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Although not officially labelled as such, it’s “Batman month” at DC,
with the launch of three new Bat-titles and the post BATTLE FOR THE COWL
direction of the two main Bat-books.
BATMAN
AND ROBIN #1
Written
by Grant Morrison. Illustrated by Frank Quietly. Variant cover by J.G.
Jones.
The real dynamic duo of this book is the stellar creative team. The
reunion of Morrison & Quietly should be instant comic-gold, and promise
to rejuvenate
the Caped crusader into something more then just “The Goddamn Batman”.
The new adventures of a brand new Dynamic Duo begin here, as the New
Batman and New Robin join forces in their New Batmobile to fight crime.
This is definitely
the no-brainer of the new Bat-books, and a must for anyone who enjoys
awesome comic books.
BATMAN
#687
Written
by Judd Winick. Illustrated by Ed Benes & Rob Hunter. Cover by Tony
Daniel. Variant cover by J.G. Jones.
Now that the smoke has cleared from the BATTLE FOR THE COWL, and a clear
victor has emerged, Judd Winick will be writing the adventures of the
new man under the cowl in the flagship Bat-book. Yes, he’s the man who
resurrected Jason Todd with Superboy wall-punches, but this will still
remain the key title for the new Batman. There is also the other half of
the creative team to be settled, as Ed Benes is supposedly a temporary
artist, with some rumoured BIG names being mentioned as the ongoing
penciller. This issue serves as an
epilogue to BATTLE FOR
THE COWL, and features appearances by the other two-thirds of the DCU
trinity.
DETECTIVE COMICS #854
Written
by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by J.H. Williams and Cully Hamner. Variant
cover by J.G. Jones.
Although Batman is no longer starring in Detective Comics, a new era
begins for DC’s oldest title as Rucka & Williams bring us Batwoman and
explore the motivation behind the woman wearing the Bat. Rucka’s
practiced noir
sensibilities from his crime novelist career, coupled with J.H. Williams
beautiful artwork, will make this a fantastic read. Plus,
Rucka
teams up with artist Cully Hamner (BLUE BEETLE, BLACK LIGHTENING: YEAR
ONE) to deliver the monthly co-feature starring The (Montoya) Question.
Great creative team + great characters = great comic
purchase!
This
will be an excellent book, and is definitely worth picking up!
RED ROBIN #1
Written by Christopher Yost. Illustrated by Ramon Bachs.
Who’s under the hood? You’ll have to pick this issue up to find out. One
of the failed claimants to the cowl dons a new costume, convinced the
true caped crusader is still alive, and sets out on a global expedition
to find the original. This one could be the surprise “sleeper” book of
the new Bat-universe, so start reading from the beginning.
BATMAN:
STREETS OF GOTHAM #1
Written
by Paul Dini and Marc Andreyko. Illustrated by Dustin Nguyen & Derek
Fridolfs and George Jeanty & Karl Story. Cover by Dustin Nguyen. Variant
cover by J.G. Jones.
Nothing
will ever be able to replace GOTHAM CENTRAL, but this book looks to
follow in those footsteps quite nicely.
Gotham city takes
centre stage in this
new title told from the street level
perspective of both new and familiar characters in Gotham, brought to us
by recent DETECTIVE COMICS team of Pini and Nguyen. Equally exciting, is
the ongoing co-feature starring the recently cancelled Manhunter (Kate
Spencer) by creator Marc
Andreyko and artist
George Jeanty (BUFFY: SEASON EIGHT),
which
will fit the tone of this book perfectly.
GOTHAM
CITY SIRENS #1
Written
by Paul Dini. Illustrated by Guillem March. Variant cover by J.G. Jones.
BIRDS
OF PREY this ain’t! On the surface, this book starring Catwoman, Harley
Quinn, and Poison Ivy might look like it’s aiming for the T&A factor,
and with March’s beautiful line-work it certainly will look VERY nice,
but this one should be more than simply a book with sexy women.
These bad-ass girls of
Gotham are about to show the men that they should never be
underestimated.
BOOSTER GOLD #21
Written by Dan Jurgens and Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Dan Jurgens,
Norm Rapmund, and Mike Norton.
The only superhero in the current DCU timeline who knew about Booster’s
time jumping heroics was Batman. Now that Batman’s dead, Booster heads
to the Batcave to check it out. But he runs smack into the New Batman,
and it probably ain’t pretty. Plus, beginning this month, there’s good
news for Blue Beetle fans, as Matt Sturges and Mike Norton bring us
Jaime Reyes in his very own ongoing co-feature!
