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UNTIL YOUR HEART STOPS v11.9
by Brian Domingos

Scenes From The Future: Part XXVIII

December 28th, 2005

Hey folks – hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend. I'm back with the last "Until Your Heart Stops" of 2005. This week, we're here with a look at the January/March Diamond PREVIEWS catalogue. It's the last one of the year and a fairly big one for DC Comics. March has the start of the "One Year Later" format, a result of February's issue of INFINITE CRISIS, in which nearly all of their monthly titles jump a year ahead in continuity, resulting in new directions and creative teams.

And now, on with it…

The last straight up Mike Mignola HELLBOY collection, "Conqueror Worm" was released in February 2002. There have been two other HELLBOY books since then – namely "Weird Tales," vol. 1 in November '03 and "Weird Tales," vol. 2 in October '04 – but those weren't Mignola stories. And of course a couple B.R.P.D. books, but there's been a lack of Hellboy books.

In April, Dark Horse is finally releasing the HB minis, "The Third Wish" and "The Island" in book form.

At the end of "Conqueror Worm," Hellboy quit the B.P.R.D. and traveled to new locales. "The Third Wish" takes him to Africa where he encounters some of the local mythology. At the end, he walks into the ocean and spends the next two years under the seas. "The Island" is his return to the surface and his coming to grips with his place in the world.

These stories feature Mignola on script and artwork and from the little bit that I've read, they are very good. Due to reasons of availability, I think I've only read the first issue of both but I'm looking forward to catching up with my old friend.

HELLBOY: STRANGE PLACES, VOL. 6 TPB (PAGE 31, $17.95; Order Code: JAN06 0079)

The first "One Year Later" books I'm dealing with are DETECTIVE COMICS and BATMAN.

Starting fresh with the "OYL" format, there's a mysterious vigilante in Gotham City as well as a new police commissioner. And a former Gotham villain has been murdered and Batman and Robin's relationship is strained.

There is nothing but space for new directions here when we drop continuity for a year and jump ahead to a new status quo. I think it's a cool idea and allows creators to do whatever they want with characters without the need for a build up.

And this freedom leads to an opportunity for writer James Robinson to return to comics and the DC Universe.

Robinson hasn't done any major comic work since STARMAN ended in 2001. Last time he checked in with the DCU he and Tony Harris did a quick eight-pager for JSA: All-Stars.

And now he's taking on Batman and Gotham City in a six-part story that's crossing over both Bat-books. Former AQUAMAN art team Leonard Kirk & Andy Clarke are joining him on DETECTIVE COMICS and sometime JSA art seam Don Kramer & Keith Champagne are taking on BATMAN. I'm surprised by these teams as they aren't the flashiest of parings but they put out generally solid stuff.

SEVEN SOLIDERS: Shining Knight Artist Simone Bianchi is doing the covers (at left and right) and I think they look pretty good so far.

Robinson might be my favorite writer so I'm very excited about this. He's written Batman well a few times in various STARMAN stories and his "Blades" story from LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT was impressive.

Of course, with the "One Year Later" set-up, we don't exactly know who's wearing the cape and cowl, but I'm eager to find out.

BATMAN #651 (PAGE 65, $2.50; OC: JAN06 0276)
DETECTIVE COMICS #817 (PAGE 65, $2.50; OC: JAN06 0277)

I liked NIGHTWING a million years ago when Chuck Dixon and Scott McDaniel were the creative team. When McDaniel left, so did I, and I didn't really look back.

Dixon wandered away after a couple of more years and then Devin Grayson came on and… did some interesting things. I'm on the fence about Grayson – I can't get behind her POV of Nightwing because it sometimes makes her work seem like bad fan-fiction. And Jesus God, what's worse than bad fan-fiction?

But eventually she was teamed with a good art team – namely Phil Hester and Ande Parks – and that could be interesting. Hell their work on GREEN ARROW made it entirely more readable than those stories would have been otherwise.

So we get a collection of the first of their stuff, "Mobbed Up" with Nightwing being adopted by a NYC crime family. This leads into more stuff with Deathstroke and The Society later, but that's in probably the next collection.

I don't know, I'll give this a flip.

As far as OYL, the new creative team is Bruce Jones and Joe Dodd & Bit as well as a change in locations.

Jones has impressed me with the current VIGILANTE series – he's got the chops. His work on HULK just didn't pan out, which was a shame, but it was good at the start. Hopefully this will be early HULK/current VIGILANTE Bruce Jones. And last year's BATMAN/SCARECROW: YEAR ONE was good, too.

Joe Dodd is a bit of a ghost, as there is really nothing out there about him. He's apparently done some HUMAN TORCH work, but I've never seen it. And 'Bit', I don't know.

And yes, the new direction brings Nightwing out of Blüdhaven to New York City. The cover (excellently drawn by Jock) features Nightwing carrying the bloodied knife of The Red Hood. IS that a sign of the identity of Nightwing? Possibly.

With "One Year Later," anything can happen.

NIGHTWING: MOBBED UP TPB (PAGE 69, $12.99; OC: JAN06 0289
NIGHTWING #118 (PAGE 67, $2.50; OC: JAN06 0280))

Like Dave and I mentioned last month, even though GOTHAM CENTRAL has ended the book will be collected in its entirety.

I was happy to see that DC soliciting this so soon after the series end. That gives me hope.

