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 September issue of Previews which includes comics scheduled to ship in November 2009.
SUPERGOD #1
Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Garrie Gastony
Avatar $3.99
James R: Yowza! Brilliant title, superb concept, and I'm guessing an incredible comic. This miniseries will complete Warren Ellis' ‘hero’-themed trilogy. Black Summer explored heroes who were too human, No Hero focused on heroes who became inhuman, and now this final part is, in Ellis' words, "Superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else." Seeing that Ellis' recent work has been of an incredible standard, I've got stratospherically high expectations for this, which are only further fuelled by the excellent strapline: 'Praying to be saved by a man who can fly will get you killed'. Bring it on!
STRANGE #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Emma Rios
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: As I’ve steered clear of Bendis’ work of late I only know the bare bones of the storyline where he stripped Doctor Strange of the title ‘Sorcere Supreme’; I’m not particularly enthused by what I’ve heard but I still do really like the character and am always willing to see how new writers handle him in the vain hope that we might get an ongoing out of it. Last time I picked up a Doc Strange mini it was Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin’s fantastic Blood Oath, and while that’s no guarantee this’ll be any good, Waid’s a damn fine writer so it’s several steps in the right direction already. Emma Rios’s art was last seen on Boom!’s Hexed and showed definite promise. One to keep an eye on methinks.
DRONE #1
Writer: Scott Chitwood
Art: Randy Kintz
Red 5 Comics $2.99
Stewart R: With the face of modern warfare becoming increasingly dependant on technology and the use of autonomous fighting units, it’s surely only a matter of time before we’re sending in humanoid robots to do the fighting while the controllers are miles away in safe surroundings? Here, we get an opportunity to visit such a not-so-distant future, thanks to this 4-part mini from Red 5 Comics where the US have mastered the technology and are sending their metallic death machines into war zones. The plot centres on a squad of captured ‘drones’ and their human technician whose safety lies squarely in the hands of a group of gaming hackers. This type of premise usually lures me in for a closer look and I’m interested to see how deep any political slant may go with this title.
KOOKABURRA K #1
Writer: Chrisse & Hicks
Art: Humberto Ramos
Marvel/Soleil $5.99
Andy H: I'll openly admit my main reason for wanting to check out this book is Humberto Ramos. No crime in that, I like his style. So what else can Kookaburra K offer me? Marvel don’t give much away: there is a threat to the universe wiping planets from the stellar map and a space ship carrying refugees including seven children, an ancient wizard-knight and the ghost of a cyborg (?) all travelling with a mysterious cargo that will alter their fates forever. Not much to go on but this is Soleil and worth taking a chance on. I'm not sure if this is a direct adaptation of the original Kookaburra stories from Belgian writer/artist Crisse (which I will now try and check out) or something new from him written for the American market. Either way if you are a fan of cosmic adventure this could be for you.
PILOT SEASON: THE MURDERER #1
Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Nelson Blake II
Image/Top Cow $2.99
Matt T: I’m relatively partial to the writing of Robert Kirkman anyway, but having a central character with the ability to read minds and, logically, killing those with eeeevil thoughts to keep the chatter down in his noggin sounds like a winner to me. I love the Die Hard-esque cover, and I’m hoping the internal art is a bit bloody without being ridiculous. The plots certainly has legs, and with Kirkman in charge we should get some interesting twists and turns along the way.
POWERS #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Michael Avon Oeming
Marvel/Icon $3.95
Matt T: As someone who only joined Powers when it made the jump to Marvel I was glad to be introduced to it and quickly set about searching through the back issues. Granted the title has had plenty of ups and downs, and the superpowers angle has been given far more weight than the police procedural elements in the most recent run, but I’m trusting Bendis to pull this out of the hat (never thought I’d be saying that again!!!). Hopefully it will be both regular and a return to the roots of the book, which I’m guessing is the intention of the re-numbering. We can but hope…
James R: A recent chat with my fellow Paradoxers showed that this title had fallen from favour with nearly all of them. It's easy to see why. From its cool 'cop show about superpowers' origins, it went from being innovative and unique to predictable and very, very late. Powers seemed to slide as Bendis became the grand nabob of the Marvel Universe, which was a huge shame; I thought it was the book that initially showcased his talents (and the great artwork of Michael Avon Oeming) the best. However, it seems as if it's back, back, back! A new story arc, which can mean only one of two things - either this could be the start of the title's second wind, or it'll be another step down the dark path towards apathy. Like any die-hard fanboy, I'll stay for the ride either way.
