September 2015 Comics Update

Greetings Comic Fans!  It has been a while since one of our blogposts.  Well, we have so much incredible comic news that we decided to let you all know about the crazy good Fall we have coming up for comics and comic related stuff.  So, Up, Up and Away…

Star Wars

You know the movie is coming out December 18, and we will be doing some really cool stuff for that, but more on that a little later. We hope you are all reading the Star Wars comics because, if not, you are missing great writing, awesome art, and some key plot points that are being revealed. No true Star Wars fan should miss these, but the most important book, Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens Shattered Empire, is releasing September 9, 2015. This book starts filling in the gap between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens movies.

If that is not enough, everybody’s favorite Wookie is also getting his own series as well. Chewbacca #1 hits stands in October. While we have plenty of copies coming in, reserve yours to make sure some jawa doesn’t beat you to it. To make life easy, here’s a list of all the Star Wars titles as links to their comiXology page:

Star Wars	Darth Vader
Lando	Princess Leia
Kanan - The Last Padawan	Chewbacca
Journey Star Wars: The Force Awakens Shattered Empire

What’s Red, Blue and White?

Captain America White #1 of course! Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are back at it again with their insightful look at the early days of our favorite red, white and blue avenger. As with their earlier books, Daredevil Yellow, Hulk Gray, Spider-Man Blue, this talented team takes a close look at the hero’s early days, long before they were the legend they later become. Cap White #1 will be here September 16 with my personal favorite cover being the Skottie Young variant. Order now--it’s what Uncle Sam would do!

What’s Red and Gold?

Yup, Invincible Iron Man #1 is coming out too. You know Tony can never let Cap upstage him, so Shellhead  gets a new series starting  October 7, 2015. It promises to be Marvelous and world changing, but when is Stark anything less than grandiose at the extreme? There is a launch party for this book (Gee, Iron Man miss a chance to party?) with exclusive variants and lithos plus more. We’ll send out invites as soon as Tony gets done picking a caterer, so prep your tux and watch the email box for details.

As long as we’re on Marvel…

Secret Wars ain’t over yet folks, but Marvel is already announced their new list of #1s. Some old favorites are back (still here maybe) and there are some new titles, of course. To help launch the titles, Marvel is doing a series of variants based on famous and infamous Hip-Hop record covers (those round things made of black vinyl before CDs--Invincible Iron Man #1 Hip Hop variant cover is seen here). As usual with Marvel, figuring out how many we’ll be getting is harder than finding a good FF movie, but we’ll get it figured out. We are also planning a special deal for the new Marvel #1s but still have a few details to pound out on that. Stay tuned, True Believers.

Now this Bombshell…

DC Bombshell Covers are coming in fast and furious and surprise, my favorite is Sinestro!  We still have plenty in stock so get ‘em while they last, sailor.

Ever wonder what Bruce Wayne and Elmer Fudd have in common? No, we didn’t either, other than a mansion and a yacht, until now. Well, we can add appearing on DC Comic covers to the list! Suffern’ Succotash, Warner Bros Cartoon characters are the latest round of DC Comics variants. Well, they are both owned by Warner Brothers, so it is not a huge surprise that these two iconic animated brands should one day meet. My current favorite is either Yosemite Sam vs Deathstroke, or Superman and SuperBugs, or Wonder Woman and ‘What’s Opera Doc’ Elmer Fudd. Check them out and reserve your copies early.

The Dark Knight Returns... Again

They say Third Time’s the Charm and we certainly hope so for this Batman issue! The original The Dark Knight Returns may be one of the best storylines ever created and, in our opinion, helped launch the comics revival of the late 80s. While the second installment was not as well regarded, we can have high hopes that the upcoming installment, titled Dark Knight III: The Master Race and landing in stores November, will be up to the standard of the first series.

Frank Miller will be joined by Brian Azzarello on the writing side, and the book will be drawn by Andy Kubert and Klaus Janson. There will be a ton of variants and even some sort of slip case option, plus many other cool aspects to this new classic. Stay tuned, same Bat Channel, same Bat newspost.

