This Week In Comics: 01/04/07

[Clayface]

Welcome to This Week in Comics for January 4th, 2007 - January 10th, 2007!

This is the place to discuss the comics you've bought this week, whether it be a brand new title or old back-issues. We also welcome and encourage talk about comics in general - news you've read on comic news sites, the state of the industry in general, upcoming issues you're excited about, etc. All we ask is that you please use spoiler brackets in the event that your comments get too detailed concerning a particular storyline. This way the book won't be ruined for anyone who hasn't read it yet.

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.diamondcomics.com/shipping/shipping_010307.txt).

To find a comic book store near you, check out the Comic Shop Locator Service (http://csls.diamondcomics.com/).


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Highlights of the Week!




Clayface's Pick:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/6521_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=6521)
American Virgin #10


wonderfly's Pick:

http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/5918_180x270.jpg
All Star Superman #6





Ace the Bathound's Pick:
http://www.dccomics.com/media/covers/6701_180x270.jpg (http://www.dccomics.com/comics/?cm=6701)
Scalped #1



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[wonderfly]

I don't suppose one of our DC fans here at the CBC forum would mind updating the Superman: "Subject-17" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=172141) talkback thread with the info for the latest issue that came out today? Is anyone still reading that storyline?

[Ed Liu]

Elephantmen!

ELEPHANTMEN!!!

EL-EH-PHANT-MENNNN!!!!!! (http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Elephantmen/YearofElep/YearOfTheElephant_med.jpg)

Not that it came out this week, but Richard Starkings talks a lot about Elephantmen on Newsarama (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=96168), declaring this the Year of the Elephant, so it seemed appropriate. Did I mention (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=2391584&postcount=10) that Newsarama also has all of issue #1 for free (http://www.newsarama.com/ImageComics/Elephantmen/01full/EMEN01_full.html)?

Year of the Elephant is much cooler than Year of the Boar (http://www.chinapage.com/newyear.html) anyway.

-- Ed

[Ed Liu]

Nifty two-part series on the Marvel Adventures comics at Comic Book Resources (part 1 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9287) and part 2 (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/newsitem.cgi?id=9294)). Multiple quotes from several current MA creators, like Jeff Parker, Fred Van Lente (yes, of Action Philosophers fame), and Zeb Wells. Nice stuff like the following:


Jeff Parker, whose work on "Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four" received a Harvey nomination, has used the MA format as a platform for such offbeat fan-favorites as the aforementioned "Doom, Where's My Car?" and "Goom Got Game," where Spider-Man and the Human Torch fight an extra-dimensional creature whose knowledge of Earth comes from MTV. "I was lucky to anticipate a trap I could have easily fallen into, and that I think many creators have done in the past," said Parker, who begins a second tour on "Marvel Adventures Avengers" this month. "They get assignments like this, which have certain restrictions and aren't in continuity, and let that taint their process- 'I'm not doing the real version of this, I'm doing the kiddie book.'

Among other things, they also explain where Giant Girl came from in the Avengers title and promise a background issue about her for #13, titled "Attack of the 50 Foot Girl." There's also a 9-page preview of issue #9, the all-MODOC issue (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/marvelcomics/marveladventures/avengers/MARADVAV009_Ymove.jpg) (which also contains some of the funnier (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/marvelcomics/marveladventures/avengers/MARADVAV009_int-2.jpg) Spider-Man quips (http://www.comicbookresources.com/news/preview2.php?image=previews/marvelcomics/marveladventures/avengers/MARADVAV009_int-3.jpg) I've read in a while). Apparently, they had to revise our favorite giant-headed floaty-chair villain as the Mental Organism Designed Only for CONQUEST instead of KILLING, which isn't quite as ludicrously over-the-top, but at least it preserves the pronunciation of the acronym.

MA: Avengers is awesome. You should all be reading it.

