This is it, folks... is it going to be Steve Rogers rocking the Captain America duds again, or is it going to be Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier? The question to this, and many other things surrounding the epic, sweeping story that Brubaker has laid out with REBORN are answered this Wednesday.
Now, you're probably wondering "How come this is coming out before CAPTAIN AMERICA: REBORN #6?" Well, there's two answers to that. The first is that Marvel has pegged this as a pre-emptive epilogue to REBORN. The other answer is that the incredible art of Bryan Hitch tends to make the man run slow, and REBORN #6 should've been out by now. From what Marvel has told us though, reading this issue before Cap Reborn #6 doesn't mess with the sequence too much.
Anyways, I am very excited about this one, because not only have I been enjoying Brubaker's REBORN storyline, but his entire run on Captain America in general has been some of the best comic reading on the shelves. So, needless to say, I'm pretty stoked to see how this one follows up, and nears it's conclusion.
And, ontop of all that... this could possibly be (like it's no secret) the Return of Steve Rogers as Captain America! If you would've told me I'd be pumped about that in 1999, I would've been hard-pressed to believe you. While I respect the iconic nature of Cap, and some of the great stories of the past that've been told with the character (my personal pre-Civil War Cap story being Mark Waid and Ron Garney's incredible run on the series), I just never really saw that many stories that stood out with the character. In my opinion, it took the influence of Millar's characterization of Cap in THE ULTIMATES, and then, his 616-characterization in CIVIL WAR, to really get me into the character. Luckily, right around the same time that CIVIL WAR was happening, a (at the time) unknown writer by the name of Ed Brubaker was spinning some very gritty, hard-nosed espionage-fused stories with Cap. And, I've been a fan of the character ever since.
Who Will Wield The Shield is kind of a summing up of the last decade of Captain America stories. And, I hate to admit, that this is probably where the road to the end of Brubaker's run begins. Although, I could be wrong. Anyways, it looks like we'll be seeing the big decision made between who will be wearing the mantle of Captain America... Steve Rogers, or Bucky Barnes. The thing that makes this so exciting is that the development of Bucky as a character over the course of the last 50-some issues of Brubaker's run has been some of the best character development of a comic character I have ever seen. And, to be honest, while I'm excited to see how things play out with Rogers, I really would be sad to see Bucky not be Cap.
And, then of course, there's those spoiler pages in the back of DARK AVENGERS and NEW AVENGERS ANNUALS from the last couple of weeks... but, are we convinced that's who it appears to be? And, that all is what it seems? I guess we'll find out all the answers this week in WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD.
Click here for a preview of CAPTAIN AMERICA REBORN WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD one-shot
And, for those of you who haven't been following Brubaker's run on Cap, I want to give you the skinny on where it begins, and why it's been so damn good. He manages to combine elements of old school pulp fiction with a 21st century spin with the feel of old '70s and '80s exploitation movies. Brubaker's Cap run has been a high-quality superhero book with a definite espionage by way of grindhouse kind of feel to it.
Where to start? CAPTAIN AMERICA: WINTER SOLDIER VOLUME 1 TRADE PAPERBACK - This trade collects the first six issues of Brubaker's run, and begins the series with a bang by re-introducing the long-thought dead Cap sidekick, Bucky Barnes. Of course, as we learn through the course of the story, Bucky's history is not what we thought, and his re-appearance has him as a conflicted, hardened soldier with a mission to kill Steve Rogers. From, there the story follows in CAPTAIN AMERICA WINTER SOLDIER VOLUME 2, CAPTAIN AMERICA RED MENACE 1 & 2, and so on, and so forth.
Why It's So Good? Brubaker has managed to take the history of the Captain America series, including all of it's somewhat B Movie-esque supervillains, and fuse it with a modernistic, 21st century espionage-fueled approach that's had us on the edge of our seats ever since. Brubaker re-introduced Cap's wholesome teen sidekick, and revealed his history as a cold-blooded black ops killer, then he killed Captain America himself, and put the reformed Bucky in the costume. All the while, he's effortlessly blended old with new, and managed to tell one of the most compelling Marvel stories we've seen. The grindhouse feel he gives to Cap's bigger than life supervillains (like Arnim Zola... a robot with a giant face in it's chest) has given Cap a solid rogue's gallery to go to bat against.
