Hello, comic friends! I am here to discuss comics that will be released this Wednesday, January 22nd, 2014.
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 Midtown Comics. The rest is all me, friends! For a complete list of releases you can visit Comic List.
THIS WEEK’S PICKS:
The Mocking Dead #5 (of 5)
“At long last DIA agents Bunch and Malik uncover the connection between the long-lost film Mocking Dead and the real-life undead plague keeping the globe — and you have to see it believe it! But with the zombie apocalypse quickly reaching the point of return, can they stay alive long enough to get it to the military in time?”
What if zombies actually existed and you had all of the knowledge from film, tv and literature… would you know what measures to take to survive? That is this comic. Most zombie stories contain worlds where people can’t refer to their favorite films to defend themselves… this one is probably the most realistic approach to a zombie apocalypse.
Deadly Class #1
“It’s 1987. Marcus Lopez hates school. His grades suck. He has no money. The jocks are hassling his friends. He can’t focus in class, thanks to his mind constantly drifting to the stunning girl in the front row and the Dag Nasty show he has tickets to. But the jocks are the children of Joseph Stalin’s top assassin, the teachers are members of an ancient league of assassins, the class he’s failing is ‘Dismemberment 101,’ and his crush, a member of the most notorious crime syndicate in Japan, has a double-digit body count. Welcome to the most brutal high school on Earth, where the world’s top crime families send the next generation of assassins to be trained. Murder is an art. Killing is a craft. At King’s Dominion High School for the Deadly Arts, the dagger in your back isn’t always metaphorical, nor is your fellow classmates’ poison.
Join writer RICK REMENDER with rising star WESLEY CRAIG (Batman) and legendary colorist LEE LOUGHRIDGE (Fear Agent) to reminisce about the mid-1980s underground through the eyes of the most damaged and dangerous teenagers on Earth.”
This is the start of a new series, and the above description was enough for me to give it a try.
All-New X-Men #22.NOW
“‘The Trial of Jean Grey’. The arrival of the original X-Men in the present sent shockwaves through the Marvel Universe, but we’ve only seen the effects on Earth. When alien races learn that Jean Grey, host of the destructive Phoenix Force, is back on earth, they do something about it. Now it’s up to the rest of the All-New X-Men and the Guardians of the Galaxy to save Jean Grey from twisted intergalactic justice! Don’t miss two of Marvel’s biggest franchises crossing over for the first time!”
I am a huge fan of the All-New X-Men series as well as The Guardians of the Galaxy, and the writer of both of these current series, Brian Michael Bendis, is bringing these books into a special cross-over event that I am so excited for! The “.NOW” in the title refers to a perfect jump on point in Marvel’s current new refresh, “All-New Marvel Now!” It’s not a reboot, just hopefully a great place to start for new readers.
Black Widow #2
“In fact, it’s so good, that you won’t want to wait another month for the next issue. And you won’t have to!”
That is all that was given to me for the description, which is perfect because I haven’t received my online shipment yet to read the debut issue that happened only two weeks ago. But it’s Black Widow… what’s not to LOVE? If anything, this cover rocks.
Hawkeye #16
“The adventures of Lady Hawkguy out west continue as Kate helps a reclusive and Sixties-damaged pop music genius find his lost masterpiece. Madame Masque, meanwhile, finds HER. By which we mean starts trying to kill her again. Also the cat needs cat food and there’s none to be found. What’s THAT about? Hey not for nothin’ but you guys gotta try these Cronuts!”
With issue #14, we began a new routine of switching off every other month between Clint’s Hawkeye character, and Kate’s Hawkeye character. I absolutely loved the first Kate-centric story, and it easily became my favorite of this already amazing series. This is the best non-superhero superhero comic on the shelf. If that praise didn’t make sense to you, do yourself a favor and pick up Hawkeye #1, or the trade paperback collecting the first set of issues.
X-Men #9
“MUERTAS PART 3! Lady Deathstrike’s new Sisterhood set their sights on the X-Men, and Psylocke is in the crosshairs! A foe awakens, and neither team might be able to handle her!”
This specific X-Men series focuses on a female-centric X-team. The beginning of the series didn’t grab me enough to continue until the Battle of the Atom crossover late last year. I went back and purchased the ones I missed, and during a reread I really enjoyed it more than I did the original read. This new storyline involving Lady Deathstrike is a long arc, hopefully proving it’ll be a great one.
Bubblegun #4
“They like the tech, but live for the high stakes! The BUBBLEGUN team is banged up, worn down, and low on confidence after their leader is taken from them. Molli, in desperation, resorts to extreme measures in order to rescue her captive sister back from the dangerous clutches of Drazic, Craine and Vitadrone. The odds of survival are low – which is par for the course with this group! Creator and writer Mark Roslan, along with penciler Mike Bowden and colorist David Curiel invite you to take part in what’s sure to become Aspen’s next hit sci-fi, action adventure series, BUBBLEGUN!”
If you like a fun, refreshing, colorful science fiction story… the comic with a ridiculous (but cute) name just could be it! To me, it feels like Firefly meets The Fifth Element.
Hacktivist #1
“WHY WE LOVE IT: From the creative mind of Alyssa Milano, with artist Marcus To (Huntress, Red Robin), and writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, Hacktivist is a fastpaced cyberthriller about friendship and freedom in a time war. WHY YOU WILL LOVE IT: Fantastic characters and stunning action set pieces, beautifully illustrated by Marcus To (Cyborg 009, Red Robin) and Eisnernominated colorist Ian Herring (Jim Henson’s Tale of Sand). WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Ed Hiccox and Nate Graft are young, brilliant, and the cofounders of YourLife, a social networking company that has changed the way the world stays connected. In secret, these best friends are also ‘sve_Urs3lf,’ the largest, whitehat hacking group on the planet, exposing information and sparking revolutions across the globe”
Honestly, as soon as I saw Alyssa Milano’s name on the creative team… I was sold.
Conclusion:
My podcast, Ant On, is available on iTunes (with a link below this post), and I do several episodes focused 100% on comic book previews and reviews. 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.
Pre-orders are key. If you purchase the monthly Previews guide located at your store, or online, 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.
If you don’t have a comic book store near you, you have several other choices. I like to visit Midtown Comics as well as Things From Another World. 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
What are you picking up? Let us know in the comments!
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Nerdy Minds Magazine 
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