UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v35.7
by Brian Domingos

“Inside the duffel bag are the heads of all your lieutenants. That took me 2 hours. You want to see what I can get done in a whole evening?”

August 25th 2010

So I’m a little behind in my material here but I’ve finally gotten to sit down and watch the latest DC Entertainment direct-to-video movie, BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD. I’ve enjoyed these from the very start and this is no different. Rather than doing an original story, they chose to adapt one of the modern classics (something that I’ve championed for a long time now) and it works out almost being as good as the source material.

The original “Under the Hood” story ran in BATMAN #635-650 from writer Judd Winick, art team of Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen and colorist Alex Sinclair. It grew out of the seeds Winick planted in his earlier BATMAN story and told the story of Jason Todd’s return from the dead and back to the criminal-maiming business. It was intricately paced, starting with the brutal fight between Batman and a mysterious new opponent and then went back to show how it all unfolded.

The story here – also written by Winick – picks up the themes, the main plot points and, in some cases, the exact dialogue of its comic book counterpart. If suffers in parts because of its isolated nature; since it’s a free-standing project, all appearances/references to non-Batman characters were stripped out and the villains – other than Black Mask – were replaced with faceless ciphers. The original story ran alongside the then-current DCUniverse continuity, so it was tied into and influenced by the company crossovers INDENTIY CRISIS and INFINITE CRISIS, and here, the story ignores all that. While that leant to some of the original’s best and most memorable moments, it also resulted in an incomprehensive non-ending, which thankfully was corrected here. I get the feeling that Winick got a second take at it and it’s a satisfying and heart-breaking ending.

The result is a hard-hitting, self-contained story that needs to be watched. It’s an all-new cast – Batman: Bruce Greenwood; Jensen Ackles: Jason Todd/Red Hood; John Di Maggi: The Joker; and Neil Patrick Harris: Nightwing – that plays up the strengths of the characters and sheds new light on the relationships. Greenwood’s grizzled voice shows a damaged and hardened Batman; Ackles’ portrayal grabbed the edgy and tortured nature of the Red Hood; Di Maggi’s Joker is also a bit older as well as darker and more sinister. NPH’s usual light-hearted tone gave feeling that Nightwing is always five seconds away from taking a 200 foot freefall.

I was a little disappointed about the lack of Mr. Freeze – he’s one of my favorite parts of the comic – and Wade Williams’ Black Mask isn’t quite as funny as should have been. I’d blame it on the script, but it’s pretty close to the comic so that falls in Williams’ lap.

Overall, it’s a haunting story – a twist of the usual “Father and his two sons” tale. Nightwing’s the good son, Red Hood’s the bad son, and Batman has to own them both. When Batman & Red Hood have their team up against the assassins (not a spoiler) I got chills. It’s a warped version of Father/Son catch and it’s a blast.

So yeah, I highly recommend both the movie and the comics.

And with that, the summer’s over. How did that happen?

I’m doing something a little different over the next couple of months – because of a lack of material and to save some extra month – I’m no longer getting my weekly shipments from the Discount Comic Book Service. This is at least for September and October but I’ll just be getting one box at the end of the month. We’ll see how November looks, new bookwise, and if there’s a need, I’ll switch back. I just can’t justify the extra 12 bucks a month at this point.

It’ll slow me down a bit but I’ve still got an 11 inch tall “to read pile” as well as hitting the LCS on a weekly basis, so I’ll be in the loop to some extent.

Upcoming…
Books and items shipping Wednesday August 25 2010

JUN100013 1 FOR DOLLAR CONAN (NOTE PRICE) $1.00
JUN100014 1 FOR DOLLAR GOON $1.00
APR100795 10TH MUSE GALLERY (ONE-SHOT) $6.99
MAY100819 10TH MUSE LOST ISSUE #1 $3.99
MAY101107 2000 AD PACK JUL 2010 $18.00
JUN101076 A D NEW ORLEANS AFTER DELUGE SC $16.95

JUN100174 ACTION COMICS #892
DC Comics
$3.99

Paul Cornell’s ACTION COMICS (starring Lex Luthor) is off to a great start. Lex has a definitive mission in mind (harnessing the energies that fuel the universe’s power rings) and we’re slowly getting introduced to his specific point-of-view. This is the first time I’ve been able to appreciate Cornell’s fresh take on comics storytelling and I’m impressed. He’s coupled with artist Pete Woods (with Cafu as back-up) and it’s a fun little book. This issue has a co-feature story by Jeff Lemire & Pier Gallo introducing their new run on SUPERBOY.

APR108252 ALL NEW WOLVERINE SAGA (EACHES) PI
JUN108051 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #638 2ND PTG VAR (PP #930) $3.99
JUN100546 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN PRESENTS AMERICAN SON #4 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100923 ANI-MAX ONE SHOT $4.99
APR100396 ARCHIE CLASSIC NEWSPAPER COMICS HC VOL 01 $39.99
JAN100616 ASTONISHING X-MEN #35 $2.99
JUN100975 AVATAR OF THE FUTURIANS #2 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100552 AVENGERS #4 $3.99
JUL101114 BANIMON #2 (OF 3) $2.50
JUN100827 BART SIMPSON COMICS #55 $2.99

MAY100184 BATMAN: THE BAT AND THE BEAST TPB
DC Comics
$12.99

When I first saw that Peter Milligan was writing “Batman Vs a Russian Bear” I thought it would be a totally buigfuck crazy story. It’s actually not that crazy but does feature Bruce Wayne gallivanting in the snowy streets of Russia and Batman facing off against some gangsters. Andy Clarke – one of my favorites – draws the whole five issue story, which is important (he only got 2.5 of his 3 issue BATMAN & ROBIN run completed. I’m glad to have this collected but it’s not a must read.

JUN100154 BATMAN #702
DC Comics
$2.99

In a strange move, Grant Morrison & Tony Daniel take a step back and show Bruce Wayne's final hours before his 'death' at the hands of Darkseid. (It's actually what I think readers were expecting out of those two "R.I.P."/FINAL CRISIS issues that Lee Garbett did.) The first issue here (#701) was kind of cool, giving Morrison some time to breath and deal with some character bits. This issue (#702) looks excellent - mostly in part of Daniel's new art style which is him handling full pencils & inks.

JUN100229 BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #20 $2.99
JUN100756 BETTY & VERONICA #249 $2.99
JUN100230 BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #19 $2.99
JUN100571 BLACK WIDOW #5 $2.99

JAN100385 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 5 BLACK LANTERN BATMAN AF PI
JAN100388 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 5 BLACK LANTERN DEADMAN AF PI
JAN100387 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 5 BLACK LANTERN HAWKMAN AF PI
JAN100386 BLACKEST NIGHT SER 5 BLACK LANTERN NEKRON AF PI
MAY100510 BROKEN TRINITY PANDORAS BOX #2 (OF 6) VAR CVR $10.00
JUN100961 BULLET TO THE HEAD #3 (MR) $3.99
JUN100572 CAPTAIN AMERICA #609 $3.99
JUN100570 CAPTAIN AMERICA 1940S NEWSPAPER STRIP #3 (OF 3) $3.99
JUN100861 CARS HC VOL 01 ROOKIE $24.99
JUN100707 CEREBUS HC VOL 02 ALTA SOCIEDAD SPANISH ED $40.00
JUN101147 CHI SWEET HOME GN VOL 02 $13.95
APR100036 CHRONICLES OF KING CONAN TP VOL 01 $18.99
JUN100836 CODEBREAKERS TP $16.99
MAY101019 COMPLETE PEANUTS BOX SET 1975-1978 $49.99
MAY101018 COMPLETE PEANUTS HC VOL 14 1977-1978 $28.99
APR108110 CONAN TP VOL 03 TOWER OF THE ELEPHANT & STORIES NEW PTG $15.99

MAY100437 THE CRUSADES: KNIGHT, VOL. 1 HC
Image Comics
$29.99

I’m always happy to see Steven T. Seagle’s work in print, so knowing that we’ll see his Vertigo book with Kelly Jones - THE CRUSADES - collected by Image is exciting. This volume here collects the first nine issues of the series along with the oversized preview issue/one-shot. I recently flipped through the one-shot (the only part I’ve read) and it holds up pretty well. The second volume is in this week’s PREVIEWS catalogue for shipping in November. This volume is only about 5 weeks late, which isn’t bad, even by Image’s standards.

FEB101008 DANGER GIRL DLX ED HC $50.00

MAY100259 DARK ENTRIES TPB
Vertigo Crime/DC Comics
$12.99

I’m a big proponent of the Vertigo Crime line at Vertigo/DC Comics but I always thought that DARK ENTRIES has an odd book to co-launch the line. It’s not that Ian Rankin & Werther Dell’Edera didn’t do a good job with their John Constantine story – it’s more the fact that in no shape or form is DARK ENTRIES a crime story. It’s a modern thriller with horror tropes that sticks Constantine on the set of a reality TV show to deal with the contestants personal hells. But there’s no crime here – no noir or anything like that. It’s odd. It was clearly an unpublished script that was adapted to the smaller format. That said, it’s perfectly competent and that black & white format suits the artwork nicely.