On the Red Carpet

OK, this may be one of the best seasons for TV shows based on comics EVER! So for my fellow comic fans, here is a list of this Fall’s TV Shows and their premier dates. Don't forget to tune in, and we'll be seeing you Wednesdays!

Live Action:
Arrow, The CW, Wednesday, October 7 at 8 PM
Flash, The CW, Tuesday, October 6 at 8 PM
Gotham, Fox, Monday, September 21 at 8 PM
Supergirl, CBS, Monday, October 26 at 8:30 PM
Heroes Reborn, NBC, Tuesday, September 24 at 8 PM
IZombie, The CW, Tuesday, October 6 at 9 PM
Walking Dead, AMC, Sunday October 11 at 9 PM
Fear the Walking Dead, AMC, Sunday, August 23 at 9 PM
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., ABC, Tuesday, September 29 at 9 PM
Marvel’s Agent Carter, No Info yet, 1st quarter 2016 most likely
Legends of Tomorrow, No Info yet, 1st quarter 2016 most likely

Animated:
Avengers Assemble (Stay Tuned for Details)
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Disney XD, Saturday, September 26 at 9:30 PM
Ultimate Spider-Man (Stay Tuned for Details)

This Week in Comics - February 18th

Big News of the Week

This week was a bit quiet in terms of book releases. There was a high number of Bat-Family and Super-Family books as well as Captain America titles. The newest Doctor Who issue is out and continues the 10th Doctor's dealings with the Weeping Angels during the First World War. Next week we'll see the wrap up of the Spider-Verse story line in Amazing Spider-Man #15 and Spider-Gwen's block busting debut! Watch for Spider-gwen #1 out February 25th.

A New X-Man for Apocalypse has Been Revealed!

A few weeks ago, Bryan Singer revealed his casting for younger Jean, Scott and Storm via tumbler, now we see another mutant casting revealed the same way. This time is everybody's favorite blue Bamfer, Nightcrawler. The last time we saw Nightcrawler in a live action movie was X2: X-Men United, played by Alan Cumming. Young Kurt Wagner will be played by Kodi Smit-McPhee, who I honestly haven't seen in anything other than ParaNorman. Here's a quick Bleeding Cool Snippet about this latest casting news.

Stay Classy Denizens!
Zach

Zach "Erik" Burruby
Comics Manager
Dragon's Den

Cryptozoic at GAMA 2012

Cryptozoic had so much to show us at GAMA!  They had information about non-sports cards, deck building games, board games, and trading card games.  I'll try and summarize some of what we saw so that everyone will have a chance to here about what is coming from Cryptozoic.

The Hobbit:

This year Cryptozoic will be releasing 2 different deck building games.  One game will be a bit of a throw back for the Lord of the Rings, and the other will be The Hobbit, Unexpected Journey!  The first one will release in the summer and the second in the winter of 2012.

World of Warcraft:

Well there is so much to say about World of Warcraft (WoW), that it might be easy to do it as a list.  So if you are looking for more information, then try the WoW website to get more details.

• March - Champion Decks: These decks will be pre-cons focusing on main characters from the online game.
• June - Tomb of the Forgotten: The third in the block of current sets.  They will introduce the Forgotten, a monstrous race of paladins.  
• August - Battle of the Aspect Raid:  This is a new Raid deck around Deathwing.
• October -Timewalker: War of the Ancients: A new set with never before seen characters from the lore of World of Warcraft.
• November - Feast of Winterveil Tin: a new holiday tin for World of Warcraft.
• Coming this year will also bring a WoW Deck Building Game: Clash of Champions.

Non-Sports Collectible Cards:

If you are really into pop culture, and you really like to collect, then check out some of these great products that will come out these year.

• Vampire Diaries
• The Guild
• Big Bang Theory
• Smallville
• Fringe
• Tarzan 100th Anniversary
• The Walking Dead

 Other Games

• DC Comics Deck Building Game: using Cerberus Game Engine
• Castle: based on original characters from the Marvel graphic novels
• Capcom Deck Building Game: using Cerberus Game Engine (will work with DC game)
• Batman Arkham Asylum: based on the video game, play as batman or the inmates!
• Archer: Mature Audience... 'nuff said!

