THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 7/28/10

THIRD EYE MUST BUY: BATMAN RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #4 - THE DARK KNIGHT HAS A BOUNTY ON HIS HEAD, AND HEX IS SET TO COLLECT... MORRISON'S INCREDIBLE TIME-BENDING EPIC CONTINUES! I've been really loving Grant Morrison's fresh, and compelling RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE saga. This whole thing has been one of the things I look forward to most every month, and I feel that DC and Morrison have both done a great job of taking the Dark Knight in a fresh, and cool new direction. I mean, honestly, I can't remember the last time I'd been this excited about Batman books, at least up until Morrison's run started. And, while as much as I dug it, I was still a little lost during RIP, it was something fresh, and felt like it was really building towards something cool. And, RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE seems to be that. But, the thing that's got me really excited is the direction we're going to see things going when Bruce Wayne does eventually return. I mean, there's been a little bit of news dropped about it at San Diego, but all I can do is guess based upon the things Morrison has said in interviews... and from what I can gather, it's gonna be great. Anyways, RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #4 continues the uber-rad retro sci fi time-travel awesomeness that's been keeping us hooked month after month. The end of issue #3 showed a very promising hint for this one, with Jonah Hex taking up a bounty on the Caped Crusader. And, now, I can't wait to see what goes down as we get to see The Dark Knight riding through the Old West era of the DCU. For those of you who're not already reading RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, this series is a perfect spot to come into the world of Batman in the DCU right now. The plot? Basically, for a few years, Grant Morrison has been pretty much re-building the world of Batman and his mythos as we know it. Much like Neal Adams and Dennis O'Neal took the Caped Crusader from the campy Adam West stories into a much darker direction, Morrison has injected a fresh, mystery and weird science feel into the world of Batman, playing up how the Dark Knight IS the World's Greatest Detective. The penultimate moment of Morrison's reinvention of the Batman mythos is RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE. See, during the events of BATMAN RIP, and FINAL CRISIS, something happened that gave EVERYBODY, including most of the DCU, the impression that Bruce Wayne was toast. Gone. Ka-put. But, as Morrison has told the tale so well in his incredible BATMAN AND ROBIN series, hints and clues have led us AND the characters closest to Wayne to believe that he's not dead, but is in fact, missing in time. And, that leads us to the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, where each issue of this 6-issue limited series is dropping the Dark Knight into a different period of time, giving us a Bat-Pirate, a Bat-Cowboy, and more. And, then there's this little subplot of how if Wayne does manage to return, well, some bad mojo is gonna go down. Sound awesome? It totally is. Now, a lot of you are probably already hooked on the series, like us, and want to go back further to get some more meat on Morrion's run. And, while Morrison technically began his run with the Resurrection of Ra's Al Ghul, here's the rundown of trade paperbacks we recommend checking out to follow the last couple years of Batman stories: Start with: BATMAN AND SON TPB - The first official arc in Morrison's run, this is where the character of Damian is first introduced, as well as many storyline concepts that're still being explored in Morrison's run. BATMAN: THE BLACK GLOVE TPB - The second part of the "Batman Gets Killed" trilogy, BLACK GLOVE, of course, delves deep into the mysterious BLACK GLOVE, who has proven to be much more of a major player in things than we had originally guessed. It also gives us a very interesting glimpse at a future where Damian has taken on his father's role as Batman. BATMAN: RIP TPB - This is it. The complete physical, emotional, spiritual, and psychological deconstruction of The Dark Knight. Mysterious new foes, and familiar classics alike return to strip Wayne of everything that makes him who he is. This