THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR *THURSDAY* 7/8/10

X-MEN DAY LAUNCH PARTY THIS THURSDAY 7/8/10 TO CELEBRATE THE RELEASE OF THE BRAND NEW X-MEN #1 *CURSE OF THE MUTANTS* THIRD EYE MUST BUY ONGOING SERIES! GREAT JUMPING ON POINT FOR NEW X-MEN READERS! This Thursday marks the release of something we haven't seen in nearly two decades, a brand new top tier ongoing X-MEN series. And, folks, judging from how well Marvel has the X-Men back on point with X-MEN SECOND COMING, this could not have come at a better time. It's pretty awesome to see Marvel's merry mutants back in the spotlight after a long absence, and this new ongoing X-MEN series provides the perfect jumping on point for those of you who've been getting curious about the X-MEN with all the buzz of SECOND COMING and all that. A brand new story begins here, and it delivers for new and old fans alike. So, in conjunction with MARVEL, we're going to be hosting the official X-MEN DAY Launch Party for the brand new series this Thursday. We'll be delivering all the killer stuff mentioned on the flyer above, but in addition, we're going to have some other stuff going on as well, here's the rundown: THIRD EYE X-MEN DAY PARTY Get a FREE limited edition print by series artist, PACO MEDINA, when you purchase X-MEN #1 (available while supplies last!) Get the exclusive X-MEN DAY PARTY variant cover to X-MEN #1 (supplies limited, get here early!) ALL X-MEN and X-Related Graphic Novels 25% OFF - INCLUDING ANY TPBs/HCs featuring X-MEN characters, like WOLVERINE solo stuff (can we say OLD MAN LOGAN? :) ), HOUSE OF M, and more! Trish's homebaked X-MEN Cupcakes... worth the trip alone! :) NOW LETS TALK ABOUT X-MEN #1, WHAT IT'S ABOUT, AND WHY YOU MUST READ THIS BOOK! Okay, so for the last year or so, Marvel has really been building their line of X-Titles back up, and it's all kind of come to a head with the INCREDIBLE epic crossover, SECOND COMING. Now, with SECOND COMING nearing it's conclusion, the X-MEN books have been pretty much primed for a fresh start, and a new direction to welcome many of you back to the fold, since it's no secret that a lot of people fell off of X-MEN over the last ten years due to inconsistent storylines, and a lack of cohesiveness to that end of the Marvel Universe. Good news though: the X-Men books are better than they've been right now than in almost a decade. The only stuff that comes close to what's been going on in the X-Books this summer was Whedon's incredible run on ASTONISHING, and Morrison's reinvention of the characters in NEW X-MEN. Otherwise, this is probably some of the best damn X-MEN stuff we've seen in a very long time. And, this week, X-MEN #1 is the book that's set to welcome a lot of lapsed X-Fans back into the ranks. It's a fresh start, and serves as a perfect jumping on point to the new direction of the X-Books, as well as a nice new chapter to follow up on the conclusion of SECOND COMING. But, most important: it's really freakin' good. Marvel was kind enough to send us an advance copy of this, and I sat down with it late Saturday night, zoned out to some Guided by Voices, and devoured this book. That's how much I enjoyed it. Why? 'Cause it's everything about the X-Men that you love and remember, much like SECOND COMING delivers that bigger-than-life epic sense of life or death that X-MEN books were known for at their height, this new X-MEN series provides the same kind of excitement, and tightly focused characterization that we loved about the X-Books when we were younger. Taking it's cue from SECOND COMING, this one seems to be focusing heavily on the characters that we CARE about. In other words, it's the big guns, and the fan-favorites. Wolverine, Jubilee, Cyclops, fan-favorite Pixie, Colossus, and more. And, this, is where I really think the secret recipe of a good X-Men book lies: the team roster. I mean, lets face it, how often do we see an X-Men line-up get watered down with has-beens, and never-weres.. characters that we could care less about, but for some reason, we've gotta deal with. And, ever since SECOND COMING began, Marvel has gotten away from that, and instead focused on giving everyone what they want: the iconic X-Men lineups. Overall, the book is a fantastic read, and writer Victor Gischler (mostly known for his work on crime novels) and artist Paco Medina (the rising star that kicked off the ongoing Deadpool series) deliver big-time. Now, lets get onto talking about the plot. What is the first story arc of this new X-MEN series about? Well, many of you know from last week when picking up the DEATH OF DRACULA one-shot, that the