Sleeper: Out in the Cold TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have made this story of a super-powered spy undercover in a super-powered villain conspiracy must-reading for me, and it absolutely kills me that more people aren't reading this, especially when my day job in comics retail means I get to see what they're reading instead. Here's your chance to make it right... pick up this trade, one of two that will collect the initial Sleeper run, and get hyped for the relaunch, because this is noir comics the way they were meant to be, with great action sequences, moral quandries and deeply engaging characters. Oh, and there's boobs and swearing too. Truly, there is something for everyone in Sleeper.
DAVE: Sleeper is my single favorite surprise to hit comic shops this year, all the more so because I'd kind of written off the "Wildstorm Universe" as unapproachable to newbies (like me). Turns out Sleeper works completely as a standalone, and it's rare that I've had as much fun watching bad people do bad things. In fact, Randy, I'd have made this little gem my pick of the month if you hadn't snagged it first.
Ya rat bastard.
RANDY: Consider it payback for the months of frustration as I tried to talk you into trying the book despite your anti-Wildstorm leanings. Besides, I found it first.
Plastic Man #1 (DC Comics) -
DAVE: Ever since I discovered reprints of Jack Cole's whacked-out, Golden Age Plastic Man stories, I've felt it was a mistake for DC to have annexed the character into their universe when they acquired the rights in the 60's. This new monthly from Kyle Baker seems to recognize that, and looks to have an almost Warner Brothers tone to it that looks funny as hell (there's an extended preview in Previews). Plus, Baker's animated art style, so out of place on Marvel's Truth miniseries, is absolutely ideal for this project. I anticipate laugh-out-loud adventure. Seek it!
RANDY: I'm an even bigger Kyle Baker fan than you are, so I'm pleased not just because the preview pages make it look like fun but because this looks like a relative flood of material from Baker to begin in December and hopefully continue on into the new year. I also have to give DC credit for doing what amounts to a pure humor title, rather than a super-hero book with humor elements, with one of their big JLA members, whether he's perfectly suited to it or not.
Michael Chabon Presents: The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist #1 (Dark Horse) - DAVE: Geez, first Art Spiegelman and now Michael Chabon -- it's getting so you can't throw a rock without hitting a Pulitzer Prize winner in the comic book industry.
RANDY: I'm pretty sure it's illegal to throw rocks at Pulitzer Prize winners, actually. But it's OK to throw money.
DAVE: This fat-packed eighty-pager is the first in a quarterly anthology series to feature The Escapist, the superhero created in Chabon's award-winning novel, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay. Chabon himself writes one story, with Howard Chaykin and others kicking in for the rest. This one's quite a snazzy coup for Dark Horse, but my own interest is a little limited. Retrospectives of the fictional Golden, Silver, and Bronze Ages of newly-created superheroes have been pretty well mined by the likes of Kurt Busiek, Alan Moore, and others. Can the Pulitzer Prize winner teach 'em a new trick? We'll see...
RANDY: I actually haven't read Kavalier and Klay yet, thanks in no small part to limited free time, but I've heard so much good that I can't help but be a little jazzed about this project. If nothing else, it's sure to bring in a few more mainstream readers to the comics medium, which is never a bad thing.
Fused: Think Like A Machine #1 (Dark Horse) - RANDY: Fused was an under-rated little tale about a guy stuck in a powered armor suit who was hunted by the government but who just wanted to get back to his wife. At least, that's how it started, but the rotating artists (four different artists in four issues, and only two of them were really suited to the book) sapped all my interest and I figured it was going to be one of those "woulda, coulda, shoulda" things. But Dark Horse has picked up the book and they're presenting a new... series? mini-series? The solicitation isn't clear on that point, but it features writer Steve Niles and a new artist, Josh Medors, who looks solid enough on the one page of preview art that I'll give the big metal lug a second chance.