The book itself contains two cases. The first is "Soft Targets," the Rucka/Brubaker tale that features a Gotham City that's being terrorized by a sniper in the days before Christmas. It's a status quo altering arc and hits very hard.

The second, "Unresolved" is a solo Brubaker story about the second shift's detectives. A troubled man takes some hostages and he asks only for Det. Driver. The man an acquaintance from Driver's past and is tied to an old case of Harvey Bullock's.

This is also where Lark is joined by Stefano Gaudiano for the first time. (Gaudiano took Lark's seat when he left for Marvel and finished the series as Kano's inker.)

Both are intense and great reads. The scripts are smart and scary and the artwork is stellar.

(Note: This is an advanced-solicitation and will ship in April '06)

GOTHAM CENTRAL: UNRESOLVED TARGETS, VOL 3 TPB (PAGE 69, $14.99; OC: JAN06 0290)

Okay, first off, SUPERMAN was canceled as of last month and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN was changed to SUPERMAN and kept its numbering.

Which makes two Superman books, which is a nice amount.

It's more "One Year Later" stuff and it's equally ambiguous about Clark Kent and the status of Superman. SUPERMAN and ACTION COMICS are tied together in an eight part storyline called "Up, Up and Away."

Geoff Johns and Kurt Busiek come on board as co-writers of the arc with Pete Woods acting as the artist. I generally like all three of them, so that gives some hope.

But mostly I liked the covers.

They happen to be by Terry and Rachel Dodson, but what I like about them is that they aren't very "Dodson" covers.

SUPERMAN #650 (at left) is very not-Superman and ACTION COMICS #837 has a cool pop-art feel to it.

With all the stuff going on in INFINITE CRISIS with the Superman I can’t figure out how this is going to start but the possibilities seem endless.

I can't imagine how they could do a "Clark Kent isn't Superman" story but that's what it's looking like.

SUPERMAN #650 (PAGE 72, $2.50; OC: JAN06 0292)
ACTION COMICS #837 (PAGE 72, $2.50; OC: JAN06 0293)

Ah, the BLUE BEETLE.

I think I'm excited about this. The new book, a "One Year Later," features a new Blue Beetle from writing team of Keith Giffen & John Rogers with artwork from Cully Hamner and David Self.

Giffen is one of those guys who made the Beetle so popular in the first place and Rogers is Hollywood writer guy, the writer of the GLOBAL FREQUENCY TV series.

Hamner is one of my favorite artists with clear-cut storytelling skills and an eye for action and adventure. David Self was the colorist that made Rob Hayes look totally unique and original when he was popular five, six years ago. His color theory is strong using layered flats and subtly.

INFINITE CRISIS #3 looks to give the identity of the new BB the very not Ted Kord Blue Beetle. And I'm okay with that. I liked Ted, don’t get me wrong, but he went out heroically, so let's give him that respect, right?

The two page preview in the catalogue looks pretty good, so I'll be checking this out.

BLUE BEETLE #1 (PAGE 80, $2.99; OC: JAN06 0307)

March arrives with a massive SEVEN SOLDIERS wrap up.

The last three mini series end, one week after another, getting us one step closer to the finale. So far we're two issues into THE BULLETEER and MISTER MIRACLE, and one issue into FRANKENSTEIN.

THE BULLETEER has had the biggest SEVEN SOLDIERS tie in, while MISTER MIRACLE seems the most out of place. I know it will all work out in the end, but it's surprising how different the two are.

The rest of FRANKENSTEIN is coming soon enough and I can't wait for it. As the final story, there was a lot riding on it, but its 'weird' level was completely over the top.

Most importantly this month is the second collection of issues, being SS: Klarion #2-3; SHINING KNIGHT #3-4; MANHATTAN GUARDIAN #3-4; and ZATANNA #3.

Again, it's being collected in reading order, rather than by character, which has disappointed some fans. The good thing is that this is due two months after the first one. That's a trade program I can get behind. Based on this, we could have the whole thing collected by September.

Next month: the end, SEVEN SOLDIERS #1, where a Solider must die…!

SEVEN SOLDIERS: BULLETEER #4 (Of 4) (PAGE 90, $2.99; OC: JAN06 0326)
SEVEN SOLDIERS: FRANKENSTEIN #4 (Of 4) (PAGE 90, $2.99; OC: JAN06 0327)
SEVEN SOLDIERS: MISTER MIRACLE #4 (Of 4) (PAGE 91, $2.99; OC: JAN06 0328)
SEVEN SOLDIERS OF VICTORY, VOL 2 TPB (PAGE 91, $14.99; OC: JAN06 0329)

The first issue after "Tag" – the second collection of EX MACHINA – didn't really click with me, but the next two arcs did.

There is Mitchell Hundred at a street psychic, at Jury Duty, encountering his superpowered replacement and finding out a dark secret of his childhood. I thought it got better as it went along.

"Fact V. Fiction", the third collection, covers #11-16, which make up those stories. Brian K. Vaughan lets loose bits and pieces of his NYC trivia in every issue and because it's unknown to me, it comes off as pretty interesting. Sometimes it's a bit awkward, and I think if I knew all this stuff ahead of time, it might seem intrusive, but it's not bad.

I still really enjoy Tony Harris and Tom Feister's artwork. I'm glad to get a monthly book from Harris – he can't work enough, I don't think.