Marvel Universe is about to start dealing with a full-scale Vampire infestation. And, again, after reading both DEATH OF DRACULA and X-MEN SECOND COMING, we gotta say... the Marvel Vampires are pretty damn cool now. I've always had a soft spot for the old Gene Colan Tomb of Dracula stuff, but, I've never been a major fan of Marvel's more supernatural lot... but, that's all changed with the way that Marvel has re-invented this corner of their Marvel Universe. The Marvel vampires are BAD-ASS. Anyways, so we have a legion of undead, and their first target? The X-Men, and mutantkind. Why? Well, their motives are still mysterious, but we feel that part of it might be the extremely small numbers of the mutants, however, without giving any spoilers many of the vampires motivations are hinted at and somewhat revealed in last week's DEATH OF DRACULA one-shot (still in stock here at Third Eye!) Now, I don't want to ruin how the book starts, 'cause it's a GREAT beginning to the storyline, so I won't get into specifics. But, I will say this: if you thought SECOND COMING was going to bring major changes to characters, then wait'll you see CURSE OF THE MUTANTS. Mutants being infected with the vampire disease? It makes for a very dangerous combo. Final Verdict: This one is a definite THIRD EYE MUST BUY, folks, so c'mon in on Thursday, and pick it up at the X-MEN DAY Party! Plus, you'll get to have cupcakes with us. :) Click here for a preview of X-MEN #1 *CURSE OF THE MUTANTS PT 1* Click here for the official THIRD EYE X-MEN: CURSE OF THE MUTANTS Checklist Click here for the THIRD EYE X-MEN SECOND COMING CHECKLIST, we currently have all of the chapters in stock, so you can still jump on board of one of this summer's hottest storylines! BATMAN AND ROBIN #13 *RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE TIE-IN* THIRD EYE MUST BUY ARRIVES CONTINUING THE SAGA OF THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE IN THE PRESENT! THE HIGHLY AWAITED NEW ARC BEGINS NOW! Is this the Return of Thomas Wayne, Bruce Wayne's thought to be dead father? After the rapid fire release of issues 10, 11 and 12, it felt like an eternity waiting for #13, but I guess it has only been a little over a month. This is a testament to how awesome Grant Morrison's BATMAN AND ROBIN series is. It's the best damn Batman series we've seen in a long time, and combined with what's spun out of it in the pages of RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, this run is going to go down as a major classic for years to come. This week the next installment in Morrison's epic BATMAN AND ROBIN series kicks off, running parallel to the events occurring in RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE. After the huge reveal of the Gravedigger's identity as the Joker was shown in BATMAN AND ROBIN #12, we're being thrown headfirst into the story of Thomas Wayne and his connection to our currently lost-in-time Caped Crusader. From what we've read, it looks like Bruce Wayne's father, Thomas Wayne, the catalyst for the entire identity of Batman, has returned after having been thought to be dead for over 20 years, and he's got one hell of a tale to tell.. oh, and he's claiming the entire Wayne family fortune too, how about that? And, then there's also the hint that this issue heralds the return of the ultimate Batman villain, which combined with the cover to issue #13, the ending of issue #12, and the whole "ultimate Batman villain" tagline.. we can only assume the Joker is back in full force. And, it's been a long time since we've seen the Joker done as well as Grant Morrison's been doing him in his recent works. Are you not reading BATMAN AND ROBIN? Folks, I know I've been over this before, but if you're not yet reading BATMAN AND ROBIN, you have got to get on board with this one. It's probably the most exciting, and innovative take on the Caped Crusader that we've seen in nearly twenty years. What's the scoop? Well, in the aftermath of BATMAN: RIP, Bruce Wayne is missing in action, and someone has to make sure the presence of Batman remains... and that someone is Dick Grayson, who, along with Batman's recently discovered son, Damian, are the Batman and Robin the title of the series refers to. Morrison has managed to breathe fresh new life into Gotham City, introducing twisted, new homicidal villains that could be Rogues Gallery favorites for years to come, as well as bringing a whole new dynamic to the Batman and Robin concept. The Dick Grayson Batman brings his own attitude, which is admittedly a bit lighter than Bruce's, but also carrying his own burden dealing with the loss of his