THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 6/9/10

BATMAN #700 *RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE TIE-IN* - GRANT MORRISON PENS THIS EXTRA-SPECIAL DOUBLE-SIZED LANDMARK ISSUE WHICH PAVES THE WAY FOR BRUCE WAYNE'S RETURN! FEATURING ART BY FRANK QUITELY, TONY DANIEL, ANDY KUBERT and new DC SUPERSTAR ADDITION DAVID FINCH! THIRD EYE MUST BUY! Okay, this one's a biggie, and there's no doubt that it's going to be one of the hottest books to hit the stands this week here at Third Eye. I'm pretty stoked about this one, myself, considering how huge of a fan I've been of both Grant Morrison's incredible BATMAN AND ROBIN and RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, and this special one-shot issue ties directly into everything Morrison has been doing with the Caped Crusader since day one. And, not only is this one a big deal in regards to the overall storyline of BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE and BATMAN AND ROBIN, but it's just a plain big deal in general 'cause it's the 700th issue of BATMAN, folks. That's a landmark. I mean, think about it for a moment... 700 issues.. that's about 5 long boxes of one series, dating all the way back to the 30s and 40s. It's a historic landmark, and from the description of the solicits, Morrison plans on making this one a can't miss, must-read. So, what's the scoop on the story in BATMAN #700?Well, Morrison in an interview has said that this was kind of his send-up to the grand tradition of the over-sized anniversary issue. Basically, he's set out to pack this issue with so much content, and so much over-the-top Morrison madness, that it stands out as one of the biggest books to drop this summer. Issue #700 is a done-in-one, one-shot story that picks up on important plot threads from Morrison's previous runs, and his current work with Return of Bruce Wayne. It also sets up more of what's going on in regards to the Return of Bruce Wayne. It's broken down into three parts, with three artists each doing a different Batman.... Tony Daniel doing the Batman of the past, Bruce Wayne, Frank Quitely doing Batman and Robin of the present (Dick Grayson and Damian), and Andy Kubert doing Batman of the future, which is Damian. And, then the final part, is David Finch doing the Batman of the far future. Morrison said this one is a whopper of a story, and it took him nearly two months to write this one issue, so he's really planning on a grand celebration of the 700th issue of Batman. Not to mention, with a lot of the time-traveling stuff happening within this one, along with a coy little mention in the solicits, we know this one is going to play a part into the bigger scheme of things with the current RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE story arc. Why This is A Must Read? Well, first off, it's a double-sized one-shot that serves as a special treat for both those of us already following Morrison's incredible reinvention of the Batman mythos, and for those of you who haven't yet picked up on what's happening with Batman. If you've been wanting to try Morrison's Batman stuff, then this would be a great place to start. Secondly, look at the roster on this one... Grant Morrison... Frank Quitely.. Tony Daniel.. Andy Kubert.. David Finch! The simple fact that these four superstar artists are together in ONE book is epic enough, but the four of them working together on a mindbender of a story like this written by the master of the craft, Morrison? It's incredible. Third, it's Batman #700, and is a substantial part of comics history. A gorgeous looking issue, a great story, and this one makes a very nice addition to anyone's collection. So, whether you're just jumping into the world of Grant Morrison's surreal and dark Batman tales, or if you've been hooked all along, make sure you don't miss Batman #700 this Wednesday at Third Eye! Click here to read more about BATMAN #700! MARK MILLAR & STEVE MCNIVEN'S HIGHLY ANTICIPATED NEMESIS #2 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY CONTINUING THE CREATORS OF "OLD MAN LOGAN" and "KICK-ASS" KILLER "EVIL BATMAN" STORYLINE! THE SICKEST, MOST VIOLENT BOOK YOU'LL READ IN 2010 (that's not CROSSED =) ) Here's one we know you've all been waiting for. Heck, we've been as eager as you have to get our mitts on this one, and really, could you expect any less from a book touting the creative team of OLD MAN LOGAN, MARK MILLAR and STEVE MCNIVEN? I mean, these two juggernauts of comic book awesomeness delivered us probably the best Wolverine story we've read in 20 years last year. And, even though we had to wait between each and every issue... each and every issue was more than worth the wait. Now, Mark Millar and Steve McNiven are delivering the goods all over again on their brand new series NEMESIS, which is on the same creator-owned ICON imprint as KICK-ASS. And, just like KICK-ASS, NEMESIS takes place in it's own self-contained world and continuity. What's this mean? Well, basically, Millar can do whatever the hell he wants with this one, folks! Now, for those of you who may not already be reading NEMESIS, we feel a little introduction is in order, since it's been a couple months since issue #1 came out. What is NEMESIS about? At it's core, NEMESIS is the quintessential "evil Batman" story. Basically, by that, we