Tales of the Vampires #1 (Dark Horse) -
DAVE: Never really followed Buffy comics, despite much love for the show, but I made a point to pick up last year's Tales of the Slayers and dug the hell out of it. It was an anthology of stories written by series' creator Joss Whedon and other writers from the show, focusing on the various Slayers throughout the ages. Drawn by some of comicdom's best, it was a rare great comic based on a TV property. So can lightning strike twice? Well Whedon and company are back with a thematic successor to that one-off, this time focusing on the vampires and other nasties that keep the Slayers so gosh-darn busy. That alone would've brought me onboard, but with art by Cameron "He made Catwoman this year's best-drawn comic" Stewart, I'm willing to actively shill for this bad boy!
RANDY: Joss Whedon and Cameron Stewart? Sold. I don't care if the book is a treatise on plumbers' tools. That it's a story about vampirism and disaffected youth, and tied into the much beloved Buffy franchise, is just a bonus. I'm not too clear on the specifics of this book, whether it's a series of one-shots ala B.P.R.D. or a mini-series, but at any rate, this first issue sounds like a can't-miss not only for Buffy fans but for fans of good comics.
Hellboy: Weird Tales #6 (Dark Horse) - RANDY: "All-star lineup" sounds like hype, but when you look at who's in this issue, it's easy to see that Dark Horse is just practicing truth in advertising. Buffy (and Fantastic Four film) scribe Doug Petrie, under-rated comics genius Evan Dorkin and under-rated comics newcomer Will Pfeifer are listed as writers, and the art talent includes my current number one fave Cameron Stewart, the legendary Gene Colan and the talented P. Craig Russell.
DAVE: Madre de Dios! That's, like, three of my favorite artists ever right there! Kick ASS. And even though I'm not a big fan of Frank Cho's Liberty Meadows, credit must be given where due: his cover for this volume (it's got Hellboy carrying - what else? - a scantily-clad babe) certainly caught my eye.
The Four Killers Vol. 1: The Lonesome Rider HC (Dark Horse) - DAVE: Details are sparse on this hardcover volume, but it 'pears to be an English language translation of a well-known Italian Western series. The big draw is that it's drawn by American comics legend, Joe Kubert. His gritty style seems ideal for this tale of a Texas Ranger out for revenge on the outlaws that done kilt his family, and I, for one, am tempted.
RANDY: I'm a big fan of the western in comics, and as you note, Joe Kubert seems an ideal match for that sort of thing. I've had limited success finding translated European comics that suit my personal tastes, but it has happened, and if the story in Four Killers can match what I'm sure will be excellent artwork, this will be a real treat.
Iron Empires Volume 1: Faith Conquers TP (Dark Horse) - RANDY: I've been loving Christopher Moeller's painted covers on Lucifer, but I didn't know his name back when he did Iron Empires, a well-regarded science-fiction epic, back in the 90's. So I'm really pleased to see Dark Horse emulating the success they've had with sleeper gems like Xenozoic Tales and putting Moeller's Iron Empires into print as trades, with promises of more to come.
DAVE: What he said. I'm always hankering for stronger sci-fi themes in comics, and it looks like Iron Empires might deliver. Can't say much about the story itself, but the nicely-painted cover image calls to mind Heinlein's Starship Troopers or Haldeman's The Forever War.
Chosen #1 (Dark Horse) - RANDY: Mark Millar is doing a very weird bit of personal branding this month, releasing a ton of new mini-series from what seems like just about every publisher. Chosen is the Dark Horse candidate of the bunch, with the high concept "what if you're twelve years old and suddenly discover that you're the returned Jesus Christ." Millar's sensibilities, and artist Peter Gross's funny (would have been hilarious, but Scurvy Dogs beat them to the gag) cover, leads me to believe this is going to be absolutely blasphemous and probably lots of fun for those who enjoy that sort of thing. Like me.
DAVE: Millar's superheroes, outside of his Superman Adventures work, have never floated my boat. Will his "Kid Christ" stories win me over? I'm willing to give 'em a chance. I read that Millar's Catholic, so I'll be curious to see if there's actually a subversive layer of piety beneath the blasphemy here.
RANDY: What?! Religious values in my funny books?! I won't hear of it! Won't someone please think of the children?