Sean "Striderlotr" Banks

This Week in Comics

Is this email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. New 52 Wave Two The Second Wave of DC's New 52 starts in May. Take a peek now. Don' forget: Pre-ordering is the best way to guarantee you get your comics! Pre-orders for product shipping in May are due by Tuesday, March 20th EARTH TWO #1 by James Robinson and Nicola Scott The multiverse returns! James Robinson, who wrote the classic JSA story THE GOLDEN AGE, gets his hands on Earth-2, home of Jay Garrick, Alan Scott and (possibly) other Justice Society characters. Not a lot of information out there about this one, yet, but I imagine we'll hear more soon. Given all the changes made to the "main" Earth of The New 52, it's hard to say what'll have changed on Earth Two. We'll find out in May. Comixology Link ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. GI COMBAT #1 by JT Krul, Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and more. This looks like a MUCH stronger attempt at a war book than either Blackhawks or Men at War.  Smart move on DC's part, using one of their "old" war titles to give this genre another chance. I have to tell you, I'm curious to see what Palmiotti and Gray do with the UNKNOWN SOLDIER. I think this is going to do much better than either of the aforementioned titles did last fall. Comixology Link ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. BATMAN, INC #1 by Grant Morrisson and Chris Burnham The end of Morrisson's Batman run is nigh; With the identity of Leviathan now revelaled, the last act of this years-long story kicks into gear. I don't know how long this book will go for, but it's Grant doing his thing. The Batman graphic novels are our best sellers, and besides the classic Bat-books (YEAR ONE, LONG HALLOWEEN, DKR), the Grant Morrisson volumes are our fastest movers. If you read BATMAN, INC before the New 52, this is merely a continuation of that series and the one-shot BATMAN: LEVIATHAN that came out a month or two back. Time to jump back into the madness, Morrison is back. Comixology Link ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. WORLD'S FINEST #1 by Paul Levitz, George Perez & others Huntress and Power Girl are stuck on our Earth, and want to go home. This is an interesting idea: re-using one of DC's better-known titles (and catchphrases) and assigning it to two female characters. The Huntress mini-series has done extraordinarily well here, but the pre-New 52 (ugh, hate typing that) Power Girl was a very poor seller. Given how much grief DC got last summer at San Diego about the lack of female characters and creators involved in the re-launch, I'm glad to see that they've honored two popular characters with their own book. WORLD'S FINEST looks like it's going to detail the adventures of two super-heroes trying to get back home. Levitz' writing on Huntress has been spot-on. I think this is going to be great. Comixology Link ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. DIAL H by China Mievelle and Mateus Santolouco It gives you power, but want to destroy the world. A device powerful enough to help you become a hero, but power always come at a price. Best selling novelist China Mievelle jumps into The New 52 with a dark story, told in the vein of ANIMAL MAN and SWAMP THING. This book looks like it'll be playing on the edges of the DCU, while telling great stories. Should be fun. Comixology Link. ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. RAVAGERS #1 by Howard Mackie and Ian Churchill. GEN 13 Return- Wait, no I think I got that wrong. Sorry folks, I saw Caitlin Fairchild busting out of her clothes on the cover, and had a "I want all 13 covers" flashback. (Points to anyone who knows what that one means.) Spinning out of SUPERBOY and "The Culling" storyline, Fairchild and a mix of new and old heroes are on the run, while trying to work together. It's like Teen Titans, but with a twist or three. Glad to see some more of my Wildstorm characters making a return. Comixology Link ®, ™ and © 2012 DC Comics. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2012 Dragon's Den, All rights reserved. Here is one of those emails we promised you when you signed up as part of the Denizen Discount Program when you were shopping at Dragon's Den. Our mailing address is: Dragon's Den 2600 South Road Poughkeepsie Plaza Poughkeepsie, New York 12601 Add us to your address book  unsubscribe from this list | update subscription preferences

New 52 - Week 3 - Reviews from Kathy!