JUN100632 DARK WOLVERINE #90 $2.99
MAY100515 DARKNESS #84 BRIGGS C2E2 VAR CVR $10.00
JUN100504 DARKNESS FOUR HORSEMEN #1 (OF 4) $3.99
APR100211 DC LIBRARY BATMAN THE ANNUALS HC VOL 02 $39.99
JUN100530 DEADPOOL TEAM-UP #890 $2.99
JUN100159 DETECTIVE COMICS #868 $3.99
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MAY101006 DF ERIC POWELL SDCC SKETCHBOOK $4.99
MAY101007 DF ERIC POWELL SDCC SKETCHBOOK SGN ED $29.99
APR100939 DF KS GREEN HORNET #1 CAMPBELL RET SHARED EX CVR $16.99
APR100940 DF KS GREEN HORNET #1 CAMPBELL RET SHARED EX CVR 2-PACK $19.36
MAY100996 DF KS GREEN HORNET #2 SEGOVIA RET SHARED EX CVR $16.99
MAY100997 DF KS GREEN HORNET #2 SEGOVIA RET SHARED EX CVR 2-PACK PI
FEB100892 DF MAGDALENA #1 EX VAR CVR MARZ SGN ED $10.00
APR100949 DF MARVEL-OUS 25-BOOK STARTER SET PI
MAR100932 DF NEMESIS #2 EX BLOODY & BEATEN CVR $10.00
DEC090845 DF THOR #607 BILLY TAN SGN ED PLUS 21 $29.99
DEC090844 DF ULTIMATE COMICS X #1 LOEB SGN ED PLUS TEN $39.99
JUN100864 DISNEYS HERO SQUAD #8 $2.99
APR100821 DO ANDROIDS DREAM DUST TO DUST #4 (OF 8) $3.99
JUN100112 DOMO QEE 2 INCH C2E2 EXC FIGURE $8.99
JUN100841 DRACULA COMPANY OF MONSTERS #1 $3.99
JUN100643 DREAM LOGIC #2 (MR) $5.99
JUN100457 DYNAMO 5 SINS OF THE FATHER #3 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100696 ESSENTIAL HULK TP VOL 06 $19.99
JUN100410 EXISTENCE 2.0/3.0 TP (MR) $14.99
APR100797 FAME #3 KRISTEN STEWART $3.99
MAY100821 FAME #4 TAYLOR SWIFT $3.99
JUN100587 FANTASTIC FOUR #582 $2.99
APR100798 FEMALE FORCE #16 ANNE RICE $3.99
MAY100822 FEMALE FORCE #17 MARGARET THATCHER $3.99
JUN100820 FEMALE FORCE #9 STEPHENIE MEYER FOIL ED $19.99
MAY100799 FEVRE DREAM #5 (OF 10) (MR) $3.99
MAY100800 FEVRE DREAM #5 (OF 10) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

MAY100260 FILTHY RICH TPB
Vertigo Crime/DC Comics
$12.99

But this - FILTHY RICH? This is fantastic. It’s one of the best pieces of work Brian Azzarello has done. It’s lean and tight and doesn’t fall into the normal Azzarello scripting traps. It’s witty and wry and heartbreaking. Victor Santos’ art is gorgeous, thriving in a format like this. His heavy inks and tasteful use of spot whites are showcased on each page. It’s a pitch-perfect noir tale with the unlucky loser, the hot chick, the threats and conflicts and the inevitable backstabbing. You can see it coming like an out of control truck but you just have to step back and let it happen.

JUN100252 FRINGE TALES FROM THE FRINGE #3 (OF 6) $3.99
JUL101818 GAME TRADE MAGAZINE #127 PI
JUN100251 GARRISON #5 (OF 6) $2.99
JUN100959 GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS #9 (OF 9) (MR) $3.50
MAY101085 GHOST PROJEKT #4 (OF 5) $3.99
MAY100731 GOLD DIGGER BOOKS OF MAGIC #1 $3.99
APR100716 GOLD DIGGER II POCKET MANGA TP VOL 10 $14.99
APR100719 GOLD DIGGER TIFFANY & CHARLOTTE PKT MANGA TP $14.99
JUN100164 GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #15 $2.99
MAR100743 GRAVEL #20 (MR) $3.99
MAR100744 GRAVEL #20 WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN100138 GREEN ARROW #3 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99
JUN100391 GUARDING THE GLOBE #1 (OF 6) $3.50
JUN108131 GUARDING THE GLOBE #1 (OF 6) VAR ED (PP #930) $3.50
APR100409 HACK SLASH VOL 03 FRIDAY THE 31ST TP (IMAGE ED) (MR) $18.99
MAR101084 HARDY BOYS GN VOL 20 DEADLY STRATEGY $8.99

MAY100274 HAUNTED TANK TPB
Vertigo/DC Comics
$14.99

I liked the first issue of this. Henry Flint’s artwork is sharp and clean and the story idea – the ghost of a confederate general comes back to protect his ancestor who happens to be an African-american tank gunner in the Middle East – tips the usual old concept on its ear. I have no idea how the rest of the story worked out.

JUN100704 HAVEN GN $15.95
JUN100592 HEROIC AGE PRINCE OF POWER #4 (OF 4) $3.99
MAY100885 INCREDIBLES HC VOL 01 FAMILY MATTERS $24.99
APR100461 INVINCIBLE #74 (MR) $2.99

MAR100467 IRON SAINT, VOL. 1 TPB
Image Comics
$14.99

I lost track of this book but I’m glad it’s getting collected finally… Francis Manapul – Geoff Johns’ recent collaborator on THE FLASH and ADVENTURE COMICS – worked on IRON SAINT a couple of years ago and it always looked like a blast. It’s from Jason Rubin (creator of Crash Bandicoot, Jak & Daxter), Manapul and Wildstorm guy Joel Gomez. I don’t know what the story looks like but I remember that the art samples were lovely looking.

JUN100758 JUGHEADS DOUBLE DIGEST #163 $3.99

JUN100142 JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #8
DC Comics
$2.99

Last issue was the new Justice League International’s break-in of Checkmate’s mountain headquarters, The Castle. They sneak in wearing various unused Rocket Red suits, which leads to lots of “undercover” Russian-esque dialogue. It’s pretty funny and well thought out. I really enjoyed Judd Winick’s collaboration with Greg Rucka on that CHECKMATE/OUTSIDERS story arc so I’m happy to see Winick take on some of these characters again.

JUN100146 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #48
DC Comics
$3.99

The final part of the J.S.A./J.L.A. crossover that came from James Robinson & Mark Bagley. It’s largely been a success as Robinson confidently juggled the characters. Bagley’s art isn’t flashy but its traditional style gives the book the classic team-up feel. I’d read these two doing this story forever, but I’m enjoying it while I can. I can’t wait to see what they are up to next.

JUL101053 KODT BAG WARS SAGA GN $14.99
JUN100464 LADY ROBOTIKA #2 $3.50
JUN100179 LEGION OF SUPER HEROES #4 $3.99
APR100040 LITTLE LULU TP VOL 24 SPACE DOLLY & OTHER STORIES $14.99
JUN100742 LOOSELY BASED GN $14.95
JUN100275 MADAME XANADU #26 (MR) $2.99

MAY100190 THE MIGHTY, VOL. 2 TPB
DC Comics
$17.99

So THE MIGHTY kind of went the way I was expecting (and hoping it wouldn’t) but it turned out to be a good read regardless of the near-disappointment. Peter Tomasi & Keith Champagne co-created and co-wrote the series with Chris Samnee on art – a book that follows the trials and tribulations of the world’s only superhero and the people around him. This second collection wraps up the series – (#7-12) – and I’ll give it a look if I can get my hands on it.

MAR100619 MMW ATLAS ERA TALES OF SUSPENSE HC VOL 03 $59.99
MAR100620 MMW ATLAS ERA TALES OF SUSPENSE HC VOL 03 DM ED 144 $59.99
MAR100621 MMW SGT FURY HC VOL 03 $54.99
MAR100622 MMW SGT FURY HC VOL 03 DM VAR ED 143 $54.99
JUN100654 MMW SILVER SURFER TP VOL 02 $24.99
JUN100655 MMW SILVER SURFER TP VOL 02 DM VAR ED 19 $24.99
MAR100645 MOON KNIGHT COUNTDOWN TO DARK PREM HC $24.99
MAR100646 MOON KNIGHT COUNTDOWN TO DARK PREM HC DM VAR ED 50 $24.99
JUN100682 MS MARVEL TP VOL 09 BEST YOU CAN BE $14.99
JUN100872 MUPPET SHOW #9 $2.99
MAY100893 MUPPET SHOW HC VOL 01 MEET THE MUPPETS $24.99
MAY100890 MUPPET SNOW WHITE #4 $2.99
JUN100624 NAMOR FIRST MUTANT #1 $3.99
JUN100708 NIGHT BOOKMOBILE GN $19.95
JUN100429 NOBLE CAUSES TP VOL 10 EVER AFTER $12.99
APR100966 NORMAN PETTINGHILL BACKWOODS HUMORIST HC $39.99
JUN100169 OUTSIDERS #32 $2.99
JUN100885 OZ WONDERLAND CHRONICLES #0-3 SET $8.99
APR100802 POLITICAL POWER #12 ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER $3.99

JUL100005 PREVIEWS #264 SEPTEMBER 2010 PI

After a couple of dead months, November looks like it’s going to have a pretty heavy load of new books to pick up. I can’t wait to crack open the catalogue and take a look.

MAY101119 PRIEST PURGATORY #1 (OF 4) (RES) $3.99

JUN100638 PUNISHER MAX: HAPPY ENDING #1
Max/Marvel Comics
$3.99

Peter Milligan and Juan Jose Ryp do a Punisher story that starts at a rub & tug joint. Hilarious. I’m glad to see Ryp actually have a talent colorist for once – one who won’t smother his details to bits.

JUN100744 RIPPED GN $14.95
APR100914 ROBOCOP #6 (MR) $3.50
APR100804 ROCK N ROLL COMICS #1 JOAN JETT & RUNAWAYS (MR) $3.99
JUN100674 RUNAWAYS TP VOL 11 HOMESCHOOLING DIGEST $9.99
JUN101200 SALEMS DAUGHTER #5 CVR A LIEFELD (RES) $2.99
JUN101201 SALEMS DAUGHTER #5 CVR B SEIDMAN (RES) $2.99
JUN100468 SAVAGE DRAGON #163 $3.50
JUN100439 SAVAGE DRAGON UNITED WE STAND TP $16.99
MAY100280 SCALPED #40 (MR) $2.99
JUN108052 SCARLET #1 2ND PTG MALEEV VAR (MR) (PP #929) $3.95
JUL100411 SCIENCE DOG SPECIAL #1 $3.50
JUL101118 SECRET ASIAN MAN THE DAILY DAYS TP $20.00
JUN100656 SECRET INVASION HC $34.99
JUN100586 SECRET WARRIORS #19 $2.99
JUN100524 SENSE & SENSIBILITY #4 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100579 SHADOWLAND MOON KNIGHT #1 (OF 3) SL $3.99
JUN100661 SIEGE THUNDERBOLTS PREM HC $19.99
JUN100761 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #216 $2.99
JUN100551 SPIDER-GIRL END #1 $3.99
JUN100608 SPIDER-MAN #5 $2.99
JUN100053 STAR WARS BLOOD TIES TALE JANGO & BOBA FETT #1 (OF 4) $3.50

JUN100681 STRANGE TALES TPB
Max/Marvel Comics
$24.99

After a brief delay, the trade paperback of Marvel’s indie anthology, STRANGE TALES is here. I’m not totally interested in most of the creators inside, but this sort of project has some charm.