THREE BIG BLACKEST NIGHT TITLES THIS WEEK! GREEN LANTERN #49 DELIVERS ANOTHER CRUCIAL CHAPTER OF BLACKEST NIGHT!
It's a good week for Blackest Night, folks, with three killer titles hitting the shelves of Third Eye carrying the Blackest Night banner. And, as we've already seen nearly everything tying into DC's Blackest Night has been high quality reading material.
The biggest of the three, of course, is the newest issue of GREEN LANTERN with GREEN LANTERN #49. The Green Lantern monthly title has been almost as essential as the Blackest Night mini-series itself, written by Blackest Night writer Geoff Johns, and filling in the gaps between issues of the core mini-series, each issue of this title has done a great job of moving the story along and explaining all the stuff that can't be fit into the core Blackest Night book. This week, we get to see John Stewart's role in the Blackest Night, and it's impact on him. John Stewart has always been one of my favorite Lanterns, and the whole GL spin on his past as US Marine is pretty freaking cool. Plus, we haven't seen a lot on him yet in Blackest Night, and it will be cool to see some more attention put on the character.
Next up, we have the first issue of one of those killer 3-issue limited Blackest Night miniseries that have been so good, and that's BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1. I'm really excited about this one, for a couple of reasons. First off, I really love the Justice Society, and secondly, I really dig Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman. Also, the fact that a killer creative team consisting of James Robinson (Starman, Justice League Cry for Justice), and one of DC's rising star artists Eddy Barrows, along with the addition of classic Kyle Rayner-era Green Lantern writer Ron Marz, makes this one an exciting book to look out for.
From the looks of the preview, and the solicits, it looks like we'll be seeing a ton of dead JSA and JSA-related characters. Wesley Dodds, the Golden Age Sandman, of course is pretty awesome (for those of you who haven't read it before, I highly recommend the entire run of SANDMAN MYSTERY THEATER), and I'm hoping we'll see Ted Knight, Al Pratt, and more. Anyways, we'll be seeing the ultimate in the heroes of today fighting the heroes of yesteryear, with Dr. Midnite vs. Dr. Midnite, Mr. Terrific vs. Mr.Terrific, Sand vs. Wesley Dodds, and more. Plus, you know Golden Age Green Lantern, Alan Scott, will be playing a big role in this, and it'll be interesting to see where he fits into things (since his backstory and character is a tad different than most of your Green Lanterns).
Click here for the preview of BLACKEST NIGHT JSA #1
Finally, to round things off, we've got the Teen Titans #78, which admittedly, isn't as quite as highly anticipated as the other two, it still looks like it should follow-up on Teen Titans #77 *Blackest Night* (which was very solid, and still in stock here at Third Eye) pretty well. The thing that's exciting to me the most about this issue is that it's featuring a pretty sweet team-up between Deathstroke (one of my favorite DC characters), and his daughter Ravager, and of course, we know that means only one thing: they're gonna be hacking and slashing through a mountain of Black Lanterns. And, we all know that Ravager and Deathstroke have their fair share of fallen foes, and family that'll be rising up as Black Lanterns to dish out some ass-whippings.
AVENGERS INITIATIVE #31 *SIEGE*FEATURES SPECIAL SIEGE TIE-IN! ANOTHER DOSE OF SIEGE TO PREPARE YOU FOR THE BIGGEST MARVEL EVENT SINCE "CIVIL WAR"
The Road to Siege began with a bang a few weeks ago in the pages of SIEGE: THE CABAL, and now you can fill in another piece of the puzzle with this week's AVENGERS INITIATIVE #31, tying into SIEGE: THE CABAL. This is where it's explained why Taskmaster is now seated upon the Cabal, and shows Osborn's offer, and proposals to this often overlooked (but still, badass) Marvel villain.
And, meanwhile, on the Initiative end of things.. the Initiative gets called upon to assault an enemy that's carrying some heavy duty power. Could that enemy be Asgardian?
Clickhere to read a preview of AVENGERS INITIATIVE #31
LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1ARRIVES FROM RADICAL (PUBLISHERS OF FVZA, CITY OF DUST, ect) from THE WRITER OF FEAR AGENT & PUNISHER - ONE WEEK TO COMMIT THE LAST CRIME IN AMERICAN HISTORY!