one finishes out Morrison's "Batman Gets Killed" trilogy, and leads pretty flawlessly into where things are now. Additionally, you might want to check out: BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL HC - This collects the mini-series that follows immediately after RIP, and shows us how Dick Grayson (Nightwing) ends up taking on the mantle of the Bat. BATMAN AND ROBIN HC - AWESOME series. Probably the best Batman book I've read in a long time (not counting RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE). This collects the first six issues of Grant Morrisson's BATMAN AND ROBIN, where Grayson and Damian are.. well, Batman and Robin. And, it's the perfect build-up to all the cool stuff going on now in the series. We also have this entire run in the single issues (1-13), if you'd prefer to grab the singles. Now, if you'd rather just jump straight into Morrison's mad and amazing Batman world.. then, we recommend snagging BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE #1-3, and getting caught up to this week's issue #4. We've got all issues in stock at Third Eye, and folks, we really can't recommend this one enough. It is simply kick-ass. For a quick prelude to the series, grab BATMAN AND ROBIN #10-#12, also in stock now, which serves as an official prologue to the storyline. Click here to read more about BATMAN: RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE at the official Wikipedia for it. THIRD EYE MUST BUY: SECRET AVENGERS #3 - ED BRUBAKER and MIKE DEODATO continue to deliver one of the most kick-ass, and innovative team superhero books on the stands! Espionage, weird science, visceral pulp violence and many nods to classic Marvel lore make this one a must-read! NOT READING SECRET AVENGERS? We've still got copies of issues 1 and 2 in stock to catch you up! I gotta tell you guys, SECRET AVENGERS has been one of my favorite books. There's just something that's so fresh, and so unique about what Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato are doing with this one that makes each and every issue one of the best things I've read. As part of the launch of new AVENGERS books with Marvel's new Heroic Age, SECRET AVENGERS serves as kind of the "down and dirty" Avengers team. The covert ops team that does all the dirty work, and cleans up the messes that the public should not know about. Brubaker brings a great sense of modern day storytelling meets Jim Steranko and Steve Ditko craziness that has been keeping us hooked hardcore. Part of SECRET AVENGERS big appeal is the unique roster of the team. Steve Rogers is heading the team up under the guise of his new position as the director of world security, essentially, the new leader of SHIELD. He's handpicked individuals who can have unique skillsets so that this team can tackle any job. So, that's where Nova comes in as the space guy, Moon Knight as the hardened killer set out for redemption but willing to do what needs to be done, Black Widow as the espionage expert, Valkyrie for her magic badassery, the Beast for his science know-how, War Machine for the heavy firepower, and I'm still not quite sure where the Irredeemable Ant-Man fits, but I guess every team needs a jerk, right? Anyways, the current storyline kicked off with a bang as we've already seen some major stuff go down in the first two issues. First, it looks like Nick Fury's up to no good. Secondly, Nova's been possessed by one of the three Serpent Crowns (a sentient, organic "crown"), and now, with the Secret Avengers, on Mars. Yes, MARS, people, how awesome is that? But, with the Avengers on Mars, they've discovered that Nova's using the serpent crown to have people dig beneath Mars's surface for ... something, that we're not quite sure of yet. This series kicks a ton of ass, and it's awesome that Brubaker has done something that we haven't seen done in a long time: he's taken the Avengers out of New York, and into the wilds of space. Plus, the mystery aspect has got us guessing, and we're totally in love with the return of classic Marvel institutions like the Roxxon Corp. Add all this to the fact that Mike Deodato is dishing out some really great artwork, brings a very cool, eerie sci-fi vibe that compliments Brubaker's writing. The whole atmosphere of Mars reminds me a lot of the first ALIEN movie, a cold, dark place, where you have no clue what's lurking