LOCKE AND KEY: CROWN OF SHADOWS #1
Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodrigues
IDW $3.99
Andy H: Oh, no surprises here! Locke And Key is back for it's third outing and I (again) can't wait. The diabolical Dodge returns as he continues to search for the key to the black door. Dodge must be up there as one of the best villains in comics at the moment. He's a seriously chilling character. Another villain apparently returns this issue in the form of the homicidal Sam Lesser. Hang about, wasn't he killed by Dodge? Yep, but Dodge has uses for the ghostly Sam. This is why you need to read this book, a great cast of characters, a fantastic plot running through the series and you can't always see what's coming. I hope it won't be too long before the Locke family return as we saw less of them in Volume 2, and there's still plenty of plot threads left hanging. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez are possibly one of the best creative teams of recent years.
BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE ONE-SHOT
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Art: Phil Noto
DC $4.99
James R: It seems that there's a certain renaissance concerning heroes of the pulp genre at the moment. Ed Brubaker made them the cornerstone of his Incognito title, and in recent years both Warren Ellis and Alan Moore have used pulp archetypes in their creator-owned series. Now it seems that DC have decided to take the next step and merge them with some of their most popular characters. Having acquired the rights to Ralston & Nanovic's Doc Savage, this month sees the character’s debut in the DC Universe. Actually, it's one of DC's universes - an elseworld dreamed up by the creator of 100 Bullets, Brian Azzarello. DC say that this one-shot guest-starring Batman is an introduction to the character of Doc Savage and his new world. They did a similar thing with Darwyn Cooke's incredible run on The Spirit a couple of years ago, and I'm hoping that the team of Azzarello and Phil Noto will be able to produce something as stellar with this pulp legend.
PUNISHERMAX #1
Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Steve Dillon
Marvel MAX $3.99
Matt C: I quit the previous MAX title when they bumped the price and began employing a succession of different creators. I haven’t heard either way so there might have been some solid stuff after I left, but in these financially restricted times you find yourself putting money down for sure things rather than taking more risks (to a point). Jason Aaron is a sure thing, at least if you go by his track record so far, so I’m willing to give this relaunch a look. I worry about combining Dillon’s art with Aaron’s writing though as Dillon’s rendition of the character is so synonymous with Garth Ennis’s tongue-in-cheek approach to Frank Castle that it just might not gel. Then again, there might be an unexpected chemistry that materialises on the page so I can’t really pass it up.
REALM OF KINGS #1
REALM OF KINGS: IMPERIAL GUARD #1
REALM OF KINGS: INHUMANS #1
Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Various
Marvel $3.99
Stewart R: With the War of Kings finally over we now enter the Realm of Kings this November as all sides struggle to deal with the fallout of the conflict. Abnett and Lanning have written themselves into a fantastically promising position: The Fault poses the largest threat that the Marvel Cosmos has seen in a generation and echoes nicely the potential environmental situation the human race may find ourselves in soon enough. If the nastiness pouring forth from The Fault wasn’t bad enough the Shi’ar are in the midst of a devastating civil war and the Inhumans find themselves in a precarious position atop of the Kree Empire with no Black Bolt to steer them through. Giving a miniseries to both the Inhumans and the Imperial Guard could be a stroke of genius as each group have a multitude of different personalities and these titles could bring some great characters forward that we haven’t seen much of before. While I’d have liked to see Paul Pelletier somewhere in the mix, the regular artists here are more than capable of delivering us some classic material from the minds of two of the best writers Marvel has working for them today.
SUPERGOD #1Writer: Warren Ellis
Art: Garrie Gastony
Avatar $3.99
James R: Yowza! Brilliant title, superb concept, and I'm guessing an incredible comic. This miniseries will complete Warren Ellis' ‘hero’-themed trilogy. Black Summer explored heroes who were too human, No Hero focused on heroes who became inhuman, and now this final part is, in Ellis' words, "Superhumans who are no longer human at all, but something else." Seeing that Ellis' recent work has been of an incredible standard, I've got stratospherically high expectations for this, which are only further fuelled by the excellent strapline: 'Praying to be saved by a man who can fly will get you killed'. Bring it on!