Kathy from The Gamer's Gambit in NJ has also been reviewing The New 52. Check out what she thinks!

Batman: A good beginning, even if the origin story is glossed over. This comic dives into who is Batman? Who is Bruce Wayne? What is Gotham City and is there hope for it? 3.5 out of 5.  

Birds of Prey: Just as the Birds of Prey begin someone wants them—and a nosy reporter— out of the picture. Will this mysterious group succeed? An exciting beginning that could have used a little more story that seems to have taken a different turn with the new creative team. 3 out of 5.

Blue Beetle: The origin of the scarab, and why the earth should fear it. A villainous group wants the scarab, but will they be able to get it? Although this comic, sadly, confirms that Ted Kord was never a Blue Beetle, it’s a good story and a solid beginning. Sadly, 3 out of 5. I’m hoping issue two is better.

Captain Atom: Beginning with a crisis about his powers is an interesting start; a way to get around the origin story while still explaining who he is. Even so, it’s kind of meh. 2.5 out of 5.

Catwoman: From reading this, we know that Catwoman loves trouble. Jewelry, cats, money, Batman, sure, she loves those things as well, but they all lead back to the same: trouble. After her apartment gets blown up, she needs a way to get cash fast. Meaning, she needs something to steal. 3 out of 5.

Green Lantern Corps: Thousands of light years away, Green Lanterns are getting massacred! On earth, Guy Gardener and John Stewart try to balance their heroic and civilian lives, until duty calls. 3 out of 5.

Legion of Superheroes: Oh look! Introduction bubbles! So now we know who all these people are… but I’m still confused as to who the people in Legion Lost are. But it’s much less confusing than Legion Lost, and is even enjoyable at times. I just wish they reversed the release order of this with Legion Lost. 2 out of 5.

Nightwing: Dick Grayson is back to being Nightwing, beating up criminals in his own way rather than as Batman. He’s used to seeing the worst in Gotham, but how will he handle the circus coming to town? To everyone else, it’s just an ordinary circus. To him, it’s a bitter-sweet memory: place where he grew up and performed, and the place where his parents died. 4 out of 5.

Wonder Woman and Red Hood: I put both of these together because I’m confused. Wonder Woman dives right into acts of evil, but I don’t recognize the guy who looks like he’s made entirely out of black rocks. Nor do I recognize the girl that’s being chased after or why she knows Diana/Wonder Woman. And Red Hood? It… seems like DC’s answer to Deadpool, but it doesn’t have the same feeling. I know who Red Hood is because I’m a Batman fan, but what is he doing with those two. Why is Starfire on the run? Why is she so quick to have sex? It has just as little explanation as Wonder Woman. What is going on in both of these?  Both 1 out of 5.

What do I recommend so far?

Frankenstein: Agent of Shade- Don’t let the cover or the goofy title fool you. It’s good. Good characters, good story, I can’t wait for issue two. My favorite, if only because I want it to succeed so much! The Bat family? They’ll do fine. Green Lantern? No problem. I’m most worried this will fail due to a lack of star power despite being better than the rest of the 52’s.

Batgirl: This comic has, sadly, gotten a lot of negative feedback due to Barbara Gordon no longer being Oracle. It’s a touchy subject, but it’s been handled well. It’s emotional and realistic, and it’s nice to see that even superheroes have trouble with fear. I’m reading this to see Barbara Gordon adjust to her new role.

Batwoman: The art may be better than the story, but I’m a sucker for mysteries and the supernatural. For all of the “world’s greatest detective” praise that Batman gets, this one seems to have much more mystery to it than the main Batman titles.

New 52 - Week 3

Another week of comic-y goodness from DC, as The New 52 rolls on. We've still got most of the books in stock from the first 3 weeks (including Justice League and Action Comics).

Let's get into it:

--

Catwoman #1: I'm a huge fan of Judd Winick's independent work (Barry Ween, Pedro and Me), but most of his DC work has felt flat. This, however, was a wild sexy ride. If you've been reading the internet, you already know about the... encounter, at the end of the book. This was far more fun than I thought it'd be, to be honest. Then again, I'm biased, Dick Grayson isn't the only one who has a thing for redheads.

