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Elfbytes December '09

(Note: this is not your average cut and paste, we actually write this stuff.)

This is for product starting to ship in February 2010.

This months Elfbyte credit goes to:

Brock

Ethan

Craig

James

Omar

Sean

Thomas

For your convenience, click links below to jump to a certain Publisher.

Independent Comics | Dark Horse Comics | DC Comics
Image Comics | Marvel Comics | Toys & Stuff

Remember to get your orders in ASAP! Initial orders due December 23rd!

INDEPENDENT COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

ANTARCTIC PRESS

TIME LINCOLN #1 (one-shot) *try something new!*

Written & illustrated by Fred Perry. Cover by Brian Denham.

I know almost nothing about Antarctic Press other than the fact that their books don’t appeal to me. However, this upcoming one-shot looks like it has an interesting (if somewhat cheesy) premise: Abraham Lincoln is removed from the time stream on the night of his assassination to help fight evil across the ages. More than likely it’s simply another excuse to have Obama appear in a comic book, but who knows; maybe it’ll be worth reading.

ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS

ARCHIE #606

Written by Michael Uslan. Illustrated by Stan Goldberg.

Well, that’s that. This issue wraps up the whole brouhaha that was the “Archie Wedding” story that had everyone up in arms. It was an interesting experiment in hypothetic probabilities, but (aside from the massive sales boost) was it successful? You be the judge.

ASPEN MLT INC.

FATHOM: BLUE DESCENT #0 *try something new!*

Written by David Schwartz. Illustrated by Scott Clark. Covers by Scott Clark and Joe Benitez.

This new Fathom series promises to reveal the true origin of the title’s main character, Aspen Matthews. Even if you’ve never read any of the previous Fathom series, you know her as the “hot chick from some under water kingdom”. And why does Fathom succeed where Aquaman continues to fail? Is it because there's no underwater crime for Aquaman to fight? Or is it because he doesn't have a nice set of breasts and a habit of leaning over things?

AVATAR PRESS

CAPTAIN SWING AND THE ELECTRICAL PRIATES OF CINDERY ISLAND #1

Written by Warren Ellis. Illustrated by Raulo Cacares. Covers by Raulo Cacares.

Another Ellis series full of sarcasm, cigarettes, British cuss words, and technology fetishes. Only this time with pirates. AAAARRRRrrrrr!!!

IGNITION CITY VOL. 1 HC / TP

Written by Warren Ellis. Illustrated by Gianluca Pagliarani.

Another collection full of sarcasm, cigarettes, British cuss words, and technology fetishes. Only this time with ray guns. Ellis loves his retro-punk sci-fi pulp, and this series was the perfect showcase for his talents. Offered with the choice of softcover or hardcover.

DOUGLAS & MACINTYRE

RED: A HAIDA MANGA

Written and illustrated by Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas.

A unique comic interpretation of a classic Haida narrative, Red tells the story of a leader so blinded by revenge that he leads his village to the brink of destruction.

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

THE LEGENDARY TALESPINNERS #1 *try something new!*

Written by James Kuhoric. Illustrated by Grant Bond. Covers by Nick Bradshaw and Grant Bond.

Something is killing every storyteller in the land, and only a seemingly normal girl named Abby can get to the bottom of it, as she's transported to a fantasy realm full of henchmen and fairy tale creatures, and the wickedest witch of them all. Seems like a Fables-lite.

ARMY OF DARKNESS OMNIBUS VOL. 1 TP

Written by Andy Hartnell, James Kuhoric, Robert Kirkman, and others. Illustrated by Nick Bradshaw, Sanford Greene, Kevin Sharpe, and more. Cover by John Bolton.

A collection of collections, this book collects ASHES TO ASHES, SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP DEAD, ASH vs. RE-ANIMATOR, OLD SCHOOL, as well as a bunch of short stories.

BUCK ROGERS VOL. 1 FUTURE SHOCK HC

Written by Scott Beatty. Illustrated by Carlos Rafael. Cover by John Cassaday.

You can’t keep a good pulp fiction icon down, as Dynamite’s epic series has proven. Catch up on all the goings on with this fantastic hardcover.

*try something new!*

RED SONJA: WRATH OF THE GOD #1 (of 5)

Written by Luke Lieberman & Ethan Ryker. Illustrated by Walter Geovani.

ZORRO: MATANZAS #1 (of 4)

Written by Don McGregor. Illustrated by Mike Mayhew.

GROUNDWOOD BOOKS

SKIM GN

Written by Mariko Tamaki. Illustrated by Jillian Tamaki.

Another fantastic indie comic from Canadian creators! Skim follows a would-be Wiccan Goth, as she deals with a classmate's suicide, sexual identity, and a weird date for the school's semi-formal.

THE HERO INITIATIVE

THE HULK 100 PROJECT TP

Another charity book featuring sketch variant covers for the crap-tastic Hulk #1 by such artists as J. Scott Campbell, John Cassaday, Frank Cho, Terry Dodson, Dale Keown, Joe Quesada, and John Romita Jr., just to name a few. It's gotta be more satisfying to look at than the regular Hulk comic.

THE INVINCIBLE GENE COLAN TP

A collection of Gene Colan's Marvel art throughout history, with commentary and analysis by Stan Lee, Walt Simonson, Neil Gaiman, and more.

IDW PUBLISHING

GHOSTBUSTERS HOLIDAY SPECIAL: TAINTED LOVE #1 (one-shot)

Written by Dara Naraghi. Illustrated by Salgood Sam.

The Ghostbusters are distracted by love, especially Winston Zeddmore, who is trying to bust a ghost for a woman he's got the hots for.

ALICE’S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND

Written by Lewis Carrol. Illustrated by Jenny Frison. Cover by Jill Thompson.