BRAVE AND THE BOLD #24
Written & illustrated by Who Cares.
This book started out so great, and now ... well, Black Lightning and
Static brought to you by Matt Wayne and Howard Porter. Excuse me if I’m
not jumping for joy.
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH:
DANCE #2
Written by Joe Casey. Illustrated by ChrisCross.
Apparently, the Super Young Team is in trouble because they decided to
sponsor a product called Oxy-Gen that somehow caused some kind of
tragedy. I’d fire their business manager, if I were them. Or maybe they
could talk to Booster Gold for some tips on corporate sponsorship?
FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH:
INK #2
Written by Eric Wallace. Illustrated by Fabrizio Fiorentino.
The Tattooed Man has to look no further than Catwoman to see that, yes,
it is possible for a super-villain to reform and become all heroic.
However, his powers have spiraled out of control and the police are
still after him. Tough times ahead.
FLASH:
REBIRTH #3
Written
by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver.
Yet
another race between Flash and Superman. And why does DC always pretend
they’ve never raced before? It seems to happen semi-frequently. However,
Geoff Johns has
taken great pains to assure readers that the Superman / Flash race is
only a small portion of this issue. Get ready for more exploration on
Barry Allen’s role in this new world, and the deepening mystery of dying
speedsters.
GREEN LANTERN #42
Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Philip Tan & Jonathan Glapion.
This issue sees the Conclusion to the “Agent Orange” story, which
hopefully means this stupid “Longest F@$%ing Dusk Ever” can finally
morph into the BLACKEST NIGHT, which at this point is starting to seem
more and more like the conclusion to BATTLE CHASERS – never happening.
It’s been a slow build, but all of this is leading towards the big
BLACKEST NIGHT event starting later this year, so make sure you don’t
miss the clues being left here.
GREEN LANTER CORPS #37
Written by Peter J. Tomassi. Illustrated by Patrick Gleason & Rebecca
Buchman.
Following the break out on OA Kyle, Guy and Killowog desperately try to
contain the devastation wrought by the raging hordes of Red Lanterns and
Sinestro Corps. If this is just the tune up, BLACKEST NIGHT is going to
suck for the Boys in Green.
JONAH
HEX #44
Written
by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray. Illustrated by Cristiano Cucina.
This
fantastic series is usually “done in one” stories, with an occasion two-parter,
but this month marks a change, with the start of a kick-ass six part
epic “Six Gun War”. This tale will
incorporate almost all
the characters you’ve met thus far on the wild adventures of Hex.
Give it
a try and see how good this underappreciated book is.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF
AMERICA #34
Written by Len Wein. Illustrated by Jose Luis & JP Mayer.
The recently dissolved Justice League faces off against the Royal Flush
Gang - always trouble, those guys. Yes, it is a fill in issue, but
considering all the hardships Len Wein has been dealing with, he
deserves another turn at bat for the league, doesn’t he?
SUPERMAN #689
Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Renato Guedes and Jose Wilson
Magalhaes.
Soul searching. That’s what James Robinson’s heroes always do extremely
well. And now that Mon-El has discovered that he may be dying, again,
Robinson and Guedes take him on a whirlwind tour of the world to see as
much of it as he can.
ACTION COMICS ANNUAL
#12
Written by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by Pere Perez.
Annual Alert! (if
you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS!)
Ever since the identity of Nightwing and Flamebird were revealed, many
questions have been asked about just how these two characters took on
those identities. Well, this Annual contains the answers you’ve been
looking for.
SUPERMAN / BATMAN #61
Written
by Michael Green & Mike Johnson. Illustrated by Francis Manapul.
The
final instalment of this two-parter, illustrated by Francis Manapul,
should be beautiful to look at and a lot of fun to read.
SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW
KRYPTON #4
Written by James Robinson and Greg Rucka. Illustrated by Pete Woods.
You just knew that the Guardians wouldn’t leave New Krypton alone,
right? Meddling is what they do best, and so they send in Hal Jordan and
Jon Stewart from Earth, and a third GL by the name of Sodom Yat. Just to
be clear, he’s a daxamite with GL power. Headed to a planet pretty much
“ruled” by Zod. Fight?