mean the title character, Nemesis, is a self-made man. He's in outstanding physical shape. He's rich as hell. He's got a genius-level IQ. And, whereas Batman was dedicated to putting fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere... Nemesis is the reverse. He lives to terrorize society at large, in an effort to point out the vanity and flaw "in the system." Now, we know that Nemesis's motivations as they're revealed in the series are going to provide some of the most compelling parts of this story, but for now, he is a pure agent of chaos. What if Batman was the Joker? He'd be NEMESIS. In issue #1 of NEMESIS, we saw him throw the Tokyo Chief of Police under a speeding bullet train, and in full gory detail, watched as said Chief of Police was ripped to shreds under the train. We watched as Nemesis boarded Airforce One and flew it straight into the heart of Washington, D.C. And now, in this week's issue #2 of NEMESIS, we get to see the Chief of Police in Washington, D.C stand up to NEMESIS. But, how can he stop the brutal one-man hurricane of violence and mayhem? Well, that's what we're gonna find out. I loved the first issue of this one, but like most Millar series, the first issue always feels like the 10 minutes prior to the opening credits. It's not until you get into issue #2 and #3, that you really get the hook of what's going to make the story cool, and that's why I cannot wait to read NEMESIS #2 this week. I think that this series is going to rely as much on the portrayal of the D.C Chief of Police as it is the portrayal of NEMESIS, and I think what's going to really make the book good is we're going to see Millar building up the DC Chief of Police as a very strong character to go up against NEMESIS. Essentially, this is Mark Millar doing BATMAN vs. Comissioner Gordon, and I think that's pretty freakin' cool. Plus, it's got McNiven doing the artwork, and dude, this guy is great. First, CIVIL WAR, then OLD MAN LOGAN, and whenever McNiven and Millar pair up, you know it's going to be some rock solid awesomeness. Not reading Nemesis, and wanna jump on? We've got plenty of NEMESIS #1 still in stock, so feel free to pick up a copy this week at Third Eye. I believe we have a very limited quantity of the first printings of the book in stock still too, and of course, 'cause it's how we roll at Third Eye, they're still here at cover price. :) Click here for a preview of NEMESIS #2 JONATHAN HICKMAN'S HISTORY-ALTERINGS.H.I.E.L.D #2 SHIPS THIS WEDNESDAY SHOWING US THE SECRET HISTORY OF THE SHIELD AGENCY... LEONARDO DAVINCI=AGENT OF SHIELD, GALILEO=AGENT OF SHIELD, IMHOTEP=AGENT OF SHIELD, WHO ELSE? FIND OUT THIS WEEK! PLENTY OF ISSUE #1 IN STOCK AS WELL TO CATCH YOU UP! Okay, this one is a biggie. Heck, one of the biggest surprise hits of 2010 so far, I'd say, and honestly, for us, folks, it was no surprise, 'cause we've been loving Mr. Hickman's writing for a few years now! When we first heard rumblings of this strange and unusual idea, we knew that it would be an instant classic, and I'm happy to say it's on it's way to that point now. The concept is so simple, yet so damn cool, and after reading the first issue (and holy cow, dude, the artwork in it was OFF THE CHAIN), I'm so pumped to see where they take this thing next. But, before I move forward, lets talk about WHAT this awesome book is all about. What is SHIELD all about? This series is exploring the history of the SHIELD organization in the Marvel Universe. Now you and I, we've always known SHIELD as the somewhat shadowy military organization that deals with the security of nearly the entire world, ESPECIALLY in the face of extra-normal threats. Now, in S.H.I.E.L.D, Jonathan Hickman (SECRET WARRIORS, NIGHTLY NEWS, PAX ROMANA) is exploring something that's too cool.. the concept that the SHIELD agency has been around for centuries, because lets face it... Galactus, the Celestials, the Brood, all those things.. they were around two thousand years ago, and were just as big a threat then as they are now. So, who stood up to the big Purple Planet Eater when he flew into town? The world's greatest thinkers, and leaders did... and they were the BROTHERHOOD OF THE SHIELD. Leonardo Da Vinci, Imhotep, Sir Issac Newton, Nostradamus and Galileo... plus countless others set events into motion that still affect the Marvel Universe to this day. And, in a true feat of talent and creativity, Hickman pulls this off effortlessly. He manages to make it seem so believable that Da Vinci would strap on some crazy rocket flight suit and fly off to figure out how to get Galactus gone. And, seeing Imhotep leading an army against the Brood, with one of his lieutenants resembling the classic X-Men character, APOCALYPSE, or as he was known back then, En Sabah Nur, is pretty damn cool too. Great writing, great artwork, SHIELD is must-read material, and this is one of those series that people will be talking about for many years to come. The first issue went to a second print quick, and we're sure the same is going to happen again on issue #2, so make sure you snag up your copy this week, 'cause this book is super freakin' good. For those of you who missed issue #1, we still have some SHIELD #1 left before the 3rd printing is released, so you can catch up this week with issue #1 and issue #2 no problem. Click here for a preview of S.H.I.E.L.D #2 BRIGHTEST DAY DOUBLE-WHAMMY THIS WEDNESDAY WITH JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #3 and TITANS #24 *BRIGHTEST DAY - VILLAINS FOR HIRE PT 2!