Dropping Science: Marvel’s November Hip-Hop Variants

After immense success with putting Hip-Hop duo Run the Jewels on the cover of a few of their books, Marvel has expanded the idea to give each and every single book in their All-New All-Different line-up its own Hip-Hop variant. We’ve tracked down each cover, provided information about the album inspiring the variant cover, and given our two cents on whether it fits the subject. We’ll be doing this each month for as long as the All-New All-Different brand keeps putting out variants!

October 2015 Hip-Hop Variants

November 4th

Extraordinary X-Men #1
Marvel Creative Team: Jeff Lemire (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Artist)
Cover Artist: Sanford Greene
Hip-Hop Album: De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Me, Myself and I,” “Buddy,” “Say No Go,” “Eye Know”
How well does it fit?: De La Soul were on the front lines of the wacky, relatable, and socially responsible rhymes. With Lemire writing this new X-Men series, it’s about damn time the X-series got back to its roots.

 

Deadpool #1
Marvel Creative Team: Gerry Duggan (Writer), Mike Hawthorne (Artist)
Cover Artist: Kaare Andrews
Hip-Hop Album: Wale’s Attention Deficit (2009)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Pretty Girls,” “Chillin‘,” “Beautiful Bliss”
How well does it fit?: The album name definitely fits here, as Wade Wilson is one of the most absent-minded characters in pop culture. Wale isn’t nearly as popular as Deadpooly over here, but he gets to have brunch with Jerry Seinfeld, which is kind of zany for a Hip-Hop artist.

 

Drax #1
Marvel Creative Team: CM Punk/Cullen Bunn (Writers), Scott Hepburn (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mike Choi
Hip-Hop Album: KiD CuDi’s Man on the Moon II (2010)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Erase Me,” “Revofev,” “Wild’n Cuz I’m Young”
How well does it fit?: Drax has been gaining tons of popularity for his sardonic sense of humor, but really hasn’t done anything to make me want to invest time in his solo career. Same with Cudi. His early success that was launched almost solely from Kanye’s sound floundered around until he began his “acting” career. Here’s hoping Drax won’t flop on his own.

Hercules #1
Marvel Creative Team: Dan Abnett (Writer), Luke Ross (Artist)
Cover Artist: Theotis Jones
Hip-Hop Album: Lil B’s Black Flame (2011)

Howard the Duck #1
Marvel Creative Team: Chip Zdarsky (Writer), Joe Quinones (Artist)
Cover Artist: Juan Doe
Hip-Hop Album: Ol Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers (1993)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Shimmy Shimmy Ya,” “Brooklyn Zoo,” “Raw Hide”
How well does it fit?: Before his untimely death in 2004,  ODB was one of the grimiest dudes in rap. He was one of the few to transform his Wu-Tang membership into a solid career. His shining characteristic was being able to grab his nuts and throw up his middle finger to the authorities – any authority – just like our fowl friend, Howard. Howard, though, might not have the same FBI file as Dirt McGirt, which includes a shootout with NYPD. Rebel.

 

Nova #1
Marvel Creative Team: Sean Ryan (Writer), Cory Smith (Artist)
Cover Artist: Eric Canete
Hip-Hop Album: J. Cole’s Born Sinner (2013)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Crooked Smile,” “Power Trip,” “Rich Niggaz,” “Born Sinner”
How well does it fit?: Cole is one of Hip-Hop’s brightest stars right now. His ability to relate to listeners with common themes and wrap it up with great music is one of his charming qualities. What makes him an ironic choice for a Nova cover is that this is very much a father-son book; J. Cole often raps about his crappy deadbeat father who abandoned him. Dick move, Marvel.

 

Vision #1
Marvel Creative Team: Tom King (Writer), Gabriel H Walta (Artist)
Cover Artist: Vanessa Del Ray
Hip-Hop Album: Wiz Khalifa’s Rolling Papers (2011)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Black and Yellow,” “On My Level,” “No Sleep”
How well does it fit?: I don’t know what kind of hallucinations that weed is giving Wiz, but they’re not the same one that the Marvel robot gets. Wiz Khalifa looks like the type of kid who got beat up a lot in high school, but he’s been the face of the Hip-Hop skater stoner movement for the past 5 years. Don’t judge him by his appearance, he actually makes some pretty legit feel-good music. A sequel (because album sequels are a thing now) to Rolling Papers is due out next year.

November 11th

All-New All-Different Avengers #1
Marvel Creative Team: Mark Waid (Writer), Adam Kubert/Mahmud Asrar (Artist)
Cover Artist: Jim Cheung
Hip-Hop Album: The Roots’ Illadelph Halflife (1996)
Best Tracks off the Album: “What They Do,” “Ital (The Universal Side),” “The Hypnotic”
How well does it fit?: I’m sorry, I have to say it. The Roots are dope as f*ck, and this group of Avengers is dope as f*ck. They might not draw headlines individually (save for Iron Man – he can be the ?uestlove of The Avengers), but as a group, both groups make some wonderful music. This will be a solid book, especially with Mark Waid at the helm.