(That comment will make far more sense if you read a couple of this week's books... but I'm not telling which.)

Supergirl #1: Supergirl lands to earth, falls through Kansas, burrows through the planet to Russia, gets into a fight and... that's pretty much it. Waitwhat? This book read a little too fast for me. Not enough content, but the art was nice.

DC Universe Presents Deadman #1: Ehhh... i dunno. The art was okay, the writing was okay, the ending was a little abrupt, but I wish they'd stayed more in line with the Brightest Day continuity (as hinted in Hawk & Dove), rather than re-do his origin. Overall, a good #1, but nothing special.

Red Hood & The Outlaws #1: Holy moly, a comic featuring Jason Todd that makes him actually likeable? Scott Lobdell is 2 for 2 on his DCU books so far. The art was good, Starfire was a bit, um, provocative, but this was a solid start.

Blue Beetle #1: Jaime Reyes returns, again, as the Blue Beetle. I really liked the introduction, tying the Scarab in with the Lantern Corps. This was a little light-hearted, compared to the rest of the DCU, it felt more like the early issues of Ultimate Spider-man, which is exactly the tone they should be going for.

Wonder Woman #1: Yeah, okay, now this is a WW book I can get behind. One of the better WW stories I've read in years, frankly. They're dipping their feet into the Greek mythology behind the character, while creating a new villain and adding a new supporting character. Great read.

Legion of Super-heroes #1. le sigh. Okay, I've got to say, the art on this was GORGEOUS. Great detail, lush backgrounds, just incredible stuff. Francis Portella, you created a fan. But the story... man, this would've been a good Legion of Super-heroes #7, but this was NOT a good #1. It felt like a continuation of the previous run, and had characters all over the place; I had no idea who was who, doing what and where. Good comic, bad #1. Really loved the art, though.

Captain Atom #1: Couldn't get through it, the art was too murky. Will try again next week.

Nightwing #1: Hey, another solid book! Great to see Dick back as Nightwing, although it went a wee bit too heavy on the origin story for my liking. This was one of my favorites from the week.

Birds of Prey #1: Not certain what to say about this one. It felt the same as the Deadman book, it didn't do much for me, either way. Black Canary is putting together a new team. The art was serviceable, the writing the same. I don't know, this just didn't jump out at me one way or the other.

Batman #1: But this was AWESOME.Great #1, great Batman story. Capullo's art was pitch-perfect, and the writing was fantastic. this is all I want from a Batman book. Great, great stuff.

Next week: I, Vampire! Superman! Justice League Dark! Voodoo!

New 52 - Week 2

The New 52 continues with the 2nd wave of new titles. After reading the first two weeks worth of titles, there's one word to describe The New 52: Dark.

Not that there's anything wrong with books that are dark in tone or material, but I'm hoping we see a bit more sunlight and hope peek through the books as the month continues. Too much of anything can be.. well, too much.

That said, there's some gems this week. Let's get to it.

Deathstroke #1 - Good introductory issue. An all-in-one plot for the character, plus a hook at the end. A bit of a surprise there, with his comment about not liking competition; it made me laugh. The one thought I had (and this has gone through my head a couple times in the last couple weeks) is that Deathstroke's outfit was a little too much 90's Image Excess. Sometimes simpler is better? (See Batwoman's costume). That said, solid first issue.

Grifter #1 - Oh, DC. Why must you take my previous Wildstorm characters, pour gasoline on them, and then make me watch as they slowly burn away, never to be remembered by those of us who loved them ? TELL ME WHY, YOU SADISTS.

Okay, got that out of my system.

Grifter was described as Sawyer from Lost meets the DCU. That pretty much hits it on the head. Grifter is a con man, but things go very bad, very fast. This was a good first issue.

Mister Terrific #1 - I was very happy to see the fan-favorite from JSA get his own book. It was a good story, but it felt a little write-by-numbers, y'know? It lacked oomph. This one might take a couple issues to come together.

