Tuesday, August 11, 2009

THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 8/12/09!

BLACKEST NIGHT #2 CASTS IT'S DARK SHADOW THIS WEDNESDAY AS THE SUMMER'S BIGGEST STORYLINE CONTINUES! PLUS, BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #1 DEBUTS & MORE!



HOLY COW! Have we been digging the Blackest Night books. EVERYTHING has been a solid A+, so far. From the compelling origins of the different color Lantern Corps being laid out in the pages of TALES OF THE CORPS 1-3 (which we currently have all in stock, if you still need 'em!), to the GREEN LANTERN issues carrying the crossovers (Martian Manhunter tossing a building and bellowing "I am as strong as Superman, why does everyone keep forgetting that?" is a classic!). I'm serious, guys, this is some of the best stuff I'm reading currently, and it's so refreshing to see a universe-spanning event that truly looks to be delivering major changes to everything.

The first issue of Blackest Night was STELLAR. And, the ending, while I don't want to spoil it for anyone.. was a very twisted beginning to kick things off! And, now, this Wednesday, the dead will continue to rise in the pages of BLACKEST NIGHT #2! DC has been very tight lipped and close to the vest with previews for the issues of this series, so all I can go on is my gut instinct of what we can expect in this issue... however, judging from one of the covers featuring a gnarly undead Aquaman riding a giant seahorse, I think we're gonna see some blood in the water this Wednesday, along with who knows what else! Click here to read more aboutBLACKEST NIGHT #2!

BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #1 EXPLORES THE CAPED CRUSADER'S PLACE IN THE BLACKEST NIGHT AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS RISE FROM THE GRAVE!



Out of all the Blackest Night tie-ins, this is one of the ones I am most excited for. The speculation as to whether Bruce Wayne is really dead or not is huge, and with Dick Grayson's parents, the Flying Graysons, being rumored to return as Black Lanterns... we know this one is going to be a killer read! Judging from the preview, it looks like we also get to see a personal Third Eye favorite, Deadman, coming into place with the Blackest Night. As a character who is always hearing the dead speak to him, you know he's gotta be losing his mind in the wake of Blackest Night.

Seriously though, the artwork in the preview, and the synopsis we've read of what the story in this special limited series, have got us very excited to see where things will be going with this one! It's the perfect recipe for comic goodness: one part Batman (and we do love our Batman here at Third Eye), one part Blackest Night... 32 pages of pure undead Batman madness! Click here to check out the preview of BLACKEST NIGHT: BATMAN #1!


BLACKEST NIGHT: GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39 - THE BLACK LANTERN RINGS TEAR THEIR WAY THROUGH OA AND ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE!



And to complete the trifecta of Blackest Night awesomeness this Wednesday, we've got a very special Blackest Night tie-in happening in the pages of the consistently awesome GREEN LANTERN CORPS! This week, in GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39, all hell breaks loose, literally, when the Black Lantern rings have descended upon Oa, and are rising every dead Corps member you can imagine from their resting places. This one is a must-read, as it's very interesting to see a good bulk of the Black Lantern Corps being torn from their graves and risen to unleash on the galaxy. And, hey, lets face it.... it's BLACKEST NIGHT, folks! We're loving everything, and the fact that it's the same duo of writers penning everything (GEOFF JOHNS and PETER TOMASI), we know we're getting solid tie-in books here, not just event filler. Plus, me personally, I cannot wait to see what dead GL Corps members are going to be brought back as Black Lanterns! Clickhere to read the preview of GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39!

MARK MILLAR (writer of OLD MAN LOGAN, KICK-ASS & more) DEBUTS ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #1 THIS WEDNESDAY! A MUST-READ, AND ONE OF OUR MOST ANTICIPATED MARVEL BOOKS OF THE SUMMER! THE PERFECT SPOT TO JUMP ON-BOARD!



