Tuesday, May 26, 2009

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR THURSDAY 5/28/09!

WOLVERINE #72 *OLD MAN LOGAN CHAPTER 7* ARRIVES THIS THURSDAY AS ONE OF MARVEL'S MOST POPULAR STORY ARCS NEARS IT'S END!




It's OLD MAN LOGAN week! This is cause for celebration! This is the one comic that has ALL of us on the edge of our seat, eagerly awaiting each subsequent chapter, and when one of those show up.. we just flip out with excitement. After the big cliffhanger ending of issue #71, we've been anxious to find out just where the story is going to take us next, and as Logan has made his way to New Babylon... now, we get to find out just HOW the superheroes of the Marvel Universe bit the dust, and why the Red Skull is in such a big position of power. We know you guys are just as stoked as we are, and trust us, after seeing the first few preview pages... we know this one's gonna be one hell of a read!

For those of you not already reading Old Man Logan... here's the scoop on what's been Marvel's biggest story arc of 2008 and 2009... 50 Years in the future, Wolverine is no more. There is only Logan. A man who has dedicated his life to peace, and has had his claws sheathed for over 40 years due to an intense tragedy that occurred in his past (which is revealed in issue #70, and is one of THE best reveals in comics I've seen in a very long time). Picture this, all the Marvel superheroes are dead, dinosaurs roam the earth (they were used for a short period of time as luxury pets exported from the Savage Land, but when civilization fell, ran wild), Dr. Doom controls half of the United States, yes, this series is AMAZING! If you haven't read it yet, catch up this week at Third Eye, as we have all of the issues back in stock! Click here for a preview of WOLVERINE #72 *OLD MAN LOGAN PT 7*



AMERICAN SON BEGINS THIS WEEK INAMAZING SPIDER-MAN #595 - SPIDEY GETS A RETURN TO GLORY IN THIS EXCITING NEW DARK REIGN TIE-IN STORY ARC!




It's been a good long while since we've been extremely excited for a new story arc in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, in fact, it's probably been since the John Romita JR NEW WAYS TO DIE arc that we got really excited about AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, but now with the beginning of this week's new AMERICAN SON storyline, we are totally pumped. First off, the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN title is finally being integrated back into the normal continuity of the Marvel universe. Yeah, we know it never really "left", but the anthology-style format, and inconsistent creative teams have made the book feel detached from current continuity. But, with the new AMERICAN SON storyline, the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN title is being tightly wound back in with the mainstream 616 fabric of the Marvel Universe. How so?


Well, it's Peter Parker aka Spider-man finally throwing off the gloves, and going full force after Norman Osborn. Life is sucking hard for ol' Spidey, and he's decided that it's time to get on his feet, and save the world by going after Norman Osborn, his old nemesis, who is now the acting leader of the DARK AVENGERS (as Iron Patriot). Anyone who's even remotely a Spidey fan knows the history between Osborn and Spidey, and how deep their feud runs. It's as classic as Batman vs. Joker, and we've been waiting for the arc where they actually have Spidey responding to the craziness of what's happening in the pages of all the DARK REIGN stuff. And, as for the title character? American Son? Who is this? We're taking our best guess that it's Harry Osborn, and we think that's a pretty awesome direction for the story to take.


Other reasons why American Son is going to be completely and totally awesome? Other than the fact that it's the Spidey story arc that we've all been waiting for, it's got one hell of a creator team on it... Joe Kelly, who is the man responsible for making the DEADPOOL character who he is today in his classic late '90s Deadpool ongoing series (which is available in trade paperback format here at Third Eye under the title DEADPOOL CLASSIC v.2 ), and we know that Kelly's knack for witty dialogue and talent at spinning a compelling yarn will definitely flesh out Spidey. And for the art duties, it's got the amazing pencils of Phil Jiminez, who has worked on classic hits like INFINITE CRISIS, and part of Morrison's NEW X-MEN run.


As you can see, now is the best time you could possibly jump onto Spidey, and AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #595 is the perfect place to hop aboard. Whether you're an old school Spidey fan, or you're hooked on the current run of DARK REIGN madness, you should give this one a peek. Click here for a preview of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #595 *DARK REIGN* AMERICAN SON PT 1!