With all these Alice books, one almost would think there is a movie coming out or something. Regardless of any impending movie influenced popularity, this 240 page hardcover combines the prose from both ALICE IN WONDERLAND and THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS, and features full colour illustrations by Jenny Frison.

GI JOE VOL. 2 TP

Written by Chuck Dixon. Illustrated by S.L. Gallant.

Chuck Dixon and IDW have masterminded a surprisingly good GI JOE comic that should erase any bad taste lingering in fans’ mouths from the recent film. This second volume raises the stakes as GI JOE finally comes face to face with Cobra while Scarlett and Snake Eyes are both out of the picture.

SAM KIETH: THE SKETCHBOOKS VOL. 1

By Sam Kieth.

48 pages of behind the scenes goodness from the artist of LOBO, THE MAXX, and the co-creator of Neil Gaiman's SANDMAN.

*try something new!*

G.I. JOE: OPERATION HISS #1

Written by Brian Reed. Illustrated by Agustin Padilla & Alex Cal.

LONE JUSTICE: CRASH #1

Written by Robert Tinnell & Mark Wheatley. Illustrated Mark Wheatley.

MERCY THOMPSON: MOON CALLED #1

Written by Patricia Briggs & Derek Ruiz. Illustrated by Clint Hilinski.

SONG OF SAYA #1

Written by Daniel Liatowitsch & Todd Ocvirk. Illustrated by Yair Herrera.

STAR TREK MOVIE ADAPTATION #1

Written by Robert Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Tim Jones, and Mike Johnson. Illustrated by David Messina.

WE WILL BURY YOU #1

Written by Brea & Zane Grant. Illustrated by Kyle Trahm. Cover by Ben Templesmith.

ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS AVENTURE #1

Written by Chris Ryall. Illustrated by Menton Matthews III, Paul McCaffery, and Gabriel Hernandez. Cover by Ashley Wood.

RADICAL PUBLISHING

SHRAPNEL ARISTEIA RISING TP

Written by Mark Long, Nick Sagan, and M. Zachary Sherman. Illustrated by Bagus Hutomo & Leos “Okita” Ng.

My god, Radical does sci-fi well. Here is their military sci-fi epic collected in a gorgeous trade that should not be missed by fans of things like BATTLETECH, WARHAMMER 40K, and the like. This story is also being adapted for a film in 2010.

RED 5 COMICS

ATOMIC ROBO AND THE REVENGE OF THE VAMPIRE DIMENSION #1 (of 4) *try something new!*

Written by Brian Clevinger. Illustrated by Scott Wegener.

I love Atomic Robo. I don’t think I’ve enjoyed a new character this much since Hellboy first came on the scene. There is something for everyone in this series, from action, to humour, to alternate dimensions, to time paradoxes, to quirky science, and almost everything in between. This new series is the perfect chance for you to discover a new favourite, plus there are also three previous series collected in trade paperback for you to enjoy as well.

TITAN PUBLISHING

KICK-ASS: FROM STRIP TO SCREEN SC

Written by Mark Millar, Matthew Vaughn, and Jane Goldman. Illustrated by John Romita Jr.

The official companion to the movie, written by the man who created the comic, as he takes you through the journey from the comic's creation to the production of the movie. Got it?

VERTICAL INC

TEZUKA’S MW SC

Written & Illustrated by OSAMU TEZUKA.

For anyone who has never read anything by Tezuka, who is most notably famous for creating Astro Boy, then I grant you the chance to peer into a larger world as this is a great place to start with a one off story by the master. This is the story of two people who survived and experimental psychotic drug called MW, and how one must stop the other. Tezuka has never pulled a punch and I can guarantee that once you crack this book open, you will not set it down until the last page has been turned and wonder why you have never read any Tezuka before.

ZENESCOPE

THE WAKING #1*try something new!*

Written by Raven Gregory. Illustrated by Vic Drujiniu. Covers by David Finch and Eric Basaluda.

In New York City, murder victims are coming back from the dead to avenge their own deaths. Four NYC cops have to figure out why, and stop them. Who would have thought a company founded on sexy fairy tales would ever amount to something.

DARK HORSE COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #32

Written by Brad Meltzer. Illustrated by Georges Jeanty & Andy Owens. Cover by Jo Chen.

Buffy is racing towards the conclusion of Season Eight (scheduled for issue #40), and this new arc features the writing of Brad Meltzer, who reveals the identity of the “big bad” Twilight in the new storyline (and rest assured, it has nothing to do with the sparkly phenomenon in theatres right now). This one is sure to be big for all you Buffy fans, so make sure you don’t miss it!

DEVIL #1 (of 4) *try something new!*

Written and illustrated by Torajiro Kishi. A unique experiment as Japanese manga artist Kishi, alongside anime studio Madhouse attempt to create a Western-style comic book. The result is DEVIL, where a virus rages across the planet, turning people into superhuman vampires called “Devils”. But when a new race of Devils arrive and try to destroy everything, can the Tokyo police force stop them? Still sounds pretty Japanese to me. American comics would've added tits in there somewhere.

STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC #50

Written by John Jackson Miller. Illustrated by Brian Ching. Cover by Benjamin Carre.

50th issues are always milestones and this one is no exception. The fourth and final part of the “Demon” arc is also the end of the Knights of the Old Republic series that was entertaining and fun, and will be well missed.

STAR WARS OMNIBUS: BOBA FETT

Written by Thomas Andrews, Mike Kennedy, Ron Marz, and John Ostrander. Illustrated by Ian Gibson, Cam Kennedy, Francisco Ruiz Velasco, and others.

Who doesn’t love the Fett? Everyone loves the Fett and now you can get ALL of the Boba Fett tales collected in one place for the first time. This is a great collection mostly because a lot of these stories have been out of print for a long time and his stories are phenomenal. They really fleshed out what was simply a badass character design in the films, and justified putting the word badass in conjunction with Boba Fett. Even George Lucas didn’t know just how popular Fett would turn out to be when he introduced him in EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. But the wily (and, it turns out, CLONED) progeny of Jango Fett did indeed become popular enough to star in a multitude of comics, and Dark Horse is kind enough to bring us one massive book with over 400 pages of those said comic adventures. 400 pages! I know someone out there just got wood.

