BATMAN & ROBIN #1 FROM ALL-STAR SUPERMAN CREATIVE TEAM GRANT MORRISON AND FRANK QUITELY DEBUTS THIS WEDNESDAY!
Battle for the Cowl rocked our worlds, and now it's time to enter an exciting, new period for the Batman titles. The outcome of Battle for the Cowl may not have been the biggest swerve, or surprise, but we were happy with it because it MADE SENSE. It was the choice that the fans wanted, and instead of cheaping out and trying to drop some jaws, and going with someone that didn't really make sense.. DC gave the fans what they wanted. Anyhow, onto the big shebang here... the flagship book of the Bat-books is going to be this series here. Why? Well, it's the same creative team who gave us such great reads like ALL-STAR SUPERMAN and WE 3, which are both modern classics. I mean, their ALL-STAR SUPERMAN story stands currently as one of THE best SUPERMAN stories of all-time. It's the story that you had to non-Superman fans, and say "READ THIS", and their minds get completely and totally blown. And now, they're doing an ongoing, in continuity Batman title that's going to flip our lids on a monthly basis!
What's the deal on the title itself? Well, in this interview with Grant Morrison, he describes it as the Batman title that kind of feeds the other Bat-books. While Batman and Robin itself is a nice, solid self-contained ongoing series, the events that happen within will have impacts felt in the other Bat-family titles. The whole goal with Batman and Robin is a completely fresh take on the character and idea of Batman. With Bruce Wayne no longer under the cowl, Morrison has a clean slate to explore what it's like to have a fresh pair of eyes behind the cowl. He describes his Batman as being a little more light-hearted, and spontaneous than Bruce, and a very violent, cut-to-the-throat Robin. For those of you who've been following the events of the Batman titles, you know that with Nightwing and Damien beneath the cowl, we can expect a very cool twist on the characters. For those of you who are convinced that no one can be the Batman except for Bruce Wayne... don't worry, this is not a permanent change. This is a period in the life of the Batman character where new things are explored, and new storyline potential is being set up. Bruce Wayne WILL return, so give the book a shot, because it sounds like we're going to get some exciting set up for things to come for the Dark Knight. From the sounds of what Morrison says, his final run on the Batman character will be when Bruce Wayne returns down the road.
Why are we stoked? Well, other than the fact that it's one of the most dynamic and talented creative teams working in comics today, it's also a brand new fresh approach to the Batman mythos. Not to mention, it's good to see a high-quality book debuting that's still set in continuity and makes an impact on the workings of the DCU. While we love our stand-alone stories, sometimes it's nice to get the top shelf talent and storytelling on books that play into the serial nature of comic book storytelling. And, then there's also the fact that we are huge fans of Quitely's art, and from the sounds of it, he is going to be stepping up his game even more on this series. Not to mention, when you put him and Morrison together, it's pure comics magic.
This one is most definitely a THIRD EYE MUST BUY, folks, so don't miss it! Click here to read the interview with Morrison on the book, and click here to read more about BATMAN AND ROBIN #1!
DARK AVENGERS #5 - PUBLIC BACKLASH AGAINST NORMAN OSBORN'S PAST AS THE GREEN GOBLIN REARS IT'S UGLY HEAD IN THIS WEEK'S DARK AVENGERS #5 & THE CABAL RETURNS!
The biggest new ongoing series of 2009 has been Brian Michael Bendis and Mike Deodato Jr's DARK AVENGERS. Right out the gate, the combination of top notch writing and exquisite artwork has made this book a top tier read, and it continues to pick up as steam as the flagship book to follow in the nasty events of Marvel's DARK REIGN. For those of you who may not already be reading DARK AVENGERS, don't worry, Third Eye still has issues 1-4 in stock for you to catch up on this great series.
In the aftermath of the events of the Dark Avengers and their clash with Morgana LeFay, things start to get very interesting as the public is reminded of Norman Osborn (aka the IRON PATRIOT) and his past deeds as the sinister GREEN GOBLIN. And, the backlash against Osborn begins amongst the average man on the street in the Marvel U. Not to mention, some of the Dark Aengers are looking to be getting frisky with one another, and we know just how badly those interoffice relationships can turn out. And, the one thing that we're most excited about? Osborn's Cabal makes an appearance, and after the AMAZING DARK REIGN: CABAL one-shot (still in stock at Third Eye), we cannot wait to see just what the likes of Loki, Doom, Namor, The Hood, and Emma Frost have to say.
Curious about what the scoop on Dark Avengers is? Picture this, Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, has maneuvered himself into a position of political prestige. He has disbanded SHIELD, and reformed it as HAMMER. And, he's replaced the World's Mightiest Heroes with his own team that could only be titled the World's Mightiest Villains. Bullseye has taken on the guise of Hawkeye, Moonstone has taken on the guise of Ms. Marvel, Wolverine's son Daken is wearing his dad's old green and brown costume, Venom is posing as Spider-man, and a handful of morally grey characters like Ares and Marvel Boy are tossed into the mix. The public thinks they're the best thing since sliced bread, but, it's really a gang of the most dysfunctional, and depraved Marvel villains you're going to find. Click here to read a preview of DARK AVENGERS #5!