JUN100177 SUPERMAN BATMAN #75
DC Comics
$4.99

I usually find these landmark issues to be a bit of a bore. I think the Frank Quitely cover is excellent, but typically the stories inside are a little dull. I mean, Jerry Ordway’s Legion of Super Heroes? *Snore*.

APR100221 SUPERMAN BATMAN NIGHT AND DAY HC $19.99
MAR100197 SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN #6 (OF 6) $3.99
JUN100695 SUPREME POWER CONTACT TP NEW PTG (MR) $19.99
JUN100672 TALES OF DRAGON GUARD PREM HC (MR) $24.99
JUL100730 TANGO COLLECTION TALENT FROM AUSTRALIA NEW ZEALAND $26.95
JUN100403 TANK GIRL HAIRY HEROES (ONE SHOT) (MR) $3.99
JUN100196 TEEN TITANS #86 $3.99
NOV090790 TEENS AT PLAY SPOILED BRATS GN (O/A) (A) $9.95
JUN100709 TERRY MOORES ECHO #24 $3.50
JUN108124 THANOS IMPERATIVE #2 (OF 6) 2ND PTG SEPULVEDA VAR (PP #930) $3.99
MAY101145 THE ART OF RESIDENT EVIL 5 SC $39.99
JUN100614 THOR #613 $3.99
JUN100684 THOR SON OF ASGARD TP $34.99
MAR100643 THOR WARRIORS THREE PREM HC $19.99
MAR100644 THOR WARRIORS THREE PREM HC DM VAR ED 49 $19.99
JUN100182 TIME MASTERS VANISHING POINT #2 (OF 6) $3.99
MAY100826 TONY & CLEO #1 $3.99
JUN100875 TOY STORY MYSTERIOUS STRANGER HC $24.99
JUN108172 TRUE BLOOD 2ND PTG #1 (OF 6) (PP #932) $3.99
DEC090319 TRUE BLOOD BILL COMPTON BUST $69.99
DEC090320 TRUE BLOOD ERIC NORTHMAN BUST $69.99
DEC090318 TRUE BLOOD SOOKIE STACKHOUSE BUST $69.99
JUN100536 ULTIMATE COMICS MYSTERY #2 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100679 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP VOL 03 $29.99
JUN100283 UNKNOWN SOLDIER #23 (MR) $2.99
JUN100029 USAGI YOJIMBO #131 $3.50
MAR100022 USAGI YOJIMBO LTD HC VOL 24 RETURN OF BLACK SOUL $59.99
APR100806 VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS #19 (MR) $3.99
MAY100828 VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS #20 (MR) $3.99
JUN101035 WHAT IF FANTASTIC FOUR TRIBUTE TO MIKE WIERINGO (O/A) $4.99

JUN100238 WILDCATS #26
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.99

I’m a weird place with the Wildstorm books – there are a bunch of plotlines going on at the same time but only about five issues left in the Beechen/Seeley run. What next? What’s the plan come 2011? I’d like some idea here, Wildstorm!

JUL100720 WIZARD MAGAZINE #230 SPIDER MAN SD $5.99
JUN100878 WIZARDS OF MICKEY #8 $2.99
JUN100791 WOLFSKIN HUNDREDTH DREAM #4 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
JUN100793 WOLFSKIN HUNDREDTH DREAM #4 (OF 6) BLOOD THIRST CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN100794 WOLFSKIN HUNDREDTH DREAM #4 (OF 6) PAINTED CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN100792 WOLFSKIN HUNDREDTH DREAM #4 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN100687 WOLVERINE ORIGINS TP SEVEN HARD WAY $14.99

JUN100199 WONDER WOMAN #602
DC Comics
$2.99

This JMS/Don Kramer WONDER WOMAN is actually rather good. Have you checked it out yet?

JUN100526 X-CAMPUS #3 (OF 4) $4.99
JUN100633 X-FACTOR #208 $2.99
JUN100626 X-MEN CURSE OF MUTANTS BLADE #1 $3.99
JUN100627 X-MEN CURSE OF MUTANTS STORM & GAMBIT #1 $3.99
JUN100637 X-MEN FOREVER 2 #6 $3.99
FEB100592 X-MEN INFERNO CROSSOVERS HC $75.00
JUN100629 X-MEN LEGACY #239 $2.99
JUN101056 ZEROIDS #1 SHORT CVR A $3.99
JUN101057 ZEROIDS #1 SPARACIO CVR B $3.99

Thanks for reading. Next week: a review of the new PREVIEWS catalogue.

Brian Domingos is the Editor-in-Chief at Popimage.com. Questions? Comments? Love Notes? Email him via brian@popimage.com. To submit a comic for review, please email him at the email link. We're always interested to see what people have to offer. And you can follow him on Twitter @bdomingos

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UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v35.6
by Brian Domingos

“Hey Scott – it’s that movie!”

August 18th 2010

I’m assuming that you all went to see SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD? Right? I mean, we all have to do our part, right?

It was a great little film (we’ll get to the bare bones in a minute) and we need to encourage Hollywood to support Edgar Wright and projects like this in the future.

Are we getting into this now? OK. I went to see it Friday night – the 9:30pm showing – with my wife and good friend (all three of us SP fans). The bad news was that there were probably only about 15-20 people there, total; the good news was that there were even less people at the theatre to see the Other Big Hollywood Openings, so it all balances.

Edgar Wright did a fantastic job with the adaptation and he and Michael Bacall’s script looked and felt enough like Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Original Graphic Novels that it fit just right. It felt like home, in a way as I’m the target audience for the material. It’s for people in their early 30s/late 20s whom sort of remember the 80s; for those of us who spent cumulative days in front of the Nintendo and listening to hours of rock and roll. It’s 100 percent for me.

The action is flawless with great special effects and fight choreography. When you’ve got a flaming sword cutting dudes in half who turn into piles of coins and it looks real, you’re on to something. The editing was tight and the transitions were seamless. Wright moved from comic scene to comic scene effortlessly, merging moments and cutting them close. I loved all of it. Really fun stuff.

The casting was risky because the characters are so well defined in the book and there were only a few missteps. Michael Cera’s titular hero was charming in his awkward inelegance. Mary Elizabeth Winstead certainly looked the part of “Ramona Flowers” and her misplaced aloofness worked to endear and annoy at the same time. Ramona’s a damaged character and I thought she summed it up well.

Otherwise, it’s all about the supporting cast. The members of Sex Bob-omb Kim (Alison Pill) Pine, Stephen (Mark Webber) Stills reflected the cynicism and intense doubt, respectively. Pill nailed the “Kim Pine Dagger Eyes” and Webber had that “we’re going to make it/oh god we suck!” that fueled Stephen Stills. They were a pretty awesome band, too – they might have actually been better than they should have been. Ellen Wong, as “Knives Chau,” toed the line between cute and dangerous. Kieran Culkin’s “Wallace Wells” supplied the expected amount of comic relief but Aubrey Plaza’s “Julie Powers” got the most amounts of laughs out of me. She’s funnier here than in the comic.

The story followed the books pretty closely for the first 30 minutes or so – the set up of the characters, Scott’s relationship with Knives, the battle of the band and all that – pretty much the first volume. After that, once the gauntlet of the League of Seven Evil Exs is thrown, it’s a pretty breakneck pace. A lot of extra material is trimmed out (the entire Lisa Miller subplot, for one) and it’s basically just Scott vs the Evil Exs.

Satya Bhabha’s “Matthew Patel” was perfectly annoying; Chris Evans’ “Lucas Lee” was a lot of fun as was Brandon Routh’s “Todd Ingram”. Todd was actually less douchy here than in the books, which is a testament to Routh’s talents. I don’t know if it’s exactly stunt casting or anything, but having Mae Whitman (“her?”) play Roxy Richter is fun. It’s a nice nod to Ramona’s “sexy period.” Keita Saitou and Shota Saito played the twins, Kyle Katayanagi and Ken Katayanagi and they had about as much personality as their black & white counterparts. Jason Schwartzman’s “Gideon Gordon Graves” was amazing. I’m a huge fan of his so this was a fun little treat. The story ends differently than the comics (as Mal hadn’t finished the story yet) and it’s a nice companion to the epic saga itself.

The only down side was Brie Larson as “Envy Adams”. Envy is the ultimate heart-breaker – the one who ruined Scott for 431 days – Larson didn’t get it done. Now, Envy’s character was not as significant here as in the books – at least in screen time – but she didn’t have that air of mystery and intrigue that she needed. See, Scott dated Natalie in college and then she developed a new persona, “Envy” and out grew him. She went from attainable to bombshell seemingly overnight, leaving a Scott-shaped mark on the wall after she left. Now she’s back, frontwoman of the biggest band in the world and one of the hottest chicks around. Larson just wasn’t sexy enough. I wanted to see a six foot tall red-head goddess – she was just OK.

Now, the movie didn’t do so well in the opening weekend but it’s going to make its money back, which is a good thing. And the DVD sales are going to be huge, because I think it’s going to turn into “one of those” movies that gets an audience after the fact and sticks around for a long time in the cultural mindset. I’m guessing the DVD set with all of the trailers and animated shorts so it’s going to be just as important to get into as the movie.

