Wednesday, June 13, 2012

DC Preview Review for August



Jim: I’m so tired of DC this will be a one day event. Not only are the capes boring me into an apathy coma, the hard cover offerings are a drag. The quality of the hard covers has been lacking and often they are the advertised books collected together with no introduction or any bell or whistle. Next month we should review the Bluewater Production books. They have VSS: Russian Roulette, Vincent Price: Tales of Darkness and The Misadventures of Adam West. Now there are some awesome sounding titles.
Gwen: I am also a bit burnt out on a lot of DC. Most of what I still enjoy is more in the Vertigo line.

 
iZOMBIE #28
Written by CHRIS ROBERSON
Art and cover by MICHAEL ALLRED
On sale AUGUST 1 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS • FINAL ISSUEAll questions are answered in this final issue! Will Gwen make the ultimate sacrifice before Xitalu consumes every soul on Earth? Will Gavin and Spot make up before it’s too late? Will Ellie and Frankenteen find true love? Will Horatio get his original hair color back? With art and colors by Eisner Award nominees Michael and Laura Allred!
SCALPED #60
Written by JASON AARON
Art by R.M. GUERA
Cover by JOCK
RESOLICIT • On sale AUGUST 15 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • MATURE READERS • FINAL ISSUERetailers: This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.
IT ALL ENDS HERE.
Jim: All good things must come to an end and both of these have been very good series with Scalped being possibly one of the all time great series. I just think in Scalped no one gets out alive, but I could be wrong. iZombie has been the successor to the Buffy type of vibe for me and I will miss both series.
Gwen: I am looking forward to seeing how Scalped is wrapped up. It has been a great series and I love building up to an actual ending point. I will miss iZombie though. It's such a fun book.



GREEN ARROW: THE LONGBOW HUNTERS TP NEW EDITION
Written by MIKE GRELL
Art and cover by MIKE GRELL

On sale SEPTEMBER 12 • 160 pg, FC, $14.99 US
• A new edition of the title collecting the 3-issue 1987 miniseries!
• Oliver Queen gives up his trick arrows and settles down in Seattle with Dinah Lance. But Ollie’s world collides with one of unspeakable violence involving the beautiful and mysterious archer known as Shado.
Jim: This is an odd offering. I’m guessing the fact that Green Arrow has a new TV series starting DC is releasing a few trades of Green Arrow stories in hopes the TV series generates interest. This was a good story, but a radically different take on the character from what he is now and what he will be in the TV series.
Gwen: Huh, I still have a hardcover version of this. Good story, but Jim's right, this was a completely different Green Arrow so it's an odd choice.



LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT: ALAN DAVIS HC
Written by MIKE W. BARR and others
Art by ALAN DAVIS, PAUL NEARY and MARK FARMER
Cover by ALAN DAVIS
On sale OCTOBER 10 • 272 pg, FC, $39.99 US
• Batman stories from legendary artist ALAN DAVIS collected at last!
• Collects DETECTIVE COMICS #569-575, BATMAN: FULL CIRCLE #1 and a story from BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #25.
Jim: I got the Marshall Rogers book like this and was disappointed. Oh the printing is okay, but if another artist did a chapter of the story it was not included. Also Marshall is dead and I would have thought a book dedicated to his art would have had a nice introduction and an interview with the main writer taking about Marshall. If you are going to do a hard cover dedicated to an artist, then it deserves some additional work beyond a strict reprint. Feels like a lack of effort to me.
Gwen: I'm not all that into art collections. Unless it's for Amy Reeder, then maybe.



PHANTOM LADY #1
Written by JUSTIN GRAY and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by CAT STAGGS and RICH PERROTTA

Cover by AMANDA CONNEROn sale AUGUST 29 • 32 pg, FC, 1 of 4, $2.99 US • RATED T
• The female FREEDOM FIGHTER debuts in her own miniseries!
• Featuring her partner-in-crimefighting, the diminutive dynamo known as DOLL MAN!
Jim: This could be fun, but DC just revamped this character a couple of years ago. That is another problem with the new DCU we are getting re-boots of characters way too fast. Reminds me of the new Spider-Man movie, the old trilogy has not even been that long ago and we hit the re-set button already.
Gwen: Well at least I can see how she can feasibly run around in the costume without super-glue. I was never terribly interested in this character so I can't say I'm all that interested.




SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE VOL. 2 HC
Written by J. MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI
Art and cover by SHANE DAVIS and SANDRA HOPE
On sale OCTOBER 31 • 136 pg, FC, $22.99 US
The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE by acclaimed writer J. Michael Straczynski and superstar artist Shane Davis is here!
Young Clark Kent continues his journey toward becoming the World’s Greatest Super Hero but finds dealing with humanity to be a bigger challenge than he ever imagined! From a ruthless dictator to a new love interest who’s NOT Lois Lane, things are never easy for this emerging Man of Steel.
And the worst is yet to come, in the form of a man-monster with an insatiable appetite, the Parasite! The only thing that might appease his hunger is The Last Son of Krypton! But that will also mean he will have Superman’s powers without his conscience, and Kal-El learns to live without powers beyond those of mere mortals.
Jim: I liked the first graphic novel, but the lag time between these books is huge and with the recent re-boot in the regular comics we have way too many new versions of Superman. Well the good news is I cancelled the Superman comic and only get Action which cuts down on that problem a little.
Gwen: The first book was decent but I thought it held just fine as a one-shot. Still I'd be willing to give this a try.


GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #1
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by ETHAN VAN SCIVER
Design cover
On sale AUGUST 29 • 48 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
• The conclusion of “THE REVENGE OF BLACK HAND”!
Everything changes here! EVERYTHING!
Jim: I love this type of hype. You better be killing Hal or making him into a transgendered Star Sapphire or something, I mean EVERYTHING changes. I have become slightly jaded and pretty sure that after this issue everything had not changed – unless they blow up the new DCU!
Gwen: I'm okay with the new universe imploding.


Jim: That is enough of DC this month. My heart is not in it and I since I have cut out so much of what I call standard fare material I can’t even really comment since I’m no longer reading it. But who really wants to read comics written by Rob Liefeld, Scott Lobdell, Howard Mackie and Tom DeFlaco anymore.
Gwen: Honestly it's hard for me to generate a lot of enthusiasm for DC now. I mostly blame the lack of good Legion material.

1 comment:

  1. Does the GL book really come in a black polybag like Superman #75 did? Given the state of things, I think transgendered is more likely than death. Here's an idea, everything changes, because DC gets a new writer for the series. I third the notion the whole universe goes away!

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