WITCHFINDER: IN THE SERVICE OF ANGELS TP

Written by MIKE MIGNOLA. Illustrated by BEN STENBECK.

What Mike Mignola does best is create great characters that really flesh out the unique world he has created, and then spotlight them in mini series that have proven time and again to be engrossing reads and Witchfinder is no exception. This is a story about Sir Edward Grey, nineteenth century occult investigator, and details on of his first adventures as an agent of the queen. Essential reading for the Hellboy/BPRD fan

DC COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

ADVENTURE COMICS STARRING BLACK LANTERN SUPERBOY #7

Written by Tony Bedard. Illustrated by Travis Moore. Cover by Francis Manapul.

Not only is the cover for this issue being kept “Top Secret”, but DC won’t even reveal any details in the solicitation text either! Although the title itself certainly tells us something!

BATMAN AND ROBIN #8 & #9

Written by Grant Morrison. Illustrated by Cameron Stewart. Covers by Frank Quitely. Variant covers by Cameron Stewart.

Two issues of Morrisonian madness and fun ship this month, with Batwoman, Knight, and Squire guest-starring in the second and third parts of the epic “Blackest Knight” arc.

BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #9

Written by Paul Dini / co-feature written by Marc Andreyko. Illustrated by Dustin Nguyen & Derek Fridolfs / co-feature illustrated by Jeremy Haun. Cover by Dustin Nguyen.

Batman and Robin face off against the army of Zsas in order to save a bunch of kids. No pressure or anything boys.

BLACKEST NIGHT #7

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert. Cover by Ivan Reis & Oclair Albert. Variant cover by Rodolfo Migliari. Sketch variant by Ivan Reis.

Hal Jordan discovers the true mission behind Nekron’s return, and it must be something pretty big because the cover is being kept “Top Secret” for fear of spoiling the upcoming surprise.

BLACKEST NIGHT: THE FLASH #2 (of 3)

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Scott Kolins. Cover by Scott Kolins. Variant cover by Francis Manapul.

The end is here, but will all of the questions be answered? What happens to the Rogues? And what will The Flash find concerning the resurrection of Professor Zoom?

BLACKEST NIGHT: JSA #2 (of 3)

Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Eddy Barrows & Nei Ruffino. Cover by Eddy Barrows & Nei Ruffino. Variant cover by Gene Ha.

Will the new generation of heroes be able to overcome their loved ones, mentors, role models, and villains? They’d better, or else they’re in big trouble!

BLACKEST NIGHT: WONDER WOMAN #1 (of 3)

Written by Greg Rucka. Illustrated by Nicola Scott. Cover by Greg Horn. Variant cover by Ryan Sook.

What will this issue mean to the future of Wonder Woman, and just how will Blackest Night change her? It’s hard to tell, because this issue’s cover is also remaining “Top Secret”.

BLACK LANTERN GREEN ARROW #30

Written by J.T. Krul. Illustrated by Will Conrad. Cover by Greg Horn. Variant cover by Mike Grell.

What does the title change for this issue mean to the fate of Green Arrow, and what does this mean to the current ongoing series of Green Arrow and Black Canary? Perhaps issue #29, also being released earlier in the same month, might tell us.

BOOSTER GOLD #29

Written by Dan Jurgens / co-feature written by Matt Sturges. Illustrated by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund / co-feature illustrated by Mike Norton & Norm Rapmund. Cover by Dan Jurgens.

Hopefully you’ve picked up this title with all the recent BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in excitement and discovered how good this book is and have decided to stick around. But even if you’re not into the cross-over thing, this is a book worth picking up. It has the perfect amount of fun and excitement, and the Blue Beetle co-feature is an always enjoyable bonus as well.

THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #32

Written by J. Michael Straczynski. Illustrated by Jesus Saiz. Cover by Jesus Saiz.

Month in and month out, JMS and Saiz prove that the done-in-one superhero comic is not dead in their Brave and the Bold tales, featuring some of the most unique pairings you can think of. This month: Aquaman and Etrigan, the Demon!

GREEN LANTERN #51

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy. Cover by Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy. Variant cover by Greg Horn.

Hal Jordan must pull out all the stops in his battle against the Black Lantern Spectre, but can he handle the consequences? This issue’s cover is also being kept “Top Secret.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #45

Written by Peter J. Tomasi. Illustrated by Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman. Cover by Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman. Variant cover by Greg Horn.

The Corps fights a bloody battle to save the Green Lantern Battery on Oa, but unfortunately their fight doesn’t end there. Featuring yet another “Top Secret” cover.

HUMAN TARGET #1 (of 6) *try something new!*

Written by Len Wein & Peter Johnson. Illustrated by Bruno Redondo, Sergio Sandoval, Chris Sprouse, and Karl Story. Cover by Lee Bermejo. Photo variant cover.

This new limited series is a tie-in with the new Fox TV series that is replacing my beloved DOLLHOUSE. Damn you Fox! By the way, this is no relation to the Peter Milligan Vertigo series.

JSA ANNUAL #1

Written by Keith Giffen & Matthew Sturges. Illustrated by Tom Derenick. Cover by Freddie Williams II.

Annual Alert! If you're already subscribing to the series, YOU STILL NEED TO ORDER THIS TO RECEIVE YOUR DISCOUNT!

Magog uncovers one of the DCU’s biggest cover ups, but accidentally springs all of the prisoners from Haven in the process. Will his team believe him, or is his stint with the JSA over?

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA # 42

Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter. Cover by Mark Bagley & Rob Hunter. Variant cover by Adriana Melo & Mariah Benes.