The Dark Knight Strikes Again TP (DC Comics) -
DAVE: Love it or hate it, Miller's controversial sequel to the legendary Dark Knight Returns is coming out in softcover. I found its level of hyperbole to be so ridiculous as to undermine my interest in the characters almost completely, and yet...and yet...it had its moments. Apparently this collection will include sketches and nebulously defined "other material," but I'm guessing most folks have already made up their mind whether the core content interests 'em.
RANDY: I'm not entirely sure that I'd take back my uber-positive review of number one or my mildly positive review of issue two, but I do know that when all is said and done, I come down on the side of the "big disappointment" when it comes to The Dark Knight Strikes Again. Still curious about what Miller does next, and really there was no way DC couldn't put out a softcover collection, but this is definitely Not For Me.
Robin #121 (DC Comics) - RANDY: Wait. Chase got 12 issues. Suicide Squad, around 60, Hawkworld, around 30. How the hell does Robin get to #121? Don't get me wrong, I like the little guy, but as a member of the Teen Titans or a regular partner in Batman. I just don't see how there's room for over 10 years (!) of solo adventures! However, while I'm mostly getting a feeling that this is a character unworthy of their talent, when you put writer Bill (Fables) Willingham and artist Rick Mays on a book, you get my attention, even if I'd rather they were doing a character who has more innate potential.
DAVE: I've liked Robin ever since, as a kid, I came across one of those oversized DC treasury editions from the 70's that reprinted his earliest adventures from the 30's. Cool stuff. Hy favorite scene was when he beat the holy hell out of a whole pack of thugs and then turned to address the audience, explaining that the fight was PROOF that criminals were big ol' wussies without their guns. Classic! Now what were we talking about? Oh yeah, Willingham on Robin. Never followed Robin's solo adventures either, but the kid in me who thrilled to those old reprints is ready to believe again if Willingham's got the chops. I have to say, the three-page preview makes it look pretty cool.
Superman #200 (DC Comics) - DAVE: Umm, not that anyone's really been jazzed about the "Futuresmiths" storyline in this book, but it IS coming to a close here and, er, I guess hitting a 200th issue IS a noteworthy milestone. Now why can't this book be as good as it was when John Byrne relaunched it in '86? The one notably snazzy thing about this 48-pager is that it's got a bonus feature that's a tour of Metropolis. With art by Leinil Yu and Lee Bermejo, both excellent draftsmen, that section at least warrants a look.
RANDY: Sorry, what? You said Superman titles and I fell asleep.
Avengers/JLA #4 (DC Comics) - RANDY: The first issue of this one was a lot of fun for super-hero fans, pretty much everything we could have hoped for. That kickass cover, featuring Superman wielding the hammer of Thor and the shield of Captain America, is the kind of thing that causes geekgasms even in those of us who should know better, and so my hopes that JLA/Avengers will turn out as the dream project we all thought it could be remain high.
DAVE: I'm way on board this one, too. It's old-school at its best, and the finale looks to be Slugfest Nirvana. George Perez should've had Supes wielding more Avengers gear on the cover, though, like the Vision's pimpin' cloak, the Scarlet Witch's headdress, and of course...Iron Man's iron codpiece.
RANDY: I think he's got Tigra's black thong underwear on underneath his red trunks.
Rose & Thorn #1 (DC Comics) - RANDY: Truthfully, I hold Rose & Thorn in about as much esteem as I hold Robin, but I'm intrigued to see Gail Simone take on something that is a little further apart from her usual tinged with humor style and the artwork by Adriana Melo and Dan Green that is previewed here is really, really nice.
Starman: Stars My Destination TP (DC Comics) -
DAVE: Even though this eighth Starman trade isn't reprinting the strongest material from the series, DC deserves a "rock on!" for continuing the series as a trade line. Starman's still among my favorite series of the 90's, and since it wrapped with a strong conclusion, it absolutely deserves to have the entire run in print.
RANDY: Not much to say but "Amen" and add that I think Hitman deserves the same consideration.