All-New Hawkeye #1
Marvel Creative Team: Jeff Lemire (Writer), Ramón Pérez (Artist)
Cover Artist: Sanford Greene
Hip-Hop Album: Pete Rock and CL Smooth’s Mecca and the Soul Brother (1992)
Best Tracks off the Album: “They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.),” “Straighten It Out,” “Can’t Front on Me”
How well does it fit?: Hawkeye and Hawkguy are one in the same. Kate Bishop has come under the tutelage of the Avenger Clint Barton, but has pulled his butt from the fire plenty of times. Similarly, Pete Rock and CL Smooth are a rapper/DJ combination so solid that even saying their names separately sounds weird unless spoken together. Near the end of Fraction/Aja’s Hawkeye series, these two split up and the book suffered. Hopefully these two can stick together and whoop some ass.

All-New Wolverine #1
Marvel Creative Team: Tom Taylor (Writer), David Lopez (Artist)
Cover Artist: Keron Grant
Hip-Hop Album: DMX’s Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of My Blood (1998)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Slippin‘,” “Blackout,” “Coming From”
How well does it fit?: Unlike DMX, the sun has not set on the possibility for a good Wolverine book. However, X-23 has a lot of unbridled rage that she can channel into a successful stint as the new Wolverine, just like DMX did in songs like “Slippin.” In all seriousness, this album was one of DMX’s weakest, but of all the DMX album covers, this one was too good to pass up.

Carnage #1
Marvel Creative Team: Gerry Conway (Writer), Mike Perkins (Artist)
Cover Artist: Ariel Olivetti
Hip-Hop Album: Redman’s Dare Iz A Darkside (1994)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Bobyahed2dis,” “Cosmic Slop,” “Rockafella,” “Can’t Wait”
How well does it fit?: This is one of the best fits out of all the variants – matching the spastic, chaotic Carnage with one of the biggest weirdos in all of Hip-Hop. Redman is off the charts in terms of his individuality, but still garners enough respect to rock with the mainstream artists. Plus, this cover is CLASSIC 90’s Hip-Hop.

Illuminati #1
Marvel Creative Team: Josh Williamson (Writer), Shawn Crystal (Artist)
Cover Artist: Brittany Holloway-Brown
Hip-Hop Album: Ice T’s Power (1988)

The Ultimates #1
Marvel Creative Team: Al Ewing (Writer), Kenneth Rocafort (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mike Deodato Jr.
Hip-Hop Album: The Fugees’ The Score (1996)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Fu-Gee-La,” “Ready or Not,” “Killing Me Softly,” “No Woman No Cry”
How well does it fit?: The Fugees exploded onto the scene in the mid-1990’s when Pras, Lauryn Hill, and Wyclef Jean created the Fugees. All solid artists by themselves (except Pras, he sucks), but together make one of the greatest groups in Hip-Hop history. Sadly, emotions got in the way and they split permanently, but we still have The Score to appreciate. When it comes to the book, I’m ready to see a story with Black Panther and Captain Marvel (oh, and Spectrum, I guess).

 

Web Warriors #1
Marvel Creative Team: Mike Costa (Writer), David Bildeon (Artist)
Cover Artist: Damion Scott
Hip-Hop Album: The Clipse’s Lord Willin’ (2002)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Grindin‘,” “When The Last Time,” “Ma, I Don’t Love Her,” “Cot Damn”
How well does it fit?: If you’ve had your ear to the group in Hip-Hop over the last decade, you may have heard of The Clipse, but chances are that this group is unknown to you. Two ex-dopeboys (Pusha T and No Malice) from Virginia lay colorful metaphor after another in this album produced by Pharrell’s Neptunes label. The lyrics are hard and grimy, but there’s a certain grace and intellect in their rhymes that eludes most rappers cut from similar cloths. The Web Warriors I assume are picking up where Spider-Verse just left off, and have a crazy ensemble you would expect to be gimmicky put together a decent story.

November 18th

Black Knight #1
Marvel Creative Team: Frank Tieri (Writer), Luca Pizzari (Artists)
Cover Artist: Gyimah Gariba
Hip-Hop Album: Lupe Fiasco’s Food and Liquor (2006)
Best Tracks off the Album: “The Cool,” “He Say She Say,” “Daydreamin‘,” “Kick, Push”
How well does it fit?: Black Knight has actually gone through over a half-dozen iterations since the mid-fifties, the mantle being passed from generation to generation (similar to Azrael in DC). Somehow he’s managed to fly under the radar, even with the most recent iteration in Black Panther (2005). Lupe is innovative and intelligent, but somehow manages to get overlooked by Hip-Hop heads and mainstream fans alike.

Ms. Marvel #1
Marvel Creative Team: G. Willow Wilson (Writer), Takeshi Miyazawa/Adrian Alphona (Artists)
Cover Artist: Jenny Frison
Hip-Hop Album: Lauryn Hill’s Miseducation of Lauryn Hill (1998)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Ex Factor,” “Lost One,” “Everything is Everything,” “Nothing Even Matters”
How well does it fit?: Oh hell yeah, this is a combination I can dig. One of the most socially-conscious R&B artists of all time is paired with one of the most socially-conscious superheroes in the Marvel roster. It’s just… perfect. If you don’t know Lauryn Hill, go Miseducate yourself. Right now.

