Back from Thanksgiving break and we’re all slogging through our first work day in what seems like forever (spiked eggnog will do that to yah). Marvel NOW! continues, science fiction comics abound and Star Wars introduces a new series with a laughable cover. We preview this week’s comics by picking our favorite and least favorite covers; and as always, a full list of this week’s releases can be found at the bottom. Now let’s get to it:
Dave’s Cover of the Week
Ghostbusters #15
Dave: Not all character-stacked covers work, but this one does, largely because of the dark tone that pervades in the shading and colors. Each character pops as if they were cell shaded and I dare you to not stare at this puppy for more than 5 minutes in gleeful nostalgic wonder.
Brendan: I love the concept of taking this shot from The Real Ghostbusters and making it a bit darker and edgier. I mean, if you think about it, this is how creepy the ghosts should have been all along. The heavy pencils and the dark colors make for a cool, gritty version of an already memorable scene.
Brendan’s Cover of the Week
Thor God of Thunder #2
Brendan: I love the light pastel-like colors being used here. It gives the cover a bit of a dreamy feeling that is a cool sensation when you think of the epic godly backdrops of this Thor comic. There’s a lot of great great details in this cover, especially when you finally notice Odin (I assume that’s Odin) and the flaming ship in the background.
Dave: After reading issue #1 I’m pretty certain that old dude is Thor “many millennia from now” which is pretty badass. I agree with Brendan here; the fine melding of imagery on this cover definitely evokes that wonderful “dreamy” feeling.
Brendan’s Honorable Mentions
68 Scars #3
Brendan: I love this cover. There is a great balance of beauty and horror that I find incredibly intriguing. If it weren’t for the whited out eyes and the splash of blood, this would instantly become a gorgeous portrait of a woman. It really showcases the weight of a few subtle differences.
Dave: Vietnam just got a whole lot scarier. The puff of blood on the woman’s shoulder nicely done along with her whole visage, but the bamboo is what takes the cake here. It at once sets the scene but also imbues the cover with a sense of thick dread. As if it were a wall and there’s nowhere to run.
Masks #1
Brendan: While this is a fairly generic cover, and while Ross may be phoning this one in, I just love the concept of these heroes coming together. What kind of chaos are you going to find when you throw the Shadow, Green Hornet, Zorro and that other guy into the same comic? I guess we’re going to find out?
Dave: Alex Ross still has the ability to make lifelike imagery and I think it all starts with the clothing. The way things drape and their subsequent shadows add realism to an otherwise unrealistic scene.
A+X #2
Brendan: Listen, Keown has drawn some great characters here. He is incredibly talented, as I’m sure you already know. That is not why I have chosen this cover. I have chosen this cover because it kinda looks like Spider-man is riding Beast like a bucking bronco, and that is a comic book I would pay full price for.
Dave: How insulting to Beast. I’m sure Spidey will ride him hard and put him in the barn wet… he’s so inconsiderate after all.
Russ: Whelp, Dave both inspired a whole new niche of Rule 34 fanfic and made me extremely uncomfortable with his commentary. I hope you’re happy, Dave.
Dave’s Honorable Mentions
Planetoid #4
Dave: Planetoid has been a wonderful surprise since its release by Image Comics a few months ago and I can’t help but think it’s due to a lack of edgy science fiction available on the comic book shelf. Our protagonist is clearly in a pickle here and considering he’s the leader of the life form faction I’m thinking he may not be human much longer. Each wire, arm or needle comes off as dirty and evil as it prods and pokes our hero.
Brendan: I love the contrast of the cold metallics against the warm pink fleshiness of our main guy. The shadowing on our hero also helps sum up the dark times ahead. Also, that headbound mechanical drill is downright ominous. This cover is quite cool.
Russ: I think Marvel selling the rights to Cable was a good idea. He was getting a little stale.
Nowhere Men #1
Dave: This has a Penguin Classic Books cover written all over it. The simplistic style lends itself to the paperback novels we all grew to love in the 80’s and what an interesting idea to imbue on a comic book cover. I’m not exactly sure what is going on…a robot is awakened and a team of heroes are out to stop it, but does it even matter? This cover pops so good.
Brendan: This cover has great composition. All the separate pieces cause you to move your eyes around the cover, never getting too focused on one single item. I find this cover very intriguing, since it seems to tell a story yet there isn’t enough information present. You have the dark, shadowed gentlemen in the top left and the silhouetted white group in classic hero pose in the bottom right with a cringing robot in between. What does it all mean, Basil?
Secret Avengers #34
Dave: No matter how stupid the Avengers of the Undead sounds it’s still cool in the, “this is how I dreamed it up when I was little” sort of way. This is a fun cover to oggle the character design and can we argue more Frankencastle is a good thing?
Just look at that window. Look at it! Adams’ detailed work here and throughout stands out in vivid and realistic terms. That’s saying a lot when there’s a werewolf Captain America.
Brendan: You had me at vampire Wolverine. Honestly, no matter how dumb this concept is, it really is one of those “so dumb it’s cool” ideas. I mean, I thought the idea of Frankencastle was kind of cute, but the idea of an entire team of classic monster movie/marvel mashups? I love it. Why was this not out for Halloween?
Russ: I bought an issue of Captain America back in fifth grade solely because it featured a werewolf Wolverine and werewolf Captain America tussling on the cover with slobber arcing profusely from their maws and fur a flyin’. I can see that same reaction being instilled in today’s youth, so Marvel gets a silent tip of the cap from me on this.
