WE'VE SEEN GOOD GUYS GO BAD, SO WHAT HAPPENS WHEN BAD GUYS GOOD? FIND OUT THIS WEEK IN INCORRUPTIBLE #1! FROM THE CREATORS OF IRREDEEMABLE! THIS WEEK'S THIRD EYE MUST BUY!
If IRREDEEMABLE was the story of Superman or Captain America gone Wrong, then INCORRUPTIBLE is the tale of Lex Luthor, Two-Face, or The Sandman gone right.
From the creators of the incredibly awesome IRREDEEMABLE comes INCORRUPTIBLE which takes a whole new approach to the dynamics of superhero and supervillain arch-types. We've seen many different stories that focus on the fall from grace of Superhero icons, but it's rare that we see things seen from the opposite end of the spectrum, and that's the road to redemption walked by a supervillain gone good.
This week, we get to see a completely new and fresh approach to the deconstruction of super-heroes and super-villains in this brand new ongoing series from the folks who've brought us IRREDEEMABLE. And, as a big fan of IRREDEEMABLE, I couldn't be more stoked to see how Waid will be approaching this. So, now, lets get down to the details, and talk about what exactly INCORRUPTIBLE is.
What's the scoop? Set in the same universe as IRREDEEMABLE, but offering a completely new and accessible entry point (in other words, if you're not already reading IRREDEEMABLE, you won't be lost), INCORRUPTIBLE focuses on the story of super-villain Max Damage. See, the day that the Plutonian (the main character of IRREDEEMABLE, think Superman gone completely insane) destroyed Sky City, Max had an epiphany: in a world where the world's most beloved super-powered icon has turned on them, maybe now he can step up and walk the road of the righteous.
The fact that Waid has been a compelling new world of superheroes and villains for us as readers to play in is a big part of the enjoyment of Irredeemable, and we're sure it'll be part of the fun of Incorruptible. The big hook on this one is summed up pretty well by a statement made by Max Damage in regards to the Plutonian, and why he is taking the path he is:
"We were all playing a game until the Plutonian went and turned the board upside down. The world's most powerful man has turned berserk. He's killed most of the super-heroes... Somebody's got to step up."
So, instead of the obvious route that could be taken with a bad guy gone good, where he's walking the road of the righteous in order to earn fame, glory, and riches, it's instead a case of what happens when a flawed individual who's been on the wrong side of the law the better part of his life, sees what he views as the ultimate evil, and decides to make a change to combat that evil.
Of course, we can be sure to expect the same kind of action-packed sequences that Waid has delivered in the pages of IRREDEEMABLE, but what I'm really looking forward to is not only how he delves into the origins of the Max Danger character, but also the state of mind Max has that's got him on this road, as well as the public's response to a formerly vicious super-villain turning hero. The preview pages look great, and the fact that Waid's already proven himself with IRREDEEMABLE gives me a lot of confidence in this one being a great read this week.
You can read a preview of INCORRUPTIBLE #1 by clickinghere.
And, if you're not reading IRREDEEMABLE: You really need to give it a shot. It's on issue #8 now, with a trade paperback of the first four issues available for only $9.99. It's one of the best superhero comics I'm reading right now, and by the time the book hit issue #3 and issue #4, it had really hit a rhythm. The first issue was a set-up, and didn't grab me right away, but man, now that I've seen the direction it's going, I'm hooked.
What is IRREDEEMABLE? IRREDEEMABLE is the story of the Plutonian, who you can basically consider to be SUPERMAN, and his descent into madness. There's so many cool paralells, and neat twists on those iconic Superhero moments that Waid uses to flesh out the story, and man, it really makes for good reading. One of my favorite twists in the story is the take on the whole Lois & Clark thing.
You have the Plutonian dating this news radio lady, and the whole time they're dating, there's this guy who she thinks has a crush on her. Of course, the guy ends up proposing to her. She laughs it off, and then he takes off the fake hair-piece, and glasses, and reveals himself to be the Plutonian. SHE FREAKS OUT, and when you think about it: the fact that Superman is by Lois's side every day, and getting to know her without her knowing, is pretty creepy.