Picking up right after CRY FOR JUSTICE, this issue marks not only a major turning point for DC’s biggest heroes , but my return to the title as Robinson has proven he is probably the best writer to take on the JLA since Morrison re-launched it over a decade ago.

JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #7 (of 7)

Written by James Robinson. Illustrated by Mauro Casioli. Cover by Mauro Casioli.

The limited series that promised to change the League forever wraps up here, and if the most recent issue is anything to go by, for once the hype might actually be more than the usual hollow hyperbole. Sweet Zombie Jesus! If issue #5 wasn’t the best thing I’ve read all year, and DC promises that was only the warm up. Pick up this issue, track down the first 6, and remember to thank us.

MILESTONE FOREVER #1 (of 2) *try something new!*

Written by Dwayne McDuffie. Illustrated by John Paul Leon, M.D. Bright, Romeo Tanghal and others. Cover by Admira Wijaya.

Now that the Milestone Universe has been incorporated into the DC Universe, this two part series wraps up the original incomplete stories and tells the tale of how one universe ended and became part of something new.

POWER GIRL #9

Written by Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray. Illustrated by Amanda Conner. Cover by Amanda Conner.

Yes, the title character has the biggest boobs in comics (which, when you think about it, is really saying something), but this book features great characterization, excellent super hero action, and a lot of smart fun. Palmiotti & Gray deliver month after month, and Amanda Conner’s art is so consistently exceptional she deserves some kind of award for the work she’s doing.

SUPERGIRL #50

Written by Sterling Gates, Helen Slater, and Jake Black. Illustrated by Jamal Igle, Jon Sibal, and Fernando Dagino. Cover by Michael Turner. Variant cover by Josh Middleton.

The maid of might (or is that girl of steel?) celebrates her 50^th issue in over-sized style, with two tales. The main story continues the drama of the previous issue, and features a slugfest with a mysterious new villain, while the second feature is co-written by actress Helen Slater, most famous for her role as Supergirl in the early 80’s movie. Plus, there’s a cover by Michael Turner, who evidently still isn’t required to draw feet now that he’d dead.

TITANS #22

Written by J.T. Krul. Illustrated by Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher. Cover by Angel Unzueta.

This issue wraps up the current storyline and says goodbye to the Titans as we know them, as about half of the team join the Justice League, and next issue sees a new creative team launching a team lead by the Titans’ arch enemy Deathstroke.

WONDER WOMAN #41 (a.k.a. #596)

Written by Gail Simone. Illustrated by Aaron Lopresti. Cover by Aaron Lopresti.

Gail Simone has breathed new life into the tales of the Amazon Princess since she took over the floundering book more than two years ago, and Aaron Lopresti is the perfect artist for Wonder Woman. Although the title continues to fly under the radar of most readers, hopefully the recent announcement that DC will be renumbering the book this summer (a la Marvel) to reflect the character’s history and prominence will gain some well deserved attention for this consistently excellent title. So give this a shot sometime in the lead up to the 600th issue.

BATMAN AND ROBIN DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 HC: BATMAN REBORN

Written by Grant Morrison. Illustrated by Frank Quitely, Philip Tan and Jonathan Glapion.

Weird, strange, bizarre, and overwhelmingly spectacular, Morrison’s take on the revamped dynamic duo stands head and shoulders over almost anything else in mainstream superhero comics. Quite deservingly, DC collects the first six issues in a beautiful deluxe hardcover that can’t be missed.

THE FLASH: REBIRTH HC

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Ethan Van Scriver.

The team of Johns and EVS do for Barry Allen and the Flash family what they did for Hal Jordan and the GL Corps, and they do it well, reintroducing a silver age icon to a modern age audience and revitalizing a franchise. No one who likes superhero comics should miss this hardcover.

STRANGE ADVENTURES TP

Written by Jim Starlin. Illustrated by Manuel Garcia, Jim Starlin, Rafael Albuquerque, Scott McDaniel, and others.

Space opera master Starlin continues his excellent romp through the DC cosmos in this trade which collects the 8 issue series that features Adam Strange, Bizarro, and Comet. The one time scribe behind the INFINITY GAUNTLET and SILVER SURFER has not lost his touch.

SUPERMAN: BRAINIAC TP

Written by Geoff Johns. Illustrated by Gary Frank & Jon Sibal.

Trade waiters and newbies rejoice! The best Superman story this side of ALL-STAR SUPERMAN is finally in an affordable trade paperback. In it, Superman discovers that all he knew about Brainiac was a lie, and the seeds that would grow into New Krypton are planted.

WARLORD: THE SAGA TP

Written by Mike Grell. Illustrated by Joe Prado, Chad Hardin, and Walden Wong. Cover by Mike Grell.

Decades ago, Mike Grell’s Warlord was one of the top titles in the DC library, filled with fantastic adventures to rival the likes of CONAN, RED SONJA, and DEATHSTALKER. After multiple failed re-launches under different stewards, Mike Grell has finally returned to the helm and has powerfully re-launched the story of Travis Morgan and the savage world of Skartaris. This book is the first collection from that new series and is a true gem.

WEDNESDAY COMICS HC

Written & illustrated by an incredible list of creative talent.

The far and away best thing to come out in 2009 is collected into a kick-ass deluxe over-sized hard cover. If for some reason you ignored our passionate recommendations of the individual issues last summer, now is the perfect time to discover just how good this series was!

DC - VERTIGO

DEMO VOLUME 2 #1 *try something new!*

Written by Brian Wood. Illustrated by Becky Cloonan.

The first volume of this series was truly fan-freakin’-tastic, and this new volume is cause for a huge amount of excitement! Another round of 'done-in-one' indie comics masterpieces. The series opens with a woman suffering from a premonition of someone falling from a great height. She knows it's going to come true, but doesn't know how, or if, to stop it. You can also order the first DEMO trade paperback, but you don't need to in order to enjoy this. Also, nothing to do with this series, but Brian Wood is writing DV8 for WildStorm next year! Awesome!

