my personal faves.
Vertigo
VERTIGO STARTS MONTH: lol, couldn’t resist. This month sees the release of two new Vertigo minis and new storylines for all (except one) of Vertigo’s books. THE LOSERS (#8) make startling revelations about themselves, LUCIFER (#46) decides to evict all immortals from his world (what a cranky landlord!), while Yorick (Y THE LAST MAN #18) gets an S&M treatment (judging from the cover) while trying to get his monkey to the vet. What the–? As for the rest:
MY FAITH IN FRANKIE #1: I’ve been waiting a long time for this comic to be finally released. Frankie is a girl who has had her on personal deity sin
ce she was a toddler. Now she’s a teenager, her hormones are flaring (the target of said flares being a reincarnated –don’t call me Mort- dead teenager) and her overbearing Divine protector is getting in the way. The 3 preview pages have whetted my appetite, the first two showcasing a comic inside the comic, dealing with stories from Frankie’s childhood (in a different art style, reminiscent of Steven Weissman’s work) and the last page showing Frankie’s moment of truth with her deity, Jeriven. (Look for an interview with Mike Carey about this title soon in this space.)
This is another title that I completely missed on my first run through Previews. Yes, the art looked fun, but really it just didn’t warrant my attention. How wrong I was. When I actually read the preview pages I enjoyed them no end. I really want to read this comic.
MIDNIGHT, MASS: HERE THERE BE MONSTERS #1: The initial issues of the first MIDNIGHT, MASS series really caught my attention. The supernatural story was right up my alley. Then I missed an issue. Then the series was shortened to a mini. It was there that I lost interest. Now it’s back with a new mini and I’m going to be there all the way through. The art looks solid and the story fun. My only qualm…haven’t I seen that monster with the red head before?
HUMAN TARGET #6: Christopher Chance takes over the identity of a priest stalked by a gunman. Why do I get a sense of deja-vu here? This is the surface plot of the original Milligan/Biucovic Human Target mini. I doubt Milligan will retread any old ground, but it’s still too close a concept for comfort.
IMAGE
THE CLOCKMAKER: ACT 1: This collects the first four issues of Images experimentally formatted THE CLOCKMAKER series in a regular-sized comic trade. I bought the first issue of this purely out of curiosity as to what could be done by the oversized format, and to be honest I was disappointed. The story seemed slow, and the art just seemed to be blown up rather than using the extra space provided. Based on the solicitation text however, this series does in fact sound reasonably interesting. Jim Krueger is really hit-or-miss for me however. This may be one to check out, but probably not.
Probably not. Then again it is a much more reasonably priced package, 4 issues (though 48 pages only) for $4.95. From what I understand this is how the series will continue until its finale. File the format under ‘miss’.
KANE – VOL 1: GREETINGS FROM NEW EDEN TPB: Paul Grist has recently come to my attention through his new JACK STAFF colour series. I’m quite impressed with his work on that title, and because of this I want to read his earlier work on KANE. I’ve heard good things about this story of a police officer. Should be good.
SHANGRI-LA GN: The concept on this is enough to hook me, I don’t need anything else. An assassin, a rock star, a match made in heaven. I really want to read this.
I’m debating whether I should check a title based on good quotes from comics professionals alone. That is a seriously impressive array of quotes in the solicits page, by Gail Simone, Ed Brubaker, and Brian Vaughan, my triumvirate of cool writers. What the heck, it’s only a one-shot!
STAY PUFFED #1: The nauseatingly-annoying janitor from Puffed is back, and in cahoots with Saddam? And Saddam is wearing an ‘I love Bush’ button? The story of the first PUFFED mini didn’t blow me away, but the art sure did (hunt down the interview with artist Dave Crosland in the column’s archives), so I’ll be buying me another ticket to mayhem, hoping for the best! Plus, I want to know how the heck the janitor got trapped in the Dinosaur costume!!
COMMON GROUNDS #1 Despite a hideous alternate cover by Campbell I’m wiling to give this one a try. Common rounds is a superhero coffee-and-donut hangout spot. This a concept not even the infamous Ron Zimmerman could do wrong.
WANTED #2: Two Top Cow books in one month? –rollseyes-. The cover showcases Halle Berry as she should have been dressed for the Catwoman movie.
-ahem-, that’s ‘the Fox’, not Catwoman, Manolis
could’ve fooled me. This is Millar’s vanity ‘watch me write the new watchmen, only with villains’ project. That’s surely an ambitious statement, don’t you think? Halle Berry looks sssssexy with those cat’s ears!