Astro City/Arrowsmith (DC Comics/Homage) - RANDY: This is a nice bit of cross-promotion, and in addition to possibly pushing up sales on two worthy series, it's a worthwhile effort for readers as well. Astro City and Arrowsmith represent some of Busiek's strongest work, they both come with fantastic artistic co-collaborators and while one is super-hero and the other fantasy/war, I think that the audience interest crossover between the two should be close to 100%. Pick this one up if you're a fan of one of the series, I doubt you'll be disappointed in the other half of the book.
DAVE: Between Arrowsmith, Astro City, and JLA/Avengers, Kurt Busiek's workin' some serious mojo this year. I'm happy for him and I'm happy for comic readers, 'cause this is excellent material. In fact, it's good enough that I'll even pick up this one-shot which consists of one new "prelude" story and one old one that appeared only at DC's website. Don't much like prelude stuff - just cut to the chase, I say! - but what sealed the deal for me is that it's apparently gonna have maps and sketches, too. Kinda like the bonuses in the old Marvel Annuals.
The Authority/Lobo Christmas Special (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: Ah, yes, just what all of us broken-hearted Authority fans were hoping for... a goofy ultra-violent crossover with 90's throwback Lobo, all with an ironic "Christmas Special" theme. Most of us have been saying for months that DC never really knew what the appeal of The Authority was... the existence of this project pretty much clinches it.
DAVE: Actually, I never understood what the appeal of The Authority was, either. Zing!
Masks: Too Hot For TV! (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - DAVE: Here's how the preview describes it: "...a behind-the-scenes look at the day-to-day drudgery of superhero life, told in the time-honored tradition of reality TV series like Cops!" Oy, isn't it a bit early to call reality shows a "time-honored tradition"? Anyhoo, it's a Wildstorm one-shot with some pretty impressive names onboard - Ed Brubaker, Richard Corben, Jill Thompson, and Judd Winick, to name a few - so maybe we'll actually get a decent black comedy out of this.
RANDY: You and I both dug Wildguard, which was a reality show/super-hero blend, and this looks like it's in the same vein, but with a mature readers twist. However, while the subject material could be either funny or groan-worthy, that lineup of talent leads me to believe it'll be the former.
The Saga of the Seven Suns: Veiled Alliances HC (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: I've gotta be honest, I don't have much interest in a big sweeping science-fiction/fantasy epic based on a series of novels and adapted into expensive hardcovers. Or at least, I didn't until I saw previews of Robert Teranishi's artwork, which reminds me of some of the best work of guys like Jae Lee or Travis Charest. Actually, it turns out this isn't an adaptation anyway, but a prequel, and while that probably means non-readers of the novel series need not apply, I'm curious enough to give the inevitable softcover edition a flip-through when it hits the stands.
DAVE: The art does look nice. If I'd read the novels, I might look into this unlikely prequel format, but as it is...yeah, softcover seems the better place to give it a sampling.
Stormwatch: Team Achilles Vol. 2 TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: What's a completist to do? I passed up volume one of the Team Achilles trades, because I didn't like the art and I didn't like the initial stories from issues #1-6 all that much either. But volume two is where the art changes, and the stories start to get really good. Can I resist the lure of buying a trade I don't really want, just to have the complete series? Either way, volume two is going on my bookshelf as soon as it comes out, and I'm hoping that we'll see plenty more.
Vertical (DC Comics/Vertigo) -
DAVE: Warning! Experimental comic book format approaching! Get this - Vertical is actually going to be 3 1/2" wide and a whopping 10 1/4" tall, kind of the comic book equivalent of those skinny ties from the 60's. That's appropriate enough - the artsy/hipster story actually takes place in the 60's, with Steven T. Seagle writing and hepcat Mike Allred drawing. No clue as to what to make of it, but I'm sure it'll catch eyes on the shelves!
RANDY: A really great gimmick would be if you could wear the comic like a skinny tie from the 60's, and then people could read your chest and feel the love of comics.
Huh. That sounded dirtier than I meant it to.
At any rate, Seagle's running cold for me these days, but Allred is running hot, and I'm curious enough about the experimental format to give this a look when it hits the shelves.