SUPERGIRL #42
Written by Sterling Gates. Illustrated by Jamal Igle and Jon Sibal.
Well, in the previous issues, Supergirl has finally figured out just who
is Superwoman. In this issue, she deals with the ramifications of that
discovery. This book has been very good since Gates & Igle took over
last year, so give it a try.
SECRET
SIX #10
start
reading here!
Written
by Gail Simone. Illustrated by Nicola Scott & Doug Hazlewood.
The
start of a new arc, and the perfect place for you to jump on board and
discover how good and fun this book is!
TEEN TITANS #72
Written by Bryan Miller and Sean McKeever. Illustrated by Joe Bennet
and Jack Jadson.
It’s the Teen Titans versus the Fearsome Five! Does Wonder Girl have
what it takes to lead this team? Also, the new ongoing co-feature on
this book gives us a McKeever written Ravager story! Cool, eh?
WARLORD
#3
Written
by Mike Grell. Illustrated by Chad Hardin & Walden Wong. Cover by Mike
Grell.
Yes,
we’re going to keep telling you about this one every single month,
because it’s worth your attention!
Grell’s resuscitation
of The Warlord continues as Travis Morgan and friends find their way to
the mysterious Shadow Lands. You know, you’d think that people would
learn to stop going to places that sound all dark and gloomy. Was
Sunlight Land too far away?
WONDER WOMAN #33
Written by Gail Simone. Illustrated by Aaron Lopresti.
Simone has been highly impressive so far on the title she was born to
write, so don’t miss out as “The Rise of the Olympian” concludes and
Wonder Woman turns the page on this dark chapter of her life.
ABSOLUTE JUSTICE HC
Written
by Alex Ross & Jim Krueger. Illustrated by Alex Ross & Doug Braithwaite.
They may be pricey, but DC’s Absolute editions have always been
absolutely worth the price. It’s the Justice League versus the Legion of
Doom! If you
like Alex Ross, you’ll LOVE this book!
However, if you’re not a diehard JLA fan or the
biggest
Ross fan, then you’ll likely find much better ways to spend your money
than this Silver Age love letter in an oversized collection.
EL DIABLO: THE HAUNTED
HORSEMAN TP
Written by Jai Nitz. Illustrated by Phil Hester & Andre Parks.
This was a nice treat. Bringing the El Diablo character into the modern
age, Jai Nitz has crafted a very intriguing story full of shocks,
surprises and characters that will you keep you enthralled from start to
finish. A great series for western and superhero fans alike.
FINAL
CRISIS: REVELATIONS HC
Written
by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by Philip Tan & Jonathan Glapion.
This
was off to the side of the “main event” and deserves your attention.
Rucka writing Batwoman, The Question, and The Spectre, is worth the
price alone, and Philip Tan’s illustration is some delicious icing on
the metaphorical cake.
VERTIGO
AIR #10
start
reading here!
Written
by G. Willow Wilson. Illustrated by M.K. Perker.
For
those of you who have yet to take our advice and pick up the first
collection, this is the perfect place to jump on this fantastic new
series. And do yourself a favour and grab the Volume 1 trade paperback,
while you’re at it, as it’s affordably priced and an engaging read.
FABLES
#85 - “The Great Fables Crossover” part 7
Written
by Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Tony Akins & Andrew
Pepoy.
JACK OF
FABLES #35 - “The Great Fables Crossover” part 8
Written
by Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Russ Braun & Jose
Marzan Jr..
THE
LITERALS #3 (of 3) - “The Great Fables Crossover” part 9
Written
by Bill Willingham & Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Mark Buckingham &
Andrew Pepoy.
The
“Great Fables Crossover” concludes this month in all three FABLES
titles, and things will never be the same! Who knows, for once, it might
be more than just hyperbole.
MADAME XANADU #12
Written by Matt Wagner. Illustrated by Michael Wm. Kaluta.
John Constantine is not the only occult detective in the Vertigo
pantheon. Illustrated by the legendary Kaluta, this is the second issue
of a supernatural mystery that sees Madame Xanadu hot on the trails of a
savage killer in 1940’s NY.
100
BULLETS VOL. 13 TP: WILT
Written
by Brian Azzarello. Illustrated by Eduardo Risso.
The
final bullet has been fired (so to speak), and you can finally cap off
your collection of one of the best series of the past decade. And for
those of you who haven’t been reading this book, now is the perfect time
to start, as you won’t have the long painful wait between volumes and
can finally enjoy some damn good reading.