-sigh- Isn’t Marvel next?
rightly so:
MARVEL
AVENGERS #77/ 78: I’ve always liked the idea of AVENGERS, just never the actually comic. Is this all going to change with Chuck Austen coming on to the title? Probably not, but I’m going to give it a try. I don’t much care about the hook (a forgotten hero and a new Avenger), but the page of preview art really grabs me.
#77 is Marvel’s newest 50-cent wonder-bargain. Chuck seemingly gets a reduced intro price for all his new mainstream work, but will this continue the long string of inaccessible marvel cut-price issues?
ULTIMATES #13: I really like ULTIMATES, and this issue finally sees the end of the initial run. Do not fear though, the second volume will start within weeks. This alien invasion storyline has been a little slow-burning, but I’m really interested to see how it ends. Millar has been on form with the writing, Hitch’s art is always stellar. And Ultimate Hulk goes on a rampage!
Doesn’t he always? I had forgotten this title comes out anymore. Step up on the schedule, people! I don’t have any interest for the alien invasion story, it’s burned itself slowly to cinder for me…
INCREDIBLE HULK #66: What were the solicits people thinking? Revealing Mr Blue’s identity (a truly shocking revelation, on a deep fanboy level) in the solicitation text? And to think I’ve been avoiding Hulk message boards to avoid spoilers because I’m reading the title now in trades…
STARTLING STORIES: THE INCORRIGIBLE HULK: Peter Bagge strikes again! After the much-revered ‘MEGALOMANIACAL SPIDERMAN’ (still like to read it once every few weeks to get some good chuckles) one-shot last year, he works his charm on the Hulk. One look on that cover should be enough to convince you. ‘Hulk SHOES hurt’!
Got to love that title. And that art. This just looks fun.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #19: Rick Jone’s bi-curious wife, Marlo, returns in this issue! After Captain Marvel relaunched, it took me a while to realise that the true reason I was enjoying the book was because of Rick, Marlo, Lorraine and Moondragon. Wasn’t long before I dropped it from my pull-list. Marlo’s return will hopefully signal a return to the title’s roots and a veritable comic feel, instead of the weird hybrid it relaunched as.
SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED #1: I really quite enjoyed the previous anthology title X-MEN: UNLIMITED, and so I was looking forward to this. The thing is, Spider-Man is a character that isn’t too easy to write, and handing him to new talent just seems like a recipe for disaster. The stories sound reasonably solid, but that review art does nothing for me. This may turn out to be a flop, but I’ll wait until I see the actual comic before I make up my mind. Let’s hope we get some new talent out of it.
Two stories with not really ‘attention-grabbing’ concepts, with newbie writers and only Sean Chen as the saving grace? Whoo-hoo! As much as I enjoy giving new people a chance, I don’t others will be so generous with their $2.99.
DOCTOR OCTOPUS TITLES: Marvel’s newest publishing regime: fill the market with doc ock until it’s about to blow apart. This month Doc Ock appears in 3 mainstream titles (SPIDERMAN/DOCTOR OCTOPUS: OUT OF REACH #3, SPECTACULAR SPIDERMAN#9, SPIDERMAN & DOCTOR OCTOPUS: NEGATIVE EXPOSURE #4), 1 ultimate title (ULTIMATE SIX #6) and in SPIDERGIRL (#68-69). I’m still holding hope that the Doc Ock in SpiderGirl proves to be the purple-haired Lady Octopus from the Clone Saga, Carolyn Trainer.
NEW X-MEN #151 / 15
2: 80s mania takes over the X-men, as Marc Silvestri returns to the X-men. Mark Silvestri remains one of my least favourite x-men pencillers of all time, although the preview pages show a more mature and less ‘sketchy’ art style. The story is set in the far future, starring Wolvie, Cassie Nova, Beak’s kid and who I’m guessing is Martha. There’s currently more buzz around who is replacing Morrison than what Morrison’s final story will be. Maybe we’ve seen one dystopic x-future too many.
I have really loved what Morrison’s done with the X-Men. I’ve no idea what’s going on with this storyline, but if his previous stories on this title are anything to go by, it’ll certainly be entertaining (and include a “huh?†factor). It is a shame that the current crop of stories are being over-shadowed by his imminent departure (or rather the identity of his replacement) – let’s hope the perceived hype is worth it.
UNCANNY X-MEN #437 / 438: The inconsistency in this title has been probably the most frustrating thing for me in comics recently. When Austen is on song with this book, it really is excellent. But when he has an off day, this book is seriously bad. The art however, has been just as frustrating. Some of the artists have just been unsuited to the X-Men. Now it’s the turn of Salvador Larroca and I’m pretty excited. I’ve had that group pic on my desktop for a while now, and it’ll be good to finally see them in a comic.