own father figure, Bruce Wayne. And, Damian, who we hated at first, has grown into one of the most interesting Robins yet, as we see him adopting Grayson as an almost surrogate father figure since he never really knew his real father, Bruce Wayne, to begin with. Top notch art, top notch story, this one has remained a consistent top of the stack favorite since it's launch with issue #1, and we could not recommend it enough. If you're interested in jumping in, issue #1 is a completely fresh start, and a great jumping on point, and we currently have ALL the back issues in stock (issues #1-#12) to get you caught up. Or ,if you'd prefer, you can pick up the killer deluxe hardcover collection of BATMAN AND ROBIN 1-6, which we also keep in stock as well. For those of you already on board, we know you'll be pumped to snag BATMAN AND ROBIN #13 this week. Click here to read more about BATMAN AND ROBIN #13 *RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE TIE-IN* THE MARVEL SLEEPER EVENT OF THE SUMMER KICKS OFF THIS THURSDAY IN SHADOWLAND #1 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY*... DO NOT MISS THIS ONE, READ THE ADVANCE, AND TRUST US, FOLKS: DAREDEVIL, SPIDER-MAN, IRON FIST, LUKE CAGE, AND THE REST OF NYC'S MARVEL CHARACTERS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME! HOLY CRAP. I read the advance copy of issue #1 of this, and dude, if you're a Marvel fan, this is a must-read. It was really, really good. A lot of you are probably wondering where the hell this whole Shadowland thing has come from, and what it's all about, and trust me, I'm about to get into all of that, but before I go any further: make sure you don't miss this book this Wednesday. Even if you've never been a big Daredevil fan, or if it's been years since you've read Daredevil, you're going to want to read this book, 'cause it delivers big on several different angles. That's all I can say without dropping any major spoilers. Now, lets talk about WHAT Shadowland is: Shadowland is a five issue limited series which centers around Daredevil, and many other street-level Marvel characters like Moon Knight, Spider-man, Iron Fist, Luke Cage, the Punisher, and more. The story is spinning out of recent events in the Daredevil title where Matt Murdock has taken on a leadership role with THE HAND. Many of the Marvel characters that operate out of NYC are beginning to question Murdock's role as leader of the Hand, and the direction he's been heading since basically taking over the criminal organization in an attempt to control it and keep it from consuming Hell's Kitchen. A big focus of the story is Shadowland, a prison/temple constructed on the ruins of a Hell's Kitchen building destroyed (along with numerous lives) by Bullseye during Dark Reign (in the DARK REIGN DAREDEVIL THE LIST one-shot, now available in trade paperback THE LIST in stock at Third Eye). Now that the construction of this giant prison has been built, it's caused quite a bit of alarm for many Marvel heroes. The area of it has become a protectorate of the Hand as Murdock is trying to mold this international organization of assassins and criminals into a force for justice. And so far, he's been doing a good job; the streets of Hell's Kitchen have never been safer, and crime has all but disappeared. Now, at first, DD's allies, like Spidey, Iron Fist ,Wolverine, Luke Cage, Elektra, and Cap, as well as the more eccentric ones like Punisher and Moon Knight, are totally okay with this. They trust his decisions at first, and want to see this work. I mean, after everything Daredevil has been through, all the loved ones he's lost, the trial about his identity, if anyone has the intestinal fortitude to bend a criminal organization into something respectable, it's him. But, then Daredevil returns from Japan, and things have changed. The trip he's taken has shown him some truths about enemies that are in his midst, and now he's ready to cross the lines and boundaries that many of his allies feared he would. And, what springs from this, envelops the consciousness of the super hero community of New York City in short order, and the Man Without Fear will find himself with some unexpected enemies and allies, many of whom may switch sides before the event concludes with a climax that promises to change how the Marvel Universes, and Daredevil himself, for a very long time. My thoughts? I read the advance of issue #1, and I thought it was fantastic. This event has not received a lot of hype, and I think once issue #1 drops, it's going to roar up out of nowhere, and take us all by storm, because of some of what goes down in the