What I’m Getting Wednesday April 14

This column is getting a little perfunctory but I’m still trying to figure out a better way to do it. I still like writing the column because it gives me an excuse to examine what I’m getting and to theoretically get me pumped up about what is coming out on Wednesday. Plus for the people I send my books off too they can see what they will be getting the week after I get it. I think part of my dissatisfaction with this column is that I’m starting to look too far forward to what is coming up in May (Legion of Super Heroes) and not focusing on the here and now. That is an unfortunate side effect of paying attention to the comic news and doing preview columns, the future always looks so bright and shiny. Of course this week has some nice and shiny new number ones that I’m looking forward to also.

DC is delivering two new series that I’m looking forward to with Flash #1 and Doc Savage #1. Now at first I was not thrilled with the Barry Allen version of the Flash coming back, but between what Johns has done with him in last week’s secret origin book and how he has been portrayed in Blackest Night, I’m not only okay with Barry being back, I’m looking forward to this new series. The Doc Savage book is more of an enigma. Brian Azzarello has done a good job with him in First Wave, but I’m unfamiliar with the writer on this book and Howard Porter on the artwork is tempering my enthusiasm. Still the old pulp stories were very cool when I read them as a kid and I think Doc can be a good series if done right.

Add to those two books Brightest Day #0 and DC has a heck of a big week. Brightest Day promises to follow up on the events that ended Blackest Night which naturally follows the newly revived DCU heroes and villains that have returned. Starting in May this is a bi-weekly 26 part series. DC has often started or introduced story elements only to let them linger or never even follow up on, but this time they are jumping right on the events. With Johns and Tomasi as the writers I think we are guaranteed a very good book. Johns seems to be at the top of his game and I think that he knows he can do long term story telling allowing him to plant seeds for future stories as he tells his current plot. Tomasi went from being a top editor to being a top writer. It is obvious to me that Tomasi was paying attention as an editor and knows how to write great comics, heck GL Corps has often been the better GL series.

Rounding out the rest of the DCU we have Action Comics #888, Adventure Comics #10, Batgirl #9, Batman #698, Booster Gold #31, Green Arrow #32, Secret Six #20 and The Shield #8. Of these I have to say that I most interested in seeing Green Arrow #32. The way I see this story line playing out is Ollie has to give up being in Green Arrow and should even end up in jail. Hard to forgive cold blooded murder no matter what his justification was for doing it. I don’t disagree with killing Prometheus but I also know that when you go down that road you have to expect to pay a price. Let’s see if DC has the guts to make this story play out the right way and not pull a damn rabbit out of the hat to “fix” things.

Vertigo brings us three books with Daytripper #5 (of 10), DMZ #52 and Fables #94. Daytripper is a series that I look forward to with each and every issue. The quality of this book is extraordinarily high and the way it reflects on life is just brilliant. DMZ I’m slowly getting back into and Fables is still a good book, just not at the top of my chart lately. I really hope Vertigo puts out a solid hardcover collection of Daytripper as I absolutely love this series.

The other category brings us the new 12 part series Kill Shakespeare #1, which I reviewed here. Later today we have an interview with the writing team behind Kill Shakespeare. This is taking the literary characters from Shakespeare and putting them into a great adventure story. Following in the footsteps of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Fables this book is a lot of fun. Even with my recent Shakespearean knowledge being from The Reduced Shakespeare Company, this book is an easy read and enjoyable.

The rest of the indy category brings us Chew #10, BPRD King of Fear #4 (of 5), Irredeemable Special #1, Atomic Robo Revenge of the Vampire Dimension #2 (of 4), Farscape Scorpius #0 and Green Hornet Year One #2. What a great list of other books. Chew is just continuing to be a blast, the story behind the Plutonian going bad is still going great, Farscape with a new series – THIS IS GREAT NEWS – two ongoing series building on the story the TV series started, Atomic Robo always a blast, BPRD building to a climax, Green Hornet by Wagner done is a pulp fiction style, all great stuff. Okay now I have worked myself into really looking forward to Wednesday.

Marvel rounds out the week with five entries on my list, Daredevil #506, Iron Man Noir #1 (of 4), New Mutants #12 (Chapter 3 of Second Coming), Punishermax #6 and Siege Captain America #1. After interviewing Scott Snyder and reading American Vampire I went from having trepidation about Iron Man Noir to looking forward to this book a lot. American Vampire was a great debut issue for Scott’s first ongoing and this series is Scott’s first mini-series from Marvel. The level of work Scott puts into his stories was evident in American Vampire and I expect this should be as well done.

Nary a single trade or hardcover collection on my list this week, which means sooner or later I will be crushed with a bunch of stuff hitting the same week.