* So, we've got a nice double whammy of BRIGHTEST DAY awesomeness this week. First off, we've got JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #3 which has been one of the breakout hits of the new BRIGHTEST DAY books. While we've really dug most of the new stuff spinning out of BRIGHTEST DAY, JL: GENERATION LOST delivers something so freakin' cool that it just pulls us in more and more with each and every issue. From Giffen and Winick's dead on characterization, to the plot twists we've seen in only the first two issues, to the very grim portrayal of Maxwell Lord.. this one has been an outstanding read, and if you're even remotely into the DCU, or what's going on with BRIGHTEST DAY, this one is a must-read. What is JUSTICE LEAGUE GENERATION LOST? Well, one of the biggest hooks here is that it's Keith Giffen returning to some of the most memorable Justice League characters we've ever seen. See, way back when, Giffen took the Justice League, and made the line-up one consisting of several B-List and C-List characters. By playing up the humor of this situation, putting them into sometimes absurd situations, and then playing them off of longtime DC stand-bys like Martian Manhunter or heavyweights like Batman, we got a pretty damn entertaining book. Now, fast forward a few years, and a lot of Giffen's characters from that era have been really dealt some nasty hands. Former Justice League sponsor, Maxwell Lord, completely flipped his lid, and put a bullet in Ted Kord / Blue Beetle's brain during that whole Infinite Crisis thing. And, now, with Brightest Day, Maxwell Lord has returned from the grave, and he's up to his dastardly old tricks. The remaining members of the Justice League International come together, and take matters into their own hands, when they realize that heavy-weights like Superman are unable to help them the way they need help. A very cool combination of humor, strong characterization, and a dark plot make GENERATION LOST a fantastic read so far, and we're really pumped to see what's going on in this week's issue #3. For those of you who missed out on issues #1 and #2, we've still got plenty in stock to catch you up. Click here to read more about JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #2 *BRIGHTEST DAY* And, then next up on the BRIGHTEST DAY menu we've got TITANS #24, which follows up that killer VILLAINS FOR HIRE one-shot from a few weeks ago. The big VILLAINS FOR HIRE arc kicks into full gear this week in TITANS #24. In the TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE one-shot, we watched as the Atom from a few years ago, Ryan Choi, was hunted down by Deathstroke and his Titans. Now, in TITANS #24, Deathstroke has set his sights and his team onto a new target... LEX LUTHOR. Click here to read more about TITANS #24, and if you missed TITANS: VILLAINS FOR HIRE *BRIGHTEST DAY* one-shot, we still have plenty in stock to get you caught up! AVENGERS ACADEMY #1 *HEROIC AGE* - A SURPRISINGLY AWESOME READ WITH FRESH NEW CHARACTERS, AND A KILLER PLOT TWIST.. TOMORROW'S SUPERHEROES..MAYBE NOT QUITE SO SIMPLE! Okay, I've gotta admit, out of all the new Avengers books to be kicking off, this was probably the one I was the most hesitant about. I've gotta admit too, the reason why is kind of unfair. See, AVENGERS ACADEMY takes the place of the AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE book... and that book, well, it was pretty sucky for a good long time. In fact, it wasn't until the last two or three issues of the series where it tied into SIEGE, and shifted focus onto Taskmaster as kind of the everyman supervillain that it was good. However, that Taskmaster story was one of the coolest, and I was pretty stoked about it. And, even though, Christos Gage, the writer of one of the very few good AVENGERS INITIATIVE arcs, as well as the blood-drenched indie hit, ABSOLUTION, was helming this one.. I was still hesitant. But, Young Avengers proved me wrong way back when as well, and before that, Thunderbolts when it first came out surprised me as well. And, so that leads me to this point, where I'm telling you: I read the advance of AVENGERS ACADEMY #1, and I'm not going to say that this is the most mind-blowing of the AVENGERS books, but I will say that DUDE, it was a super pleasant surprise! The plotting was great, the artwork fit perfect, and the characterization did a fantastic job of making these characters into ones I'm intrigued to read about. It's always so tricky when doing books like this, because lets face it.. not all new characters work. In fact, some of them bomb pretty hard. And, even looking at the promo art for this series, I was kind of torn.. some of them had some very cool visuals, while others looked pretty lame... but, Gage manages to add depth and dimension to each young member of the team. Basically, the Avengers Academy consists of young superheroes who Osborn personally recruited to be the future of his Initiative... and, well, the heroes of the Marvel Universe have decided to take a special interest in these kids. Now, while I don't wanna give away the punch of the last couple pages... cause