first issue. I mean, I got the same feeling reading the first issue of SHADOWLAND that I got from reading the first issue of CIVIL WAR. And, it almost feels like this is a grittier, darker twist on the CIVIL WAR concept but set against the backdrop of NEW YORK CITY. I really can't talk too much about what happens in the first issue, because the surprises are great, what I can say is that it's very well-written, and Billy Tan's artwork has never looked better. And... someone bites the dust. That's all I'll say. Click here for a preview of SHADOWLAND #1 Click here for the official THIRD EYE SHADOWLAND Checklist BLACKEST NIGHT HARDCOVER ARRIVES THIS THURSDAY! RESERVE A COPY NOW TO PICK UP THIS WEEK, AND RECEIVE A FULL SET OF LANTERN RINGS (while supplies last!) ALSO ARRIVING THIS WEEK: BLACKEST NIGHT GREEN LANTERN HARDCOVER & BLACKEST NIGHT GREEN LANTERN CORP HARDCOVER! CHECK OUT OUR PACKAGE DEAL FOR ALL THREE BELOW, SAVE 15%! Without a doubt, THE comic event of 2009 was BLACKEST NIGHT. This was one of the best things we'd read in years, and Geoff Johns and DC Comics both delivered big time on it. I mean, it really blew us away. And, we know that many of you have been eagerly awaiting the graphic novels collecting the BLACKEST NIGHT saga. Well, you're gonna be stoked to know that this Thursday, you'll be getting the BIG 3 of the bunch with BLACKEST NIGHT GREEN LANTERN (collecting GREEN LANTERN #43-#52), BLACKEST NIGHT GREEN LANTERN CORPS (collecting GREEN LANTERN CORPS #39-#47), and the big kahuna... BLACKEST NIGHT HARDCOVER (collecting BLACKEST NIGHT #0-#8) We've got some specials we'll be running to celebrate the release of these this week, so check it out: RESERVE A COPY OF BLACKEST NIGHT HARDCOVER FOR PICK-UP THIS WEEK and GET A FULL SET OF LANTERN RINGS - Shoot us an e-mail, give us a call, or just pop in the shop, and put your name on the list for us to reserve you a copy of the BLACKEST NIGHT hardcover, and you'll receive a full set of Lantern rings (all 9 colors!), while supplies last, so get your reserves in asap! BLACKEST NIGHT HC PACKAGE DEAL - PURCHASE ALL THREE HARDCOVERS (GL, GL CORPS and BLACKEST NIGHT), AND RECEIVE 15% OFF EACH HARDCOVER! - We know that a lot of you are going to want to go ahead and just snag all three of these bad boys, considering they're the BIG trinity of the whole BLACKEST NIGHT event, and for this week only, when you purchase BLACKEST NIGHT: GREEN LANTERN, BLACKEST NIGHT GREEN LANTERN CORPS, and BLACKEST NIGHT all at once, you'll receive 15% off each hardcover. Now, you've heard us ranting, and raving about the BLACKEST NIGHT for over a year, so we won't go into our fanboy ravings, instead I'll give you those of you who haven't read BLACKEST NIGHT a quick rundown on what the event was about. What is BLACKEST NIGHT? Blackest Night is the culmination of the Lantern Corps that've been splitting off into their own color/emotional spectrum Corps. Yellow Lanterns were the first, followed by the Red, and the Orange, and so forth, and so forth. The storyline was first referenced at the end of the SINESTRO CORPS WAR (available in trade paperback here at Third Eye). The story focuses on Nekron, as the leader of the Black Lantern Corps, and Black Rings unleashing on the galaxy, resurrecting every dead DCU character you can think of. Essentially, you see everybody from Aquaman and the Anti-Monitor to Dick Grayson's parents, the Flying Graysons, resurrected as vengeful zombied out Lanterns who feed off of emotion, and rip the hearts out of their prey. The story has some extremely cool moments, including the debut of the "Deputy Lanterns", where DC characters are given rings, like Scarecrow receiving a Yellow ring, Luthor an Orange ring, Wonder Woman a Star Sapphire ring, and so on. This event basically set the stage for everything that's going on now in the DCU, and if you're looking for the one graphic novel you must read this summer... folks, BLACKEST NIGHT is it! These babies are going to go fast, so get your reserves in! THIRD EYE MUST BUY: SCARLET #1 - HARDCORE CRIME NOIR AWESOMENESS FROM BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS & ALEX MALEEV (creative team on SPIDER-WOMAN, and the now-classic DAREDEVIL run) - THIS ONE'S A MUST READ! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOR FANS OF INCOGNITO, CRIMINAL, SPIDER-WOMAN, ALIAS, and JINX DMZ meets CRIMINAL! When this one was first announced over Winter/early Spring, I really got stoked. Bendis and Maleev, in my opinion, did one of the best Daredevil runs ever, and had it completely drenched in gritty, crime noir-infused drama and intrigue. And, then when they returned with Spider-woman, which proved itself to be a very strong cult hit here, delivering that unique mix of crime noir, espionage and strong characterization, I was hooked again. Now, Bendis and Maleev are launching their first creator-owned series together under the ICON imprint, and man, I'm pumped. This is the series these two guys were born to make, and just by the subject matter and creators attached, I can already tell this one is going to kick ass. SCARLET is a new ongoing creator-owned series on the Marvel ICON imprint (Responsible for books like NEMESIS, KICK-ASS, ect). The book is a complete change of pace from most of what Bendis has been doing for the last few years, and honestly, while I love me some Marvel Madness Bendis, his best stuff has always been the crime-noir and grittier stuff. The book is a real world crime fiction story that's very much in line with something like CRIMINAL, INCOGNITO, 100 BULLETS, JINX, or SIN CITY. The story focuses on the lead character, a woman named Scarlet, who finds herself forced into a situation where she has to take it upon herself to fight against what she believes is a broken world that has ruined her. And that sparks a modern day American revolution. While the book is not a political book, it does mess around with the concepts of how every day normal citizens do things that are considered radical, and how those things are usually swept under the rug by the media. The sense I get from how the books been described is it sounds like a very cool cross between Brian Wood's fantastic DMZ series, Ed Brubaker's CRIMINAL, and Bendis's own ALIAS, JINX, and GOLDFISH books. A really hardboiled crime-action series that has a little bit of a political edge to it. I've seen some advance pages of the book, and I can say that it's VIOLENT, CLEVER, and pretty damn awesome. I'd highly recommend checking it out, especially if you're into stuff that's a little bit off the beaten path. Just judging from the track record that Bendis and Maleev have with this kind of genre, you know it's going to be fantastic. Click here to read an interview with BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS about SCARLET BATMAN: ODYSSEY #1 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* HERALDS THE RETURN OF THE LEGENDARY BATMAN ARTIST, NEAL ADAMS, WITH THIS INCREDIBLE NEW 6-ISSUE LIMITED SERIES! IF YOU'RE A BATMAN FAN, THEN YOU GOTTA READ THIS ONE! A NEW BATMAN EPIC BY THE LEGENDARY ARTIST WHO INFLUENCED JIM LEE! This one's kind of a big deal. Ah, what the hell am I saying? This one IS a major BIG DEAL. It's Neal Adams returning to freakin' Batman, the character that he pretty much redefined way back in the day. Folks, without Neal Adams, it's very possible that Batman may have remained stuck in the very Adam West-esque style he had been in before Adams came on. It was Neal Adams who gave Batman the darker direction, the more solemn and noble Caped Crusader guise, and truly took Batman from Batman to the Dark Knight that we all know today. And, to see Adams returning to Batman.. well, this is a big deal. I honestly never expected to see it, but MAN, I am glad it's happening. Kicking off this Thursday, BATMAN ODYSSEY is a 6 issue limited series that basically serves as Neal Adams's 21st Century Batman story. Set outside of normal continuity (from what we can gather), this one focuses on The Dark Knight as he faces a series of seemingly unrelated challenges as villains and allies old and new push him to his limits like never before. After Batman discovers a dark and mysterious matrix being superimposed over his life, what sort of life-changing voyage must he embark on to escape from this powerful and insidious force? Considering Adams is the guy who redefined the Caped Crusader once before, created characters like Ras Ah Ghul, and more, and is just plain awesome, you know this one is going to be as epic as can be. Plus, Neal Adams art has just grown and grown, and he remains as one of the best artists working in the medium.. I mean, this is the guy who influenced Jim Lee. So, you know it's going to look just as good as it reads. AVENGERS: CHILDREN'S CRUSADE #1 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* - THE ORIGINAL CREATORS OF THE YOUNG AVENGERS RETURN WITH ALLEN HEINBERG AND JIMMY CHEUNG KICKING OFF THIS INCREDIBLE LOOKING NEW MAXISERIES! There is so much good stuff coming out this week! Holy cow! One of the best books of this past decade, in my opinion, was Marvel's original 12 issue YOUNG AVENGERS series. This one kicked off right after the now-classic AVENGERS DISASSEMBLED, and I remember when they first