in the midst. Anyways, if you can't already tell, I'm pumped for issue #3. It hits this Wednesday. If you haven't yet checked out the first two issues, we've got limited quantities of both issues #1 and #2 in stock to get you caught up. Click here for a preview of SECRET AVENGERS #3 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* THIRD EYE MUST BUY: AMERICAN VAMPIRE #5 - If you're not reading this series, you need to pick up issue #1 and find out why we're calling this one the "WALKING DEAD" of VAMPIRES. One of the best new books we've seen! American Vampire has quickly become one of my favorite reads. I think that between this and SWEET TOOTH, we've got two really strong contestants for the "Next Best Vertigo Book." You know what I'm talking about. The crown right now is worn by Jason Aaron's incredible SCALPED, but there's always that one series that's going on in the background, building upon itself, and working towards being the next killer Vertigo book that everyone is hooked on. First it was Sandman, then Preacher, then Transmetropolitan, then Y The Last Man, then Fables (which is still rocking hard, make no mistake), and now SCALPED. But, as both AMERICAN VAMPIRE and SWEET TOOTH develop their stories, these two are really gonna be going neck and neck to fill that spot. Anyways, I'm rambling. American Vampire's good. Like, REALLY good. Like, classic in the making good. Now, when this first started off, I think a lot of people, myself included, were intrigued primarily by the fact that this was the "first" REAL comic writing of STEPHEN KING. But, after five issues, I gotta be honest, while King's part is fantastic, it's Scott Snyder's story that has me really intrigued and hooked. See, American Vampire bounces between the past, telling the story of the first vampire to exist in America, old West outlaw Skinner Sweet, and then the "present" which is the 1920s Hollywood Babylon, as we follow the story of Pearl, a young actress who's ripped to shreds by vampires, and then brought back to her senses... and into her new life as a bloodsucker by outlaw Skinner Sweet. The series is very cool, very good plotting, and some great character development that makes the characters practically jump off of the page. The concept itself is pretty awesome too... basically, the vampire infection affects people from different regions differently, and as we're shown from Skinner, he and Pearl do not have the same kinds of defects that the European vampires do. In other words, they can handle the sun better, amongst other things. All in all, I highly recommend this one, guys. There's already been some very cool plot twists, and I REALLY don't want to spoil anything going on in the current arc, so just trust me.. pick up issue #1, and we think you'll be impressed. All I can say is that Skinner Sweet is becoming one of the most interesting freaking characters in comics right now. Wanna get caught up? We've got issues #1-4 all in stock now, so snag 'em this Wednesday and find out why this series is so much fun. Click here to read more about AMERICAN VAMPIRE #5 THIRD EYE MUST BUY: GREEN LANTERN DOUBLE-DOSE: GREEN LANTERN #56 - Hector Hammond vs. Larfleeze? YES! GREEN LANTERN CORPS #50 - CYBORG-SUPERMAN RETURNS! Dude, I gotta tell ya... Green Lantern is even better in the post-BLACKEST NIGHT DCU. Geoff Johns is telling some really cool stories that are fleshing out all the little cool tidbits he'd only hinted at before, and with the book giving us some focus on the "New Guardians", like Atrocitus, Larfleeze, St. Walker, ect ect... it's not just mainted it's must-read status, but it's even gone higher up in our stack of books we look forward to. Anyways, in the BRIGHTEST DAY realm of GREEN LANTERN (which began with issue #53), we've been seeing some really rad stuff going on. It looks like issue #56 is giving some of the spotlight to one of our personal favorites: Larfleeze, the Orange Lantern, aka He Who Says MINE! See, Hector Hammond, the old school GL baddie with the giant noggin' has become fascinated with the mystery of the White Lantern, and now he's set his sights on one being: Larfleeze! PLUS, we get to see just what happened to the Parallax entity during BLACKEST NIGHT. Folks, if there's one DC book you gotta be reading, it's Geoff Johns's run on GL. The book is fantastic, and with Doug Mahnke still handling