So, I already gushed a little bit up above about how much I loved MARK MILLAR'S run on the ULTIMATES and ULTIMATES 2, but, man, look out, cause I am so stoked to see this book hitting, that it's ridiculous. First off, it's being penned by one of the most exciting comic book writers around today, MARK MILLAR, the creator of OLD MAN LOGAN, KICK-ASS, WANTED, 1985, and so many more modern classic stories. Secondly, it's him returning to what are in my opinion some of his best creations. Yes, the Avengers have been around for a very long time, but it's Millar who reminded us all why the Avengers are cool. I remember back when ULTIMATES #1 first came out, nearly 8 years ago. I had just begun working at the comic shop I grew up working at, and while I had enjoyed some Avengers runs (Busiek/Perez, the classic '80s stuff, ect), I was never the biggest fan. And, then came the Ultimates. Millar redefined how to tell bigger than life yet realistic super-team stories with the book, and in my opinion, his work on it has been one of the bigger influences on modern superhero storytelling today. I feel that we would not be getting films like IRON MAN, and the upcoming Thor, Cap, and Avengers flicks without the ideas he put forth in the Ultimates. Simply put, the Ultimates changed comics.

And, now Millar has returned to the book, launching a brand new series, that provides the perfect jumping on point for anyone who is either a fan of the original two ULTIMATE runs, or brand new to the ULTIMATE UNIVERSE. While we're on that subject, let me give those of you who missed the Ultimate concept a quick rundown on what the deal is.

Basically, Marvel's Ultimate line is a streamlined, more cutting edge version of it's universe. Character concepts are changed, the dynamics of the universe are different, and the whole thing provides a nice self-contained world of comics to enjoy.

The Ultimates themselves, are the Avengers, and their story is by far, my favorite. Instead of beginning as a straight-forward superhero team, the Avengers are treated as more of a military-funded Black Ops unit built off of the Super-Soldier serum. In this world, the Hulk is a rampaging murderer, Hawkeye is a cold-blooded former CIA assassin, Captain America is an old-school John Wayne-esque character who's not afraid to do what it takes to win a battle, and Tony Stark is the drunken playboy we all know and love.

What can you expect out of the new Ultimate Avengers series that's beginning this week? Well, we don't know a lot, other than the creative team looks AMAZING, and the plot of the first arc looks to be about Captain America going rogue from SHIELD after finding out about the Red Skull, who just happens to be his illegitimate son... grown up to be a crazed terrorist. And, Nick Fury has to put together a Black Ops unit of Avengers to go get him... all we can say is this book is going to be AWESOME! Whether you've never read an Ultimate book before in your life, or if you're an old fan, you do not want to miss out on this one, folks!

Click here to check out the preview of ULTIMATE AVENGERS #1!

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1 DEBUTS THIS WEDNESDAY, AS MARVEL MASTERMIND, BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & JAW-DROPPING NEW ARTIST DAVID LAFUENTE BRING THIS BOOK BACK TO IT'S FORMER GLORY!




Another modern classic for solid storytelling, and intriguing concepts was Brian Michael Bendis's ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN series. We will admit that once the series started to get towards it's end, it did lose some of the sharpness that made it such a great, consistent read. However, with the new relaunch of this (alongside Millar's ULTIMATE AVENGERS), we are very excited and confident that this book is going to be a heavyweight for good story and good art like it was once before.

What's Ultimate Spider-man? It's a concept very similar to Ultimate Avengers, but with Spidey. Basically, Ultimate Spidey exists in the same Ultimate universe as the Ultimate Avengers. And, it's much more streamlined. While there's been a lot of secrecy and mystery regarding this book and what direction it will take, the original series featured a young teenage Peter Parker who actually aged as we read the story. It updated everything for modern times, and it really gave a cool look into how other youger (teenage and college age) Marvel characters interacted in this strange world forced onto them. Peter Parker dating Kitty Pryde, his heart-touching relationship with MJ, and a much more sadistic, and monsterous Green Goblin all made this book into a great read.