STRANGE #1
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Emma Rios
Marvel $3.99
Matt C: As I’ve steered clear of Bendis’ work of late I only know the bare bones of the storyline where he stripped Doctor Strange of the title ‘Sorcere Supreme’; I’m not particularly enthused by what I’ve heard but I still do really like the character and am always willing to see how new writers handle him in the vain hope that we might get an ongoing out of it. Last time I picked up a Doc Strange mini it was Brian K. Vaughan & Marcos Martin’s fantastic Blood Oath, and while that’s no guarantee this’ll be any good, Waid’s a damn fine writer so it’s several steps in the right direction already. Emma Rios’s art was last seen on Boom!’s Hexed and showed definite promise. One to keep an eye on methinks.
DRONE #1Writer: Scott Chitwood
Art: Randy Kintz
Red 5 Comics $2.99
Stewart R: With the face of modern warfare becoming increasingly dependant on technology and the use of autonomous fighting units, it’s surely only a matter of time before we’re sending in humanoid robots to do the fighting while the controllers are miles away in safe surroundings? Here, we get an opportunity to visit such a not-so-distant future, thanks to this 4-part mini from Red 5 Comics where the US have mastered the technology and are sending their metallic death machines into war zones. The plot centres on a squad of captured ‘drones’ and their human technician whose safety lies squarely in the hands of a group of gaming hackers. This type of premise usually lures me in for a closer look and I’m interested to see how deep any political slant may go with this title.
KOOKABURRA K #1
Writer: Chrisse & Hicks
Art: Humberto Ramos
Marvel/Soleil $5.99
Andy H: I'll openly admit my main reason for wanting to check out this book is Humberto Ramos. No crime in that, I like his style. So what else can Kookaburra K offer me? Marvel don’t give much away: there is a threat to the universe wiping planets from the stellar map and a space ship carrying refugees including seven children, an ancient wizard-knight and the ghost of a cyborg (?) all travelling with a mysterious cargo that will alter their fates forever. Not much to go on but this is Soleil and worth taking a chance on. I'm not sure if this is a direct adaptation of the original Kookaburra stories from Belgian writer/artist Crisse (which I will now try and check out) or something new from him written for the American market. Either way if you are a fan of cosmic adventure this could be for you.
PILOT SEASON: THE MURDERER #1Writer: Robert Kirkman
Art: Nelson Blake II
Image/Top Cow $2.99
Matt T: I’m relatively partial to the writing of Robert Kirkman anyway, but having a central character with the ability to read minds and, logically, killing those with eeeevil thoughts to keep the chatter down in his noggin sounds like a winner to me. I love the Die Hard-esque cover, and I’m hoping the internal art is a bit bloody without being ridiculous. The plots certainly has legs, and with Kirkman in charge we should get some interesting twists and turns along the way.
POWERS #1
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Art: Michael Avon Oeming
Marvel/Icon $3.95
Matt T: As someone who only joined Powers when it made the jump to Marvel I was glad to be introduced to it and quickly set about searching through the back issues. Granted the title has had plenty of ups and downs, and the superpowers angle has been given far more weight than the police procedural elements in the most recent run, but I’m trusting Bendis to pull this out of the hat (never thought I’d be saying that again!!!). Hopefully it will be both regular and a return to the roots of the book, which I’m guessing is the intention of the re-numbering. We can but hope…
James R: A recent chat with my fellow Paradoxers showed that this title had fallen from favour with nearly all of them. It's easy to see why. From its cool 'cop show about superpowers' origins, it went from being innovative and unique to predictable and very, very late. Powers seemed to slide as Bendis became the grand nabob of the Marvel Universe, which was a huge shame; I thought it was the book that initially showcased his talents (and the great artwork of Michael Avon Oeming) the best. However, it seems as if it's back, back, back! A new story arc, which can mean only one of two things - either this could be the start of the title's second wind, or it'll be another step down the dark path towards apathy. Like any die-hard fanboy, I'll stay for the ride either way.
LOCKE AND KEY: CROWN OF SHADOWS #1Writer: Joe Hill
Art: Gabriel Rodrigues
IDW $3.99
Andy H: Oh, no surprises here! Locke And Key is back for it's third outing and I (again) can't wait. The diabolical Dodge returns as he continues to search for the key to the black door. Dodge must be up there as one of the best villains in comics at the moment. He's a seriously chilling character. Another villain apparently returns this issue in the form of the homicidal Sam Lesser. Hang about, wasn't he killed by Dodge? Yep, but Dodge has uses for the ghostly Sam. This is why you need to read this book, a great cast of characters, a fantastic plot running through the series and you can't always see what's coming. I hope it won't be too long before the Locke family return as we saw less of them in Volume 2, and there's still plenty of plot threads left hanging. Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez are possibly one of the best creative teams of recent years.
