Dead Man’s Run #1
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Tony Parker
Colored by David Curiel
Lettered by Josh Reed
Aspen Comics
Release Date: January 18, 2012
Cover Price: $3.50

I love it when a single issue of a series excites me as much as a long form trade. First issues tend to be largely exposition, especially when dealing with brand new characters. How many times have you recommended a series to a friend by using the qualifier ‘Just wait until a few issues in, that’s when it gets going!’. It takes a skilled writer to both introduce and excite right off the bat, and that’s exactly what Greg Pak has done with issue one of Aspen Comics’ Dead Man’s Run.

Dead Man’s Run #0
Written by Greg Pak
Illustrated by Tony Parker
Colored by Peter Steigerwald
Lettered by Josh Reed
Covers by Tony Parker, Peter Steigerwald, Micah Gunnell
Aspen Comics
Release Date: November 2, 2011
Cover Price: $2.50

When the first page of a comic has someone buying beer, you just know it’s going to be a good read. Dead Man’s Run #0 has just that…of course, there is way more to it than that. It’s the prison break from Hell, literally. Our main guide through this short ride is Captain Romero, a man who is definitely no saint. Many references to his past are made, but none explain it. Mysterious, ashen-faced female Wardens and demonic Generals also add to the Hellish scene that we witness within the City of Corruption, located under the Pyramid. Sadly, the story pauses just as it gets started…but we all expect that in issue #0, right?

So Alpha Flight is Canada’s premiere super hero team. The entire team has been killed off at least once in the last couple of years, probably even more. Somehow though those resilient buggers are back to kick some butt in an all new miniseries coming from Marvel Comics.

Writers Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente and artist Dale Eaglesham will be offering up their take on the super team. This new 8-issue miniseries is a Fear Itself tie-in that finds Canada in the grip of fear and their greatest protectors named as enemies of the state. So it appears this story will follow Alpha Flight as they battle the fear and try to restore order to the Great White North.

Alpha Flight 1 of 8 hits store shelves on June 6, 2011. Check out these early images…

Joe Quesada announced a bevy of new Marvel projects at his annual Cup O’ Joe panel at WonderCon 2011. Sure there’s tons of focus on the upcoming Captain America and Thor films, but at this panel there were plenty of tasty comic book announcements too. Perhaps the most notable of these announcements was that writer Warren Ellis and artist Jamie McKelvie will be teaming up to take over Secret Avengers in August. All that Quesada would say about Ellis’ run on the series is that the stories will be of the single-issue variety. So, sounds like no big story arc this time around.

The Silver Surfer is one of those characters that has had trouble carrying his own series. He’s a fantastic guest star in other comics but he just hasn’t found enough popularity to carry a full series in a long time. J. Michael Straczynski killed the tortured ex-herald of Galactus off in a dramatic short run called Requiem and he was entertaining in the Annihilation event too. The Surfer may be one of those characters that’s just best suited to short stories and guest appearances.

Marvel is Surfing With The Alien once more with a 5-issue story from New York Times bestselling author Greg Pak and artist Stephen Segovia. In this story the wielder of the power cosmic returns to Earth and will face the High Evolutionary. As always Marvel is promising a game changing epic story.

Here are some early images from the upcoming story, which begins in February with Silver Surfer #1!