 

Silk #1
Marvel Creative Team: Robbie Thompson (Writer), Stacey Lee (Artist)
Cover Artist: Woo Chul Lee
Hip-Hop Album: Yasin Bey’s (Mos Def’s) A New Danger (2004)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Ghetto Rock,” “Modern Marvel,” “Sex, Love, and Money,” “Zimzallabim,” “Sunshine”
How well does it fit?: Cindy Moon has had enough of your bullsh*t, and now she’s robbing banks with Black Cat. We’re not sure how she got there from the end of the world in issue #7, but whatever. Yasin Bey (formerly known as Mos Def) has the weight of the people behind his voice, and has numerous songs about telling the establishment to eat it (“Dollar Day” and “Rape Over” to name a couple). At the very least, A New Danger is a perfect album cover for knocking over banks.

Spider-Woman #1
Marvel Creative Team: Dennis Hopeless (Writer), Javier Rodriguez (Artist)
Cover Artist: Natcha Bustos
Hip-Hop Album: Big Pun’s Capital Punishment (1993)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Still Not A Player,” “Super Lyrical,” Twins (Deep Cover 98),” “Tres Leches”
How well does it fit?: I don’t get it; is this a pregnancy joke? Before Pun’s death at 28 years old, the guy weighed over 700 pounds. I mean that he was so fat, his Wikipedia page should list years active ending way before his death in 2000. Fun fact about Pun: besides being one of the most respected MCs of the mid-90s, was also a notorious wife beater. Smooth move, Marvel.

Star Lord #1
Marvel Creative Team: Sam Humphries (Writer), Dave Johnson (Artist)
Cover Artist: Tradd Moore
Hip-Hop Album: The 100s’ Ivry (2014)

November 25th

Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur #1
Marvel Creative Team: Amy Reeder (Writer), Natacha Bustos (Artist)
Cover Artist: Jeffrey Veregge
Hip-Hop Album: Vince Staples’ Summertime ’06 (2015)

Venom: Space Knight #1
Marvel Creative Team: Robbie Thompson (Writer), Ariel Olivetti (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mike Choi
Hip-Hop Album: Kool Keith’s Black Elvis/ Lost in Space (1999)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Livin’ Astro,” “Lost in Space”
How well does it fit?: Oh, isn’t it obvious?? Venom is a Black Symbiote…in space! Kool Keith has changed personas more than a couple times, but each personality he exudes is funky and relatable. 

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That about does it for Marvel’s new books and the Hip-Hop variants that come with them. Check back next month for a whole new set of entries.

 

Dropping Science: Marvel’s October Hip-Hop Variants

After immense success with putting Hip-Hop duo Run the Jewels on the cover of a few of their books, Marvel has expanded the idea to give each and every single book in their All-New All-Different line-up its own Hip-Hop variant. We’ve tracked down each cover, provided information about the album inspiring the variant cover, and given our two cents on whether it fits the subject. We’ll be doing this each month for as long as the All-New All-Different brand keeps putting out variants!

October 7th

Amazing Spider-Man #1
Marvel Creative Team: Dan Slott (Writer), Giuseppe Camuncoli (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mike Del Mundo
Hip-Hop Album: A Tribe Called Quest’s Midnight Marauders (1993)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Award Tour,” “Electric Relaxation,” “Oh My God”
How well does it fit?: The cover to Midnight Marauders is legendary for the faces in its background, compiled of some of the most famous artists in the biz at the time. Amazing Spider-Man also seems to love this concept, and includes a bunch of famous Spider-faces new and old – even those who will not make appearances in the book.

Contest of Champions #1
Marvel Creative Team: Al Ewing (Writer), Paco Medina (Artist)
Cover Artist: Denys Cowan/Bill Sienkiewicz
Hip-Hop Album: GZA’s Liquid Swords (1995)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Liquid Swords,” “Shadowboxin‘”
How well does it fit?: This book is going to be full of the leftovers of everything enjoyable from Battleworld and smush it back together with pretty drawings and fight scenes in a shallow attempt to recapture the magic… hey! Just like this GZA album. MAJOR shout-out to Milestone Media co-founder Denys Cowan for working on this variant cover. Don’t know the name? Look it up!

Doctor Strange #1
Marvel Creative Team: Jason Aaron (Writer), Chris Bachalo (Artist)
Cover Artist: Juan Doe
Hip-Hop Album: Dr. Dre’s The Chronic (1992)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Nuthin’ But A G Thang,” “Let Me Ride,” “F*ck With Dre Day (And Everybody’s Celebratin’)”
How well does it fit?: Well, there’s the obvious name similarity. Like Doctor Dre, the good Doctor Stephen Strange seems to be all powerful and everybody respects him… but he doesn’t really seem to do anything specifically worth praising. 

Invincible Iron-Man #1
Marvel Creative Team: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), David Marquez (Artist)
Cover Artist: Brian Stelfreeze
Hip-Hop Album: 50 Cent’s Get Rich or Die Tryin’ (2003)
Best Tracks off the Album: “In Da Club,” “21 Questions,” “If I Can’t,” “Life’s on the Line”
How well does it fit?: The biggest difference between Tony Stark and Curtis Jackson isn’t a genius intellect or tendency to play superhero, it’s that 50 Cent is BROKE AS F*CK.