the art, looks sharp as hell. If you fell off after BLACKEST NIGHT, or are a new reader digging BRIGHTEST DAY and want a fresh jumping in spot, we recommend scooping up issues #53-#55 and getting caught up. This series is still one of the best books on the stands. GREEN LANTERN CORPS #50 Now, take everything I said about Green Lantern, and just repeat it for Green Lantern Corps, 'cause this book has been getting pretty freakin' rad itself. In the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT, the position of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS and their purpose in the grand scheme of things has gotten VERY interesting. And, this issue especially is one I'm looking forward to, why you might ask? 'Cause it's the return of CYBORG SUPERMAN! Yes, this character was made extremely cool during the events of the SINESTRO CORPS WAR (highly recommended, available in trade paperback here at Third Eye). And, now, that he's back, we're extremely curious to see what has spurred his return, and what he's after. Not to mention, we're going to see more on Ganthet's secret deal with Atrocitus, and why it may just spell out the end of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS. Just like GREEN LANTERN, this one has also continued to get better, and better each and every month. Looking to jump on? We'd recommend picking up with issue #47, which is the first issue carrying the BRIGHTEST DAY banner. THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL: TIMEBOMB #1 - JONAH HEX writers JIMMY PALMIOTTI and JUSTIN GRAY (the guy who make the Hex comic so kick-ass!) deliver the latest and greatest from RADICAL PUBLISHING - WORLD WAR II SCI-FI AWESOMENESS! Okay, I'm pumped for this one. First off, it's the cult favorite writing team of the killer JONAH HEX ongoing series (as well as JONAH HEX NO WAY BACK graphic novel from last June), Palmiotti and Gray. And, trust me, these guys are both fantastic at writing true blue grindhouse awesomeness in comic book form. Now, pair them up with one of my long-time favorite artists, Paul Gulacy, and that's a recipe for a killer comic. Add in Radical's fantastic production values, and track record for good reads, and you've got yourself a winner. Time Bomb begins beneath the streets of modern day Berlin, where archeologists accidentally activate the Omega Bomb, Hitler's ultimate doomsday weapon designed to wipe out the human race. Now, equipped with state-of-the-art weapons and equipment, a group of specialists must travel one day back through time to stop the bomb from ever going off. However, these folks quickly discover that rather than going back as intended, they've been sent back into the heart of Germany, in the midst of World War II. Now, it's up to them to save the human race on a ticking clock before the bomb is even set. This one, judging from the previews I've seen captures that perfect blend of grindhouse violence, break-neck action, and tongue-in-cheek humor that Palmiotti and Gray are so good at pulling off. Time Bomb is a three-issue limited series, and it kicks off this Wednesday. Give it a go. We think you'll dig it! THIRD EYE MUST BUY: X-MEN SECOND COMING AFTERMATH: UNCANNY X-MEN #526 *THE FIVE LIGHTS CHAPTER ONE* - Picking up immediately after the conclusion of SECOND COMING... are the mutants back? So SECOND COMING ended with a BANG, and we were completely blown away with how well that whole storyline played out. What a great job of getting us pumped about the X-MEN again, I gotta say. And now, in the aftermath of SECOND COMING, well, it looks like Hope is using the Phoenix force to reignite the spark in humanity that kicks off the birth of many mutants, as well as the manifestation of the mutant gene that may have laid latent in many characters. Now, kicking off in UNCANNY X-MEN, we're getting to see a very cool direction for the X-Men begin as Cyclops, Emma Frost, and, others attempt to find out just what the hell is going on with all these new mutants. I don't want to drop any spoilers, 'cause after reading the advance on this one, it is a pretty cool issue, and there's some neat little twists here. All I can say is that Matt Fraction and While Portacio are on point here, and I'm excited to see where things'll be going with UNCANNY in the wake of SECOND COMING. If you're looking for the follow-up to SECOND COMING, then this is