Red Sonja #2
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Walter Geovani
Colored by Adriano Lucas
Lettered by Simon Bowland
Edited by Joseph Rybant
Covers by Jenny Frison, Nicola Scott and Stephanie Buscema
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: August 14, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Red Sonja #2 delves into the relationship between Red Sonja and Dark Annisia. Three years prior to the events taking place, they fought as slaves against scores of other slaves until they were the last two standing. Their relationship was stronger than sisters, but now they are fighting against each other. Sonja is fighting to protect her people, but Annisia’s cause is much more of a mystery and much more sinister.

Gail Simone’s writing is riveting. Intertwining their relationship’s origin story with the fight being waged, it allows for a slow reveal that builds suspense and allows for a unique twist. Sonja’s inner monologue allows for great character development. She is so much more than a red-headed she-devil with a sword.

Red Sonja #1
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Walter Geovani
Colors by Adriano Lucas
Letters by Simon Bowland
Covers by Nicola Scott, Amanda Conner, Fiona Staples, Jenny Frison, Colleen Doran and Stephanie Buscema
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: July 17, 2013
Cover Price: $3.99

Red Sonja #1 is many things. And there’s many things it’s not. I had been tremendously skeptical that after reading hundreds of Red Sonja stories that I wouldn’t be able to be shocked, surprised, or delighted in any way with a new series. But, I’m happy to report that you proved me 100 percent wrong!

When Gail Simone was announced as writer of a new Red Sonja series a few months ago, fandom took note. There heads spun. And, many people smiled. Well, let me assure you that you have every reason to smile! This is a fantastic comic, plain and simple.

Ignition Vol. 1
Written by Various
Penciled by Various
Colors by Various
Edited by Andrew DelQuadro
215 Ink
Release Date: Available for Pre-Order
Cover Price: $29.99

So, there’s a review in here, promise, and it’s going to be about the new collection from 215ink called Ignition Vol. 1. The lede is just, as people who call writing a profession say, buried. First, I need a moment to qualify what I mean and give a frame of reference. So, sorry, but: you can always circumvent that by skipping to the end if you’d like.

There’s been something of a renaissance of creator owned content lately, with a bevy of titles being announced from creators like Grant Morrison, Steve Niles, Brian K Vaughan, and other industry heavyweights. Although artistic control has been a high profile issue in the comics world at least since the early 90s -what with the Creator’s Bill of Rights in 1988, and the creation of Image Comics in 1992- the past calendar year has seemed like something of a watershed moment for the publicity and frequency of creator owned projects. Every major publisher, I believe, has an imprint dedicated to these projects, and the whole thing smacks of a cash-in. That sounds cynical.

How awesome is this? One of the premiere writers in comics, Gail Simone, who’s best known for her work on DC series such as Batgirl, Birds Of Prey, Secret Six, and Wonder Woman, will be writing an upcoming relaunched Red Sonja for Dynamite Entertainment beginning this July, the publisher announced on Friday.

This is huge for a variety of reasons. Primarily, Red Sonja is one of those comics that unjustifiably winds up thrown in the pile of other comics with scantly clad super heroines – ones who aren’t necessarily presented in a positive light for female readers, with art and writing that rarely has a strong female voice or vision behind them. With Simone being one of the most outspoken and progressive voices in comics, however, a truly awesome, kick-ass, brutal lead lady will surely be within the pages of Red Sonja, especially without the restrictions of a major corporation-backed publisher.

Each and every week “Gainfully Employed” MK2Fac3 and “Two More Vodka Cranberries, Please!” Henchman21 read a lot of comics. Seriously you guys, a lot of comics. Maybe too many comics. I mean, it is possible… theoretically. They look forward to some more than others, I mean, who doesn’t? So, let’s take a look into the depths of their pull lists, grab some comics, and we’ll let YOU know what the top books to look forward to are for the week of June 6, 2012. Single issues and trades, they’re all here.

Guys, a lot has happened over the past week. I got a job, Henchman got a mohawk, and DC Comics thought it would be a good idea to release Watchmen prequels! Well, if you want to read about that, then you can just go look to another article, because there will be none of that here! What will be here? Well, we’ve got some pleasant surprises for you, so just keep on reading as we show you The GoD List, a place where you will find out all of the comics that you should be reading this week!

DC Comics revealed today that the original Green Lantern Alan Scott of alternate reality based Earth 2 is being re-imagined as one of the publishing company’s highest profile homosexual male characters.

Alan Scott will be revealed to be gay next Wednesday in Earth 2 #2 by James Robinson and Nicola Scott. Earth 2, for those unaware, is an alternate reality in the DC Comics Universe that features several characters and heroes who are slightly different than they’re main-world counterparts. Prior to the New 52 relaunch, Earth 2 was a world in which the golden age heroes from DC’s past were alive and well, and in the New 52’s Universe, while a lot of the character names are the same, each of these characters has drastically changed. For example, the power source for Earth 2’s Flash, Jay Garrick, comes from the mythological god Mercury, and Green Lantern Alan Scott appears to be an appointed member of the Green Lantern Corps by the Guardians of the Universe, as noted by his lantern emblem, instead of being granted powers through magic. Earth 2 is a much younger and more relevant take on the characters from The Golden Age.

DC Comics announced today that the comic book publishing company would be expanding its digital comics initiative with brand new weekly comics with Smallville Season 11, Batman, and a manga-inspired Ame Come line leading the charge.

Alright DC Comics, you’ve got my attention. This news story comes alongside a nice feature with writer Bryan Q. Miller on USA Today as he discusses preview pages and the previously announced Smallville Season 11 weekly digital comics series that follows the events of the popular TV show, which finally hits the digital platform today. Next month, Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti will begin a new weekly digital comic based on Manga style that focuses on Wonder Woman and other female superheroes which takes the Ame Comi name from DC’s popular statue line. Where this gets really interesting to me, however, is with the announcement of the weekly Batman comics.

DC Comics announced on Thursday that they would be setting up the second wave of “New 52” releases while also canceling six ongoing comics that were released in the initial run of the DC Relaunch.

Resting in peace are six comics that were quite good and enjoyable or had a lot of potential to be great, so they will definitely be missed. Those comic books are Blackhawks – a war comic focusing on a group of militaristic mercenaries in the vein of G.I. Joe; Hawk and Dove – the only DC book written by the extremely talented Sterling Gates with art from Rob Liefeld (more on him in another article); Men of War – a war book that was one of my favorite comics of the relaunch that took a realistic approach to the military in a world full of superheroes; Mister Terrific – one of the very few DC comics with a person of color as the leading role. Also, the main character was highly intelligent and, interestingly enough in a comic, atheist. O.M.A.C. – this to me is a tragedy considering that it was a fan favorite even in the light of poor sales. Sure it’s bizarre and nutso, but it was a complete blast to read. And finally Static Shock – one of, if not the only book that could be considered “youthful” and “fun,” and also one of the few books starring a person of color. All of these titles will see their last issues in April.

DC Comics announced this week that the incredibly talented Nicola Scott would be handling art duties for three upcoming issues of the recently relaunched Superman.

It comes as a shock to no one that, across the board at DC Comics, fill-in artists are coming into the picture at around this time after DC’s September wide line relaunch. When details began to emerge that DC was preparing against issue delays, one of the first things fans began to think of was how little time the artists were getting. And it’s not just Jesus Merino on Superman, it’s Andy Kubert taking over for Rags Morales on Action Comics also, and the list will undoubtedly continue to grow when the issues and story arcs progress.