Here's a cool one I got an advance copy of last month, and really dug. Rick Remender (writer of cult favorite FEAR AGENT, and the current Punisher run featuring Frankencastle) has made this one his new pet project, and it reads AWESOME. A great, gritty noir-influenced style of artwork matched with some fast-paced, tense storytelling make this one a very fun read.
What's the plot? In the not too distant future, the government basically plans to transmit a secret signal that will make it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit a crime. After the complexity of crimes like identity theft, and the rates of terrorism, this is their answer to preventing things from getting worse.
And, that's where our hero comes in to play, Graham Brick, a low-life career criminal who's never gotten a break. And, now, he finally comes on a killer way to make the heist that'll set him up for life. Of course, it's announced by the media that in just one week they'll be transmitting that whole Anti-Crime signal, and this leaves Graham with a problem: he has only one week to commit the last crime in American history.
It's as fun as it sounds, folks, and I'm already itching to see the next one. You can click here to read a preview of LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME #1
FALL OF HULKS GAMMA ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY FEATURING ARTWORK BY JOHN ROMITA JR!
Fall of Hulks ALPHA kicked things off with an awesome, old-school feeling origin story of the Intellectia, a gathering of assorted Marvel mad scientists, ranging from obscure characters like Egghead and the Mad Thinker to big baddies like the Leader, and Dr. Doom. And, now, this week, the other half of that arrives in the pages of FALL OF HULKS GAMMA! Before, I go any further...
IT'S JOHN ROMITA JR... DRAWING THE HULK. NOT JUST THE HULK. BUT LOTS OF HULKS! What more could you want?
Seriously though, it's not often that I get excited by the artist alone that's attached to a book, but Romita JR was born to draw BIG. His run on Thor with Dan Jurgens in the '90s was great, and trust me, it wasn't because of Dan Jurgens. And, his later work on Hulk was also awesome. But enough of my fanboy freakout over Romita JR, lets get onto just what you can expect this week out of FALL OF HULKS GAMMA.
This finishes up the set-up for the biggest Hulk storyline since World War Hulk, and leaves the stage set for the Fall of the Hulks. We don't know much, but what we do know is that a certain Hulk's death sets the entire Hulk family of characters into an unstoppable rage, and could really dish out some serious havoc for the rest of the Marvel Universe.
For those of you keeping track, here's a quick run down of what's out in the line of FALL OF THE HULKS so far:
FALL OF THE HULKS ALPHA - still in stock at Third Eye
HULK #18 - still in stock at Third Eye
and now..
FALL OF HULKS GAMMA - in stock at Third Eye this Wednesday 12/23/09
CHEW #7 CONTINUES THE BEST NEW SERIES OF 2009! THE QUIRKY ADVENTURES OF A COP THAT EATS HUMAN REMAINS! GET THE TRADE WITH 1-5 for ONLY $9.99
Chew is the little book that could. This series came out of nowhere earlier in the year, and took the comics world by storm to become one of the biggest hits for IMAGE since Walking Dead. And, it deserves every ounce of hype it's been given. It's that damn good. This week, the saga of Tony Chu continues the second story arc of CHEW "International Flavor", and it looks like we're going to be seeing just how lethal an agent of the U.S Department of Agriculture can be.
And, of course, there's a lone F.D.A agent standing between her and her goal, and that just happens to be Tony Chu.
What's Chew all about? Well, picture this: all poultry is illegal due to bird flu. A state of prohibition on chicken, turkey, and more exists similar to the prohibition placed on Alcohol in the early part of the 20th century. Speak-easies serve chicken dinners. Crimes are committed to further profit in a world where poultry is treated like sought-after drugs. And, that's just the backdrop of the story. The real kicker is the main character, Tony Chu. See, Tony Chu is a cibopath, meaning that he receives psychic impressions from whatever he eats. Eat a hamburger, see the cow getting killed. Eat an apple, smell the pesticides being sprayed. It's a tough life. And, then one day, he somehow figures he can use his abilities to track down the names of several murdered girls through some unorthodox methods... and that brings us to now, where we have Tony Chu working for the FDA, eating the remains of the dead to solve cases. It's one of the freshest books we've seen here in quite some time, and we really can't recommend it enough.
You can pick up the trade paperback now at Third Eye consisting of CHEW #1-5 for only $9.99.