Oh and the soundtrack is great: Beck wrote the Sex Bob-omb songs and they are catchy as hell. And the Plum Tree song that inspired all of this is one of the best songs you’ve never heard.

Please try to go see this at least one more time. If not, come on – just buy a ticket or something.

Apologies for no update last week – I had a bear of a week at work and didn’t come up for air until Friday. I’m glad I could get back on track for this week.

Upcoming…
Books and items shipping Wednesday August 18, 2010

JUN100011 1 FOR DOLLAR HELLBOY SEED OF DESTRUCTION $1.00
JUN100012 1 FOR DOLLAR USAGI YOJIMBO $1.00
JUN100566 AGE OF HEROES #4 (OF 4) $3.99

JUN100265 AIR #24
Vertigo/DC Comics
$2.99

So sad to see this end. AIR certainly got its fair share, but it’s never fun to see books end before their time. I preordered the entire run and bought this one off of the shelf as well. A last ditch show of support. I’ll miss my monthly dose of Willow Wilson & MK Perker. I hope they work together again soon.

JUN108069 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #636 2ND PTG VAR (PP #929) $3.99
JUN108070 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #637 2ND PTG VAR (PP #929) $3.99
JUN100539 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #640 $3.99
JUN100346 ANGEL #36 $3.99
JUN100752 ARCHIE #612 $2.99
JUN100567 ATLAS #4 $2.99

JUN100239 THE AUTHORITY: THE LOST YEAR #12 (OF 12)
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.99

Reading the first seven issues all over again, I got a new appreciation for "The Lost Year" - frankly, it makes more sense that way. This final issue should be taking the multiverse-traveling Authority back to 'their' Earth in the days/moments before the "Number of the Beast" storyline. How they get there, though, I don't know. Jerry Ordway & Kevin Nowlan do most of the art in the issue, with 'surprise guests' who can really be anyone. I'm excited to see how Keith Giffen wraps it all up.

JUN100568 AVENGERS & INFINITY GAUNTLET #1 (OF 4) $2.99
JUN108123 AVENGERS ACADEMY #2 2ND PTG MCKONE VAR (PP #930) $2.99
JUN100558 AVENGERS ACADEMY #3 $2.99
JUL100711 AVENGERS INITIATIVE TP DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES $14.99
JUN100168 AZRAEL #11 $2.99
JUL100834 BAD KIDS GO TO HELL TP (NEW PTG) (MR) $14.99
JUN100162 BATMAN BEYOND #3 (OF 6) $2.99

JUN100165 BATMAN: STREETS OF GOTHAM #15
DC Comics
$3.99

Been enjoying the “Hush” story in “Streets of Gotham”? Me too. Unfortunately, it’s not included in this issue: the co-feature story – Ivan Brandon & Ramon Bach’s take on Two-Face – fills the entire page count, which is a disappointment. Next month we’re supposed to be back to Paul Dini & Dustin Nguyen, but who knows at this point.

APR100318 BATMAN UNDER THE RED HOOD DVD RED HOOD MAQUETTE $99.99
MAY100042 BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY ARCHIVES HC VOL 03 $49.99
JUN100906 BOYS HIGHLAND LADDIE #1 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
MAY100060 BRIDE OF THE WATER GOD TP VOL 06 $9.99
JUN100130 BRIGHTEST DAY #8 $2.99
JUN100042 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER RILEY ONE SHOT JO CHEN CVR $3.50
JUN100043 BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER RILEY ONE SHOT KARL MOLINE CVR $3.50
JUN100453 BULLETPROOF COFFIN #3 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
MAY100727 CAVEWOMAN TOY STORY ONE SHOT $3.75
JUN100735 CAVEWOMAN TOY STORY ONE SHOT SPECIAL EDITION PI
JUN100858 CBGB #2 (OF 4) (MR) $3.99
MAY100471 CHEW #13 (MR) $2.99
JUN100952 CLASSIC RED SONJA REMASTERED #3 $3.99
JUN108053 DAREDEVIL #508 2ND PTG DE LA TORRE VAR (PP #929) $2.99

APR100265 DARK RAIN: A NEW ORLEANS STORY HC
Vertigo/DC Comics
$24.99

I’m so pleased with the amount of new Original Graphic Novels from Vertigo in the last year. DARK RAIN comes from INCONEGRO writer Mat Johnson and VINYL UNDERGROUND (remember that?) artist Simon Gane do a crime story in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Looks like fun.

JUN100519 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER JOURNEY BEGINS #4 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100862 DARKWING DUCK #3 $3.99
DEC090313 DC COVER ART PRINT ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN $125.00
JUN100187 DC UNIVERSE LEGACIES #4 (OF 10) $3.99
JUN100528 DEADPOOL #26 $2.99
JUN100529 DEADPOOL CORPS #5 $2.99
MAY100397 DEADWORLD CLASSIC TP VOL 01 $24.99
DEC090846 DF DOOMWAR #1 SCOTT EATON SGN ED PLUS TEN $29.99
FEB100891 DF MAGDALENA #1 EX VAR CVR $3.99
DEC090847 DF MS MARVEL #50 BRIAN REED SGN ED PLUS FIVE $29.99
JUN100365 DOCTOR WHO ONGOING #14 $3.99
JUN100865 DONALD DUCK AND FRIENDS #357 $2.99
MAY100388 DRAGON AGE #3 $3.99

JUN100240 DV8: GODS AND MONSTERS #5 (OF 8)
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.99

Brian Wood and Rebekah Isaac’s run is looking like one of the Definitive works in the Wildstorm Universe. The characters have gotten a new coat of paint and it’s fun to see them built up and torn down.

JUN100698 ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA TP NEW PTG VOL 02 $19.99

MAY100222 EX MACHINA #50
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$4.99

The End of a Good Thing. Tony Harris has had two massive runs on terrific books. It’s an honor to have read them. I preordered the tenth and final EX MACHINA collection, so it’ll be a while until I read this but I’m dying to see what the big secrets are and how Brian K. Vaughan wraps everything up.

JUN100270 FABLES #97 (MR) $2.99
JUN100843 FARSCAPE ONGOING #10 $3.99
APR100710 FEMFORCE OMNIBUS TP VOL 03 $29.95
JUN100866 FINDING NEMO LOSING DORY #2 $2.99
JUN100254 FREE REALMS #12 (OF 12) $3.99
JUN100333 GI JOE COBRA II #7 $3.99
JUN100327 GI JOE ORIGINS #18 $3.99
MAR101087 GIRL PRESENTS BODY HEAT GN NEW PTG (A) $11.99
JUN101221 GOLDILOCKS & SEVEN SQUAT BEARS HC $14.99
OCT090325 GOTHAM CITY STORIES STATUE PART 2 CATWOMAN $99.99
JUN100134 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #51 (BRIGHTEST DAY) $2.99
MAR100952 GROTESQUE #4 $7.95
APR100408 HACK SLASH OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 (IMAGE ED) (MR) $29.99
JUN100272 HELLBLAZER #270 (MR) $2.99
APR100037 HELLCYON #3 (OF 4) $3.50
JUN100390 HODGE THE HEDGEHOG HC (RES) $15.99
MAY101064 HONEY WEST #1 COLOR PHOTO CVR C $5.99
MAY101063 HONEY WEST #1 LLOYD CVR B $3.99
MAY101062 HONEY WEST #1 MCCLINTON CVR A $3.99
JUN100594 HULK #24 $3.99
JUN100247 IDES OF BLOOD #1 (OF 6) $3.99
NOV090321 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR A SPAWN $3.99
NOV090322 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR B SAVAGE DRAGON $3.99
NOV090323 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR C FORTRESS SHAFT $3.99
NOV090324 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR D RIPCLAW $3.99
NOV090325 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR E SHADOWHAWK $3.99
NOV090326 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) CVR F BADROCK $3.99
NOV098023 IMAGE UNITED #3 (OF 6) KEOWN CVR G (PP #901) $3.99
MAR100953 INTERIORAE #4 $7.95
JUN100593 IRON MAN MAGAZINE #3 $6.99
JUN100311 JAMES PATTERSONS WITCH & WIZARD #4 BATTLE SHADOWLAND $3.99
APR100320 JONAH HEX MOVIE JONAH HEX BUST $80.00
APR100321 JONAH HEX MOVIE LILAH BUST $80.00

JUN100144 JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #42
DC Comics
$2.99

James Robinson & Mark Bagley’s crossover between the J.L.A. & J.S.A. continues. It’s been a blast. I wish they could work on both books like this for the long haul.

MAR100846 KEVIN SMITH GREEN HORNET #1 GREEN FOIL CVR PI
MAY100240 KILLAPALOOZA TP $19.99
JUN100899 LAST PHANTOM #1 $3.99
JUN100465 LIGHT #5 (OF 5) $2.99
MAY100040 LITTLE LULU PAL TUBBY VOL 01 CASTAWAY OTHER STORIES $15.99
MAY100958 LONE RANGER #23 $3.50
JUN100604 MARVEL UNIVERSE VS PUNISHER #2 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100376 MGM DRIVE IN THEATER #2 IT TERROR FROM BEYOND STARS $3.99
MAY100892 MUPPET SHOW TP VOL 04 FAMILY REUNION $9.99
JUN100561 NEW AVENGERS #3 $3.99
JUN100628 NEW MUTANTS #16 $2.99
MAR100954 NIGER #3 $7.95
JUN100602 OFF HANDBOOK MARVEL UNIVERSE A TO Z UPDATE #3 $3.99
JUN100856 PALE HORSE #3 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100759 PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #144 $3.99
JUN100386 PHANTOM JACK NOWHERE MAN AGENDA GN $19.99
JUN100343 PHOENIX WITHOUT ASHES #1 (OF 4) $3.99

JUN100194 POWER GIRL #15
DC Comics
$2.99

This book is a lot of fun.

Judd Winick and Sami Basri have done a great job mixing Power Girl’s superhero and day job aspects.