really, those last couple of pages deliver a nice little hook that pushes you from digging the book to loving it... I will say that it's the perfect ending to a first issue, setting up an interesting cast of new characters with their own dilemmas, and motivations in the face of a Marvel Universe that has their futures mapped. It's too early to say how well Avengers Academy is going to be in the long run, but right out of the gate? I dug it. It was a good first issue, and I'm very interested to see where things head next on this one. Click here for a preview of AVENGERS ACADEMY #1 *HEROIC AGE* HACK/SLASH: MY FIRST MANIAC #1 *THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL* DELIVERS THE SMASH CULT HIT'S IMAGE COMICS DEBUT! THE PERFECT INTRODUCTION TO CASSIE HACK, AND THIS AWESOME COMIC BEGINS HERE! Hack/Slash has been one of our personal favorites here at Third Eye for quite some time. I mean, c'mon, it's a killer high-energy series that pays tribute to one of our biggest loves here: crazy whacked out horror movies, specifically slasher flicks. But, this isn't just a simple cash-in on the genre fare of the horror world, writer Tim Seeley is smart in how he crafts his stories, blending the right balance of gore and grue with a dark sense of humor, and more tongue-in-cheek tributes and homages than a Tarantino flick. The reason why we're stoked though about this new HACK/SLASH series is because we're getting to see the book now being published by IMAGE COMICS, and we could not think of a better fit than IMAGE and HACK/SLASH. Image has been making it's name doing really rad cutting edge series like CHEW, WALKING DEAD, and INVINCIBLE for quite some time now, and HACK/SLASH fits in perfectly. Plus, it means that we get to see a consistent release schedule for the HACK/SLASH books, and consistent artists on each series. The book is so good it deserves these things! Now, with this week's HACK/SLASH: MY FIRST MANIAC #1, we've got the perfect jumping on point for those of you who've never read HACK/SLASH before in your life, and folks, if you're looking for something fun and different, with a side-order of blood, and guts, then HACK/SLASH is right up your alley. What is HACK/SLASH: MY FIRST MANIAC? My First Maniac is a new mini-series that explores Cassie Hack's first case. It's essentially, HACK/SLASH: YEAR ONE, and it shows a 16-year old Cassie Hack who has just been forced to kill her mother, the undead murderer known as the Lunch Lady. See, Cassie was picked on as a kid, and her mom, not being quite stable, killed a whole buncha kids 'cause of that and turned 'em into lunch for other kids. And, well, after that, the kids all teamed up on her, and burned her alive.. and then, she came back as a "slasher", which in the world of HACK/SLASH, is a vengeful undead entity that is so angry it can't be killed easily and can't stop killing (think Freddy, Jason, Michael Myers, you know the drill)... ANYWAYS, so Cassie takes out her mom, and now, dealing with the overwhelming guilt of killing her mom, she's torn between making a normal life in her foster family, or using her new-found slasher killing skills to kill more "slashers." And, that's where the story begins, and we see just how Cassie Hack became Cassie Hack, the ultimate killer of slashers. For those of you into horror movies, especially '80s stuff like Nightmare on Elm Street, April Fool's Day, Friday the 13th, My Bloody Valentine, ect ect... you should check this one out, for sure. Seeley loads his HACK/SLASH comics with homages and send-ups to obscure gems and well-known classics, and that just enhances an already good comic. INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #27 *HEROIC AGE* RESILIENT CHAPTER 3 - ONE OF THE BEST MONTHLY MARVEL COMICS CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY! NOT READING INVINCIBLE IRON MAN? CHECK OUT ISSUE #25 AND JUMP ONTO ONE OF OUR FAVORITE SERIES HERE AT THIRD EYE! I preach about this one every month a new issue comes out, but for sheer bigger-than-life superhero madness, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN is, in my opinion, one of the top three best monthly Marvel Comics. Heck, I'd say it's one of the best monthly superhero books in general. Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca have been working together as the writer/artist team of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN for over two years now, and the book has been consistently AWESOME. It gets better, and better with each subsequent issue. More importantly, these guys have put the book out on time month after month after month, and kept the quality up all the while. That's rare. You just don't see good solid creative teams sticking together and cranking out a long, consistent and quality run like that. I mean, you'll see super strong 6-12 issue arcs, but then that's it, and a new artist comes along, or something, but when you've got a writer and artist who've been working together like Fraction/Larocca, there's a chemistry that really makes the book an outstanding read. And, that's why I love INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. It embodies the big, the bold, the crazy, everything you want from a superhero comic featuring a guy flying around in a metal suit... but, at the same time, Fraction hits the character beats