Hello, comic friends! I am here to discuss comics that will be released this Wednesday, November 6th, 2013. If you want to hear my reviews on the comics I picked up last week, you can check them out on the Ant On Podcast on iTunes!
Now, if I had the wallet of guys like Bruce Wayne and Tony Stark… I would honestly buy one copy of every comic book that comes out. But, alas, I’m not a jewel thief like Catwoman and can’t phase through the floor of my local comic book store like Kitty Pryde to grab every comic book created. So instead I look through the list every week and pull the ones that interest me the most.
All book premises are in quotes and brought to you by TFAW. The rest is all me, friends! For a complete list of releases you can visit Comic List.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS:
Trish Out Of Water #2
“What would you do if your life was turned upside down– before it even really started? After the shocking and life-altering discovery in her home and the subsequent reveal that her boyfriend was cheating on her behind her back, Trish quickly realized that her life will never truly be the same. However, the discovery that she may be something altogether more amazing will lead to even further questions than she could have ever imagined-including who is now out to kill her! Aspen’s own Vince Hernandez is joined by the artistic talents of Giuseppe Cafaro and Andrea Dotta to bring to you Aspen’s newest hit series, TRISH OUT OF WATER!”
I picked issue one up out of randomness and the fact that Aspen Comics advertised it as only $1.00 for the first issue of a brand new series. It reads like a teen drama television show, which I love (and made a parody teen drama webseries out of my love for these kind of stories), and then the end had me begging for more as it introduced a supernatural element. That is all I want to say for this brand new series that may go unknown by most since it’s not from one of the top publishers and creators in comic books.
God Is Dead #3 (of 6)
“It is god-mageddon as the pantheons clash for ultimate rule. Gods from every faith are locked in mortal combat with the Earth as the spoils. JONATHAN HICKMAN brings the wrath of the divine to comics in God is Dead! A small group of human resistance fighters undertake a covert mission to recover the DNA of a fallen deity. But can human kind, in all their arrogance, find a way to create their own secret weapon against these all powerful foes? The doomsday clock is ticking and with each moment we are moving closer to annihilation. Available with a Regular cover by Jonathan Hickman, End of Days cover and a premium Iconic card stock cover that is limited to just 5000 copies by Jacen Burrows, and a Pantheon Order Incentive cover by series artist Di Amorim.”
I picked this series up based on the controversial title alone, and I came out very pleased with the content that rests within!
What I like about this series is that it’s slated for a six issue run. As much as I enjoy the on-going adventures that you will get with Spider-Man and Batman, it’s exciting to know there is a beginning, middle, and an end of a series in sight. With the success of this book, that could lead to another volume in the future, but for now I am enjoying what we are promised so far.
The Star Wars #3 (of 8)
“A Queen steps down! The Hidden Fortress destroyed! The Imperial army on the march! Annikin Starkiller and Princess Leia rescue two wayward droids in the desert, Darth Vader recruits a famous Knight of the Sith to his army, and a squad of lazersword-wielding Stormtroopers attempt to arrest Jedi General Luke Skywalker!”
This is the adaptation of George Lucas’s original first draft of Star Wars before it was trimmed down and spread out into separate episodic movies. The first read of this had me very confused but still interested. The art is beautiful and helped keep that interest high. After another read of the first issue, I understood it much more and enjoyed the second issue right off the bat. Your knowledge of the Star Wars films can be thrown out of the window because the content here is not exactly what we eventually see in the movies, but I am loving this adaptation and can already guarantee buying a hardcover version of this even after collecting the individual issues. I am a fan of everything Star Wars. I love the originals as well as the prequel films. I like Jar Jar Binks no matter what anyone says. Though I don’t religiously follow the other comic series and some of the cartoon shows, I am excited to see Star Wars in any form of media it is released.
Alex + Ada #1
“From JONATHAN LUNA (GIRLS, THE SWORD, Spider-Woman, ULTRA) and SARAH VAUGHN (Sparkshooter) comes ALEX + ADA, a sci-fi drama set in the near future. The last thing in the world Alex wanted was an X5, the latest in realistic androids. But when Ada is dropped into his life, will Alex keep her? This will be JONATHAN LUNA’s return to comics after three years off since the end of THE SWORD!”