Click here to read a preview of CHEW #7
VICTORIAN UNDEAD #2 - SHERLOCK HOLMES. ZOMBIES. STEAMPUNK AWESOMENESS THROUGH AND THROUGH. Miss issue #1? We still got it in stock to catch you up!
Here's one that was a surprise success at the shop, but I guess we shouldn't be too surprised, because... Sherlock Holmes + Zombies = Total win. Seriously though, the new Wildstorm series VICTORIAN UNDEAD is definitely another welcome addition to the solid roster of self-contained books like NORTH 40 that Wildstorm's been adding to it's line-up.
So, what's it all about? A meteor's crashed to London, and uh oh.. the dead begin to rise after an odd sickness has taken a good part of the city. Meanwhile, Holmes and Watson are taking on some dastardly villain... who appears to be a crazy 19th century Robot. And of course, through the means of taking on this case... they get drug into this whole mess of the dead rising and trying to.. EAT PEOPLE'S BRAINS!
Seriously though, the first issue of this was a VERY solid read, and it's got me excited about the second one. I love seeing new twists on old concepts, and this book takes two somewhat stale storytelling concepts (zombies & Sherlock Holmes), and mixes the two to make one hell of a fun read. The characterization of Holmes is on point, and it really reads like a great detective book despite the somewhat wacky premise. Not to mention, the artwork is pretty superb and does a great job of conveying the mood of the story.
Bottom line? If you're a fan of steampunky stories, or zombies.. you should check this out, because it's got enough of both elements to keep you coming back for more.
The second issue arrives this Wednesday, and we still have limited quantities of issue #1 in stock, so if you want to hop on, you can then.
Click here to read more about Victorian Undead
PUNISHER #12 *FRANKENCASTLE CHAPTER 2* - THE PUNISHER... LEADER OF THE LEGION OF MONSTERS? THE SECOND ISSUE IN THE QUIRKIEST, FRESHEST-LOOKING APPROACH TO A MARVEL CHARACTER YET!
So, about a month and a half ago, the Punisher had his head lopped off by Daken (in DARK REIGN THE LIST PUNISHER one-shot). And, his body parts, all dismembered, and what-not, got dumped into the sewers. Well, they were gathered up by the Legion of Monsters. Yes. THAT Legion of Monsters. Morbius. Werewolf by Night. Man-Thing. You know the drill. And, he was cobbled together into a patchwork Frankenstein-like monstrosity. See, there's some mystery squad of Samurai dudes running around killing all the Marvel monsters. All the Fin Fang Fooms, the Kirby giants, and of course, the '70s frightmares like Werewolf By Night.
And, this is where the concept of Frankencastle comes in... the Legion of Monsters decides that they need his military strategy genius, and decides to put it to good use by resurrecting him as this ridiculous looking Frankenstein thing.
This sounds like it shouldn't be good, BUT IT IS! Rick Remender (FEAR AGENT), and Tony Moore (Walking Dead, Exterminators, Fear Agent) manage to deliver an over-the-top quirky and fun read in the first issue of this book, and a lot of it is due in part to Tony Moore's unique art-style. Plus, the colors look SHARP on Moore's art, and fit the mood of the book perfectly.
Remender manages to keep his tongue-in-cheek without being cheesy, and after describing the concept, I'm sure you're as puzzled by me about how he does that, but folks, he makes it work.
This one's a real curiousity for me, I really enjoyed the first one, but page after page, I was like "WTF?"... in a good way.. in a "I have to keep reading to see where this is going to go" kind of way.
So, if you're looking for something fun, something fresh, and something different out of Marvel, then you should definitely pick up PUNISHER #11 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 1* where the story starts. We still have it in stock here at Third Eye, in limited quantities.
For those of you like me who read the first one, and dug it, I know you're gonna be waiting on the second part this Wednesday.
Click here for a preview of PUNISHER #12 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 2*
And, of course, there's a lone F.D.A agent standing between her and her goal, and that just happens to be Tony Chu.