so well that you're as invested in Stark and his supporting cast as you are interested in the bigger-than-life action sequences. Anyways, the current arc that's happening right now is called RESILIENT, and it began in issue #25. We've currently got all of these issues, plus the ones going back to the STARK DISASSEMBLED arc and before, so you can get caught up pretty easily. If you're looking for any easy spot to jump on, we'd recommend hopping in with INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 *RESILIENT PT 1*, and then catching up with #26 an this week's #27. Trust us, folks.. this series is great. What's INVINCIBLE IRON MAN: RESILIENT about? The Resilient arc begins in the aftermath of SIEGE and STARK DISASSEMBLED. During STARK DISASSEMBLED, we saw Tony Stark turned into a vegetable, and then brought back by "rebooting" him from an older "back-up" of his brain... and, that older back-up, a pre-CIVIL WAR back-up, means that certain gaps of his memory are missing... and, as such, he's confronted with all these things, and begins to move forward with himself and Stark Enterprises. Of course, it wouldn't be Iron Man without someone trying to move in and take advantage of Stark's misfortune.. and, that's just what the insidious Hammer Girls, are doing with their own rip-offs of Stark Tech in the form of Detroit Steel. Issue #25 is a perfect spot to jump in, and is chapter one of Resilient, we recommend checking this series out. If you're into Marvel, or just plain good comics, this is a must-read. Click here for a preview of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #27 *RESILIENT PT 3* DEADPOOL: WADE WILSON'S WAR #1DELIVERS US THE BEST DEADPOOL COMIC WE'VE READ SINCE THE MERC WITH A MOUTH FIRST RETURNED IN HIS ONGOING SERIES A COUPLE YEARS AGO! All right, so nowadays, it's pretty much not a big surprise to see a new Deadpool book hit the stands. We know this. And, when you've got that many different books, guest-appearances, and more hitting the racks.. well.. they're not all bound to be kick-ass, right? We know this too. However, it often causes a REALLY good one to get overlooked, and this is why we have gotta hype up the new DEADPOOL limited series, WADE WILSON'S WAR. Folks, this mini-series captures what Deadpool should be all about, and does it perfectly. First off, it gives us actual development, and hints as to just what the heck Deadpool is all about. Why does he refuse to remove his mask? Why does he only answer to the name Deadpool? Was he really part of that crazy Weapon X special ops team that nobody has ever heard of? And, did he really at one time work alongside folks like Bullseye, Domino and the Silver Sable? Well, all we can say is that this one looks awesome. The creative team of Duane Swierczynski and artist/inker Jason Pearson really makes this one pop as well. You can tell Swierczynski is able to hit that perfect balance of hard-boiled ultraviolence that we love about Deadpool, and then keep it right on point with the dark, tongue-in-cheek sense of humor. Jason Pearson's artwork looks fantastic, and he gets better, and better, which is impressive for someone who's been in the industry for so long (Pearson used to do one of our faves here at Third Eye, BODY BAGS). All in all, there's not much more to say than: this new Deadpool book kicks ass. While we're big fans of Merc with a Mouth, and the ongoing series, and we find that Team-Up has some brief moments of awesomeness... this Wade Wilson's War mini-series is going to definitely be a stand-out awesome Deadpool story. Click here for a preview of DEADPOOL: WADE WILSON'S WAR #1 CHEW VOLUME 2: "INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR" HITS THE SHELVES THIS WEDNESDAY, ALONGSIDE CHEW #11 - FOLLOWING THE SERIES IN TRADE & WANNA HOP ONTO THE SINGLES? SNAG CHEW v.2 and CHEW #11, & YOU'RE CAUGHT UP! MORE CANNIBAL COP AWESOMENESS! One of our favorite newer series here at Third Eye for the last year or so has been IMAGE COMICS'S CHEW. The pairing of art and story in this one is just so damn good, and it's one of those rare occasions where the artist and writer click so well that you really forget you're reading a comic. Now, a lot of you have heard me ramble on about how dang cool I think Chew is many times before, but for those of you who're not in the loop on this one, lemme give you some rundown on what Chew's about.. What's the Scoop on CHEW? CHEW is the story of Detective Tony Chu, and it's set in the near-future, where all poultry has been made illegal and put under prohibition due to avian bird flu outbreaks. This has caused a black market to develop that centers around poultry.. you know, turkey, chicken, ect. And, in this world, we've got Detective Tony Chu, who happens to be a cibopath. Basically, whatever he eats, he receives psychic impressions from it. So, if he eats a hamburger, he sees the cow being murdered. If he eats veggies, he can see the pest-sprays being sprayed. So, because of all this, he eats beets. Lots of beets. 