It’s new comic book day! What’s everyone excited about?
Around the Tubes
ICv2 – Marvel Said to Be Developing 4 New TV Dramas & Miniseries – So at what point is there too much?
Robot 6 – Advocacy group asks conventions to ‘protect our secret identities’ – When paranoia goes too far…
The Beat – Government Shutdown Hits Comics – Well that sucks.
Business Insider – We Asked Cosplayers At Comic Con What They Do In Real Life And Their Answers Were Awesome – This is awesome.
The episode starts off with some rather oddness with men in red masks walking around, but the focus is really a former agent turned rogue who is now robbing places for diamonds. We learn that the thief is actually a former protegé of Agent Coulson who takes it as his task to track her down, as there’s more than meets the eye.
They track her down and head out to capture her and sit around, a bunch. The first 20 something minutes of the show is this team looking for their target or discussing about finding their target, it’s rather boring. Turns out, she’s being controlled…. by someone. So that made it somewhat interesting.
The good is the show continues to flesh out a bit of the history. That’s often done with throw away lines though, so it’s hits here and there and could be so much more for comic fans. Tonight’s episode for instance could have referenced the Red Room from the comic books, which would also play into the next Captain America movie really well. Maybe this is the plan, but who knows, we didn’t get many answers in the episode.
There’s a lot of bad though. The show again slipped into the worst of what we’ve seen from previous episodes. The action was meh, until the final 15 minutes or so. The acting was laughable, with almost robotic performances. I think we’re starting to see the opposite of the Star Trek rule with odd number episodes being good and even ones rather poor.
The episode got better as it went along, but overall the show has a long way to go.
Director: Roxann Dawson Writer: Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon, Maurissa Tancharoen
Overall Score: 5.5
Rocket Girl #1
A teenage cop from a high-tech future is sent back in time to 1986 New York City. Dayoung Johansson is investigating the Quintum Mechanics megacorporation for crimes against time. As she pieces together the clues, she discovers the “future” she calls home – an alternate reality version of 2013 – shouldn’t exist at all!
Comics to me are supposed to be fun. This first issue of Rocket Girl, falls into that category. There’s something fun about it, it exudes energy in the first issue.
The first thing that stands out is the concept. Starting off in the alternate reality version of 2013, I could only read each page wondering how this world came to be, which is great since that’s basically the story. The fact is the kids seem to be in charge as teenage cops discuss issues like the latest police procedural on tv. It made me want to find out more about this all, and if anything I wish there was more of the future world, but this is the first issue after all. Then you head back in time to 1986, a decade I grew up in, you can go over the top with the cheesy 80s references, but that wasn’t the case with the issue. While the setting is the 80s, the story isn’t about the 80s at all.
Then there’s the main character of Dayoung Johansson, aka “Rocket Girl.” She might be a cop, but there’s also something very teenage about her. Her enthusiasm to do good leaps up the page as she takes flight and the various reactions to her are beyond entertaining. There’s a great mix of action, humor and more in the issue.
Writer Brandon Monrclare is backed up by the art of Amy Reeder who captures the excitement and enthusiasm, and 80s, quite well. It’s a great pairing of writer, material and artist.
Comics are supposed to be fun, and first issues are supposed to give you enough info so you feel like you know what’s going on, but also holds back so you come back for more. This issue does that, and does it well. Strap on your own rocket, for what seems like a fun ride.