Green Lantern #1 - Anyone who was reading GL before this month should be able to pick this up and jump right in. For new(er) readers, it might be a little tricky, trying to figure out why Sinestro is Green Lantern instead of Hal, who the guys in the yellow uniforms are, and what's going on. Also, isn't Carol still in-charge of the you-know-who's? BRING BACK COWGIRL, GEOFF JOHNS.

Sometimes I wish Geoff Johns would write just one book a month, instead of 2-4. Ever since he became head honcho/VP at DC, his writing hasn't been the same.

Batman and Robin #1 - Oh Damian, you lovable jerk. Why can't you and Daddy Wayne just get along?

Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E #1 - Like Animal Man and Swamp Thing from last week, this one floored me. Great, strange issue. Franky's father is in the body of an 8 year old girl? I couldn't possibly pin this one down with one word, but I'll try: Must-buy.

(Yeah I cheated there. Whaddya want from me?)

Demon Knights #1 - I was both amused and disgusted by the "rough" comment. If you've already read it, you know what I'm talking about. If not, you'll understand. I have to confess, my expectations were low for this book, but they surpassed them. This was a "pieces and players coming together for the first time" -type first issue, and it was fun. Good read. Anyone who read Stormwatch last week already knows this ties into the history of the New DCU.

Resurrection Man #1 - With all my love for Abnett and Lanning, you'd have thought I read the original Resurrection Man series, right? Wrong. The writing on this was strong, and it felt like a "long read". Great value for $2.99. The art, though, was a little off. Sometimes the characters looked disjointed? Body parts not quite lining up right? It added a little atmosphere to the book, but it also took me out of the story sometimes, too.

Superboy #1 - Hey now, this was good. They've jettisoned all the previous Superboy stories (and Teen Titans, I'd imagine), and stated fresh.  Solid first issue, one of the best from this week.

Legion Lost #1 - ... and now, one of the weakest. Yikes, this was messy. Too much talking about superpowers, and the costumes are so complicated I STILL don't know who's who. Or why I should care. Granted, it's easy to be intimidated by all the LSH characters, there's only a million of them. But "time-traveling super-heroes from the future, stuck in the present"? That's a pretty nifty concept, but all the language about the "Flashpoint wall/event/whatever" lost me. Hopefully next month is better, 'cause I'm going to hear about this review from loyal reserivst Gatti, that's for sure.

Red Lanterns #1 - And now, a big ol pile of Rage. As many of you already know, I'm a huge fan of the Red Lanterns (my rage issues are legendary, ask the employees at the Den), so I've been waiting MONTHS, nay YEARS for Atrocitus and the Almighty HATE KITTEH to get their own book. This was another strong introductory issue, and Ed Benes did a good job on the art.

Suicide Squad #1 - Like you could make this title anything BUT dark, right?  Lots of blood and mayhem, but I have to confess, it was missing something. In the original Suicide Squad by Ostrander and it's spiritual successor, Secret Six by Gail Simone, the books were dark, but balanced  with a little light comedy here and there. Halfway through this book, I thought to myself "Why isn't Gail writing this?" The voices in my head had no answer. The only other criticism is my own blinders: Anytime I see Harley in a comic, I automatically pipe in her voice and mannerisms from The Animated Series. This book didn't jive with the show. That's more me, than anything else, I think.

Batwoman #1 - This was awesome. The. End.

-Scott.

The New 52 - Week 1

...and here we are.

After months of questions and teases and press releases and the occasional fanboy rage, The New 52 have landed at the Dragon's Den. After reading all of this week's books, I came away pretty impressed. All of the books are easy jump-on points; you don't need to know anything about the characters, but if you do, that's okay too. DC's done a good job of blending "jump-on point" without tossing away much of the continuity for the older readers.

Random comments:

* Most of the titles managed to end on a cliffhanger. Some more memorable than others (Detective Comics, for one)

* Several of the covers are different than originally solicited. That's not a bad thing

* I'm hearing many reports of stores under-ordering these books, across the country. This may sound crazy to you, but I'm just saying this now: I am fairly certain that all of The New 52 #1's will be go to 2nd printing by the end of the month. Get the 1st prints now. Trust me.

