This Month in Comics: July 2009

[Xurk]

Welcome to This Month in Comics for July 2009!

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.

It's New Comic Book Day for the week of July 1, 2009 - July 7, 2009!

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-07-01-2009).
(http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-04-29-2009)
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!


Xurk's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers/200/15/15334.jpg....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090544d.jpg
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8 #26.....Deadpool: Merc With A Mouth #1..........


Antiyonder's Pick:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090488d.jpg
The Amazing Spider-Man Family #8


Jin Kazama's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090412d.jpg..........http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090558d.jpg
Captain America: Reborn #1 (of 5)..............................Destroyer # 4 (of 5)........

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[Jin Kazama]

Ok, I've yet to read this week's "Destroyer," but had to throw it on there just on issue #3 alone. The whole series has been good, but holy cow. That was the most violent, bloody, brutal fight I've ever seen in a comic book. Wow. Words can not describe it.

It was one fight, over basically an entire issue, and it progressively gets bloodier and bloodier. And it's not gratuitous at all. It makes sense, and has a ton of emotional impact to it. But holy cow. It takes the "Marvel Max" tag to the limit, if that's even possible.

[Xurk]

I have to admit, I'm becoming increasingly more intrigued by the "Destroyer" book based on what I read here at CBC... so maybe I'll give it a shot if I see it :)

As for my picks:
- BtVS this month has Oz in it... need I say more??
- My favourite fun-character at the moment in comics, paired with his zombified head? This is worth at least one shot to see if it can meet my expectations!

[Jin Kazama]

I went to a comic shop that I've never been to before, and found a few things that made me a very, very happy person.

After multiple comic shops and comic shows, I finally found Robin #52 and 148. Two random issues I know (despite being extremely hard to find, oddly enough), but those two issues now give me the entire 183 issue run of the series, making it the gem of my entire collection from a fanboy-aspect. Also grabbed Robin Plus #2 and the Robin/Argent one-shot, so unless there's something that's not listed on any online chronology sites, I also have every Robin mini and one-shot as well. :) So happy about that.

Also found the whole Young Justice/Spyboy mini-series. It also brings up why I stated "something not listed" above, because before this, I thought I had every Young Justice one-shot and mini as well, on top of the whole series run (another thing I'm proud of fanboy-wise). Never knew this was out there. And, man, I'm sure glad I got it, because that thing was awesome. Makes me want to search out the Spyboy series now.

[Ed Liu]

Hey, look, capsule comic reviews of some stuff in my latest shipment. Who'da thunk it?



Air: Letters from Lost Countries TPB: Judging by the on-line commentary on it, I may have been the only person who liked G. Willow Wilson's Cairo graphic novel, and may now also be the only person who liked this TPB. The basic idea is that a flight attendant with a fear of heights gets wrapped up with vigilante air marshalls, a boyfriend who may be a terrorist, and a country that seems to have vanished from everyone's consciousness after the India/Pakistan separation. It's something that completely defies categorization, other than to say that it reminds me of the early sci-fi works of Salman Rushdie and also what everybody tells me Thomas Pynchon is like. Not for everyone, but if you really want to walk off the beaten path, this is a good place to start. I expect it'll get cancelled shortly, if it hasn't already.
Samurai Legend: This was one of the French Soleil comics that Marvel is publishing stateside. I liked the preview artwork and took a shot on the HC. Beautiful artwork, decent setup, and almost completely incoherent storytelling. Bad translation? Just me not being used to European storytelling pacing? Just a crappy comic? Who knows? It also does something I see in a lot of Eurocomics in that the story doesn't end as much as it just stops, and right when it's finally getting interesting. Big thumbs down on this one, unfortunately.
Runaways: Dead Wrong: Terry Moore's inaugural title on my favorite team of teen superhero misfits. He mostly gets it right, although Nico constantly referring to Chase as a "cretinous, flatulent pig" feels glaringly wrong to me, and I'd like it more if the final twist wasn't lifted straight from the second arc of Young Avengers (and was clearly visible halfway through). Still going with this title off the residual glow of the BKV stories, but I'm concerned that the appeal of this title and the characters isn't going to last much longer.
Spider Man Loves Mary Jane: Sophomore Jinx: More from Terry Moore at Marvel. It's funny -- I didn't like Sean McKeever's The Waiting Place because it just felt like a lot of teen angst to me, and that wasn't all that interesting to me even when I was a teenager. I did like his Spider Man Loves Mary Jane comics, though, because the teen angst was tempered by just a dash of superhero stuff, and I found I just liked his Mary Jane and Peter Parker. Moore's book just feels like a lot of teen angst to me, and that wasn't all that interesting to me even when I was a teenager, even if it is pretty well written.
Cloak & Dagger: Child of Darkness, Child of Light: I'm not really sure why I pre-ordered this. I remember the mini-series when it first came out, but never got into it at the time (which might be why I pre-ordered this). It's not bad, although it's in that weird zone in the 80's when things started getting serious thematically, but the writing was still of the Stan Lee overly-expository variety. I also kept waiting for a scene which would end with Dagger (http://marvel.com/universe/Dagger) saying, "...and that's why I totally dress like a stripper (http://pitchfork.com/features/get-that-out-of-your-mouth/6565-get-that-out-of-your-mouth-33/) when I engage in my vigilante activities." That last link does point out that this comic was significantly darker than most comics got in the 80's that weren't Daredevil, and I suppose that's a valid point to make to grant it a place in comic history. It probably was shockingly contemporary for the time, but the New York City that's in these comics is now pretty well marginalized, if it still exists at all. Bill Mantlo did some good, weird comics for Marvel at the time, but this doesn't feel like one of them.