And now, with the new series, it looks like Bendis is becoming refocused on telling the most exciting and interesting Spidey stories around. The artwork is friggin' fantastic, and it's Bendis, so you know the story will be a sharp read. Best of all, if you've never read Ultimate Spidey before, now is the perfect chance to jump on, as it all begins again right here. For those of you who already know the awesomeness of Ultimate Spidey, then you're already on board, I'm sure. Clickhere to check out a preview of ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1!

ADVENTURE COMICS #1 FROM BLACKEST NIGHT WRITER GEOFF JOHNS KICKS OFF THE RETURN OF SUPERBOY, AND GIVES US ONE OF THE COOLEST LOOKING BOOKS WE HAVE SEEN!




I'll admit, when I first heard that Geoff Johns's (the mastermind behind just about EVERYTHING that rocks at DC Comics these days, from Blackest Night to Flash Rebirth and beyond) next project was the new ADVENTURE COMICS, I was a bit skeptical. We're talking about one of my favorite comic writers here, but, at the same time, I've never been a big Superman or Superboy fan. However, it was Johns who got me hooked on Superman again with his stellar run on Action Comics over the course of the last couple years. And, then, as the release date to this book got closer, I started to dig more on it... and now, I am just as excited as everyone else is about this one, folks. Geoff Johns gets it. He knows how to make Superman, Superboy, Lex Luthor, and everyone and everything in between cool. I mean, hell, he gave the Legion of Superheroes a much needed shot in the arm, and I had never been a huge Legion fan until I read his take on the characters.

Now, with the brand new ongoing ADVENTURE COMICS, Johns is going to take all of these things and dose them with his comic magic. I read the preview of this one, and holy crap, it's freaking GORGEOUS. Great artwork, and great storytelling have got me anxiously awaiting the real deal this Wednesday. I know I already said this, but Johns GETS IT. He knows how to play up these characters strengths so you realize why they've been around so long, and why they have the devoted following that they do. He just knows what buttons to push to make you realize how great and timeless a good superhero comic can be. Click here to check out a preview of ADVENTURE COMICS #1!

ED BRUBAKER (writer of INCOGNITO, CAP: REBORN & more) DEBUTS THE MARVELS PROJECT THIS WEEK! THE OFFICIAL ORIGINS OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE EXPLORED AND REVEALED!



See, what I mean, guys? There's so much good stuff out this week, it's amazing! It's funny that we're writing about this one right after talking about Adventure Comics. Marvels Project was another series that I was kind of skeptical on. Ed Brubaker, is right up there with Geoff Johns as one of my modern day favorite comic writers, and Steve Epting, is a vastly underrated artist who I feel is on the verge of breaking out as a superstar. However, I was a little unclear on what to expect from Marvels Project.

Then, I read the .pdf of the full preview that Marvel sent to retailers last month, and dude, I'm sold. This book is not only incredibly well-written, but it's beautifully illustrated to. It's another series I'm extremely excited to see. The concept, now that it's clear to me, is perfect. The official origin story of the Marvel Universe. That's right, the 616 in-continuity Marvel Universe. And, judging from the first issue, it is AWESOME.

It all begins with a bed-ridden, old school Marvel Western character Kid Colt, telling a little known Marvel character, the Angel about the first arrivals of the Superhumans. And, we learn, that the entire origin of the Superhuman characters of the Marvel Universe has it's roots in an arms race between Allied Forces and the Nazi forces during World War II. The creation (and then quick cover-up) of the android HUMAN TORCH is a good spark to things. There's one scene in particular that really stands out to me, where the Nazi forces are using giant fishing nets to troll the ocean for Atlanteans. After pulling a large net of dead and dying Atlanteans to use in their experiments for the super-soldier secret, there's this great spread of Namor rising up from the ocean atop a wave, using the waves to break the necks of Nazi soldiers, and kill an entire boat of troops, without remorse. Incredible!

The narration is spot on, the artwork is razor sharp, and the overall concept of the secrets and origins of the Marvel Universe being revealed make this one a must-read.