JUN100984 PS238 TP VOL 08 WHEN WORLDS GO SPLAT $15.99
JUN101096 READING WITH PICTURES GN $17.99

MAY100191 R.E.B.E.L.S.: STRANGE COMPANIONS, VOL. 2 TPB
DC Comics
$14.99

R.E.B.E.L.S. is the kind of book that makes you work for it. I’m giving it a second volume because I see the potential but for some reason, when I start getting into these ‘space’ theme books my eyes start to roll back in my head.

MAY101066 ROTTEN #7 $3.99
APR100967 SAMMY THE MOUSE #3 $7.95
JUL101060 SAN FRANCISCO PANORAMA COMICS SECTION TABLOID FORMAT $10.00

JUN100555 SECRET AVENGERS #4
Marvel Comics
$3.99

This is the only Avengers-related book worth reading. Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato are a great team.

JUN100399 SEEDLESS OGN (MR) $12.99
JUN100582 SHADOWLAND DAUGHTERS OF SHADOW #1 (OF 3) SL $3.99
JUN100580 SHADOWLAND POWER MAN #1 (OF 4) SL $3.99
JUN108121 SHIELD #2 3RD PTG WEAVER VAR (PP #930) $2.99
JUN100607 SHIELD DIRECTORS CUT #1 $4.99

MAY100193 SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE DOOM PATROL, VOL. 2 TPB
DC Comics
$19.99

When it comes to these SHOWCASE PRESENTS books I sometimes get more excited by the idea of the availability than the material itself. I’ve picked up a couple that have sat in a pile until I got rid of them, but DOOM PATROL is one of those volumes that I sat down and read through the whole thing straight through. It’s one of those rare “Silver Age” books that still holds up. It’s excellent.

JUN100660 SIEGE THOR PREM HC $19.99
JUN100828 SIMPSONS COMICS #169 $2.99
MAY100723 SIXSMITHS #1 (MR) $1.00
JUN101078 SIXTH GUN #3 $3.99
JUN100664 SPIDER-WOMAN PREM HC AGENT OF SWORD $24.99
JUN100185 SPIRIT #5 $3.99
JUN100354 STAR TREK BURDEN OF KNOWLEDGE #3 $3.99
MAY100052 STAR WARS LEGACY #50 EXTREMES PART 3 (OF 3) $2.99
JUN108054 STEVE ROGERS SUPER-SOLDIER #1 2ND PTG DJURDJEVIC VAR $3.99
JUN100700 STEVE ROGERS SUPER-SOLDIER POSTER $8.99
JUN100176 SUPERGIRL #55 $2.99
JUN100471 SWEETS #2 (OF 5) (MR) $2.99
JUN100619 THUNDERBOLTS #147 $2.99
JUN100231 TINY TITANS #31 $2.99
JUN100323 TRANSFORMERS ARMADA OMNIBUS TP $24.99
JUN100320 TRANSFORMERS NEFARIOUS #6 $3.99
JUN100313 TRUE BLOOD #2 $3.99
JUN100472 TRUE STORY SWEAR TO GOD #13 $3.50
JUN100621 UNCANNY X-MEN #527 $3.99
JUN108120 UNCANNY X-MEN HEROIC AGE #1 2ND PTG BROOKS VAR (PP #930) $3.99
MAY101031 UNSINKABLE WALKER BEAN GN $13.99
JUN108122 VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #10 2ND PTG RYP VAR (PP #930) $2.99
MAY100900 WALL-E TP VOL 02 OUT THERE $9.99
JUN100548 WEB OF SPIDER-MAN #11 $3.99
FEB100404 WEIRD WORLD OF JACK STAFF #4 $3.50
JUN100510 WITCHBLADE DUE PROCESS (ONE SHOT) $3.99
JUN100631 WOLVERINE WEAPON X #16 $3.99
JUN100662 X-FACTOR SECOND COMING PREM HC $19.99
JUN100257 X-FILES 30 DAYS OF NIGHT #2 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
JUN108119 X-FORCE #28 2ND PTG CHOI VAR (PP #930) $2.99
JUN108118 X-FORCE SEX AND VIOLENCE #1 (OF 3) 2ND PTG VAR (PP #930) $3.99

Thanks for reading. Next week: a review of the latest DC Entertainment DVD, BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD.

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UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v35.5
by Brian Domingos

Scenes From The Future: Part LXXXXI

August 5th 2010

Welcome to the start of August and a brand new installment of "Until Your Heart Stops." This month we’re covering the latest PREVIEWS catalogue, which showcases all of the items shipping through the comics industry. The books below are scheduled to arrive in stores starting in October 2010 and beyond.

Whole lotta BRUCE WAYNE comics coming in October. The main bat-books – along with some new ones – take a month off to showcase different aspects of Bruce’s place in Gotham City.

Fabian Nicieza leads the way with three issues (“Batman & Robin” with Cliff Richards, “Red Robin” with Ramon Bachs & John Lucas and “Ra’s al Ghul” with fan-favorite ‘TBD’). Richards most recently drew Batman in NEMESIS: THE IMPOSTORS so he’s got the chops. Bachs was the original RED ROBIN artist so he’s a good fit there.

Bryan Q. Miller’s been doing a great job with Stephanie Brown on the monthly book so it makes sense for him to do the “Batgirl” issue. Pere Perez does the art here and I loved his work on the Jimmy Olsen one-shot so I’m looking forward to it.

Longtime OUTSIDERS writer is onboard with the team of unwanted once again – with no artist announced.

In an interesting move, “Streets of Gotham” inker-turned-scripter Derek Fridolfs pens the “Catwoman” one-shot. Unsurprisingly, Peter Nguyen, regular fill-in artist on GOTHAM SIRENS does the art.

Adam Beechen and the final MANHUNTER artist Syzmon Kudranski handle the “Commissioner Gordon” one-shot. It’ll be weird to see how he responds to Bruce’s return as he’s taken a liking to the new DickBatman.

Marc Andreykon and regular G.I.JOE artist Agustin Padilla handle Barbara Gordon in “Oracle”.

Finally, Grant Morrison David Finch & Scott Williams unite for the double-sized “The Return” which brings Bruce back to the present. It sets off the new status quo which begins in November.

Shane Davis does all of the covers – none of which have been released yet. Hopefully we’ll see them soon.

Oh, and I almost forgot Paul Cornell & Jimmy Broxton’s KNIGHT & SQUIRE miniseries. Cornell’s work on ACTION COMICS has impressed me and I’ve actually wanted to read more of it – which is a change from me and his Marvel work. He’s looking to bring some of that British weirdness to England’s Dynamic Duo. Broxton worked with Peter Gross on TE UNWRITTEN and I liked the work I saw. Yanick Paquette’s cover is a nice start as well.

I think the Bat-books are on the right path.

BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - BATMAN & ROBIN #1 (PAGE 75, $2.99, Scheduled Shipping Date: 10/06/10; Order Code: AUG10 0135)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - RED ROBIN #1 (PAGE 75, $2.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0136)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - BATGIRL #1 (PAGE 76, $2.99, SSD: 10/13/10, $2.99; OC: AUG10 0137)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - THE OUTSIDERS #1 (PAGE 76, $2.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0138)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - CATWOMAN #1 (PAGE 77, $2.99, SSD: 10/20/10; OC: AUG10 0139)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - COMMISSIONER GORDON #1 (PAGE 77, $2.99, SSD: 10/20/10; OC: AUG10 0140)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME - ORACLE #1 (PAGE 78, $2.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 0141)
BRUCE WAYNE: THE ROAD HOME – RA’S AL GHUL #1 (PAGE 78, $2.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 0142)
BATMAN: THE RETURN #1 (PAGE 79, $4.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 0143)
KNIGHT & SQUIRE #1 (OF 6) (PAGE 80, $2.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0146)

I’m sad to see Bill Willingham leave so soon after starting his run on JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA.

It was a slow and bumpy start but the recent “Future Nazis” story was pretty enjoyable. Either way, he’s gone and Marc Guggenheim & Scott Kolins are taking over with #44.

I’ve only read a small amount of Guggenheim’s work – I liked his limited FLASH run (for what it was) and thought his CIVIL WAR: WOLVERINE arc was a ton of fun. I also like his Oni Press book, RESSURECTION, so I’m going to give this a shot. From what I’ve read, Guggenheim wants the J.S.A. establish a literal society – basically run a town and build a new Society for the future.

Kolins’ work has fluctuated over the last couple of years. I adored his work on THE FLASH but then he started inking himself and it got a little sloppy and then he was writing and drawing and the stories got a little tedious. I’m excited to see him back on a book he can really sink his teeth into. I know he draws a terrific Jay Garrick/Flash and I think he’s done some Alan Scott stuff before.

Also this month is the JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: 80-PAGE GIANT 2010. Now, usually, these books are terrible. Last year’s J.S.A. installment was the only one worth reading. It was largely great from top to bottom.

Based on the creative team here (writers like Marc Andreyko, Brandon Jerwa and Jason Starr and artists like Freddie Williams, Leandro Fernandez, Victor Ibañez, Mateus Santolouco, Bill Sienkiewicz and Tonci Zonjic) it sounds pretty excellent. Plus, there’s a Sand story on the way and I love Sand.

JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #44 (PAGE 94, $2.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 0177)
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA: 80 PAGE GIANT 2010 #1 (PAGE 94, $5.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0178)

A sure sign of a regime change at DC is that Warren Ellis & Phil Jimenez’s long-lost HELLBLAZER story, “Shoot,” is finally getting printed in October.

VERTIGO RESURRECTED #1 is one of the many new 96 page trade paperbacks being offered from DC this Fall. “Shoot” will likely lead the pack. It’s a HELLBLAZER story about a school shooting written prior to the Columbine massacre that was due to be released soon after the event. Ellis said “print it”, DC higher ups said, “no” and shelved it out of respect. That was, what, 11 years ago? Most people never thought they’d see it again. (Black & white scans were available up on a website for a long time – which is how I’ve read it – but they were taken down a long time ago.)