Brit: Cold Death (Image Comics) - RANDY: The first Brit was surprisingly fun, and I expect that this second bookshelf format special by the same creative team will also be fun. Those with a fondness for the older, tough guy heroes like Robert Mitchum or Lee Marvin or modern-day Clint Eastwood, along with a fondness for super-heroes, should give this one a look.
Jack Staff TP Vol. 1: Everything Used to Be Black and White (Image Comics) - RANDY: Truthfully, I'm way more excited about the upcoming Kane collections than Jack Staff, but still... Jack Staff has been a fun read, even though it's clear that a lot of the homages and the general tone of the series are making references that I just can't get, not having been raised in England. At any rate, 350+ pages of Paul Grist comics for $20 is a deal that can't be beat, and Grist's likable cast of characters, including an everyman hero, a vampire girl reporter, a man in a robot suit and investigators of the weird should resonate with most super-hero fans.
Romp (Image Comics) - RANDY: Do you know why I'm excited about Romp? It's not just because it's by Adam Pollina, whose art has been sorely missed and who never really got the spotlight project he deserved. It's not just because it's the one-shot format that I've come to enjoy. No, it's because the solicitation reads "Emilio is a shy, delusional teenage boy who has convinced himself that he is the ultimate street-fighting super-hero, in spite of the small fact that he was born WITHOUT ANY ARMS!" The rest of the solicit is equally over-the-top, and I expect this to be riotously funny, or at least entertainingly bizarre.
DAVE: Dude, I can't believe you think there's something bizarre about an armless streetfighter.
Another clip from the solicitation: "He teams up with his super attendant, Chi Chi Gigante, a one-eyed, recovering alcoholic, former Pro-Wrestling Midget Champion."
Are...are people even allowed to say "midget" anymore?
RANDY: Once you've gotten past "armless streetfighter" I think you've left political correctness bleeding on the road a mile back.
Run (Image Comics) - RANDY: It's another "Millarworld" project, and this one is from Image. It's deliberately vague on the solicitations, but sounds mostly like a deconstructionist take on the concept of super-speed. Ashley Wood's artwork is often hard-to-follow, but his undeniably beautiful and kinetic style might just be perfect for this idea.
DAVE: No real interest here, but I like the intentionally tantalizing warning that accompanies the comic: "WARNING: This is a superhero comic, but must only be sold to those over eighteen years." Maybe it should come with a pack of smokes as an extra lure?
Wanted #1 (Image Comics/Top Cow) - DAVE: From interviews I've read with Millar, it's clear that he loves superheroes more than just about any other Brit writer save perhaps Alan Davis. As noted before, Millar superheroes usually aren't my thang, but the London Sunday Times describes Wanted as "Watchmen for super-villains," and I suspect that high concept will earn it a pretty solid audience. The talented J.G. Jones (Marvel Boy) draws the purty pictures.
RANDY: I've read a few preview pages in the back of Cursed from Top Cow this week, and I've gotta say, I'm intrigued. The work is reminiscent of Ultimates, with a similar conspiracy/celebrity spin on super-heroes and, oh yeah, gorgeous artwork. J.G. Jones's name guarantees my attention, and a solid three-page teaser sealed the deal.
Ultimate Spider-Man #50 (Marvel Comics) -
DAVE: Well, it's made it - the big issue fifty. I'm kind of up and down on this book, being a traditionalist type when it comes to the ol' Wall-Crawler, but it's a testament to the great moments Bendis crafts that I still keep up on it. Issue #50 intros the Ultimate incarnation of the Black Cat, who appears to be, shall we say, quite a bit more "mature" than Mary Jane (read: massive boobs). Is Peter Parker gonna get "Mrs. Robinsoned"?
RANDY: Bendis managed to make Venom interesting to me, so I'm pretty sure, unless he does Ultimate Carnage or the Ultimate Clone Saga, that I'll be on the book for as long as he's writing it. So even though it seems weird that he'd introduce Black Cat so (relatively) early on in the series, I'm looking forward to this as I do with every issue of Ultimate Spider-Man.
DAVE: Had you at "massive boobs," eh?