What's Chew all about? Well, picture this: all poultry is illegal due to bird flu. A state of prohibition on chicken, turkey, and more exists similar to the prohibition placed on Alcohol in the early part of the 20th century. Speak-easies serve chicken dinners. Crimes are committed to further profit in a world where poultry is treated like sought-after drugs. And, that's just the backdrop of the story. The real kicker is the main character, Tony Chu. See, Tony Chu is a cibopath, meaning that he receives psychic impressions from whatever he eats. Eat a hamburger, see the cow getting killed. Eat an apple, smell the pesticides being sprayed. It's a tough life. And, then one day, he somehow figures he can use his abilities to track down the names of several murdered girls through some unorthodox methods... and that brings us to now, where we have Tony Chu working for the FDA, eating the remains of the dead to solve cases. It's one of the freshest books we've seen here in quite some time, and we really can't recommend it enough.
You can pick up the trade paperback now at Third Eye consisting of CHEW #1-5 for only $9.99.
Click here to read a preview of CHEW #7
VICTORIAN UNDEAD #2 - SHERLOCK HOLMES. ZOMBIES. STEAMPUNK AWESOMENESS THROUGH AND THROUGH. Miss issue #1? We still got it in stock to catch you up!
Here's one that was a surprise success at the shop, but I guess we shouldn't be too surprised, because... Sherlock Holmes + Zombies = Total win. Seriously though, the new Wildstorm series VICTORIAN UNDEAD is definitely another welcome addition to the solid roster of self-contained books like NORTH 40 that Wildstorm's been adding to it's line-up.
So, what's it all about? A meteor's crashed to London, and uh oh.. the dead begin to rise after an odd sickness has taken a good part of the city. Meanwhile, Holmes and Watson are taking on some dastardly villain... who appears to be a crazy 19th century Robot. And of course, through the means of taking on this case... they get drug into this whole mess of the dead rising and trying to.. EAT PEOPLE'S BRAINS!
Seriously though, the first issue of this was a VERY solid read, and it's got me excited about the second one. I love seeing new twists on old concepts, and this book takes two somewhat stale storytelling concepts (zombies & Sherlock Holmes), and mixes the two to make one hell of a fun read. The characterization of Holmes is on point, and it really reads like a great detective book despite the somewhat wacky premise. Not to mention, the artwork is pretty superb and does a great job of conveying the mood of the story.
Bottom line? If you're a fan of steampunky stories, or zombies.. you should check this out, because it's got enough of both elements to keep you coming back for more.
The second issue arrives this Wednesday, and we still have limited quantities of issue #1 in stock, so if you want to hop on, you can then.
Click here to read more about Victorian Undead
PUNISHER #12 *FRANKENCASTLE CHAPTER 2* - THE PUNISHER... LEADER OF THE LEGION OF MONSTERS? THE SECOND ISSUE IN THE QUIRKIEST, FRESHEST-LOOKING APPROACH TO A MARVEL CHARACTER YET!
So, about a month and a half ago, the Punisher had his head lopped off by Daken (in DARK REIGN THE LIST PUNISHER one-shot). And, his body parts, all dismembered, and what-not, got dumped into the sewers. Well, they were gathered up by the Legion of Monsters. Yes. THAT Legion of Monsters. Morbius. Werewolf by Night. Man-Thing. You know the drill. And, he was cobbled together into a patchwork Frankenstein-like monstrosity. See, there's some mystery squad of Samurai dudes running around killing all the Marvel monsters. All the Fin Fang Fooms, the Kirby giants, and of course, the '70s frightmares like Werewolf By Night.
And, this is where the concept of Frankencastle comes in... the Legion of Monsters decides that they need his military strategy genius, and decides to put it to good use by resurrecting him as this ridiculous looking Frankenstein thing.
This sounds like it shouldn't be good, BUT IT IS! Rick Remender (FEAR AGENT), and Tony Moore (Walking Dead, Exterminators, Fear Agent) manage to deliver an over-the-top quirky and fun read in the first issue of this book, and a lot of it is due in part to Tony Moore's unique art-style. Plus, the colors look SHARP on Moore's art, and fit the mood of the book perfectly.
Remender manages to keep his tongue-in-cheek without being cheesy, and after describing the concept, I'm sure you're as puzzled by me about how he does that, but folks, he makes it work.
This one's a real curiousity for me, I really enjoyed the first one, but page after page, I was like "WTF?"... in a good way.. in a "I have to keep reading to see where this is going to go" kind of way.
