Muppet King Arthur #1
Issue 1 of 4
Written by Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck
Art by Patrick Storck
Cover Art by David Peterson (Cover A); Dave Alvarez (Cover B)
BOOM! Studios
Price: $2.99; Release date: February 10, 2010

Do you like Arthurian legend? How about The Muppets?

BAM! Here’s a comic for you: Muppet King Arthur #1, the first of four issues in the new BOOM! Studios comic book series from Paul Benjamin and Patrick Storck.

This series sees the famous Muppets gang in Great Britain during the Dark Ages where our favorite green guy Kermit is thrust in the role as King Arthur after he pulls the sword Excalibur from the stone, ushering in the legendary Arthurian times.

Being released on the publisher’s BOOM! Kids line implies this comic book is for children, but that’s only partially true, as I found that some of the humor was clearly adult, namely the references to modern-day politics. But yes, the kids will love it too, because the Muppets are in action, and Fozzie Bear never fails to … WOCKA WOCKA … slip in a corny joke [...]

Siege #2
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Penciller: Olivier Coipel
Inker: Mark Morales
Colorist: Laura Martin
Cover: Olivier Coipel; Gabriele Dellotto (variant)
Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99; Release date: February 3, 2010

As much as I enjoy Brian Michael Bendis‘ work on a variety of titles, his big event work at Marvel has generally left me cold. There weren’t a lot of things wrong with series like “House of M” or “Secret Invasion” per se, but the stories were never as exciting to me as they should have been. I think a lot of that can be blamed on their length. Fortunately, Bendis and Marvel made the wise decision to make their new event “Siege” only four issues, which I think has forced Bendis to cut all the filler and get straight to the killer. And as it turns out, that killer is the Sentry.

Siege #2 finds Norman Osborn’s attack on Asgard in full swing, but unfortunately, he loses control of one major player, just as the Avengers are planning their counterattack. Ares has been one of Osborn’s big guns, but when the god of war finds out that he’s been played for a fool, he decides to take Norman out. Unfortunately, Norman has another big gun, and calls in the Sentry to take on Ares [...]

Detective Comics #861
Written by Greg Rucka
Art by Jock
Co-feature Art by Cully Hamner
Cover by JH Williams III
DC Comics
Price: $3.99; Release date: January 27, 2010

JH Williams III became one of my favorite artists last year when he was brought on board Detective Comics (along with writer Greg Rucka), bringing with him his impressive layouts and a highly photo realistic style.

With Detective Comics #861 Jock takes over for Williams on art detail, bringing a very different dynamic to the art. The two have radically different styles, with Jock having a much more angular style. He doesn’t have the way with the intricate layouts that Williams does, but he adds grit to the issue that Williams doesn’t have. Jock’s has an economy of line, and the coloring adds a very expressionistic angle to the art. If you’re used to his art, and enjoy it as I do, the change will not be as much of a bitter pill to swallow, but if you’re looking for a style similar to Williams III, you may not enjoy the change as much.

A new storyline starts in this issue as Batman and Batwoman are tracking down the same case in two different eras and I’m assuming we will see how they are connected at some point, but as when Williams was drawing it, the star here is Jock’s art. He has a great way of projecting the mood of the scenes [...]

Superman: Secret Origin #4
Issue 4 of 6
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal
Covers by Gary Frank
DC Comics
Price $3.99; Release date: January 27, 2010

If there’s one thing that can be said about last week of comic releases, is that this was a week for the art lover. Case in point: Superman: Secret Origin #4.

The story by Geoff Johns for this issue is not bad, showing the first face to face meeting between Lex Luthor and Superman, as well as a new origin for the villain Parasite, but the main reason to pick up this issue is the fantastic art of Gary Frank. The first thing to note is the way he draws Clark Kent. You may argue that Frank draws him to look a little too much like Christopher Reeve, but I think it adds another layer to the character, since so many of us identify Reeve as the ultimate Superman. It’s something that will appeal to casual fans, and I think once this series is done, this is going to be a great book to give to your non-comic reading friends [...]