The first volume of Demo is what put comics back on the map for me, and my excitement when I first heard about a new volume of it had been brewing until I opened this months previews and almost literally creamed my pants. It’s here! Each issue will be a done in one story peering into the life of a person who has something special about them, think a more realistic and emotionally charged X-men. The first issue is called “ The Waking Life of Angels” and is about a seriously sleep deprived woman haunted by the recurring image of a person plummeting form a great height, who abandons her life in order to find this person before the terrible accident occurs.

DMZ #50

Written by Brian Wood. Illustrated by Riccardo Burchielli, Ryan Kelly, Rebekah Isaacs, Fabio Moon, and JP Leon. Cover by Riccardo Burchielli & Brian Wood.

Brian Wood’s tales of journalist Matty Roth’s adventures in the DMZ reach a milestone 50th issue, with numerous guest artists contributing to this over-sized issue.

AREA 10 HC

Written by Christos Gage. Illustrated by Chris Samnee. Cover by Lee Bermejo.

A serial killer known as Henry the VIII is leaving a trail of bodies across NYC and keeping their heads for some unknown purpose (it's probably masturbatory!) and the only detective able to catch Henry is suffering from massive brain damage.

GREEK STREET VOL. 1 TP: BLOOD CALLS FOR BLOOD

Written by Peter Milligan. Illustrated by Davide Gianfelice. Cover by Kako.

Everyone knows that Vertigo does “mythic” well, so it should come as no surprise that Peter Milligan’s freaky new series reinterpreting the ancient Greek myths in modern London England is an excellent read. And Vertigo continues its great trend of keeping introductory trade paperbacks at a reasonable price to entice new readers, so now there’s an even better reason to pick this up.

NORTHLANDERS VOL. 3: BLOOD IN THE SNOW TP

Written by Brian Wood. Illustrated by Various

The most recent volume of Brian Wood’s excellent Viking series collects issues #9, #10, #17-#20, and features a few shorter stories that flesh out the world he is creating in this series.

OTHER LIVES HC

Written & illustrated by Peter Bagge.

I love Peter Bagge's HATE. Everyone else may love Daniel Clowes or whatever, but Bagge will always be my indie comics king. Here's the story of 3 super nerds - a journalist, a conspiracy theorist, and a gamer - and their secret lives.

UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL.2: EASY KILL TP

Written by JOSHUA DYSART. Illustrated by ALBERTO PONTICELLI & PAT MASIONI.

For those who have been reading this book, and know what EVERYONE ELSE IS MISSING OUT ON, then the deconstruction of the hero continues is Dysart’s unflinching and haunting book about the problems in Africa. In this volume a militant group offers the Unknown Soldier an offer: To focus the world’s attention on Africa’s problems by killing an American celebrity on Ugandan soil. And the soldier agrees… WHAT!?!?!?! If that does not tickle you in the slightest then I can’t help you, you are simply missing out

Y: THE LAST MAN DELUXE EDITION BOOK THREE HC

Written by Brian K. Vaughan. Illustrated by Pia Guerra, Goran Sudzuka and Jose Marzan Jr.

What’s the best way to read Y: The Last Man? Yup, in giant oversize deluxe format. Oh and lookie here ... book three is coming out! Yay!

DC - WILDSTORM

ABSOLUTE PLANETARY BOOK TWO HC

Written by Warren Ellis. Illustrated by John Cassaday.

Warren Ellis has written many excellent stories in his career, but Planetary is arguably his magnum opus. If any epic deserved an Absolute Edition, it was this. Thankfully, DC listened to the fans and, on the heels of Ellis actually completing the series, has put out the entire series over two Absolute editions. The first one came out way, way back, and this second one has been long overdue, but will be well worth the wait.

ABSOLUTE PLANETARY BOOK ONE HC NEW PRINTING

Written by Warren Ellis. Illustrated by John Cassaday.

And in case anyone missed the now out of print first Absolute Edition, DC is releasing a new printing of Absolute Planetary Volume One. Get it!

IMAGE COMICS HIGHLIGHTS

ANGELUS #3

Written by Ron Marz. Illustrated by Stjepan Sejic. Cover by Stjepan Sejic.

One of the more interesting things to happen to former T&A book turned crime thriller WITCHBLADE was the addition of a second Witchblade bearer, Danielle Baptiste. Even more interesting, Ron Marz has now turned her into the bearer of the Angelus, yet another of Top Cow’s mystic forces. Only three issues into the series, it’s not too late to get on board yet.

CHOKER #1 (of 6) *try something new!*

Written by Ben McCool. Illustrated by Ben Templesmith. Cover by Ben Templesmith.

A disgraced cop turned hard boiled detective gets another chance on the force to capture a sadistic killer loose in Shotgun City. This looks like a dark and gritty detective series, made even darker and grittier by the atmospheric artwork of Templesmith. I wish my last name was McCool. And who would live in a city called Shotgun City? Aside from Republicans?

Anything Templesmith illustrates I will read. It is that simple, and the answer to that is also simple, because anything he is usually attached to is pretty freaking messed up and makes my dark side smile with glee. Ever since Fell has been on eternal hiatus I’ve been waiting for another crime tale from the man and apparently Image has been listening. A tale about Johnny “Choker” Jackson, once a promising police man with a bad case of Alien hand syndrome, offered a second chance at the job provided he can nail a twisted drug dealer. I like it already.

COWBOY NINJA VIKING #5

Written by A.J. Lieberman. Illustrated by Riley Rossmo. Cover by Riley Rossmo.

If CHEW hadn’t been released this year, this would likely get my vote for best new series. This issue wraps up the chaos and carnage of the first story arc, but there is good news because this book is now going to be an ongoing series instead of a limited series. Sweet!