There's other great moments too, like when the Plutonian is auctioning himself off to the United Nations, and ends up sinking Singapore with meteors from above, telling one of his former team-mates to choose 10 people to save. The team-mate's response is there are millions, how can he only choose ten to save? And, the Plutonian, in a chilling, but very fitting line, says "Now you know how it feels.", basically expanding upon the idea of being unable to be everywhere at once to save everybody.
If you haven't read IRREDEEMABLE, we HIGHLY recommend giving it a shot. It's some of the best 21st Century Superhero storytelling we've seen.
BLACKEST NIGHT: GUY GARDNER - RED LANTERN! THIS WEEK IN A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE OF GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43 *BLACKEST NIGHT*
Okay, first off, if you haven't been following Green Lantern Corps, you're missing out on a REALLY good read. Tomasi and Gleason have really made this book into a must-read for me. Now, if you missed issue #42 of Green Lantern Corps, then you have GOT to get it, because it's BIG. Like, major character dying big. And, that is the set-up for what's going to be going down in this week's issue... Guy Gardner becoming a Red Lantern!
Now, as we've seen from Blackest Night so far, the tie-in issues have all been very good, and there have been big happenings in the places where you least expect it. And, this is why we're pumped for this week's issue of GL Corps, because the transition of Guy Gardner into Red Lantern is definitely monumental.
Gardner, out of all the Green Lanterns, was the most obvious choice to fall prey to the road to rage that the Red Lanterns walk, and after being given that final push at the end of issue #42, it's going to be pretty cool to see what he does with his abilities as a Red Lantern.
Make sure you don't miss GREEN LANTERN CORPS #43, and if you missed GREEN LANTERN CORPS #42, don't worry, we still have some issues in stock!
BLACKEST NIGHT: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #40 - JUSTICE LEAGUE VS. BLACK LANTERN JUSTICE LEAGUE! ALSO, DON'T FORGET OUTSIDERS #25 FEATURING BLACK LANTERN TERRA! AND, FINALLY, THINGS GET WACKY WITH THE DYNAMIC DUO OF BIZARRO AND MAN-BAT TAKING ON BLACK LANTERN SOLOMON GRUNDY INSUPERMAN/BATMAN #67.
The Blackest Night continues to cast it's dark shadow on the DCU this week in two more corners of the DC Universe. We've got the third issue in Robinson's killer new direction of JLA, which is the second issue of the Blackest Night tie-in to JLA. In issue #39, along with the Black Lantern Dr. Light, we saw several dead Justice League members rise as Black Lanterns, including many from the Justice League Detroit. I think I dug this Blackest Night tie-in, and the REBELS, and Booster, the most out of the "ring" books from last month (although, Adventure Comics was really good as well). I think a big part of that though is due to the fact that I'm really digging the new creative team on JLA, with Robinson and Bagley adding a fresh new spin to the book. It's definitely different, but it's a good different.
Also arriving this week is the Blackest Night tie-in to OUTSIDERS, which features Black Lantern Terra. I think anyone who grew up digging those classic Titans stories can appreciate the involvement of Terra in things as far as Blackest Night goes. And, while Outsiders wasn't a big stand-out amongst the rest of the Blackest Night tie-ins, I thought it was a solid tie-in that added a nice look at a part of the DCU that hasn't been getting as much attention during this event.
Finally, we've got the next part of the Blackest Night spin on SUPERMAN/BATMAN, with the nutty pair of BIZARRO and MAN-BAT. The first one of these was a lot of fun, but man, between Bizarro's silly talk, and Solomon Grundy's speeches, the dialogue definitely had me scratching my head. The big stand-out about these two issues though? Killer Scott Kolins art (Blackest Night Flash, Rogues Revenge, ect). I really dig his Geoff Darrow-esque art-style, and seeing him draw bigger than life craziness involving Man-Bat, Bizarro, and Grundy is great. And, judging by the cover image, it looks like we're going to see Bizarro get his heart eaten. But, I could be wrong.
CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #5 - HAS STEVE ROGERS FINALLY RETURNED? OR IS IT THE RED SKULL RUNNING AROUND IN HIS BODY?
