BLACKEST NIGHT #5 ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY, AND COMES WITH A FREE GREEN LANTERN RING (while supplies last!) ALSO ARRIVING IS JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39WHICH COMES WITH A FREE RED RING! PLUS, GREEN LANTERN #48 *BLACKEST NIGHT*, AND TEEN TITANS #77 *BLACKEST NIGHT*
It's a big week for Blackest Night, folks, with two of the most anticipated titles attached to rings arriving this Wednesday. The first of which, of course, being BLACKEST NIGHT #5, and that comes with the free GREEN LANTERN ring. There's really not a whole lot more we can say about Blackest Night that hasn't been said. In fact, if you're not yet reading BLACKEST NIGHT, then we highly recommend checking out the Blackest Night wikipedia entry by clicking here to read about how awesome it's been. As for the new issue hitting this week.. all we can say is that Nekron, Lord of the Undead, is revealed, and his motives, and control over the Black Lanterns is explored.. and according to the solicits, this is supposed to be a huge turning point in the event!
For a quick Blackest Night in a nutshell description... basically, at the end of the SINESTRO CORPS WAR (a great storyline from BLACKEST NIGHT writer Geoff Johns which really kicked all of this off), it was realized that there are several different Lantern Corps, and each one represents a different color of the spectrum. Each color, of course, represents a different emotion. Red equals Rage, Indigo equals Compassion, ect. The big reveal though was that a prophecy was coming into realization, and that was the Blackest Night. The Black Lanterns. They represent DEATH, and basically, it's brought us to here where black rings have resurrected nearly every dead DC Universe character you can think of as a vengeful, undead Black Lantern. Everyone from the Martian Manhunter to Dick Grayson's parents, the Flying Graysons are back, and they're out for blood. The Black Lanterns also have a knack for eating people's hearts. :) If you're interested in catching up on BLACKEST NIGHT, we currently have EVERYTHING well-stocked here at Third Eye, and we would recommend starting with GREEN LANTERN #43 *BLACKEST NIGHT PROLOGUE* and then jumping into BLACKEST NIGHT #1. Of course, if you want the back story, you can always go back and check out the Sinestro Corps War, and other following volumes now available in trade paperback. Click here to see a checklist for BLACKEST NIGHT.
Now, lets talk about JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39, this is going to be a big tie-in issue, and we're excited about it. First off, the new direction of JUSTICE LEAGUE, which began inJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #38last month (still available here at Third Eye), kicked off with a bang! Great story from James Robinson (of Starman fame) and great art from Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-man, for like a billion years!). It's actually been a very long time since I really got excited about the core Justice League ongoing series, and between the first issue of the new direction and then Robinson's Cry for Justice, they're getting me pumped for the JLA again. The new line-up is different, yet fresh, and the big reveal at the end of #38 with Black Lantern Dr. Light (you know, one of the most vile DCU villains thanks to Identity Crisis), was a great way to start things off. And, that brings us to this week with Justice League #39. This is the official BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in issue, and it features a very angry Black Lantern Dr. Light. Lets be honest, after what Meltzer did with the character in Identity Crisis, he'd already climbed the villain ladder, big time. Now, that he's back as a Black Lantern, we can only imagine the villainy he has in store for the JLA. Ontop of all this, Justice League #39 comes with the Red Lantern Rage Corps ring.
But, wait, before we move ahead, we can't neglect to mention the other big Blackest Night books this week, just because they're not coming with rings. That would be plain unfair. First off, we've gotGREEN LANTERN #48, and with this series being penned by GEOFF JOHNS, the mastermind behind the Blackest Night, it's almost as essential reading as the core Blackest Night book. In fact, if you read each issue of Green Lantern in between the issue of Blackest Night that proceeds and follows it, it fills in several gaps with the event. Basically, if you're reading BLACKEST NIGHT, then you really should be reading GREEN LANTERN too, even if that's the only other tie-in you're following. In last month's GL #47, we saw the emergence of the BLACK LANTERN elders, and they had a really cool, creepy Hellraiser-esque kind of thing going on. We also saw some unusual alliances between the different corps form, and now, in this month's #48, it's time to see this ticking timebomb explode.
Also, arriving this week is TEEN TITANS #77, a big Blackest Night tie-in itself. Whyat's the big deal? Well, I'm not even the biggest old school Titans fan, but I can tell you right now that there's A WHOLE LOTTA DEAD TITANS out there. And, now, a legion of undead Teen Titans have returned as Black Lanterns to totally decimate (and probably eat the hearts) of Teen Titan, old and new alike.
So far, the tie-ins for Blackest Night have all been fiercely on point, and the latest example of that was the Superman/Batman last week. What could've been just a fill-in issue, was actually pretty damn good. I was surprised!
