Need to get your comic book eye-candy fix? Then you’ve come to the right place, we’ve got your fix COVERED! Here’s the best comic book covers for this week.
New Comics Wednesday is upon us again, and some of us here at Outright Geekery are running down the top pick on our comic stacks for this week. What are you looking forward to reading this week? Continue reading Geeks’ Picks for New Comics: February 11th, 2015
Sometimes you just want to see hot comic book shelf porn. Well, we’ve got you COVERED! Here’s the best comic book covers of the week. Continue reading COVERED: August 27th, 2014
New Comics Wednesday is upon us again, and some of us here at Outright Geekery are running down the top pick on our comic stacks for this week. What are you looking forward to reading this week?
Jules: Death Vigil #1
STJEPAN SEJIC! Easily one of my favorite artist of Witchblade is back with a brand new miniseries on Image! Gifted? Join the Death Vigil in their ongoing war against the ever-growing power of the Primordial Enemy! The only catch is you have to die first. Become a corporeal immortal Death Knight and obtain reality-altering weaponry in the never-ending battle between good and evil. I’m intrigued and ready to pick it up are you?
DEATH VIGIL #1 (of 8)
story / art / cover: STJEPAN SEJIC
JULY 9 / 48 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.99
Forty pages of story and art in this contemporary fantasy adventure series written and painted by STJEPAN SEJIC. Gifted? Join the Death Vigil in their ongoing war against the ever-growing power of the Primordial Enemy! The only catch is you have to die first. Become a corporeal immortal Death Knight and obtain reality-altering weaponry in the never-ending battle between good and evil.
Taylor: Thor & Loki: The Tenth Realm #1 (or Original Sins 5.1 or whatever)
As an unabashed fan of Thor, I’ve got a keen interest in this story, which aims to introduce a fairly major change to the status quo. Introducing Angela as Thor’s sister could be either a great or a terrible idea, and this initial story will go a long way in determining which. In any event, I have a great deal of trust in Jason Aaron, and Al Ewing has been solid on the Loki book, so it’ll be interesting to see how this collaboration works out.
THOR & LOKI: THE TENTH REALM #1 (of 5)
Writers: Jason Aaron/Al Ewing
Artist: Simone Bianchi
• Thanks to the events of ORIGINAL SIN, the deepest secret of the Nine Realms is revealed… a Tenth Realm!
• Thor and Loki embark on a quest to discover this strange new world — and the sister Thor never knew he had… Angela!
• But can Loki be trusted? And will brother and sister murder each other before the truth comes out?
Christian: Detective Comics #33
With Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato on this title I knew the art was going to be amazing, but it’s truly surprising that the Icarus story-arc in the current run of Detective Comics is just a wonderful Batman story. With all the Bat-family showing up in Batman Eternal, and Batman proper being a tale of old, I’m really happy that there’s still a Batman book that just stars Batman in a fun adventure.
DETECTIVE COMICS #33
Written by FRANCIS MANAPUL and BRIAN BUCCELLATO
Art and cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
BATMAN 75 variant cover
1:25 variant cover by TONY MOORE
On sale JULY 2 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
In “Icarus” part four, Batman must contend with a gang war between The Squid and the Kings of the Sun before it consumes all of Gotham City! But can even the World’s Greatest Detective defuse a blood feud that’s about to go nuclear?
Gaumer: All-New X-Men #29
It’s a light week for me, but there are still plenty of gems in my stack. Despite great potential in Original Sin #5.1 and amazing art in Detective Comics #33, I’m most looking forward to the siege of the New Xavier School continue in All-New X-Men. Bendis is teetering on the brink of a cliff of time-traveling tropes, and whether he makes it across or falls off the edge, it’s going to be interesting.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #29
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (WRITER)
STUART IMMONEN (ARTIST)
Issue #29 – GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ARTIST VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE
• Past, present and future collide as the Future Brotherhood exacts their final judgment on the All-New X-Men.
• Plus, Angel takes control!
32 PGS. Rated T …$3.99
Those are our picks, what’s on the top of your stack this Wednesday?