So I'll be getting this, another advanced-solicit from DC/Wildstorm and prep my shelf for April's release.

EX MACHINA: FACT V FICTION, VOL. 3 TPB (PAGE 105, $12.99; OC: JAN06 0357)

The first Becky Cloonan book of the month here is the new ongoing series from Vertigo, AMERICAN VIRGIN.

Cloonan joins writer Steven T. Seagle on this sexually charged new series about Adam Chamberlain, a 20-year-old youth minister/best-selling author and abstinence-movement figure head. He's kidnapped and thrown into the world he hates and fears.

Seagle is tapping into an interesting aspect of American culture. There's a huge push these days on values and chastity by the Christian Right and Seagle is keying into this. It's a risky concept for an ongoing series, as I don't see how much story there is to go with the themes.

The major help, and a wise decision, is hooking up with Cloonan. She's a gem and a fantastic artist with a strong and growing fan base. I can see this connecting with the younger Vertigo readers.

I do like Seagle, though, don't get me wrong. He's a guy who I always check out, whether his work is for me or not. I loved IT'S A BIRD… a few years back and his ability to play up perspective is an asset.

I'll be sticking with this for at least the first year.

AMERICAN VIRGIN #1 (PAGE 113, $2.99; OC: JAN06 0371)

Here's the final advanced-solicited collection for me this month.

The last collection of 100 BULLETS kicked my ass all over the place. "The Hard Way" renewed my faith in the series. I love this book, but it started to falter around volume seven. Number Eight was excellent, though, so I'm back in full effect.

And how excellent is the title of volume nine? "Strychnine Lives". That's so cool.

It's punny, but this is Brian Azzarello – you should expect that by now.

The collection assembles issues #59-67 and takes the 100 BULLETS cast through Chicago, Miami, Atlantic City and Juarez. It's less high concept and more background plot as the Houses of The Trust size each other up and the Minutemen decide whom to back.

It's getting messy and bloody and I can't wait. And the collection will be four issues behind the monthly title (at #70 when this ships) so that's exciting as well.

100 BULLETS: STRYCHNINE LIVES, VOL. 9 TPB (PAGE 117, $14.99; OC: JAN06 0374)

While the seventy buck price tag is a bit high, I think the ALIAS OMNIBUS is a great idea.

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos broke major ground with ALIAS giving Marvel MAX all the potential that you'd find at Vertigo.

Marvel squandered that potential on a whole lot of nothing, generally missing the point of the whole thing.

Over twenty-eight issues, Bendis, Gaydos and cover artist David Mack gave Jessica Jones, a fouled-mouth private eye, who seemed like the only living, breathing person in the Marvel Universe. They gave her the spotlight and the proverbial microphone to tell it like it is. She stood next to the characters, almost metaphysically, and said and did everything that everyone was afraid to do.

She did some great things and overcame some tremendous odds, but she also made some mistakes. She wasn't the most polished of people and things blew up in her face on occasion.

But it's a great story and it's almost beginning, middle and end. ALIAS ended and sort-of became the disaster that is THE PULSE. It's almost easier to imagine that it's all over with. That Jessica isn't running around holding her tongue and being all maternal.

I love that this Omnibus collects the whole thing in one book. It's a nearly perfect story and in the top five best comics Marvel has put out in decades.

For those of you who haven't read this yet: GO GET IT. I'm jealous that you get to read it all for the first time, all at once.

ALIAS OMNIBUS (PAGE 87, $69.99; OC: JAN06 2090)

This truly is the end of an era. Say what you want about Bendis, but he and Alex Maleev made DAREDEVIL fun, thought-provoking and exciting for the first time in a looooong time.

I'm curious to see what Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark do on the title (the second issue of their run is solicited for this month as well) but I really want to see how Bendis and Maleev end their run.

"The Murdock Papers" is their final story and it will be a sight to see. The final issue from this book arrives next month, so the ending isn't everywhere yet, but I need to wait, plug the ears and cover the eyes so I can read it fresh. They haven't let me down yet, and I don't expect them to start now.

Looking back over the whole thing, there are things at the beginning that I wish that Bendis had stuck with but I think he made some tough choices. It was an ambitious run with a strong follow through.

I'm glad that Maleev was able to stick with it so long. Out of 58 issues, he only missed one arc, a measly three issues. He had some help on another onefer but that featured a variety of guest artists, so that barely counts. I think that's impressive in this day and age. And I think he's fantastic. He gave the title an immediate look and atmosphere that it needed so badly. Some of his action scenes lacked a bit of energy at times, but he complimented Bendis' hundreds of talking heads oh-so-well.

DAREDEVIL: THE MURDOCK PAPERS, VOL. 13 TPB (PAGE 92, $14.99; OC: JAN06 2097)

I gave the first few issues of Ed Brubaker's CAPTAIN AMERICA a read and I thought they were okay. It wasn't mind blowing stuff and I think I'd consider it up there with Mark Waid's stuff in the mid-to-late '90s

But, being Marvel I decided to wait on the automatic collection that was looming. Unfortunately, they went straight to hardcover, so it's been a bit longer than it should have been.

I avoided spoilers as long as I could, but it seems that the secret identity of the "Winter Soldier" has been spread around to maximum saturation. Still, I'm curious because it got good reviews from people who weren't expecting to like it, and that's always a good sign.