After the fallout of the Blackest Night Titans limited series, we're pretty excited to see what's in store in this issue of Teen Titans.
CHEW TRADE PAPERBACK (collecting issues 1-5) AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY FOR ONLY $9.99 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* & CHEW #6 ALSO ARRIVES AS WELL! THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO JUMP ONTO ONE OF THE BEST NEW SERIES OF 2009! CANNIBAL COPS! POULTRY PROHIBITION!
It's a big week for Blackest Night, folks, with two of the most anticipated titles attached to rings arriving this Wednesday. The first of which, of course, being BLACKEST NIGHT #5, and that comes with the free GREEN LANTERN ring. There's really not a whole lot more we can say about Blackest Night that hasn't been said. In fact, if you're not yet reading BLACKEST NIGHT, then we highly recommend checking out the Blackest Night wikipedia entry by clicking here to read about how awesome it's been. As for the new issue hitting this week.. all we can say is that Nekron, Lord of the Undead, is revealed, and his motives, and control over the Black Lanterns is explored.. and according to the solicits, this is supposed to be a huge turning point in the event!
For a quick Blackest Night in a nutshell description... basically, at the end of the SINESTRO CORPS WAR (a great storyline from BLACKEST NIGHT writer Geoff Johns which really kicked all of this off), it was realized that there are several different Lantern Corps, and each one represents a different color of the spectrum. Each color, of course, represents a different emotion. Red equals Rage, Indigo equals Compassion, ect. The big reveal though was that a prophecy was coming into realization, and that was the Blackest Night. The Black Lanterns. They represent DEATH, and basically, it's brought us to here where black rings have resurrected nearly every dead DC Universe character you can think of as a vengeful, undead Black Lantern. Everyone from the Martian Manhunter to Dick Grayson's parents, the Flying Graysons are back, and they're out for blood. The Black Lanterns also have a knack for eating people's hearts. :) If you're interested in catching up on BLACKEST NIGHT, we currently have EVERYTHING well-stocked here at Third Eye, and we would recommend starting with GREEN LANTERN #43 *BLACKEST NIGHT PROLOGUE* and then jumping into BLACKEST NIGHT #1. Of course, if you want the back story, you can always go back and check out the Sinestro Corps War, and other following volumes now available in trade paperback. Click here to see a checklist for BLACKEST NIGHT.
Now, lets talk about JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #39, this is going to be a big tie-in issue, and we're excited about it. First off, the new direction of JUSTICE LEAGUE, which began inJUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #38last month (still available here at Third Eye), kicked off with a bang! Great story from James Robinson (of Starman fame) and great art from Mark Bagley (Ultimate Spider-man, for like a billion years!). It's actually been a very long time since I really got excited about the core Justice League ongoing series, and between the first issue of the new direction and then Robinson's Cry for Justice, they're getting me pumped for the JLA again. The new line-up is different, yet fresh, and the big reveal at the end of #38 with Black Lantern Dr. Light (you know, one of the most vile DCU villains thanks to Identity Crisis), was a great way to start things off. And, that brings us to this week with Justice League #39. This is the official BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in issue, and it features a very angry Black Lantern Dr. Light. Lets be honest, after what Meltzer did with the character in Identity Crisis, he'd already climbed the villain ladder, big time. Now, that he's back as a Black Lantern, we can only imagine the villainy he has in store for the JLA. Ontop of all this, Justice League #39 comes with the Red Lantern Rage Corps ring.
But, wait, before we move ahead, we can't neglect to mention the other big Blackest Night books this week, just because they're not coming with rings. That would be plain unfair. First off, we've gotGREEN LANTERN #48, and with this series being penned by GEOFF JOHNS, the mastermind behind the Blackest Night, it's almost as essential reading as the core Blackest Night book. In fact, if you read each issue of Green Lantern in between the issue of Blackest Night that proceeds and follows it, it fills in several gaps with the event. Basically, if you're reading BLACKEST NIGHT, then you really should be reading GREEN LANTERN too, even if that's the only other tie-in you're following. In last month's GL #47, we saw the emergence of the BLACK LANTERN elders, and they had a really cool, creepy Hellraiser-esque kind of thing going on. We also saw some unusual alliances between the different corps form, and now, in this month's #48, it's time to see this ticking timebomb explode.
Also, arriving this week is TEEN TITANS #77, a big Blackest Night tie-in itself. Whyat's the big deal? Well, I'm not even the biggest old school Titans fan, but I can tell you right now that there's A WHOLE LOTTA DEAD TITANS out there. And, now, a legion of undead Teen Titans have returned as Black Lanterns to totally decimate (and probably eat the hearts) of Teen Titan, old and new alike.
So far, the tie-ins for Blackest Night have all been fiercely on point, and the latest example of that was the Superman/Batman last week. What could've been just a fill-in issue, was actually pretty damn good. I was surprised!