I dislike how Salvador isn’t given a choice in what projects he will take on, but is moved around to wherever he is ‘needed’. The storyline seemingly deals with Paige and Warren’s romance, as the title ‘She lies with Angels’ (-wink- -wink-) and the setting of the first 9 pages (set in Paige’s hometown, starring her kid brother, Jeb.
DAREDEVIL #56: Daredevil becomes the new Kingpin of Hell’s Kitchen! There’s a startling development for you, true believer! I want to see how Bendis and Maleev are going to pull this off! It’s marvel’s fault that I won’t since they’ve spoiled me rotten with their cheap Hardcovers :-p
CrossGen
KISS KISS BANG BANG #1: I’m a sucker for a good solid spy book, The story here is about a secret agent identity passed from person to person, building up an uber-spy reputation. From the artwork on display here (not interior I might add) this series looks less than serious. Either way though, I’ve been sucked in. Colour me intrigued.
The agent’s identity is Basildon, Charles Basildon. Sound vaguely familiar? Tony Bedard is my favourite Crossgen writer, and he has shown great affinity in a variety of genres so far, I only predict good things in his future. This is the first of Crossgen’s new line of sigil-less titles, as they slowly move to raze all oss-continuity from their line. I applaud them for this, the sigils were the main drawback of Crossgen for me, I didn’t see the reason to brand all their characters with the company logo.
ABADAZAD #2: I don’t know what it is about this type of fantasy fiction that appeals to me, but something makes me want to read this comic. The idea of a child misplaced into a magical land (especially one with the types of creatures on display in the preview art) just seems like the perfect story set up for me. J.M. DeMatteis writes.
And Mike Ploog, a legendary artist of horror comics, pencils. My comics retailer in Greece worships the ground he walks on!
EL CAZADOR COLLECTED EDITION: Piraterrific! El Cazador #1-3 are collected in one regular-sized reduced-price volume, effectively cutting their prices by ~$1 per issue. And see? No sigils again!
THE INDY CROWD:
KILLER PRINCESSES TPB (digest sized, OniPress, p.304)
Charity, Hope and Faith are dimmer than a burnt light-bulb, and deadlier than Gail Simone with a pair of scissors! They’re members of a sorority house that sets its targets on geniuses, by employing cabbage-IQ girls as its assassins. Some of the lines and gags, like the infamous dog-humping scenario, have become classic references in internet inter-geek conversations. Underneath the tragellafic situations, the sorority’s motto ‘Better a world without genius’ raises interesting questions about our society. Oh, and Gail Humps Dogs!
This is one of my favourite comics mini-series of the past…well ever. The set-up is sweet, the characters are fun, the dialogue is amazing, and the art just suits it down to the ground. Wonderful stuff.
MIDNIGHT MOVER TPB (digest sized, OniPress, p. 304):
A war hero / escort bodyguard, a female cop with S&M fetishes, and her church-going family man partner. I haven’t read the original series, but the combination of characters makes for an explosive mix, and I just love seeing things go ka-blooey!
BEST OF DORK TOWER (Dork Storm Press, STAR14089, p. 259)
You can’t be an RPG gamer and not take sinister delight in the Dork Tower books. My first contact with the material was through FCBD 2, the Dork Storm comp-piece ha has since been destroyed from multiple readings by my rpg-party and their friends, and their friends’ friends and… This is a collection of the best trips from the first 10 issues, in one 32-page $1.95 issue. More to follow, if I judge from the ‘#1′ on the cover.
MARK MILLAR’S THE UNFUNNIES #2 (Avatar Press, p.214)
The most depraved story concept this year, a Hanna-Barbera-style cartoon book featuring a paedophilic crow. Just take a look at the ‘offensive’ covers from the first two issues. Avatar requires age verification to show these! ‘Magnolia’ is the movie most often quoted in the solicits for this title, and it’s one of my favourite movies, I want to see how Millar will manage to come through this title with his reputations intact.
SEAMONSTERS AND SUPERHEROES #2 (Slave Labor Graphics, p.202)
DEMO#3 (AiT / PlanetLar, p.200)
S&S is an anthology book on… seamonsters and superheroes! The first issue was indeed ass-detaching funny as the solicit states, and I’m eager for more!
DEMO is a series of self-contained stories on real people burdened by superpowers, by Brian Wood and Beky Cloonan. This issue is set around a family funeral and (I’m guessing) hereditary superpower genes.
Check out last week’s indy reviews column for more extensive info on these two titles.
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Tune back in 411comics and “Leave Your Spandex @t the Door†in 1 week for my regular comics commentary. As always, I’m waiting for your comments through email… (Sorry for not replying to some of your emails but I have had severe email problems in the last weeks, please get back to me in this new adress)
Manolis Vamvounis
a.k.a. Doc Dooplove