-- Ed

[Jor-El]

I don't suppose one of our DC fans here at the CBC forum would mind updating the Superman: "Subject-17" (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=172141) talkback thread with the info for the latest issue that came out today? Is anyone still reading that storyline?I dropped Superman but MAN! Is that storyline actually still happening?

Not Busiek's best work. Wish he'd've stayed on Aquaman.

[Xada-Hgla]

Forgot to mention it on Thursday, but I got the first issue of the Cyber Force/X-men crossover, featuring Ripclaw/Cyblade and Wolverine/Psylocke.

[Ed Liu]

I dropped Superman but MAN! Is that storyline actually still happening?

Not Busiek's best work. Wish he'd've stayed on Aquaman.

Still happening, although it's shifted gears from focusing on Subjekt-17 and is now a "the future is doomed...and it's ALL YOUR FAULT, Superman!" story. We haven't gotten any kind of closure on Subjekt-17, though, so I suspect that these two stories are related. I also remember liking these comics more than you at the time.

I read the earlier issue, which showed what life is like for Lois, Jimmy, and a number of the Metropolis gang, and I have to say I thought it was pretty cool. Haven't had a chance to grab the latest issue, though, which is why I haven't been charging to take over the talkback thread.

(EDIT: Tho' it's not usually a good sign when you have to check review (http://www.supermanhomepage.com/comics/2006-post-crisis-reviews/c-review-2006.php?topic=sup657) sites (http://politedissent.com/archives/1521) to realize that the issue you just read is not one, but two months old and you didn't notice that the latest issue is late...)

Changing some gears of my own, Wizard chats with Jeff Parker (http://www.wizarduniverse.com/magazine/wizard/002952630.cfm) about The Interman, his Agents of Atlas mini-series, and some other fun stuff. I was waiting-for-the-trade for AoA, and Parker reveals that it's getting a hardcover in the interview, which makes me happy. Also makes me happy that it sounds like one of those nice oversized HCs, since the "Premiere Edition" HCs that they put out are normally pretty thin on the extras Parker describes.

-- Ed

[wonderfly]

I just wanted to say I finally got around to reading the "Captain America/Iron Man: Casualties of War" one-shot that came out last month, and I have to say:

If you read just one Civil War tie-in book, even if you don't read the Civil War mini-series itself, Read This Book!

Chris Gage proves to be a great up and coming writer, who really understands the personalities of Cap and Iron Man, and beyond that, he actually acknowledges the history of these two characters, specifically bringing up several events from their past that show how they developed their stances on the Civil War, (compared to reading the personalities of the characters as shown in Millar's Civil War miniseries itself, this is a breath of fresh air). Also, Jeremy Haun's artwork is fantastic! I hope to see more work at Marvel from him...

[Ed Liu]

Preview of Agents of Atlas #6 (http://forum.newsarama.com/showthread.php?t=96953), last of the mini-series, which also confirms the upcoming HC collection. There's no spoilers in the preview, but I think this page from the preview (http://www.newsarama.com/marvelnew/Atlas/06/AOATLAS006_05.jpg) pretty much seals the deal that I'm gonna pre-order the hardcover. Yes, that's a spaceman, a robot, two SHIELD agents (one of whom is Jimmy Woo, which wins further cool points with me on general principle), an undersea princess, and a goddess behind a talking gorilla packing heat and dropping a badass line. How can you not totally dig that? It's cool enough that I'm even able to forgive the flub of the lyrics to "I Get a Kick Out of You."

I also ended up buying my first issue of 52 a few weeks ago because I heard it contained a backup feature with Brian Bolland drawing the origin of Zatanna. This meant I spent $3 for two pages, which probably indicates I am far too willing to drop cash on comics sometimes. It also makes me sad to discover that DC is putting up these backups on-line for free (http://www.dccomics.com/sites/52/?action=specials), including the aforementioned Brian Bolland Zatanna (http://www.dccomics.com/sites/52/?action=biography&w=20) story. Oh, well.

Tried reading the main story. Gave up 2 pages in when I realized I neither understood nor cared about what was happening in the main story.

-- Ed