'Cause they grow in the ground, and carry no psychic residue. But, then, hang on... one night.. Detective Chu, on a case, at a speak-easy that specializes in chicken and turkey... he happens to have the soup, as to not blow his cover, and suddenly.. he sees girls being murdered. He realizes the killer is in the kitchen, and high-tails it after the guy... and realizes the only way he's going to get the names of these girls and solve their murders is to eat the guy. And, that's when the FDA (who is kinda like the ATF in this world) steps in, and hires Chu on to... eat the remains of murder victims and solve their deaths. Sound awesome? It is. Wanna check it out? You can snag the first graphic novel collecting issues 1-5 for only $10. We highly recommend it! Now, this week, the second slab of Chew awesomeness ships with CHEW v.2 INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR, and this brings us everything from special ops working for the Department of Agriculture to plants that taste like chicken, smell like bloated corpses, and even vampires? Chew gets wilder, and even more awesome in this latest one. For those of you who're following the trade paperbacks, and would like to hop onto the singles, we've also got the third arc of Chew beginning this Wednesday with CHEW #11, and this is the first issue to follow the second trade (which collects issues 6-10). Trust us, this one's the kind of series that leaves you hanging that getting your monthly dose of CHEW becomes a MUST! So, check it out this Wednesday! TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM #1 *THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL* - ALAN MOORE'S ORIGINAL PULP ACTION HERO RETURNS IN A NEW LIMITED SERIES THIS WEDNESDAY! Dude.. this is awesome! Tom Strong, the character that Alan Moore created in tribute to old school pulp greats like Doc Savage, returns this Wednesday, and we're freakin' pumped! Giant robots, evil nazis getting their butts kicked, and more make this one a must-read. What's Tom Strong all about? Well, first off, if you're curious about going back and starting at the very beginning with Tom Strong, we've got the entire series both in trade paperback AND deluxe hc, collecting Alan Moore's incredible tribute to the world of science heroes. Tom Strong's deal though, is that he's a "science hero", raised in a high-gravity chamber and given an intensive education by his somewhat eccentric scientist parents, on the fictional West Indian island of Attarbar Teru. His upbringing, plus ingesting a root used by the natives of the island for health and long life, have made him nearly physically and mentally perfect. So, for example, even though he was born in 1900... he only looks like he's in his 40s when the 2000s come rolling around. He's assisted by his wife, and daughter, as well as Pneuman, a steam powered robot, and King Solomon, a gorilla with human characteristics. The world of Tom Strong takes the character all over different timelines, and universes, which are basically a nod to different comic genres and eras. With the new TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM storyline, it looks like we're going to get some good old fashioned Tom Strong awesomeness, as we see the great science hero whupping much robot ass. If you're into pulpy awesomeness, or want a good kick-ass steampunk-esque kind of superhero comic, then you should most definitely give TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM a whirl! Click here for a preview of TOM STRONG AND THE ROBOTS OF DOOM #1 UNKNOWN SOLDIER WRITER JOSHUA DYSART PAIRS UP WITH CLIFF CHIANG TO BRING NEIL YOUNG'S GREENDALE ALBUM TO LIFE IN THIS INCREDIBLE GRAPHIC NOVEL THAT NEIL YOUNG HAS OVERSEEN THE CREATION OF! Sometimes you just see things come out and you know they're going to be the kinds of books that really strike a chord with people, and go down as completely memorable. Greendale is one of those things. The legendary singer-songwriter, Neil Young, brings one of hist most personal albums, GREENDALE, to comics. Overseeing the work of the incredibly talented Joshua Dysart (the man behind the killer UNKNOWN SOLDIER series happening right now at Vertigo), they bring together a graphic novel that explores a whole new dimension to the album that Rolling Stone voted as one of the best of it's year. The story? It's the fall of 2003, and the nation is heading into war, a politically active teenage girl named Sun lives, loves, and dreams in a small California town named Greendale. She's always been different, and there's been talk that the women in her family have all had a preternatural communion with nature. And, when a Stranger comes to town, a character whose presence causes Greendale to, well, go to hell... she finds herself on a mystical and mythical journey. To face the Stranger, she'll unearth the secrets of her family in a political coming-of-age story infused with it's own kind of magic. I had a chance to flip through a preview copy of one of these, and it looks incredible. I haven't had a chance to sit down with the book, and read it, but even for me, someone who's not a HUGE Neil Young fan, I thought it was pretty awesome looking. Click here to read more about NEIL YOUNG'S GREENDALE GNavailable this Wednesday at Third Eye! X-MEN SECOND COMING CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY IN UNCANNY X-MEN #525 *X-MEN SECOND COMING CHAPTER 10* and X-MEN HELLBOUND #2 *X-MEN SECOND COMING REVELATIONS TIE-IN* HOW DOES SECOND COMING GET MORE AWESOME? BY OPENING A TIME PORTAL TO THE "DAYS OF FUTURE PAST" TIME PERIOD AND POURING NIMROD SENTINELS INTO THE PRESENT! It was so weird not