Steve Epting is the main artist, and he's long from one of my favorites, but Michael Lark came on for flash-backs and good god, that guy can draw.

I think Cap, like Superman, can be really good when written well. Played too simply, he can come off like a literal boy scout – all rules and structure – and no finesse. But a smart writer can take his POV and use it against him. Robert Morales did this a few years back rather successfully. Let's just hope that Brubaker can do it as well.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER, VOL. 1 TPB (PAGE 94, $16.99; OC: JAN06 2099)

SKY APE: King of Girls is my most anticipated book of March. Hell, it's the most anticipated book of 2006.

Everyone's favorite gorilla with a jetpack, Kirk Madge, the Sky Ape, is back in his first new adventure in what feels like decades. When I spoke to co-writer Tim McCarney last summer, he said,

"All I can tell you is that it concerns a league of debonair gentlemen who teach dweebs and myriad IT personnel the secrets to wooing females. Then all hell breaks loose. And the Minotaur and Ben Folds are in it."

Sounds good to me.

The art style has changed a bit this time around. Richard Jenkins has adapted a more "Manga/Super Friends cartoon hybrid" and judging by the cover, it's looking fantastic. I so can't wait for this.

God Bless Larry Young for letting Amara, McCarney, Russo and Jenkins go crazy all over again.

SKY APE: KING OF GIRLS ONE SHOT (PAGE 215, $4.95; OC: JAN06 2801)

So Greg Rucka's back on QUEEN & COUNTRY and a collective fan-base thanks Jebus. He did his two Q&C novels (which are great in their own right) and now he and Chris (CAPOTE IN KANSAS) Samnee are teaming up to flesh out the middle story.

"OPERATION: Red Panda" is the mission that Tara took in Iraq after the events of the first novel. It's mentioned briefly in novel number two, but it's being told in full here in the comics. It seems like a doozy of a thing to come back to, so I think we have a winner. Samnee kicked ass with CAPOTE IN KANSAS and he's a great addition to the stable of Q&C artists.

Then there's the collection to the third volume of Q&C: Declassified. Volume Two is due in February, so this is a nice treat. The story here, handled by Antony Johnston and Chris Mitten tells the early history of Nicky Poole, AKA, Minder Two.

Johnston filled in for Rucka as Rucka finished the second novel. He's worked on Alan Moore's material before for Avatar, so I have faith that he'll do the series justice. Mitten's resume is limited at this point, but he's done some solid work.

There hasn't been much out there about Poole yet, so this will be a nice fill-in. His introductory story was strong so I have high hopes in this.

QUEEN & COUNTRY #29 (PAGE 299, $2.99; OC: JAN06 3185)
QUEEN & COUNTRY: DECLASSIFIED, VOL. 3 TPB (PAGE 299, $8.95; OC: JAN06 3186)

HYP-NO-TECH: The Insiders #1, What Are You Doing After Work? is a new title from Bill Jemas' company, 360ep Inc.. I haven't read anything they've released yet and their website, frankly, is terrible, so there's really no way to check in on any of it.

The solicitation text for HYP-NO-TECH is pretty vague, but it looks like a sci-fi anthology. It promises "mind blowing visuals" so hopefully that will turn out to something good.

The thing that got me attention about this was the price: seven cents. It's a full color issue for only 7¢ and hey, why not? I hope to read more information about this from 360ep because at this point it's a vague paragraph and a dirt-cheap cover price.

Who said Bill Jemas wasn't a genius?

HYP-NO-TECH: THE INSIDERS #, WHAT ARE YOU DOING AFTER WORK? (PAGE 316, $0.07; OC: JAN06 3251)

I'm not much of a manga fan, as you all probably know, but I'm willing to try new things. I'm somewhat interested in this whole "OEL" (Original English Language) thing – as in, manga made for and in English – that's coming out from Tokyopop.

It's looking like I'm going to try EAST COAST RISING the "neo-futuristic action-manga" from the highly talented Becky Cloonan. I've liked everything else she's done, so I figure, "Why not?"

The story comes in three volumes and is the story of Cannonball Joe and his crew's search for a missing treasure. At this time, New York City is submerged and that's just the start of the adventure.

Personally, I can't think of anything better than a pirate comic by Becky Cloonan. Between ECR and AMERICAN VIRGIN, March is a big month for her.

EAST COAST RISING, VOL. 1 OGN (OF 3) (PAGE 321, $9.99; OC: JAN06 3257)

And now:

Upcoming
Items shipping tomorrow, Thursday, December 29th, 2005…

SEP052833 10 ONE SHOT
Boom! Studios
$6.99

10 is a quirky little one shot from Boom! Studios by Keith Giffen and Andy Kuhn. The premise is that ten people are drafted into a game where they have ten bullets and ten days to kill each other. Each person gets a gun and one clip and the address of another contestant. One contestant gets the nine other addresses and can go after anyone they choose. It's a bizarre yet original idea that piqued my interest when I read about it. I don't think it worked as well as Giffen would have liked – a few parts are a little hard to follow – but it's intense and frightening all the same. It's worth a quick read.