BATMAN/DOC SAVAGE ONE-SHOT
Writer: Brian Azzarello
Art: Phil Noto
DC $4.99
James R: It seems that there's a certain renaissance concerning heroes of the pulp genre at the moment. Ed Brubaker made them the cornerstone of his Incognito title, and in recent years both Warren Ellis and Alan Moore have used pulp archetypes in their creator-owned series. Now it seems that DC have decided to take the next step and merge them with some of their most popular characters. Having acquired the rights to Ralston & Nanovic's Doc Savage, this month sees the character’s debut in the DC Universe. Actually, it's one of DC's universes - an elseworld dreamed up by the creator of 100 Bullets, Brian Azzarello. DC say that this one-shot guest-starring Batman is an introduction to the character of Doc Savage and his new world. They did a similar thing with Darwyn Cooke's incredible run on The Spirit a couple of years ago, and I'm hoping that the team of Azzarello and Phil Noto will be able to produce something as stellar with this pulp legend.
PUNISHERMAX #1Writer: Jason Aaron
Art: Steve Dillon
Marvel MAX $3.99
Matt C: I quit the previous MAX title when they bumped the price and began employing a succession of different creators. I haven’t heard either way so there might have been some solid stuff after I left, but in these financially restricted times you find yourself putting money down for sure things rather than taking more risks (to a point). Jason Aaron is a sure thing, at least if you go by his track record so far, so I’m willing to give this relaunch a look. I worry about combining Dillon’s art with Aaron’s writing though as Dillon’s rendition of the character is so synonymous with Garth Ennis’s tongue-in-cheek approach to Frank Castle that it just might not gel. Then again, there might be an unexpected chemistry that materialises on the page so I can’t really pass it up.
REALM OF KINGS #1
REALM OF KINGS: IMPERIAL GUARD #1
REALM OF KINGS: INHUMANS #1
Writer: Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning
Art: Various
Marvel $3.99
Stewart R: With the War of Kings finally over we now enter the Realm of Kings this November as all sides struggle to deal with the fallout of the conflict. Abnett and Lanning have written themselves into a fantastically promising position: The Fault poses the largest threat that the Marvel Cosmos has seen in a generation and echoes nicely the potential environmental situation the human race may find ourselves in soon enough. If the nastiness pouring forth from The Fault wasn’t bad enough the Shi’ar are in the midst of a devastating civil war and the Inhumans find themselves in a precarious position atop of the Kree Empire with no Black Bolt to steer them through. Giving a miniseries to both the Inhumans and the Imperial Guard could be a stroke of genius as each group have a multitude of different personalities and these titles could bring some great characters forward that we haven’t seen much of before. While I’d have liked to see Paul Pelletier somewhere in the mix, the regular artists here are more than capable of delivering us some classic material from the minds of two of the best writers Marvel has working for them today.
4 comments:
I'll certainly be taking a look at Kookaburra for Humberto's artwork. He's still one of my favourite artists around today and the premise of K,burra has intrigued me with 'the ghost of a cyborg' being a 'WTF?? - must see that!' kinda thing...
I'm one of those guys James mentions who's turned his back on Powers. It was stunning when it debuted but I think once the monkey masturbation issue appeared and they changed the main character to a Green Lantern analogue it lost its appeal. There were a couple of times during the second volume that seemed to capture past glories, but overall it was a shadow of its former self. I don't think I need any new Powers comics in my life anymore.
Realm Of Kings worries me somewhat. A one-shot and two minis written by DnA, all at a $3.99 price point, while they're still working on Nova and Guardians makes me wonder whether they'll be stretching themselves too thinly. It's quite an investment as well. I've been enjoying what the writers have been doing with Marvel's cosmic characters over the past couple of years but I think I need more convincing this time around.
A Marvel heavy load of picks this month, for no reason other than there's a fair few decent titles coming from the House Of Ideas. Granted there's a lot of unnecessary dross too, but it's good to see Joe Q and co hitting back after myself and a number of reader's took Blackest Night as an excuse to take in a few more DC titles than usual.
I'm really looking forward to Powers if Bendis can get the balance right, an Drone sounds like an intriguing premise.
Nice explanation of SUPERGOD. I've generally enjoyed all of Ellis' Avatar work, but wasn't that enthused about this. But, understanding how it fits into the trifecta of BLACK SUMMER and NO HERO has me a bit more intrigued.
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