Ed Brubaker's Captain America has been one of the most well-written Marvel books of the past few years. And, when they split things off into the saga of Reborn, the consistency has stayed just as strong. The level of detail, and craft that Brubaker uses to weave a compelling story with the Marvel Universe as his backdrop is amazing, and you can tell from page one of each issue that he gets the iconic feel that Captain America should have.
The story of REBORN has been an interesting one, as it's been revealed that Steve Rogers, when he was shot was actually displaced, or "unstuck" in the timestream, using a special kind of gun constructed from Dr. Doom's time machine. Rogers is then forced to re-live moments in time, consciously aware of the fact that he's not intended to be there. He's literally watching his life play out before his eyes.
At the end of Captain America Reborn #4, it was revealed that the Red Skull had put himself into Steve Rogers's body, and now this leads ups to REBORN #5... just who is Steve Rogers, and what are his motives? Has the original Steve Rogers returned, or is this mysterious stranger that's been appearing in the pages of New Avengers Annual, and Dark Avengers Annual, the Red Skull in Rogers's body?
If you're not already reading Cap Reborn, we highly recommend it, as it's been one of the better Marvel storylines this year, and the impacts from it are sure to play into the big rumored Avengers reunion that's going to play part in the SIEGE. We still have plenty of Cap Reborn #1,2,3,4 all in stock for you to catch up!
Click herefor a preview of CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN #5
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #615 *THE GAUNTLET PT 4* - ENTER SANDMAN!
Isn't it great to see the Spidey books climbing in quality again? The GAUNTLET (which began in issue #612, still in stock here at Third Eye), has been doing a fantastic job of re-introducing classic Spider-man Rogues, and setting up for the return of the Sinister Six. This week, after the events of the three-part Electro "Power to the People" storyline concluded last week, we see the return of the Sandman, one of Spidey's most classic foes.
Now, it's weird for me, because I grew up reading a lot of comics in the '90s, and while Spider-man has always been one of my favorite Marvel characters, lets be real: Spider-man comics weren't that great in the '90s. Sure, you had your Torment storyline, and a pretty epic run by John Romita JR, but there was also the Spider-armor, the Clone Saga, and more mishaps than you could shake a stick at.
So, the Spider-man comic I really grew attached to as a young comic fan was Kurt Busiek's UNTOLD TALES OF SPIDER-MAN. This book was introduced as part of an initiative by Marvel to sell books for only a buck, and well, it failed, because the other books in the line sucked.. BUT.. Untold Tales of Spidey was the highlight. This WAS the Spider-man book to read, folks. It had a cool retro art style, and the concept was that it would tell stories set IN-BETWEEN the early issues of the original AMAZING SPIDER-MAN. So, this means, you got a Spider-man series written in a modern style, but set in the classic time period. In fact, if you're a Spidey fan, I recommend picking up the Spider-man Visionaries: Kurt Busiek trade which collects all of the Untold Tales of Spider-man stuff.
Anyways, I'm getting sidetracked, my point is... I grew up reading stories with the classic Spidey bad guys, but not reading the original stories they were feaured in. Either way, I have always thought Spidey's Rogue's Gallery was top notch, and the whole idea of the Gauntlet has gotten me stoked.
And, now, that leads us to GAUNTLET, the next wave... featuring the Sandman. As we saw with Electro, someone is powering up Spidey's rogues, and unleashing them on the wall-crawler. And, as we saw at the end of Amazing Spider-man #614, someone is taking these foes and putting them together as part of a new Sinister Six. The Sandman has always been one of my favorite Spidey villains, and I'm stoked to see him taken back to his vicious roots (another bad part of Spidey in the '90s... Sandman was part of Silver Sable's SIX PACK.. it was awful.). The art from Javier Pulido looks like a perfect fit to the classic nature of these stories.
Click here to read the preview of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #615 *THE GAUNTLET PT 4*
ARE YOU READING VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT? THIS IS ONE OF THE MOST UNDERRATED NEW MARVEL BOOKS WE'VE SEEN! KILLER STORY, KILLER ART! ISSUE #4 SHIPS THIS WEEK! CATCH UP ON THE FIRST THREE, STILL IN STOCK HERE AT THIRD EYE!