SEP053076 2000 AD #1467 $4.10
OCT053153 2000 AD #1468 $4.10
OCT053058 30 DAYS OF NIGHT ANNUAL 2005 $7.49
SEP052769 A1 BOJEFFRIES TERROR TOMES #1 (OF 3) (RES) $6.99
AUG052690 ABIDING PERDITION DELGADO CVR A #3 $3.50
AUG052691 ABIDING PERDITION RANDOLPH CVR B #3 $3.50
OCT052664 AC ANNUAL 2005 $15.95
NOV053056 ADV OF LESBIAN COLLEGE SCHOOL GIRL VOL 1 GN NEW PTG (A) $9.95

AUG050180 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN THE BOY WONDER #3
DC Comics
$2.99

SEP058264 ALL STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN VARIANT EDITION #3
DC Comics
$2.99

I thought the last ALL-STAR BATMAN was a hoot and a half, so I've been waiting on this. People have been complaining about delays, but it's Frank Miller and Jim Lee – they can take as long as they want. I honestly can't wait to see what they do next.

OCT051960 AMAZING FANTASY #16 $2.99
OCT051946 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #527 $2.50
OCT051950 ARANA HEART OF THE SPIDER #12 $2.99
NOV052945 ARCHAIC #1 $2.99
OCT052779 ARCHIE DIGEST #222 $2.39
OCT052855 BART SIMPSON COMICS #27 $2.99

OCT050215 BATMAN #648
DC Comics
$2.50

Oh man, the last issue of BATMAN was soooo cool. Batman and The Red Hood teamed up against The Society members Captain Nazi, Hyena and Count Vertigo. Bats used his brains and Red Hood used his brawn to take them out. Doug Mahnke and Tom Nguyen kicked ass job on the artwork; the script was good, too. I can't believe I like a Judd Winick book this much.

NOV052911 BERLIN #12 (MR) $3.95
SEP052646 BEST OF THE WEST #53 $6.95
OCT052780 BETTY & VERONICA #214 $2.25
OCT051951 BLACK PANTHER #11 $2.99
OCT051952 BLACK WIDOW 2 #4 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL052909 BLACKSAD VOL 3 TP (RES) (MR) $12.95
OCT053213 BLADE OF HEAVEN VOL 6 GN (OF 15) $9.99
OCT050025 BPRD THE BLACK FLAME #5 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT053212 BTX VOL 10 GN (OF 16) $9.99
OCT052801 CANNON HAWKE #4 $2.99
OCT052036 CAPTAIN AMERICA & THE FALCON SECRET EMPIRE TP $19.99
OCT050282 CARTOON NETWORK BLOCK PARTY #16 $2.25
OCT050226 CATWOMAN #50 $2.50
SEP053103 CHARLEYS WAR VOL 2 AUG OCT 1916 HC $19.95
OCT053233 CHICKEN LITTLE CINEMANGA GN $7.99
NOV050092 CHICKEN LITTLE EGGSTRA FUN FIGURES GACHA PI
OCT053214 CHRONICLES OF THE CURSED SWORD VOL 14 GN (OF 19) $9.99
SEP052851 CLASSIC ILLUS JR 50TH ANNIV 12 TITLE SET VOL 1 SLIPCASE $59.99
SEP052852 CLASSIC ILLUS JR 50TH ANNIV 12 TITLE SET VOL 2 SLIPCASE $69.99
OCT053215 COMIC PARTY VOL 5 GN (TKP) $9.99
SEP050030 CONAN AND THE JEWELS OF GWAHLUR HC $13.95
OCT053216 CRAZY LOVE STORY VOL 5 GN (OF 5) $9.99
OCT053217 CROSS VOL 5 GN (OF 5) $9.99
OCT053027 CYNICAL ORANGE VOL 1 GN $10.95
OCT051953 DAREDEVIL #80 $2.99
SEP051916 DAREDEVIL FATHER #5 (OF 6) $2.99
AUG051654 DAWN VOL 1 LUCIFERS HALO NEW ED TP $17.99
AUG051655 DAWN VOL 1 LUCIFERS HALO SUPPLEMENTAL BOOK TP $12.99
OCT053208 DAZZLE VOL 1 GN (OF 7) $9.99
OCT053270 DEARS VOL 1 GN (OF 4) (OCT042950) $9.99
OCT053218 DEARS VOL 5 GN (OF 7) $9.99
OCT050292 DEVIL DOES EXIST VOL 4 $9.99
SEP052926 DF ALL STAR SUPERMAN #1 QUITELY SGN $29.99
NOV052926 DF BATMAN BEYOND BIG BANG 2006 PACK $19.99
NOV052921 DF MARVELOUS NEW YEAR 2006 BIG BANG STARTER PACK $29.99
OCT052967 DF RED SONJA #1 ROSS CVR SGN $19.99
NOV053225 DICK TRACY BICYCLE THIEVES $9.50
NOV053226 DICK TRACY KROMES CRIMES $9.50
OCT052942 DIMONA VOL 2 GN (OF 3) (MR) $11.95
NOV052836 DOC FRANKENSTEIN #3 (O/A) $3.50
NOV053058 DOCTOR IM TOO BIG (O/A) (A) $10.95
SEP053059 DOCTOR WHO ENDGAME TP $24.95
OCT053206 DRAGON HEAD VOL 1 GN (OF 10) $9.99
OCT051963 DRAX THE DESTROYER #4 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT050286 ELFQUEST THE GRAND QUEST VOL 12 TP $9.99
OCT052887 ELVIRA #152 $2.50
SEP052898 EVIL ERNIE IN SANTA FE #3 (OF 4) $2.95
OCT052003 EXILES #74 $2.99

OCT050317 FABLES: HOMELANDS, VOL. 6 TPB
Vertigo/DC Comics
$14.99

Honestly, I don't remember what happened in the last collection of FABLES but I have a feeling it was pretty good. Bill Willingham has crafted a tight little world here and it remains his strongest work in years. The choice in artists is wise and they all usually fit the style of the book. I know Meaghan likes this book a lot, so that's probably why I ordered it.