 * Review Time.

Justice League #1 - Yes, this came out last week, but I'm including it here anyways. This was a strong first issue, but not a strong introduction to The New 52. On that level, it didn't succeed. But I'm not going to lie: It was great to see a Jim Lee-drawn comic again.

Action Comics #1  - My expectations were high for this book. Grant Morrisson's All-Star Superman is one of the landmark stories for the character, so we all know what he's capable of doing with the character. But this book... this is a very different Superman. This Superman is a bit more reckless, unexperienced, and a bit more anti-authoritarian. It was great to read a Superman who didn't come off as having a stick up his you-know-where.

It was great. Fresh. New. Innovative, while paying homage to the past. Plus the last page... so simple, yet brilliant.

Animal Man #1 - This book creeped me out. It really did, the whole issue made me feel anxious. How is that possible? I don't know, but it happened anyways. And the last page... wow. CREEPY. Don't give this one to your kids, they'll have nightmares (seriously).

Batman Detective Comics #1 - Sweet mary, mother of god, if Animal Man #1 creeped me out, this one made my jaw drop. The last page is... no, I'm not going to use any words to read it. But you Will Not See That Coming. This issue was dark, bloody, and then the ending? Wow. Just... wow. Okay Tony Daniel, you got my attention.

Batgirl #1 - Can I talk about Babs getting her legs back without the internet going crazy? Good. So yeah... Babs is back in the costume. They acknowledge The Killing Joke, and her paralysis, but they gloss over her time in the wheelchair. Ignoring the backstory, this is a younger, less-somber Babs, and I think this book is going to surprise the naysayers.


Batwing #1 - I didn't have a chance to read it. BAD SCOTT. BAD SCOTT.

Green Arrow #1 - Adios, beard. Adios, Black Canary. Neither are around, and this is a clear mix of the ornery Ollie we all know and love, and the poutier Green Arrow seen on Smallville. The art didn't do much for me on this book, but the writing was tight; That said, this book was fun, but didn't overwhelm me.

Hawk and Dove #1 - Don't hate. No, really, this wasn't bad. This amped up the tension and drama between Hawk and Dove, dropped a lot of hints about Dove's connection to the original Dove, acknowledged the relationship between Dove and Deadman that came out of Brightest Day. I had low expectations, but this was pretty fun. As for the art... Liefeld did okay here.

Justice League International #1 - As a huge fan of the original JLI/JLE run, this was a bit of a disappointment. The characters didn't quite mesh together as well as you'd like. Some of the ha-ha's were still there, but it didn't quite have the humor that made the original run such a classic. That said, I have faith in Giffen, as should you all. Noone does these characters better, it just might take an issue or two for him to get back into the swing of things.

Men of War #1 - This was a gritty-but-not-overbearing war story, featuring a character with the last name Rock. And although this isn't my normal cuppa... I really liked it. Fun and dark, but without being overly so. Color me surprised by how good this was.

OMAC #1 - I opened this up, prepared to dislike it, and came away satisfied. There's TONS of Kirby riffs in this, from the artwork to the layouts, to the writing, but done well. Another pleasant surprise.

Static Shock #1 - A fun yarn, right from the beginning. Fans of the character are going to enjoy seeing Static back in action. I never watched the cartoon, so I don't know much about the character, but this book jumped off the page. Great stuff.

Stormwatch #1 - As an old-school Wildstorm fan, reading this was painful: It's a clear re-boot of all the Authority and Stormwatch characters. As someone who knows nothing about any of them, or has not attachment, it was a decent read. I think I probably set the bar too high on this one for myself.

Swamp Thing #1 - ... But this book: WOW. Great, GREAT first issue. Scott Snyder's been killing it at DC, and this issue managed to give the character(s) a fresh slate, but still keeping Swamp Thing's history intact (especially the Alan Moore stuff). Great read, highly recommended.

-Scott