Monday, September 26, 2011

Brilliant action, terror, and thrills await you this Wednesday, September 28

Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, co-creators of Ultimate Spider-Man, are back together for their first creator owned book: Brilliant #1! What happens when you get a group of college-age geniuses together? They challenge each other to crack the mystery of superpowers, of course! As the group makes powers only seen in comics into reality, the world will have to adjust, if they can. The power they unlock will test their character and possibly tear their friendship apart. Brilliant is sure to please fans of Ultimate Spider-Man, Scarlet, and Powers in what promises to be a thriller of the highest order.

From the fan-favorite, critically-acclaimed writer/artist Frank Miller, creator of 300, Sin City, Ronin, and The Dark Knight Returns, comes Holy Terror. After years in the making, fans will finally have a chance to get their hands on this new, original hardcover! Empire City is threatened by group of zealots that has given the city's hero, The Fixer, until dawn to save his town and possibly civilization as a whole. The Fixer must go on a violent, desperate quest to stop this menace from commiting a crime against humanity unlike any before. Fans of hard-hitting action should not miss this new tale sure to be Frank Miller's next big hit!

DC fans new and old, this is it; the final week of the new DC 52 is upon us! Let's jump right in to some of the big-hitting solo books you should expect to find on shelves. Award-winning writer Geoff Johns and artists Ivan Reis & Joe Prado reunite after their successful Blackest Night event to bring back one of DC's greatest and most overlooked heroes in Aquaman #1! Even after renouncing the throne of Atlantis, Arthur Curry can not escape the troubles brewing in the sea. A race of horrible creatures only known as The Trench emerge from a dark, forgotten corner of the ocean, and Aquaman is the only hero able to stop them! Then, writer/artist David Finch brings Batman: The Dark Knight #1 back with the help of artist Richard Friend. During the day, Bruce Wayne encounters some unexpected legal ramifications regarding Batman Incorporated, but at night, Batman fights his way through the psychos housed in Arkham Asylum. From Gotham, we move to Metropolis as legendary writer/artist George Perez and artist Jesus Merino debut Superman #1. The new adventures of The Man of Steel start here, and the status quo is never going to be the same. Join Superman as he fights against a monstrous threat that he may somehow be the cause of. The fastest man alive is back in Flash #1 by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato. Even The Flash can not be everywhere, but when his newest villain can, he will have to be faster than ever before! Next, Tony Daniel and Phillip Tan take Hawkman to new heights in Savage Hawkman #1. While working with an archaeologist who specializes in alien ruins, Carter Hall encounters a discovery that threatens to spead an alien plague through New York City! He must become the savage Hawkman to survive no matter the sacrifices that must be made. Another hero is born in Fury of Firestorm: The Nuclear Men #1 by writers Ethan Van Sciver and Gail Simone and artist Yildiray Cinar! High school students Jason Rusch and Ronnie Raymond are swept up in a super-science conspiracy that forever changes their lives. As they come to terms with this change, the two must put aside their issues and stop a threat that may lead to the next Cold War!

Not all heroes work alone, as is evident in DC's newest team books this week! In Teen Titans #1, by Scott Lobdell, Brett Booth, and Norm Rapmund, Tim Drake is back as Red Robin and is up against an organization that aims to capture, kill, or co-opt all super-powered teenagers. However, Red Robin will have to team up with the powerhouse thief Wonder Girl and a hyper speedster claiming himself to be Kid Flash to stop the threat. Meanwhile in space, Kyle Rayner assembles a powerful team of warriors selected from the full spectrum of the corps in Green Lantern: New Guardians #1 by Tony Bedard, Tyler Kirkham, and Batt. The trick for Rayner will be him keeping the group together! And if you are looking for a group that tackles the more mystic problems of the universe, look no further than Justice League Dark #1 by Peter Milligan and Mikel Janin. Shade the Changing Man, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Zatanna and John Constantine must join forces to stop a witch gone made known as The Enchantress. Super powers and evil witches are not the only things that threaten lives! Writer Mike Costa and artist Ken Lashley present an elite force of military specialists in Blackhawks #1. The Blackhawks fight a battle against an enemy faster, more brutal, and technically advanced than ever before in this new series.

It would not be a new DC 52 week without a few books that stand out from the regular crowd. Jonah Hex is back in All-Star Western #1 by writers Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and artist Moritat. Gotham City is a one-horse town full of violence and crime, but Amadeus Arkham, pioneer of criminal psychology, wants Hex's unique brand of justice to assist Gotham Police Department in tracking down a serial killer. Fast forward back to current time, Priscilla Kitaen is Voodoo, a possible hero, villian or both, leaves a trail of violence behind her as readers experience the new DCU through her eyes, but those eyes may not always see what is actually there. Finally, we come to I, Vampire #1 by Josh Fialkov and Andrea Sorrentino. Andrew Stanton is a vampire and has protected mankind for hundreds of years from the supernatural horrors of the world. However, the truce with his ex-lover Mary, the Queen of the Damned, has come to a bloody end, and with itss end, Mary and her dark forces have set their eyes on a killing spree, starting with DCU's heroes!