most definitely the book to read. Click here for a preview of UNCANNY X-MEN #526 *FIVE LIGHTS CHAPTER ONE* THIRD EYE MUST BUY: WONDER WOMAN #601 KICKS OFF J.MICHAEL STRACZYNSKI'S RUN ON WONDER WOMAN! EVEN IF YOU'VE NEVER BEEN A BIG WW FAN... READ THIS COMIC! IT'S GONNA KICK ASS! Dude, I am so pumped to see Straczynski handling not just one big high-profile DC book (Superman), but TWO, with him starting his run on WONDER WOMAN this Wednesday. Now, I know it's no secret that Wonder Woman has had a hard time of really catching a break. For a character with as much potential as her (I mean, she's the friggin' embodiment of Warrior Princess, here, folks), there's been a lot of missteps with her series. And, while there's been some real shining moments of awesomeness, they've been admittedly few and far between. But, that's all the past now, 'cause after reading Wonder Woman #600, and Straczynski's prologue to his highly anticipated run on Wonder Woman, I'm convinced.. this book is gonna rock HARD. This new Wonder Woman arc is a perfect jumping on point if you've never read Wonder Woman, or if it's been a long time since then. The storyline that'll be dominant in Straczynski's run shows us a young Diana Prince in a new, unfamiliar (yet with touches of familiarity) costume, seeking an oracle and referencing a dead mother recently brought back. So far, we've been given a lot of mystery, but here's what we do know from reading the interviews with JMS about his upcoming run. This is a "new" version of WONDER WOMAN, who's come to be as a result of someone screwing with the timeline, who's out to figure out what is going on with things, and investigate the ruins of a recently destroyed Paradise Island. Admittedly, DC has played their cards close to the vest on this one, not giving us a lot of info on what the overall arc is going to be about, other than re-inventing WONDER WOMAN for the 21st century, but we're eager to read this one and find out. And, whether you love or hate the new costume, you gotta admit: it definitely makes sense in terms of something that's combat ready. THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL: PILOT SEASON STELLAR - ROBERT KIRKMAN (WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, HAUNT) BRINGS US ANOTHER KILLER PILOT SEASON ONE-SHOT! Robert Kirkman's PILOT SEASON one-shots have been really freakin' good this year. Not familiar with the PILOT SEASON concept? Basically, Kirkman drops a killer one-shot story introducing a new character. And, then once all of the PILOT SEASON one-shots have been released, we'll be able to vote as fans to see which one we want to see stick around. ANYWAYS, if you missed the one before this, STEALTH, we recommend snagging a copy. A really kick-ass one-shot about a guy who finds out his dad (who's been developing Alzheimer's) is a superhero.. and has to prevent him from going out, and flying into oncoming traffic. The story of Stellar is that she's one of five genetically-enhanced super-humans created by the government. For Stellar, the process used on her has made her toxic to other humans driving four volunteers insane. Banished from Earth, Stellar roams the cosmos trying to use her powers for good, haunted by the fact that she can never return home -- and all too aware that her fellow super-humans are out there, eager to strike at any moment. As with most of Kirkman's stuff, we know that he's going to apply a kick-ass twist on this concept, and of course, deliver big-time on the characterization and storyline, like he does with pretty much everything. Definitely recommend checking this one out this Wednesday. THE RISING #0 - RADICAL COMICS DELIVERS A FUTURE CYBERPUNK SPARTACUS TALE FOR JUST $1.00! WRITTEN BY THE CREATOR OF HBO'S BAND OF BROTHERS SERIES and PIXAR ILLUSTRATOR J.P TARGETE ESCAPE FROM NY meets SPARTACUS Radical puts out some seriously kick-ass comics, and one of the things that ALWAYS stands out to me with their books is the incredible artwork. And, this time, they've REALLY delivered, bringing aboard one of the guys from PIXAR... that's a pretty big deal. Add in the fact that this new series is gonna be penned by the creator of HBO'S BAND OF BROTHERS series, and it looks like we're in store for some good reading. THE RISING is described as a futuristic cyberpunk kinda Spartacus tale. Here's the skinny on this one: It's not