showed the promo pieces for it, I was completely expecting it to suck. And, then the book came out, and holy crap, was it good. Writing, art, everything was a homerun, and I was hooked. Unfortunately, the series ended at issue #12, mostly due in part to some delays. There were a few attempts at doing more stuff with the YOUNG AVENGERS, but nobody ever really got the characters like Heinberg and Cheung, and nothing ever really stood out as classic as their run. Now, beginning this Thursday, the original creative team of YOUNG AVENGERS returns, HEINBERG and CHEUNG, and dude, judging from the preview of this one, it's going to be just as good, if not better than the original YOUNG AVENGERS run. What's also pretty rad about this is that it ties in with current Marvel events as well, and serves as a fresh entry point for those of you who've never read YOUNG AVENGERS before in your life. This series does a great job of re-introducing the characters, and kicking off the next chapter in the YOUNG AVENGERS saga. Also, it looks like this'll be where we see the Scarlet Witch really making her return after kind of floating in and out of many series since House of M. So, what's the plot on this one? When Wiccan's reality-altering powers begin to rival those of the Scarlet Witch, he sets out on a quest to find her that's going to take him across the entire Marvel Universe, and puts him head to head with both the Avengers and the Young Avengers. But, is Wiccan's desire to solve the mystery of his parentage going to be his salvation or his undoing? That's what we're going to find out. To get the back story on the YOUNG AVENGERS, and who they are, click here. To check out a preview of AVENGERS CHILDRENS CRUSADE #1, clickhere. "INVINCIBLE IRON MAN" writer MATT FRACTION & "DAYTRIPPER" WRITER/ARTISTS GABRIEL BA & FABIO MOON DEBUT THEIR CREATOR-OWNED SERIES, CASANOVA THIS THURSDAY! Another kick-ass book hits this week in the form of CASANOVA from the incredibly talented MATT FRACTION (INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE) and GABRIEL BA & FABIO MOON (DAYTRIPPER, UMBRELLA ACADEMY). Casanova is an incredible piece of comic book goodness, delivering an intriguing, high concept kinda story that blends perfectly with some of the most surreal, and gorgeous artwork you're gonna see. I mean, look at the names attached to this one folks.. you've got Matt Fraction, who pretty much has reinvented Iron Man in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, not to mention his fantastic work on books like IRON FIST and FIVE FISTS OF SCIENCE, then you've got Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, the duo responsible for the hit Vertigo series DAYTRIPPER. I mean, this book can't be anything but good with names like that attached. What is Casanova? Casanova centers upon renowned thief Casanova Quinn, who gets blackmailed into being a pawn and double agent in a global game of super-espionage. The first issue kicks off by introducing us to Casanova Quinn, Cass is a freelance thief and espionage artist who has turned his back on the rest of the Quinn family. His father, Cornelius, runs the world-spanning spy organization E.M.P.I.R.E, and his sister, Zephyr, is a top agent. Cass is the black sheep of the family. From there, I can't say anymore, 'cause I don't want to ruin the read. The book is fantastic, and I highly recommend giving it a go if you like trippy, high-concept sci-fi/espionage stuff. Click here for a preview of CASANOVA #1 BRIGHTEST DAY CONTINUES THIS WEEK WITH BRIGHTEST DAY #5 and BRIGHTEST DAY: THE ATOM SPECIAL! The BRIGHTEST DAY keeps on rolling this Thursday with the release of BRIGHTEST DAY #5. I've been really enjoying the series so far, and I'm pumped to see where things go next. It looks like in this issue, we're going to see Deadman discovering the truth behind the formation of the White Lantern and what it means to the twelve returnees, as well as the rest of the DCU as a whole. Plus, we're beginning to see the price that Aquaman, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, Hawkgirl and Firestorm must all pay for their resurrections and why they may be doing more harm than good being back amongst the living. Not reading BRIGHTEST DAY? Brightest Day is a DC maxiseries that is essentially DCU Rebirth, and the follow up to last year's mega-hit BLACKEST NIGHT event. Geoff Johns is spearheading the series, and has officially dubbed it as the Rebirth of the DCU. If it's been a while since you've read any DC stuff, or if you're a huge fan who keeps up to date on everything, then BRIGHTEST DAY is the perfect spot for both. It's a