These books, and many more, will be available as soon as we open the doors on Wednesday, so come on by! (And if you want to get an idea what else you can expect, check out the covers below!)

Monday, September 19, 2011

Classics return and new ones begin this Wednesday, September 21

Even though DC is right in the middle of their successful relaunch, they have not forgotten their history. As the 30th anniversary of the New Teen Titans approaches, DC celebrates with the release of the New Teen Titans: Games HC by Marv Wolfman and George Perez! This amazing story, never told before now, promises to be a event that new and old fans alike will not want to miss. Set in the 1980s, Wolfman and Perez bring back the fan favorite characters from their original run to take part in a deadly game in which they are the pieces and New York City is the game board. This long lost story is a great compliment piece to the new relaunch books out this month.


At long last, the X-Men return to Marvel's Ultimate line this week in Ultimate Comics X-Men #1, written by Nick Spencer with art by Paco Medina. The truth behind the x-gene has been made public and thus ends one of the biggest government cover-ups, but the truth doesn't always solve the problem. After the shocking revelation, mutants suffer a crisis of identity, and the divide between man and x-man grows wider. However, one question still remains: who is this new group of X-Men and what can they do in this time of need? You won't want to miss the debut of this series. Fans also have X-Men Schism #4 by Jason Aaron and Alan Davis to look forward to this week.

IDW continues the adventures of the Starship Enterprise's crew from J.J. Abrams' hit 2009 Star Trek film in the new ongoing Star Trek #1, written by Mike Johnson with art by Stephen Molnar. Roberto Orci, Star Trek's (2009) writer and producer, is also on board offering creative collaboration. The new series re-imagines the classic stories from the original series in the alternate film time-line while also introducing never before seen enemies and allies to Kirk, Spock, and the rest of the crew. The well known "Where No Man Has Gone Before" is first to receive this new envisioning. What better way to spend time until 2012's anticipate movie sequel than checking out these all new tales.

The DCU's relaunched Bat-family continues to grow this week with the release of several highly-anticipated titles. First up, Batman #1, by fan-favorite writer Scott Snyder and artists Greg Capullo and Jonathan Glapion, marks the start of a new era for The Dark Knight! Gotham City proves to be deadlier than Batman ever expected as a series of killings leads the Detective to an ancient conspiracy! Meanwhile, Dick Grayson returns in Nightwing #1 by Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows, and JP Mayer. Dick embraces his destiny as Nightwing while a life he left long ago comes back into town: Haley's Circus! Once Dick's home, the circus now brings with it murder, mystery, and evil! The once boy wonder turned villain Jason Todd has put his life as the Red Hood behind him only to be recruited by Green Arrow's rejected sidekick Arsenal and the alien Starfire to lead their outlaw team in Red Hood and the Outlaws #1 by Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort. Speaking of outlaws, the cat is back in Catwoman #1 by Judd Winick and Guillem March. Selina Kyle is addicted to Batman, danger, and shiny, expensive things, and she just can't help herself! Why would she want to? Winick explores what really makes Catwoman tick in his new series. As if Gotham City didn't have enough heroes, Birds of Prey #1, by mystery novelist Duane Swierczynski and Jesus Saiz, introduces the covert-ops team of Black Canary and Starling as they track down the villains other heroes can't touch!

This week isn't all Bat-books! Written by Michael Green and Mike Johnson and art by Mahmund Asrar, Supergirl #1 introduces the world to girl with the unpredictable nature of a teenager and all of the powers of Superman! However, Supergirl has none of the Man of Steel's affection for Earth. Supergirl may have god-like powers, but Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang introduce us to the real thing in Wonder Woman #1! To the gods, humans' lives are playthings, but one woman chooses to protect humanity from these strange and powerful forces! Another god among men is born in J. T. Krull and Freddie Williams' Captain Atom #1! He is a hero without limits, charged with nuclear energy and possessing vast molecular powers, but can he stop from loosing himself? God's aren't the only out of this world threats to humanity! In Blue Beetle #1 by Tony Bedard and Ig Guara, Jaime Reyes is just a teen in high school who happens to be linked to a powerful scarab created by the Reach, an alien race seeking to annihilate any planet they come across, but it is his job to make sure this power is used as a force for good. While these heroes have their own books, there are many that may not get the spotlight they deserve, or the didn't until DC Universe Presents #1! This series plans to spotlight some of DC's most exciting heroes. In the first five-issue story, Paul Jenkins and Bernard Chang bring us the body-hopping hero Deadman, straight from Brightest Day!