OCT053029 FALLEN ANGEL IDW #1 $3.99
OCT052654 FANTASTIC FOUR #527 WWPA CGC 9.8 PI
OCT051965 FANTASTIC FOUR SPECIAL $2.99
OCT052802 FATHOM #6 $2.99
OCT053017 FLARE #31 $2.99
AUG052727 FREAKSHOW #12 (MR) $2.95
JUL052604 FRED PERRYS LEGACY FIRST INHERITANCE COLOR MANGA VOL 1 TP $12.99
OCT052868 GALAXY ANGEL PARTY VOL 2 GN $9.99
SEP052985 GEORGE ROMEROS LAND OF THE DEAD #4 (OF 5) $3.99
OCT052757 GOLD DIGGER #70 $2.99
AUG052590 GOLDEN PLATES NEW PRTG #1 (OF 12) $7.99
NOV052837 GORI LORI #1 $2.50
OCT052930 HACK SLASH LAND OF LOST TOYS #2 (OF 3) (MR) $3.25
OCT053219 HANDS OFF VOL 5 GN (OF 8) $9.99
SEP050013 HARLEQUIN PINK A GIRL IN A MILLION TP $9.95
SEP050014 HARLEQUIN VIOLET RESPONSE TP (MR) $9.95
AUG052930 HEAD #13 (A) $3.95
JUL052807 HINADORI GIRL VOL 2 TP $9.95
OCT053220 HONEY MUSTARD VOL 3 GN (OF 4) $9.99
JUN051833 HUNTER KILLER #5 $2.99
OCT053221 HYPER POLICE VOL 5 GN (OF 9) (MR) $9.99
OCT053204 IDIOTZ VOL 1 GN (OF 3) $9.99
NOV052753 INCUBUS PKT MANGA VOL 1 GN (A) $14.95
JUL050069 JIM FLORA JOURNAL $9.99
JUL050068 JIM FLORA MUSICK SHOPPE STATIONERY SET $4.99

OCT050256 JLA: CLASSIFIED #15
DC Comics
$2.99

The story you never thought would be here – Warren Ellis' Justice League – is about to end. The last issue of JLA: Classified showed the general intelligence of the League (and the lack there of – I'm looking at you Kyle) and I think that makes it the real triumph of Ellis' work. He got to the essence of the characters and used it to turn the tables. The artwork by Butch Guice isn't all that great, but it's passable. The covers still suck, though; they’re really fugly.

OCT052772 JOVAS HARVEST #2 (OF 3) $4.95
OCT053201 JUROR 13 GN $9.99
OCT058028 JUSTICE THIRD PRINTING #1 (OF 12) $2.99
OCT053061 KEEP #3 (OF 5) $3.99
MAR052702 KEITH GIFFENS TRENCHER TP SGN $39.99
OCT053231 KINGDOM HEARTS VOL 2 GN (OF 4) $5.99
SEP052817 LADY DEATH LEATHER & LACE 2005 JEWEL ED $39.99
SEP050015 LADY SNOWBLOOD VOL 2 THE DEEP SEATED GRUDGE TP (MR) $14.95

OCT050233 LEX LUTHOR: MAN OF STEEL TPB
DC Comics
$12.99

I liked the first few issues of Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's LEX LUTHOR but I jumped ship for the collection. Azzarello's stuff generally reads better as a whole, so I wanted to wait. I think Bermejo is one of those guys who are just waiting to explode and I really think his work here shows it. Azzarello plays with the different aspects of Luthor's character and moral fiber and how he interacts with the world around him. It's a fascinating character study. I think this is worth a look.

OCT053222 LIGHTS OUT VOL 2 GN (OF 9) $9.99
NOV053124 LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND HC 1905-1910 $120.00
OCT052974 LITTLE TOKYO ROSE VOL 1 GN (O/A) (A) $5.00
OCT052973 LITTLE TOKYO ROSE VOL 2 GN (A) $5.00
OCT052775 LONE & LEVEL SANDS HC $17.95

OCT050321 LOVELESS #3
Vertigo/DC Comics
$2.99

Thus far, LOVELESS has been pretty good. I like the Cutters a great deal but the script suffers a bit from typical Azzarello vagueness. There are parts that seem a bit too ambiguous, parts that are real head-scratchers. But it's only the beginning and I know what to expect from him. The artwork by Marcelo Frusin and the colors by Trish Mulvihill is the best part. The linework is as sharp as ever, but the blend of intense facial expressions, negative space and lush hues is too good to pass up.

NOV053029 LUCKY BAMBOO PRESENTS #0 $2.99
OCT050281 MAD CLASSICS #4 $4.99
OCT053223 MAHOROMATIC AUTOMATIC MAIDEN VOL 8 GN (OF 8) (MR) $9.99

OCT052731 MALINKY ROBOT: BICYCLE
Slave Labor Publishing
$2.95

I love me some Sonny Liew, so I knew I needed to pick MALINKY ROBOT: Bicycle up. I love his art style and I think his stories have a real authentic tone to them. They are raw pieces of art, with naïve characters with fun points of view. I highly recommend this.