ULTIMATUM #4 ARRIVES AFTER A VERY, VERY LONG WAIT, AND AGAIN, LOTS OF PEOPLE DIE!
We hate late comics, but, I'm sorry.. David Finch's amazing pencils make me forget about the long delays between issues every time. ULTIMATUM has turned into quite an awesome little limited series, as it cleans house on the ULTIMATE UNIVERSE and gets everything set up for the reboot of the Ultimate Universe that we're all so stoked to see this summer (Mark Millar is going to be returning to possibly write a title for the line, and also head up the creative direction of the Ultimate Universe as a whole.. and trust us, this is a very very good thing. The first two stories of the ULTIMATES still remain some of my favorite Marvel comics of this decade). We have seen tons, and tons of Ultimate Marvel heroes get slaughtered in some very entertaining ways. Left and right, people have been getting killed off, and it's been proven by now that Jeph Loeb is not pulling any punches on who dies, and how they bite it. Magneto's wreaking havoc, and it's going to be the unlikely pairing of Spider-man and the Hulk who attempt to stand in the Master of Magnetism's way.
The best part of ULTIMATUM by far though has been David Finch's amazing artwork. While we need a solid story to keep us enthralled, every now and again, an artist that's just so good, will keep us coming back again and again no matter what. Click here to give ULTIMATUM #4 a look!
AMERICAN SON CHAPTER 2 - AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #596 OUT THIS WEDNESDAY! IT'S SPIDEY VS. BULLSEYE & VENOM OF DARK AVENGERS
The first issue of the AMAZING SPIDER-MAN AMERICAN SON story arc started things off pretty solidly. There's still a little bit of the stink from Brand New Day on the book, but it feels like they're at least trying to bring AMAZING SPIDER-MAN back into the mainline continuity as an important title to watch. The artwork by Jiminez is top notch, and Joe Kelly's dialogue and plotting is very much on point. While we're still not completely sold on Harry Osborn being alive and well, we do think that the doors have been opened up to one heck of a Spider-man vs. Green Goblin storyline with the new perspective that Dark Reign has put on everything. And, we're hoping that this arc (which leads directly into AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600) is the foundation being laid for the return of Mary Jane, and a complete "yeah, lets forget about that whole Mephisto thing" kind of deal.
All in all, the first issue was a fun read, and had a great old school Spider-man meets Modern Marvel Universe kind of feel to it. Not to mention, the dynamic between Norman Osborn and Peter Parker is completely fresh and exciting now due to the Osborn's role in the Dark Reign and DARK AVENGERS.
Coming in this week, is the second installment of AMERICAN SON, what's really exciting is that we're gonna get to see a big throwdown between the Webcrawler and DARK AVENGERS Bullseye and Venom, as Spidey tries to make his way into the Dark Avengers Tower. Plus, more developments on Harry Osborn's new position with Norman and the Dark Avengers. Click here to check out a preview of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #596
THE BOYS #31 BEGINS NEW STORY ARC! THE CAPES HAVE HAD ENOUGH, AND ARE GOING AFTER THE BOYS! PLUS, 5 REASONS TO READ THE BOYS IF YOU'RE NOT ALREADY!
One of the most consistently entertaining and compelling monthly series we follow here at Third Eye has been Garth Ennis's THE BOYS. And, with the G-Men story arc now concluded, things are heating up as the Capes have decided to go after the Boys once and for all, no matter the consequences. For the last thirty issues, the depraved and degenerate superheroes have had their hands tied, and have been unable to really make a go for the Boys, but it looks like the straw that broke the camel's back has hit, and now they're going full force after Butcher and the gang. Click here for a preview of THE BOYS #31!
Are you reading The Boys yet? We've got five reasons why you need to be reading the Boys, and with the first 22 issues all collected into trade paperbacks (volumes 1,2, and 3), and volume 4 coming out soon, it's easier to catch up than ever. So, check it out, Third Eye's five reasons why you must be reading the Boys!
It's the best thing Ennis has done since Preacher, in our opinion. We love Garth Ennis, and most of the work he does, but we think that he works especially well when he's given a long run of issues to tell his story. Preacher, Punisher MAX, Hitman, Hellblazer, these were all series where Ennis had 20+ issues to carefully craft a story. The Boys has a planned 60 issues, and you can tell that there's a seriously awesome story building here.
Despicable bad guys, and likable, believable main characters. Ennis has a gift for making you despise the characters that fit the "villain" role. While the Boy is all about the shades of gray, he has made the power-hungry capes into some of the most despicable, depraved characters we've seen. On the other hand, he makes the title characters, The Boys (Butcher ,Hughie and the gang) into some of the most fleshed-out, likable characters you'll come to read.
It tops itself EVERY issue. You want cliffhangers? You have that masochistic desire to be left on the edge of your seat until next month? The Boys hits hard every issue, topping itself more and more.
It's some of the most entertaining dark comedy you'll find. Ennis has a knack for taking outrageously disturbing situations and characters and mixing them in with the story without it feeling forced, and you will find yourself cracking up time and time again with every bizarre and more bizarre turn the stories take.