Captain America: Reborn #6
Written by Ed Brubaker
Penciled by Bryan Hitch
Inked by Array
Colored by Paul Mounts
Lettered by VC – Joe Caramagna
Cover by Bryan Hitch
Price: $3.99; Marvel Comics
Release date: January 27, 2010

Captain America has been one of my favorite series since Ed Brubaker took over several years ago.

We all knew that when the original Captain America, Steve Rogers, was killed at the end of the Civil War event, that he would be back at some point. Unfortunately, this series that is bringing Steve back to life has been plagued by delays, and had an extra issue added to complete the story.

So, was the wait for Issue #6 worth it? Well, I guess it depends on how much you HAD to have Steve Rogers back behind the shield. If you really wanted him back, than this may have lived up to the expectations, but for me, the whole series has been kind of underwhelming, and I’ll be glad to get back to the regular adventures of Bucky Barnes or Steve Rogers or whoever they want to call Cap [...]

The Last Days of American Crime #1
Issue 1 of 3
Written by Rick Remender
Art by Greg Tocchini
Lettering by Rus Rooton
64 pages, Full Color; $4.99
Radical Publishing

From Rick Remender, the critically acclaimed writer of Punisher and Fear Agent comes the first issue of The Last Days Of American Crime. Featuring covers from Alex Maleev and Greg Tocchini this crime noir thriller captured my attention with its really cool premise. Picture this:

In the not-too-distant future, as a final response to terrorism and crime, the U.S. government plans in secret to broadcast a signal making it impossible for anyone to knowingly commit unlawful acts. To keep this from the public, the government creates a distraction, installing a new currency system using digital charge cards.

Enter Graham Bricke, a career criminal never quite able to hit the big score. In a grand scheme, Graham intends to steal one of the charging stations, skip the country, and live off unlimited funds for the rest of his life [...]

Demonic #1
Top Cow – Pilot Season
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Joe Benitez
Cover Art: Marc Silvestri
Top Cow
Release date: January 27, 2010

It’s time for yet another installment in the 2010 version of Top Cow’s Pilot Season. What is Pilot Season? Well I’m glad you asked. Pilot Season is the annual initiative from Top Cow started way back in the year of 2007 that gives the fans control over which one shot will get turned into a full mini-series. Imagine American Idol for comics and you basically have Pilot Season in a nutshell.

Check out my thoughts on the first issue of Demonic below in my audio review.

Here’s the official synopsis: The demon is in his head. The demon makes him strong. The demon gets angry when he doesn’t kill. Scott Graves is possessed and he will do anything the demon asks as long as it promises not to make him kill his wife and daughter. Scott stalks in the night as Demonic, a vigilante known for savagely slaughtering the wicked. He asks himself, how long can he continue living this way and what if the demon isn’t real?

From the creative minds of Image partners Robert Kirkman and Marc Silvestri comes Demonic! [...]

Swallow Me Whole
Written and Drawn by Nate Powell
Top Shelf Productions
Release Date: October 29, 2008

I tried to write a nice little intro paragraph for Swallow Me Whole, but rather than write something flowery and overtly descriptive, I decided to just cut right to the chase. Swallow Me Whole is one graphic novel that you should pick up above all other comic books out there.

Written by Nate Powell , Swallow Me Whole tells the tale of two step-siblings, Ruth and Perry, and how each of them deals with growing up in the suburbs and with their similar mental diseases. Ruth thinks that the dead insects she collects are alive and Perry thinks the wizard on the top of his pen is talking to him and compelling him to draw. Relying on each other to keep one another sane, Ruth and Perry do the best they can to keep each other’s demons in check and hope that there is light at the end of this rather dark tunnel.