While we'll be doing an early release for the book tomorrow night (TUESDAY AUGUST 11th) at the Marvel 70th Anniversary Party, you can rest assured that we'll still have plenty of these bad boys waiting for those of you who can't make it in until Wednesday. This one's going to be incredible, folks, don't miss out! Clickhereto check out a preview of MARVELS PROJECT #1!

CROSSED & THE BOYS WRITER GARTH ENNIS DEBUTS NEW AVATAR SERIES "CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD: THE LAST BATTLE" THIS WEDNESDAY! A TRUE TALE OF APOCALYPTIC HORROR WITH THAT DEPRAVED, TRADEMARK ENNIS HUMOR!



You know, one thing is for sure... Garth Ennis is a big favorite here around the store. Many of you have become big fans of him, and we're so stoked to share his twisted tales with you guys. From his classic, landmark series PREACHER to his current output like THE BOYS and CROSSED. And, while we've only got three issues of his trademark depravity left with CROSSED, worry not, Third Eye Faithful, there is something on the way to fill the void!

CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD: THE LAST BATTLE is a brand new mini-series which brings us Ennis doing Armaggedon 101. I mean, you know you're in for a wild ride when your protagonist is the Anti-Christ. If you're curious about some of the back story on Wormwood, then we'd recommend snagging the original CHRONICLES OF WORMWOOD trade paperback, but don't worry, this new series provides a perfect jumping on poin for new readers as well. Basically, Danny Wormwood, is the Anti-Christ. Instead of playing along, and helping bring about the end of the world, he decides, hey... lets just leave humanity to their own devices and see how things play out. Meanwhile, he goes onto be a successful TV exec, bring Joan of Arc back from the past for some fun, and more. Of course, his dad, THE DEVIL, is not happy with this. So, Danny averts the apocalypse, only to make things worse.. now Hell is being run by a corrupt Pope, and well, things are just going to be a ridiculous, morbid mess in true Garth Ennis fashion. We wish we had a preview to link you too, but Avatar never puts those up in time for the newsletter, dammit! :) We promise though, if you're digging CROSSED, you gotta give this one a peek.

DARK X-MEN CONTINUES THIS WEEK INUNCANNY X-MEN #514 UTOPIA PT 4!




The Dark X-Men has been one of the cooler things knocking around this summer. It definitely picked up things in the realm of Dark Reign quite a bit. And, the introduction of Osborn's Dark X-Men has added a whole new level of dynamic to the world of the current Marvel Universe. And, things continue to rage on this week in the pages of UNCANNY X-MEN #514 as the tensions continue to rise between the Dark Avengers and the Dark X-Men! Clickhereto check out a preview of UNCANNY X-MEN #514 *DARK X-MEN UTOPIA PT 4*

BATMAN REBORN CONTINUES! BATMAN #689 CONTINUES WINICK & BAGLEY'S KILLER RUN ON THE CORE BATMAN TITLE AND RED ROBIN #3 BRINGS US RED ROBIN & RAS AL GHUL TEAM-UP ACTION!


The Batman books have been the best they've been in years ever since the conclusion of BATTLE FOR THE COWL this year. Dick Grayson rocking the cowl is the perfect breath of fresh air into making all of these books a great read again, and all the other mixing up of the Batman universe that's taken place in Bruce Wayne's absence have had us hooked on every single issue!

First off, this week, we've got the next issue in Judd Winick and Mark Bagley's killer run on the core BATMAN title. This is the core of the line, and is the book that focuses on solely Batman, and how Dick Grayson is dealing with carrying the mantle of the Dark Knight. And, it's GOOD! The first issue in this current run began with BATMAN #687 (which does a very nice job of bridging the gap between Battle for the Cowl #3 and BATMAN & ROBIN #1), and continues on in Batman 688, which leads us to this week's BATMAN #689. It's not just enough that Grayson is coming to terms with being the Batman, but, also the fact that he's trying to round up all those zany Arkham escapees. And, while he's busy, it looks like we're going to see things heating up with TWO-FACE, and his plans for Gotham City. Clickhere to check out the preview of BATMAN #689!