GREEN LANTERN #41 *AGENT ORANGE PT 3* CONTINUES THE HIGHLY ANTICIPATED ROAD TO THIS SUMMER'S BLACKEST NIGHT! PLUS, ALL CHAPTERS OF RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS and AGENT ORANGE NOW IN STOCK! PLENTY OF FREE BLACKEST NIGHT #0s STILL AVAILABLE!



Green Lantern and Green Lantern Corps have been some of the consistently most awesome series we've been following. It's just plain well-crafted, straight forward super-hero meets space opera storytelling that has remained one of the most consistent storyline in the DC Universe for the last few years. Geoff Johns has crafted an epic, and the cohesion between his run on Green Lantern, and Tomasi's run on Green Lantern Corps has been top notch. Solid storytelling, top notch art, and a great sense of direction has gotten us more and more stoked about where the series is heading with this summer's Blackest Night, which is going to be one of THE stories to follow in comics this year.

The third chapter in Johns's AGENT ORANGE story arc which as a whole has been leading into Johns's Blackest Night arc will be hitting this Wednesday. And, along with it, we are getting back the first two chapters of AGENT ORANGE back in stock. We had 'em here for a while (cause you know that Third Eye is big on making sure we have plenty of copies to keep you guys caught up) , but due to overwhelming demand, the issues went out of print, and were unavailable for re-order... UNTIL NOW! And Third Eye's got em, so if you need to catch up. We got your back! And, this week in the new ish of GL #41 *AGENT ORANGE PT 3*, we get to see how Hal's dealing with his newfound abilities, and the Orange Lantern's quest for conquest!

To read more about GREEN LANTERN #41 *AGENT ORANGE PT 3 *, click here

To read more about BLACKEST NIGHT , click here for the WIKI entry



It's An Ennis Week at Third Eye, Four Of This Great Writer's Series Hit The Racks This Thursday!

GARTH ENNIS (writer of THE BOYS) CONTINUES HIS TWISTED SURVIVAL HORROR MAXISERIES WITH CROSSED #5 THIS THURSDAY!



We love Garth Ennis here at Third Eye. It's no secret. The man is one of our favorite writers, and he's got an incredible ability for shocking a reader's sensibilities, and pushing their boundaries while at the same time delivering a well-told, well-written story. He grosses you out, makes you uneasy, but at the same time, his characters (as demonstrated in PREACHER, and THE BOYS) are so well fleshed out that you really become attached to them. I guess the point we're trying to make is that the man doesn't just deliver the big shockout stuff without some substance to it. And, his survival horror tale from Avatar, CROSSED, has been a shining testament to this. Okay, CROSSED is horrifying. It's one of the most disturbing tales I've seen in any medium (comics, film, ect), but it's not the obvious gross-outs that get you, but the subtle ones. We really have no idea what to expect next in this series, as every issue has been full of some thrilling twists and turns, but we know one thing is for sure: it's going to leave us waiting for more.

Haven't read Crossed yet? We've got plenty of issues #0-#4 in stock, and will have plenty of #5 in stock on Thursday, for you to get caught up. What's the back story? Picture this, a post-apocalyptic tale where the planet has been completely decimated by a disease that turns those infected into relentless, sadistic, homicidal maniacs. It's kind of like a zombie story, but not... see, these people are NOT undead, they are just infected humans who still have all of their brainpower intact. This means that they can get pretty inventive in the horrible ways they terrorize the landscape. The story has us following a group of survivors trying to well, survive, in this horrible new world. The Crossed (the term for those infected) are pretty much pure evil, plain and simple. And, they will spread their disease however they can.. if they don't kill you first!

To read more about CROSSED, click here to check out an interview with Ennis and series artist Jacen Burrows.





BACK TO BROOKLYN CONCLUDES THIS WEEK WITH BACK TO BROOKLYN #5!