So, if you're looking for something fun, something fresh, and something different out of Marvel, then you should definitely pick up PUNISHER #11 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 1* where the story starts. We still have it in stock here at Third Eye, in limited quantities.
For those of you like me who read the first one, and dug it, I know you're gonna be waiting on the second part this Wednesday.
Click here for a preview of PUNISHER #12 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 2*
CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #3 HITS THE SHELVES THIS WEDNESDAY! THE BEST COMIC YOU'RE NOT READING! FIND OUT WHY CRIMINAL IS A MUST-READ! ISSUES #1 & #2 STILL IN STOCK!
CRIMINAL is flat out the best crime comic I think I've ever read. And, that's a tall order, because crime noir has been pretty well-represented in the world of comics over the past couple of decades. I mean, I loved me some Sin City, and 100 Bullets, but nothing tops CRIMINAL. Criminal is more than just a comic book, it's an experience. When a new issue comes out, I can spend a good thirty minutes sunk deep within it. Every page, every panel, is packed with so much atmosphere, and storytelling that it really accomplishes that rare feat of sucking you into another world and not letting go.
The alchemy of art and story from Brubaker and Phillips pulls you in, and doesn't let go.. and just when the story ends, leaving you on the edge of your seat... you're still left with a good four to six pages of awesome back-matter to read about crime noir. A lot of times, Brubaker has guest-writers come in, and talk about their favorite aspects of genre fiction. Guys like Patton Oswalt rapping about their favorite crime movies from the '60s just makes the entire package better.
And, folks, this is a book you do NOT want to wait for trade on. The back-matter does not get reprinted into the trades, so you are really missing out on the whole experience.
Seriously, there are very few books that I will proclaim universally as something everybody should be reading, but CRIMINAL is most definitely one of those books.
Now, I've sung it's praises more than enough, you're probably wondering just what the hell CRIMINAL is all about?
Each story arc of CRIMINAL is self-contained to 4-6 issues. While the characters all exist within the same world, you can read CRIMINAL in any order you please. This means that the current arc, THE SINNERS, is a perfect entry point for those of you who haven't yet read CRIMINAL. The shared world thing is just a part of what makes CRIMINAL so cool, as it's neat to see a background character you barely notice in an earlier story become a prominent figure in a later story (as was the case with "Bad Night"). The current arc, the SINNERS, is all about someone who is killing off "made men".. criminal power-players, if you will, who should otherwise be untouchable. And, since the underworld can't exactly go to the police, they bring in enforcer Tracy Lawless to investigate things. A conflicted man who doesn't even want to be working in this world in the first place.
The characterization in this book is so sharp, that by the time you finish the first issue, you'll feel like you've known Lawless all your life. And, with the developments of CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #2, I personally can't wait to see where things are going in issue #3 this week.
If you haven't yet read CRIMINAL, we'll the previous two issues, in addition to issue #3, well-stocked this week, to make it easy on you to catch up. Don't miss out on one of the best series of this decade.
Click here to read a preview of CRIMINAL: THE SINNERS #3
"THE BOYS", "PREACHER", & "CROSSED" WRITER GARTH ENNIS'S BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY #1 BRINGS US MORE OF ENNIS'S GRUELLING, BLOODY WAR STORIES! IF TARANTINO'S "INGLORIOUS BASTARDS" WAS A COMIC, THIS WOULD BE IT!
He's taken superheroes to their darkest extremes in THE BOYS. He's given a whole, twisted new meaning to survival horror in CROSSED, and he's written countless other epics (including the legendary PREACHER series)... Garth Ennis is a man who knows how to do comics right. But, there's one thing, that's a personal labor of love for him, and it really shows. Some of his best material happens to fall under the genre of war stories, and Ennis manages to tell some of the most brutal, well-paced, yet accessible war stories you could think of.
This go around, he's back with a brand new series called BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY, and the first issue debuts this Wednesday. The year is 1942. And a young Australian Ken Harding arrives in London, anxious to play his part in the aerial bombing of all those Nazi bastards. Losses are high, and morale is low, but our hero remains unphased until he meets his crew: a foul-mouthed, battle-hardened gang of guys who take no prisoners. And, now they're headed to the heavily guarded industrial heartland of Ruhr, known to the fighter pilots as Happy Valley.
We've seen Ennis's previous war stuff, and it's always dripping with blood, and realism, while at the same time keeping in habit with his knack for strong characterization, and sense of dark humor.