Ultimate Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I'm ecstatic to have Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo back onboard for the Fantastic Four (kudos to Marvel for doing what seemed impossible and fixing that PR nightmare and creative mistake), but the downside there is... what do I need with an Ultimate Fantastic Four now, since in my mind that's what Waid and his collaborators have been doing? Bendis and Millar collaborating is certainly intriguing, and I'm a fan of the Ultimate universe in general, so I'd categorize myself as interested, but there are some worrying things about the publicity for this project, not the least of which is the question of whether or not the market needs more than one Fantastic Four series, or whether this team can work as a bunch of teenagers.
DAVE: Interesting combo with Bendis and Millar. Seems the former should script, the latter should write all the action scenes. In any case, count me as someone who had little to no interest in seeing such a historically wild comic as Fantastic Four sedated to be more realistic. I'll read the first issue, though, just to give Bendis and Millar their shot.
Ultimate X-Men #40 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: It's a month of new stories and new starts for most of the Ultimate titles, and Ultimate X-Men promises new additions including the only missing original X-Man Angel as well as unlikely new addition Dazzler. Dazzler? I'm beginning to think that Bendis is writing Ultimate X-Men as some sort of dare. At any rate, since his current Ultimate X-Men arc is more of a tour of the Ultimate universe, I'm curious to see what we'll get when he writes one that's more focused on being an X-Men story.
Captain America #21 (Marvel Comics/Marvel Knights) -
DAVE: The writer of Truth + increasingly indecipherable artist, Chris Bachalo + an almost certain bid for that ever-elusive "relevance" = I miss the goddamn Serpent Society.
RANDY: Does it make me a cranky traditionalist that I agree with everything you just said? I'm all for relevance and political commentary in the pages of Captain America, but I'm much more interested in it being an entertaining book that doesn't seem embarrassed by its super-hero roots.
DAVE: C'mon, Marvel, bring back M.O.D.O.K. as a show of faith!
Ant-Man #1 (Marvel Comics/MAX) - DAVE: The creative team on this four-part mini is completely new to me, but just looking at the art, I can tell this will be visually impressive. It looks digitally enhanced, and reminds me of the old Avengers issue where Ant-Man went all microscopic to perform surgery on The Vision's synthezoid innards. I'm a little nervous that a new Ant-Man series needs to be a MAX title, though. Is he hookin' up with Jessica from Alias again?
RANDY: Different Ant-Man, dude. This is old school Hank Pym, which means its either out of continuity or a flashback. Either way, I like Ant-Man, but I have about as much desire to see a MAX series about him as I do to see Aunt May's days of horny swinging in her youth.
Marvelous Adventures of Gus Beezer: Gus Beezer & Spider-Man (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: Marvel's answer to Calvin (of and Hobbes fame), Gus Beezer, is back, with writer Gail Simone returning and being joined by new artist Gurihiru, who judging by the name may or may not be a Japanese pop band. At any rate, the art doesn't look quite as impressive, but the art wasn't the selling point of Gus Beezer anyway, the kid-friendly and funny aspects were, and with Simone onboard, we're sure to get that again.
DAVE: Same question as always when Marvel or DC does a kid-centric project: why aren't the companies doing more to distribute these in places kids shop? Ah well, I enjoyed the previous Gus Beezer material from Gail, so I'll just cross my fingers that kids actually find it.
New X-Men #150 (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: This issue - everybody dies! Okay, not quite, but it's the finale in the current Xorn-isn't-so-huggable-after-all storyline, and does promise the death of an X-Man. Very much looking forward to it, and I hope it's that jerky one-eyed student who gets the axe. You know the one: "Hyukk."
RANDY: While New X-Men has had its ups and downs for me, this new Xorn revelation and the upcoming final story from Morrison have made me realize that his run is probably going to be a classic when it's complete. It's not my favorite book running at the moment, but it does give me that old school thrill where I can't wait to read the next issue and see what happens next.
X-Treme X-Men #36-39 (Marvel Comics) -
DAVE: Here begins a Storm-centric four-parter. Plus: Storm is cool! Minus: Claremont's so in love with her that she's lost much of her original appeal! Plus: Igor Kordey is a great artist, and anyone who thinks otherwise needs to take some art classes! Minus: The story will have Storm forced to fight...in a gladiatoral arena! Final verdict: I don't read this book anyway.