October 14th

Extraordinary X-Men #1
Marvel Creative Team: Jeff Lemire (Writer), Humberto Ramos (Artist)
Cover Artist: Sanford Greene
Hip-Hop Album: De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Me, Myself and I,” “Buddy,” “Say No Go,” “Eye Know”
How well does it fit?: De La Soul were on the front lines of the wacky, relatable, and socially responsible rhymes. With Lemire writing this new X-Men series, it’s about damn time the X-series got back to its roots.

Update: The release of Extraordinary X-Men #1 has been moved to November 4th.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1
Marvel Creative Team: Brian Michael Bendis (Writer), Valerio Schiti (Artist)
Cover Artist: Shawn Crystal
Hip-Hop Album: Pharcyde’s Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde (1992)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Passin’ Me By,” “Ya Mama,” “Officer”
How well does it fit?: The Pharcyde have always been regarded as the “weirdos,” choosing a more melodic tone over gangster tales (which was huge for the early 90’s in LA). Likewise, the most recent Guardians seemed to overcome all odds to become a household name.

New Avengers #1
Marvel Creative Team: Al Ewing (Writer), Gerardo Sandoval (Artist)
Cover Artist: Ed Piskor
Hip-Hop Album: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s The Message (1982)
Best Tracks off the Album: “The Message,” “The Adventures of Grandmaster Flash on the Wheels of Steel”
How well does it fit?: “The Message” is one of the most humble songs in the history of Hip-Hop, taking aim at social injustice and poverty in the black community. New Avengers? It has Kid Hulk… Yes, this book is going to have to depend on great dialog and humor. Not looking forward to this book.

Sam Wilson: Captain America #1
Marvel Creative Team: Nick Spencer (Writer), Daniel Acuna (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mahmud Asrar
Hip-Hop Album: A$AP Rocky’s Long.Live.A$AP (2013)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Wild for the Night,” “F*ckin’ Problems,” “Golie”
How well does it fit?: A$AP Rocky might be a wonderful artist, who knows? I’m not going to take the time to find out, and sadly, I feel the same way about Sam Wilson being the new Captain America. That being said, it’s a beautiful adaptation of the original cover.

Spider-Gwen #1
Marvel Creative Team: Jason Latour (Writer), Robbi Rodriguez (Artist)
Cover Artist: Humberto Ramos
Hip-Hop Album: Slick Rick’s The Great Adventures of Slick Rick (1988)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Children’s Story,” “Hey Young World,” “Mona Lisa,” “Teenage Love”
How well does it fit?: Slick Rick was the piece that fit the Hip-Hop scene so well that you almost overlooked the fact that he was a British pirate. Gwen Stacy, similarly, is a product of her multiverse – a damsel in distress that’s supposed to be dead, but instead is one of the hottest new superheroes in the Marvel U.

Uncanny Avengers #1
Marvel Creative Team: Gerry Duggan (Writer), Ryan Stegman (Artist)
Cover Artist: Jason Pearson
Hip-Hop Album: Public Enemy’s Yo! Bum Rush the Stage (1987)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Public Enemy No. 1,” “Miuzi Weighs A Ton,” “You’re Gonna Get Yours,” “Sophisticated B*itch”
How well does it fit?: Well, there’s Miles Morales, Ms. Marvel, Thor, Sam Wilson, and Iron Man… So I’m calling it now – Nova is going to be this book’s Flavor Flav. This is by far one of the most diverse teams in Marvel’s line-up, so if they have anything resembling the real talk that Mistachuck can spit, it’ll be a well-deserved homage.

Spider-Man 2099 #1
Marvel Creative Team: Peter David (Writer), William Silney (Artist)
Cover Artist: Afu Chan
Hip-Hop Album: G.O.O.D. Music’s Cruel Summer (2012)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Mercy.1,” “New God Flow.1,” “Don’t Like.1,” “Clique”
How well does it fit?: G.O.O.D. Music created enough momentum just using Kanye West’s name to get attention, but not enough to really make an impact. That’s pretty much exactly what’s been going on with Miguel O’Hara. Hopefully this new team can take him back into the realm of relevance.

October 21st

Angela: Queen of Hel #1
Marvel Creative Team: Marguerite Bennett (Writer), Stephanie Hans (Artist)
Cover Artist: Annie Wu
Hip-Hop Album: Nicki Minaj’s Pink Friday (2010)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Roman’s Revenge,” “SuperB ass,” “Moment 4 Life,” “Blazin”
How well does it fit?: It’s a pretty bold statement to let Angela’s dopplegänger to be Nicki Minaj. They must really be desperate to sell some books for the Asgardian. However, Angela is just as insane and deadly as Nicki is with her lyrics.

Karnak #1
Marvel Creative Team: Warren Ellis (Writer), Gerardo Zaffino (Artist)
Cover Artist: Kaare Andrews
Hip-Hop Album: Schoolly D’s Saturday Night (1986)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Saturday Night,” “We Get Ill”
How well does it fit?: Karnak and Schoolly D have one district trait in common. I do not plan on picking anything up with their name on it anytime soon. 