I was not familiar with Nate Powell’s work up until I read this but there is a reason that this won an Eisner Award for Best New Graphic Novel. It is a great read. The story is nicely paced and the dialogue is realistic. He also creates some nicely relatable characters in Ruth and Perry [...]

Adventure Comics #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Francis Manapul
Colors by Brian Buccellato
DC Comics
Price: $3.99

I may be the only one who signed up to get Adventure Comics based solely on the strength of Francis Manapul’s art. I became a fan of his work after reading it in the pages of Jim Shooter’s recent Legion of Superhero run. It’s a shame that the run was cut short, because his art was perfectly suited for that book. His art on that book showed that he could handle any kind of action sequence that was thrown at him. Fortunately, he’s on to bigger and better things, with this new (old) series that features the new adventures of Superboy.

Connor Kent is back from the dead, killed by Geoff Johns in the pages of Infinite Crisis, and returned from the grave by Johns in Final Crisis: Legion of Three worlds. Those in the know will remember that DC had run into some legal troubles over the use of the name Superboy, but they were able to clear that all up, and now he’s back and ready for action. This issue picks up with him trying to get back to a normal life. He has moved back to Smallville, and is living with Ma Kent, meanwhile he’s trying to live up to Superman’s legacy. Unfortunately for his peace of mind, Connor is only a half-clone of Superman, with the other half belonging to Lex Luthor, and this leads to him questioning what is behind his motives. Is he Superman, or is he Luthor? The first issue gives us a good set up for what should be a good run [...]

Sleeper
Vol. 1: Out in the Cold
Vol. 2: All False Moves
Written by Ed Brubaker
Art by Sean Phillips
DC Comics/WildStorm

Back in 2001, a funny thing happened. Noir style comics got popular. Sure, they have been around for a pretty long time but I think it hit its peak once noir-esque style writers like Brian Bendis, Greg Rucka, and Darwyn Cooke started to make some engrossing pieces of comic book fiction. And with the popularity came the glut of noir comics, filled with morally ambiguous heroes and deadly femme fatales. Some were good but a lot were not great. The worst part of it all was that with so many books out there, a great book was bound to be lost in the fold. Sleeper by Ed Brubaker (Daredevil, Criminal) and Sean Phillips (Criminal, Marvel Zombies) was one such title.

Though it garnered a lot of critical acclaim, sales for this title was okay at best but because of solid following plus strong trade sales, the entire series is finally collected in two volumes. This writer could not be happy about the situation, though he does have some small nitpicky grips about the new editions [...]

The Surrogates
The Surrogates: Vol 1
The Surrogates: Vol 2: Flesh & Bone
The Surrogates Operator’s Manual: Vol 1 & 2 (Hardcover)
Written by Robert Venditti
Art by Brett Weldele
Top Shelf Productions
Available Now

The Surrogates caught me by surprise when it came out a few years ago. Here was a book with a unique premise, which appealed to the Sci-Fi fan in me, as well as the crime drama/mystery fan. The story was fairly unique to me: In the future most people will not leave their houses at all, they do all their business and interactions through the use of realistic looking robots called Surrogates. These surrogates have changed all aspects of society: cops don’t have to worry about being killed in the line of duty; gender roles are easily switched by using a surrogate opposite of the users actual gender; and body image is no longer a problem, since your surrogate can be as good looking as you want it to be. All of this changes when someone begins to go around destroying other people’s surrogates. What follows is an examination of how we interact with each other in an online world, the role of religion verses technology, and really just a well crafted mystery.

The original Surrogates mini-series, by Robert Venditti is an interesting piece of work. It’s one of the most thought provoking series that I have read over the last few years. The world we live in today is one where people can go years without actually meeting people they interact with every day. You can keep up with complete strangers via any number of message boards, Facebook pages, Twitter feeds, or a million other social networks. You can raid a dungeon in World of Warcraft with someone who could be half a world away, or they could be your next door neighbor, and you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. The Surrogates takes the concept of this isolation that many people live their lives in today, and asks what would happen if no one had to leave their house if they didn’t want to. The best thing it does though, is take this interesting concept, and wraps it up in an also interesting murder mystery [...]