having an X-MEN SECOND COMING Chapter to look forward to last week... it was like an empty hole was drilled into our souls. That's how good SECOND COMING has been. When we don't get our fix, it feels like we're empty. :) Seriously though, SECOND COMING has been the absolute best X-MEN storyline we've read in a long time... years, and years, and with this book, we've really gotten that old feeling we used to get when the X-MEN were on top of the world, and it was their books that delivered some of the biggest thrills each month. Anyways, for those of you who aren't already reading SECOND COMING, you can click here to go view our official THIRD EYE SECOND COMING EVENT CHECKLIST (of which we have all the chapters in stock currently) and also read a brief synopsis of what SECOND COMING is and why it kicks ass. For those of you already in the know, you're as eager as I am to get your hands on this week's newest issue of SECOND COMING, and I can't blame you. They left us on a cliffhanger a couple weeks back, and things are heating up way too much to be letting us go a week without a new chapter of SECOND COMING! Wanna know what's awesome? There's a freakin' portal to the DAYS OF FUTURE PAST timeline, and it's pouring Nimrod sentinels out into the present. It's up to Cable, Cypher, and X-Force to make a suicide mission into the future and destroy the portal.. but are they gonna succeed? Click here for a preview of UNCANNY X-MEN #525 Also, don't sleep on the HELLBOUND mini-series tying into the X-MEN SECOND COMING. Not only is the writing and art on this one kick-ass, but it features Magik returning to Limbo, and the X-MEN trying to prevent all Hell from breaking loose! And, look at that cover... yup, it's the X-MEN vs. DEATH - literally! And, that's exactly who you think it is, folks. Click here for a preview of X-MEN SECOND COMING: HELLBOUND #2 *X-MEN SECOND COMING REVELATIONS TIE-IN* IRREDEEMABLE VOLUME 4 TRADE PAPERBACK HITS THIS WEDNESDAY! ARE YOU READING IRREDEEMABLE? THE MOST WHACKED-OUT, INNOVATIVE NEW SUPERHERO BOOK ON THE STANDS... EVER WONDER WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF SUPERMAN WENT COMPLETELY INSANE AND BEGAN KILLING THE WORLD? READ IRREDEEMABLE! One of the best damn comics currently on the stands here at Third Eye is Mark Waid's IRREDEEMABLE. And, one of the other best damn comics on the stands is Mark Waid's INCORRUPTIBLE, but for right now, we're going to talk about IRREDEEMABLE, and why it rules. First off, Waid is on point here, he's writing some of the best material of his career, and is delivering a very fresh and innovative voice to the world of comics right now. The stories he's telling in the world of IRREDEEMABLE are fresh, they crackle with raw, post-modern superhero energy, but at the same time they invoke a sense of respect and knowledge entrenched deep in the standards of comic book history. It's part of that sense of respect for what came before that makes IRREDEEMABLE such a freakin' great read. You get this immense sense of depth for this world, and it feels like Waid could continue to tell the stories of each and every super-powered individual in this world for years... that is if the Plutonian would stop killing 'em off. And, that brings us to the star of the show in IRREDEEMABLE, the Plutonian. The Plutonian is your basic superman arch-type. The visitor from another world. The man with too much power. So naive, so innocent, and so intent on saving the world that he loses himself in the process. Throughout the course of Irredeemable, we're shown flashbacks and plot twists that reveal each slight crack and fracture that led to the eventual breakdown of the Plutonian and his ongoing murder spree. Basically, imagine this: Superman, after years of being sold out by his allies, rejected by normal people, held up on a throne of adoration but then criticized for being unable to fix EVERYTHING... he snaps.. and he starts burning cities, sinking continents, and hunting down the families of his fellow Justice League members. That's essentially how IRREDEEMABLE begins. But, there's so much depth to IRREDEEMABLE that it goes way beyond the old Superman gone bad arch-type. We're introduced to characters, we see them built up through the series, and we learn that the Plutonian may not be the most evil human being alive, and that nearly all of these powerful beings are susceptible to the corruption of absolute power. And, this week, IRREDEEMABLE gets it's third collected edition, and we know that a lot of you guys enjoy following this one in TPB, so we figured we'd give it a shout out. It does read very well in trade, I gotta admit. So, make sure you grab your own slab of IRREDEEMABLE awesomeness this Wednesday. Now, for those of you not reading IRREDEEMABLE, do yourself a favor and snag a copy of IRREDEEMABLE v.1 for only $9.99 this week at Third Eye. Trust us, it's good. It's really good. Probably some of the most fascinating stuff being done with superheroes since The Authority and Planetary. META 4 #1 DEBUTS A NEW IMAGE LIMITED SERIES THAT DELIVERS SOME MAD SCIENCE AWESOMENESS THIS WEDNESDAY! Here's one that looked pretty cool, but I'm still kind of unclear on the full premise of it, but hey, sometimes that's most of the fun! Meta 4 is by Ted McKeever, who did a TON of stuff in the late '80s and '90s. His style