After the fallout of the Blackest Night Titans limited series, we're pretty excited to see what's in store in this issue of Teen Titans.
CHEW TRADE PAPERBACK (collecting issues 1-5) AVAILABLE WEDNESDAY FOR ONLY $9.99 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* & CHEW #6 ALSO ARRIVES AS WELL! THE PERFECT OPPORTUNITY TO JUMP ONTO ONE OF THE BEST NEW SERIES OF 2009! CANNIBAL COPS! POULTRY PROHIBITION!
One of the best new series we've seen this year has been John Layman and Rob Guillory's breakout hit CHEW from IMAGE COMICS. This is probably the first big series since WALKING DEAD to really take off by storm, and surprise tons of people. An unknown creative team, a bizarre concept, but due to the sheer quality of this book, it has become one of the biggest successes of the year. We know a lot of you still haven't yet checked out CHEW yet, and this Wednesday is the perfect opportunity to hop aboard what is one of the freshest, most original ongoing series we've seen here in a while at Third Eye.
What is Chew? Chew's story is set in a world where all poultry has been made illegal, similar to the Prohibition era for Alcohol. The reason why? Bird Flu. Serious, deadly, bird flu. So, in this world, there's speakeasies dedicated to serving turkey, chicken and so forth. In this world, resteraunts smuggle in real chicken instead of the substitute product that's been forced on society. And, in this world, exists the series main character, Tony Chu. Tony Chu is cibopathic. It's a rare condition where he receives psychic impressions from whatever he eats. He eats a hamburger, he sees the cow being killed. He eats an apple, he can see the pesticides being sprayed on it. In fact, the only thing that Tony can eat without any bother, are beets. He doesn't know why, but beets are the one thing he gets no reaction from. Well, the series kicks off with Tony dining with his partner (Tony's a homicide detective) at a speak-easy serving chicken. He has the soup. And, then, he sees a lot of girls being killed and put into that soup. Tony senses the killer in the kitchen, chases him out, and the killer ends up taking his own life. To get the names of the victims, Tony gnaws on the killer. And, if you haven't already seen where this is going... the series has kicked off, with Tony being recruited into the FDA (now as big a deal as the ATF is today), and being used for his unique talents. In other words, he's gotta eat the remains of murder victims.
Sound cool? You bet it is. And, this Wednesday, the first trade collecting issues 1-5 arrives here at Third Eye, and guess what.. it's only $10. So, if you're looking for something to kill time in between Walking Dead trades, or maybe just something a little quirkier than usual. Give Chew a shot. It's well-written, gorgeously illustrated and a great read.
And, lets not forget, Chew #6 *International Flavor pt 1* is also arriving this week. After the surprising last issue (which I don't want to drop spoilers on, with the trade and all hitting this week), it looks like we got some cool stuff to look forward to in the new arc of Chew that begins this week. All we know is we're going to see Tony Chu on the case, and he's trying his damndest to solve this case old school before his boss decides to make him eat some of the most disgusting stuff imaginable to figure out just what is going on.
Click here to read a preview of CHEW!
IMAGE UNITED #1 - THE ORIGINAL '90s DREAM TEAM RETURNS IN THIS VERY SPECIAL LIMITED SERIES WRITTEN BY ROBERT KIRKMAN (WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, HAUNT) & ILLUSTRATED BY TODD MCFARLANE, ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, MARC SILVESTRI & MORE!
What is Chew? Chew's story is set in a world where all poultry has been made illegal, similar to the Prohibition era for Alcohol. The reason why? Bird Flu. Serious, deadly, bird flu. So, in this world, there's speakeasies dedicated to serving turkey, chicken and so forth. In this world, resteraunts smuggle in real chicken instead of the substitute product that's been forced on society. And, in this world, exists the series main character, Tony Chu. Tony Chu is cibopathic. It's a rare condition where he receives psychic impressions from whatever he eats. He eats a hamburger, he sees the cow being killed. He eats an apple, he can see the pesticides being sprayed on it. In fact, the only thing that Tony can eat without any bother, are beets. He doesn't know why, but beets are the one thing he gets no reaction from. Well, the series kicks off with Tony dining with his partner (Tony's a homicide detective) at a speak-easy serving chicken. He has the soup. And, then, he sees a lot of girls being killed and put into that soup. Tony senses the killer in the kitchen, chases him out, and the killer ends up taking his own life. To get the names of the victims, Tony gnaws on the killer. And, if you haven't already seen where this is going... the series has kicked off, with Tony being recruited into the FDA (now as big a deal as the ATF is today), and being used for his unique talents. In other words, he's gotta eat the remains of murder victims.
