What Looks Good?

Yeah, these are a day late, but I spent the better part of new comic book day wrangling with a contractor.  Yeesh.

Justice League: The Rise Of Arsenal #2 -- Roy has to fall before he can rise!

Outsiders #29 -- The war between the Outsiders has begun, and Markovia may not survive!

The Web #8 -- The Web's identity seems to be compromised, and Dead Hand Legendre's plan for the Hangman continues.

Invincible Iron Man #25 -- The new Tony Stark and the new Iron Man are here!

Iron Man 2: Public Identity #1 -- The official prologue for the new movie, baby!

Mighty Avengers #36 -- The last issue of the Mighty Avengers has a doozy of a baddie, in the form of Ultron!

So, what looks good to YOU?

Iron Man Book, Poster

Picked up this guy at Mr. K's, the local used book store here in Greenville while going to pick something else up on a recommendation from Shag.  For a cool $3, how could I resist?  

I also got this nifty Iron Man 2 poster insert from this past Sunday's USA Weekend section in the local paper, drawn by JRJr himself!  Looks pretty swank!  I may put this and my original Iron Man lithograph in frames at some point.

Let the Shellhead madness continue!

What I Read This Week

Superman: The Coming of Atlas TPB -- The Man of Tomorrow meets the Man of Yesterday in the streets of Metropolis!  Solid, powerful throwdown between two superpowered behemoths, with supporting players a-plenty and plots being weaved in the background.  Robinson's story is a fun throwback, but his dialogue (for everyone save Atlas and Krypto) is jilted and weird.  Renato Guedes' art, however, is excellent, especially his flashbacks which manage to evoke Kirby without aping him.  Atlas is a great foe for Superman, and I hope to read more about him.  The inclusion of First Issue Special #1 was a nice touch as well.

Tiny Titans #27 -- Trigon just loves the adorable Kid Devil, thinking him to be a baby, much to Raven's chagrin.  As a still-new father, there's some hilarious gags in here regarding baby food and general baby-dom which tickled my funny bone.  Trigon, as a rule, is such a goof that his presence usually means good things.

Iron Manual Mark 3 -- I did not get a chance to read this other than a flip-through, but I have to say that you know you have had several sourcebooks for Shellhead when ALL THREE FIREBRANDS end up getting entries.  The book looks nice and has a nice heft to it.  Also of note is the inclusion of the new Whiplash, with no mention of the previous one, nor of why his name is so close to the original Crimson Dynamo.  

The Phantom Double Shot: KGB Noir #3 -- The Ghost-Who-Walks closes in on the agents of The Hammer and tries to figure out their plan.  In the backup, something goes down with Buckaroo Banzai and an alien, or something.  My flippant remarks to the backup speak to it's utter lack of quality.  I mean, this is pretty dang incoherent, and I like Buckaroo Banzai.  The lead is straightforward, introducing who appears to be the head Commie baddie and moving the plot forward.  But the backup -- ugh.  After the last two were pretty good, this one is a real letdown.

The Phantom: Ghost-Who-Walks #9 -- The Phantom continues his pursuit of those who kidnapped his children, leading to a giant, seemingly abandoned castle.  But all is not as it seems.  Not bad but not really remarkable either, this issue is essentially one large chase, with Phantom chasing after someone in the castle while he is followed himself.  Fans who have been reading the Moonstone Phantom titles should be able to guess the badguy, who remains unrevealed at this point.

Re-Read Pile: Superman: The Coming of Atlas.

The Pick Of The Pile is Tiny Titans, which is crammed full of adorableness.  I really liked the Superman collection as well.

Interview With Gerry Conway

Hey everyone, do yourself a solid and head over to Views From The Longbox, where Michael Bailey (he of From Crisis To Crisis and Tales Of The Justice Society of America)and Shag (he of Once Upon A Geek and Firestorm Fan) sit down with legendary comics creator Gerry Conway, who was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions, including one regarding just who Commander Steel's long term girlfriend was going to be!.  Definitely worth a listen!