Strangers in Paradise Omnibus
Written and Drawn by Terry Moore
Abstract Studios
Release Date: 7/22/09 (San Diego Comic Con Exclusive); 9/2009 (Everywhere)

If you were one of the many people who attended the San Diego Comic-Con this year, hopefully you were smart enough to stop by Abstract Studio’s booth and picked up a copy of the Strangers In Paradise Omnibus. The entire indie comic classic created by writer/artist Terry Moore is collected together in 2 volumes for the first time and made its unofficial debut at the Con and I was able to snag a copy with the help of GoD co-owner Dave3.

Strangers in Paradise is a romantic dramedy that centers around two best friends who have known each other since high school. Francine is the plus-sized shy one, who is unaware of just how special she really is. Katina (aka Katchoo) is the fiery outspoken artist, who is extremely loyal to and in love with Francine. The series follows their adult lives and their ever complicated relationship filled with men, women, guns, and of course, the Mafia.

If you are not familiar with the series, I must say that my summarization of the series does not do the book justice. It is a great read and provides the reader with a variety of emotions. I cannot think of a comic that has so many funny lines of dialogue and heartbreaking scenes all at once. The story, while mostly soap opera-esque, isn’t afraid to tap into other types of genres as well. At any point in time, the comic shifts from a soap opera to a comedy, to a mystery, drama, and even action. It is a story that should entertain anyone who is interested in a great story. Above all else, thanks to the writing, you actually feel for these characters and relate to them. Don’t be surprised if halfway into the story, you start actually thinking these characters are real [...]

Spider-Woman: Agent of S.W.O.R.D. #1: Marvel Motion Comic
Written by Brian Michael Bendis
Art by Alex Maleev
Marvel Comics
Released: August 19, 2009
Price: $.99 (on iTunes)

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev have been trying to get this Spider-Woman series off the ground for what seems like a decade, and they’ve finally managed to do it. However, Marvel has decided to make this series the first in their big push of Motion Comics, similar to what DC has done with Watchmen, and is currently doing with Superman: Red Son. I’m not sure who decided these motion comics are the next big thing, but somebody’s putting a lot of money behind it, so we’re going to keep getting them for a while. The interesting thing with this series is that we will see a print version of this story in a few months, but we’re getting the motion version of it first. The one thing this really has going for it is the price point of 99 cents on iTunes (available for the first two weeks, then the price jumps to $1.99). It’s much easier for me to make an impulse buy on this when the price is so low, and if they maintain that price, I could see picking this series up.

The story in this one follows Spider-Woman, or Jessica Drew to her friends, as she is recruited to become an agent of S.W.O.R.D. (as it says right there in the title). S.W.O.R.D. is in charge of protecting the Earth from alien invaders, and Spider-Woman is tasked with tracking down one of the Skrulls who recently attacked. She travels to the seedy Asian port of Madripoor where she ends up confronting him [...]

Jennifer’s Body
Hardcover Edition
Written by Rick Spears
Art by Jim Mahfood, Ming Doyle, Nikki Cook, Tim Seeley
Letters by Troy Peteri
BOOM! Studios
Release date: August 26, 2009

The hardcover graphic novel Jennifer’s Body is not a straight comic book adaptation of the upcoming film of the same name, although at a glance, buyers might not realize that. Rather, this graphic novel expands upon the Jennifer universe, created in the screenplay by Diablo Cody (Juno), and contains a collection of stories that tie into the events from the movie.