Sound cool? You bet it is. And, this Wednesday, the first trade collecting issues 1-5 arrives here at Third Eye, and guess what.. it's only $10. So, if you're looking for something to kill time in between Walking Dead trades, or maybe just something a little quirkier than usual. Give Chew a shot. It's well-written, gorgeously illustrated and a great read.
And, lets not forget, Chew #6 *International Flavor pt 1* is also arriving this week. After the surprising last issue (which I don't want to drop spoilers on, with the trade and all hitting this week), it looks like we got some cool stuff to look forward to in the new arc of Chew that begins this week. All we know is we're going to see Tony Chu on the case, and he's trying his damndest to solve this case old school before his boss decides to make him eat some of the most disgusting stuff imaginable to figure out just what is going on.
Click here to read a preview of CHEW!
IMAGE UNITED #1 - THE ORIGINAL '90s DREAM TEAM RETURNS IN THIS VERY SPECIAL LIMITED SERIES WRITTEN BY ROBERT KIRKMAN (WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, HAUNT) & ILLUSTRATED BY TODD MCFARLANE, ERIK LARSEN, ROB LIEFELD, MARC SILVESTRI & MORE!
For those of you who followed comics heavily in the '90s, like myself. Heck, that's when I grew up reading comics! You have to admit the sheer nostalgia of this event is overwhelming. And, with the coverage it's been getting in the mainstream press (USA TODAY, MTV, ect), you know that the Image guys have got some big plans for this thing. Honestly, there were a lot of good things, and a lot of bad things about Image Comics in the '90s. I, personally, feel that the way the comic has reinvented itself since then in the 21st century has been top notch. However, I can't deny that characters like Spawn, Wildcats, and yes, even the Savage Dragon, were big parts of my youth. And, with the modern day master, Robert Kirkman (you know, the guy responsible for things like WALKING DEAD and INVINCIBLE, as well as his latest hit HAUNT) writing this, I really feel it's going to be something special.
What is Image United? Image United is a long in the works reunion of the Image Comics founders. These were the guys that redefined what comics could be in the '90s, and were the first real pioneers (along with Dark Horse) of showing that there could be more than just two major comics publishers. It's been a very long time since a lot of these guys worked on their original characters, and heck, even a long time since they've done new work, so it's exciting to see them all coming back for this. This limited series is a, excuse me for being blunt, big ass story where all of the original Image founders are going to be illustrating their characters and their parts in the series. The story itself is being written by Robert Kirkman, and lets be honest, the Image guys could draw really good, but it's exciting now to see their characters backed by a guy who can actually write pretty dang well. This is one of the first times I can think of where a series has had a roster of superstars each contributing to the artwork, in such a unique way. Now, the actual plot of the series? Well, Image is being cryptic, but it's basically: the entire cast of the Image universe is combining forces to throw down with a gigantic threat that could wipe everything out. Now, normally, I'd say, this doesn't really sound like much of a plot to back things up... BUT... this is Robert Kirkman we're alking about, folks, and if one thing is for sure... the man can take a standard concept and turn it on it's head. And, with a series this big, you can bet he's going to be delivering the goods.
Click here to check out a preview of IMAGE UNITED #1
Click here to read an article written by Robert Kirkman on Image United, and just why this is such a big deal.
THE BOYS VOLUME 5 ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY!
Since we opened our doors here at Third Eye, we've been preaching the awesomeness of THE BOYS by Preacher writer GARTH ENNIS. And, every time there's a new volume of this series available in trade, we feel it's cause for celebration. We know a lot of you guys read this already in the singles, but, there's just as many of you who patiently (and agonizingly) await the next trade paperback to hit. And, folks, we wait too, because our OCD kicks in, and we really need to get the next volume of this series up on our shelf at home to keep the rest company.
This week, THE BOYS v.5: HEROGASM arrives, and gives you your next long-awaited slab of depraved superhero madness. This installment features THE BOYS thrown into the midst of their equivalent of big superhero crossover events. And, basically, they find out that these epic, cosmic battles are really just an excuse for the capes to disappear elsewhere and party hard. But, in the midst of all their decadent fun, the capes have darker motives, and with THE BOYS staking them out.. you know all hell is breaking loose. The dark secrets of the great American tragedy that happened because of the Seven and the Vought-American are fully revealed here.
What is the Boys? Imagine this, a world where superheroes were the next step of national defense. Independent contractors working for a private company known as the Vought-American corporation. Think of them as supercharged private mercenaries for hire. And, they're all the archetypes you know so fondly... the Homelander is Superman.. A-Train's the Flash, ect, ect. And, they're all EXTREMELY corrupt. The absolute power of being a superhuman has turned them into the ultimate despicable beings. And, The Boys, they're the government's answer to this. A group of individuals who's lives have been shattered by the Capes and Vought. A group of individuals motivated by their sheer hatred of the Capes. And, they work for the CIA, policing the Capes, making sure they don't become too big for the U.S Government to control. The Boys is an INCREDIBLE series, and if you haven't yet tried it, we highly recommend picking up the first trade paperback this week.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20 STARK DISASSEMBLED PT 1 - HUGE NEW STORY ARC BEGINS HERE! A PERFECT JUMPING ON POINT, AND A LITTLE TASTE OF WHAT'S TO COME IN MARVEL'S "SIEGE" EVENT!
Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man has been, by far, one of the best and most consistent ongoing Marvel series around. I mean, first off, it's had the same creative team since issue #1 with Fraction and Larocca on board. This means that the storylines are tight, they're consistent, and the quality never dips, never falters. No fill-in artists, no filler issues, just one hell of a run. Secondly, this is the best take on Iron Man that I've seen in decades. The only thing I think that's come close recently was the Extremis storyline from a few years ago that Warren Ellis did... and I think that this is STILL better than that.
And, all of this Iron Man love is coming from a guy who had never really been a huge Iron Man fan before. See, I grew up reading comics in the '90s. Yeah, when Iron Man was like.. a kid that time-travelled to the future because he went evil, or some crap like that. It was awful. And, then they revamped it with Kurt Busiek and Patrick Zircher (or was it Sean Chen, I can't remember), and it was pretty awesome, but you know, it never was my must-read. When the Iron Man movie came out, Marvel launched Invincible Iron Man, and I gotta say, I wasn't expecting the series to be as good as it has been. I mean, I loved the movie, but I was still hesitant about Iron Man. He was hard for me to get into. Hard for me to follow. Well, all that vanished after finishing Matt Fraction's first Invincible Iron Man arc (the Five Nightmares, available in trade paperback now). He manages to take and capture everything that is cool about Tony Stark. He does what the movie did. He plays up the technology without the book being a technology lovefest. He plays up the suave cool of Tony Stark without making him into an unlikeable jerk. And, best of all, he has charged this book with so much action, you're left wondering when you're going to get your breath. The artwork from Larocca just helps to increase the awesomeness of the series, and it meshes perfectly with Fraction's story.
In fact, Invincible Iron Man is the best Iron Man stuff I've ever read, only surpassed by maybe the classic Micheline and Layton stories.
And, now, the perfect jumping on point is here with the newest issue, Invincible Iron Man #20. This is a great entry point to come aboard the series, as the last arc has ended, and things are really beginning to heat up. See, Iron Man plays a HUGE role in the upcoming Marvel event SIEGE (which is going to be incredible), and there's all kinds of crazy rumors going around about a seriously deadly fate awaiting Tony Stark. However, we don't think he's going to get killed off. In fact, we know that.. but, whatever is going to go down, we know it'll be something big, and it's going to happen in Invincible Iron Man #25. So, now is the perfect opportunity to come aboard. The road to STARK: DISASSEMBLED begins here!
Clickhere for a preview of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #20 *STARK DISASSEMBLED PT 1*
INCOGNITO TRADE PAPERBACK *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* AVAILABLE THIS WEDNESDAY AT THIRD EYE! ONE OF OUR FAVORITE SERIES LAST YEAR! APOCALYPTIC PULP NOIR COURTESY OF CRIMINAL CREATIVE TEAM ED BRUBAKER & SEAN PHILLIPS
One of the best freaking comics I read last year was the original series, INCOGNITO, from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. I'd already been a fan of this pair due to their incredible crime noir series CRIMINAL, and their work on hidden gems like SLEEPER. When I heard they were going to be applying their unique blend of noir storytelling to the world of superheroes, I flipped out. And, then, when the series began, it was everything I hoped it would be. This, my friends, is one of the best stand alone graphic novels you can buy this year. Whether you want a hardboiled crime noir story, or a mature slant on the world of supervillains, this is it.
What is Incognito? Incognito is set in a world where larger than life pulp heroes and villains existed. Heroes and villains dating back to the '30s, with names like Professor Zeppelin (who reminds you of Doc Savage), and Lazarus (think the Shadow), and then villains such as The Black Death. See, powers in this world, were all the result of a meteor that landed in the 1800s and turned an escaped convict ino the Black Death. In the years following World War II though, most of these villains, and heroes faded away, and were soon forgotten as urban legends and fiction.
Fast forward to the modern day, and we have former villain Zach Overkill, a henchman of the Black Death who now lives his life in Witness Protection. He's miserable. He's bored. He hates life as a normal person. He punches in every day, works his 9 to 5, and goes home. As time goes on, he falls into a spiral of self-destructive behavior, including drug use, and this cancels out the drugs that're keeping his powers suppressed. Before he knows it, he's out on the streets, and for the sheer thrill of it, he's in costume, but this time acting as a vigilante... because he's bored with life as a whole. It's soon revealed that this rat is a live, and the Black Death and his henchmen are on his trail, in a very violent, brutal fashion.