The Astonishing Ant-Man #1
Marvel Creative Team: Nick Spencer (Writer), Ramon Rosanas (Artist)
Cover Artist: Mark Brooks
Hip-Hop Album: The Notorious B.I.G.’s Ready to Die (199?)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Juicy,” “Big Poppa,” “Suicidal Thoughts,” “Gimme the Loot,” “Machine Gun Funk,” “Warning,” “Who Shot Ya”
How well does it fit?: The irony is overwhelming here. Really though, how does Scott Lang sit side by side with the legendary Notorious B.I.G.? Well, like Biggie, pretty much anything with the new Ant-Man on the cover is worth adding to your collection. Ready to Die was also Big’s first album and the platform he used to rocket to stardom.

Uncanny Inhumans #1
Marvel Creative Team: Charles Soule (Writer), Steve McNiven (Artist)
Cover Artist: Damion Scott
Hip-Hop Album: Outkast’s Aquemini (199?)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Rosa Park,” “SpottieOttieDopalicious”
How well does it fit?: Outkast is like other Atlanta Hip-Hop acts, except it’s not. They’re weird. They’re fascinating. They’re BETTER. Same goes for the super-race of Inhumans from Attilan(ta). 

October 28th

The Howling Commandos #1
Marvel Creative Team: Frank Barbiere (Writer), Brent Schoonover (Artist)
Cover Artist: Wilfred Santiago
Hip-Hop Album: Gravediggaz’s 6 Feet Deep ’06 (199?)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Diary of a Madman,” “1-800-Suicide”
How well does it fit?: What a better way to show that your book is full of crazy monsters than with a Gravediggaz album cover? One of the most manic groups in rap is a perfect fit for The Howling Commandos. That’s assuming the book isn’t a corny mess of horribleness.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #1
Marvel Creative Team: Ryan North (Writer), Erica Henderson (Artist)
Cover Artist: Phil Noto
Hip-Hop Album: Tyler the Creator’s Wolf (199?)
Best Tracks off the Album: “Domo23,” “Tamale,” “Jamba”
How well does it fit?: As childish as Tyler can be, he’s also pretty damn smart and resourceful. And with his group (former group?) standing behind him, Tyler is brazen enough to say and do some of the silliest things in all of Hip-Hop. Doreen is no different. With her misfit college friends and Tippy the Talking Squirrel, she kicks butt and takes names at the same time!

That about does it for Marvel’s new books and the Hip-Hop variants that come with them. Check back next month for a whole new set of entries.

 

Why Have Only 8 DC Comics Been Cancelled?

It was announced a couple days ago that five DC Comics titles: Justice League United, Lobo, Doomed, The Omega Men, and Gotham by Midnight have all been cancelled. And just yesterday, three more books followed: Batman ’66, Sensation Comics Featuring Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern: The Lost Army. Cue sad violin music. Did anybody read those books? Is anybody sad that they are over? Only two of those books interested me enough to read issue #1, and then I was done.

With so much troubling DC Comics these days, it seems only natural that a handful of the metaphorical fecal matter they threw at the drawing board would continue to slide off and plop sadly on the floor. From the time of its half-assed “re-relaunch” following Convergence (see: “DC’s Convergence, What the Hell Was that About?“) – another failed direction, DC has unashamedly spewed out over a dozen titles that nobody really asked for. For an audience that doesn’t care anymore. From a pool of creators that have all but abandoned the company for either a fresher idea or more pay – sometimes a combination of both. It was recently revealed through Bleeding Cool just how much more Wytches creator Scott Snyder takes home on his own book versus Batman, even though the latter is a constant Top-10 seller. Sometimes, as in Rick Remender’s case, it’s for the freedom of schedule and peace of mind that the smaller, independent companies give them. Whatever the reason, we (well, DC really) need to face the fact that they are losing the comic book game. Badly.

Yeah, not so much…

As much fun as it is to kick DC while they’re down, it does sadden me. I’m a DC fan. Like, a FAN. Just in the New52, I remember how bugged out I was that the Joker cut his face off. I read on as Wonder Woman killed (and then became) a God. I remember being legitimately upset that Geoff Johns was ending his run on Green Lantern. I even remember how they almost made Aquaman cool after decades of ridicule. Almost. Point being, the New52 had some great moments, but DC in general seems to really be left behind when it comes to the metamorphosis happening in the industry right now.

Thats a hot 16 yr old ya got there…

Whether it’s intention, or even deserved, DC has become the New England Patriots of the industry when it comes to offending people. From Batgirl to Teen Titans, DC has become that womanizing friend from high school you don’t want to bring around your wife. Whatever cultural revolution the industry is experiencing, whether it be LGBT, ethnic diversity, more women characters and creators, more stories from more walks of life… DC is largely missing out on it. Of all the current books on its roster, only a few really stick out to me as amazing, special, or even enjoyable:

–          Batman: Snyder/Capullo are one of the best creative teams in the biz.
–          Batgirl: Cameron Stewart/Babs Tarr know how to bring the cute, but still keep it engaging.
–          Deathstroke: Tony Daniel’s baby is a gore-fest. A splendiferous one.
–          Justice League: Geoff Johns knows how to write a comic book.
–          Prez: The only non-superhero book in DC’s lineup. Mark Russell’s commentary is spot-on.
–          Superman: John Romita Jr. has almost single-handedly made Superman cool again
–          We Are Robin: Brian Azzarello is reading the teenage tech revolution.
–          Wonder Woman: David and Meredith Finch write a good story; the art is reason enough to read.

