It’s been a few years since he headlined his own series, and this Wednesday the Martain Manhunter gets a crack at his own title once again. I enjoyed John Ostrander’s take on the character back in the day, but honestly J’onn’s new look doesn’t do much for me. So we’ll see what Wednesday brings.

Speaking of “back in the day,” Spider-Man reteams with Firestar and Iceman this week in Spider-Man Family featuring Amazing Friends, bringing together a Saturday morning favorite from my childhood. Marvel also unleashes the first issue of Annihilation this week, as Nova, the Silver Surfer and crew team up against Annihilus and his forces. And Dark Horse has a couple of hardcovers that are worth a look this week — David Lloyd’s Kickback and Recess Pieces.

Now on to the Picks of the Week …

Michael May’s Pick of the Week

Martian Manhunter #1: I’ve never been a fan of the character and I’ve always thought that DC’s Martians looked especially goofy in their conehead form, so I’m surprised that I’m so looking forward to this. It’s the premise that J’onn has completely embraced his status as an outsider and isn’t going to try to fit in anymore. I’m fascinated by how the rest of the DCU is going to react to that and intrigued to see where this all goes. (Close runner-up goes to Black Coat #4, the last issue — for now, hopefully — of a great swashbuckling thriller.)

Graeme McMillan’s Pick of the Week

My pick for this week is The Escapists #2 … Last month’s first issue was a reprint of the wonderful first chapter of the sequel to Michael Chabon’s Kavalier and Clay that appeared last year, so I’ve been waiting almost a year to find out just what happens next to the wannabe creators wanting to escape their everyday lives by ressurrecting a long-dead comic book. Brian K. Vaughan’s script for the first issue was the right balance of comedy and tragedy, and new art team Steve Rolston and Jason Alexander look set to continue the stylish visuals started by Philip Bond in the first issue. Really recommended.

Stephanie Chan’s Pick of the Week

I highly recommend picking up Louis Riel: A Comic Strip Biography, which comes out as a trade paperback this week. I have the hardcover, and it absolutely blew me away. Chester Brown depicted the 19th century revolutionary in rather simple looking line art, yet managing to capture mood and grim atmosphere of the time. Even if you are not familiar with Canadian history, there is enough information in this book to make it a fantastic read for anyone. I believe this book should be a staple for every Canadian library and school.

Tom Bondurant’s Pick of the Week

I’m looking forward to Secret Six #3 and Superman #655, but I’m stumping this week for Firestorm #28, part 1 of “In My Father’s House.” This is not the first attempt (even in this series) to remake Stormy, but it has the feel of an epic in (gasp!) just five issues! Although after almost 2 1/2 years, this book still has to answer a fair amount of questions about the secrets of Jason’s origins, I’ve never been frustrated with its pacing. The immediate stories have always taken priority over any macro-plots that might otherwise have mired the book in unnecessary lore. That said, “IMFH” could quite possibly get pretty deep into almost 30 years of Firestorm lore, but I have faith in Stuart Moore and Jamal Igle to treat us old-timers right and not perplex the newcomers too much.

Wow, that was gushy, wasn’t it? Oh well….

What are you looking forward to this week? Check out the Diamond shipping list and let us know!

This entry was posted on Monday, August 7th, 2006 at 10:51 pm and is filed under Can't Wait for Wednesday. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.