Incoming... 09/02/2011

New comics are released Wednesday in the States and guess what, in the UK too! Here's a brief look at our expectations for the books we're picking up this week.

Stewart R: OK, just whose crazy idea was it to make this week’s delivery about as big as Galactus’ first dump of the day?? 13 titles, yes 13, sit on my poor groaning pull-list this Wednesday and there’s a fair mix of different books in there from several publishers. Oh....woe.....is me! Hahaha! Marvel of course make up the lion’s share but DC, Image, IDW and 12 Gauge comics all throw efforts into the pot meaning I’ve got a good few hours of reading ahead of me.

Quite probably the most anticipated book of the week is Batman and Robin #20 as it heralds the belated passing of this great title into the capable hands of Peter J. Tomasi and Patrick Gleason and I cannot wait to see what this talented pair have in store for the dynamic duo. The arc title of 'The Dark Knight vs The White Knight' has certainly piqued my interest and I’ve fingers crossed in the hope that Tomasi manages to get the best out of the Dick and Damian partnership. Certainly the preview art released this past week or so indicates a nice, clean yet dark style from Gleason and his inking and colouring associates and so I’m expecting good things here.

There’s only one other brand new title for me this week and that takes the form of Onslaught Unleashed #1 by Sean McKeever and Filipe Andrade. Now I will hold my hands up here and say I’m really not too keen on jumping into another fresh miniseries right now - just look at the size of my pull-list for evidence that maybe I should be ‘scaling back’ a little - and I have no real liking for another Onslaught story as I thought the character when he first turned up was another example of ‘a great idea poorly handled’ and kinda wish the lid had gone back on Pandora’s box on that one. Now, all that said, I made mention in my Captain America review the other week that I got a little misty of eye over McKeever and Andrade’s work on the Nomad back-up and it is that reading experience which has given me that drive to allow these guys a shot at convincing me that a comic with Onslaught can work. Certainly Rikki, aka Nomad, is an interesting character who really is starting to grow on me so it’d be good to get some more development and exposure for her.

While I’m going to be giving an opportunity to one brand new comic, another fresh-faced title has this week to convince me that it’s worth continuing with as 12 Gauge Comics’ Magus #2 hits the shelves. The first instalment was promising and certainly had an air of mystery about the modern world of magic that Jon Price and Rebekah Isaacs are crafting but there’s just something there that’s making me wonder whether I’ll be sticking with it through the entire run. I’ll be looking for Price to show a clear separation between the magical abilities that his characters are imbued with and mutant/superhero powers that the rest of the comic world tends to thrive upon. Certainly Wildstorm's North 40 was a prime example of a comic series that clearly set it’s supernatural and magical stall out early in the run last year and worked very well as a result. With any luck we’ll see Magus #2 doing the same.

While a couple of comics are trying to convince me of their worth, Abnett and Lanning have already ensured after just two issues that Heroes For Hire #3 doesn’t need to work so hard for my attention this month. OK, so I had doubts after the debut but a strong second chapter with some much needed Paladin involvement really grabbed my attention and I’m now more comfortable with Brad Walker’s Earth-based pencil offerings. The whole Misty Knight and Puppet Master mystery is definitely going to be the main draw from here on in but it’s also going to be interesting to see just who DnA bring in for future hired heroics as I’m guessing that they’ve got a fair amount of scope for ‘guest star’ appearances.

Right, well I sit here beginning to rub my eyes with tiredness while always running the risk of stumbling further into waffle territory I’d best wrap this up for another week by skimming through a handful of other books turning up. Certainly Haunt #13 is one that I’ll be eager to open up and absorb myself in as not only do we get the first proper look at The Apparition, a mysterious being who takes issue with Kurt’s unnatural state, but also a delicious $1.99 price tag as well! I’ll be expecting Hama to cut out the ‘hammy’ in GI JOE: A Real American Hero #163, Casanova Gula #2 to provide me with pages and pages of bonkers, psychedelic sci-fi action, and things to go from bad to worse for Guy Gardner in Green Lantern: Emerald Warriors #7! What a bloody great time it is to be a comics reader. Enjoy peeps!