Every month we spend an evening scouring the pages of the latest issue of Previews and pick the ten titles we are looking forward to the most. This month it's the January issue of Previews which includes comics scheduled to ship in March 2008.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER SPECIAL
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Art: Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone & David Bullock
DC $4.99
James R: Darwyn Cooke is the man, no argument. His work with Ed Brubaker on Catwoman was stunning, then he raised the bar with his opus The New Frontier, which featured the DC Universe framed within the events of the Silver Age and the history of that period. His encore was a run on The Spirit that has brought a whole new generation to Will Eisner’s icon. Now DC bring us this companion piece to New Frontier. If you read it the first time this will be a no-brainer, but if you’ve somehow missed out then you’ll need to get this. Go on, treat yourself, you deserve it
Matt C: Even before I read this I know it's going to be a stone cold classic. The New Frontier was a masterpiece of comic book storytelling and having Darwyn Cooke return to these characters – no matter how briefly- is something worth celebrating. Hopefully the soon-to-be-released animated movie will be a resounding success and convince DC to get Cooke writing more stories in his own little corner of the DC Universe.
FX #1
Writer: Wayne Osborne
Art: John Byrne
IDW $2.99
Matt T: John Byrne drawing a throwback hero whose power stems from his ability to play like a kid sounds like a killer idea, and while it may be complete fluff, it’s the kind of fluff that’ll bring a smile to your face. The art looks superbly 90’s-retro, and no doubt there’ll be plenty of madcap action to fill the panels
WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Art: Andrea Di Vito
Marvel $2.99
Andy H: I’d normally say “Enough already!” but this is Wolverine and Kitty Pryde! One of the greatest pairings of all time… ever! Here we see new recruit Kitty on her first mission with Wolvie and neither of them are particularly happy about it. We can all be sure it’ll work out fine in the end, but I’m definitely along for the ride. It also gives us a chance to look at some great art from the criminally underrated Andrea Di Vito.
THE GODFATHER CHRONICLES #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Greg Scott
Boom! Studios $3.99
Matt C: Don Corleone vs Al Capone? What the hell? Normally I’d chuckle at this slightly ludicrous idea and move on, but Mark Waid being on writing duties piques my interest. It’s always good to see Waid working in non-spandex genres and his Potter’s Field for Boom! was excellent (more please!). On top of that, the likes of Tim Sale and Bill Sienkiewicz are involved which only serves to make the book even more appealing. There’s a chance it may suck but I’m willing to give it a shot.
YOUNG LIARS #1
Writer: David Lapham
Art: David Lapham
DC/Vertigo $2.99
James R: David Lapham is quite a comics anomaly – his indie series Stray Bullets is something that appears with the regularity of Haley’s Comet, but on the occasions that it does it’s always excellent. He’s not afraid to work inside the mainstream though - he had a bizarre but compelling run on Detective Comics a couple of years ago and now he’s at it again. Young Liars is a murder mystery about a rock band that features “poorly disguised assassins, deranged billionaires and psychotic midgets”!! Lapham working with Vertigo should be worth a couple of quid and could hopefully fill the void left by Y: The Last Man.
THE REVENANT #1
Writers: Rob M. Worley, Shannon Eric Denton and Keith Giffen
Art: Mat Santolouco
Image $3.50
Matt T: A revenge-themed noir tale that looks equal parts Powers and Moon Knight. Promises to be brutal and hopefully will have a strong backbone through to keep the story tripping along. Image are on a roll at the moment and Keith Giffen’s involvement makes me feel confident that this will be atmospheric and suitably dark.
TRANSHUMAN #1
Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Jum Ringuet
Image $3.50
Matt C: Pax Romana blew me away to the extent that I’ll now pick up anything Jonathan Hickman writes based on his name alone. Superhuman genetic engineering, warring corporations, all delivered in a “mockumentary” style? Sounds intriguing.
DARK IVORY #1
Writer: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
Art: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
Image $2.99
Andy H: At last, the long-promised Dark Ivory from Joe Michael Linsner arrives! Ivory would love to be a vampire but we all know you have to be careful what you wish for! Long time JNL fans will love this and if your unfamiliar with his oeuvre then this is your chance to savour the unmistakable work of Linsner.
SCREAMLAND #1
Writer: Harold Sipe
Art: Hector Casanova
Image $2.99
Matt T: Frankenstein is out of work, skint and down on his luck thanks to the popularity of CGI in the movies. Sound thoroughly tongue-in-cheek with some Hollywood satire thrown in for good measure.
Matt C: I like the pitch but I find humour comics to be a bit hit and miss so I’ll approach with caution. Fingers crossed though, because it does look like it could potentially be a lot of fun.
NIXON’S PALS
Writer: Joe Casey
Art: Chris Burnham
Image $12.99
James R: The tagline alone sold it to me: “Jack Kirby meets Elmore Leonard” – sweet! Throw in the writing of Joe Casey, who remains one of the most under-appreciated writers in comics today and this soon becomes a must-read. It’s an original graphic novel about a superhero parole officer so hi-jinx will undoubtedly ensue. It’s going to be short, punchy and features a character with nipples for eyes... what more could you want? This will be far more entertaining than Countdown and won’t leave you hoping the next issue is late!
Matt C: Nothing would ever match up to the images that spring into my mind after hearing the words “Jack Kirby meets Elmore Leonard,” but if anyone could get close to doing a first-rate job it’s Joe Casey. He excels at off-the-wall superhero concepts and as James said he’s incredibly under-appreciated. If you’re only familiar with him through standard superhero scripting jobs for the Big Two then you’ll need to check this out to really appreciate his talent.