INVINCIBLE RETURNS #1

Written by Robert Kirkman. Illustrated by Ryan Ottley, Cory Walker, and FCO Plascencia. Covers by Darwyn Cooke, David Finch, Erik Larsen, and Ryan Ottley.

No, he didn’t really go anywhere, but he is wearing his original costume again beginning with this special stand-alone, friendly to new readers one-shot to mark the occasion. Hell, any excuse is good enough if you get Darwyn Cooke to draw one of the covers. And Invincible is a fantastic series that you should be reading anyway, so pick this one up for a dose of super hero comics done right.

KING CITY #7

Written & illustrated by Brandon Graham.

This book has been a really enjoyable read thus far, and as of this issue presents all new, never before published material, so it will likely get even better. Fun indie cartooning at its best.

PILOT SEASON: STELLAR #1 *try something new!*

Written by Robert Kirkman. Illustrated by Bernard Chang. Cover by Marc Silvestri.

Those looking for a little cosmic action in their Pilot Season got their wish as this issue focuses on a super powered hottie roaming the stars after having been banished from earth and is determined to use her powers for good despite being forbidden from ever coming home. Kinda like Silver Surfer, I guess, with boobs.

POPGUN VOL. 4 OGN

Written and Illustrated by VARIOUS.

Another volume of Popgun makes anyone who enjoys an artist doing their own thing happy. These volumes have proven time and again to be full of gems and feature many fan favorite artists and others you have never heard of but will blow you away. So much can be found within the pages of Popgun, and the beauty is every volume is so different you can pick one up arbitrarily and enjoy. If you like the idea of the artist unleashed then order yourself a copy.

SPAWN #200

Written by Robert Kirkman & Too McFarlane. Illustrated by Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, Danny Miki, and special guests. Covers by Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, David Finch, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Marc Silvestri, and Ashley Wood.

Sure he may have started out as an undead Spider-man clone with chains instead of webs, but Spawn has grown in both stature and in maturity over the years and turned into a truly awesome horror title. But whether you’re a fan of Spawn or not, and regardless of what you think of Todd McFarlane, it’s pretty impressive that an indie title has reached such a huge milestone. You can't help but respect a comic hitting #200, especially in this day an age of short-lived, yet critically acclaimed series. In an alternate universe, my beloved Wildcats also reached #200.

CYBERFORCE / HUNTER-KILLER VOL. 1 TP

Written by Mark Waid. Illustrated by Kenneth Rocafort.

The name “Cyberforce” has never been really connected with sophisticated story-telling, rooted as it is in the mid-90’s ultra-violent Image explosion, but under Mark Waid’s hand, this story turned out great. And even if you don’t care for either team in this cross-over, the whole thing is illustrated by superstar/art-god Kenneth Rocafort. Comic gold!

*try something new!*

BROKEN TRINITY: PANDORA'S BOX #1 (of 6)

Written by Rob Levin & Brian Edward Hill. Illustrated by Alessandro Vitti.

CHASE VARIANT ONE SHOT (IS ALL I NEED)

Written by Rich Johnson. Illustrated by Saverio Tenuta.

COLT NOBLE AND THE MEGALORDS #1 (one-shot)

Written by Tim Seeley. Illustrated by Mike Dimayuga.

THE PERHAPANAUTS: MOLLY'S STORY #! (one-shot)

Written by Todd Dezago & Scott Weinstein. Illustrated by Jason Copland

MARVEL COMICS HIGHLIGHTSHTS

DAREDEVIL #505

Written by Andy Diggle. Illustrated by Marco Checchetto. Cover by Paolo Rivera.

The kick-ass cover sells this issue all by itself, but the start of the next arc in this exciting new direction for Daredevil makes it too good to resist.

DEADPOOL #20

Written by Daniel Way. Illustrated by Carlo Barberi. Cover by Jason Pearson.

Three great reason to buy this book. 1) Deadpool. 2) Spiderman 3) Gun toting monkey. If that doesn’t sell, nothing will.

DOOMWAR #1 (of 5) *try something new!*

Written by Jonathan Mayberry. Illustrated by Scott Eaton. Cover by John Romita Jr.. “Marvel Women” Variant cover by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic.

If you’re not all that excited about SIEGE and all of its tie-ins, perhaps this new series will be the perfect fit for you. The evil tyrant Dr Doom has conquered Wakanda, and now, with its rich vibranium reserves at his disposal he’s turning his attentions towards bigger targets. And so the Fantastic Four, both Black Panthers, the X-Men, and the now ubiquitous Deadpool tackle his villainy and attempt to save the world from Dr. Doom. ‘Nuff said.

HITMAN MONKEY #1 *try something new!*

Written by Daniel Way. Illustrated by Dalibor Talijic. Cover by Frank Cho.

You might be asking yourself “why?”, but Marvel is asking “why not?” as they realize they might have just created the perfect character. A near mythical assassin, who just happens to be a monkey. Pure gold.

HULK #20

Written by Jeph Loeb. Illustrated by Ed McGuinness. Cover by Ed McGuinness. Variant covers by Ed McGuinness and the ever popular TBA.

If the “event of the century” (Marvel’s words, not mine) happens and I’ve long ago stopped reading, does it make a sound?

MS. MARVEL #50

Written by Brian Reed. Illustrated by Sana Takeda. Cover by Sana Takeda. Variant cover by Paul Renaud.

An era comes to an end, as Ms. Marvel’s adventures will no longer be chronicled in her own monthly book. This final issue wraps up many of the plot threads from the past four years, and promises to end with a bang with a bloody fight between Carol Danvers and one of her oldest rogues, Mystique.

SIEGE #2 (of 4)

Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Olivier Coipel. Cover by Olivier Coipel. Variant cover by Gabriele Dell’Otto.

The stakes are raised quickly in this epic battle, as lives are saved and lives are lost. Who will pay the ultimate price, and will the Avengers ever be the same?