This post brought to you by Comix City Too! in Madison Tennessee, Outright Geekery’s local comic shop of choice. Check out everything coming out this week in stores here, and be sure to get out to your local comic shop.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #27
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (WRITER) • STUART IMMONEN (ARTIST)
75th Anniversary Cover by ALEX ROSS
75th Anniversary Sketch Variant by Alex Ross
• The Brotherhood of Evil Mutants from “Battle of the Atom” are back and still gunning for the ALL-NEW X-MEN!
• Jean Grey came back different from her trial. What does this mean for the rest of the X-Men?
Some comic book stories are so good that you want to see the elements that made it such a great tale explored to exhaustion. Age of Apocalypse is a title that comes to mind as an event that was so full of cool that readers demanded more. One event that doesn’t come to mind as an overly compelling story that deserves to be thoroughly picked apart is last years X-Men event Battle of the Atom. Despite having some neat moments and a high dose of nostalgia that any X-fan would drool over, the overall story in that event just wasn’t very good. Leave it to Brian Michael Bendis, however, to never let a concept die, and issue #27 of All-New X-Men feels so much like Battle of the Atom that I was left in jaded boredom.
The Good
This ish stars the future version of the Brotherhood of Mutants that first appeared in the pages of last year’s X-Event Battle of the Atom, and they’re a pretty cool team. It’s fun to see an all grown-up Molly Hayes, the Ice Thing, Raze and the rest back in a comic, despite many of this villainous group of time-travelers seemingly being killed during Battle of the Atom. The story intertwines the Brotherhood attacking the New Xavier School with flashbacks to the individual back-stories of a couple of the mutant team’s members. The action sequences and overall pacing were nice, despite some clunky transitions between present events and flashbacks (flashforwards?) of these future-dwellers’ pasts. All that is sewn together tremendously well by Stuart Immonen’s pencils. His detail work is great, and the emotion he puts into the characters really makes the title worthwhile. If only I even remotely cared.
The Bad
I didn’t care for this future Brotherhood when they were forced into the pages of Battle of the Atom, and I don’t like them now. The same old time-traveling tropes and story-lines that we’ve seen in X-Men books for decades was pushed onto readers again in the form of an out of place group of mutants from the future, looking to fix a problem that simply didn’t have the impact that the villains’ tactics in the present should excuse. As cool as these characters may be, their motives are yet to be fully known, leaving their actions with no real context to give me reason to even remotely care. This ish might as well be called Battle of the Atom, Part 2: This Time We Try to Get It Right, and it’s all a bit too little, too late. Meanwhile, the original X-Men team that is supposedly the star of the title is down one member, and the entire premise of the book – ie, seeing that original team deal with the modern-day Marvel Universe – is being swept under the rug as they deal with villains from a future that only happens because the original team travels and stays in the modern-day. This ish misses that very important mark entirely.
The Verdict
This series has been good for the very simple reason that it’s fun to see the original X-Men deal with the modern-day Marvel Universe, but this single ish completely ignores this idea in lieu of moving in a new direction. Although the future Brotherhood is a fairly interesting group of villains, they simply don’t work for this book because of the inherent lack of fully understanding their motivations, and the fact that they are a newly created team from the future, taking away from the original team dealing with the modern day angle that was, up to this point, the driving focus of the entire story.
Story: 2.5 Out of 5
Art: 4 Out of 5
Overall: 3 Out of 5
New Comics Wednesday is upon us again, and some of us here at Outright Geekery are running down the top pick on our comic stacks for this week.
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Jules: Hulk #2
The last issue left my jaw on the floor. Just where is Mark Waid going to take his next chapter of his stellar Hulk run. Suffice to say Mark Bagley’s art alone has me ready to purchase this issue. I’m just dying to know who shot Bruce Banner? And how do you handle a brain dead Banner with Hulk? A direction I would have never expected Waid to go. After Indestructible Hulk where everything seem to be going Hulks way, now a title where the status quo has been seriously changed! I’m ready for this one!