If you're a fan of the Boys, Crossed, or any of Ennis's other work, we HIGHLY recommend giving his war stuff a shot this week with Happy Valley.
Click here for a preview of GARTH ENNIS'S BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY #1
THOR #605 - DR. DOOM VS. THOR! ASGARDIANS TURNED INTO HORRIBLE CYBORG MONSTROSITIES! THE NEW DIRECTION OF THOR IS AWESOME!
First off, if you missed issue #604 of THOR, you need to pick it up, and hop aboard the current arc of Thor, cause it's SMOKIN'! We were pretty skeptical about how well the new creative team would do following up a major act like JMS, but they picked up the ball and ran with it, kicking off a brand new story arc that's bringing all the cool Dr. Doom/Asgard connections to full culmination. If you did miss THOR #604, don't worry, because we still have it in stock here at the shop, in limited quantities, so you can still hop aboard the monthly series with only two issues to catch up.
As for what's to expect this week in the newest installment of THOR.. simply put.. it's DR. DOOM versus THOR in a throwdown that's sure to be epic. #604 ended with Doom's Asgardian cyborg hybrid monstrosities coming into plain sight, and then.. a certain God of Thunder appearing on the horizon to deal out some righteous justice.
Click here for a preview of THOR #605
IMAGE UNITED #2 ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY, AND CONTINUES THE HIT NEW SERIES THAT KEEPS SELLING OUT! FIND OUT WHY THIS LIMITED SERIES PENNED BY ROBERT KIRKMAN (WALKING DEAD, HAUNT) & ILLUSTRATED BY ALL THE IMAGE FOUNDERS IS A HIT! #1 STILL IN STOCK AT THIRD EYE!
The first issue of IMAGE UNITED went to a second print almost immediately, and it looks like the second issue will be going to as well. But, worry not, folks, we've got PLENTY of copies of IMAGE UNITED #2 coming in this Wednesday, and trust us, you're gonna wanna give it a look. It's actually pretty damn cool what they've accomplished with IMAGE UNITED, combining the talents of all the classic IMAGE founders on one book written by Robert Kirkman.
So, here's how it works: Spawn appears in the book.. McFarlane draws him. Witchblade appears. Silvestri draws her. Get the idea? The book itself was a fun read, and is an action-packed nostalgic joyride for anyone who grew up reading comics during the IMAGE era in the '90s. Bigger than life, with a well-paced story from Robert Kirkman, and tons of killer arrt, IMAGE UNITED is a blast.
Of course, the big reveal at the end of issue #1 was pretty cool... the villain of the series? Al Simmons, you know, the original Spawn, the guy we all remember from back in the day. And, yes, that's him above with the horns. See, it looks like ol' Al has found that destiny they always eluded to in those issues of Spawn way back in the day, and now he's out to wreak havoc on the entire Image universe.
All in all, it's not a plot-heavy book, but IMAGE UNITED is a blast, and provides a fun read, and a fun trip down memory lane for a lot of us who grew up reading comics in the '90s. If you need us to put a copy in your box, just shoot us an email!
Oh, and if you missed out on issue #1, don't worry.. we had a feeling it'd be a hit, and still have a decent amount of issue #1 hanging out here at the store for you to catch up with.
THIRD EYE ASKS "ARE YOU READING?" ABSOLUTION FROM AVATAR PRESS.. THINK ROBOCOP MEETS DEXTER
Here's one that I wanted to spotlight because I feel that it's an AWESOME series that's continuing to fly under the radar here at Third Eye. While issue #5 ships this Wednesday, and I'm stoked about that, I wanted to take a moment to give an overview on the whole series and why I'm digging it so much.
First off, the story of Absolution is set in a world where "vigilante police forces" have been established. Basically, special police departments equipped with superhuman abilities to handle crime in the most extreme ways possible, HOWEVER, they are still required to uphold the same code of ethics as any other law enforcement official... in other words.. they can't go around making dude's heads explode.
And that's where our (anti)hero comes in. John Dusk is one of these special police officers who has crossed the line from law officer to serial killer, albeit, of criminals. In the first issue, we're led to believe that Dusk has seen many horrors before making this decision, and it culminates in him letting a rapist murderer die of blood loss.