This “Resurrected” contains stories by Garth Ennis, Brian Azzarello, Peter Milligan and Jim Lee, though it doesn’t mention specifics.

Similarly, DC COMICS PRESENTS: JACK CROSS #1 reprints Warren Ellis & Gary Erskine’s four issue miniseries about a terrorist hunter called Jack Cross. It’s a combination of experimentation and an owed favor – a piece of Ellis history that most of his ‘fans’ don’t even know about. I thought it was cool as hell – a four part anti-terrorism procedural with some risky art choices. It’s a good read. And again, it’s 96 pages – which is smaller than publishers like to print – and worth the time.

In an odd move, DC COMICS PRESENTS: BATMAN #1 reprints the first four issues of Ed Brubaker’s run on BATMAN. The book had suffered for a while under Larry Hama’s pen and Brubaker came in – an indie guy with a crime background – and he killed it. This story, though – Batman Vs. Penguin – is not the strongest of the bunch and it’s a weird “# 1” story to chose. It’s got some cool art by Scott McDaniel, so there’s that.

I’m hoping this encourages DC to rerelease some of their back catalogue in trade paperback. Hopefully, if these sell well, they will.

VERTIGO RESURRECTED #1 (PAGE 98, $7.99, SSD: 10/20/10; OC: AUG10 0190)
DC COMICS PRESENTS: JACK CROSS #1 (PAGE 100, $7.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0193)
DC COMICS PRESENTS: BATMAN #1 (PAGE 100, $7.99 SSD: 10/20/10; OC: AUG10 0194)

Here’s a quick pair of larger trade paperbacks from DC Comics.

Marc Andreyko’s MANHUNTER gets a sixth collection in “Faceoff”. The story ran as a co-feature through BATMAN: THE STREETS OF GOTHAM #1-13, relocating Kate Spencer to Gotham City as the new District Attorney. Her mission is to find out who hired Jane Doe to kill her predecessor in the DA’s office.

The story starts off strong but it appears to just… end. I can’t help but think that it’s not how Andrekyo intended on finishing the story. But, that’s like the history behind MANHUNTER.

The run had multiple artists like Georges Jeanty, Jeremy Haun and Syzmon Kudranski. It’s a weird mix of styles but each worked in its own way. I’d be fine with any of them taking over the book (when it hopefully comes back some day.)

For some reason, GREEN LANTERN CORPS changed to hardcovers in place tpbs. This started with “Emerald Eclipse”. The story picks up after “Sins of the Star Sapphire” and before BLACKEST NIGHT. It picks up remaining threads from the “Sinestro Corps War,” Mongul and the yellow rings, pitting him against Sodam Yat, AKA Ion.

Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason & Rebecca Buchman had a fantastic run on GLC and this is just another piece of that puzzle.

MANHUNTER: FACEOFF TPB (PAGE 103, $17.99, SSD: 11/24/10; OC: AUG10 0200)
GREEN LANTERN CORPS: EMERALD ECLIPSE TPB (PAGE 104, $14.99, SSD: 11/10/10; OC: AUG10 0205)

Apparently Warren Ellis & Cully Hamner’s C.I.A. shoot ‘em up RED is coming back as a movie in October?

OK, so I knew that, but what I didn’t expect was all of this new material.

First, the original three issue series from Ellis & Hamner is reoffered. It’s not anything like the movie, but it’s pretty damned awesome one its own. Hamner shows off his impeccable storytelling. Ellis’ script was textbook decompression and Hamner nails every page. It’s murder murder murder and it’s gorgeous.

Hamner also has solo story RED: PREQUEL SPECIAL #1 that takes place in Paul Moses’ past – the mission that got him retired in the first place. Like I said, Hamner’s awesome, so getting this is a given. I hope David Baron – colorist on RED – got the gig as well.

So the movie features Frank (not Paul) Moses but it strays from the central concept of the comic where it introduces Paul’s compatriots, pitting four against the government. To help ease into that, there’s four one-shots from a variety of creators to introduce some of the characters.

RED: MARVIN SPECIAL #1 comes from Erich Hoeber – co-writer of the screenplay of RED – and Diego Olmos, artist on Wildstorm’s SUPERNATURAL comics. Marvin is played by John Malkovich.

Jon Hoeber – co-writer of the screenplay of RED – gets lucky with David (RED HERRING, BITE CLUB) Hahn on the RED: VICTORIA SPECIAL #1 introducing the femme fatale (played by Helen Mirren).

Action writer Doug Wagner (known best for his comic, THE RIDE) handles RED: JOE SPECIAL #1 with HUMAN TARGET artist Bruno Redondo. (Joe is played by Morgan Freeman).

RED producer Gregory Noveck and Jason “Draws like Cully Hamner” Masters reintroduce readers to the series lead in RED: FRANK SPECIAL #1, starring Bruce Willis.

It’s likely a hit-or-miss group but I think there’s some potential here. I double-checked the talent before posting this and the art’s all going to nice to look at, that’s for sure.

RED NEW EDITION TPB (MAR090211) (PAGE 113, $14.99, SSD: 09/22/10; OC: AUG10 0234)
RED: PREQUEL SPECIAL #1 (PAGE 113, $4.99, SSD: 09/29/10; OC: AUG10 0235)
RED: MARVIN SPECIAL #1 (PAGE 114, $3.99, SSD: 10/20/10; OC: AUG10 0236)
RED: VICTORIA SPECIAL #1 (PAGE 114, $3.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0237)
RED: JOE SPECIAL #1 (PAGE 115, $3.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0238)
RED: FRANK SPECIAL #1 (PAGE 115, $3.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 0239)

A pair of Wildstorm tpbs:

“Term Limits” is the final volume of EX MACHINA, wrapping up what is Brian K. Vaughan’s last ongoing comics project.

After reading volumes eight & nine, I got sucked back into the series. Vaughan’s crafted a multilayered book here and the whole thing’s building to a boiling point. Not only that, but Tony Harris’ art seems to have gotten better, if that’s even possible. I’m happy to have the whole thing collected.

Continuing what feels like “Warren Ellis Month” at DC, the last of the 3-issue miniseries gets collected with a tight little book of TWO-STEP.

It’s been years since I read it but from what I can remember it’s a zen gangster and a camgirl in futuristic
London. It’s an odd read; it’s stranger than TRANSMETROPLITAN but not as gross as THE PRO. It’s Ellis dabbling with the future again and Amanda Connor getting her creepy stuff out of her system.

It’s funny, though with that sick and biting humor that Ellis and Connor are both known for.

The collection’s a bit steeply priced at $20 put it also includes the script for issue #1 and it’s been 7 years since it was rereleased so it’s almost like an all new story.

EX MACHINA: TERM LIMITS, VOL. 10 TPB (PAGE 116, $14.99, SSD: 11/10/10; OC: AUG10 0241)
TWO STEP TPB (PAGE 117, $19.99, SSD: 11/17/10; OC: AUG10 0242)

I need to reread the first one of these PARKER OGNs from Darwyn Cooke, “The Hunter”.

I didn’t like it much – I felt like it suffered from being “exactly what I thought it would be” and it didn’t bring much else to the table. I saw the hype and the praise and didn’t really get it.

I wasn’t going to bother with this here, ”The Outfit”, but I read the prelude story, “The Man with the Getaway Face” a couple of weeks ago and holy shits it’s excellent. It’s 2 bucks and oversized and gorgeous. It’s exactly what I felt like I missed out of the first one. But now I was sucked back it. Cooke nailed it.

So I’m here preordering ”The Outfit” after all. It’s a revenge story where Parker hunts the guy who ratted him out to the titular Outfit and then the heads will roll.

It’s the normal format: partial color, hardcover 6” x 9” – a sweet package.

RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE OUTFIT HC (PAGE 140, $24.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0301)

From Image Comics, we’ve got a quick pair of trade paperbacks.

Jonathan Hickman’s RED MASS FOR MARS just wrapped up last week after about a year and a half. It’s the story of a Mars, the Earth’s greatest protector who returns to planet to save it from invaders after an exile on The Red Planet.

I think I’ve read the first two issues? It’s pretty decent. It suffers a bit from Hickman’s grandiose scripting. And the art by Ryan Bodenheim has a lot of potential and looks cool but sometimes the figure work is a weak and the storytelling is clumsy. Hickman’s colors are gorgeous, though, and the overall design is striking.

Then we have SAM & TWITCH: THE WRITER which I’ve talked a lot about over the last couple of months. It came out biweekly and delivered a solid crime comic with smart dialogue and an interesting plot. I love this police procedural stuff so it was right up my alley.

I was concerned at first because I didn’t know the creators – as they are all Italian – but it worked out well. Luca Blengino’s script and pacing were tight and the art by Luca Erbetta, Fabio Bono & Filippo Rizzu – while different from the usual S&T story, was just what this story required.

The trade paperback is only ten bucks – a steal! Check it out.

RED MASS FOR MARS TPB (PAGE 182, $14.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0461)
SAM & TWITCH: THE WRITER TPB (PAGE 183, $9.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0463)

There’s something oddly compelling about this new UNCANNY X-FORCE series.

I mean, I don’t really want to read yet another Deadpool book but it’s also Wolverine, Archangel, Psylocke and Fantomex. That sounds like a cool little team. And their job is to kill the bad guys – specifically Apocalypse – which seems like a gig for life. If I know anything about Apocalypse (and I’ve read his origin story drawn by Adam Pollina so I know a lot) that dude’s hard to kill.

It’s also coming from the FEAR AGENT/PUNISHER team of Rick Remender & Jerome Opeña whom are pretty excellent together. Remender’s a seasoned storyteller who knows both Character and Action and Opeña can draw just about anything with a slight sheen of grit to it.

I was turned off by the last X-FORCE series – what with the fake-looking art and bloodlust – but think this has some potential.

UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 (MARVEL PAGE 5, $3.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0524)
UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 BLANK VAR (MARVEL PAGE 5, $3.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0525)

I haven’t read the original STRANGE TALES series (trade paperback due later this month) but this first issue looks like it’s packed with talent.