Dude, Gregg Hurwitz and Jerome Opena's relaunch of Moon Knight has been freaking sweet. I'm sorry, but this is one of the most overlooked new titles coming out right now. It may be that I'm a huge fan of Jerome Opena's art (first got hooked with some FEAR AGENT stuff he did, and then the early Remender Punisher run from last year), or it might be that Hurwitz's breakneck action-packed writing has me hooked, but this is good stuff.
Why's it so good? The real hook I feel is that they're taking the main thing that drives most Moon Knight comics (the fact that he's INSANE), and then using that to add a new dynamic to the story (the fact that he's trying to play right at being a hero, and not cut off people's faces and sacrifice them to an Egyptian death god). From the first issue, you feel like someone took Moon Knight, dropped him into the center of a DIE HARD movie set in the Marvel universe. He's crashing his ship into New York in broad daylight, surfing on cargo vans as they crash into traffic, and shooting little moon-shaped hooks into the bad guys.... as it's being telecast on the Times Square jumbotron. And of course, Norman Osborn wants this nutbag gone.
So, Osborn has the Hood, along with some others resurrect the body of the man who torments Marc Spector's pscyhe... the Bushman. Some psycho mercenary killer that got his face cut off by ol' Moon Knight. And, hey, what's a good soldier of fortune do when he's gunning for the schizophrenic equivalent of Batman? He puts together an army. Yup, every third-rate supervillain you remember from the '80s and '90s is sprung from Ravencroft Asylum, and emptied onto the streets of NY. How long can Moon Knight walk the line of being a true hero, before he loses control and starts impaling bad guys on anyone of his zany moon-shaped gadgets.
I know, I know, this sounds totally ridiculous, but it WORKS. It's well-paced, well written, doesn't drag, and delivers a fun, visceral old school vigilante story with new school art. And, man, CHECK OUT THE ART ON THIS BOOK! I swear, Jerome Opena's one of my favorite new guys. He's got this great gritty, yet stylized approach to his art that just carries your eyes from panel to panel without you even realizing it.
If you haven't yet read VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT, we currently have issues 1,2 and 3 all available here at Third Eye, and we highly recommend giving the book a shot. It's really a good read.
Clickherefor a preview of VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT #4
DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #6 - THE FIRST STORY ARC CONCLUDES, AND IS THIS NOT THE COOLEST DEADPOOL COVER EVER?
This one, folks, wins the Cover of the Week award here at Third Eye. Nevermind the fact that ALIEN is one of our all-time favorite movies, but, dude, this one is just plain clever.
Anyways, it's time for your weekly fix of Deadpool goodness, as the first story arc of the Merc With A Mouth series concludes. Good ol' Wade Wilson, Headpool, and Dr. Betty are back from space, and in that good ol' swamp where zombies seem to keep popping up.
Of course, they gotta deal with A.I.M, and the hallmark of '70s Marvel monsters, the Man-Thing. You know Deadpool's gonna be cracking all kinds of puns in this one, folks.
Click here for a preview of DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #6
SKIN YOUR IPHONE WITH KILLER COMIC ART IPHONE GELASKINS AVAILABLE NOW AT THIRD EYE!
For those of you like myself who have had your IPhones turn into your virtual lifeline to the rest of the world, Dark Horse has put together the perfect thing, and we're going to have them available for sale beginning this Wednesday at Third Eye. IPhone Gel Skins featuring the killer artwork of books like Mike Mignola's Hellboy, Eric Powell's The Goon, and Joss Whedon's Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8. Now you can spice up your phone, and showcase your favorite comic art all at the same time.
COMPLETE ALICE IN WONDERLAND #1 - ALAN MOORE'S DAUGHTER, LEAH MOORE, DELIVERS HER UNIQUE TAKE ON THE WORLD OF ALICE IN WONDERLAND!
The world of Alice in Wonderland is one that's always been filled with enough surreal imagery, and imagination to make for good stories. And, whether it's Zenescope's Wonderland sagas, or video games like American McGee's Alice, there's always some really interesting stuff to be expanded upon in Lewis Carroll's classic.