OCT052032 MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN VOL 2 POWER STRUGGLE DIGEST $6.99
OCT052038 MARVEL COMICS PRESENTS WOLVERINE VOL 2 TP $12.99
OCT052024 MARVEL MASTERWORKS GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS VOL 1 HC VAR ED $54.99
OCT052023 MARVEL MASTERWORKS GOLDEN AGE ALL WINNERS VOL 1 NEW ED HC $49.99
SEP052647 MEN OF MYSTERY #56 $6.95
SEP052992 METAL GEAR SOLID SONS OF LIBERTY #2 $3.99
OCT053224 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ECOLE DU CIEL VOL 2 GN (OF 5) $9.99
OCT053232 MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM SEED NOVEL VOL 2 (OF 5) $7.99
JUL052773 MONSTER MAYHEM SERIES FRANKENSTEIN REG CVR (MR) $5.95
JUL052774 MONSTER MAYHEM SERIES FRANKENSTEIN VARIANT (MR) $5.95
OCT052914 NEGIMA VOL 8 GN (MR) $10.95
OCT051978 NEW AVENGERS #14 $2.50
OCT051982 NICK FURY HOWLING COMMANDOS #3 $2.99
SEP052986 NIGHT MARY #5 (OF 5) $3.99
OCT051937 OFFICIAL HNDBK ULTIMATE MARVEL UNIV ULTIMATES & X-MEN 2005 $3.99
OCT053028 ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS VOL 1 GN $10.95
OCT052735 PARIS #2 (OF 4) $2.95
AUG052618 PARTS UNKNOWN VOL 1 TP (NEW PRTG) (RES) $12.95
OCT053225 PEACH GIRL VOL 7 GN NEW PTG (OF 8) $9.99
OCT050018 PERHAPANAUTS #2 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT053226 PHD PHANTASY DEGREE VOL 5 GN (OF 8) $9.99

OCT050275 RANN/THANAGAR WAR TPB
DC Comics
$12.99

Ah, the final piece of the DC COUNTDOWN puzzle. I thought RANN/THANAGAR WAR was generally good, although Dave Gibbons seemed a bit stifled by the sheer amount of characters involved. It blasted out of the newest ADAM STRANGE series and almost instantly had a cast of thousands. Gibbons did a good job, considering. The artwork was a mix of Ivan Reis and assists by Joe Prado and ultimately, Joe Bennett. Usually this would be jarring, but the two fill-ins complimented Reis well to that it's relatively seamless. I don't think I've even looked at this since it ended, so it will be nice to give it another reread.

OCT052681 RAY MANGA VOL 3 TP (MR) $9.99
OCT053227 REMOTE VOL 8 GN (OF 10) (MR) $9.99
OCT050024 REVELATIONS #5 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT053108 REVOLUTION ON THE PLANET OF THE APES #1 (OF 6) $3.98
OCT053228 RG VEDA VOL 4 GN (OF 10) $9.99
NOV051771 RISING STARS #24 $3.99
OCT053202 ROADSONG VOL 1 GN (OF 3) $9.99
SEP053093 ROCKETO #4 $2.99
OCT053229 SCRAPPED PRINCESS VOL 2 GN (OF 3) $9.99
OCT053203 SEA PRINCESS AZURI VOL 1 GN (OF 2) $4.99
OCT053209 SENGOKU NIGHTS VOL 1 GN (OF 2) $9.99
OCT051984 SENTRY #4 (OF 8) $2.99
OCT052042 SENTRY TP NEW PTG $24.99
SEP050020 SHADOW STAR VOL 7 VICTIMS EYES ASSAILANTS HANDS TP $15.95
OCT053045 SHAUN OF THE DEAD TP $17.99
OCT051989 SHE-HULK 2 #3 $3.99

OCT050304 SILENT DRAGON #6 (OF 6)
Wildstorm/DC Comics
$2.99

I've been loving Andy Diggle and Leinel Yu's samurai/cyber punk story and I'll actually be sad to see it go. The plot seemed to really come together last issue with all the pieces being set up for the – as I assume it will be – destructive ending. I'm hoping Reizo's fate is a good one. Plus Yu is fantastic. I don't think I've ever not loved anything he's done – even the dreadful Claremont X-MEN stuff. At least it was nice to look at.

OCT053034 SILENT HILL DEAD ALIVE #1 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99
OCT053210 SMUGGLER GN $9.99

OCT050269 SOLO #8
DC Comics
$4.99

The new SOLO is here and so is Teddy Kristiansen. I've liked Kristiansen's organic style since his STARMAN issues and he generally has a strong output. I like that he's doing a Deadman story for SOLO because Deadman seems to have a lot of potential, especially for people who do off-the-wall. The SOLO issues have been a mixed bag so far, so It'll be nice to see how this turns out.