resistance, it's a revolution. After years of war, economic chaos, and mankind, itself, teetering on the verge of thermonuclear extinction, an alien force decides we're ripe for an invasion. When a deadly virus is released, this militaristic empire massacres the world's defense forces and most of the human population. The survivors are forced into slavery, and are helpless as they watch this new enemy plunder the remaining natural resources of Earth. But, then Jarret Jakes, chosen to fight and die as a gladiator, escapes from New York City to lead a ragged band of guerrilla warriors in hopes of inspiring our now downtrodden world to rise up against their alien oppressors. So, lots of violence, crazy aliens, and awesome artwork. What's not to love? AND, it's only $1 for this first issue! GREEN ARROW #2 *BRIGHTEST DAY* - FOLLOWING UP ON THE SMASH HIT FIRST ISSUE, THE GREEN ARROW IS OFFICIALLY AWESOME AGAIN! READ THIS BOOK! Miss issue #1? We still have copies of #1 in stock to get you caught up! The new GREEN ARROW series is KICK ASS. They have seriously brought the Emerald Archer back to his former glory, and this is probably the best I've seen GREEN ARROW since KEVIN SMITH'S run began with QUIVER, and of course, my favorite GA story: LONGBOW HUNTERS. DC has taken Ollie back to his grittier, no-nonsense roots, and pushed him further than he's ever been pushed before. I mean, c'mon, he put a friggin' arrow smack dab in the middle of Prometheus's skull? How awesome is that? And now, he's living in a massive forest that's been given life in Star City as a result of the White Rings. Green Arrow's taken up residence, and he's determined to end the rampant corruption surrounding the forest. But first, he's gotta clean up his own backyard, and deal with the forces running his former company, Queen Industries, into the ground. And, in this issue, Hal Jordan makes a special guest-appearance, and if you know the history of GA and GL, then these two are one hell of a team. The new Green Arrow book rocks, and we highly recommend giving it a look if you're a DC fan. We've still got limited quantities of the first prints of issue #1 in stock, with second prints on the way this Wednesday, so catch up with issue #1 and hop onto issue #2. You'll really dig it, we guarantee! WARREN ELLIS'S HOTWIRE RETURNS IN HOTWIRE: DEEP CUT #1 - THIS FUTURE SCI-FI NOIR MEETS GHOSTBUSTERS is KILLER! Miss the first series? Check out the trade paperback now back in stock this week at Third Eye! Everyone's favorite Detective Exorcist, Alice Hotwire, is back this Wednesday in a new limited series from RADICAL, HOTWIRE: DEEP CUT. Warren Ellis really made this one a must-read last year, and coupled with Steve Pugh's incredible artwork, we can definitely say that HOTWIRE was a sequel-worthy series. This new series, kicking off after the events of HOTWIRE: REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD (available this week at Third Eye in trade paperback), we see that the city's only supernatural investigator is taking some much needed R&R. But, when a BLUE LIGHT from her colored past appears in front of her door, it kicks off a series of events that lead Hotwire across the city attempting to stop the results of a secret government project from turning the city into another living nightmare. If you're unfamiliar with the HOTWIRE series, it's basically the tales of a sci-fi future, with a heavy cyberpunky feel, where ghosts and hauntings and all that jazz have been accepted as scientific fact. And, Detective Alice Hotwire, is the only one who can save the world from "ectoplasmic catastrophe" that's caused by a security failure at a Maximum Security Necropolis. Basically, all the harmless blue light ghosts become evil, and Alice, who's not appreciated by her fellow officers at all, must handle this one all by herself. The series is really good stuff, kind of a cyberpunky Ghostbusters, and if you missed it the first time around, we recommend grabbing the HOTWIRE: REQUIEM FOR THE DEAD trade paperback and getting caught up for this new series. THIRD EYE MUST BUY: GEOFF JOHNS'S FLASH #4 CONTINUES ONE OF THE BEST NEW DCU BOOKS WE'RE READING! Superhero CSI Awesomeness! Dude, if you're a DC fan, and not reading GEOFF JOHNS'S new ongoing FLASH series, you seriously need to remedy that. It's one of the best DC books coming out, heck, it's one of the