Angel Falling
Written by Jeffrey Kaufman
Pencils by Kevin West
Inks by Mark McKenna, Bob Wiacek, Jack Purcell, and Kevin Yates
Colors by Tom Chu and Pete Pantazis
Letters by John Hunt
Cover by Jeffrey Kaufman, Dave Stewart, and Stan Johnson
Variant Cover by Billy Tucci and Felix Serrano
Zenescope Entertainment
Release Date: August 28, 2013
Cover Price: $9.99

How would you react if you woke up as a half-naked woman in an alley just as two guys are about to assault you? And when you suddenly find yourself beating them down with almost no effort, what then? Well, that’s exactly how Angel Falling starts off. Not knowing who she is or why she’s there, she begins to search for answers alongside a new-found companion who is more than he seems, too.

Calling himself 5, the young man calls her by the name Angel but refuses to speak more on the subject. Or any subject for that matter, he is extremely tight-lipped about everything. What he does show her, however, is that he has perfect reactions and is exceptionally skilled at hand-to-hand combat. We learn that he has eidetic kinesthesia, also known as perfect physical memory. This allows him to mimic and retain every physical action he sees. His statement of “failure means death” is repeated often throughout the comic.

Joe Abercrombie, author of The First Law fantasy series, among others set in the same world, has been working on a graphic novel based on his books for some time, and now, you can check out the first 12 pages of the first book, The Blade Itself, over at firstlawcomic.com.

New pages will be added at the site every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you’d like to own the actual issues, allowing yourself to browse through the pages whenever you want, you can purchase the issues at Comixology.com. The first issue is up now for $.99 and all subsequent issues will be sold for $2.99 each.

Abercrombie has brought in some amazing talent for this project as well. The series is being published by Rich Young at Blind Ferret Entertainment, written by Chuck Dixon (G.I. Joe, The Simpsons, Punisher) and illustrated by Andie Tong (Spectacular Spider-Man, Tron: Betrayal).

Tron: Betrayal
Paperback
Writer: Jai Nitz
Pencils: Andie Tong and Jeff Matsuda
Inks: Pete Pantazis
Marvel Comics
Release Date: November 16, 2010

In the nearly thirty years between the events of Tron and Tron: Legacy, a lot has happened in Kevin Flynn’s life. Legacy gives the viewer all the basic information needed to understand and enjoy the events that take place, but for those who want the whole story, Tron: Betrayal gives you that and much more.

Kevin Flynn is a man torn between two worlds. In the real world he is the head of ENCOM, a Fortune 500 corporation, and a father-to-be. He is also the creator of a digital world that has undergone some drastic change in its short existence. The program TRON helps to keep order and security in the grid while Flynn is gone, but the expanding world needs more than just order. The amount of attention needed in both worlds has run Flynn down, so he creates CLU, a program in his own image to run the grid in his stead. CLU is charged by Flynn with creating “the perfect system” and he takes this task very seriously, going to extreme lengths to ensure its success. As a divide begins between CLU and Flynn’s definition of perfection, Flynn’s real-world responsibilities keep him away from the grid for longer periods of time than usual. The division between the grid’s creator and its supervisor is reaching a boiling point, all while Flynn is trying to raise his newborn son and still maintain an active role at ENCOM.

Outsiders #37
Reign of Doomsday Part 2: Doom’s Day
Co-Plot and Script: Dan DiDio
Co-Plot and Art: Phillip Tan
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Cover: Phillip Tan with Guy Major
Price: $2.99
DC Comics
Release date: March 9, 2011

Doomsday’s reign of terror continues in this issue. In the Steel one-shot, Doomsday defeated Steel and flew off with his body. In this issue, Outsiders #37, Steel is nowhere to be found. In this book, Doomsday’s primary target appears to be Eradicator. Steel and Eradicator were both replacement Supermen in the aftermath of Doomsday’s first battle with Superman, so there may be a pattern forming. Currently, the Outsiders have been split into two teams. Doomsday battles Geo Force’s team, which includes Eradicator, Katana, Halo, Looker, and The Olympian. Unsurprisingly, Doomsday easily defeats this team. The Olympian and The Eradicator do the most damage, but they also fall. The Olympian reminds me of Marvel Comics’ Hercules character. He is very proud and boastful and makes elegant speeches while fighting. This character is very interesting, and I hope someone at DC finds a use for him soon, because Outsiders is slated to be canceled after issue #40.