This week also sees the release of two new DCU team oriented books sure to please fans! Right on the heels of last weeks Green Lantern #1 comes Green Lantern Corps #1 by Peter J. Tomasi and artists Fernando Pasarin and Scott Hanna! Hal Jordon has lost his powers and Sinestro is busy trying to get rid of his ring, so who will be there when dangerous conflicts erupt across the universe? Well, the Green Lantern Corps of course! Guy Gardner, John Stewart, and an elite Green Lantern strike force aim to keep the peace in a universe short in supply. The Legion is no stranger to conflict, and Legion of Super Heroes #1, by Paul Levitz and Francis Poertela, finds them decimated by one of the worst disasters in its history! The students of the academy help the team rebuild as an unimaginable power rises on the edges of Dominator space!

These books, and many more, will be available as soon as we open the doors on Wednesday, so come on by! (And if you want to get an idea what else you can expect, check out the covers below!)

Monday, September 12, 2011

Amazing comic beginnings this Wednesday, September 14

Miles Morales steps into some new Spider-duds this week in Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 by Brian Michael Bendis and Sara Pichelli. Who is Miles Morales? He's the new Spider-Man, of course! Morales takes up the mantel after Peter Parker's death, but fans should not fear because Bendis plans to keep the theme of the series the same as it has always been, power and responsibility. This book is part of Marvel's new Ultimates initiative to bring fans a more cohesive universe with consistent release schedules and is a great jumping on point for readers.

Marvel's big summer event also continues this week with the release of Fear Itself #6. With the heroes' hopes shattered, what will become of the world as it is shrouded in Fear?

Buffy is back in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9: Freefall #1 by Adrew Chambliss and Joss Whedon with art by Georges Jeanty! At the end of season 8, Buffy saved the world by cutting it off from any supernatural influences, which means Willow has been left powerless and the long line of vampire slayers has come to a close. Even though her intentions were good, Buffy is now hated by those that once followed her into battle, so she relocates to San Fransisco to once again focus on slaying the things that go bump in the night. Whedon fans should also know that Dollhouse: Epitaphs #3 is out this week!

After last week's sell-out of every new-52 DCU book, there is another group set to hit shelves this week. Bat-fans have a couple books to watch for. Batman and Robin #1 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, and Mick Gray unites Batman and his son Damian in their battle against evil, but adjusting to their new partnership may be more difficult than they thought. Kate Kane finally gets her new series with the release of Batwoman #1 by J.H. Williams and Haden Blackman, and there is a lot going on in her life. Children are going missing, Bette Kane wants to be her sidekick, and some unsettling revelations about her father arise. The Superman family better watch out because its newest member happens to be a deadly weapon! Superboy #1, by Scott Lobdell, RB Silva, and Rob Lean, introduces the clone thought to be a failed experiment combining Kryptonian and human DNA, but as his powers are revealed, the world hopes a clone can develop a conscience. Speaking of science gone bad, Micheal Holt uses his brains and fists to stop problems only the world's third-smartest man can handle in Mister Terrific #1 by Eric Wallace and Roger Robinson. Those looking for a little cosmic action should look no further then Green Lantern #1 by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke, and Christian Alamy. The Corps has a new member, and a lot of Lanterns are not too happy. Speaking of people the Green Lanterns don't like, Atrocitus and the rest of his Corps are back in there very own book: Red Lanterns #1 by Peter Milligan, Ed Benes, and Rob Hunter. Readers will also want to grab Legion Lost #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Pete Woods. Seven heroes travel back from the 31st century to the present day with the mission of saving their future, but when something goes wrong, the Legion finds themselves struggling for survival in a nightmarish world.

DC continues to show its supernatural side with the release of several new titles. Demon Knights #1, by Paul Cornell, Diogenes Neves, and Oclair Albert, takes readers back to the Dark Ages of the DCU as Madam Xanadu and Jason Blood are all that stand in the way of an invading barbarian horde. Resurrection Man #1, by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Fernando Dagnino, marks the return of Mitch Shelly to the DCU; Shelly was dead, but he cam back again, and again, and again. Each time he comes back, he is reborn with a new power. However, his escape from death has not gone unnoticed all of these times and forces gather to stop him from ever coming back again. Fresh off his hit issue of Animal Man #1, Jeff Lemire presents Frankenstein, Agent of Shade #1 with art by Alberto Ponticelli. Frankenstein is a member of the secret organization known as The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive tasked with protection the world from threats more horrifying than him, but when he lives in a world that vilifies him for who and what he is, will Frank even want to help?