SIEGE continues in these tie-in issues:

SIEGE: EMBEDDED #2 (of 4)

Written by Brian Reed. Illustrated by Chris Samnee.

AVENGERS: THE INIATIVE #33

Written by Christos Gage. Illustrated by Jorge Molina.

DARK AVENGERS #14

Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Mike Deodato Jr.

DARK WOLVERINE #83

Written by Marjorie Liu & Daniel Way. Illustrated by Giuseppe Camuncoli.

NEW AVENGERS #62

Written by Brian Michael Bendis. Illustrated by Stuart Immonen.

THOR #607

Written by Kieron Gillen. Illustrated by Billy Tan.

THUNDERBOLTS #141

Written by Jeff Parker. Illustrated by Miguel Sepulveda.

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #60

Written by PAUL TOBIN. Illustrated by CHRISTIAN NAUCK.

Here’s something different for you, a marvel adventures title. Now before you start with the whole that stuff’s for kids rant and move on, let me ask you: Have you ever read any of these books, particularly the Spider-man title? No right. Well then you don’t know what you are missing. One part Ultimate Spider-man, one part Spider-Man loves Mary Jane, these all ages stories are simply great Spidey stories and prove that the character no matter in what element thrives, because there is so much to work with. You don’t need the subversive themes or adult situations of your average marvel title to enjoy a straight up good time adventure comic. If you want to try something different, give this book a shot you may just be pleasantly surprised

TALES OF THE DRAGON GUARD #1 (of 3)

Written by Ange. Adapted by Paul Benjamin. Illustrated by Alberto Varanda. Covers by Alberto Varanda.

For anyone who secretly (or not so secretly) reads comics for the T&A: this is your book. Set in a world where only virgin women (who apparently must be both attractive and wearing limited amounts of clothes) can fight the scourge of fire breathing beasts, an order of sexy ladies is founded to fight both Dragons and years of sexism. Which is a funny coincidence because this is sure to be a best seller with virgin men who fight dragons (on-line, while sitting in a poorly lit basement) while fighting the prejudices of jerks like me judging their way of life. And no I’m not slamming anyone in particular, just an observation ... honest.

ULTIMATE X #1 *try something new!*

Written by Jeph Loeb. Illustrated by Art Adams. Cover by Art Adams. Variant covers by Art Adams and everyone’s favourite TBA.

Jeph Loeb teams up with yet another superstar artist to bring you yet another exciting story that will be hyped to the max. But I‘m so very torn about this. On the one hand, it features the wonderful artwork of the too rarely seen Art Adams, but on the other hand it is written by Jeph Loeb. And you have to ask yourself if it will be the writing of the Red Hulk disaster or if it will somehow channel the talent of the man who wrote LONG HALLOWEEN and HUSH.

WOLVERINE: SAVAGE #1 (one-shot)

Written by Ryan Dunlavey. Illustrated by Richard Elson. Cover by Ed McGuinness.

Marvel’s monthly Wolverine cash grab one-shot.

BLACK WIDOW: DEADLY ORIGIN PREMIERE HC

Written by Paul Cornell. Illustrated by Tom Raney and John Paul Leon. Cover by Adi Granov.

Whether you like the idea of Scarlett Johansen in the role or not, one of the more exciting things about the new Iron Man film is the addition of The Black Widow. To prepare the casual fans for her appearance, Marvel came out with a mini-series showcasing Natalia Romanova’s deadly origin. This HC collecting the series is the perfect way to bone up on your Widow lore before watching the flick.

IRON MAN: EXTREMIS HC

Written by Warren Ellis. Illustrated by Adi Granov.

A repackaged hardcover of a book that came out some time ago, this Warren Ellis story is still one of the best Iron Man stories of the modern age. And the Adi Granov art sure is pretty.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN VOL. 1 HC

Written by Matt Fraction. Illustrated by Salvadore Larroca.

The first two arcs (19 issues) of Matt Fraction & Salvadore Larroca’s fantastic new series are collected in one thick volume, and will get you up to speed on all of the recent happenings in shellhead’s life. It’s timed to be on the shelves just in time for the new movie coming in May, but this excellent story delivers on the promise of how good the character could be, and should be read by anyone who has ever thought for even one second that Iron Man was cool.

KICK-ASS HC

Written by Mark Millar. Illustrated by John Romita Jr..

It took this ultra-cool, ultra-violent series almost as long to be completed as it took to make the movie based on it, but now Millar & Romita’s Kick Ass is collected into one hardcover volume just in time for the release of the movie. The perfect way to read this over the top fun story.

ULTIMATE COMICS IRON MAN ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP

Written by Orson Scott Card. Illustrated by Andy Kubert and Pasqual Ferry.

Ellis isn’t the only big name writer coming out with an Iron Man trade this month, as Marvel is also releasing an omnibus collecting both volumes of Orson Scott Card’s Ultimate opus.

*try something new!*

ENDER'S GAME: MAZER IN PRISON

Written by Orson Scott Card & Aaron Johnston. Illustrated by TBA. Cover by Pasqual Ferry.

INDOMITABLE IRON MAN BLACK & WHITE

Written by Paul Cornell, Howard Chaykin, and more. Illustrated by William Rosado, Howard Chaykin, and more.

MARVEL HEARTBREAKERS

Written by Kathryn Immonen, Rick Spears, Karl Bollers, & Jim McCann. Illustrated by Lara West, James Callahan, Harvey Tolibao, & David Lopez.

OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE A-Z UPDATE #1

Written by various. Cover by Kalman Andrasofszky.

REALM OF KINGS: SON OF HULK #1 (of 4)

Written by Scott Reed. Illustrated by Miguel Munera. Cover by Alex Garner. Variant cover by Michael Golden.