Whenever someone wants to get into comics… one of the first things I suggest is the work of Jonathan Luna and his brother Joshua… known as The Luna Brothers. Titles such as The Sword, Ultra, and Girls are on that list. So whenever I see a Luna Brother on the creative team of anything… I buy it. Jonathan Luna released a storybook called Star Bright and the Looking Glass in which he did both the writing and the illustrations. Though it doesn’t read like the mature rated comics I listed above, this was a very sweet little storybook that children would adore at bedtime. It’s a beautiful piece of work and one of the many pieces part of my Luna Brothers collection on my bookshelf.
Protectors Inc #1
“Protectors, Inc.: Heroes in a world without super-powered bad guys. Heroes with corporate sponsors and far too polite rivalries and sporting franchises. Heroes without anything or anyone to fight…until one of them is murdered in ways that could only have been accomplished by someone with equal powers. Solving the mystery falls to Lieutenant Detective John Riley, an ordinary man whose investigation takes him into a strange and dangerous world light years beyond his abilities to understand and very likely far beyond his capacity to survive. The trail leads to a fifty-year-old secret that could threaten the very existence of Protectors, Inc., an impossible love affair, and a serial killer whose work is not yet finished.”
I met writer J. Michael Straczynski at the C2E2 convention this past spring. He is currently releasing creator-owned comic titles such as Sidekick and Ten Grand. I am a subscriber to both of those series, so I plan to be for this one as well, given I enjoy it.
Sometimes all it takes is the credit of a writer or an artist to get me to commit to a comic book, and this is no exception.
Reality Check #3 (of 4)
“The evil Devil-Inside has captured Will, Alison, and Dark Hour – and his mood is good – which only means that he plans to kill again. Is it really possible for your worst nightmare to come to life… and murder you?”
This series is about a comic book writer and artist who is on a deadline to finish a comic book for a company who is ready to turn it into a movie. While awake during the middle of the night, struggling with finishing his story, he is approached in his window by Dark Hour, the very same superhero character he created in his comic book. Not understanding why his creation has come to life, he listens to Dark Hour’s requests for the way he is being written in his character’s book.
I was totally on board with this comic from the first issue. You see the emotional side of Will, our lead character, as he explains where his love of comics came from through the relationship he had with his older brother when growing up.
Again, another short series with just four issues, I am excited to see how this all plays out and if we will eventually get more.
Ten Grand #5
This is the set up for the first issue of this series since my source does not have a description for this week’s issue…
“Joe Fitzgerald was a mob enforcer until the day he met Laura, who convinced him to leave that world behind. Before quitting, Joe agreed to one last job, little realizing that the man he’d been sent to kill was deeply involved in demonlogy. He survived Joe’s attempt and came after him, fatally wounding Joe and killing Laura. As he lay dying, an angelic force (who may or may not be what she appears) pointed out that where she is going, he can’t follow, and where he is going, he wouldn’t want her to follow. But if he will agree to work for them as a different kind of enforcer, they will bring him to life and keep on bringing him to life every time he is killed in a righteous cause. The reward: for those five minutes of death, he will be with Laura again. Would you endure an eternity of pain and death, dying over and over, to be with the woman you love for just five minutes each time you died? Most people might say no. But Joe Fitzgerald isn’t most people.”
As mentioned earlier, writer J. Michael Straczynski released his first of many new creator-owned series amongst Sidekick and this week’s brand new debut of Protectors Inc. Ben Templesmith, the artist, is one of those few artists that grabs my attention whenever his work is on display. I heard there was a problem with reaching Templesmith to turn in art for an upcoming issue and that he was possibly having personal problems and has been replaced on the series. This week’s issue is still drawn by him, but half of the appeal of this story is the way Ben draw’s his characters. The story itself is really keeping my interest, so this will be a test once the new artist is on board in a future issue.
Amazing X-Men #1
“An AMAZING new era for the X-Men starts here! Ever since Nightcrawler’s death in X-MEN MESSIAH COMPLEX, the X-Men have been without their heart and soul. After learning that their friend may not be gone after all, it’s up to WOLVERINE, STORM, BEAST, ICEMAN, NORTHSTAR and FIRESTAR to find and bring back the fan favorite fuzzy blue elf! Super star artist ED MCGUINNESS (HULK) joins master X-Writer JASON AARON (WOLVERINE AND THE X-MEN, X-MEN: SCHISM) to bring you the most exciting comic on the stands!”
Just because this is Marvel and just because this is X-Men and just because this is Nightcrawler… I am sold. That’s what Marvel does for me. I am willing to check out this brand new series for the first issue or so and see how it sits with me to determine if I will start subscribing monthly.