If bad guys are your thing, look no further than Suicide Squad #1 by Adam Glass and Marco Rudy. A team of death-row super villians-Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and King Shark-are recruited to take on missions too dangerous for anyone that isn't disposable, but after being captured, which one of them will reveal the truth behind this illegal operation? Not one for teams, Slade Wilson, DCU's best mercenary, gets his own book this week: Deathstroke #1 by Kyle Kiggins, Joe Bennett, and Art Thibert. Deathstroke has been at it for a long time and made a lot of enemies, and they should remember that he never quits and never to turn their backs. While not exactly a bad guy like these other folks, Cole Cash, the charming grifter, finds himself labeled as a serial killer while hunting inhuman monsters disguised as regular people in Grifter #1 by Nathan Edmondson and Cafu.

These books, and many more, will be available as soon as we open the doors on Wednesday, so come on by! (And if you want to get an idea what else you can expect, check out the covers below!)

Monday, September 05, 2011

The hits keep rolling in this Wednesday, September 7

With the release of Justice League #1 and subsequent sell-out from distributors (don't worry, we still have some copies) last week, the DCU relaunch is off to an amazing start! We are in luck this week as the first big wave of new #1 books continuing DC's biggest event in years hits the shelves. First up, Grant Morrison and Rags Morales bring readers Action Comics #1 and tell the story of Superman's humble beginnings in Metropolis as his powers develop in a world not used to super beings. This extra-sized issue promises to be the cornerstone of the entire DCU!  Detective Comics #1, DC's flagship title, is also relaunched this week for the very first time by Tony Daniel and Ryan Winn. Follow Batman as he plays a dangerous game of bat and mouse with the killer The Gotham Ripper! There is more Bat Family to be had! Batgirl #1 by Gail Simone, Ardian Syaf, and Vicente Cifuentes puts Barbara Gordon back in the suit for the first time in over twenty years, and Judd Winick and Ben Oliver present Batwing #1, following Batman Incorporated's Batman of Africa into a land of beauty and horror.

Some of our other DCU favorites also premiere this week. Hawk and Dove #1 by Sterling Gates and Rob Liefeld promises plenty of action as Hank Hall and Dawn Granger, his new partner in the war on crime, uncover a plot to plunge the United States into a new civil war! Deadman fans should also keep their eyes on this book because of his relationship with Dawn. Green Arrow #1 by J.T. Krul, Dan Jurgens, and Norm Rapmund finds the emerald archer traveling the world and bringing outlaws to justice while breaking all of the laws himself. Scott McDaniel, John Rozum, and Jonathan Glapion  take us along for the ride in Static Shock #1 as electromagnetic hero Static takes on the villains lurking in New York City's underworld. If team books are your thing, Justice League International #1 by Dan Jurgens, Aaron Lopresti, and Matt Ryan follows a new super group created by the UN, Justice League International, charged with promoting unity and trust while trying to not kill each other in the process. Stormwatch #1 by Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulvda follows the dangerous super human police force as Jack Hawksmoor, Martian Manhunter, and the rest of the crew try to recruit Midnighter and Apollo, two of the deadliest super powers in the world.

Those looking for some of the more off the path DC books should look no further than Animal Man #1 by Jeff Lemire, Travel Foreman, and Dan Green. Buddy Baker has gone from the super powered Animal Man to a family man attempting to hold the household together as his daughter Maxine starts manifesting familiar and dangerous powers. While not part of the new DCU, Sweet Tooth #25 by Jeff Lemire is also out this week! Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette bring one of the world's most iconic characters back to the heart of the DCU in Swamp Thing #1! A monster rises in the desert as Alec Holland attempts to put his newly returned life back together; however, the Green needs a monster to fight a monster, and Swamp Thing is life's last hope.  OMAC #1 by Dan Didio, Keith Giffen, and Scott Koblish introduces a new, yet familiar, beast to the DCU as the all-seeing Brother Eye satellite recruits an unwilling Kevin Kho into a war between Checkmate and Brother Eye. War is no stranger to members of the Easy Company in Men of War #1 by Ivan Brandon and Tom Derenick. Joe Rock assumes control of the group of ex-military men turned contractors as the they navigate a Super-Villain ravaged battlefield.

Marvel's big summer events continue this week as well. Fear Itself: Wolverine #3 hits shelves, and the Spider-Island story line has several new titles. In Spider-Island: I Love New York, various artists and writers pay tribute to New York City and its spider-powered inhabitants through the eyes of the common man; this issue also features a bonus Punisher story by Greg Rucka! In Spider-Island: Avengers #1, the unlikely heroes Frog-Man and Squirrel Girl are called in to help as the Avengers are spread thin by the threat of the newly powered populace.

Fans of Matt Fraction and Gabriel Ba's Casanova have loved Marvel's colored re-releases of the original story. However, this week, an all-new, full-color 32-page story begins in Casanova: Avaritia #1!  Join the fun as the world's best superspy kills his way from dimension to dimension in this new action packed story that must be experienced to be believed.

These books, and many more, will be available as soon as we open the doors on Wednesday, so come on by! (And if you want to get an idea what else you can expect, check out the covers below!)