[Xurk]

Highlights of the Week!



It's New Comic Book Day for the week of July 8, 2009 - July 14, 2009!

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-07-08-2009).
(http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-04-29-2009)
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!


Xurk's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090110d.jpg
Green Lantern #43


Antiyonder's Pick:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090666e.jpg.....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090513d.jpg.....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/MA/MAY090553D.jpg
Sonic The Hedgehog #202.............Marvel Adventures #13.....................X-Men Forever #3........


Jin Kazama's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090143d.jpg...http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090151d.jpg
World of New Krypton #5 (of 12)..................Booster Gold #22..............

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[Xurk]

Spider Man Loves Mary Jane: Sophomore Jinx: More from Terry Moore at Marvel. It's funny -- I didn't like Sean McKeever's The Waiting Place because it just felt like a lot of teen angst to me, and that wasn't all that interesting to me even when I was a teenager. I did like his Spider Man Loves Mary Jane comics, though, because the teen angst was tempered by just a dash of superhero stuff, and I found I just liked his Mary Jane and Peter Parker. Moore's book just feels like a lot of teen angst to me, and that wasn't all that interesting to me even when I was a teenager, even if it is pretty well written.
I agree. I fell in love with McKeever's run on SPLMJ and while I did enjoy Moore's turn on it, it never reached to the quality of the former's... maybe it was due to lack of time spent on the book [Moore only has a mini-series]. So while it was enjoyable, it was nothing special - whereas McKeever's version really got my attention :)

Cloak & Dagger: Child of Darkness, Child of Light: I'm not really sure why I pre-ordered this. I remember the mini-series when it first came out, but never got into it at the time (which might be why I pre-ordered this). It's not bad, although it's in that weird zone in the 80's when things started getting serious thematically, but the writing was still of the Stan Lee overly-expository variety. I also kept waiting for a scene which would end with Dagger (http://marvel.com/universe/Dagger) saying, "...and that's why I totally dress like a stripper (http://pitchfork.com/features/get-that-out-of-your-mouth/6565-get-that-out-of-your-mouth-33/) when I engage in my vigilante activities." That last link does point out that this comic was significantly darker than most comics got in the 80's that weren't Daredevil, and I suppose that's a valid point to make to grant it a place in comic history. It probably was shockingly contemporary for the time, but the New York City that's in these comics is now pretty well marginalized, if it still exists at all. Bill Mantlo did some good, weird comics for Marvel at the time, but this doesn't feel like one of them.I've always had a soft spot for Cloak & Dagger as well, but that's mainly due to their appearances in the early nineties, for example in "Maximum Carnage". That's probably a bad example quality-wise, but even in that story they seemed like such interesting characters! So I'm glad that they've been handed a [small] spotlight once again in the "Dark X-Men" corner of "Dark Reign" :)



As for my Pick of the Week - this issue kicks off the "Blackest Night" story which will run through to December in all GL-centric books and a few tie-ins. I've been looking forward to this story ever since "Green Lantern #25" [the conclusion to "Sinestro Corps War"]! Need I say more? :p

[macattack]

Marvel Adventures #13 looks hilarious. I might check it out even though it's not really intended for people my age.