OCT052786 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #157 $2.25
AUG051641 SPAWN COLLECTION VOL 1 HC $39.95
OCT051948 SPIDER-MAN BLACK CAT EVIL THAT MEN DO #5 (OF 6) $2.99
OCT051990 SPIDER-MAN LOVES MARY JANE #1 $2.99
OCT053241 SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS CINEMANGA VOL 6 GN (NOV042948) $7.99
OCT053199 STAR TREK COMICS CLASSICS VOL 2 DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR TP $19.95
NOV050175 STAR WARS CRIMSON EMPIRE II COUNCIL OF BLOOD TP (STAR10309) $17.95
OCT050163 STAR WARS CRIMSON EMPIRE II COUNCIL OF BLOOD TP (STAR10309) $17.95
SEP050048 STAR WARS GENERAL GRIEVOUS TP $12.95
OCT050204 STAR WARS VISIONARIES TP (JAN050045) $17.95
JUL052811 STELLVIA VOL 2 TP $9.95

OCT051721 STRANGE GIRL: GIRL AFRAID, VOL. 1 TPB
Image Comics
$12.99

I liked the first few issues of STRANGE GIRL, but I lost track of it when an issue was under-ordered and I moved on. Thankfully we get a nice little four issue collection. I remember that the artwork by Eric Nguyen was really impressive and Rick Remender's scripts were different from the usual. It's worth a fresh look.

JUL050210 SUPERMAN BATMAN #23 $2.99
SEP052771 TED MCKEEVERS EDDY CURRENT VOL 1 TP (RES) $11.99
SEP052772 TED MCKEEVERS EDDY CURRENT VOL 2 TP (RES) $11.99
SEP052773 TED MCKEEVERS EDDY CURRENT VOL 3 TP (RES) $11.99
OCT050279 TEEN TITANS GO #26 $2.25
AUG058160 TEZUKAS BUDDHA VOL 7 PRINCE AJATASATTU HC (PP #689) $24.95
NOV053246 TEZUKAS BUDDHA VOL 7 PRINCE AJATASATTU HC (AUG058160) $24.95
OCT051997 THING #2 $2.99
OCT051987 THOR BLOOD OATH #6 (OF 6) $2.99
JUL052842 TIMES OF BOTCHAN VOL 2 GN (OF 10) $19.99
OCT053200 TOKYOPOP AUTHENTIC MANGA BEST OF TOKYOPOP POP DISPLAY (MR) $479.52
JUL052776 TOM SULLIVANS BOOKS O/T DEAD DEVILHEAD REG CVR #1 (OF 4) (MR $4.95
JUL052777 TOM SULLIVANS BOOKS O/T DEAD DEVILHEAD VARIANT CVR #1 (OF 4) $4.95
OCT051771 TOP COWS BEST OF MICHAEL TURNER TP $24.99
JUL052812 TORI KORO VOL 2 TP (RES) $9.95
NOV052661 TOYFARE EXC ANGRY INVADER ZIM 2 PK FIGURE PI
SEP052631 ULT SPIDER MAN WWCG SKETCH CVR CGC 9.8 SGN #79 PI
NOV052014 ULTIMATE EXTINCTION #1 POSTER $5.99
OCT051938 ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #26 $2.50
OCT051941 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #88 $2.50

OCT052026 ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN: WARRIORS, VOL. 14 TPB
Marvel Comics
$17.99

I don't know what this book contains, plot-wise, but I think it's – unofficially – ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP volume two. I know Ult. Moon Knight is there and I think Iron Fist, too. It's not really important at this point. At this point, you're either in or you're out. This is volume fourteen for god's sake.

OCT053211 ULTRA CUTE VOL 1 GN (OF 9) $9.99
OCT053003 UNCLE SCROOGE #349 $6.95

OCT050271 VIGILANTE #4 (OF 6)
DC Comics
$2.99

Bruce Jones is rejoined by Ben Oliver in the new issue. Last time, Dustin Nguyen surprised me with an excellent little fill in that helped flesh out some of the backstory of the new Vigilante. Jones continues to turn in strong scripts that lend to a smart and genuinely fun comic. And Oliver is fantastic. This has been a treat.

OCT053230 VISITOR VOL 3 GN (OF 5) $9.99
OCT053002 WALT DISNEYS COMICS & STORIES #664 $6.95
OCT052849 WARHAMMER KAL JERICO UNDERHIVE BOUNTY HUNTER TP $9.99
OCT052850 WARHAMMER LIFE OF SIGMAR HC $19.99
MAY052758 WE ALL DIE ALONE HC $28.95
OCT051992 WHAT IF DAREDEVIL $2.99
OCT051995 WHAT IF THOR $2.99
OCT053245 WILD ROCK GN (MR) $9.99
JUL053284 WILL EISNERS CONTRACT WITH GOD TRILOGY HC $29.95
OCT052661 WIZARD SPIDER-MAN MASTERPIECE ED SGN HC PI
OCT051959 WOLVERINE #37 $2.50
OCT050272 WONDER WOMAN #224 $2.50
OCT052009 X-FACTOR #2 $2.99
OCT052011 X-MEN #180 $2.50
OCT052014 X-MEN AND POWER PACK #3 (OF 4) $2.99
OCT053205 YONEN BUZZ VOL 1 GN (OF 3) $9.99
OCT051998 YOUNG AVENGERS SPECIAL #1 $3.99

That's it for this week and two-oh-oh-five. I'll be back next week with my look back at the Very Best of 2005.

Brian Domingos is the Columns Editor at Popimage.com. Questions? Comments? Love Notes? Email him via brian@popimage.com.

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