And, I'll stop there before I spoil the story. Incognito is a pulpy, noir story that takes a fascinating look at the world of adventurers, superheroes, and super villains. It's a must read, I think, for anyone who just plain enjoys good comics. Whether you like more indie-oriented stuff, or if you like the more superhero-centric stuff... Incognito delivers on both fronts.
CRIMINAL THE SINNERS #2 - SPEAKING OF INCOGNITO, BRUBAKER & PHILLIPS'S NEXT ISSUE OF CRIMINAL ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY, AND WE CAN'T WAIT!
As you can already tell from my write-up on Incognito, I am a huge fan of the creative team Brubaker & Phillips. These guys can do absolutely no wrong in my eyes. And, if you enjoyed Incognito, and haven't yet read CRIMINAL, I can't recommend it enough. This is THE best crime comic coming out now. In fact, I would put this right up there with classics like SIN CITY, STRAY BULLETS, and 100 BULLETS. In fact, I'd even go as far as to say that this series is BETTER than those. I know, I know, I love Sin City, and I love 100 Bullets, and I love Stray Bullets, but Criminal has proven to be the most consistent, and most enthralling crime comic I've ever read. It's pure modern day noir at it's finest, from the moody art of Sean Phillips, to the plotting and characterization of Ed Brubaker.
The current CRIMINAL (each story is a self-contained round of 3-6 issues, so the order in which you read the CRIMINAL arcs does not really matter) is the story of Tracy Lawless. A man who came to destroy a crime mob, and has ended up working as one of their best enforcers. Made men are turning up all over the city murdered, and since the crooks can't go to the cops, they need to bring in their own special brand of justice. Tracy Lawless has been made the sherrif of the underworld, and it's up to him to finish this out. The fascinating thing of this story is Tracy Lawless himself. He's the perfect example of noir storytelling, and represents the kind of character that CRIMINAL is known for. A flawed, tragic individual who's nobles intentions have led him into a life of despair, and self-loathing.
If you haven't yet picked up CRIMINAL, then grab CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #1 this Wednesday at Third Eye, and try it out. For those of you who've already read the first issue, then you're already getting stoked to see what happens next this week.
Clickherefor a preview of CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #2
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #613 *THE GAUNTLET PT 2* - THE GAUNTLET KICKED OFF WITH A BANG LAST WEEK, AND CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY! FIND OUT WHY THIS IS A SPIDEY BOOK YOU HAVE GOTTA READ!
Dude, the Gauntlet kicked off with a bang last week. I was very impressed. Before I go into detail, let me go over what THE GAUNTLET is to those of you who might not know. Basically, Marvel is bringing back all of Spidey's classic Rogue's Gallery, and they're amping them up, big time. A deadlier Rhino, a deadlier Sandman, a deadlier Electro. And then, they're going to be throwing each one of these guys against him, and really putting the webcrawler through some serious abuse until we get to the big unveiling of the brand new Sinister Six.
Now, last week in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #612 *THE GAUNTLET PT 1*, we saw the return of Electro. A classic Spidey villain who never really got his due respect. In fact, the last time we saw Electro, if I remember right, was back during the beginning of New Avengers. Since then, Electro's gone through some ups and downs. He's had all of the money he's secured from years of being, well, a plain ol' bad dude, completely disappear in the economic meltdown of last year. And, now, Electro, who's older, and who's powers have become more erratic and harder to control, has found his calling. He's directing his rage at the fat cat bankers who got the federal bailout. And, in doing so, he's developed a bit of a following as kind of a anti-establishment, working man's folk hero.
Of course, in Spidey's eyes, Electro is still a bad guy, and I mean, hey, if he's out there running thousands of watts of electricity through someone's body until they're a charred husk... I guess he still is. Anyways, when Spidey gets involved, we really start to see just how deadly the new Electro is going to be.
And, that brings us to this week's issue, the second installment of THE GAUNTLET. In this issue, all we know is that Electro is turning to a highly unexpected ally to cure his condition and regain control of his powers. And, of course, we've got the little cliffhanger of last week's issue where Spidey was.... well, I can't spoil it for those of you who've yet to read the book.
Anyways, long story short.. Amazing Spider-man has quickly become a must-read again with only one chapter of the Gauntlet in. We're excited to see where this whole thing will be heading.
DEADPOOL CLASSIC VOLUME 3 HITS THIS WEEK, DELIVERING MORE OF WHAT WE CALL THE BEST DEADPOOL RUN... EVER!