HULK #2
MARK WAID (WRITER) • MARK BAGLEY (ARTIST)
Cover by JEROME OPENA
ALL-NEW DIRECTION! THE EPIC “BANNER D.O.A.” BEGINS NOW!!!
Following the shocking events of last month’s INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK finale, Bruce Banner lies at death’s door! If he survives, it WON’T be as the Bruce Banner we’ve known! How will the Hulk wreak vengeance on Banner’s assailant? How CAN he?
32 PGS.(each)./Rated T+ …$3.99 (each)
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Taylor: Amazing Spider-Man #1
Peter Parker is back, and I am happy to see him. The Superior run had its merits, but the Marvel U always runs better when it has the original Web Head to serve as its heart and soul. And it’s coming to us from the creative team of Slott and Ramos, which has delivered strong work in the past. Can’t wait to see what they cook up.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1
Dan Slott (WRITER) • Humberto Ramos (ARTIST)
Variant Cover by Marcos Martin
VARIANT cover by Ed McGuinness
VARIANT cover by Pop Mhan
VARIANT cover by JEROME OPEñA
75TH ANNIVERSARY VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
75TH ANNIVERSARY SKETCH VARIANT COVER BY ALEX ROSS
Young variant cover by Skottie Young
Blank Cover Variant Also Available
The Greatest Super Hero of All Time RETURNS!
The world may have changed since Spidey’s been gone, but so has Peter Parker. This is a man with a second chance at life, and he’s not wasting a moment of it. Same Parker Luck, new Parker attitude. Putting the “friendly” back in the neighborhood, the “hero” back into “super hero,” and the “amazing” back into “Spider-Man!” Also returning: The recharged and reenergized ELECTRO!
64 PGS./Rated T+ …$5.99
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Christian: Forever Evil: Batman vs. Bane #1
I could really easily choose Batman Eternal #3 this week, but that would be three weeks in a row of that comic, and although it deserves it, there are other Bats in Gotham, namely: Bane. The Arkham War story that sprang out of Forever Evil was really good, and now’s the time for Batman and Bane to settle the score, decide who is the hero Gotham needs, and who is the one it deserves.
FOREVER EVIL AFTERMATH: BATMAN VS. BANE #1
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art and cover by SCOT EATON and JAIME MENDOZA
1:25 Variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
ONE-SHOT • On sale APRIL 30 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
The title says it all! FOREVER EVIL is over! Now, Batman has returned to take Gotham City back – by force! The only thing standing in his way? BANE! Get ready for the grudge match of the year!
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Gaumer: All-New X-Men #26
The Trial of Jean Grey is over, and I’m thankful. It wasn’t a bad story, just not all that interesting. Since the other book that made up that event, Guardians of the Galaxy, had such a great return to normalcy in its last ish, I’m expecting the same thing from All-New X-Men, and it should be fun. The future Brotherhood from The Battle of the Atom return and that’s just fine by me.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #26
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (WRITER)
STUART IMMONEN (ARTIST)
• THE BROTHERHOOD OF THE FUTURE IS BACK! And it doesn’t mean good things for the X-Men of the past!
32 PGS./Rated T …$3.99
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Jesse: Deadly Class #4/ Black Science #6
Rick Remender is just on fire right now. Dropping Uncanny Avengers last week that was awesome. This week his two very eclectic indie titles drop and I’m picking them up. Deadly Class has been the gritting tale of a school of assassins in the 80s and has been absolutely a wonderful read. Wes Craig’s art has been unbelievably captivating. Black Science is reminiscent of a sort of pulpy lost in space if Quentin Tarentino directed it. Matteo Scalera depicts Aaron’s series of worlds that blow away the one before. This has certainly been a standout title since issue one. It has a feel that both Remender and Scalera are collaboration perfectly with what they want out of every page!