Aside from Batgirl and Prez, my readership of every book on this list can be accredited to an established creative team behind it. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of skilled creators in DC’s stable, but a majority of the books that follow long-time characters fall flat with cliché villains, zero fallout from shock value-driven story arcs, and constant reboot syndrome.

It’s not like DC doesn’t want to keep up with the times; they’ve made several attempts to be “cool” again, most notably DCYOU. They rolled out the carpet for a line of new books recently that include more diverse characters, but even the promising ones (Dr. Fate, Justice League 3001, Bizarro, DC Bombshells, Cyborg) are being drowned out in the white noise of all the other uninspiring crap they release each week.

Two girls worth fighting for.

Marvel is constantly kicking DC’s ass in sales, and it’s embarrassing. Many long-time “old-school” fans have been vocal against a PC movement in the industry, but clearly they are not buying these books either, so the head cheeses at DC are going to have to rethink what is important to the brand. And that’s where I have the most faith. DC has Jim Lee, Geoff Johns, Dan DiDio, and the entire power of Warner Bros. at their disposal, so there’s no reason that the actual comic book aspect of the company should be doing so poorly.

The upcoming months have enough new and different content to get readers excited, and the collectible lines that DC keeps putting out prove that fans absolutely love the franchise. Even with Vertigo’s Fables closing the book at issue #150, it might not be time to hit the panic button. In the next few months, the market will be flooded with new, unique content that doesn’t have to do with superheroes at all, as well as some that are. In a time before any of us were born (apologies to the 80 year-old readers we have out there!), Detective Comics survived before the concept of a superhero existed. After all, Batman can’t carry the entire company by himself… can he?

SDCC 2015 – ‘Star Wars’ Comics to Have Crossover Event with ‘Vader Down’

We’ve all been reading the unbelievable good Darth Vader and Star Wars comics that Disney/Marvel rebooted to promote The Force Awakens because they’re awesome. Now Kieron Gillen’s Darth Vader and Jason Aaron’s Star Wars are going to collide in a major way. You know you’re excited.

Spoiler Alert: if you haven’t been reading Darth Vader, do not continue.

So Vader has been operating outside of the Emperor’s circle and definitely without his approval. Now he’s going to face off with more rebels than he can really handle, but he can’t exactly call for Imperial backup. Vader’s on the outside and now he has to handle things from there.

Aaron and Gillen describe Vader Down as their Avengers movie. “Let’s put in Marvel Cinematic Universe terms. [Laughs] We’ve been doing Iron Man, Captain America, and Thor and this is The Avengers. Everything that we’ve been doing goes on the screen at the same time and you get watch all of those characters interact for the first time. It’s a mammoth story,” says Jason Aaron. We’ll get to see C-3PO and R2-D2 come face to face with their evil counter parts, I can’t wait for that. This encounter is going to affect the story lines of both series in major ways.

Jason and Kieron will be working together on Vader Down which is a good thing for all of us. Vader Down will be a six-issue miniseries with art by Salvador Larroca & Mike Deodato.

Look for this series in November.

Source: CBR

“Respect My Craft” – Scott Wilson

In this consumer-based industry, it can be easy to forget the years of hard work that the people in the business put in. Behind every panel, it takes a skilled writer, artist, inker and colorist to make the product complete. Behind each scene goes hours of preparation. Hush Comics’ “Respect My Craft” articles will dive into the history of these comic book and pop culture greats that will hopefully give a new perspective on how the men and women behind the pen (or stylus) contribute to the collective awesome-ness of the nerd world, or at least give you a reason to invest in their work.

 

Click on the link to take you to all of our Denver Comic Con “Respect My Craft” articles

 

Name: Scott Wilson

Profession: Actor

Notable Work: The Walking Dead, CSI, The Great Gatsby (1974), In Cold Blood, The X-Files, The Last Samurai

“I didn’t expect to live forever. I will remain a fan of the show even when I’m no longer on it. And [Glen Mazzara] said…it’ll either be episode 11 or 12. Eleven comes, I’m alive. Twelve comes, I’m alive. Thirteen comes, I’m alive. So he says look at you, you’re still alive. I said, ‘Yeah. I’m talking to my savior!’” – Scott Wilson

Chances are the majority of Scott Wilson fans going to see him at DCC this year came to love him as Hershel Greene on The Walking Dead. There was something so warm and familiar about the character that viewers came to love him just as much as the fictional characters he shared the screen with. While that may be the character with the biggest impact he’s played in recent history, Scott Wilson has been captivating audiences since 1967.