Another slab of Deadpool awesomeness arrives this week in the pages of DEADPOOL CLASSIC volume 3. The Deadpool Classics have been some of the best reprints of old Marvel material that I've seen. Now, granted, Deadpool Classic v.1 really doesn't pick up until the end (which gives you the first issue of Joe Kelly's run), but Deadpool Classic volume 2... all gold, man. See, Deadpool Classic is reprinting the incredible character-defining Joe Kelly & Ed McGuiness Deadpool run. Now, not only are these back issues impossible to find (trust me, one of the things I had to sell when selling my collection to raise money to open the shop was this run, and it makes me sick to see it worth a small fortune now), but these are also the issues that really defined Deadpool as the hilarious, over-the-top madman that you all know and love today. This is where the character really got his voice, and this entire run still stands the test of time today (kudos to Joe Kelly for that, it just goes to show how well the man can write).
Anyways, this Wednesday the third volume of Deadpool Classic will be hitting, and in it you can expect another giant slab of Deadpool awesomeness!
SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN #3 BRINGS US THE THIRD ISSUE IN THIS INCREDIBLE 21ST CENTURY RE-TELLING OF SUPERMAN'S ORIGIN FROM BLACKEST NIGHT WRITER GEOFF JOHNS!
Gotta tell you guys, ten years ago if you told me that one of my most anticipated books each month would feature the Big S, I'd have said you were full of it. Honestly, outside of stories like Superman Red Son, ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, and the John Byrne revamp of the '80s... Superman just never did it for me. And, then, Geoff Johns did his killer Action Comics run, and got me hooked. And then he left, and I was left with a void. Nothing could match what Johns had done on the book, and I was finding myself looking for more good Superman books. Well, thankfully, Superman Secret Origin came along.
This is a book that ANY self-respecting comics fan should be reading. This is a book that captures the essence of Superman, and re-tells everything about the character with a modern 21st century spin. In other words, this book is outstanding. See, a lot of people say they can't get into Superman. He's too powerful, and he's too hard to relate to. And, I agree, when he's not written right, he's impossible to get into. But, Johns captures the thing that makes Superman work as a character. Superman's biggest weakness is that he IS the most powerful being on Earth, yet he will never know what it's like to fully be human, because of this. He knows that 100 years from now, he'll be alive, and most of his friends, and loved ones won't. And, he carries that burden. Just like being the last of his people.
Nowhere is this clearer than in Geoff Johns's SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN. And, the series does a great job of retelling the Man of Steel's story for a new generation. Modern twists are put on classic concepts. And, like you'd expect from a good Superman story, Johns pulls at your heart-strings big time at some points. Plus, Gary Frank's artwork is so good that you almost don't even notice it. What I'm saying is he tells the story so well that you almost forget you're reading a book, you're pulled in, and you can almost see Christopher Reeves there acting these stories out.
The third issue of SUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN arrives this Wednesday, and if you haven't yet hopped on, we still have issue #1 and issue #2 in stock.
Click here to read more aboutSUPERMAN SECRET ORIGIN #3
POWERS RETURNS THIS WEDNESDAY WITH POWERS #1! A PERFECT JUMPING ON POINT TO THIS FANTASTIC CREATOR OWNED SERIES BY BENDIS & OEMING! READ ON TO FIND OUT WHY WE'RE SO BIG ON THIS SERIES!
POWERS IS BACK! MONTHLY! Now, for those of you who've read POWERS, then you already are well aware of what a great series this was (and is). Honestly, the only thing that derailed it was writer and creator Brian Michael Bendis got so busy being the 21st Century Stan Lee and pretty much heading up the Marvel Universe that he had to put Powers on hold. Which is a shame, because POWERS is probably one of our favorites of his.
Powers is basically a police drama with superpowers, long story short. The world of Powers is a dark, and violent one. The thing that makes the series such a great read though is it serves as the perfect platform for Bendis to do what he does best: write strong characters with great dialogue.
The series follows two detectives, Christian Walker and Deanna Pilgrim, who operate in a department that specializes in homicides involving superpowers. In the world of POWERS, superpowers are common, but not mundane. The real dynamic is that Walker himself was formerly a superhero before lost his abilities and joined the police force. This adds a whole nother interesting level of story and development to things. In this world, superpowers are odd, some cases, they're even seen as a contagious disease that can be caught by interaction with the "infected."
The best way I could describe Powers is: crime fiction/police drama meets VH1 Behind the Music for Superheroes. The series is just plain good, and definitely warrants checking out.
Clickhere to read a preview of POWERS #1
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #4 - MARK MILLAR (OLD MAN LOGAN, WANTED, KICK-ASS) & CARLOS PACHECO CONTINUE TO GIVE US THE BEST ULTIMATES STORY IN A LONG TIME!