great entry point for a new direction in the DCU. Click here to read the official BRIGHTEST DAY wikipedia entry to get the full rundown on BRIGHTEST DAY. Click here for the official THIRD EYE BRIGHTEST DAY CHECKLIST (Checklist PT 2 coming soon!) BRIGHTEST DAY THE ATOM #1 one-shot by JEFF LEMIRE (creator of the killer new Vertigo series, SWEET TOOTH!) DEBUTS THIS THURSDAY! One of the more interesting things to come out of BRIGHTEST DAY is the recent return to prominence of Ray Palmer. This is a character that has really been through some ups and downs since IDENTITY CRISIS went down, and has really turned into a compelling, and interesting character. Now, what's even more interesting than that is that the reigns of the new Atom series have been handed to the one and only JEFF LEMIRE, the man responsible for indie hits like ESSEX COUNTY, and the current Vertigo favorite, SWEET TOOTH. It looks like Lemire is going to really be playing up the whole unlikely superhero aspect of the Atom, and we really think that his style of writing is perfect for such a quirky character. Looking forward to checking this one out on Thursday! STEVE ROGERS SUPER SOLDIER #1 from ED BRUBAKER (writer of SECRET AVENGERS and CAPTAIN AMERICA) and DAVE EAGLESHAM KICKS OFF THIS KILLER MINI-SERIES EXPLORING STEVE ROGER'S ROLE IN A MARVEL UNIVERSE WHERE HE'S NO LONGER CAPTAIN AMERICA! The Heroic Age has delivered a lot of really rad stuff so far, but one of the characters that I think has benefited the most from the Heroic Age has been Steve Rogers, aka, Captain America. Of course, in the post-Siege, post-Dark Reign Marvel Universe, Steve Rogers is no longer seen as Captain America; Bucky is still rocking the suit and the mantle. No, Steve Rogers has essentially taken Nick Fury's position as the go-to guy for the security of the world as a whole. And, now, the talented SECRET AVENGERS scribe, ED BRUBAKER, is bringing us this killer four issue mini-series which expands upon and explores Steve Rogers's place in the Marvel Universe now that he is no longer Captain America. This one picks up right where Siege has left off, with the government telling Cap that there is a role for him in the Marvel Universe. This series follows Rogers as he investigates a mystery connected to the Super Soldier program that created his abilities. It's probably the first time in a LONG while that we've actually been able to see a story that has focused solely on the character of Captain America and Steve Rogers since he was originally killed off in Captain America #25. Really, it looks like we're going to see the definition of Steve Roger's post-Captain America role laid out in this mini-series, and with how cool he's been running around in books like SECRET AVENGERS and the like, we're pretty damn pumped for it. I read an interview with Brubaker about the series, and he also compared it to kind of a James Bond take on Steve Rogers, and the movie is given a very realistic, gritty, hardcore tone. A kind of high industrial, real world espionage flavor you know. All in all, I read the advance of this one already, and it's freakin' cool. Highly recommend checking it out! Click here for a preview of STEVE ROGERS SUPER SOLDIER #1 *HEROIC AGE* HELLBOY: THE STORM #1 LAUNCHES THE FINAL CHAPTER IN THE CURRENT LINE-UP OF KILLER HELLBOY TALES THAT BEGAN IN DARKNESS CALLS, AND CONTINUED IN WILD HUNT! It's always good times when we see a new Hellboy series kick off here at Third Eye. This week Mignola and Fegredo begin the final chapter of their killer saga that began with DARKNESS CALLS, and continued in THE WILD HUNT. HELLBOY: The Storm begins this week, and explores what happens when some historically important corpses wind up missing and how it connects to an ever-growing assembly of evil that Hellboy has been encountering. It's the kind of scenario that just adds fuel to the fire when ol' Hellboy is trying to you know, prevent the apocalypse here. Click here for a preview of HELLBOY: THE STORM #1 HIT-MONKEY #1 - WHO DOESN'T WANT MORE HIT-MONKEY? EVERYONE'S FAVORITE BANANA-EATING ASSASSIN RETURNS IN THIS 3-ISSUE LIMITED SERIES! Ladies and gentlemen, just when you thought you'd no longer have some Hit-Monkey in your life... Marvel is back to bring you a 3-issue limited series featuring everyone's favorite contract killer chimp in a little business suit. And, if you missed either the HIT-MONKEY one-shot with his origin, or the two-part appearance in Deadpool #21 and Deadpool #22, fear not, 'cause we still have limited quantities of those in stock to get you caught up. There's really not much we can say other than: who doesn't