WTF? Category
Where we don’t understand, are insulted by or would rather stab our eyes with acid pops than look at these covers for various reasons.
FF #1
Dave: I’m a big Allred fan, hell I bought his Madman hardcover and loved every page of it, but what the hell is this cover? The characters are all floating seemingly at random; I take it they are on the roof of the Fantastic Four building, but you’d have to guess at that and the cityscape background is just dull. I’m sure Allred’s interiors will look great, but this cover isn’t cool or interesting.
Brendan: This does seem like classic Madman art. Honestly, I have never been a fan of his work. This cover does seem a bit off, but I feel like it is multiplied by the ridiculous characters they have in place for the new Fantastic Four. I certainly have no interest for this one.
Russ: When in the blue hell did the little girl from Spy Kids become the ever-lovin’ blue-eyed Thing?
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – The Prisoner of Bogan #1
Brendan: Finally, The Star Wars/ Insane Clown Posse crossover we’ve all been waiting for! I get that the SW universe is an infinite treasure-trove of possibilities. I mean, when you populate the entire universe you then allow for literally any character possible. But just because you can make an evil Jedi doesn’t mean you should, kids.
Dave: What is going on in this cover?! What are those lines coming off the woman? Is she being beamed up or something? The stupid grin on the alien’s face mixed with the arrow belt buckle pointing us to the way are my favorite. I can only think she’s a prostitute (hence the helpful, “Follow me” buckle) and the alien is her customer.
Comics Being Released This Week
This is a cleaned up list via ComicList.com. Prices in USD. “AR” = Ask Retailer. Comic availability subject to change.
- DARK HORSE COMICS
- Angel And Faith #16 (Steve Morris Regular Cover), $2.99
- B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth #101 (The Return Of The Master Part 4 Of 5), $3.50
- Ghost #2, $2.99
- R.I.P.D. City Of The Damned #1 (Of 4), $3.50
- Star Wars Dawn Of The Jedi The Prisoner Of Bogan #1 (Of 5), $2.99
- DC COMICS
- All-Star Western #14, $3.99
- American Vampire #33, $2.99
- Aquaman #14, $2.99
- Arrow #1, $3.99
- Batman Beyond Unlimited #10, $3.99
- Batman Incorporated #5, $2.99
- Batman The Dark Knight #14, $2.99
- Before Watchmen Ozymandias #4 (Of 6), $3.99
- Before Watchmen Silk Spectre #4 (Of 4), $3.99
- Flash #14, $2.99
- Fury Of Firestorm The Nuclear Men #14, $2.99
- I Vampire #14, $2.99
- Joe Kubert Presents #2 (Of 6), $4.99
- Justice League Dark #14, $2.99
- Lot 13 #2 (Of 5), $2.99
- Phantom Lady #4 (Of 4) , $2.99
- Red Hood And The Outlaws #13, $2.99
- Red Lanterns #14, $2.99
- Savage Hawkman #14, $2.99
- Superman #14, $2.99
- Superman Family Adventures #7, $2.99
- Talon #2, $2.99
- Teen Titans #14, $2.99
- DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
- Green Hornet #31, $3.99
- Green Hornet #31, $3.99
- Marcus Nispel’s Chosen #2 (Of 3), $3.99
- Masks #1 (Of 8), $3.99
- Prophecy #5 (Of 7), $3.99
- Thun’da #4 (Of 5), $3.99
- Warlord Of Mars #22, $3.99
- IDW PUBLISHING
- Cobra #19, $3.99
- Crow #5 (Of 5), $3.99
- Doctor Who #1, $3.99
- Ghostbusters #15, $3.99
- Godzilla #7, $3.99
- Godzilla Half Century War #2 (Of 5), $3.99
- Locke And Key Grindhouse (One Shot), $3.99
- My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic #1, $3.99
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #16, $3.99
- Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Annual 2012, $7.99
- Transformers Prime Rage Of The Dinobots #1 (Of 4), $3.99
- True Blood #7, $3.99
- IMAGE COMICS
- 68 Scars #3 (Of 4), $3.99
- Bedlam #2, $3.50
- Chew #30, $2.99
- Fatale #10, $3.50
- MacGyver Fugitive Gauntlet #2 (Of 5), $3.50
- Morning Glories #23, $2.99
- Multiple Warheads From Alphabet To Infinity #2 (Of 4), $2.99
- Nowhere Men #1, $2.99
- Planetoid #4, $2.99
- Prophet #31, $3.99
- Witch Doctor Mal Practice #1 (Of 6), $2.99
- MARVEL COMICS
- A+X #2, $3.99
- All-New X-Men #2, $3.99
- Astonishing X-Men Annual #1, $4.99
- Captain America And Black Widow #639, $2.99
- FF #1, $2.99
- Gambit #6, $2.99
- Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man #8, $2.99
- New Avengers #34(Final Issue), $4.99
- Secret Avengers #34, $3.99
- Thor God Of Thunder #2, $3.99
- Ultimate Comics Iron Man #2 (Of 4), $3.99
- Ultimate Comics X-Men #19, $3.99
- Uncanny Avengers #2, $3.99
- Venom #27.1, $2.99
- Wolverine MAX #2, $3.99
- X-Men Legacy #2, $2.99
- X-Treme X-Men #7, $2.99
- ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
- Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood #3 (Of 5), $2.99
- Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Sleepy Hollow #2, $2.99
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