This week, Leah Moore, the daughter of Alan Moore, is debuting her take on the world of Alice in Wonderland, where she plans to do both a comic book re-telling of Lewis Carroll's classic book, but also add her own dark twist to the story.
The real standout on this one for me is the artwork, judging from the preview pages, there is some incredible looking art in this book, and we're stoked to see more. The dreamy, surreal art compliments the story perfectly, from the looks of it.
Click here for a preview of COMPLETE ALICE IN WONDERLAND #1
HULK #18 *FALL OF HULKS PROLOGUE* - FALL OF THE HULKS KICKS OFF IN THIS ISSUE, FOLLOWING UP ON FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA!
While the reveal of the Intelligencia (a gathering of various Marvel mad scientists led by The Leader, ranging from The Mad Thinker to Egghead) and their motives was set-up in the pages of FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA, the prologue to the storyline and the Hulk end of it, kicks off in this issue here.
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, but Marvel's HULK book is just plain pure fun. It doesn't normally make sense, but the bigger than life ridiculousness of it fills that void of good ol' fashioned smash-em-up superhero storytelling that's lacking in a lot of books. Sometimes you just want to see ridiculous villains, and giant monsters beating the hell out of each other. And, after the cool sort of retro set up of FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA, I'm excited to see where the FALL OF THE HULKS storyline is going.
Whilce Portacio, a superstar artist in his own right, joins the creative team of Hulk with this issue that explores the villainous side of Doc Samson, and just what side of the war he falls on.
Clickhereto read a preview of HULK #18 *FALL OF HULKS PROLOGUE*
THE THIRD AND FINAL CHAPTER OF THE "MESSIAH" TRILOGY BEGINS THIS WEEK INCABLE #21 *HOMECOMING PART 1* - THE FOLLOW-UP TO MESSIAH COMPLEX AND MESSIAH WAR!
A few years back, Marvel began one of the most intriguing X-Men storylines with MESSIAH COMPLEX (available in trade paperback here at Third Eye). The plot? The first mutant baby is born since the notorious M-Day where the Scarlet Witch uttered those fateful words: No More Mutants (see HOUSE OF M for the whole story, available in trade paperback at Third Eye). Messiah Complex was an epic storyline in and of itself, and then last year, the second part of the trilogy arrived in the pages of MESSIAH WAR (available in oversized hardcover at Third Eye), which served as a very cool middle-piece for the saga of Hope.
This week, the penultimate final chapter in the "Messiah" saga is here with the beginning of HOMECOMING. Ever since Messiah Complex ended, and Cable jumped into the timestream, he only had one goal: to keep Hope alive so she can decide her destiny. Now, with Hope having grown up over the course of the last few years, she tells Cable the time has come, and she's ready to go home. She's ready to return to our time. Of course, not only does this mean big changes for Hope and Cable, but also for Bishop who's been chasing the two of them through the timestream, to prevent Hope from returning home (because he believes her existence will bring about the destruction of the entire mutant race, and maybe the world itself).
So, for those of you like myself, who've been coming back to Cable off and on again, mostly to find out how the "Messiah" saga plays out, be sure to snag a copy of Cable #21 this week. So far, the first two chapters of the whole Messiah storyline have been great, and I'm really excited to see how this one ends out, and apparently, the big changes that the X-Men will face with Hope returning to our time.
Click here for a preview of CABLE #21!
DARK AVENGERS #12 - COULD THE MOLECULE MAN BE NORMAN OSBORN'S SECRET WEAPON?
For those of you who haven't been following the current DARK AVENGERS story arc, you're missing out. This one has been a solid read, and a return to the awesomeness of the first five issues. For one thing, Deodato is back on art, and that alone, knocks the book up a few notches. But, the actual storyline of this arc, from the looks of it, is helping set up some very important building blocks for SIEGE. Now, I could be way off... but I think the whole idea of having a story that's centered around an obscure villain like the Molecule Man... has got to have more to it than just a stand-alone arc.