Inhumans #8 (Marvel Comics/Tsunami) - RANDY: This is a standalone tale with guest artwork by Robert Teranishi, who I mentioned earlier in the DC section as an impressive-looking talent. McKeever's take on the Inhumans has really resonated with me, surprising given that I'm not even remotely a fan of the characters in general, and the "foreign exchange students from the moon" take has plenty of potential for further exploration. Seems worth noting as well that Inhumans Volume 1: Lunar, the trade collecting the first six issues, is also due out this month, so it would be relatively easy to catch up if you wind up liking the series after reading #8.
DAVE: I read the first two issues of this series and was pretty impressed. Gonna give the trade a look.
Amazing Spider-Man 500 Covers Hardcover Slipcase Collection (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I blame DC for setting the price point on these oversized hardcover collections so high (The Absolute Authority, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Green Arrow/Green Lantern, Deadman, etc.) Too bad, because while I might pay $40 or even $50 for an oversized collection of 500 Amazing Spider-Man covers without logos or cover copy, I'm not willing to drop $75 when I know full well that about half of them are going to be pretty bad.
DAVE: Can you imagine the 90's covers? My god! I'd buy this if I were a high-livin' high-roller, though, if only for the Ditko and Romita covers. Actually, if I was really a high-roller, I guess I'd just buy the actual issues...
RANDY: If you were really a high-roller, you'd create a time machine and an island fortress and kidnap all these creators to recreate the covers as a giant mural on your wall.
DAVE: Interesting...
Wolverine Vol. 1: The Brothers TP (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: The first Rucka/Robertson Wolverine story was good, with hints of greatness, and though the general consensus is that it ended on something of an anti-climax, I'm still prepared to call it the best the Wolverine book has been in years and years.
DAVE: Same feelings here. I like Rucka's understated approach to the character, an approach that's not so confining as to keep Logan from hitting the occasional berserker rage. More surprising is that I ended up being hugely impressed by Darick Robertson's seemingly troll-like vision of Wolverine. It's all barroom-brawler style, but with those little touches of craggy humanity that reminds me of the Wolverine I dig - the pre-Samurai Wolverine. I'll likely pick this up.
New Mutants Vol. 1: Back to School TP (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: It would be hard for this slow-paced story to have disappointed me more. Writers Christina Weir and Nunzio DeFilippis have done some fine work for Oni, but either editorial mandates or their own inexperience with superheroes seems to have hamstrung them here.
RANDY: I mostly agree with you, although I'd have laid the blame a little more at the feet of the disappointing art by Keron Grant. However, it seems worth noting that this week's issue of New Mutants is much stronger in my opinion than the first four, and whether it's editorial mandates being eased/lifted or Weir and DeFilippis getting comfortable with the characters and genre, I still hold out hope for this book.
And on that note, that's it for this installment of Down the Line. Be sure and come back next time for part two, where we take a look at the rest of the Previews catalog, which includes works from Alan Moore, Kyle Baker, Alex Ross, Kevin O'Neill, Neal Adams and of course, more Mark Millar.
Email Randy Lander comments about this review.
While my Snap Judgments reviews cover books as they are released, I'm as avid a follower of "what's next" as anyone else. Thus these Previews reviews, covering the Diamond Previews that allow fans to preorder comics from their local retailer. This installment covers the October previews for comics due to ship out in December 2003.
Sleeper: Out in the Cold TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have made this story of a super-powered spy undercover in a super-powered villain conspiracy must-reading for me, and it absolutely kills me that more people aren't reading this, especially when my day job in comics retail means I get to see what they're reading instead. Here's your chance to make it right... pick up this trade, one of two that will collect the initial Sleeper run, and get hyped for the relaunch, because this is noir comics the way they were meant to be, with great action sequences, moral quandries and deeply engaging characters. Oh, and there's boobs and swearing too. Truly, there is something for everyone in Sleeper.