What Looks Good?

The pollen here in the Upstate is getting out of hand.  My solution?  Stay indoors during the peak exposure times and read some comics.

Human Target #1 (New Printing) -- The Vertigo series?  I might get this if I see it.

Superman: The Coming of Atlas TPB -- I dug Superman: Brainiac, for a similar price, so let's try Robinson out!

Tiny Titans #27 -- The best Titans book on the shelf, bar none.

Iron Man Mark 3 #1 -- I'm a sucker.

The Phantom Double Shot: KGB Noir -- Two of my favorite things: The Ghost-Who-Walks and Commies getting smashed!

The Phantom: Ghost-Who-Walks #9 -- Can never have too much Phantom!

So, what looks good to YOU?

Magnus Returning At Dark Horse

Dark Horse is bringing back the toughest guy ever to wear go go boots: Magnus, Robot Fighter!  This page is a preview from the upcoming Dr. Solar/Magnus FCBD 2010 Edition, written by Jim shooter and with art by Dennis Calero, which will be in your LCS on May 1, Free Comic Book Day.  Looks like lots of freewill-smashing fun!

What I Read This Week

Brightest Day #0 -- The Blackest Night is finished!  The Brightest Day has broken!  But what secret connects the dozen resurrected by the White Rings?  Johns sets the stage for the new adventure, with Boston Brand given a tour of the DCU, checking in on Aquaman and Mera, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, Ronnie Raymond and Jason Rusch, the Martian Manhunter, and more.  Johns juggles the large cast and multiple stories well, and I mark out for Fernando Pasarin as a general rule.  This issue sets the stage for the rest of the Brightest Day event, and so far all of the individual stories being teased look extremely solid.  

Flash: Secret Files & Origins #1 -- Barry Allen is having a restless night, and finds himself drawn to his childhood home.  Also, we get profiles on many of the crucial folks in the Flashiverse.  Nice little preview story for the new series, but I especially liked the profile pages, which include differentiating Central City and Keystone City.  Nice lead in to...

Flash #1 -- ... the new ongoing Flash title!  Barry Allen is back in the Central City PD's Crime Lab, but the burg has changed since he has been gone.  Cases need to be closed quickly, turnover is high, and wrongful conviction suits are way up.  Add to this the Rogues and you've got a job for the Fastest Man Alive.  Johns and Manupaul knock this one out of the park and waste no time in getting things moving for our hero.  Very much looking forward to reading more of this title!

Green Arrow #32 -- Did not read as I am still waiting on my copy of #31!

Human Target #3 -- Chance and his charges are in Venice to retrieve more documents, which means that the goons chasing them aren't far behind.  In the backup, Chance tells the story of a small scar on his pinkie finger which may be the hardest one to bear.  Len Wein could probably write this stuff in his sleep he is so good.  I hear all of the show's stars voices very clearly in his dialogue.  Bruno Redondo seems at home on the art as well.  Very enjoyable series for a fan of the show, like myself.  This would make a great ongoing or series-of-series feature.

The Shield #8 -- The team is off to Paris to stop a Black Seven scientist, with the newest recruit, The Brain Emperor in tow!  Meanwhile, the Fox continues to stalk the streets of Tokyo.  The lead story is something of a letdown.  It's a slower pace than the first two missions, which hurts the pacing, although the character bits are appreciated -- especially the interaction between The Shield and Brain Emperor.  The Fox backup is underwhelming.  The art by Oeming is very nice to look at, but Jerwa script is not really going anywhere, and the setup -- a gaijin becomes a super martial artist to get revenge on the Yakuza -- is pretty hackneyed.  I really like this title but it's lame duck status is hurting it.  (At least we will be getting the Mighty Crusaders Special and then a miniseries.)