TAILS OF THE PET AVENGERS

Written by Chris Eliopoulos, Scott Gray, Colleen Coover, & Joe Caramagna. Illustrated by Ig Guara, Colleen Coover, Gurihiru, & Chris Eliopoulos. Cover by Humberto Ramos.

X-MEN: PIXIE STRIKES BACK #1 (of 4)

Written by Kathryn Immonen. Illustrated by Sara Pichelli. Cover by Stuart Immonen.

TOYS & MISC. HIGHLIGHTS

AME-COMI HEROINE SERIES: SUPERGIRL (V.2) PVC FIGURE

Flirty, girly, and apparently quite vain as she checks herself out in a mirror, Supergirl gets a second Ame-Comi figure this month.

BATMAN: REBORN SERIES 1 ACTION FIGURES

Getting more Batman toys is always a good thing, and Bruce Wayne Batman figures are SO pre-crisis. Update your toy shelf with these figures reflecting the new status quo in Gotham. This series presents four figures from the re-launch of the Bat-books and features Azrael (Michael Lane / new costume), Batman (Jason Todd), Batman (Two-Face), and Batgirl (Stephanie Brown / new costume).

BATTLESTAR GALACTICA: TOASTER T-SHIRT

This shirt is too funny & cool not to mention, featuring the image of a cylon disguised as a toaster. Or maybe it’s a toaster that wants to be a Cylon.

CLASSIC MARVEL FIGUREINE COLLECTION

This month sees the release of Spidey-foe THE CHAMELEON and Wolverine’s clone X-23, as well as the over-sized FIN FANG FOOM. I’m not sure how many more of these Marvel figs will be released, but this has been an excellent series.

DC SUPERHERO COLLECTION

Batman family member THE HUNTRESS and the atomic JLA’er THE ATOM are released this month, with Kirby’s wonderful arcane anti-hero THE DEMON as a special figurine.

HEROES OF THE DC UNIVERSE: BIZARRO BUST

So apparently Bizarro is considered a hero of the DCU now. Huh? No matter. It’s still a great design by super artist Gary Frank.

KRYPTONIAN AT HEART T-SHIRT

Now all you hardcore Superman fans can literally wear your heart on your sleeve - well, on your shirt, at least. This shirt shows the iconic “S shield” beating underneath a skeletal rib cage so no one will ever doubt your allegiance again.

LADY DEADPOOL BY LIEFELD POSTER

Come on, who DOESN’T want a 24x36 poster of a chick drawn by the great Rob Liefeld? Okay, well, other than Ethan.

MARVEL COMICS KOTOBUKIYA COLLECTION: CAPTAIN AMERICA

The newest statue in Kotobukiya’s Marvel line features the sentinel of liberty, Captain America, posed emphatically with his famous shield. The statue comes with an extra head, featuring the World War II battle helmet, and the base connects with the Thor and Iron Man statues to create an Avengers diorama.

MOUSE GUARD PLUSH TOY

Everyone’s favourite anthropomorphic warrior rodent is now available to protect you in all his plush glory.

STAR WARS: R2-D2 BOBBLEHEAD

I have no idea how they’ll manage to make R2’s head bobble, seeing as it’s a dome attached to the rest of his little droid body, but it’s still cool enough to mention to you. Chewbacca and Han Solo are also being offered again this month, so you could have a whole crew of Star Wars bobbleheads looking out for you.

UGLY DOLLS: ICEBAT GLOW-IN-THE-DARK 6 PIECE SET

6 different colours of miniature ugly doll figures for you to collect.

“AGENT OF SHIELD” BLACK T-SHIRT

It’s the simple things which are really awesome, and also make you wonder why have they not done this before? Well now you can you feel like a proud member of Shield, and with the Iron Man 2 movie looming on the horizon, people may actually understand the geekery!

TRON: FLYNN’S ARCADE BLACK GLOW IN THE DARK T-SHIRT

This shirt would be awesome enough by itself, but it F#$*ing glows in the dark! There is a lot of Tron love out there, and the new movie has a lot of people pumped, so flaunt that shit.

STAR WARS: SUPER TROOPER RED SHIRT

Take a solid color, and vague lines of something iconically geeky and you get this rad shirt. There aren’t enough truly awesome Star Wars shirts that aren’t ridiculous exclusives from famous clothiers, so it’s nice to see something available to the general geek public.

STAR WARS: R2D2 1:6 – SCALE STATUE

From gentle giant comes, what may possible be the greatest rendition of R2 since he was a console system and projector. Standing 7 inches tall, this incredibly detailed statue can even be explored as he comes with 8 accessories and compartments featuring tools and such things he has used in the films. I’d clamor for a C-3PO to go with it, but honestly I don’t think anyone cares.

RUNAWAY BRAIN: MICKEY AND JULIUS KUBRICK 2 PACK

I’m not huge into Kubrick’s personally, but I think that the cracked out version of Mickey Mouse is a sight to behold, and brings a sinister smile to my face. A great little addition to anyone’s desk or shelf that will make people look twice, I love it.

KAMEN RIDER DEFORIDE ACTION FIGURES

I know there are a few Kamen Rider fans in the store so I will spotlight these great super deformed figures in case you missed them. Two are available, a Faiz in Accelerate form and Decade.

DRAGON BALL: SON GOKU MG MODEL KIT

I will always have a soft spot for Dragon Ball no matter how ridiculous or how many episodes they say 5 minutes can last. From Japan comes this model kit, which comes with a ton of interchangeable faces and hands to pose Son Goku in any of the numerous hero and power shooting poses from the show, and a convenient display base to show it off!

LUCHA LIBRE: TEQUILA INCREDIBLE VINYL FIGURE

There’s just something about a large green luchador in a poncho that makes me happy, especially when it comes fully stocked with blood splatter! This is a revised edition of the classic figure from Muttpop’s Lucha libre figure line, except larger and more awesome. This figure is limited to 400 pieces, so make sure to order yours!

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