DARK ENTRIES HC
Written by Ian Rankin. Illustrated by Werther Dell'Edera.
Award winning mystery novelist Ian Rankin makes his comic book debut
dragging occult detective John Constantine along for the ride. In this
locked room mystery, Rankin throws Constantine into the middle of a
reality show called “Dark Entries” which forces its contestants to live
in a haunted house. But when they start disappearing, John Constantine
is called in to investigate. Now, locked away with a band of star
struck, celeb-wannabes JC has to face off against a villain from his
past if he want to get out alive. It's a classic Agatha Christie style
mystery. Only with demons. And John Constantine.
FILTHY RICH HC
Written by Brian Azzarello. Illustrated by Victor Santos.
Azzarello is one of the current kings of crime fiction, as proven by his
recent JOKER
hardcover and the critically acclaimed 100 BULLETS. So when the brass
over at Vertigo decided to release a series of original crime HC’s,
choosing Azzarello to help launch the line must have been a no-brainer.
Filthy Rich tells the tale of an ex jock named Junk laid low by injury
and a gambling problem, now selling
used cars and lusting
after his boss's daughter. So when he gets hired as the daughter's
bodyguard while she tears up the New York club scene, he jumps at the
chance; who wouldn't? But it turns out that she wants more than just a
bodyguard, she wants someone to do all her dirty work. And if Junk does
her dirty work, he might just get what he wants and then some.
MADAME
XANADU VOL. 1 TP: DISENCHANTED
Written
by Matt Wagner. Illustrated by Amy Reeder Hadley & Richard Friend.
If
you’re a fan of SANDMAN, THE BOOKS OF MAGIC, or Vertigo comics in
general, then you’re doing yourself a disservice if you’re not reading
this book. This centuries spanning book has been a consistently
enjoyable read, and a fascinating examination of this little used
mystical character. As always, Wagner’s writing is top notch, and
newcomer Reeder Hadley’s art work has a wonderful style to it.
Like most Vertigo first volumes, this volume is quite
affordable, and you get a James Robinson introduction to boot.
NORTHLANDERS VOL. 2 TP:
THE CROSS + HAMMER
Written by Brian Wood. Illustrated by Ryan Kelly.
Brian Wood tells good stories. With this title he is crafting fantastic
tales of Vikings and breathing new life into old tales. This series has
been enjoyable since its inception and the second volume collects issues
#11 - #16 and weaves a classic tale of Vikings at the tail end of their
rule in Ireland. Also, there is no real reading chronology to the
series, making it even easier to pick up and try. So pick it up; you
won’t regret it.
WILDSTORM
FREDDY
VS. JASON VS. ASH: THE NIGHTMARE WARRIORS #1 (of 6)
Written
by Jeff Katz & James Kuhoric. Illustrated by Jason Craig.
Remember how fun these three were together the first time around? Well,
this series promises to be just as fun, with the same creative team
returning to deliver more mayhem and dark humour as only Ash can
deliver.
ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK ONE TP
Written by Kurt Busiek. Illustrated by Brent Anderson.
Kurt Busiek has written a number of fine comics, but Astro City sure
stands as one of the best of them. In this volume, witness the history
of Astro City as it unfolds through the eyes of two brothers in the
1970’s.
CHUCK TP
Written by Peter Johnson & Zev Borrow. Illustrated by Jeremy Haun &
Phil Noto.
Chuck is one of the better shows on television right now, and it sure
makes for damn good comic book reading too. Heck, it’s written by one of
the series writers, so why not give this book a try if you’re a fan of
that awesome show?
WILDCATS: WORLD'S END
BOOK ONE TP
Written by Christos Gage. Illustrated by Neil Googe.
The WildStorm Earth
has been destroyed, torn apart by a massive superhuman battle. The
Wildcats a team of Kherubim aliens & alien hybrids scavenge the ruins of
Los Angeles, saving the few human survivors from superpowered cannibals
and trying to stop their rival species, the parasitic Daemonites from
taking over. Meanwhile, their former ally Majestic has turned the Island
of Hawaii into a fascist paradise attempting to combine the best of the
lost Kherubim and human societies. It's a brutal new world where none of
the old superhero rules apply. Like Cormac McCarthy's novel “The Road”,
only with spandex and hot chicks with swords. |
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