Scott Wilson was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1942 and he spent his whole life there unit he hitchhiked out to LA one day on a whim. Wilson was supposed to attend Georgia Southern University and study architecture, but instead met up with some friends in LA and literally drunkenly stumbled into acting. He fell in love with acting and then dedicated five years of his life to studying and perfecting his craft. In 1967, Scott Wilson appeared opposite Sidney Poitier and Rod Steiger in The Heat of the Night. That same year, he wowed and terrified audiences as Richard Hickok in In Cold Blood. After that, he continued to grab major roles in many films, including The Great Gatsby, for which he earned great critical acclaim, and The Ninth Configuration, which he received a Golden Globe Nomination for. Along with a thriving movie career, Wilson also made several notable appearances on popular TV shows like The Twilight Zone and The X-Files.

There is a noticeable somberness and subtlety to Scott Wilson and all the character’s he plays. He stole the hearts of TWD fans everywhere and even though comic readers knew he had to die, they were still not prepared for his departure. He was the moral compass, and one of the few characters that never let the world he lived in diminish his ability to live, love and forgive. So much more of the love that Hershel encompassed came from the man that Scott Wilson is. He’s been described as wise and extremely kind hearted while also being very serious and thoughtful about every move his character makes – not to mention he’s been married to the same woman for nearly forty years, which is a true statement of genuine character in the Hollywood world.

Scott Wilson’s range is all over the map and he nails every aspect of every character he plays. He can play a horrifying cold-blooded killer as well as a loving and wise father with both performances entrancing his audiences. Wilson has worked steadily in Hollywood since the late sixties, always taking roles that excited him and he respected. He never really became a household name, but he acted for all the right reasons. He finds passion in his work and he loves to investigate and learn the characters he brings to life on the screen. He is one of Hollywood’s great characters actors, which may be the best class to be among.

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None of the media in this article belongs to Hush Comics; it all belongs to their respective properties.

Graphic Novel Review – March: Book Two

Graphic Novel Review: MARCH: Book One

Collecting: March: Book Two (original graphic novel)

Original Release Date: 2015

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions

Characters: John Lewis, Dr. Martin Luthor King, Jr., Stokely Carmichael, SNCC

Writer: John Lewis, Andrew Aydin

Artist: Nate Powell

SCORECARD (each category ranked on a 10-point scale):

Storyline – 8

Art – 8

Captivity and Length – 7

Identity – 10

Use of Medium – 9

Depth – 8

Fluidity – 8

Intrigue/Originality – 8

The Little Things – 8

Overall awesomeness – 8

Inspired by the use of comic books to send across messages that couldn’t be transcribed in the written or oral form of communication, John Lewis, with the help of Top Shelf Productions, created March: Book One, an autobiography and first-person perspective of other Civil Rights stories. After laying down much of the framework of who John Lewis was, where he came from and what he believed in, we are thrown right into the deep end as this volume takes us through the evolution of the Movement, and journeys through the history of the Freedom Riders.

Book Two is a noticeable improvement over the first book, where all three creators really got their feet yet. Whether it has to do with Lewis’ personal growth or the nature of the Civil Rights Movement at the time of the events, there is a much more adult tone taken in Book Two. It wasn’t just the increasingly violent reactions from policemen and citizens towards the Freedom Riders, well-meaning white citizens who came to their defense, and dozens of black children.  No, there was a constant looming threat of defamation, imprisonment and often times death that each of them had to be constantly aware for. It was a movement so formidable that even Dr. Martin Luthor King, Jr. was hesitant to go on it – or so the book implies. These accounts are directly from John Lewis’ memory of first-hands, and I’ll be damned if I’m the one to tell him that he got it wrong.

Where the books excels is that it isn’t just a collection of stories from Senator John Lewis’ mouth. No, this is a calculated story with purpose. Scenes from the book are not only pieced together to form another successful chapter in his life, and that of the Civil Rights Movement. They are done so with not just the rationalization of a fiery young man, but the clarity of a wise man reflecting on his years as a freedom fighter. It’s refreshing to arrive at the conclusion that even though the courage that it took to actually follow through as a Freedom Rider was monumental, the entire movement was sparked by the simple yet fierce desire to make the situation better.

Technically-speaking, there are several improvements to this volume over the first installment. While the art was satisfactory in Book One, Nate Powell’s pencils are eye-catching and often shockingly-vivid. There were several scenes that convey the brutality and injustice that Lewis saw first-hand. There were other improvements, too, notably how well Powell and co-writer Aydin took advantage of the freedom granted in creating a graphic novel, really using unique ways to display onomatopoeic words and show the tone of a phrase by lettering it in a specific way. It’s a quite interesting way to communicate with readers – one I hope will catch on with other creators.

March: Book Two expertly brings the book to a close by chronicling Lewis’ attendance at Barack Obama’s inauguration in DC, the same city at which Lewis (and several other keynotes, like MLK) marched on Washington DC to give some of the most memorable speeches of the whole Movement. This scene illustrates that while progress towards equality and civil liberty has been astronomical, there is still plenty of work to do. That is why the Denver Freedom Riders have formed. The merging of goals between the generations is something that John Lewis speaks specifically about when describing his time working with senior activists. The capabilities of social media have made us all activists, but nothing really gets done unless the movement starts at the ground floor. I spoke with Hush writer Jumoke about the movement that’s gaining momentum in the Mile High City.

