Friday, December 4, 2020

Another batch of first issues

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: THE SINS OF NORMAN OSBON #1 by Nick Spencer and Federico Vincentini. Norman Osborn has been causing grief in Peter Parker’s life since his first appearance in AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14. He’s been a villain, a father, an insane character and a complete megalomaniac. He has been dead or presumed dead so many times. Currently he runs Ravencroft and now he is going to have to team up with his arch enemy to save his own life. This book ties directly into the current storyline where Spidey faces one of his greatest challenges.

DIE!NAMITE #1 by Declan Shalvey, Fred Van Lente and Vincenxo Carbatu. The heroes of the Dynamite Universe come together to fight zombies. While this seems like they are just mining material that Marvel and DC has already used, it is of note that they have also brought in characters from other comic media, most specifically(spoiler!) Smiley: the psychotic button from EVIL ERNIE. All in all, this could lead to a nice reboot of that character before all is done.

AMERICAN VAMPIRE 1976 #1 by Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque. This sequel to numerous series and mini-series following the historical vampire evolution.  While not a fan of the original runs, this caught my interest because of the 1970’s setting. Snyder nicely sets things up, although I would have liked a bit more back-story filling in some details for readers just jumping onboard for the first time.

AVENGERS EMPYRE: AFTERMATH #1 by Al Ewing and Valerio Schiti. EMPYRE is finally over, after long delays because of the Covid shutdowns. With the whole new version of the Kree/Skrull/Cotati War ended, with Hulking being the new ruler in space, the multiple storylines are wrapped up and new seeds placed. Carol Danvers ends up getting into things with Brand and leaves Alpha Flight. But that may lead to a future where Brand leads a much darker version of S.W.O.R.D.

BAD MOTHER #1 by Christ Faust and Mike Deodato Jr. AWA Studios is another upstart comic company trying to find its’ place in the comic shops of the country. They have brought in many high-profile creators into their titles including J. Michael Straczynski and Mike Deodato and are helmed by Axel Alonso-former Editor in Chief at Marvel. What happens when you get pushed to your limit and you need to save your family? You get this. The story is okay, but Deodato’s art is killer.

BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT PRESENTS HARLEY QUINN #1 by Sean Murphy and Katana Collins. Spinning out of both BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT mini-series, The Joker is dead, Batman is in jail and Harley is the hero of the moment. Part detective story, part superhero titles, Murphy knows his character well. You need to read the previous mini-series to get all of this as this is NOT part of DC continuity and tells a dark tale.

CHAMPIONS OUTLAWED #1 by Eve L. Ewing and Simone Di Meo. Back before the world shutdown, there was a storyline that was supposed to run through all the Marvel teen hero titles, where underaged superheroes were now illegal. Well, the shutdown put a hold on all of that and the fact that a new enforcement agency called C.R.A.D.L.E. was pretty much shifted to the rear in most Marvel titles. This one shot will lead into a new CHAMPIONS series, a (finally) continuation of THE RUNAWAYS and eventually an ending to MS. MARVEL. Basically, it’s a starting point in an effort to continue this story, which feels like a reboot of the Superhuman Registration Act.

CROSSOVER #1 by Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw. Denver has been destroyed by the appearance of comic book heroes. The battle may still rage these many years later but we’ll never know as Denver has been wrapped in a super bubble. But, every now and then, one of these comic characters gets out. This is that story: a world divided and fearful of those who aren’t like us. A killer Cates romp that so echoes our world today

THE ELECTRIC BLACK PRESENTS #1 by Joseph Schmalke, Rich Wodall, Walter Ostile and Paul Pelletier. Indy comics still exist and this is a great example of it. This anthology features two great tales of old school horror with a modern twist. The stories are cool with some nice twists and the art is great. Again, it’s not from the big companies but proof that good stuff exists outside of the norm.

FANTASTIC FOUR EMPYRE: FALLOUT #1 by Dan Slott and Sean Izaakse. EMPYRE is finally over and with it, the end of the Kree/Skrull/Cotati War. The FF gain to new members, as they adopt a pair of children. But the biggest reveal here is the epilogue which features the return of Uatu the Watcher, who hasn’t been seen since Nick Fury took over the role of the Watcher.