DEADLY CLASS #4
story: RICK REMENDER
art / cover: WESLEY CRAIG & LEE LOUGHRIDGE
APRIL 2 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50
Class trip! Marcus, Willie, and Saya tear through a neon-soaked Las Vegas, high on life…oh, and a bunch of acid too. And when you’re a teenage killer-on-the-run, stalked by a mutilated psycho with a raging hard-on for revenge, you’re in for one baaad trip.
BLACK SCIENCE #6
story: RICK REMENDER
art / cover: MATTEO SCALERA & DEAN WHITE
APRIL 30 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50
Stranded in the most dangerous dimension yet, Grant McKay’s rage at his onetime boss boils over. Ignoring the chaos all around them, the two finally come to blows! Only one thing is certain: before the Pillar makes its next jump…one of them must die!
Don’t miss the conclusion to the first arc of the world’s most mind-melting sci-fi comic!
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Those are our picks, what’s on the top of your stack this Wednesday?
This post brought to you by Comix City Too! in Madison Tennessee, Outright Geekery’s local comic shop of choice. Check out everything coming out this week in stores here, and be sure to get out to your local comic shop.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #25
BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS (WRITER)
ISSUE #25 – STUART IMMONEN, ART ADAMS, BRUCE TIMM, J. SCOTT CAMPBELL, SKOTTIE YOUNG, RAFAEL GRAMPA AND MORE! (ARTIST)
Cover by STUART IMMONEN
VARIANT COVER by RAFAEL GRAMPA
VARIANT COVER BY TBA
• OVER-SIZED 25th ISSUE!
• Artist Stuart Immonen is joined by a practical comic book artist hall of fame for this special landmark issue!
40 PGS.
Rated T
$4.99
What can I say about All-New X-Men? You either love it or you hate it. While it’s hard to deny this book is THE quintessential X-Book for this age of the X-Men, it’s really easy to hate the entire premise of the title. Like it or not, however, that premise has led to some very compelling and unique stories that simply could not be told without first having that initial, admittedly absurd, premise. With that said, though, this particular issue of All-New X-Men barely hinges on any story at all really, is more of a prelude to the next Marvel event, and is an amazing showcase of Marvel’s artistic talent pool, making this title a must-have for ANY fan of comic book art.
The Story
This book is quite different than the usual comic book affair, and my usual “Good, Bad, Verdict” setup just doesn’t work for this ish. My final rating will be equally confusing, but should make sense in context.
I’m not sure how much input Bendis had on the panel to panel setup of anything more than a few pages of this book; with the underlying story being nothing more than an ensemble of What If? scenarios meant to scare the wits out of Hank McCoy. The Watcher shows Beast the folly of his choice to bring the Original X-Men from the past in a series of weird, but amazingly drawn, scenarios of what could have been, or what may still be, or some such. It was kind of confusing, but it worked in an odd way. As far as Bendis’ unending beating up of The Beast for the choice that Bendis himself thrust upon him, I’m pretty much over it. Leave the blue fuzzball alone, already, Bendis! As far as The Watcher being in this ish, with Marvel’s next bit thing Original Sin in the chute and ready for launch, the whole thing just seemed forced. There were some “Oh, cool!” moments, and some feels here and there, but there was no real substance; nothing I really cared about; and nothing that will probably ever actually happen. But, WOW! Everything was drawn to perfection.
The Art
Scroll back up and read the list of artists on this issue. Then, let just a few of the images from this beautiful book give you a taste of the amazing work on art.
So many styles represented; so many amazing works. Click to make these images bigger, and marvel. And this is just a small taste of what’s in this issue.
The Verdict
This issue of All-New X-Men was not really an issue of All-New X-Men. It was an exposition of artistic talent. Taken like that, this is a must-have title for any fan of the X-Men, and (I mean, come on) who isn’t? If you’re reading this to get a solid X-Story of the lost in time Original X-Men, you aren’t even going to get close. As a stand alone issue, this may be THE best issue of All-New X-Men, simply because it’s the epitome of the feel and tone of the title. As part of the overall series, though, this book is a huge stinker. So, go get it immediately!
Story: 1.5 Out 5
Art: 5 Out of 5
Overall: 4 Out of 5
