What I’m Getting Wednesday

A decent size week of books, thanks to DC. I'm really glad that I have gotten harsher on mini-series as I really need to ratchet down my list. Still with American Virgin and Loveless being cancelled and I stopped the Wonder Girl and Metamorpho mini-series that is four more books off the list, but that is not enough.

This post takes a fair amount of time to pull together and I would wager that it is the least read post of the week. Which would make sense as it is rather self centered. I’m having an internal debate as to whether to continue this weekly posting or not. If nothing else it lets me learn what is happening as I order months in advance and usually don’t always remember what was going on in what book.

52 Aftermath: The Four Horsemen #3 (of 6) – This series has surprised me. I really thought I would pick up issue #1 and then drop it. Keith Giffen has done such a great job with this book and his dialogue between Batman, Wonder Woman and Superman has been fantastic.

Action #858 – Superman, Geoff Johns, Gary Frank and the original Legion of Super Heroes – are you frelling kidding me! This is one of those stories that I did not think we would ever get to see and to have this level of talent producing it, well I’m happy. Can not wait.

Batman #670 – Both Batman and Superman have what promises to be interesting storylines beginning this week. Batman has “The Resurrection of Ras As Ghul” starting. This story is running through all the Bat titles and has Talia, I-Ching, Damian and the Sensei as guest starts, plus Tony Daniel takes over as the artist with Grant Morrison as writer. Sweet!

Countdown to Final Crisis #26 – The change of title is heralding a uptick in the level of what should be happening in this book and we also have Scott Kolins doing the pencils. Has the potential of being the best issue to date and hopefully is the beginning of good things for this book. Only six months till Final Crisis. Which fills me with dread as they are never as company wide cross overs are never all that they should be (exception Crisis on Infinite Earths).

Countdown Presents : Lord Havok and the Extremists #1 (of 6) – This group is from Earth 8 and is being given a spotlight as I assume they will have a role to play in the Final Crisis and the series is touting them as critical to the fate of the multiverse. I normally would be less then enthused about this type of series, but my hopes are a little higher as the writer Frank Tieri has proven himself to be a solid writer and Liam Sharpe is a very good artist.

Countdown to Adventure #3 (of 8) – It appears Starfire, Adam Strange and Animal Man maybe plague carriers as both planets are showing the victims of the same disease. The backup tale has Forerunner encountering mystical versions of Superman and Batman. I’m enjoying the return of a comic carrying two features, especially with an expanded page count so both stories have enough room.

Countdown to Mystery #2 (of 8) – Really enjoyed the first issue a lot as the new Dr. Fate has a lot of potential. I thought it was a little too cute to have him have the exact name as the original, but as he is a relative so it makes some sense. The Eclipso back up was also well done and I like seeing her role being defined more in the DCU. I read that Dr. Fate is not tied into Final Crisis, but Eclipso is going to have an impact.

Crime Bible: Five Lessons of Blood #1 (of 5) – Greg Rucka and Tom Mandrake bring us a mini-series focusing on the Crime Bible and a monk sowing the seeds of the Dark Faith. The new Question is following him and trying to save an author who has written an expose of the Dark Faith. This is a thematic follow-up to 52 and should be good with Rucka writing and Tom Mandrake as artist.

DC Infinite Halloween Special – This specials contain lots of short stories and has plenty of “names” doing the work. They are usually fun books with hits and misses, still as an occasional event I think they are worth the bang for the buck.

Death of the New Gods #2 (of 8) – This book is coming out at an accelerated rate to get it started and that is fine by me as the first issue was really good and I’m looking forward to issue #2. Starlin is the perfect choice to do this book since Kirby is no longer alive to do it. Issue #1 ended with a bang as Big Barda is dead. So it becomes a who dies this issue game.

JSA Classified #31 – The concluding chapter in the three issue “Mr. Horrific” arc that is focusing on Mr. Terrific. This has been a so-so story so far and I can honestly say that I’m not eagerly anticipating this book. Still I’m curious to see if they can make the ending at least pay off.

Justice Society of America #10 – Now this book is one that I’m very anxious to read. The introduction of the Kingdom Come Superman into our Earth should have some major ramifications about what is going to be happening in Final Crisis. I have to say that Geoff Johns has really hit an incredible streak lately as Action, Green Lantern, JSA and Booster Gold are all really good books and Johns is in the zone like he never has been before. Always a good writer, Johns is now moving to great writer status.

Robin Annual #7 – Annuals are often waste of paper or try outs for new people, but every once in a while you get a gem. Lately it seems that Annuals are used for a specific reason and the Robin Annual’s main story focuses on Damien and ties into the “Resurrection of Ras As Ghul” story line.

Showcase Presents Teen Titans Volume #2 – This collects a lot of the silver age Teen Titans material and is written by Bob Haney and Steve Skeates and has artwork by Bob Haney. I was never a big Bob Haney fan until recently when I read up on him and saw some of his cartoon strip work. Haney was a hell of an artist and the more I pay close attention to art, the more I can tell that Haney was more of an illustrator who loosened his style for comic book work.

Supergirl and the Legion of Super Heroes #35 – The “Quest for Cosmic Boy” continues. This arc has been so enjoyable that while it is interesting that Jim Shooter is returning to the Legion, I was very happy with Tony Bedard’s run on this title. Tony seems to have been DC’s ultimate pinch hitter and it is no wonder as he writes good books all the time. I hope he gets a series to call his own soon.

Superman Confidential #8 – This book has been coming in fast now that they decided to just publish the last issue of the first arc whenever it is done. This 3 issue arc is about Superman’s first meeting with the Forever People of the New Gods. Written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning with art by Chris Bastia and Cam Smith it should be a good story.

