This is “The Final Dark War Secret Night Invasion” week at Comics And Other Imaginary Tales. “The What I’m Getting” post will cross-over into Wednesday’s Daily Life. Tuesday’s “Best and Worst” acts as a prequel to “Thursday’s Preview Review” and they all tie together in the Friday’s “Fistful of Reviews”. Then we have the special bonus A & B epilogues which are Saturday’s “Random Post” and Sunday’s “Comics Cabinet”. Now while each column can be enjoy on its own they are thematically tied together and of course if you read them out of order it could hurt the earth shattering ending of another episode. After this week nothing will ever be the same, jaw dropping graphics, status quo altering events and characters live and die as the Universe, multi-verse, dimensional interspaces are destroyed. Really you can’t afford to miss a single day. If you miss a post other fans will mock and laugh at you for not being there the day the music died, they will be singing bye, bye, Ms. American Pie, drove my chevy – or Prius - to the levy. There will be multiple fonts used, collect them all.
Yet as much as I and other complain about the cross-overs, if the sales numbers suck the companies will slow them down.
The books I’m looking forward to most this week are:
Batman #687 - The good thing is Dick Grayson is now Batman, the bad thing is this book is being written by Judd Winick, who is extremely hit and miss, I’m hoping for a hit. The hype “Written by Judd Winick; Art by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter; Cover by Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea. In this special epilogue to BATTLE FOR THE COWL, new BATMAN writer Judd Winick rejoins the Bat Family! This 40-page issue explores the final moments of the Battle for the Cowl as the new Batman learns that winning the Cowl comes at a high price! Witness the new Batman taking to the streets of Gotham City for the first time! Putting a new man inside the Bat-suit was the easy part – now the fun begins! Guest-starring Superman and Wonder Woman, this issue is a must-read for any Batman fan.”
Final Crisis HC – I was going to pass on this hard cover even though I wanted to read it all in one
sitting (remember I never keep any comics anymore), but it was missing the Superman two part story. The revised solicitation added that and the Submit book by Morrison and with those books added I decided to buy this, now if I can just re-read it soon. DC says it contains “DC Comics has expanded the contents of the FINAL CRISIS HC! Now running 352 pages, this title will include FINAL CRISIS #1-7, FINAL CRISIS: SUBMIT #1 and FINAL CRISIS: SUPERMAN BEYOND #1-2, all written by Morrison, along with a new cover by J.G. Jones depicting the penultimate scene of the series. – The original Solicit - Written by Grant Morrison; Art by J.G. Jones, Carlos Pacheco, Jesus Merino, Marco Rudy, Doug Mahnke and Christian Alamy; Cover by J.G. Jones. The year's most mind-blowing event is collected in this spectacular new hardcover featuring FINAL CRISIS #1-7! What happens when evil wins? That's the devastating question Superman, Batman, the Justice League and every other super being in the DC Universe must face when Darkseid and his otherworldly legion of followers actually win the war between light and dark. Written by superstar creator Grant Morrison (JLA, BATMAN) with stellar art from J.G. Jones (52 covers), Carlos Pacheco (SUPERMAN) and Doug Mahnke (BLACK ADAM), this event defined the DCU and the New Gods for the 21st century and beyond! (240 Pages).” Big difference in my view.
Flash Rebirth #3 (of 6) - This book started slow and then picked up the pace, but #2 ended strange. Still not sure where we are going with this book, but I’m curious to see where it takes us. The word “Written by Geoff Johns; Art and covers by Ethan Van Sciver. At last, the answer to the question that's plagued DC fans for decades: Who's faster, Superman or The Flash? Call your bookie and bet the farm, because you've never seen a run like this – and if speedsters keep dying at the pace they're going, you might never see another one again!”
The Immortal Iron Fist Brubaker/Fraction/AJA Omnibus – At one time I
thought this run would be it for Iron Fist, but the new writer has built on the foundation laid by this group and kept Iron Fist as one of my favorite Marvel titles. This volume contains “Written by ED BRUBAKER & MATT FRACTION Penciled by DAVID AJA, TRAVEL FOREMAN, SAL BUSCEMA, RUSS HEATH, JOHN SEVERIN, HOWARD CHAYKIN, DAN BRERETON, TONCI ZONJIC, JELENA KEVIC DJURDJEVIC, KANO, KHARI EVANS, LEANDRO FERNANDEZ, NICK DRAGOTTA, MIKE AND LAURA ALLRED, MITCH BREITWEISER & LEWIS LAROSA, Cover by DAVID AJA. Experience a brand-new kind of Iron Fist story - one steeped in legends and fables, magic and adventure, and a historical sweep that stretches back through the centuries - as the living weapon returns in this hard-hitting martial-arts epic by Ed Brubaker, Matt Fraction, David Aja and a who's who of artistic collaborators! Orphaned as a child and raised in the lost city of K'un-Lun, Danny Rand returned to America as the mystical martial artist Iron Fist - but all his kung-fu skills can't help him find his place in the modern world. After learning the hard way that the centuries-spanning legacy of the Iron Fist holds more secrets than he ever dreamed possible, Danny is ushered to the fabled city of K'un-Lun to fight in a tournament against the Immortal Weapons of the Seven Capital Cities of Heaven. It is a round of games that occurs every 88 years as the different cities connect together on the same mystical plane. At stake is the life of his friend, the legacy of his father and mentor, and the future of K'un-Lun. And despite the awesome new powers and knowledge granted to him by the mysterious Orson Randall, will Danny be ready when the tournament calls his name? Plus: There have been sixty-six men and women to carry the mantle of the Immortal Iron Fist. Witness their story in The Book of the Iron Fist. Collecting IMMORTAL IRON FIST #1-16, CIVIL WAR: CHOOSING SIDES, ANNUAL #1, ORSON RANDALL AND THE GREEN MIST OF DEATH and THE ORIGIN OF DANNY RAND.”