So, the question is: Could the Molecule Man be Osborn's secret weapon? Well, I don't know, I don't think it's going to be that obvious a choice, but what I have been able to gather from the last couple of issues of DARK AVENGERS is that Bendis is definitely weaving his story so it'll go right into SIEGE alongside the other books that've been leading up to it (Thor, Invincible Iron Man).
Click here for a preview ofDARK AVENGERS #12
FORGETLESS #1 - AMERICAS NEXT TOP MODEL... TURNED CONTRACT KILLER?
Here's one that caught my eye as kind of a fresh, quirky concept from Image comics. The hook? Professional models turn into crazed contract killers. It sounds so ridiculous, and I'll admit, the slick cover of the book, are the two things that really drew me to it. The style of artwork has a "DEAD @ 17" meets Luna Bros (Girls, The Sword) kind of thing going for it, and I think that's pretty cool.
What's the actual story about? The Forgetless night club is the spot to be in New York, but now that's no more. Two struggling models who want to send things off with a bang, and the hapless loser that's caught in between them seem to be the recipe of disaster here.
Cool art, neat concept.. I think it's at least worth taking a peek at. Image has been putting out a lot of great new series lately, and it's always cool to see something fresh and different hit.
SOME GREAT GRAPHIC NOVELS HITTING THIS WEEK, INCLUDING SECRET WARRIORS v.1 PAPERBACK, THE COMPLETE ROCKETEER, AND THOR: AGES OF THUNDER!
It's a good week for collected editions this week, folks, as we get to see the release of SECRET WARRIORS v.1: NICK FURY AGENT OF NOTHING,which is in my opinion, a consistently stellar read. This first trade collects SECRET WARRIORS 1-6. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman (Pax Romana), and illustrated by Stefano Caselli, this is one of the freshest Marvel books out, and delivers the kind of pop art espionage awesomeness that you can trace all the way back to Jim Steranko's Nick Fury stuff. Very cool book.
Of course, the real stand-out this week is IDW's THE COMPLETE ROCKETEER, which collects all of Dave Stevens's epic Rocketeer comic material. The artwork in this series still stands the test of time, and the storytelling had this great retro feel to it, yet at the same time, it felt like it was paving new paths into modern comic storytelling. Since neither Marvel, nor DC had a hand in publishing this, it was always impossible to find even single issues. Now, the whole shebang is available in one big slab of awesomeness. The Rocketeer was a very cool take on pulp heroes, as it followed the adventures of test pilot Cliff Secord, and the mysterious jetpack he finds that takes him to the skies. A modern classic, for sure, we know many of you are going to be snagging a copy of this gorgeous hardcover.
Also, this week, the paperback edition of Matt Fraction's killer THOR: AGES OF THUNDER will be available. This collection of themed one-shots Fraction did over the course of 2007/2008 is some of the best Thor stuff we've ever read. The fact that he's paired up with a stellar artist on each story, is worth the price of admission alone, but it's the storytelling that really shines. The stories are set in Thor's younger days, and Odin is hellbent on humbling the brash God of Thunder. Highlights include: Thor's hammer getting thrown through a frost giant's head. Thor drinking mad ale with the Valkyrie. Thor carrying a chainful of giant heds into the kingdom of Odin. And, hell, Thor just beating the hell out of all sorts of Storm Giants, Frost Giants, and everything else in between. He even throws down with Odin.
STAFF PICKS
Trish - Muppet Show #0 - Yay! Muppets! Boom! finally stops with the miniseries and gives us a monthly Muppets series! Who doesn't love Muppets?
Torma - Incredible Hulk #605 - Greg Pak's Incredible Hulk run has been awesome. The whole idea of Bruce Banner teaching his son Skaar in the ways of superhero combat, and pitting him against everyone from Juggernaut to Daken is too cool. And in this issue.. it's the Son of Hulk vs. The Mole Man! Yes, THE MOLE MAN! It ruled.
Steve - PUNISHER MAX #2 - OH MY GOD. I think Jason Aaron just Out-Ennised Garth Ennis on this issue of Punisher. It's only the second issue, and holy crap, he really took things to some dark places. And, that's exactly how a Punisher comic should be.. dark, gritty, and unrelenting. If you haven't yet read PUNISHER MAX, you have got to check this out.
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