Mark Millar and Carlos Pacheco's revival of the Ultimates with ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS has been insanely good. I mean, you have to understand... ULTIMATES and ULTIMATES 2 remain some of my favorite Marvel comics of all time. And, in my opinion, Millar redefined who and what the Avengers were in the Marvel universe. So much so in fact that it's the Ultimates world where we see the movies taking influence from. And, I know, Ultimates 3 was... a little lacking, to say the least. But, it's all good now, because Millar's back, and with four issues in already on the new Ultimates run... we can safely say that he's kicking all kinds of ass.
What's Up With Ultimate Comics Avengers? Okay, for me to explain the whole concept of the Ultimate universe is going to be a bit long-winded, but just picture it as a more streamlined, self-contained Marvel Universe. You can click here to read the wikipedia entry on it. Now, Ultimate Avengers.. is the Ultimate Universe equivalent of the Avengers. But in this world, the Avengers are more of a government-funded black ops team than they are a superteam, and they answer as much to Nick Fury as they do Captain America. Hawkeye is a hardened, professional killer. Tony Stark is the drunken playboy to the extreme. The Hulk is an uncontrollable monstrosity that eats people. And, Captain America, is one hell of a hardass. Now, in this current incarnation of the Ultimates, the story is revolving around the reveal that Captain America had an illegitimate son before going off to war, and that son grew up to be the Red Skull. And, now the Red Skull is back, and he's out to make his father's life a living hell. Imagine if your son grew up to be one of the most genocidal terrorists this nation's ever seen, and well, that's the Red Skull. And, in this world, he's literally the Red Skull, as he carved his own face off with a kitchen knife.
Want to catch up on ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS? We currently have issues 1,2,3 all well stocked here at Third Eye, so if you're intrigued, feel free to jump aboard. It's still relatively early enough to get caught up, and trust us, we can't begin to do this series justice. It's non-stop, action-packed, high octane fun in the true Marvel vein.
Clickhere for a preview of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #4
THOR GIANT-SIZE FINALE CONCLUDES J.MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI'S INCREDIBLE RUN THIS WEDNESDAY AND SETS UP THINGS FOR "SIEGE" IN 2010
Thor is another one of those characters like Iron Man, that I think I had missed out on a lot of the great runs with. I mean, I grew up during Thunderstrike, you know? But, even before JMS did his take on Thor, I remember really first getting into the character with the late '90s relaunch that John Romita JR did the art for. In fact, that run was so freaking cool, I'd recommend it to anyone. I still think that John Romita JR is one of the BEST Thor artists around. You can snag the Romita stuff nowadays in the THOR VISIONARIES: JOHN ROMITA JR tpb.
Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked... JMS has really done an incredible job of capturing the wonder and magic of Thor, and bringing it down to earth, so it's grounded. There's this awesome sense of balance, where the reader doesn't feel disconnected from these characters (which is easy to do, because they're Gods), but at the same time, experiences a real true sense of wonder when they come across things like the first sight of new Asgard.
Anyways, JMS's modern classic of a run has come to it's end, and this week we see the huge finale in the pages of THOR GIANT SIZE FINALE. Much like the OLD MAN LOGAN GIANT-SIZE SPECIAL, this will conclude the run, and leave things fresh and open for the next creative team to pick up the reigns on.
There's lots of plot threads to be tied up here, and lots of questions to be answered. What does Dr. Doom have in store for the Asgardians? How will Loki's plans play out? And, who will be the King of Asgard? And, along with Invincible Iron Man 20, this book is supposed to lay some serious seeds for the events of the upcoming SIEGE event... could that shot of Asgard crashing on the promo posters be related?
We don't know, but we're stoked to find out this week!
UNCANNY X-MEN #517 *NATION X PT 2* THE RETURN OF MAGNETO CONTINUES IN THIS WEEK'S UNCANNY X-MEN!
Nation X got off to a strong start in the pages of UNCANNY X-MEN #516, with a surprising (yet probably a trap) attitude towards the X-MEN. Now, judging just from the first issue of Nation X (UXM 516), here's my prediction... Cyclops is gonna go fully bad guy in this story arc. For real. For the better part of this decade, Marvel has developed Cyclops in a very dark direction. He's taken the reigns of the X-Men, he's authorized the X-Force (a team of mutants that are authorized to KILL), and much more. His actions in UXM 516 totally look like we might see Cyclops becoming Magneto's next right hand man. But, we'll see, you know?
Anyways, in this week's issue, we get to see the X-Men dealing with the return of Magneto, and trying to figure out what his place in the grand scheme of things is. Not to mention, the aftermath of Utopia, and a herd of Predator Xs... we think it's gonna rock.
If you missed UNCANNY X-MEN 516, don't worry, we still have plenty in stock for you get caught up with.
Click here for a preview of UNCANNY X-MEN #517 *NATION X PT 2*
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