love a gun-toting monkey in a little business suit? Click here for a preview of HIT-MONKEY #1 AN UNEARTHED GEM: MARK MILLAR'S UNFUNNIES - THE SICKEST MILLAR BOOK YOU'LL EVER READ. WE GUARANTEE IT. NOW BACK IN STOCK! ON PAR WITH CROSSED FOR THE SHEER DEPRAVITY! Okay, we're all familiar with Mark Millar. He's the fantastic writer who delivers great reads like OLD MAN LOGAN, KICK-ASS, and currently, NEMESIS. Now, a few years back, Millar put out a book called THE UNFUNNIES, and it kind of went under the radar, 'cause it came out around the same time that WANTED did. THE UNFUNNIES, I think, is one of the sickest things I've ever read in my life. Maybe only paralleled by survival horror masterpiece CROSSED. What's THE UNFUNNIES about? Well, if you've ever seen MEET THE FEEBLES, that gives you a little bit of an idea. This one is a true blue horror/comedy that's wrapped up in the trappings of old school cartoon talking animal comics. But don't let the cover fool you, this one has more in common with movies like HAPPINESS and MAGNOLIA than it does Bugs Bunny. The less I say, the better, 'cause you need to read it for yourself, and enjoy the ride. It's totally whacked out, trust me! LEGENDARY X-MEN WRITER CHRIS CLAREMONT TEAMS WITH INTERNATIONAL SUPERSTAR ARTIST MILO MANARA FOR X-WOMEN #1 ONE-SHOT THIS WEEK! Sometimes Marvel kicks out random one-shots for books like X-Men, and they make no sense. But, sometimes, sometimes we get a kick-ass pairing of two incredible creators, which makes those one-shots totally worth it. This week's X-WOMEN is definitely the latter. Chris Claremont, the man who pretty much MADE the X-Men throughout the late '70s and most of the '80s, and even '90s, teams up with the international superstar artist Milo Manara to deliver this out-of-continuity one-shot which takes us on an adventure with the Women of the X-Men. Storm, Psylocke, Shadowcat, Marvel Girl, and Rogue. Click here for a preview of X-WOMEN #1 STAR WARS: OLD REPUBLIC #1 - A NEW ONGOING STAR WARS SERIES THAT FEATURES CRITICAL EVENTS THAT TAKE PLACE BEFORE BIOWARES UPCOMING SW MMORPG! A brand new Star Wars series begins this week with STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC, and we're pretty pumped about it. This is supposed to be kind of a prequel to the upcoming LucasArts/Bioware MMORPG that's going to be hitting this year, which is pretty damn cool. What's the story? For decades, the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire have been at war. The Sith have gained control of the Outer Rim, but their efforts to penetrate the Core Worlds have so far been held off by the Republic and the Jedi Knights. Now, representatives from both sides attempt to negotiate a peace treaty, but deception by the Sith put the Jedi in an unfortunate position. The buzz on this one is pretty big, and a lot of people are saying it's gonna be pretty kick-ass. The fact that they've got one of the writers from the actual Bioware MMORPG penning the story is also a plus, which means there'll be a strong continuity between the two. Click here for a preview of STAR WARS THE OLD REPUBLIC #1 X-FORCE #28 *X-MEN SECOND COMING CHAPTER 13* - THE SECOND COMING NEARS IT'S END IN THIS WEEK'S X-FORCE... AND BIG STUFF HAPPENS! The biggest X-MEN event in a decade nears it's end this week in X-FORCE #28, and after having read the advance of this one... if you thought all the big shocks and reveals were done, then you were wrong, my friend. X-FORCE #28 delivers the penultimate chapter in SECOND COMING, and I'm going to keep my lips sealed on this one cause I don't want to even come close to dropping any spoilers. All I'm gonna say is this issue is HUGE. Click here for a preview of X-FORCE #28 *X-MEN SECOND COMING CHAPTER 13* Click here for the official THIRD EYE X-MEN SECOND COMING CHECKLIST STAFF PICKS Steve - SECRET AVENGERS #2 - This series is so freakin' good it's not even funny. Brubaker is chanelling some serious Steranko/Ditko-style energy with this one, and Deodato's art's never looked better. Highly recommended. Trish - WONDER WOMAN #600= Finally, a kick-ass WONDER WOMAN story is starting here. The new costume is going to take some getting used to, but Straczynski writing WW is awesome! Torma - DEATH OF DRACULA #1= AWESOME. They totally made the entire Vampire corner of the Marvel Universe interesting and fun in literally one comic. This one got me really excited for the CURSE OF THE MUTANTS. Matt - TURF #2 = This series is killer. The second issue isn't quite as dialogue-heavy as the first, and flows even better. I just love it. Aliens, gangsters, vampires. What's not to love you know?