The series takes indie creators and gives them rein over the Marvel Universe characters for 48 pages of hijinks.

Here, it starts with a gorgeous cover by Raphael Grampa and moves on to the creators: Grampa, Jeff Lemire, Jhonen Vasquez, Gene Yang and Nick Gurewitch. We know Grampa from MESMO DELIVERY and Lemire from the tip-tip drama SWEET TOOTH. Vasquez is the brain behind INVADER ZIM and Yang did the oddly hilarious AMERICAN BORN CHINESE. But Gurewitch? He’s the dude behind the best comic strip since THE FAR SIDE. His series, PERRY BIBLE FELLOWSHIP, is a religious movement, man.

And that’s just the first issue. Now, these types of anthologies tend to front load the first issue and pad out the rest with ‘just OK’ creators. I hope this isn’t the case.

STRANGE TALES II #1 (MARVEL PAGE 75, $4.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0656)

Mark Millar has roped Leinil Francis Yu into a six-part creator-owned book called SUPERIOR.

It appears to be a Captain Marvel-type book where a teenager (with an awful character name – “Ollie Janson”) whom develops multiple sclerosis escapes into superhero fiction via movies and comics with his best friend, “Then… SUPERIOR entered his life.”

It sounds a lot like KICK-ASS take two: “OK, what if, instead of Spider-man, this time we do Captain Marvel?” It sounds immensely derivative. And I know, I probably should read it before saying that, but the solicitation text calls it the “newest smash superhero comic” and it isn’t even out yet.

I’m not a total hater – I’ve been a big fan of Yu’s work since his first run on WOLVERINE like 14 years ago. He’s always been a major talent. At the very least, I hope he gets a huge payday and some of those fabled Tall Comics Dollars.

SUPERIOR #1 (OF 6) (MARVEL PAGE 80, $2.99, SSD: 10/06/10; OC: AUG10 0662)

I’m lumping the Marvel collections together.

I really liked the second volume of Jason Aaron’s WOLVERINE – WEAPON X so I’ll probably check out “Tomorrow Dies Today”. A big part of liking volume two was the art choices – Yanick Paquette & CP Smith – and this, with Ron Garney coming back, seems like a step backward. He draws a cool Deathlok, though, so there’s that as well. Also included is the DARK REIGN: THE LIST issue from Aaron and Esad Ribic. It’s the team up of Wolverine, Fantomex & Marvel Boy that was just shy of being utterly fun and mental.

Jeff Parker tends to write comics that I don’t like very well so I don’t know what made me try his “Heroic Age”-era THUNDERBOLTS. It may have been the addition of the excellent Kev Walker on art chores. (I honestly think it was that.) The book has actually been pretty excellent. Norman Osborn’s hit-team has been converted back into a rehabilitation group for super villains, this time with Luke Cage at the helm. He’s there with Juggernaut, Crossbones, Moonstone, Ghost & Man-Thing as team transport. It’s the sort of revamp that seemed oddly familiar while staying its own thing. I like Luke Cage a lot more here than I do in NEW AVENGERS – he seems to actually do something. The team is interesting, too, with a mix of mega-dangerous killers (Ghost and Crossbones) to evil folks that sometimes straddle the line (Juggy & Moonstone). I like it a lot. The only thing I didn’t like was the trick ending of the first issue where Cage sets up the whole premise, and then Baron Zemo shows up, messes him up and takes the Thunderbolts back. The next issue showed that it wasn’t actually Zemo but loser hero The Fixer and… it was all a trick! Cage was OK! Very lame. But other than that, it looks cool and the scripts have been tight.

Lastly is the first arc of Jason Aaron & Steve Dillon’s PUNISHERMAX series, integrating Wilson Fisk into this new cape-less world of Frank Castle’s. I read the first issue – pretty basic stuff. Frank tortures some dude and then kills some goombas. It’s gun fire and urban legends and some dude’s eye get squeezed out of his head. Dillon looks as good as ever and Matt Hollingsworth is luckily there to make it look even better.

WOLVERINE WEAPON X: TOMORROW DIES TODAY, VOL. 3 HC (MARVEL PAGE 97, $24.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0685)
THUNDERBOLTS: CAGE PREMIERE HC (MARVEL PAGE 98, $19.99, SSD: 10/13/10; OC: AUG10 0687)
PUNISHER MAX: KINGPIN TPB (MARVEL PAGE 115, $19.99, SSD: 11/03/10; OC: AUG10 0715)

You knew we were going to talk about this, right?

Mark Millar’s magazine called CLiNT? Get it? See, the ‘L’ and ‘I’ look like a ‘U’ with the right font and that makes it C-U-N-T. Clever, eh?

Millar’s touting this as “the only magazine about comics you ever need to read!” Actually, he’s not, but you can imagine that, right? If NonMarkMillar was still up and running on Twitter you’d see that sort of thing every day. But, like his real world counterpart, he’s grown tired of what he was talking about and moved on.

He’s writing/editing the magazine alongside “the biggest names in British television with the most exciting figures in US comics” covering topics such as superheroes, vampires, super-villains and science fiction.

But basically, it’s 7 bucks for 100 pages, which isn’t bad. The first two issues are solicited here. I’m grossly curious – if CLiNT is the name of the magazine, what kind of Martlingesque puns will we see in the headlines?

CLINT #1 (PAGE 314, $6.99, SSD: 09/29/10; OC: AUG10 1131)
CLINT #2 (PAGE 314, $6.99, SSD: 10/27/10; OC: AUG10 1132)

Upcoming…
Books and items shipping Wednesday August 5, 2010

MAY101029 ADVENTURES IN CARTOONING ACTIVITY BOOK $7.99
MAY101100 ALADDIN LEGACY OF THE LOST TP $14.95
MAY100555 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #639 $3.99
MAR100784 AMORY WARS ULTIMATE ED HC (MR) $29.99
APR101040 AMY DEVLIN MYSTERY HC VOL 01 PAST LIES $19.99
JUN100348 ANGEL HOLE IN THE WORLD TP $19.99
MAY101131 ANIMAL ACADEMY GN VOL 05 (OF 7) HAKOBUNE HAKUSHO $10.99
MAY100755 ARCHIE DIGEST #266 $2.69
MAY100506 ARTIFACTS #1 (OF 13) COLLECTORS ED $10.00
JUN100503 ARTIFACTS #1 (OF 13) SDCC WRAP VAR CVR $10.00
MAY100507 ARTIFACTS JAM PIECE POSTER $7.99

JUN100237 THE AUTHORITY #25
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.99

Man, the team is in ruins. All sorts of bad things keep happening. Here’s my one problem with Tom Taylor & Al Barrionnuevo’s book here: it ends too quickly. I always want to see what happens next. I feel like the issue ends juuuuust as it’s about to get good.

JUN100689 AVENGERS INVADERS TP $34.99
JUN100565 AVENGERS ORIGIN #5 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100564 AVENGERS PRIME #2 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100569 AVENGERS THOR CAPTAIN AMERICA OFF INDEX MU #4 $3.99
JUN100039 BALTIMORE PLAGUE SHIPS #1 $3.50
MAY100185 BATMAN ARKHAM REBORN TP $12.99
JUN100170 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #47 $2.99
JUN100160 BATMAN ODYSSEY #2 (OF 6) $3.99
MAY100756 BETTY #187 (NOTE PRICE) $2.99
MAY100758 BETTY & VERONICA DOUBLE DIGEST #183 $3.99
MAY101175 BIOMEGA GN VOL 03 (MR) $12.99
JUN101215 BLACK GOD TP VOL 09 $11.99
MAR100870 BLACK TERROR #11 $3.50
JUN100890 BONE COLOR ED HC VOL 06 OLD MANS CAVE $21.99
JUN100908 BOYS #45 (MR) $3.99
MAY101030 BRAIN CAMP GN $16.99
JUN100128 BRIGHTEST DAY #7 $2.99
MAY100581 CAPTAIN AMERICA #608 $3.99
JUN100574 CAPTAIN AMERICA FOREVER ALLIES #1 (OF 4) $3.99
MAY100693 CAPTAIN AMERICA THEATER OF WAR TP $16.99
MAY100869 CARS ADVENTURES OF TOW MATER #1 $2.99

JUN100642 CASANOVA #2
Icon/Marvel Comics
$3.99

I was resistant to repurchase CASANOVA for the third time but I got the first one and goddamn it it’s better than it was the first time around. Damn you, Fraction.

MAY101024 CHLOE GN (A) $10.95
MAY100268 CINDERELLA FROM FABLETOWN WITH LOVE TP (MR) $14.99
MAY101166 COLOR BLEACH + OFFICIAL BOOTLEG SC $14.99
JUN100964 COMPLETE DRACULA TP $19.99
MAY100025 CONAN LEGACY FRAZETTA COVER #5 (OF 8) $6.99
APR100425 CREATURE TECH GN (IMAGE ED) $17.99
MAY100785 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #3 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
MAY100786 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #3 (OF 6) TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99
MAY100787 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #3 (OF 6) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
DEC090428 CYBERFORCE HUNTER KILLER TP VOL 01 $14.99

JUN100585 DAREDEVIL: BLACK AND WHITE #1
Marvel Comics
$3.99

I’ve been looking forward to this: it's three short stories by Peter Milligan, Rick Spears and Ann Nocenti - an iconic weirdo, an indie darling and a classic DAREDEVIL author. And, artistically, it's that powerhouse David Aja and a couple of 'new' artists - Jason Latour and Mick Bertilorenzi.