The main story of the film centers on Jennifer (played by Megan Fox), a beautiful high school cheerleader who every girl wants to be friends with and every boy wants to date. Her luck runs out one day after a demon enters her body when she’s used as a Satanic sacrifice. After that, Jennifer begins to kill and feed upon the boys at her school, while her best friend Needy plots to stop her. From previews and trailers, the movie has the dark comedy stylings and wicked female lead of Jawbreakers, but with more sex and gore.

The graphic novel, written by Death Metal’s Rick Spears, actually has very little in it of Jennifer herself, though we do see her go in for the kill several times. Instead, we follow her soon-to-be victims and learn all about what makes them tick, so that when we see the film, we’ll know if they really got what was coming to them [...]

Hum
Graphic Novel
Written By Scott Marcano and Tom Lenoci
Illustrated by Renzo Podesta
Diablo Productions
Cover price: $15.95; 250 pages, B&W w/ partial Color
March 2009

Throughout the history of humans, also apparent in our own everyday experience, the affluent have taken advantage of the downtrodden. Humans are also great adapters. We eventually, as a people, make the best of the situation we find ourselves in. We are also susceptible to the promise of ease and ecstasy. Well, off world and in the future people are no different.

Such is the story of Hum which is slowly, masterfully untwined over the first few chapters of the book. Earthling colonists travel through space and find what they believe to be a perfect new world. However, most of the population is debilitated by a natural element of the planet. The non-afflicted take this as a sign of their superiority and use the disadvantaged to do their bidding. This is a story all too familiar in our human history. It seems like a natural extension of our progeny. Just as it is that the afflicted rise to overcome their disabilities and begin to live life anew and begin…hum. But the masters won’t give up easily, using their own people with the vices of the time and planet, to fight their battles for them [...]

G.I. Joe Volume 1
Written by Chuck Dixon
Art by Robert Atkins

G.I. JOE: COBRA
Written by Christos Gage and Mike Costa
Art by Antonio Fuso

G.I. JOE: Origins Volume 1
Written by Larry Hama
Art by Mike Hawthorne

I had not really cared about any of the G.I. Joe comics being produced by Devil’s Due Comics for the last few years, which is not to say they were good or bad, just that I couldn’t be bothered to actually buy them. However, when I heard that IDW had picked up the license and was going to be making a new series, I was intrigued. I was further intrigued when I heard of their plan to release three series, all focusing on different aspects of the G.I. Joe mythos. Then they suckered me in with G.I. Joe #0, which came out last year, and gave a preview of all three series. Since they’ve started, I’ve been eagerly waiting for each new issue, mostly because each series has its own place in the story, but also because each has its own unique feel.

The main series, G.I. Joe, is the most traditional of the three series. It’s got all the characters you enjoy, running around in their familiar costumes, fighting crazy robots controlled by Destro, and looking for Cobra. It’s a fun series, particularly if you’re a fan of the original. It’s got everything I’m looking for in a G.I. Joe comic [...]

G.I. Joe Classic Vol. 1-4
Written by Larry Hama with Herb Trimpe and Steven Grant
Art by Various
IDW Publishing
Available Now

As much as I loved G.I. Joe when I was a kid, I never read too much of the comic series that Marvel released in the 80’s to tie into the phenomenon. And let me tell you, I loved the toys growing up, had a ton of them, and still have great memories of waking up before school to watch the show. Fortunately for me, IDW has set out to reprint the entire comic book series, and has done a great job with them. Having read the first four volumes that are out now, I realize that it’s kind of a shame I didn’t read these as a kid, because these are some damn fine books for readers of all ages.

The first volume is kind of weird, at least to someone more familiar with the G.I. Joe cartoon series than the comics, as these issues have a very different tone from the show. Gone are the goofy costumes (for the most part) and a lot of the classic characters. No, the series actually starts as a more or less straight war comic, with more focus on the regular soldiers than on any crazy technology.