Iron Man Legacy #1 -- Tony Stark's designs have been conscripted by an ethnic-cleansing group in Transia, and they are using their armors to wipe out anyone who stands in their way.  So he does the only thing he can do: defy orders from the government and head in, guns blazing.  It's not the most unique plot in the world but it's a standard Shellhead hook, one which has a nice twist at the end which is very promising.  Iron Man is a good fit for a series like this, but I don't know how long the Powers That Be will keep it up.  I dug it, though.  BTW, this story clearly is meant to take place in the 90s, Heroes Return era; check out the armor and James Rhodes association with "Rhodes Recovery."

The Phantom/Captain Action #1 -- There's a new counter-intelligence agency in the wild: Tatsu, and chaos is their only goal.  Diana Palmer-Walker, head of the UN Intelligence Taskforce, is charged with rooting them out.  Lucky for her she has two forces on her side: the dashing Captain Action and the mysterious Ghost-Who-Walks, The Phantom.  A nice setup with plenty of action, I like how Mike Bullock (who writes the regular Phantom: Ghost-Who-Walks series) integrates the two universes with such ease.  There's no reason why Captain Action and The Phantom couldn't work in the same universe, so it's nice to see the Moonstone crew run with it.  (Death Angel also seems to belong to this universe, if KGB Noir is any indication.)  There's also a great gag involving the Captain wearing The Phantom's uniform which will be a treat for older CA fans.  

Re-Read Pile: Brightest Day, Flash, Human Target, Iron Man Legacy.

The Pick Of The Pile is Brightest Day, which shouldn't come as a surprise.  Flash was really good as well and almost had the nod.  A lot of good titles this week!

Iron Man Motion Comic Coming Soon

From Newsarama, check out this preview of the new Iron Man motion comic, adapting the Warren Ellis and Adi Granov tale "Extremis."

I'm not a huge fan of these newfangled "motion comics," but if there ever was a story which was well-suited to it, "Extremis" is it.  Looks like it might be fun!

What Looks Good?

The weather is nice, but that's not stopping my son from having a cold.  Maybe if I read him some comics he'll cheer up?  Yeah, I doubt it too.

Brightest Day #0 -- The Night is finished and Day has broken!

Flash #1 -- The Fastest Man Alive is on the case!

Green Arrow #32 -- The Emerald Archer has fallen... will he ever be able to recover?

Human Target #3 -- After successfully breaking into the Vatican, this next mission should be easier, right?  Knowing Christopher Chance, that's doubtful.

The Shield #8 -- Teaming up with... The Brain Emperor?!  Plus more on The Fox!

Essential Iron Man v.4 -- Finally!  This volume will fill in nearly 2/3rds of my missing Iron Man issues!

Iron Man: Art of Iron Man -- This HC looks gorgeous, but $50... yikes.

Iron Man Legacy #1 -- Shellhead gets a second ongoing (again)!  

The Phantom/Captain Action #1 -- Hero versus hero!

So, what looks good to YOU?

What I Read This Week

Blackest Night #8 -- The final battle between light and dark.  Johns lays it all out on the table here, and it hits very hard.  I don't want to start gushing about this too much because I will just go on and on, but this hit quite a lot of high notes and set up the new direction of the DCU, and it is a direction I am supremely interested in.  Bring forth the Brightest Day!

Doom Patrol #9 -- There's new tenants on Oolong Island, and the current residents are none too happy about it!  This issue as well as the last sufferes for two reasons: one, inconsistant art, with regular artist Matthew Clark only doing about half the pages; and two, a lot of Morrison-era continuity that I don't really understand.  Why is Crazy Jane there?  What was the deal with Danny Street?  This stuff confuses me.  This series is generally very strong but the last two have been subpar.  Hopefully the new arrival from the last page will get things back on track.  (Also: what happened to Rita's wounded hand?)

Outsiders #28 -- It's been brewing and now it has boiled over: the war between Geo-Force and Black Lightning!  And what a war it is, as DiDio and Tan put over the insane power levels between these two strong-willed superfolk.  The tumultous team is driven in a new direction, and the setup which DiDio has been painting pays off.  I may be the only one reading this title but I am enjoying the heck out of it.