Story By: Brandon Montclare Art By: Amy Reeder
Story: 8 Art: 8 Overall: 8 Recommendation: Buy
Image Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #195
Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)
THE COUNTDOWN TO #200 STARTS HERE! The situation in Sierra Gordo continues to escalate as G.I. JOE touches down and prepares for action. But with former G.I. JOE member, GRUNT, in the hands of a rebel faction, can G.I. JOE beat the clock and pull of the rescue before it’s too late? You’re in for a real nail-biter in G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #195!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Star Trek: Khan #1 (of 5)
Mike Johnson (w) • Claudia Balboni (a) • Paul Shipper (c)
“Shall we begin?” Don’t miss this all-new mini-series event overseen by Star Trek Into Darkness writer/producer Roberto Orci! Witness the shocking origin of Khan Noonien Singh from his earliest years through his rise to power during the epic Eugenics Wars! Behold the events that led to his escape from Earth aboard the Botany Bay! Learn the truth behind his re-awakening by Admiral Marcus and Section 31! It’s the origin of Star Trek‘s greatest villain, only from IDW!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #22
James Roberts (w) • James Raiz (a) • Alex Milne, Nick Roche (c)
MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE: THE MOVIE! When the Autobots set off on their mission to find the Knights of Cybertron, RODIMUS gave REWIND a simple instruction: film everything. The result is a documentary that will forever change your perception of life on board the Lost Light. Discover RUNG’s secret! Meet the greatest Autobot of all time! And learn what SKIDS really got up to on Hedonia!
2 regular covers will be shipped in a 1-to-1 ratio
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Classic: 100-Penny Press
Larry Ivie, Len Brown (w) • Wally Wood, Reed Crandall (a) • Wood (c)
The origins of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents’ remarkable powers are revealed in three short yet action-packed stories for only one dollar! This bargain-priced collection of stories is a must-read for comic fans that want to know more about the beginnings of the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. universe!
FC • 32 pages • $1.00
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Works, Vol. 2
Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird (w) • Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Dave Sim & Michael Dooney (a) • Eastman & Laird (c)
The original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issues #8–11 plus the Michelangelo, Donatello, and the Leonardo Micro-Series are collected in Volume Two of The Works!
HC • FC • $49.99 • 256 pages • 9” x 12” • ISBN 978-1-61377-763-3
The X-Files: Season 10 #5
Joe Harris (w) • Michael Walsh (a) • Carlos Valenzuela (c)
“Believers,” Part 5 of 5: The sense-shattering conclusion! Reunited at last, Mulder and Scully pursue the Deacon deep beneath the surface of Yellowstone National Park. Also in pursuit are the telltale black helicopters of the FBI, but are they friend… or foe?
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
X-Files Classics, Vol. 2
Stefan Petrucha & John Rozum (w) • Charles Adlard, Miran Kim & Gordon Purcell (a) • Sam Shearon (c)
THE TRUTH IS… in here! Re-join up with Mulder and Scully as they unravel all-new mysteries only seen in comic books! This second collection includes stories like “Feelings of Unreality,” “One Player Only, ” “Home of the Brave,” “Night Lights,” and more.
HC • FC • $29.99 • 200 pages • ISBN 978-1-61377-718-3
Today, Iron Man enters a cosmos-rattling battle with the moon in Marvel’s latest Infinite Comic series, Iron Man: Fatal Frontier! Brought to you by comic superstars Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing and Lan Medina, Iron Man: Fatal Frontier #2 brings Infinite Comics to their next startling level! When the moon aims an armada of deadly missiles at the heart of California, Iron Man must embark on his strangest odyssey yet!
How has the moon gained sentience, and why is it hell-bent on destroying the Earth? Even with his space-busting armor, will Iron Man last long enough to discover the answers? Find out today by downloading one of the hottest digital comics series available!
The greatest powers of the occult, both from our own world and the darkest dimensions in existence, are combining their forces to take over Earth. And only one man can stop them — Doctor Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme! With the help of the beautiful Clea and his faithful servant Wong, the Master of the Mystic Arts faces his greatest challenge ever in Doctor Strange pinball, the newest addition to the Marvel Pinball library.
Strange’s rival sorcerer Baron Mordo has called upon the demonic forces of the Dread Dormammu and the Fear Lord, Nightmare, all part of his plot to assume the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme for himself. Meanwhile, Shuma-Gorath, the Lord of Chaos, resides in the background with nefarious plans of his own…
Numerous voiceover lines and situations were adapted straight from 50 years of Doctor Strange comic books for this table, including the classic first two issues of Doctor Strange, Sorcerer Supreme, wherein Dormammu threatened our dimension by overtaking Strange in his own body. Only with carefully cast spells (i.e., deadeye shots from you, the player) does Strange hope to stand a chance against inconceivable odds.