MAY100674 DARK TOWER PREM HC BATTLE OF JERICHO HILL $24.99
JUN100583 DARKSTAR AND WINTER GUARD #3 (OF 3) $3.99
MAR108117 DAVE STEVENS THE ROCKETEER ARTISTS ED HC PI
SEP090245 DC CHRONICLES BATMAN STATUE $99.99
JUN100527 DEADPOOL #1000 $4.99
MAY100542 DEADPOOL WADE WILSONS WAR #3 (OF 4) $3.99
MAY108113 DEATH OF DRACULA #1 2ND PTG VAR (PP #927) $3.99
MAY101003 DF LA BANKS VAMPIRE HUNTRESS #1 BOOTH NEG CVR $10.00
APR100818 DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #13 (OF 24) $3.99
JUN100367 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS SERIES 3 #6 $3.99

JUN100192 DOOM PATROL #13
DC Comics
$2.99

It’s the Rita issue! If it's half as good as the Larry issue, we're in for a treat.

MAY100585 DOOMWAR #6 (OF 6) $3.99
MAY100990 EDEN GN $16.95
JUN100522 ELECTRIC ANT #5 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
JUN100697 ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA TP NEW PTG VOL 01 $19.99
JUN108006 FLASH #1 2ND PTG $3.99

APR100264 FOGTOWN HC
Vertigo Crime/DC Comics
$19.99

It’s been a couple of months since the last Vertigo Crime book. FOGTOWN is a 1950s detective story with a closeted gay lead from Andersen Gabrych and artist Brad Rader. It’s an interesting premise that looks great. I’ve been happy with all but one of these books.

MAY101129 GAKUEN ALICE GN VOL 12 (OF 19) $10.99
MAY101125 GENJU NO SEIZA GN VOL 08 (OF 13) (MR) $12.99
MAR101131 GERRY ANDERSON TV 21 ADV IN 21ST CENTURY TP VOL 03 $24.95
APR101175 GFT INFERNO #2 (OF 5) A CVR BENITEZ $2.99
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JUN100329 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #157 $3.99
JUN100335 GI JOE ORIGINS TP VOL 03 $19.99
DEC090639 GIRL GENIUS HC VOL 01 AGATHA & BEETLEBURG CLANK COLOR ED $48.95
DEC090638 GIRL GENIUS TP VOL 01 AGATHA & BEETLEBURG CLANK COLOR ED $22.95
JUN100584 GORILLA MAN #2 (OF 3) $3.99
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JUN108004 GREEN ARROW #1 (BRIGHTEST DAY) 2ND PTG $3.99
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JUN101075 HACK SLASH MY FIRST MANIAC NDC VAR (MR) $9.99
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JUN100037 HELLBOY THE STORM #2 (OF 3) $2.99
JUN100416 HELLSPAWN COMPLETE COLL HC $39.99
JUN100591 HERCULES TWILIGHT OF A GOD #3 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100611 HIT-MONKEY #2 (OF 3) $2.99
JUN100269 HOUSE OF MYSTERY #28 (MR) $2.99
JUN100676 HULK FALL OF HULKS TP SAVAGE SHE-HULKS $14.99
MAY101180 IKIGAMI ULTIMATE LIMIT GN VOL 06 (MR) $12.99
JAN100496 IMPALER TP VOL 02 (MR) $14.99
MAY100882 INCREDIBLES #12 $2.99
MAR100915 INDOOR VOICE GN (MR) $19.95
MAY101170 INU YASHA TP VOL 51 $9.99
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JUN100600 IRON MAN LEGACY #5 $2.99
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JUN100273 IZOMBIE #4 (MR) $2.99
JUN100312 JAMES PATTERSONS MURDER OF KING TUT #3 $3.99
MAR100913 JOHN STANLEY LIBRARY NANCY HC VOL 02 $29.95
JUN100190 JONAH HEX #58 $2.99
MAY101179 JORMUNGAND GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99

JUN100191 JSA ALL STARS #9
DC Comics
$3.99

Nothing much to say about this except that it’s a solid read. Matt Sturges & Freddie Williams II have been doing a great job.

MAY100759 JUGHEAD #202 (NOTE PRICE) $2.99
MAY100362 JURASSIC PARK REDEMPTION #2 $3.99
JUN100246 KANE AND LYNCH #1 (OF 6) (MR) $3.99
JUN100389 KILL SHAKESPEARE #4 $3.99
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MAY100923 LA BANKS VAMPIRE HUNTRESS #1 THE HIDDEN DARKNESS $3.99
MAY101127 LEGENDS OF THE DARK CRYSTAL GN VOL 02 (OF 2) $12.99
JUN100234 LOONEY TUNES #189 $2.99

MAY100275 THE LOSERS BOOK 2 TPB
Vertigo/DC Comics
$24.99

The rest of THE LOSERS - issues 13 through 32 get collected in a massive trade paperback. It’s worth the 25 bucks. It’s a helluva read. And it reminds me that I have to pick up THE LOSERS on DVD as well.

MAY100688 LUKE CAGE NOIR TPB
Marvel Comics
$14.99

I’ve been waiting to give Shawn Martinbrough’s NOIR book a read. I love his art.

FEB100409 MAGDALENA SOOK POSTER $7.99
JUN100015 MAGNUS ROBOT FIGHTER #1 (OF 4) RAYMOND SWANLAND CVR $3.50
JUN100193 MAGOG #12 $2.99
MAY100188 MAGOG LETHAL FORCE TP $14.99
MAY101173 MAOH JUVENILE REMIX TP VOL 02 $9.99
JUN100603 MARVEL UNIVERSE VS PUNISHER #1 (OF 4) $3.99
JUN100515 MARVELMAN FAMILYS FINEST #2 (OF 6) $3.99
APR100992 METABARONS TP VOL 01 OTHON & HONORATA (NEW PTG) $19.95
APR100991 METABARONS TP VOL 04 AGHORA & LAST METABARON (MR) $19.95
JUN101152 MIDDLEMAN DOOMSDAY ARMAGEDDON APOCALYPSE GN (O/A) $7.95
APR100498 MILO VENTIMIGLIA PRESENTS BERSERKER TP VOL 01 $14.99

JUN100396 MURDERLAND #1
Image Comics
$2.99

This is the new book from Stephen Scott and David Hahn. I love Hahn’s work – even his twitters.

JUN100398 NANCY IN HELL #1 (OF 4) (MR) $2.99
JUN100635 NEW MUTANTS FOREVER #1 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100525 ORSON SCOTT CARDS ENDER IN EXILE #3 (OF 5) $3.99
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JUN100694 PUNISHER MAX NAKED KILLS TP (MR) $19.99
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JUN100198 REBELS #19 $2.99

JUN100163 RED HOOD: LOST DAYS #3 (OF 6)
DC Comics
$2.99

A great book with two great issues on the shelf so far. Judd Winick is filling in the gaps in Jason Todd’s past nicely.

JUN100166 RED ROBIN #15
DC Comics
$2.99

Fabian Nicieza has certainly raised the stakes here. Tim Drake’s like 60 shades of crazy right now. Or, some might just call him determined.

MAY101126 RETURN TO LABYRINTH GN VOL 04 (OF 4) $12.99
JUN100962 ROBOCOP TP VOL 01 REVOLUTION $14.99
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JUN100605 SHIELD #3 $2.99
MAY101169 SHONEN JUMP SEPTEMBER 2010 $4.99
APR100468 SHUDDERTOWN #4 (MR) $3.50
MAY100764 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #215 $2.99
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JUN100248 SPARTA USA #6 (OF 6) $2.99
JUN100549 SPIDER-MAN FANTASTIC FOUR #2 (OF 4) $3.99
MAY100680 SPIDER-MAN GAUNTLET PREM HC VOL 04 JUGGERNAUT $19.99
JUN100518 SPITFIRE #1 $3.99
JUN100520 STAND HARDCASES #3 (OF 5) $3.99
JUN100054 STAR WARS OLD REPUBLIC #2 (OF 6) $2.99
MAY101120 STARCRAFT GHOST ACADEMY GN VOL 02 (OF 3) (MR) $12.99
JUN100380 STARSTRUCK #12 $3.99
DEC090694 SUPERGOD #4 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
MAR100731 SUPERGOD #4 (OF 5) AUXILIARY ED (MR) $3.99
DEC090695 SUPERGOD #4 (OF 5) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99
JUN100173 SUPERMAN THE LAST FAMILY OF KRYPTON #1 (OF 3) $4.99

JUN100277 SWEET TOOTH #12
Vertigo/DC Comics
$2.99

Stand alone issue with a perfect jumping on point for new readers. Watch out, though, newbies – this one’s a heartbreaker.

MAY100766 TALES FROM RIVERDALE DIGEST #39 $2.69
MAR100041 TARZAN THE JESSE MARSH YEARS HC VOL 06 $49.99
APR101179 TFW RED ROSE ONESHOT A CVR QUALANO $3.99
APR101180 TFW RED ROSE ONESHOT B CVR KNAEBEL $3.99
MAY101271 THERES CORPSES EVERYWHERE LIO COLLECTION TP (MR) $12.99
JUN100387 THIEF OF ALWAYS TP $12.99
JUN100618 THOR RAGE OF THOR #1 $3.99
MAY108114 THUNDERBOLTS #145 2ND PTG MARTIN VAR (PP #927) $2.99
JUN100245 TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM #3 (OF 6) $3.99
FEB100778 TOY STORY #5 $2.99
JUN100318 TRANSFORMERS IRONHIDE #4 $3.99
MAY101124 UGLY YET BEAUTIFUL WORLD GN VOL 03 (OF 3) (MR) $12.99
JUN100532 ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #6 (OF 6) $3.99
APR100853 UNCLE SCROOGE AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 BUCKS TP $9.99
APR100953 UNDER GRAND HOTEL GN VOL 01 (OF 2) (A) $24.95
MAY101130 VB ROSE GN VOL 09 (OF 14) $10.99
MAY101134 VOICE OR NOISE GN VOL 03 (OF 3) (MR) $14.99
MAY100901 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #709 $2.99
APR100911 WARRIORS OFFICIAL MOVIE ADAPTATION #3 (OF 5) (RES) (MR) $3.99
APR100996 WHISPERS IN WALLS #1 (OF 6) $3.50
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Thanks for reading. Next week: a review of the latest DC Entertainment DVD, BATMAN: UNDER THE RED HOOD.

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