Remember back when it seemed like Stan Lee was the only person “presenting” comics stories? This week’s New Comic Day releases features all sorts of people “presenting” comics. Bluewater Production, the publisher most famous for celebrity bio comics, will have William Shatner Presents Tek War #5, Vincent Price Presents #14 and Roger Corman Presents Black Scorpion #2 on shelves this week.
What are some of the other publishers presenting for your possible consumption? Let’s take a look, after the jump.
Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives Vol. 1: Comics legend Barry Windsor-Smith chooses a side in the latest late night television skirmish, producing this lavish declaration that he stands with Coco. Oh wait no, this is about that other guy named Conan. The big, dark haired Conan who’s always slaying people with edged weapons. Then let me start over. The influential work of comics legend Barry Windsor-Smith and Roy Thomas on Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian comics is collected in this 200-page, $50 hardcover containing the first half of Windsor-Smith’s run. It looks a bit like this.
Amazing Spider-Man #618: Mysterio is the next classic Spidey foe to return during “The Gauntlet,” and Dan Slott and Marcos Martin will be telling his tale. If Martin’s past work and his cover for this issue are any indication, it’s going to a one very nice looking Spider-Man comic.
Avengers vs. Agents of Atlas #1: I was sorta bummed when the AoA lost their monthly, but they’ve been appearing so frequently elsewhere ever since that I haven’t missed them yet. They’re back again for a four-issue miniseries pitting them against the Avengers. The twist? These are apparently the original Avengers. Marvel would like four of your dollars in exchange for this no doubt fine publication by Jeff Parker and Gabriel Hardman, which was originally solicited at 40 pages, but then, so was Siege #1, and that was only like 23 pages. Meanwhile, the Agents are also fighting what’s left of the Thunderbolts in this week’s Thunderbolts #140 by Parker and pencil artist Miguel Angel Sepulveda.
Hmm…I wonder if we’ll start seeing all sorts of S.W.O.R.D. Vs… miniseries in the near future…?
Batman: The Brave and The Bold #13: Batman breaks his leg and needs help fighting crime while he recovers (Brave and the Bold #100-style!), so this issue of the all-ages team-up title features Plastic Man, Blue Beetle, Aquaman, Captain Marvel and Green Arrow…and artists Robert Pope and Scott McRae give ‘em each their own signals!
Blackest Night: The Flash #2: It’s the moment Rainbow Raider fans have been waiting for—Black Lantern Rainbow Raider! There are Rainbow Raider fans, right? It’s not just me, is it? Blackest Night mastermind Geoff Johns writes, Scott Kolins draws and live Rogues battle dead rogues in one of this week’s four Blackest Night tie-ins. Also in the more-likely-to-be-important-than-certain-other-tie-ins category is Green Lantern Corps #44 by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason and Rebecca Buchman.
Dark Avengers #13: This Siege tie-in issue by Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato focuses on The Sentry and his madness and his power and, well, the regular Sentry business, I guess. The other Siege tie-in of the week is Dark Wolverine #82, in which Jason Aaron, Marjorie Liu and Giuseppe begin a three-part arc in which Daken will finally choose a side. The former is a $4 book, the latter a $3 one.
Hulk #19: It’s a big Hulk week at Marvel, with two books tying in to their “Fall of the Hulks” mini-event. In addition to Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness’s Hulk #19, there’s Incredible Hulk #606 by Greg Pak and Paul Pelletier. Both are $4; the former for 22-pages, the latter for closer to 40. And, if you’re late in coming to the event, Marvel also has a $25, 230-page Hulk: Fall of the Hulks Prelude trade paperback out this week, collecting a whole mess of recent Hulk family comics.
Jack Staff Vol. 2: Soldiers: Image offers up a new printing of the second volume of Paul Grist’s well-liked British hero. This 160-page trade paperback will run you $16.
Joe The Barbarian #1: Grant Morrison launches a new eight-part series for Vertigo, collaborating with artist Sean Murphy. That’s good news. Better news? The first issue is only $1.
Not Simple: This $15, 320-page, right-to-left manga by Natsume Ono is hard to summarize or even describe (Oh hey, maybe that’s where the title comes from!), featuring as it does a book within a book and a story that moves backwards narratively, but it sure is nice looking. You can read the first chapter online here, and just yesterday David Welsh folded a review of sorts into a wider appreciation on Ono at The Comics Reporter.
The Phantom Stranger #42: GLC writer Tomasi and artists Ardian Syaf and Vincente Cifuentes revive a long-canceled book for a Blackest Night tie-in. This one features the title character and some magic types facing off against The Black Lantern Spectre, a character I don’t really get (How do the rings Black Lanternize a character with no physical body? Are they really powerful enough to duplicate the powers of an aspect of God?) Also back from the dead is Starman, as original Starman writer James Robinson is joined by artists Fernando Dagnino and Bill Sienkiewicz and cover artist Tony Harris for one more issue of the critically-acclaimed ’90s series. Wait, does this mean they’ll have to reprint the last Starman trade and add an issue…?
REBELs Vol. 1: The Coming of Starro: I still can’t believe this title even exists, but I’ve heard good things about it here and there. Anyone want to say any good things about it now? This $18, 145-page trade collects the first six issues, in which Tony Bedard, Andy Clarke and company pit Vril Dox and his latest team against their new take on Starro, the greatest starfish villain in comics history.
Solomon Kane: Death’s Black Riders #1: The creative team of Scott Allie and Mario Guevara launch a second miniseries based on the character, this one featuring gypsies, bandits and creatures designed by BPRD artist Guy Davis. You can check out a preview here.
January 19th, 2010 at 6:40 pm
I have no interest in current Spider-Man stuff, but I really dig Marcos Martin on art. I’ll want to at least see that eventually. I hadn’t noticed he was doing this arc ’til now.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:41 pm
R.E.B.E.L.S. is one of my favorite titles that DC is publishing, and one of the very few that I continue to buy monthly instead of tradewaiting. It absolutely deserves much higher sales than it currently has, and I hope that people give the collected edition a chance this week.
January 19th, 2010 at 8:47 pm
Every month I think, “OK, this is the last issue of R.E.B.E.L.S. that I’m going to buy! There’s no reason to keep picking it up since I’m trying to cut back and all.” Then I read it and I just have to see the next issue. That’s been going on for over a year now, and I haven’t missed one yet.
January 20th, 2010 at 2:59 am
I wouldn’t be surprised if the resurected “Starman” issue ends up as part of the final Omnibus…
January 20th, 2010 at 4:05 am
R.E.B.E.L.S. is the business. That is all.
January 20th, 2010 at 3:47 pm
Ahh R.E.B.E.L.S. You really shouldn’t exist. But you do! I shouldn’t be seeing an April solcitation for you. But I am! The little non-GL sci-fi title just keeps chugging along. And with issue #15 Vril will be trying to re-form L.E.G.I.O.N. and perhaps seeing some fan faves return as well.
Shows that you should never underestimate a complete and utter bastard (directed at Vril Dox, not Tony Bedard, though I’ve never met the man).
Kudos to DC for giving a smaller selling title a chance unlike Marvel’s attitude towards low sellers.
January 20th, 2010 at 4:38 pm
I haven’t gotten a single BN title besides my normal buying, when it happened to cross over, until these “resurected” titles.
I won’t be picking up the Phantom Stranger, but so far the Suicide Squad, Catwoman, and now (I assume) Starman books have been a great & fun way to KIT w/ my most liked characters.