GIANT-SIZE X-MEN: TRIBUTE TO WEIN AND COCKRUM #1 by Len Wein and a host of artist. This is a truly loving tribute to GIANT-SIZE X-MEN #1: the book that ushered in the Modern team. It is quite literally a shot by shot, page by page recreation of the book with a different artist/artist team handing each page. While it is visually a little jumbled, the concept is great and the 36 artist teams have truly done their homework. Well done, Marvel!

ICE CREAM MAN: QUARANTINE COMIX SPECIAL by W. Maxwell Prince and Martin Morazzo. ICE CREAM MAN is this strange horror anthology title which has suddenly gained all sorts of interest on the secondary market, leading to great demand and high prices on many issues. This one shot is a collection of mini-comics which were produced during the Covid lockdown and originally appearing as a weekly web series. It’s a trippy little title and will certainly appeal to fans of the genre.

THE IMMORTAL HULK #0 by Al Ewing and Mattia De Iulis, with work from Bill Mantlo, Peter David, Mike Mignola and Adam Kubert. Ewing and Iulis  provide the framing sequences which allows for the reprinting of THE INCREDIBE HULK #312 and THE INCREDIBLE HULK FLASHBACK #1. This allows those stories to tie into current continuity and brigs about the connection between Bruce Banner’s father and The Leader. While it is mostly a reprint book, it does a nice job of connecting the past to the present and drops breadcrumbs into the current story.

THE IMMORTAL HULK: THE TRESHING PLACE #1 by Jeff Lemire and Mike Del Mundo. A kidnapped girl in a country town, monsters and creepy scientists star in this one-shot. It’s pretty much a standard story with some nice little touches from Lemire. And of course, the wonderful art of Mike Del Mundo.

THE IMMORTAL SHE-HULK #1 by Al Ewing and Jon Davis-Hunt. Jen Walters deals with the multiple times she has died over the years in this psychological one-shot. Over the course of the book, she ends up going to Hell multiple times, meeting with Brian Banner and The Leader. Bottom line: The Leader controls the door and Jen had better not die ever again as it will be permanent.

IRON MAN #1 by Christopher Cantwell and Cafu. Well, Tony Stark is back in action and seemingly learning from lessons of the past. He gets into a team-up with Patsy Walker and they get into it with classic villain Unicorn. After so many years of Tony dealing with his brother, numerous technological villains and bouts of depression and even falling off the wagon once or twice, it’s nice to see Tony fighting am old villains and bringing Patsy into a story was incredibly cool. This book is off to a new start.

JUGGERNAUT #1 by Fabian Nicieza and Ron Garney. Two legendary creators team up for this unusual tale of Cain Marko. He was a villain, then a hero(sort of) and now the softer side of this troubled soul is here. Very impressed with a title I thought would be just filler in Marvel’s lineup.

KING TANK GIRL #1 by Alan Martin and Brett Parson. While it’s possible that most comic fans, specifically of this generation, only know of TANK GIRL from the disappointing but cult status film starring Lori Petty, this is the real deal. Silly, fun, cutting edge with some nice political slaps. For fans from my age group, this is like this is like a visit from an old friend.

THE LAST RONIN #1 by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, Esau, Isaac Escorza and Ben Bishop. The rift has been patched and the legendary creators of TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES are together again for this epic future tale of the heroes in a half shell. With some familiar characters, some new ones and some wild twists, this first issue lays some interesting groundwork for what will come. Highly recommended.

MADAM SATAN #1 by Eliot Rahal and Julius Ohta. Spinning out of THE CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, we get this one shot with Madam Satan. It’s good, old school Gothic and gore like in the Pre-Code days. Surprisingly fun! I could almost do a full series of this, especially since the Archie horror line seems to have bit the dust.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1 by Howard Chaykin. Legendary creator Howard Chaykin takes the reigns on this one-shot. It’s a caper book with very little Spider-Man and a lot of seedy characters planning a big heist. And, in typical Chaykin fashion, it looks great and checks all the right boxes regarding characters and dialogue. Of all the MARVEL SNAPSHOTS titles thus far, this is my favorite. That’s not saying the others have been bad, but this nails the idea of a fun read without a ton of baggage.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: THE AVENGERS #1 by Barbara Randall Kesel and Staz Johnson. Marvel continues these one-shots of regular folks having to deal with living in a world of superheroes. Don’t expect a lot of hero action-this is a character driven tale. Not a big fan of Johnson’s art style, but it does have an 80’s feel to it, so I guess it fits.