[Jin Kazama]

Marvel Adventures #13 looks hilarious. I might check it out even though it's not really intended for people my age.

Neither is Tiny Titans, but it's my favorite title on the stands today. :)

Marvel Adventures is good, though. They do a really good job of keeping things new and accessible for newer readers without alienating older ones. The recent Captain America issue where they fight Hydra in the internet was very good.

[Antiyonder]

Marvel Adventures #13 looks hilarious. I might check it out even though it's not really intended for people my age.

Actually it's all ages. Pretty much just a modern Silver Age type comic.

Besides, I'm 27, and I get this and Batman The Brave and the Bold, so don't worry too much about feeling like the oddman out for reading these titles.

[Temple Fugate]

Neither is Tiny Titans, but it's my favorite title on the stands today. :) Tiny Titans is the antidote for the modern DC reader. Their "Faces of Mischief" issue made enduring Final Crisis totally worth it. :anime:

[soundmonkey44]

I finally got around to getting to my almost local comic shop. And.....

1st off sonic #202 was pretty good, and the new vilenesses origion story was indeed interesting, even if it was an avatar rip-off.

Along with cathicing up on my Dark reign minis & wow Wolverine guest staring in elektra, I mean seriously does marvel think he needs to be in every single title they publish I mean wolvies awsome, but the guys overworked hard. DR: Hawkeye continues to entiretain & DR: The hood is well, its not quite what i expected but still pretty good. now on to DR: Young avengers, decent art, horrible Dialouge although the quip about heros having to put up with obama & osborn was kinda funny, wich proves my point comics will even bash politician they like, wich is ok by me considering 99% of politicians in general despite party,etc,etc, are Idiots! & finally DR: Zodiac Is extremly odd Violent & in some ways Zodiac seems Like A more serious version of Deadpool to me (But without the immortality thing) & I like him. but not his posse, I mean seriously an evil clowm, now thats just to demonic. OY!

& in closing issue 11 of runaways was really slow, but its ending (with the promised shocking death) Peaked my interest & made me eager for the next ish. (Oh & it looks like Klara is a soap opera addict. LULZ!)

Overall I thuroughly enjoyed my stack of comics & hopefully won't have to wait another month before i go back to my beloved store of the sacred tome!

& I was wondering ow awsome mods of the CBC forums, are there any collected volumes of Tiny titans out yet, I was thinking of picking up the series once Dark reign died down in the fall, and wanted to read the 1st few issues before i did so.:sweat:

[Xurk]

Highlights of the Week!



It's New Comic Book Day for the week of July 15, 2009 - July 21, 2009!

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-07-15-2009).
(http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-04-29-2009)
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!


Xurk's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/MA/MAY090106D.jpg....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090463d.jpg
........Blackest Night #1..................Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2


Jin Kazama's Picks:
....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090133d.jpg...http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090459d.jpg...http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090519d.jpg
Batman: Streets of Gotham #2..........................Deadpool #12.....................................Punisher #7.

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[Jin Kazama]

I also want to echo a mention for Blackest Night. Since Xurk put it up, I figured I'd give some other titles a chance to shine instead of having two picks for one title.

I'm being more cautious on this event. I grabbed #1 but passed on "Tales of the Corps." because it didn't look that interesting, so I'm not going the whole all-in thing with this like I did Final Crisis. But this one does look a lot better overall than FC did.

& I was wondering ow awsome mods of the CBC forums, are there any collected volumes of Tiny titans out yet, I was thinking of picking up the series once Dark reign died down in the fall, and wanted to read the 1st few issues before i did so.:sweat:

They have two of them actually: Welcome To The Treehouse (http://www.dccomics.com/dckids/?action=books&i=10941) and Adventures In Awesomeness (http://www.dccomics.com/dckids/?action=books&i=11519). At six a piece, the whole first year is there, and #18 comes out next week, so that's almost everything between the two.

And if you're looking for cheaper comics, each issue is only $2.50 a pop, so you still feel like you're getting a good deal even if they're quick reads. Awesome, Hilarious quick reads.