Trails of Shazam #9 (of 12) – I have really enjoyed this series and look forward to it concluding as I hope to see Freddy take his place among the DCU as the new Shazam. Howard Porter’s took such a radical shift in his work with this book, that I think that has slowed down production, as this book has taken too long to come out.

American Virgin #20 – Bittersweet issue as I learned the series ends with #23, but truth be told I did not think the book had a strong enough premise to last more then 24 issues. I was wrong and hate to see this book bite the dust. Last issue it looked liked Adam was about to lose his virginity, so this issue should be good.

Crossing Midnight #12 – Buy this book! It is Mike Carey’s best series to date. The official hype “Comb. Mirror. High-heeled shoe. The clues have come together, and Kai has finally figured out the mystery behind the killer tracking Tokyo date girls. But will it do the teenage boy any good against a magical killer who's now set his sights on him?”

Jack of Fables #16 – This sounds like a great issue as we go back in time and learn about Jack when he was Jack O’Lantern. Always a good read.

Midnighter: Armageddon - The start of the Armagedon series inside the Wildstorn Universe. Written by Christos Gage, so it has potential. This issue Void of Wildcats returns and takes Midnighter to a future where London is destroyed by the crashed carrier. Not sure what to expect, but it sounds interesting.

Essential Werewolf By Night Volume 2 – This volume collects Werewolf by Night #21-43 and some other issues. I was iffy on buying this as Werewolf by Night was never the strongest series and was best remembered by me for early Mike Ploog artwork. Still I remember it as being a light read and one day will get around to re-reading it.

Marvel Masterworks Volume 85: Atlas Era Strange Tales – This is some of the pre-code horror cooked up by Stan Lee, Russ Heath, Bill Everett and others. I don’t expect to get around to reading this any day soon, but it deserves a space on my bookcase.

Annihilation Conquest Quasar #4 – Wrapping up the mini-series and leading into Annihilation Conquest. Quasar quest for the savior ends here and we find out just who is the savior. This series has fallen off the rails for me with Moondragon turning into a dragon. She is now Quasar’s pet and still her lover. I guess a lesbian relationship wasn’t enough, so they added a little bestiality.

Daredevil Annual #1 – Again annuals have always been strange ducks, at least Ed Brubaker is the writer (along with artist Andre Parks), still not really going in with any great expectations.

Iron Man #23 – This arc has been okay, but the whole background story with Mandarin is more interesting then the main story. Plus doesn’t the cover look like it has a Star Wars Storm Trooper on it?

Anita Blake Vampire Hunter First Death #2 (of 2) – The first issue of this little mini-series was good, but it seems like it has been awhile between issues. I guess all the brouhaha with Marvel and Dabel Brothers threw a monkey wrench into everything.

Sub-Mariner #5 (of 6) – The penultimate chapter in this mini-series. I have enjoyed this series for the most part, but I wonder what they are setting up with this series. Will Namor be an anti-hero again and can Atlantis be saved?

Ultimate Power #8 (of 9) – This book sucks. Last issue we had a big reveal on the whole entire convoluted plot and then ended with another world's version of Squadron Supreme showing up. Does anyone remember the Squadron Supreme book? Didn’t that thing end on a cliff hanger or something? Anyway, this book was written by JMS for three issues, Bendis for three issues and now Loeb. It reads like it was handed off with no direction and done as a game between the writers.

X-Men Messiah Complex – The opening bell in the big X-Event. Now I have glanced at the two bigger “news” sites and both seem to say it is a good book, but some of this sites kiss the “a**” of the big two to maintain access. Let’s just say I’m leary going in as I'm suffering from event burnt out and not looking forward to this, the next Hulk event, “Who Do You Trust” or “Really it is the Final Crisis” from DC.

Secret History Book Three & Book Four – So last week Archaia Studios put out two issues of Killer (and of course my store was shorted issue #5, so I have #6, but not #5 *grumble, grumble*). So this week we are getting two issues of this book which is one of the denser books on the market. Why?

Bonds #2 (of 3) – Not 100% sure why I stayed on this title as it is a lot of earth magic and a murder mystery all tied together, but just didn't work for me. Still it was a three issue book. As my remarks indicate I have a low level of expectation and I could drop it before it concluded.

Mouse Guard Winter 1152 #2 (of 6) – Now this book I continue to love and look forward to each and every issue. Really this book is one of the best all ages read on the market and is far superior to Mice Templar and better then the “Redwall” trade that I’m in the midst of reading. David Petersen’s work is truly captivating.

Tales of the Fear Agent 12 Steps in One – I have no real clue what this issue is about as I totally missed the solicitation for this book. I know it is a one and done story for this character and I love Fear Agent, so it should be good.

Dynamo 5 #8 – In addition to this being one of the best super hero team books on the market; it comes out on a regular basis. Each issue building on the one before as it tells good super hero yarns as well as moves the characters forward. Always looking forward to another issue of Dynamo 5.

Wasteland #13 – Another perennial good series. The storyline has been in high gear for the last few issue as a massive revolt is taking place inside the city. Hard not to enjoy this vision of a post apocalyptic world.

Lots of great stuff to look forward to, but I have to say that it is the return of the original Legion of Super Heroes in Action Comics that I really can’t wait to see. I loved the original version so much and would buy it in Archives as a monthly hard cover collection (even covering the down years) because that group was always near and dear to my heart. Add the Ras As Ghul cross-over, Mouse Guard, Wasteland and the beginning of an X-event and it promises to be an interesting week.