Iron Man #18
“AN ALL NEW ARC BEGINS! ‘IRON METROPOLITAN’ PART ONE! TONY STARK has returned from space with a vision of a better world. Who is his secret ally? What is his secret resource? Who on Earth would stop him? The MANDARIN is dead. He died at the end of Fraction’s run. There’s probably a reason why we’re mentioning it.”
I don’t normally subscribe to the current Iron Man series but the introduction of the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. variant covers throughout select Marvel series in the month of November sold me on picking up each one, whether or not I currently read that specific series.
The good thing is that this is a new arc in the story, so I won’t be jumping into the middle or end of a story, so it could possibly sell me to pick up more after this initial cover.
Thanks to Previews, the comic book ordering catalog, I ordered each and every variant cover for the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. for this month. Since these aren’t the regular covers, not all stores will order these, but thanks to pre-ordering, mine should be waiting for me in my pull box.
Though the covers aren’t creative, with having just simple photos of the characters from the show, I still must collect them since these are all characters created by Joss, Jed and Maurissa Whedon. Though I would prefer an established Marvel artist to have drawn these characters for these covers… I won’t complain for getting at least something at all. With some of the other titles that will offer variant covers this month, I have ordered two copies so I can get both the normal and S.H.I.E.L.D. covers for my collection.
Also, don’t be fooled, because the character variant cover will most likely have nothing to do with the comic inside. These covers are just an extra incentive for collectors since the television show proved to be very successful.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Origins Trade Paper Back
“MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. are coming to the ABC Network this fall! Get in on the espionage action with this collection of modern classics! Thrill to the formative appearances of Agent Phil Coulson and Nick Fury Jr., and learn how Fury followed in his famous father’s footsteps! See S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit the Avengers’ Hawkeye and Black Widow for an undercover team so secret even THEY can’t know about it! When the Superior Spider-Man comes on board the Helicarrier, will Fury, Coulson and Maria Hill learn that he’s hiding a secret of his own? Plus: the classic first appearance of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Collecting BATTLE SCARS #6, SECRET AVENGERS (2013) #1, AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #20-21, and material from STRANGE TALES (1951) #135.”
Another smart tactic from Marvel Comics is releasing covers with characters from one of my favorite television shows created by my favorite creator on Earth… Joss Whedon. This is a great way to grab the attention from fans of the television show that may be browsing the shelves of a comic book store for the first time. Though the stories in this collection are old, they are new to me, so I am very excited to have this in my collection.
Conclusion:
As you can see, it is a very heavy week of new comic books for me this week… and I could not be more excited. Not only am I picking up these great titles… but we are treated to a new episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Thor: The Dark World in theaters. This will be a very entertaining week of Marvel goodness for me!
My podcast, Ant On, is available on iTunes (with links above and below this post), and there are currently six episodes about comic books at your convenience. They all cover their respective week’s releases as I go in depth even more with what is happening in all of these series.
I also do a comic book segment on my first podcast, AB Conversation, in which I will highlight just a few of the books, leaving reason to check out the Ant On Comics podcast as well for the full feature. The AB Conversation covers movies, television, comics, video games, food and the internet every Sunday morning. This week we released our 79th episode.
I always like to support my local comic book shop. Pre-orders are key. If you purchase the monthly Previews guide located at your store, you can browse upcoming titles and set up an order and/or a pull-list with your store so they order the items that you are interested in.
There are several online sites to shop from too. Things From Another World and Midtown Comics are two that I like to frequent.
If you are into digital comics, then simply go to Comixology or the individual websites and apps for the publishers you purchase from.
Are there any titles that you are excited for that I didn’t talk about? Contact me and share your non-spoiler suggestions! If you don’t agree with what I have to say, I apologize and hope you are enjoying the comics you read, because I am definitely loving mine.
This is the Ant-Man signing off… I’ll see you between the panels!
My podcasts on iTunes: “AB Conversation” & “Ant On”
My podcast websites: http://www.abconversation.net & http://www.antonpodcast.podomatic.com
My film-making website: http://www.bartonheights.4t.com
My Twitter: @anthonylaatsch
———-
Like it? Tell your friends to spread the word!
***The views expressed above are that of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Nerdy Minds (Magazine) as a whole. But they might.***
So that we are able to better understand our viewers and give you more of what you want and less of what you don’t, please rate this post and leave a comment (positive or negative). Care to offer another perspective on something?
Contact Us!
New content Monday-Friday (& some weekends too)! Like us on Facebook & follow on Twitter to be sure you’re in the know!
Nerdy Minds Magazine 
Comments? Questions?