Next up, is the surprisingly impressive RED ROBIN series that features the Tim Drake and his new identity as the Red Robin. Honestly, when I read the first issue, I was kind of iffy on the series. I dug it, but wasn't sure how into it I was. After reading issue #2, I'm almost completely sold on this one being a good, solid new ongoing series. The whole idea of Tim Drake evolving from being Robin into Red Robin is cool, because it mirrors the same evolution that Dick Grayson took from being Robin to being Nightwing. And, this book is the ground zero title to follow to watch this character evolve into a new standard for the DCU. One of the things I've always enjoyed about a lot of DC's characters is the sense of legacy.. passing the mantle.. and the way these characters age and evolve into adulthood. It really gives you a sense of gravity when you see a character you grew up reading as a kid grow up with you.

Now, what was it about issue #2 that won me over? The ending which basically said that Ras Al Ghul and Tim Drake will be working together in a quest to find the Caped Crusader. I'm very curious to see the two interact, and what Ras Al Ghul's motivations are in this. Click here to read a preview of RED ROBIN #3!

DEADPOOL #13 WAVE OF MUTILATION PART 1 BEGINS! GREAT JUMPING ON POINT FOR NEW READERS! AND HEY, DEADPOOL DECIDES TO BECOME A PIRATE!!




Okay, we love a lot of things here at Third Eye. We love Deadpool, and we love the amazing rock band, The Pixies. And, when you give us a brand new Deadpool story arc that's title references one of our favorite Pixies songs.. well, you got yourself one heck of a book already there. But, wait.. there's more awesomeness than that.. Deadpool has decided to become a pirate! And, if those 7 words don't get you curious, then we don't know what will.

It's everyone's favorite fourth-wall breaking, wise-cracking contract killer... deciding to go off and be a pirate. How can this not be good?

Anyways, we've said it once, and we'll say it again, the current Deadpool ongoing series is A+ stuff. Always a blast, always fun, and always packed full of solid humorous stories and sharp, gorgeous art. Now, you throw him being a pirate into the mix, and we're just in love with the book even more than we were before.

For those of you who've been wanting to hop aboard this Deadpool ongoing series, and haven't yet, issue #13 provides a great jumping on point, so give it a go!

Click here to check out the preview of DEADPOOL #13 WAVE OF MUTILATION PT 1!

HERCULES: KNIVES OF KUSH #1 ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY! A BRAND NEW TITLE FROM ONE OF OUR FAVORITE NEW PUBLISHERS, RADICAL COMICS (City of Dust, Hotwire,ect)



Radical Publishing has really made a name for themselves as far as putting out high quality books go. They've really carved a niche for putting out high quality stories with top notch art. The one that really grabbed our attention initially was CITY OF DUST, which delivered some gorgeous painted interiors and a compelling sci-fi/noir tale. After that, we discovered the awesomeness of CALIBER, their King Arthur in the Old West riff, and then they got us hooked with HOTWIRE, a cyberpunk ghostbusters kinda story.

And now, they're all set to do it all over again with this week's HERCULES: KNIVES OF THE KUSH. The legendary Hercules, who roams the landscape with a band of hardened mercenaries has set his sights on Egypt, and is coming head to head with a death cult only known as the Kush.

The depiction of Radical's HERCULES is brutal, and unrelenting, and if you dig the first issue of this new series, we recommend going back and scoping the HERCULES: THE THRACIAN WARS trade paperback, as it was a great read.

Stellar art, killer story. Another awesome new Radical book to get excited about! Click here to read more about HERCULES: KNIVES OF KUSH #1

ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND #1 BEGINS THE THIRD AND FINAL INSTALLMENT IN ZENESCOPE'S WONDERLAND TRILOGY!