best SUPERHERO books coming out. This series is just plain awesome. The artwork, the writing, everything about it screams must-read. Johns manages to tell one hell of a good story with this new FLASH series, and issue #1 is the perfect jumping on point for anyone who's new to comics, new to the Flash, or heck, is just plain looking to hop onto a new book without a lot of baggage. I mean, he's able to effortlessly introduce the Barry Allen Flash to readers who are not familiar with him in a few pages, while at the same time setting up a kick-ass story. And, now, the current arc continues as the original Captain Boomerang, one of the many resurrected in the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT, returns. And, he returns to.... save Barry Allen's life? Well, see, Barry Allen's being hunted down by the Renegades, a group of 25th century Flash Rogues (think future versions of Heatwave, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, ect)... but they're the law, and they're out to bring Barry in for a murder he did not commit. Folks, this book is too good to be missing out on. If you're not reading the new FLASH series, snag up issues 1-3 this Wednesday, and give it a go. It's a quick (but in a good way), fun read, that delivers one of the best superhero books on the stands. THIRD EYE MUST BUY: WALKING DEAD writer ROBERT KIRKMAN and COMICS LEGEND TODD MCFARLANE CONTINUE TO DELIVER THE GOODS WITH HAUNT #8 THIS WEEK! 8 issues in, and HAUNT is still getting me excited. Robert Kirkman, the incredible talent behind series like THE WALKING DEAD & INVINCIBLE, is doing a fantastic freaking job of building a brand new series.. and guess who he's doing it with? Todd McFarlane. The legendary creator of SPAWN. Kirkman's killer writing balanced out with McFarlane's artwork, and you've got yourself one heck of a book. What is HAUNT? Haunt is the story of Daniel Kilgore, a Catholic priest, who is haunted by the ghost of his estranged brother Kurt, a murdered secret agent. Basically, Daniel's a bastard, and Kurt's not so bad of a guy. Kurt gets killed overseas refusing to do some dirty work, and comes back just in time to "haunt" his brother's body, possessing him and turning him into the entity known as HAUNT, before he gets wiped out for being a loose end. From there, we get thrown into great storyline that's still getting more and more compelling where we see conspiracies forming at every corner, and where the two brothers learn more about their situation. Haunt is a violent book. No doubt about that, it's bloody as hell, and that's part of the fun. It kind of strikes that chord with you. You know, the inner 13-year old that goes WICKED when you see someone gettin' their head cut off. But, Robert Kirkman, who's known for his writing chops, is the guy writing this one, so it's also got a damn good storyline that keeps you coming back, along with the solid character development and pacing of the storyline. One of the best things about HAUNT, for me, is the "cool" factor of a new vigilante/superhero character. Like, usually when people do a new superhero-type character.. it sucks. It's true. You know, normally, it just doesn't stick, but with HAUNT, which obviously does borrow heavily from McFarlane's stuff with Venom in Spider-man and with Spawn, Kirkman does a damn good job of making this character interesting and compelling. Just little things, like how Haunt uses his powers (they're ectoplasm based) is interesting. The dynamic of having two guys in one body also makes for an interesting read, and helps add some moments of humor to the book at times. If you're not reading HAUNT, we definitely recommend it. The first trade paperback collecting issues #1-5 is only $9.99, and we've got issues #6, and 7 in stock to get you caught up to where the series is now. And, then this week, with issue #8, it looks like the events of the series thus far have taken a greater toll on him than even Daniel himself realizes. Cannot wait to read this one this week, folks! STAFF PICKS Steve -AVENGERS #3- Killer read. John Romita JR draws the best fight scenes around. Trish - WALKING DEAD #75 = Are you surprised? This issue especially BLEW MY MIND!!! Torma -NEW AVENGERS #2 = Really good read, and loving all the killer Doctor Voodoo stuff! Matt - ALAN MOORE'S NEONOMICON #1= Pure Alan Moore awesome. Moore+Cthulhu? Total win.