JUSTICE LEAGUE: NEW FRONTIER SPECIAL
Writer: Darwyn Cooke
Art: Darwyn Cooke, J. Bone & David Bullock
DC $4.99
James R: Darwyn Cooke is the man, no argument. His work with Ed Brubaker on Catwoman was stunning, then he raised the bar with his opus The New Frontier, which featured the DC Universe framed within the events of the Silver Age and the history of that period. His encore was a run on The Spirit that has brought a whole new generation to Will Eisner’s icon. Now DC bring us this companion piece to New Frontier. If you read it the first time this will be a no-brainer, but if you’ve somehow missed out then you’ll need to get this. Go on, treat yourself, you deserve it
Matt C: Even before I read this I know it's going to be a stone cold classic. The New Frontier was a masterpiece of comic book storytelling and having Darwyn Cooke return to these characters – no matter how briefly- is something worth celebrating. Hopefully the soon-to-be-released animated movie will be a resounding success and convince DC to get Cooke writing more stories in his own little corner of the DC Universe.
FX #1Writer: Wayne Osborne
Art: John Byrne
IDW $2.99
Matt T: John Byrne drawing a throwback hero whose power stems from his ability to play like a kid sounds like a killer idea, and while it may be complete fluff, it’s the kind of fluff that’ll bring a smile to your face. The art looks superbly 90’s-retro, and no doubt there’ll be plenty of madcap action to fill the panels
WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS #1
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Art: Andrea Di Vito
Marvel $2.99
Andy H: I’d normally say “Enough already!” but this is Wolverine and Kitty Pryde! One of the greatest pairings of all time… ever! Here we see new recruit Kitty on her first mission with Wolvie and neither of them are particularly happy about it. We can all be sure it’ll work out fine in the end, but I’m definitely along for the ride. It also gives us a chance to look at some great art from the criminally underrated Andrea Di Vito.
THE GODFATHER CHRONICLES #1Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Greg Scott
Boom! Studios $3.99
Matt C: Don Corleone vs Al Capone? What the hell? Normally I’d chuckle at this slightly ludicrous idea and move on, but Mark Waid being on writing duties piques my interest. It’s always good to see Waid working in non-spandex genres and his Potter’s Field for Boom! was excellent (more please!). On top of that, the likes of Tim Sale and Bill Sienkiewicz are involved which only serves to make the book even more appealing. There’s a chance it may suck but I’m willing to give it a shot.
YOUNG LIARS #1
Writer: David Lapham
Art: David Lapham
DC/Vertigo $2.99
James R: David Lapham is quite a comics anomaly – his indie series Stray Bullets is something that appears with the regularity of Haley’s Comet, but on the occasions that it does it’s always excellent. He’s not afraid to work inside the mainstream though - he had a bizarre but compelling run on Detective Comics a couple of years ago and now he’s at it again. Young Liars is a murder mystery about a rock band that features “poorly disguised assassins, deranged billionaires and psychotic midgets”!! Lapham working with Vertigo should be worth a couple of quid and could hopefully fill the void left by Y: The Last Man.
THE REVENANT #1
Writers: Rob M. Worley, Shannon Eric Denton and Keith Giffen
Art: Mat Santolouco
Image $3.50
Matt T: A revenge-themed noir tale that looks equal parts Powers and Moon Knight. Promises to be brutal and hopefully will have a strong backbone through to keep the story tripping along. Image are on a roll at the moment and Keith Giffen’s involvement makes me feel confident that this will be atmospheric and suitably dark.
TRANSHUMAN #1Writer: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Jum Ringuet
Image $3.50
Matt C: Pax Romana blew me away to the extent that I’ll now pick up anything Jonathan Hickman writes based on his name alone. Superhuman genetic engineering, warring corporations, all delivered in a “mockumentary” style? Sounds intriguing.
DARK IVORY #1
Writer: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
Art: Joseph Michael Linsner & Eva Hopkins
Image $2.99
Andy H: At last, the long-promised Dark Ivory from Joe Michael Linsner arrives! Ivory would love to be a vampire but we all know you have to be careful what you wish for! Long time JNL fans will love this and if your unfamiliar with his oeuvre then this is your chance to savour the unmistakable work of Linsner.
SCREAMLAND #1
Writer: Harold Sipe
Art: Hector Casanova
Image $2.99
Matt T: Frankenstein is out of work, skint and down on his luck thanks to the popularity of CGI in the movies. Sound thoroughly tongue-in-cheek with some Hollywood satire thrown in for good measure.
Matt C: I like the pitch but I find humour comics to be a bit hit and miss so I’ll approach with caution. Fingers crossed though, because it does look like it could potentially be a lot of fun.
NIXON’S PALSWriter: Joe Casey
Art: Chris Burnham
Image $12.99
James R: The tagline alone sold it to me: “Jack Kirby meets Elmore Leonard” – sweet! Throw in the writing of Joe Casey, who remains one of the most under-appreciated writers in comics today and this soon becomes a must-read. It’s an original graphic novel about a superhero parole officer so hi-jinx will undoubtedly ensue. It’s going to be short, punchy and features a character with nipples for eyes... what more could you want? This will be far more entertaining than Countdown and won’t leave you hoping the next issue is late!
Matt C: Nothing would ever match up to the images that spring into my mind after hearing the words “Jack Kirby meets Elmore Leonard,” but if anyone could get close to doing a first-rate job it’s Joe Casey. He excels at off-the-wall superhero concepts and as James said he’s incredibly under-appreciated. If you’re only familiar with him through standard superhero scripting jobs for the Big Two then you’ll need to check this out to really appreciate his talent.
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