Reading the first few volumes, you could almost forget that the comic was designed to sell the toys, but that does creep up more as the series goes on, with the Joe’s or Cobra getting a new vehicle every issue. Sure, there are bits of the stuff I remember; Cobra Commander and the Baroness are still the big enemies, Snake Eyes and Scarlett are hanging around, but a lot of the Joes I remember don’t start showing up till around volume 3 [...]

Richard’s Stark’s Parker: The Hunter
Adapted and Illustrated by Darwyn Cooke
Edited by Scott Dunbier
IDW Publishing
Release date: July 22, 2009

When artist/writer Darwyn Cooke finished his run on Will Eisner’s The Spirit, I am sure I was not the only one that was eagerly anticipating his next project. Would he continue to play in the DC playground or perhaps venture into Marvel territory? Or maybe he would just forgo the big two and just go the creator-owned route. When the news broke at last year’s San Diego Comic-Con on Cooke’s next project, few would have guessed it would be with IDW Publishing but even more were surprised when the project in question would be an adaptation of The Parker novels by Donald Westlake.

Donald Westlake (for those like myself who was not familiar with the author), was a critically acclaimed crime novelist back in the late 1950’s. Best known for the creation of the Parker character, Westlake had twenty-four of the twenty eight crime novels written under the Richard Stark pseudonym centered on the popular anti-hero. Even if you are not familiar with the character, you be hard pressed not to notice Westlake’s work in the mainstream media.

From Point Blank to Payback, the Parker novels have been adapted numerous times on film but never has the author allowed the Parker name to be used until now. Just before Westlake passed away in 2008, he gave Cooke permission to adapt the story and introduce the Parker character to the graphic novel world in a series of four graphic novels set to come out yearly.

Dusk Vol. 1
Written by David Doub
Pencils by Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, Franc Czuba
Inks by Chris Scott, Jerry Gonzales
Letters by Jaymes Reed
Independent

A newly turned vampire must resist his own unnatural urges in order to save his wife’s life. A chance encounter with a private investigator leads to a reunion between a vampire hunter and the husband she’d almost forgotten. A teen’s mystical dalliances place a curse on his school that few, if any, may survive.

These are the tales of Dusk, David Doub’s independently published Gothic horror comic. Collected in this trade paperback volume are the first four issues of the black & white series, created and written by Doub, illustrated by Maki Naro, Jerry Gonzales, Franc Czuba, and Chris Scott, and lettered by Jaymes Reed.

This was a difficult review for me to pin down. Typically, I have a prevailing feeling after finishing a given book that will guide me through the process of writing about it, but in this case, I was left very much in limbo. I have negative things to say, yet I can’t bring myself to give a wholly bad review. I have positive things to say, yet I’d be remiss if I just fluffed it and went on my way. So, I’m going to try something new [...]

Captain America: Reborn #1
Writer: Ed Brubaker
Penciler: Bryan Hitch and Butch Guice
Publisher: Marvel Comics
Release date: July 1, 2009

I should be more excited about this. I have loved Ed Brubaker’s run on Captain America since I picked up the first trade. It’s probably my favorite book that I’m currently reading on a monthly basis. So why is ‘underwhelmed’ the first word coming to mind? I’ll tell you why: it’s mostly that too much of Captain America: Reborn #1 is spent recapping info that was recapped two weeks ago in Captain America #600. So what we get is a second issue in a row of set-up; well-illustrated set-up, but set-up nonetheless.

This issue follows from where Issue #600 left off. Sharon Carter and the Falcon take the gun that killed Steve Rogers to Hank Pym for some investigation. They discuss Sharon’s memories from when she was under the Red Skull’s control and how she saw what could be one of Dr. Doom’s Time Platforms and that the Red Skull may have already brought Steve back. Meanwhile, the current Cap and the Black Widow try to track down the Time Platform so they can see what it really is. Unfortunately, the Platform is in the custody of Norman Osborne, so they have to break into a H.A.M.M.E.R. facility, where all does not go according to plan. Finally, we get a hint of what may be happening to Steve, and how he may be brought back [...]