[soundmonkey44]

Thanks for the info jin, have to put those on my "to get when i can" list. & on a side note I went to my local book store today to see if they had the new iron man (wich was sold out at my comic shop) & while I was there I noticed that the current issue of DC's Brave & the Bold had Static in it, so I picked that baby up, 1st DC ive bought in about 2 years. Overall it was pretty good, & i like how its newstand price was still 2.99 whereas marvels is 3.99 I may consider picking up both B&TB & TT after Marvel's Dark Reign finishes up in october, don't know if I'll make em monthly's but I figure i might as well keep up my quota of buying at least 8 titles a month. LULZ.:sweat:

BOT: Out of this weeks picks, I Read Deadpool #12 it was pretty good, the ending was rather silly though, of course the solicits for the next story did mention somthing about him faking his own death, & glad to see Bullseye & DP on Friendly terms again, sort of. I also Found the 1st issue of the 2nd deadpool series merc with a mouth to be vary entertaining as well. i mean it had dinosaurs, cavemen, ka-zar a sexy Aim agent, zombies & more, oh deadpool U truly are the embodiment of manlyness! LULZ!:anime:

Can't wait to see what U guys pick next.

[Adam Tyner]

I really dug Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #5, but...wow! That's a misleading cover. The closest thing to a brawl between the FF and the Dark Avengers is Venom running into one of Sue's force fields.

[Xurk]

Highlights of the Week!



It's New Comic Book Day for the week of July 22, 2009 - July 28, 2009!

For a list of the new items shipping this week, please consult Diamond Comics' Shipping List (http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-07-22-2009).
(http://www.comiclist.com/index.php/lists/comiclist-for-04-29-2009)
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!


Xurk's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/MA/MAY090484D.jpg....http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090499d.jpg
Amazing Spider-Man #600....................Incredible Hulk #600.......




Antiyonder's Picks:
http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090667e.jpg.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51h7Shjmo7L._SL500_AA240_.jpg
Sonic Universe #6....................Case Closed Volume 30


Jin Kazama's Picks:
.......http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ja/jan090179d.jpg..................http://images.tfaw.com/covers_tfaw/200/ma/may090523d.jpg
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5 (of 5)........................Runaways 3 #12.

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[Jin Kazama]

If any of you read the "Marvel Comics Solicitations" threads, I've been pretty blatant about my disappointment on how terrible Runaways has been since the recent relaunch. It's been teetering between "Well, I Like The Characters" and "Phone's In My Hand, Time To Call The Comic Shop And Drop This Thing."

So why pick it, you may ask? Because of Runaways 3 #11. That comic did a complete turn. Kathryn Immonen has apparently done her homework, because the characterization was so spot-on. It felt so much like the original run of the series. I really hope that they can keep this up, because after 10 issues of "WHY!?!?!", I can finally point at the issue and say "This is why I love this comic." So awesome.

[wonderfly]

Amazing Spider-Man and Incredible Hulk both reach issue #600 today?!? AND the final issue of "Final Crisis: Legion of 5 Worlds" is out?

Okay, I've got to stop by the comic shop today...

[Ed Liu]

So why pick it, you may ask? Because of Runaways 3 #11. That comic did a complete turn. Kathryn Immonen has apparently done her homework, because the characterization was so spot-on. It felt so much like the original run of the series. I really hope that they can keep this up, because after 10 issues of "WHY!?!?!", I can finally point at the issue and say "This is why I love this comic." So awesome.
Aw, you mean Terry Moore's run gets worse from the "Dead Wrong" arc? I thought it was OK, but nothing to write home about. Well, I suppose the good news is that it apparently gets better...

[Jin Kazama]

Aw, you mean Terry Moore's run gets worse from the "Dead Wrong" arc? I thought it was OK, but nothing to write home about. Well, I suppose the good news is that it apparently gets better...

Oh my gosh, yes. "Rock Zombies" was horrid. The characterization was horrible. It's a Chase-centered story, but not in a "Dead Means Dead" sense, but in a way of showcasing how brain dead and "rocker dude" he is, which makes for it ending up very weak. Not to mention, as much as I love the guy, Ramos' art is terrible. There's a scene where Chase and Victor are talking, and it took about three panels for me to figure out which was which. Honestly, that also points out how bad the story is if you can't even differentiate dialog.