Rebels #5 – I have been enjoying each and every issue of this series so far. Easily the best work of Tony Bedard that I have ever read. This book has a great feeling about it and Tony has what seems to be a solid direction for the book. The pitch “Written by Tony Bedard; Art by Claude St. Aubin and Scott Hanna; Cover by Ed Benes and Rob Hunter. As the abductor of the intergalactic L.E.G.I.O.N. police force stands revealed, the entire sector mobilizes its forces. Vril Dox's renegade team of freedom fighters joins up with the Omega Men, Durlans, Khunds and Dominators, but it all amounts to devastating consequences…”
Red Robin #1 – Tim Drake becomes Red Robin, since Robin has been taken
and begins his search for Bruce Wayne. Not sure what to expect for this book, but I think DC has given new life to the Bat family as I’m looking forward to each title as they roll them out. The guy from marketing says “Written by Christopher Yost ; Art by Ramon Bachs ; Cover by Francis Manapul. Writer Chris Yost (New X-Men, X-Force) and artist by Ramon Bachs (Civil War: Front Line) kick off a brand-new ongoing series right here with "The Grail" part 1 of 4! Following the aftermath of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new Batman watches over Gotham City. But not everyone is ready to give up on the old one. Someone believes that Bruce Wayne may still be alive…and that someone is Red Robin. But who is wearing the Red Robin costume, and why is he traveling the globe looking for a dead man? Whoever he is, he's not alone in his search!”
Resurrection Vol 2 #1 – I wanted to like this series more then I did the first time out. After I saw the FCBD book for the second volume, it looks like this will do it better then Volume 1. The solicitation copy “The ground-breaking series from hit writer Marc Guggenheim (Eli Stone) returns in a new, on-going full-color series! The invasion came swiftly and without warning.But after ten years of death and destruction raining down from above, the otherworldly oppressors have vanished. Why did the leave? Why did they attack in the first place? And where do the survivors go from here? Find out in this action-packed, intrigue-fueled new series!”
The Walking Dead #62 – Just because I often have books that I enjoy each and
every issue and because they are consistently good they get taken for granted. So I’m giving this book a little extra loving this month and moving to the top of the list. More than just Zombies, but it has those too. The hype “THE HUNT BEGINS!” It all starts here, the most explosive story-arc in WALKING DEAD history. Who lives? Who dies? Watch as our characters discover just how dangerous the Road To Washington actually is.” This is a great series and this is a decent jumping on point.
The rest of the list:
Absolution #0 (of 6) - by Christos Gage & Roberto Viacava Super-star writer Christos Gage gets to cuts loose with his first series at Avatar with a seven issue epic that kicks off here with a specially priced #0! John Dusk is a man of honor. He has been fighting crime inside the rules of the law. He respects the laws he's been sworn to uphold. But day after day, bringing in the same scum, and watching the revolving door of justice, there comes a time when a man is pushed too far. When you're bound by rules that the bad guys ignore, when the criminals are going free, when the worst kind of man is loosed on the world, when do you finally take a stand? Where do you draw the line between being the good guy, and getting the job done - for good? Absolution is the story of masked heroes pushed to the brink, standing on their own, and against their best friends. Sometimes, a man just needs killing.
Action Comics #878 – Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Fernando Dagnino and Raul Fernadez;
Cover by Andrew Robinson. Nightwing and Flamebird, meet Nadira Va-Dim and Az-Rel, the Bonnie and Clyde of Krypton. They've got all of your powers, but absolutely none of your morals. Good luck!
The books I’m looking forward to most this week are:
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Final Crisis HC – I was going to pass on this hard cover even though I wanted to read it all in one
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The Immortal Iron Fist Brubaker/Fraction/AJA Omnibus – At one time I
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Red Robin #1 – Tim Drake becomes Red Robin, since Robin has been taken
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The Walking Dead #62 – Just because I often have books that I enjoy each and
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The rest of the list:
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Action Comics #878 – Written by Greg Rucka; Art by Fernando Dagnino and Raul Fernadez;
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Batman Confidential #30 – Written by Andrew
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BPRD War on Frogs #3 (of 4) - Fan-favorite Fray artist Karl Moline joins
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Fables #85 – Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art by Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy;
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Flash the Human Race TP – Written by Grant Morrison and Mark Millar;
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JSA vs Kobra: The Engines of Faith #1 (of 6) – Written by Eric Trautmann;
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Miss America Comics 70th Anniversary Special - A brand new adventure of
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Sherlock Holmes #2 (of 5) – Continuing their new exploration of literary
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Titans #14 – Written by Hugh Sterbakov; Art by Angel Unzueta and Wayne
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The Unknown #2 (of 4) - She has solved every mystery
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The Unwritten #2 – Written by Mike Carey; Art by Peter Gross; Cover by Yuko
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Not sure why I got Titans this week, the book should be cancelled by me, but the next issue is the return of Tempest (formerly Aqualad) and I guess that story has me interested so I stayed on just to keep current. Also the guy writing this issue is unfamiliar to me and I like seeing new writers so that also kept me in, but this book needs to be better quickly. A few other titles are on the list, but nothing else that is in major jeopardy. Last week was a great week for comics and that always makes me an easy mark to hold onto other books at times.
A new Sandman would have to be a lot better than the last one. Maybe Matt Wagner can spare some time from Madam Xanadu.
ReplyDeleteFrell, no one told me I had to tie into the crossover megaevent! It will ruin my continuity!
ReplyDeleteGwen - LOL
ReplyDeleteI live to ruin continuity.
ReplyDelete