of art and writing is very much in tune with the hey-day of '90s Vertigo comics, and with his scratchy sometimes nightmarish visuals, McKeever's work always had a unique place on the shelf. This Wednesday debuts the release of the first full on McKeever project in a while, with META 4. Meta 4 is a five issue "allegorical series" that involves both a crazy astronaut, and Gasolina, a muscular woman who dresses up as Santa all year around. Folks, this one is whacked out, but it looks pretty freakin' cool. Give it a peek this Wednesday at Third Eye! Click here for a preview of META 4 #1 ASTONISHING X-MEN XENOGENESIS #2HITS THIS WEDNESDAY AND FOLLOWS UP ON THE KILLER FIRST ISSUE OF WARREN ELLIS & KAARE ANDREW'S NEW ASTONISHING X-MEN LIMITED SERIES! The first issue of last month's ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS did a great job of setting up the story, and getting me hooked. And, luckily, they didn't keep me waiting too long, 'cause Marvel hooked us up with an advance of this week's issue #2.. and this little mini-series is kickin' ass, folks. I gotta tell you, the second issue smokes. Ellis has found his perfect X-Men artist in Kaare Andrews, and Kaare Andrews art is the perfect match for Ellis's quirky science-driven superhero storytelling. What is ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS? Well, way back when Whedon ended his EPIC ASTONISHING X-MEN run and Warren Ellis was set to take over... this is the X-Men comic that I EXPECTED to happen, and instead we got something wasn't quite this good. What made the fist issue of XENOGENESIS so good is the same thing that made Whedon's run so memorable - incredible characterization and razor-sharp dialogue. Ellis GETS the characters here, and the addition of Kaare Andrews on art helps him explore his high concepts. Anyways, XENOGENESIS'S set-up is a standard, but due to Ellis's unique touch, very creepy new thing. Mutants are being born at a startling clip in a small African village, and it's up to the X-Men to discover what the heck is really going on, and why the infants' mutant powers are kicking in at such a ridiculously young age. The real hook is how Ellis brings his own mad science twist to mutant powers, showing different mutations like a boneless baby born with speech, and of course, the huge opening of the baby that blew up half a city. From there, we're thrown into a good ol' fashioned X-Men story where the X-Men have a problem, they gotta solve it, and some whacked out stuff is gonna happen in between all of this. These events all take place outside of what's currently happening right now in SECOND COMING, but they are in continuity, just it hasn't been made clear if this is pre-SECOND COMING or post-SECOND COMING. All in all, if you dig the X-Men, pick up ASTONISHING X-MEN XENOGENESIS 1 and 2 this Wednesday. We still have plenty of the first issue in stock to get you caught up, and with Ellis's crazy good writing and Andrews's fantastic artwork, you're gonna really dig it. Click here for a preview of ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS #2 "THE GOON" CREATOR ERIC POWELL DEBUTS A BRAND NEW BOOK THIS WEDNESDAY WITH BUZZARD #1 We can't let a new Eric Powell book show up, and NOT say something about it. I mean,The Goon's one of our faves here, and Chimichanga has been a blast too. Anyhow, this new mini-series features the mysterious stranger known only as Buzzard, shows us how he is a lost soul, and wondering just what manner of creature he is after his showdown with the loathsome Zombie Priest during Goon Year. Buzzard's on a dark path to a village living in fear of crazy werewolf-like savages that hunt the villagers and drag them from their beds at night to a bloody death. Plus, Eric Powell revives his Billy the Kid's Old Timey Oddities short stories as a back-up feature. More Eric Powell goodness? We're all about it. Dude's art is some of the freshest, and most exciting stuff out there these days. SHRAPNEL: HUBRIS #1 DELIVERS GIANT MECH-BATTLE MADNESS AND MORE SPACE MARINES THAN A WARHAMMER 40K CAMPAIGN! RADICAL COMICS DOES IT AGAIN! The fine crew at RADICAL COMICS has proven one thing over the last few years: they always deliver the goods, and with SHRAPNEL: HUBRIS, the follow-up to their original SHRAPNEL: ARTESIA RISING story, they're looking to knock it out of the park again with another round of killer art, killer story, and killer production values. The concept is pretty simple.. giant mechs, intergalactic war, space marines, the colonization of Venus.. but, it's the exectuion that makes Shrapnel stand out as a kick-ass read. Click here for a preview of SHRAPNEL: HUBRIS #1 STAFF PICKS Steve - BRIGHTEST DAY #3 = This series keeps getting better, and better. Just when I'm like, ok, they're not gonna top that last one... they get me again, jeez! Trish - I,ZOMBIE #2 = I think I might have a new favorite book. The first issue was good, but this second issue really set things up nice. A zombie chick that has to eat brains once a month to keep from going bloodthirsty? too cool Torma - AVENGERS PRIME #1 = Bigger than life and awesome read. The writing was great and Alan Davis was the perfect choice to illustrate this one. Matt - BULLETPROOF COFFIN #1 = Awesome artwork and bizarre surrealist tributes paid to the oddity days of Golden Age comics.