If you're die-hard Runaways, read it anyway, but go in with really low expectations. They don't even really change anything character-wise anyway, so you could probably skip over it and not miss anything.

[soundmonkey44]

Oh my gosh, yes. "Rock Zombies" was horrid. The characterization was horrible. It's a Chase-centered story, but not in a "Dead Means Dead" sense, but in a way of showcasing how brain dead and "rocker dude" he is, which makes for it ending up very weak. Not to mention, as much as I love the guy, Ramos' art is terrible. There's a scene where Chase and Victor are talking, and it took about three panels for me to figure out which was which. Honestly, that also points out how bad the story is if you can't even differentiate dialog.

If you're die-hard Runaways, read it anyway, but go in with really low expectations. They don't even really change anything character-wise anyway, so you could probably skip over it and not miss anything.

Personally ive loved all the runaway comics from begginign to now & the more ramos run wasn't nearly as bad IMO as everyone else said it was, personally i liked ramoses art morethen the current artist. But i must admit the new arc is better then moores arcs were, but in general IMO no matter hwo;s writing I think Runaways is one of marvels best titles right now! (Besides deadpool that is) of cours i love comics to much to dis em unless there Really really bad like some of the stories DC's been doing the past few years or Marvel wise i thought Brand new day & the max howard series from a few years back were horrible besides that i don't dis comics period!:sweat:

[wonderfly]

Okay, I stopped by the comic shop yesterday to discover that Hulk #600 was NOT the start of the return of Greg Pak to the Hulk, (apparently that's Issue #601). Instead, Hulk #600 was a continuation of this "Red Hulk" rubbish. So I skipped over buying Issue #600. Man, keeping track of the Hulk titles is going to become a real mess, isn't it?

I also went ahead and cancelled my subscriptions at both of my comic shops: I'm not getting out of comics alltogether, but I'm so behind on my current reading material, and I can't afford the floppy comics in general right now, so I can't have a serious stack of comics piling up in the subscription box at the local comic shop.

I got Amazing Spider-Man #600, and that seems like as good a place as any to end my Amazing Spider-Man run, (with it being the last issue of a "main series" that I get for a while)...When my finances get a little more stable, I'll try to resume stopping by every Wednesday to snatch whatever goodies catch my eye, but I can't have a subscription stack that keeps growing when I can't afford to stop by.

What really irritates me is that after I told one of my comic shops to cancel my subscription, I went up to the checkout counter and the guy charged me the full price for the comics! I didn't catch that till after I had paid for the comics, but that just seems like a crappy thing to do: tell them you can't afford to keep the subscription so they hit you with the full price on the comics. :mad:

At least with the other shop I frequent, the owner has a policy that even if you don't have a subscription, the new stuff that comes out each Wednesday is always 20% off. That's why I hope to get stable enough to just stop by every week that I can afford it, and pick up whatever strikes my fancy. The problem is, if that comic shop doesn't keep enough of a title that I like, and if I miss an issue that I want...well, I guess I'll then have to hunt those comics down online.

Anyway, even though they're not on my subscription list anymore, I still plan on getting Scalped, Jonah Hex, and Ex Machina from DC, until those series end, and over at Marvel, I'll still be getting the "Official Index to the Marvel Universe", along with wrapping up the "War of Kings" mini-series, (and I also need to catch the last issue of "Marvels: Eye of the Camera"), and after that, we'll reevaluate if there's anything left at Marvel that I want to read...

[Jin Kazama]

What really irritates me is that after I told one of my comic shops to cancel my subscription, I went up to the checkout counter and the guy charged me the full price for the comics! I didn't catch that till after I had paid for the comics, but that just seems like a crappy thing to do: tell them you can't afford to keep the subscription so they hit you with the full price on the comics. :mad:

One of my shops kind of did something similar. I'd toyed with the idea of starting a subscription there for a while, and finally broke down. They told me to make a pull list and that I'd get 'em when they come out as well as a discount. And for the first two or three months, I did. Then it just stopped. So after a few months I just flat-out asked them why I'm not getting a discount anymore, and they stated "Oh, You Have To Get X Amount Of Titles To Get It." And keep in mind, I'd since added about two titles from my previous pull that I was getting a discount on. Really ticked me off.

Times like that remind me of why comic shops have the stigma that they do.