From there, after getting his first taste of justice, he begins leading a double life, compulsively executing criminals, and evil men.
This series has all the makings of a modern day take on the age-old tale that stories like Robocop (but without the trademark satire), Judge Dredd, and more have explored. It kind of reminds you a little of DEXTER, mixed with a world of superhumans.
Plus, the art just gets better and better with every issue! We currently have all issues of ABSOLUTION instock here at Third Eye for you to catch up, otherwise, I'm sure those of you already reading the series are pumped for issue #5 this Wednesday!
HELLBOY: BRIDE OF HELL ONE-SHOT GIVES US A STRONG DOSE OF HELLBOY AND MIKE MIGNOLA TO END THE YEAR!
Nobody does creepy, mythology-rich horror comics like Mike Mignola. Nobody! I've been a Hellboy fan since I was just a snot-nosed kid in a Cramps t-shirt, and I gotta tell you, it's only gotten better since then. This week, we get a nice little Christmas gift in the form of a Mignola-written one-shot with Richard Corben art. If you just want a good Hellboy story, done in one, then this one's a gotta-read. Or, if you've never read a lot of Hellboy before, then now's your chance to give it a try!
In BRIDE OF HELL, a young girl has been kidnapped and Hellboy's tracked her down to rural France, where she's about to be sacrificed to Asmodeus. This one's definitely a pulpy, weird tale filled with love gone wrong, demonic revenge, ghosts, and the tombs of King Solomon.
Click here for a preview of HELLBOY: BRIDE OF HELL
IRREDEEMABLE #9 & IRREDEEMABLE VOLUME 2 TRADE PAPERBACK ARRIVE THIS WEDNESDAY TO FILL YOUR "SUPERMAN GONE EVIL" FIX!
Are you reading IRREDEEMABLE yet? If you're not, you really should be. It's one of our big favorites here month in and month out, and is one of the most well-written superhero books coming out right now.
We've got a double dose of IRREDEEMABLE this week for you, with both the 9th issue hitting (which continues from the epic reveals of issue #8), and the second volume of the IRREDEEMABLE trade paperback, which collects issues #5-8.
Why should you be reading IRREDEEMABLE? First off, the book practically pulsates with an insane post-modern 21st century comic book energy. It's the story of the Plutonian, your standard Superman arch-type, who has gone mad, and started slaughtering the world around him. Basically, it's SUPERMAN gone EVIL, and it's great.
Why is it so good? The reason why it reads so well is because the series writer, Mark Waid (the man who did KINGDOM COME), is quite possibly the biggest SUPERMAN fan... in the world. He loves SUPERMAN, he loves the world of SUPERMAN, and he gets the character almost better than anyone else. And, this, this is what it takes to write a well-done take on what would happen if the Man of Steel went wrong? And, what did it take to get him to that point? Because Waid is such a fan of Superman, and his history, he is able to make all those little details that most writers would miss, count.
I don't know, there's a certain kind of electric excitement I get when I pick up a new issue of IRREDEEMABLE (and now the companion series, INCORRUPTIBLE), where I know I'm going to be thrust into a world of superheroes that SHOULD be cookie-cutter, but aren't. They're more fleshed-out, and three-dimensional than most characters that've been around for years.
Simply, put IRREDEEMABLE rules, and you need to check it out! The first trade paperback is only $9.99, and we can either catch you up in the single issues, or you can just follow up with Volume 2!
STAFF PICKS
Trish - Green Lantern Corps #43 - I made this my pick just because of the fact that it was such a fun read, and it was so easy to get into, even though I'm not as familiar with the Green Lantern Corps as Steve or Torma. I do like Guy Gardner, and seeing him running around ripping off arms, and kicking ass was AWESOME.
Torma - Dark Avengers #12- TOTAL MAYHEM! The best issue of DARK AVENGERS yet. They finally do something awesome with the Sentry, and it is bigger than life. There's a great final page splash that gives a nice reference to what's coming in SIEGE!
Steve - INCORRUPTIBLE #1 - Man, am I easy to read or what? I was hyped for this one like hell, and it totally lived up to the hype. Incorruptible takes everything you always THOUGHT a sketchy, shady supervillain would do... and makes it happen.. and then shows how tricky his road to redemption is. A great read for Irredeemable fans, and non-fans alike.
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