At Hush Comics, we will be starting a new monthly piece reflecting on Diamond Comics Distributors’ monthly PREVIEWS issue. For those not in the know, PREVIEWS is a monthly magazine (almanac-sized each month) that shows you all the ways that you could lose your money through comics, collectibles and games. With the thousands of items to throw money at, we figure we’d make it a little simpler and suggest five comics and five collectibles that will definitely be on our shelves when they are released.
Comics & Books
1.) Fall of the Governor by Jay Bonansinga and Robert Kirkman ($15 on Amazon) set to be released October 8, 2013. This is the third book in the Governor trilogy of The Walking Dead novels, and looks to tie-in to the comic book series, right around where the Governor meets his end (Spoiler!! He dies). With all the different storylines out there, it’s nice to see that something was created with the intent to supplement and not just making up content for kicks. In this novel, the entire story is told through the perspective of the Governor – a characteristic about the book I like most when considering that the story has always been told with the Grimes’ point of view. It will be interesting to see how others views them, especially The Governor. The first two books were some great literature, so I’m really excited for the final installment.
2.) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #28 written by Tom Waltz and drawn by Mateus Santolouco is the finale issue to the big “City Fall” arc that’s ongoing right now. It’s a crazy story that can only be made better by the addition to beloved baddies, Rocksteady and Bebop, as this marks their first fight with the Turtles. The big question on this is what happens to Leonardo as Shredder makes a power move to control the city’s underworld. The issue hits stores November 20, 2013. Count me in!
3.) Batman: Zero Year tie-ins. It seems like every DC Comics book is either a tie-in to Batman: Zero Year or Forever Evil this month. While the massive amounts of books trying to become relevant by adding the Batman to their title, there are a few that really stand out and make me want to read them for content over marketing. The three titles that come to mind are Birds of Prey #25, Green Lantern Corps #25 and Nightwing #25. Birds of Prey #25 centers around Black Canary and her crime-fighting origin (the Nunchakus really did it for me). Green Lantern Corps #25 takes a look at then-Marine John Stewart as he grapples with confidence issues (not to mention saving a kid in a Gotham Rogues’ jersey! Nightwing #25 dives deeper into Dick Grayson’s pre-Bruce Wayne background; really, I’m just a sucker for a good Nightwing story. My expectations aren’t too high, but when they flood the market with crossover events, there are bound to be at least a few good ones, and hopefully I’ve picked them out. All issues come out November 2013.
4.) Super Graphic: A Visual Guide to the Comic Book Universe is a math/stat nerd’s dream book. I’m a big fan of graphs and charts. It’s full of information about all the superheroes and comic book characters. I think it will be refreshing because readers will get to see representation of the entire comic book world, as opposed to just Marvel or DC. Being a huge math nerd myself, I will probably spend hours compiling my own lists. It’s a pretty original twist on comic books that hasn’t been seen before, and at a low price, it’s worth hours of fun. In stores now, or $15 on Amazon.
5.) Harley Quinn #0 sounds like it could go either way. Written by Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex, Catwoman) and drawn by a bunch of different artists, including Art Baltazar (Tiny Titans), Darwyn Cooke (Justice League: New Frontier) and Tony Daniel. With no real momentum to go off of to start this series out, I’m curious as to where this is going to go. This series also marks the first solo series of Harley that isn’t using the 90’s Bruce Timm Batman Animates Series persona to base the character off of. This Harley will be more like the one found in the pages of Batman: Death in the Family and Suicide Squad. I’ve always been a huge Harley Quinn fan, so I will definitely check this out when it hits shelves on November 6th.
Collectibles
1.) Batman: Hush Batman Kissing Catwoman Statue.
When I first heard that DC Collectibles was creating a foot-tall statue immortalizing the Jim Lee panel in Batman: Hush where Batman and Catwoman share a rooftop kiss, I immediately pre-ordered two. And if we could afford it, I would buy all 2500 limited edition statues because it’s just that damn cool. At $250 retail price, this is definitely for hardcore collectors only. However, the amount of detail put into the statue, from the cape flapping in the wind to the smoke rising in the dark, makes this one of the most well-done collectibles I’ve ever seen. I’m pretty excited to see this on the doorstep come February 2014.
2.) Firefly Card Game
Whedon fans can continue their voyage on the Serenity in Toy Vault Inc.’s new Firefly: Out of the Black card game. The game is descibed as a “co-op” where players don’t compete against each other, but rather against the game itself. Players take turns playing the roles of different Firefly characters to navigate through different events using their smarts. If they make it through the mission without losing honor, they win. If not, the game wins. Sounds a lot like the world of Captain Mal already! It sounds like an interesting concept. For less than 30 bucks, it sounds like it is worth a play.
UPDATE: Apparently, this game was funded by Kickstarter, and the funds were canceled. Toy Vault is planning a release for late October, but it is unknown if this will come to fruition. We’ll have to watch Firefly repeats in order to live out our space cowboy fantasies until then.
3.) Necessary Evil: Super-Villians of DC Comics, DVD and Blu-Ray
In a new documentary narrated by Christopher Lee (the 1958 Dracula, and Saruman in LOTR), interviews with some of the industries most renowned chronicle the backgrounds of DC’s villains. Interviewees include Zack Snyder (300, Man of Steel), Guillermo del Toro (Pan’s Labyrinth, Hellboy) Kevin Conroy (the only voice of Batman that matters), Richard Donner (the 70’s Superman films, the X-Men film series), Geoff Johns (DC Comics writing god), and of course, Jim Lee (DC Comics art god). The title pretty much says it all about the new film. Due for release on Oct. 25th, it will surely be one to watch to hear about our favorite and not-so-favorite villains straight from the source.
4.) Pop Funko
The 1966 Batman Pop! Funko vinyls are here! Doesn’t the Joker look like he could be your best pal? And the eyebrows on Batman? How cute! Those are out on Oct. 3rd. Also out soon are the Dia de los Muertos Nightmare Before Christmas vinyls. The Day of the Dead pattern and look has become very popular beyond the realms of the origin. Jack and Sally look awesome! It could almost call for a remake of the classic cartoon. Jack and Sally are out now, but hurry, because they are going fast!
5.) Wonder Woman Art of War Statue by Jim Lee
Based on the crisp art of Jim Lee, DC Collectibles is releasing the Wonder Woman: Art of War statue. From the For Tomorrow Superman story arc, Princess Diana is sculpted by Clayburn Moore. This statue shows the expertise of boy Lee and Moore’s artistry. Wonder Woman’s face is feminine, which is rare, and she isn’t overly muscled, either. The costume isn’t misogynistic and really shows that women can be pretty and tough. Available for pre-order now and sure to be a fan favorite.
written by Sherif Elkhatib and Adrian Puryear
Hush Comics 