Another fantastic Ennis limited series that we've been following here at Third Eye has been the incredible Back to Brooklyn, which gives us Ennis's take on Organized Crime. That's right, it's Scorcese by way of Garth Ennis, and we've been very impressed with the entire run. The story is about one wiseguy who goes snitch to get his family out of Brooklyn before a huge crime war breaks out between the Italian, Jamaican, and Russian mafias. The police cannot get them out, so after arranging for a deal, he makes it his mission to go back into Brooklyn one last time to get his family. Of course, he's got the biggest target on his head out of everyone. This one has been a wild ride, and every issue has added another disturbing layer to this gritty, true crime-style world that Ennis has constructed for us. All we can say, is are you guys prepared for one of the bloodiest finales in comic book history? We know we are! Click here for a preview of BACK TO BROOKLYN #5 (note: it's a comic book resources preview, so the link may not redirect properly)


BATTLEFIELDS: TANKIES #2CONTINUES THE BEST OF ENNIS'S WAR STORIES YET!



One thing that Ennis does well is war stories. You can tell that the man has a genuine affection for the genre, and he really does put his heart and soul into the researching and telling of these tales. Ennis does not shy away from the gruesome horrors of war, and this current series, TANKIES, started off the first issue as one of the most bloody of what he's done in the others yet, in our opinion. The tale? A British tank squad caught behind enemy lines during The Battle of Normandy. It's just them, and their tank, as they try to re-unite with their unit. While we really enjoyed both Night Witches and Dear Billy, it's Tankies that we think is going to stand out as our favorite of the Ennis war tales. And, part of this might be due to the awesome pencils of Carlos Ezquerra (who told many, many classic 2000AD & Judge Dredd tales way back when, but is more known over here for his collaborations with Ennis on tales like JUST A PILGRIM), who brings the horrific reality of a tank being blown to scrap metal into horrifying reality. Click here to check out a preview of BATTLEFIELDS: THE TANKIES #2 (it's a comic book resources preview, so the link may not redirect properly)



THE PRO NOW BACK IN STOCK AT THIRD EYE, A MUST FOR FANS OF "THE BOYS"



Before Ennis was telling his twisted take on superheroes, and the people who's job it is to keep them in line with THE BOYS, he did a relatively unknown one-shot called THE PRO with Amanda Conner. This twisted little one-shot is all about a hooker who gets superpowers from a mysterious alien to prove that you know, every human being has the potential of doing good. Of course, the real reason he does it is because he's a creepy perv and wants to follow her around in her superhero outfit. And, then things just get completely zany when the Justice League of Honor shows up to recruit her into the fold. This is Ennis at his best, with a shocking dark comedy that delivers all sorts of entertaining satire. But, in pure Ennis style, he manages to deliver one of his heartfelt morality plays in the confines of this hilarious story. A must read for fans of THE BOYS, if you haven't read it yet, give THE PRO a shot this week as we've got it back in stock!



DARK REIGN FORECAST: THE HOOD DEBUTS IN HIS NEW LIMITED SERIES, DARK REIGN: THE HOOD #1, NEW AVENGERS #53 CONTINUES THE SEARCH FOR THE NEW SORCERER SUPREME, AVENGERS INITIATIVE #24"INITIATIVE DISASSEMBLED", ELEKTRA CONTINUES TO SLAY INDARK REIGN ELEKTRA #3 & MUCH MORE!



It is one heck of a great week for those of us following the exciting events of Marvel's DARK REIGN crossover. First off, everyone's favorite flagship Marvel title, NEW AVENGERS #53 , hits the rack this week with the third chapter of WHO IS THE NEW SORCERER SUPREME? Things are really starting to heat up as we near the discovery of who will be taking on the mantle of Master of the Mystic Arts in the Marvel Universe. I think it goes without saying that NEW AVENGERS remains one of the most consistently solid and entertaining Marvel ongoing series, month in and month out, so of course, we're stoked.