Red Robin #11 -- The League of Assassians is out to get Tim Drake and everyone closest to him, and Batman is not thrilled with the League operating in Gotham City.  Things are coming to a head here even though really not much seems to go down here except some of the details of Ghul's plot, which is appreciated.  The next issue is the blowoff should provide some fun, but this is mostly just moving pieces around the board.

Warlord #13 -- Joshua takes up his father's sword and The Warlord once more rides in Skartaris!  But has a celestial body which crashes into the subterranean world has brought about a new era as well?  It's not surprising that Chad Hardin is handling the art here after Grell did so much of his own art previously.  I would have liked to have Grell handle Joshua's first adventure but this is still a fun read.  I really liked the last page cliffhanger and am eager to see what new adventures the new Warlord is going to have.  

The Web #7 -- Stunner is in the morgue, and the Web has to answer for it!  And Dead Hand Legendre is working his plan to take out the Hangman!  The lead feature is alright but somewhat derailed by the addition of an annoying new character (Kit-kat, the IT Girl) who seemingly serves no purpose other than being annoying.  The backup is nice for the second showdown between Hangman and Ugly Man.  Frankly this issue was pretty weak, although I liked the cliffhangers.

New Avengers: Luke Cage #1 -- The former Power Man makes his way to the City Of Brotherly Love to look into an old acquiantance from "the old days."  Eric Canete's art is superbly suited to the Hero For Hire, with a harsh, urban, almost grafitti-like style.  John Arcudi's story has a lot of background elements which represent either retcons or misinformation which I do not care for (namely that Power Man operated out of Harlem, and was a defender of the neighborhood), but for what they do in the story I don't mind.  It's nice to see Luke on his own for a while and not written by Bendis!

The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1, The Phantom: Generations #10 -- Gone missin'.  Hopefully they'll be in stock this week.

Re-Read Pile: Blackest Night, Outsiders, Warlord, Luke Cage.

The Pick Of The Pile is Blackest Night.  Pretty much says it all.

A Comic Book First!

Hey folks, next time you head down to your favorite local comic shop, be sure to check out Robocop #3 from Dynamite.  When you do, flip to the back and check out the lettercol, where you will find that YOUR favorite blogger (who happens to be named Luke and runs a site named The Bunker) has his first letter printed EVER!  

Woooo!  I'd buy that for a dollar!

What Looks Good?

Oh man, this is going to be a big week, since it has last week AND this week on it!

Blackest Night #8 -- This is it!  The big blowoff is finally here!  What will the DCU look like after this is done?!  And yes I know I am a week behind!

Doom Patrol #9 -- Strange things are afoot on Oolong Island.

The Flash: Secret Files and Origins 2010 #1 -- Getting us up to "speed" (groan) for the new series (next week!).

Outsiders #28 -- The Outsiders are being torn apart at the seams, and thats not even considering the Masters of Disaster!

Red Robin #11 -- Tim Drake has settled things with Stephanie, now it's time to settle with Ra's Al Ghul!

Warlord #13 -- The Rising of the Son!

The Web #7 -- Is our hero a murderer?!  And what is Dead Hand Legendre's plan for the Hangman?

Iron Man: I Am Iron Man TPB -- It's the Summer of Shellhead folks, we're just here for the ride.

New Avengers: Like Cage #1 -- Any hope for a nice yellow shirt?

The Phantom: Generations #10 -- The years may pass by but the skull-cracking never ends.

So, what looks good to YOU?

Return!

Hey folks, got back from visiting my family on Friday and have been playing catchup every since.  I am hoping to start normal posting again tomorrow with the new week of comics.  Sorry for the inconvenience!

Oh, and by the way: I HAVE NOT READ BLACKEST NIGHT #8 YET!  I will read it once I get to the shop tomorrow but until then the suspense is killing me!