The fine folks at Zenescope have been putting out some consistently gorgeously illustrated material with their Wonderland comics for the last few years, and now the final chapter in their epic three part trilogy is here. Escape From Wonderland is the final installment in the Wonderland saga, and you know you can expect all sorts of crazy, twisted going-ons courtesy of the folks at Zenescope. Clickhere to check out a preview!

STAR TREK: NERO #1 FILLS IN THE 25 YEAR GAP OF WHAT NERO WAS DOING WHILE HE WAS WAITING ON SPOCK ALL THAT TIME!



The Star Trek movie of this year has my vote for the "big" movie of the Summer. It was amazing, and it pulled me in hard. And, because of that, I'm stoked to see anything that fills in all those killer little story and plot elements that surround the story. And, with this Star Trek Nero book, they're going to explaining just where the Romulan madman was for the 25 years he'd been waiting for Spock. Click hereto check out a preview of STAR TREK: NERO #1

TRADE PAPERBACK CRAZINESS! INVINCIBLE VOLUME 11, FABLES VOLUME 12, GARTH ENNIS'S PUNISHER WAR ZONE & MORE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 10s & IRREDEEMABLE volume 1s ALL IN STOCK WEDNESDAY

It's a great week for trade paperbacks, folks! First off, we've got more copies of WALKING DEAD VOLUME 10, and IRREDEEMABLE VOLUME 1 arriving on Wednesday, because we know that those of you who haven't already snagged those, are totally fiending to.
Next up, we've got the newest in the INVINCIBLE trade paperbacks with volume 11, and trust us, folks, YOU WANT TO CATCH UP ON THIS SERIES! It has been one of the best books coming out during the last 6 months. Fantastic stuff! We've also got Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's hilarious sequel to Welcome Back Frank, with Punisher War Zone hitting soft-cover, and then finally, FABLES volume 12 THE DARK AGE delivers you your next slab of FABLES awesomeness!

INCREDIBLE HERCULES #132 BEGINS "THE REPLACEMENT THOR" STORY ARC, WHERE HERC DONS THE GOD OF THUNDER'S DUDS, AND TAKES UP TO CALLING HIMSELF THE NEW GOD OF THUNDER. YES, YOU GOTTA SEE THIS! IT LOOKS RIDICULOUS.. AND AWESOME... AND RIDICULOUSLY AWESOME!




We've been flying the flag for INCREDIBLE HERCULES as one of the most underrated Marvel books out for a long time now. Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak deliver compelling yet hilarious story after story, using the Olympian party animal, Hercules, to explore the mythology of the Marvel Universe. But, now, we gotta say, this book is about to get really cool... I mean, the cover alone is enough to hook us. What happens when the Dark Elves in the land of Svartalfheim begin to get unruly, and the Odinson is nowhere to be found? Well, it's up to Hercules to become the substitute God of Thunder and lay the smack down.

Yes, this is a story where Hercules is running around dressed as Thor. And yes, it's going to rule.

Click here to check out the preview!

Are you reading Wednesday Comics?

We know we've been singing the praises of DC's current 12-issue weekly experiment, but we really can't say enough good about Wednesday Comics. It's just a fun read, delivered week in, and week out. Why does Third Eye love Wednesday Comics?
It's got one of the best rosters of creators we've ever seen... NEIL GAIMAN and MIKE ALLRED doing Metamorpho, PAUL POPE doing Strange Adventures, AMANDA CONNER doing Supergirl, The Kuberts, father and son, doing SGT ROCK, and much more. You really do get a great variety of styles and stories.

The format is so much fun. We love seeing the art on the big wide pages, and following each story from week to week.

It makes us feel sophisticated to sit down by the fireplace and read some kind of newspaper.

Seriously though, if you're not reading Wednesday Comics, folks, you're missing out. The stories are getting better and better, and we really hope that if and when this gets collected, they give it the oversized hardcover treatment, as the art would truly lose something in standard format.

Props to DC! We love our Wednesday Comics!

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