Doctor Strange will be available for download in December 2013 on a variety of platforms including Xbox LIVE Arcade, Steam, PlaySation Network, iOS, Google Play, Windows 8, OSX, Kindle Fire and the Wii U eShop.
Valiant has released a preview of Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #15 from the all-star creative team of co-writers Christos Gage and Joshua Dysart and artist Emanuela Lupacchino! Project Rising Spirit has just activated a new crop of expendable suicide commandos…and they’re first field mission is a one-way ticket into the crosshairs of Toyo Harada!
Trapped in an enemy stronghold, Bloodshot has been broken – dismantled piece-by-piece, nanite-by-nanite by the Harbinger Foundation’s most disturbed minds. But when Bloodshot’s signal goes dark, who can the black ops military contractor known as Rising Spirit bring in to recover its most expensive soldier? Time to call in…H.A.R.D. Corps!
Post-corporate warfare gets a whole lot deadlier when Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #15 flies out the fire and into the Harbinger Foundation on October 16th! And don’t miss the Bloodshot and H.A.R.D. Corps #15 Valiant 8-Bit Level Two Variant by artist Matthew Waite, in stores the same day.
BLOODSHOT AND H.A.R.D. CORPS #15
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & JOSHUA DYSART
Art & Cover by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO (AUG131492)
Valiant 8-Bit Level Two Variant by MATTHEW WAITE (AUG131493)
$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE OCTOBER 16th!
From the creative minds of Zack Snyder and Bruce Timm and produced by Warner Bros. Animation, this short follows Superman through the years, from his first appearance on the cover of Action Comics #1 to Henry Cavill in this year’s Man of Steel…all in two minutes!
Coming soon to iOS and Android (Holiday 2013), Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment are proud to announce the mobile edition of Batman: Arkham Origins.
Play as Batman as he fights his way through Gotham City’s most dangerous locales and encounters a number of DC Comics’ most deadly assassins. As you progress, you’ll be able to upgrade your character’s skills and fighting tactics, but you’ll also be able to unlock a number of unique Batsuits by earning in-game currency and rewards.
For fans who also own a console version of the game and are registered for a Warner Bros. ID (WBID) account, they will be able to access exclusive bonus content that is not available elsewhere.
This is how the end of the world begins… Harvey Award-winning writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Eisner-winning artist Francesco Francavilla take Archie and the gang where they’ve never been before-to the grave and back! A horrific accident sets off a series of grim events and Sabrina the Teenage Witch must try to repair the unspeakable evil her spell has unleashed. Gasp in horror as Riverdale faces an impending zombie Arch-pocalypse in this brand-new, spine-tingling ongoing series-but be warned, kiddies, this one’s not for the faint of heart!
When I heard the announcement of this series, I expected the worst, a campy lighthearted story. Boy would I have been off. Instead you get Archie meets Shaun of the Dead, a serious zombie tale with some winks and nods concerning the source material. They warned us this series was for adults and holy shit were they right.
Mining some dark material, this adult version of Archie sees a dead dog lead to a spell going wrong and zombies being unleashed. The whole issue had my jaw dropped as to how far they were willing to go with the story, and what they’ve put together is an amazing zombie comic and an Archie story I WANT to read. Can we please get a “modern and updated” Archie series now?
On top of the great story is the amazing art of Francesco Francavilla, an artist who has proven time and time again why his work is some of the most wanted in the industry. His talents are obvious and his style is perfect for a series such as this. We’ve seen him do the art for numerous pulp comics, like his Dark Horse series The Black Beetle, and that style fits the zombie genre perfectly. We get a look that evokes some of the earliest, and creepiest, zombie and horror movies.It evokes the classic Eerie and Creepy, and it’s amazing. It’s perfect for the series and I can’t imagine anyone else doing it.
I went into this first issue with some series reservations and walked out with one of my favorite debut issues of the year and a series that’s on my monthly “read” list.
Story: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa Art: Francesco Francavilla, Jack Morelli
Story: 9 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.25 Recommendation: Buy
Archie Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