MARVEL SNAPSHOTS: X-MEN #1 by Jay Edidin and Tom Reilly. A coming of age story for a young, pre-Cyclops, Scott Summers. Our hero gets inspired by the Fantastic Four and eventually gets to meet his heroes. But the bottom line is about Summers having his eye powers bloom and figuring how to deal with it. A bit of a different X-Men story than we are normally used to.

NORSE MYTHOLOGY #1 by Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell, Mike Mignolsa and Jerry Ordway. Gaiman cuts loose with a host of tales of the Norse gods. Don’t expect Marvel’s version of Thor or Walt Simonson’s. This is more linked to Norse Mythology and it loos great. C’mon-Gaiman, Russell, Mignola and Ordway? That’s an incredible cast of creators. If you’re looking for hammer tossing heroes, move on. However…there WILL BE a hammer, just not in this issue.

THE RISE OF ULTRAMAN #1 by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom, Francesco Manna, Ed McGuinness, Michael Cho and Gurihiru. Marvel reboots the classic hero for the 21st Century…and it’s a mess! It’s confusing and soulless with pseudo-Anime style art trying to hold it together. In fat the most fun was the cool Ultra Q story by Higgins, Groom, and Cho that typifies the feel of that series and does so in black and white. Yeah…this is a hard pass for a huge Ultra man fan.

RORSCHACH #1 by Tom King and Jorge Fornes. DC continues to show it’s love of Watchman by unleashing Tom King, who tore it up with MISTER MIRACLE, on this take on a new, TV inspired Rorschach. In typical King fashion, it’s a mystery that needs to be unwrapped like an onion. You won’t get many answers to your questions in issue #1…you’ll have to be here for the long haul.

SCUMBAG #1 by Rick Remender and Lewis Larosa. What happens when a spent drug addict with a taste for heavy metal gets accidentally injected with a secret formula which makes him the savior of the world? THIS! Seriously, this crazy tongue-in-cheek story is all about the worst person to be the hero. He’s crass, rude, offensive and stoned. One of my favorite new titles!

SHANG CHI #1 by Gene Luen Yang and Dike Ruan. Marvel gives the self proclaimed Master of Kung Fu his own mini-series, probably to keep interest alive in the forthcoming film. And it’s a disappointment. This is the current Shang Chi, whose story got rebooted during the Marvel NOW! Era. The only hodover from his past is on-again/off-again girlfriend Leiko Wu. No Black Jack Tarr. No Clive Restin. No Sir Denis Nayland Smith. No Dr. James Petrie. No Fah Lo Suee. No Fu Manchu. No Bruce Lee look. In a phrase-no Bueno!

SWEET TOOTH: THE RETURN #1 by Jeff Lemire and Jose Villarrubia. Over a decade ago, Lemire brought us a post-apocalyptic tale of Gus and the animal/human hybrids that now populates the world. Now Lemire revisits that tale and it’s a good time for it, as Netflix is producing an eight-episode first season. It treads some familiar post-apocalyptic ground, but is such an iconic story, it needs to be read…even if you read it the first time.

TASKMASTER #1 by Jed MacKay and Alessandro Vitti. The legendary merc and trainer is here in this beautifully illustrated mini-series. Maria Hill has been killed and it looks like the star of the book is responsible. That means he’s a hunted man with no less that Black Widow, Squadron Supreme, the Agents of Wakanda and N.I.S. Tiger Division on his tail. Fun stuff from MacKay and Vitti.

U.S. AGENT #1 by Christopher Priest and Georges Jeanty. John Walker is back and he’s on the run. This becomes a twisted road trip book with Walker, a pizza delivery man and lots of gun play. It’s pure Priest, with great dialogue, story twists and action. Priest was the main reason for me grabbing this title as “I knew the wild ride I was in for. This was so much fun that I wish this would evolve into a monthly title.

