More new #1's from a host of places

Some miscellaneous new titles:

AMERICAN MONSTER #1: First off, it should be noted that Aftershock Comics is a new kid on the block that has been making some serious waves with talent such as Garth Ennis, Marguerite Bennett, Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Paul Jenkins. Add to that list Brian Azzarello who, along with artist Juan Doe brings us AMERICAN MONSTER. It’s a gritty tale filled with a kidnapping, two murders, some crazy teens and a scarred military veteran. It is a dark tale with twists and turns and a mystery or two…and that is just the first issue. If you were a fan of 100 BULLETS, then this series is for you.

CRY HAVOC #1: When you have a book that touts a main character who is a lesbian, that is nothing new in the world of comics. A lesbian in the military? That’s a little different. A lesbian in the military who is a werewolf? Now you’ve got my attention. Simon Spurrier writes a compelling little tale with dynamic art from Ryan Kelly. This is a great first issue for this new Image series and I look forward to seeing where Spurrier and Kelly go from here.

DKIII: THE MASTER RACE #1: This may well be one of the most anticipated titles of the year and if it could stay on schedule, that would be the case. Andy Kubert handles the art chores while Frank Miller and Brian Azzarello have written this sequel to 2001’s THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN, although Miller has publicly stated that most of this book is Azzarello’s doing. It’s three years after the events in that book and it seems that Carrie Kelly is the NEW Batman, as she declares that Bruce Wayne is dead. The book features appearances from Wonder Woman, her daughter Lara, and a frozen Superman. In addition, there is a 12 pages mini-comic bound into the book featuring The Atom. Written by Azzarello and Miller, with pencils by Miller and inks by Klaus Jansen, the advance art for this sent shock-waves through fandom as the proportions on the figures seemed a bit…off! Is it as good as the previous efforts? Not really. Does it have potential? Sure…sure, let’s see where this goes.

LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS SURVIVING MEGALOPOLIS #1: Megalopolis, protected by a host of superheroes, used to be the safest city on the planet. But that was then, as a noxious cloud has turned the heroes into murderous maniacs. The city has been quarantined, but a bunch of the residents have managed to escape. Now those freed residents are trying to make their way back into the city and fix things. This is a sequel to the previous mini-series that set up the “heel turn” by the heroes. Gail Simone cuts loose with an awesome, action packed script and Jim Calafiore turns in another great performance on the art. Seek out the original series, although it’s not essential, as there is enough material that discusses that series. This is a fun ride and a great riff on the dangers of super powers.

MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #0: Leave it to Boom Studios to once again tap into pop culture for a comic series. BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA, ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK, ADVENTURE TIME are among the series currently being pumped out by Boom and now they dive into the legendary hit sensation that still packs in crowds at Cons all over the world. This book, which came out with seven different covers (the 1:100 copy White Ranger fetches upwards of several hundred dollars). The book features three stories by a variety of talents including Kyle Higgins, Hendry Prasetya, Steve Orlando, Corin Howell, Mairghread Scott, Daniel Scott and others. If this is your bag, dive in. It won’t make you a fan if you’re not one already. It’s a nice little love letter to a legendary franchise.

RINGSIDE #1: Here is a book that is set in the world of professional wrestling but it’s not about wrestling per se. There are no less than a half dozen characters introduced, premier among them is Don Knoussos, who was once known as the Minotaur. Don’t expect to see ring battles or bloody action. This is a story about people who happen to be connected to the wrestling world. Joe Keatinge  has written a truly character driven story that relies on great dialogue to push the story along. Nick barber’s art is minimalist at best and that seems to be the style in many of today’s books. Is it a great book? Well, it’s a very intriguing tale that moves slowly and delicately to bring us the nuances of all the players. This is truly a book with potential.

THE SHERIFF OF BABYLON #1: Set in Baghdad 10 months after the Fall of Baghdad, this is an eight-issue, highly charged, rather dark tale written by Tom King, who was there. The story follows Christopher, who is training Iraqi citizens to become police officers, along with Sofia and Nassir. At any given time, any one of these people can be responsible for lighting the fuse to a powder keg. Mitch Gerards handles the art and it is so moody and fits perfectly with this tale. This is not a bang up action tale, so if you think this is going to be a 21st Sgt. Rock styled tale, you’re going to be disappointed. It’s a Vertigo tale

UNFOLLOW #1: In the blink of an eye, or actually a single keystroke, a dying billionaire decides that he’s going to share the wealth between 140 random people. So social media mogul Larry Ferrell sends his $17 billion fortune to those 140, which works out to be $120 million apiece. You also have to know that some folks need to have more than that, so expect to see people dropping like flies, as happens in the first few pages. Now you have less than 140 and more money in your pocket. This is a brilliant little Vertigo book from Rob Williams and Mike Dowling that plays with the concepts of fame and popularity and how much is your life worth.