Incoming... 15/06/2011

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: A somewhat quieter comic reading week for me starts today and the continuing news of the impending DC relaunch has certainly affected the way that I look at the DC titles sat on my pull list. Bryan Q. Miller has, in my humble opinion, done a brilliant job over the past two years - with the aid of some very talented artists - at shaping and moulding Stephanie Brown into a fun, and importantly likeable fighter of crime in Gotham City. I’d actually never shown an interest in the wider Bat Universe previously and couldn’t tell you what convinced me to pick up the first issue but here we are with only three chapters to go and there’s a certain level of sadness in my heart about picking up Batgirl #22 when I head off to Paradox Comics shortly. I think it stems from the huge amount of work Miller seems to have put into the character development on this title and because it’s been clear that he was playing ‘the long game’ when expanding the cast and coping with the bigger influence of the Bat Universe when it was called for - I could have easily seen this carrying on to the #50 mark under his keen direction. It’s obviously not to be and so it falls into the category of ‘enjoy it while it lasts’!

One new series that I’m sure I will enjoy while it lasts through its four-issue run will be Graveyard of Empires from Mark Sable and Paul Azaceta. #1 comes out today under the Image banner and considering their recent success with backing truly great series AND the talent of the two creators involved I’d say that we’re in for something special. Based on a slight twist of the old adage that if you kill one warrior, ten will rise up in his place, Sable applies this to the current Afghanistan campaign where one downed insurgent could well come back zombified to infect ten marines and that’s a degree of mathematics that should lead to some terrifically gritty storytelling. Azaceta’s art on this looks to be a perfect fit and at 32 full colour pages for just $2.99 you can’t really go wrong!

But wait, that’s not the only new series that starts today as Marvel have gone back for yet another round of Canadian-based superheroics with Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente’s Alpha Flight #1. I certainly enjoyed the #0.1 issue enough to make sure that this comes home with me today and I’m hoping that the political issues hinted at in that teaser are expanded upon through this 8-part series as well as the interesting inter-team relationship stuff - Sasquatch and Aurora’s flirting, Vindicator and Guardian’s concerns about regaining custody of their child - which could allow this to be one, very well rounded title. I was truly wowed by Ben Oliver’s artwork on the #0.1 issue so have to hope that regular series artist Dale Eaglesham manages to deliver some of his best work to repeat the feat. I do have a couple of concerns about this title though as this debut issue is heavily linked to the Fear Itself event and it seems that rather than betting on an ongoing Marvel have lined this up initially as an 8-part series which sells a slight lack of confidence in this going down well. Time will have to tell it seems...

So what else am I looking forward to picking up today? Well Undying Love #3 from Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman is high on the agenda having been preceded by two very strong chapters indeed. ‘Gritty’ doesn’t quite capture how this comic reads as hardened veteran John Sargent wages war against the vampire masses of Hong Kong as he tries to free his love, Mei from the grasp of her vampiric condition. Okay, so the two-fanged blood suckers may be in saturation mode at the moment through various forms of media but seriously, what these guys and the likes of Scott Snyder are doing with their takes on the legacy of blood-lust are in a different league and showing (thankfully) that it’s not all pouting teens with heavy eyeliner and a penchant for necking or a really, REALLY old man with a line in castle property and a wardrobe full of capes and pomade.

I haven’t finished with a summary paragraph for a little while so lets do a quick dash through the other delights out today shall we? Oh won’t this be fun! Yay! (Insert typical '80s teen rom-com frozen leap of victory picture here)

There are two mutant-related comics out this week that should both offer up a fair amount of tension as Cyclops, Emma Frost, Kitty Pryde and Co were all in a spot of bother when last we left them and X-Men #13 and Uncanny X-Men #538 should provide us with some much needed enlightenment and possibly a small amount of closure as they face off against The Evolutionaries and Powerlord Kruun respectively. Once again it’s almost a shame to have Schism breathing down our necks so hard as I’ve been enjoying some of the stories that various X-writers have been coming up with since the X-men found themselves living on Utopia but I guess things don’t stay the same for long in the world of comics... Unless of course you’re Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca who are carving themselves out a nice little legacy while dealing with the antics and adventures of Tony Stark. Invincible Iron Man #505 hits the shelves today to follow up that breathtaking and terrifically dark Fear Itself encounter with a transformed Grey Gargoyle in Paris. Stark literally found himself stuck between a rock and a harrowing hard place last time out and I dare say that his situation is isn’t going to improve when faced with such a stone cold killer. Oh....dear....