It's being made into a film soon, so read the comic before the movie totally screws everything up for you. :)
DARK REIGN FORECAST FOR WEDNESDAY 6/3/09: MIGHTY AVENGERS #25 , DARK AVENGERS #5, BLACK PANTHER #5 , AGENTS OF ATLAS #6!
It's a great week for Dark Reign, as the flagship book, DARK AVENGERS #5 reveals some interesting new things about the Dark Avenger, including a return of THE CABAL, and the growing public backlash against Norman Osborn. Then, in the pages of MIGHTY AVENGERS #25 , Hank Pym decides it'd be a great time to rob the Baxter Building, which leads us to a big old fashioned superhero slugfest between the Mighty Avengers and the Fantastic Four! Black Panther #5 shows us just how badass the new female Black Panther can be as Morlun (remember him from JMS's Spider-man run?) the Devourer of Totem is terrorizing Wakanda. And, we can't forget that NEW AVENGERS: THE REUNION #4 and AGENTS OF ATLAS #6 are also arriving in store this Wednesday!
DEADPOOL SUICIDE KINGS #3 & DEADPOOL VOLUME 1: SECRET INVASION TRADE PAPERBACK OUT THIS WEDNESDAY!
It's a double dose of Deadpool this week as the third installment of the Marvel-universe spanning Deadpool limited series, Suicide Kings, hits the racks this Wednesday. This time around, he's got his hands full with both everyone's favorite Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man, and The Punisher. And, as if that wasn't enough, we've also got the first volume of the Deadpool ongoing series collected in trade paperback and hitting the racks this Wednesday. Deadpool: Secret Invasion v.1 TPB collects the first five issues of Deadpool's current ongoing series. So for those of you who've been waiting for the trade to get caught up on everyone's favorite Merc With A Mouth, now's your chance!
WAR OF KINGS #4 HITS THE SHELVES THIS WEDNESDAY, AND DELIVERS MORE HIGH-OCTANE SPACE OPERA MADNESS! MARVEL COMICS + WARHAMMER 40K-MEETS-BATTLESTAR AWESOMENESS!
So, you want a good, solid self-contained superhero event where the writers have complete and total creative freedom to do what they please? Trust us, folks, the War of Kings has been SOLID. It features some of the quirkier corners of the Marvel universe, with a focus on Marvel's cosmic characters, and alien races like the Kree, Inhumans and Shi'ar, but it's this focus that allows the talented creative team the freedom to completely blow us away with surprise after surprise. This criminally overlooked event has been some of the most action-packed funnybook reading we've seen in a while, and we'd highly recommend giving it a shot and hopping onboard. Emperor Vulcan and King Blackbolt are nearing the epic throwdown that will decide the destinies of their kingdoms, and the entire cosmos, once and for all.
And, if you haven't yet jumped aboard WAR OF KINGS, we've currently got all the issues in stock here at Third Eye. Yup, the prologue, and then issues 1,2 and 3. So, click here to take a gander at the WAR OF KINGS #4 preview!
CHEW #1 DEBUTS THIS WEDNESDAY, A CANNIBAL HOMICIDE DETECTIVE AND HIS UNIQUE SET OF PROBLEMS IN THIS NEW IMAGE SERIES!
Tony Chu's a cop with a weird little secret. He gets psychic impressions off of whatever he eats. So, how else does he make his career as a detective so successful? Well, nibbling on a corpse here and there seems to be the answer. Now, here's where things get real tricky.. the government's found out Tony's secret, and they have a special purpose in mind for him.
Set in a near future, where due to Avian Flu, the government's instituted Poultry Prohibition, Chew is a new series from Image Comics that looks to be a neat and twisted gem to look out for. Image has been impressing us with some of their recent new launches like Olympus, and Viking, and it looks like Chew is going to be another solid addition to their roster of fresh, and exciting new series.
Plus, it's about a cop who has to eat dead people to serve murders! How cool is that? Click here for a short preview of Chew, and interview with series creator, John Layman.
NEW MUTANTS #2 ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY WITH PLENTY OF NEW MUTANTS #1 BACK IN STOCK!
The return of the New Mutants was a huge hit, and this week we've got the second issue of this brand new ongoing series featuring everyone's favorite '80s mutant super-team back in action. This new ongoing series reunites the original New Mutants line-up, and Legion, the villain who caused the AGE OF APOCALYPSE has returned. All in all, we were surprisingly impressed with the first issue of New Mutants here at Third Eye, and we are totally stoked to see what's in store with the second issue. The real strong point of the book that surprised us a great deal was the artwork. We didn't expect to see that caliber of art on this title, not sure why, but we really weren't expecting such a great presentation. The storytelling is solid, and the art is beautiful, which makes the read very enjoyable for fans of the original New Mutants. And, if you missed the first one, don't worry, we just got a whole stack of New Mutants #1 back in stock here at Third Eye for you to hop aboard with.
What's in store this week? Legion's motives become revealed, and the last time this villain showed up, he caused the Age of Apocalypse... what kind of fighting chance are the New Mutants going to have against this guy? Click here to check out a preview of NEW MUTANTS #2!