VAMPIRELLA TRIAL OF THE SOUL #1 by Bill Willingham and Giuseppe Cafaro. Dyenamite continues to mine its’ Vampirella property and delivers this one shot. It’s well written and illustrated, but the big attraction is the introduction of Prester John, who I’m sure will end up in the Vampi canon in the future. Definitely aimed at die hard Vampirella fans.

THE WALKING DEAD DELUXE #1 by Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore. Now that the series has ended, Image is releasing the entire series again-two issues per month and in full color. So we’ve had 193 issues, a handful of one shots, hardcover and trade paperback collections and now this. With all those options out there, why buy this? Outside of the color work, each issue has “the cutting room floor” which features notes and such for each issue. It gives you a behind the scenes look at the thought and creation process for each issue. This is like the Criterion treatment on the series, filled with Kirkman’s original page by page plotting notes and commentary. Be aware: you’re in for the long haul. At two issues a month, you’re looking at a nine-year ride. The good/bad news of this: you might be at the point to sell your original copies unless this drops the price, which would be a plus for collectors.

WARHAMMER 40,000: MARNEUS CALGAR #1 by Kieron Gillen and Jacen Burrows. I have never played WARHAMMER 40,000, never read a book about it, have no idea the history or mythos, although I have painted a few Space Marines along the way. My only reason for buying is being a fan of Burrows’ art. The story will appeal to WARHAMMER 40,000 fans. Other that Burrows’ art, I was unimpressed.

WEB OF VENOM: EMPYRE’S END #1 by Clay McLeod Chapman and Guiu Villanova. The variant cover says it all: Knull is coming. Knull is the big baddie who will be making his presence known in almost all Marvel titles through the beginning of 2021. A spaceship of Kree and Skrull warriors have survived the war and now face a blackness that does to them what an alien did in the original ALIEN. Essential tie-in if you’re going to jump into the forthcoming KING IN BLACK.

WEB OF VENOM: WRAITH #1 by Donny Cates and Guiu Villanova. Wriath is described as a lone gunslinger-picture a supernatural Punisher. His journey ends with a face-off against Knull. This is another tie-in to the upcoming KING IN BLACK event and since it’s written by Donny Cates, it ties in directly to VENOM.

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #1 by Taboo, B. Earl and Scot Eaton. Dear Marvel: PLEASE STOP MESSING WITH MY CHILDHOOD COMICS! My WEREWOLF BY NIGHT is Jack Russell, he interacted with Moon Knight, Tigra and the Marvel Monsters. He was a member of the Midnight Sons. He was cool and edgy. THIS WEREWOLF BY NIGHT, created by Taboo of the Black Eyed Peas, is Jake Gomez-a Hopi native. The story is convoluted and lame. Marvel has said the character will eventually appear as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Please make it better than this horrible take on the character.

WOLVERINE: BLACK, WHITE & RED #1 by Gerry Duggan, Matthew Rosenberg, Declan Shalvey, Adam Kubert and Joshua Cassara. This is a new anthology mini-series which, as the title implies, is told in black, white and red. Some high-end talent are on display here and, if you’re a fan of blood and guts Wolverine, this is for you.

WIDOMAKER #1 by Devin Grayson and Michele Bandini. This title was due out to time with the BLACK WIDOW film. Well, the film got delayed and the book is finally out, presumably to time with the eventual film release. The book stars Yelena Belova and a bearded Red Guardian-obviously to tie not David Harbour’s film look. Garyson is notable for her work on GOTHAM KNIGHTS, TITANS and especially NIGHTWING and an action story like this is in her wheelhouse.

X OF SWORDS CREATION #1 by Jonathan Hickman, Tini Howard and Pepe Larraz. This is the opening salvo in the 22 chapter X OF SWORDS crossover event running through all the X titles. And that’s a long haul for a big fight, “world changing” story. The set-up is typical with Hickman laying the groundwork for an epic. The sad part is reading it and being able to tell where Hickman left off and Howard took over. The continuity in the read is jarring and a major distraction.

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