Next up, is the launch of a limited series we're EXTREMELY pumped for, and that's the DARK REIGN: THE HOOD #1 , which explores one of the most exciting Marvel characters introduced in this decade. The Hood, who was originally created by BRIAN K VAUGHN (the extremely talented writer behind Y THE LAST MAN, RUNAWAYS and EX MACHINA), was introduced as a normal crook who just happened to come into possession of a magical cloak that gave him many unusual abilities. Even with those abilities, he continued to pack heat, and employ the tactics he'd always done. Instead of using the cloak to become a crazy supervillain, and take on superheroes, he used it to make himself rich. It was revealed that the cloak is actually the demonic entity Dormammu, and we've seen the Hood rise into being one heck of an interesting characters in the last few years. Bendis really made him stand out in the NEW AVENGERS: The Trust storyline (available in trade paperback, NEW AVENGERS v.7) from a couple years ago, where in the aftermath of CIVIL WAR, he united all the 2nd rate supervillains into a cunning criminal outfit. Calling himself the new Kingpin of Crime, the Hood has played a crucial role in the events of DARK REIGN, and in this new limited series, we get an insight into the motivations and machinations of the character. The thing that really made him an interesting read when he was introduced was how he was just a common crook from a troubled background. His mother on the verge of being senile, his partner in crime being wrapped up in addiction, and his pregnant girlfriend who he kept his dirty deeds a secret from, all helped flesh the character out as more than just another villain. After having been developed into the most interesting criminal mastermind in the Marvel universe we've seen in a long time, we now get to see how the Hood balances his personal life, being a father, and more, with the fact that he's the figurehead of the Marvel Universe's criminal underworld. One thing we know is that the book will be bringing in a lot of Marvel characters we haven't seen or heard from in a while, which is pretty exciting in itself. Not to mention, it's got the artist of the original Hood series, Kyle Hotz, doing the pencils, and his work perfectly fits the character. This limited series looks to deliver the kind of conflicted, noir-influenced storytelling that we all love here at Third Eye, while at the same time dishing out the goods on one of DARK REIGN's major players.

And then, finally, hitting this week, we've got the next installment of INITIATIVE DISASSEMBLED inAVENGERS: INITIATIVE #24 , as well as the follow-ups to the current Dark Reign happenings in DARK REIGN: ELEKTRA #3 (which has been surprisingly awesome), and the second issue in the new Ms. Marvel direction (where Moonstone is now the title character), in dark MS. MARVEL #39 . Also, who could forget, the exciting WEAPON XI storyline nears it's conclusion in WOLVERINE ORIGINS #36 as we gear up for DARK WOLVERINE.



THE BATTLE FOR THE COWL AFTERMATH EXPLORED IN THIS WEEK'S BATTLE FOR THE COWL,GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN ALIVE!



Battle for the Cowl had a GREAT ending last week, and we're very pleased with who the new Batman looks to be. While we'll avoid letting any spoilers slip, we will say that we are really happy they went the way they did with it, and we're totally stoked for this summer with all the exciting new BATMAN books hitting the racks. This nice little endcap one-shot that serves as the companion piece to the GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN DEAD one-shot that kicked off the whole BATTLE FOR THE COWL story looks like an exciting read. Four ordinary people, Harvey Bullock, Vicki Vale, Dr. Leslie Thompkins, and Stephanie Brown, all reflect on where they fit into the grand scheme of things in this new Gotham where a new Caped Crusader has risen up to be it's guardian. How does Gotham deal with the arrival of it's new Batman? Find out this week in GOTHAM GAZETTE: BATMAN ALIVE! . To check out a preview, click here!



ALIENS MAKES A BIG RETURN TO AWESOMENESS THIS WEEK WITH DARK HORSE'S NEW "ALIENS" LIMITED SERIES!



One thing I remember fondly growing up as a kid obsessed with comics, and monster movies, was stumbling upon all the whacked out ALIENS comics that Dark Horse put out. Sure, it was a mixed bag as to what was good, and what was crap. But, the coolest thing in the world was hitting up the spinner rack at the Metro video store in Marketplace mall, and snagging up some gruesome tale of everyone's favorite insect-like Aliens. The franchise has been pretty dead in comic book format (aside from some of the killer omnibus editions Dark Horse has been putting out), but, the time is finally right for a grand return to awesomeness with this week's brand new ALIENS limited series kicking off. Why are we so stoked on this, and think it's gonna be a killer read?

Well, it's the writer of all those consistently killer BPRD series we've been digging, John Arcudi, and it's got some really stellar art by a relatively unknown new comer, Zach Howard. And, lets face it, it's balls to the wall ALIENS awesomeness that's got everything you know and love about the franchise. Surly Space Marines and Deadly Monsters. We really think this one's gonna be a fun read for any fans of the franchise, and personally, can't wait to check it out this week. Click here for a preview of ALIENS #1!


ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #6CONCLUDES THE BLODDY BATTLE OF THE CENTURY FROM TV'S "LOST" CO-CREATOR DAMON LINDELOFF AND SECRET INVASION ARTIST LENIL YU



While the wait for issue #3 was an incredibly long period of time, we've got to say, we're so happy that this series got back on schedule. It's definitely one of the coolest reads we've followed, and we're so glad to see it being wrapped up properly. I mean, come on, the series starts out with Wolverine being contracted by Nick Fury to kill The Hulk, Wolverine finding The Hulk holed up in a Tibetan mountainside with his own harem of women, and then getting ripped in half by The Hulk, only to have his torso and legs thrown 7 miles apart. And this week, we get the final chapter in this battle of brutality, as Fury's coming in to clean up Logan's mess. AND, we're gonna see how in the heck Wolverine's gonna piece himself back together after being literally torn in two. Finally, we haven't even touched on the big draw: it's the showdown between Wolverine and Hulk, and we get to see every brutal, bloody page of it in this week's ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS HULK #6! Click here to read more about ULTIMATE WOLVERINE VS. HULK #6!


WARREN ELLIS'S IGNITION CITY #3CONTINUES ELLIS'S AWESOME GRIMY TWIST ON RETRO SPACE HEROES IN A DYING WORLD



Another favorite writer of our's here at Third Eye is Warren Ellis, and while he's always consistent in delivering some great reads, we've been really impressed with his newest AVATAR series, IGNITION CITY. This one is a very cool little yarn that's like the HBO series DEADWOOD meets BUCK ROGERS. He's taking old school science fiction icons, and basically acting as if the world they lived in hit a ceiling, and stopped developing. What you've got left is a bunch of broken down starpilots, and space heroes boozing it up and dwelling in depressing homes made of rusty old rocket ships. This one's a neat little apocalyptic trip through a retro world where jetpacks, rayguns, and high adventure all existed, but took a turn for the worst as time went on. Imagine Flash Gordon as an alcoholic, and rayguns used to scorch the flesh from bone in barroom arguments. And this week, the third issue hits, so we know you guys are stoked to get your next fix of this great series! Click here to read the Wikipedia entry on IGNITION CITY.



STARCRAFT GETS IT'S OWN COMIC SERIES COURTESY OF WILDSTORM THIS WEEK WITH STARCRAFT #1!



We here at Third Eye grew up by the glow of our computer monitors, and we remember the days before the massively-multiplayer online games, and awesomeness of things like X-BOX Live. If you wanted a compelling, and addictive online game experience, you had a few choices to go with, but one of the ones we always kept coming back to was Blizzard software's STARCRAFT series. This game that riffed on things like WH40K, provided us with countless hours of fear at the words: zerg rush. So, we have to admit, we are completely and utterly stoked about the release of the new Starcraft ongoing series that explores all the aspects of the Starcraft universe, beginning with the story of the WarPigs, a disbanded unit of outlaws out to assassinate Jim Raynor. This one's actually got a pretty solid creative team penning it with Keith Giffen (the man who helped shape ANNIHILATION with Abnett and Lanning), Simon Furman (the man responsible for tons of killer Transformers comics), and some killer art by a newcomer we haven't seen before. Click here to read more about STARCRAFT #1



MESSIAH WAR CONTINUES WITH X-FORCE #15 *MESSIAH WAR CHAPTER 5* THIS THURSDAY!



The Messiah War has been one of the best X-MEN stories we've read since well, Messiah Complex, itself! This follow-up to Messiah Complex has been fantastic, and it goes to show why X-FORCE is our favorite monthly X-MEN series (the creative team behind X-FORCE, Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle have been in charge of the direction of this arc). Now, as we learn what the fate of mutantkind's last Hope may be, and Stryfe gets closer to realizing his goals, Bishop's gonna have to make his move. And, Archangel is left to make a pivotal decision that will impact the entirety of X-FORCE. Click here to read X-FORCE #15 *MESSIAH WAR CHAPTER 5*

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