 

The legacy that connects our generations is a simple one; a group of people of diverse background looked up at something going in the nation and decided that it wasn’t enough for them to simply stay at home. Some of us went as individuals (Anthony [Grimes] and myself), many of us went in later groups, but most of the core group went down to Ferguson during the height of the unrest. As we came back, we realized that there was some work that needed to be done and continued right here from Denver.

“We believe in the inherent dignity of human life. We believe no one is more aware of that inherent worth than those that society has attempted to dehumanize, marginalize and oppress.”

Those two sentences, the first two in the Denver Freedom Rider’s mission statement, could be included in almost every social justice movement creed of the last 100 years. The same fights for human dignity are being waged – only the actors and battlefields have changed. For some, that may be disheartening, but, for me, that actually gives me strength and courage. Although it seems there will always be injustice, oppression, and battles to fight, I take heart in the fact that there will also always be those who ride for freedom. 

– Jumoke Emery, community organizer and Denver Freedom Rider

For those looking to get involved in the community through the Denver Freedom Riders, here is a link to their Facebook page with more details.

I hope you enjoyed the review. I’d just like to point out that none of the pictures in this work are mine, and should all be credited to the good folks at Top Shelf Productions. You can find March: Book Two on their website, here.

Written by Sherif Elkhatib

Yesterday in the Nerd Verse… Jan 06, 2015

New Comic Book Releases: G Willow Wilson takes over the all-female X-Men, Mortal Kombat X digital release, and some unique new books in: Ant Man, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, and IXth Generation.

Check out our latest feature, Best of 2014, for our take on our favorite: comic books, movies, TV shows, collectibles, music and video games.

Hardy har har. Everybody got a great laugh out of the itty-bitty Ant-Man trailer; here’s the full-length teaser. It should erase any hard feelings you had about the upcoming movie. Source: YouTube.

IDW Comics is acquiring Top Shelf Comics (March). I don’t think this will make any severe changes at IDW, but it is nice to see “the little guys” stick together. Source: IDW.

The first episode of the mid-season for Gotham, “Rogues’ Gallery” is in the books and our review is up.

In a week, Marvel Comics previews Star Wars #1, and in preparation, have released a butt-ton of variant covers for it. Bleeding Cool has been nice enough to gather them all in one neat little post. Bleeding Cool.

An Eisner Award-winning writer is coming to Spawn, via Todd McFarlane. Source: Facebook.

In television, Empire, black-ish and American Horror Story all make their debut tomorrow.

Hector “Tio” Salamanca from Breaking Bad joins Constantine as Felix Faust.

 

Yesterday in the Nerd Verse… Jan 05, 2015

Fanboys, ready to drool? ScarJo has been cast in the live action version of Ghost in the Shell, based off the popular anime. Get ready for some major boobage and baddassery. Source: Variety.

Fangirls, ready to drool? ChanTat (Is that a thing?) has officially put a ring on it; the newly-minted Gambit announced the release date for X-Men Apocalypse, which Remy Lebeau will make his X-debut (we don’t talk about Origins in this house). Source: Twitter.

Agent Carter debuts today. SET YOUR DVR! Or just huddle around the radio with your family like they did back when the show is set (mid-1940’s).

Hold the phones – Mortal Kombat X is getting a comic book prequel, and the first one comes out January 6th; it is a short, digital-first book by DC Comics. Finally! WB is putting those licensing rights to good use.

As awesome as it sounds, Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul is NOT slated to play Han Solo in a spin-off Star Wars film. Screw fact checking; you have a story like that – you run with it. Source: Twitter.

Facebook has become an amazing tool for tracking people’s lives, so says the NSA. Sometimes though, it can provide people with a great research tool. A recent study shows interesting correlations among comic books and gender the last few years. Source: Graphic Policy.

Game of Thrones is coming back in a couple months, and I couldn’t think of a better way to catch up than to watch the Season 4 finale in IMAX, followed by a new trailer for the 5th season. GoT will be coming to “select” IMAX theaters the last week of January. We’ll keep you posted as we find out more. Source: EW.

Riding on the back of an elephant murdering bad guys with flaming arrows is just the tip of this metaphorical iceberg. Ubisoft is willing to think outside the box, and this survey should clear the air about any qualms people might have a bout a straight-forward sequel to Far Cry 4. Screw playing it safe; I want dinosaurs. Source: Eurogamer.

In the race of who has the most of my money guaranteed in 2015, the winner right now is 20th Century FOX, who has produced a Peanuts movie, set to release in November. Snoopy and the gang is back. Good grief that trailer is great!

Everybody’s favorite swashbuckling kitten is getting his own Netflix series. The Adventures of Puss in Boots becomes available January 16th. Source: Netflix.

It’s all fun and games until an entire generation of people don’t know who Paul McCartney is… We really have nobody to blame but ourselves. That new Kanye song “Only One” is ridiculous.

A slew of soon-to-be comic book news is making the rounds:

• Warren Ellis is going to do some guest writing on Kelly Sue DeConnick’s Captain Marvel. Source: CBR.
• Mark Doyle is coming to DC Comics to stay as the Bat-book editor. Since heading the Bat-books, there have been a lot of pioneering and adjusting, so this is a good move. Source: ComicsAlliance.
• With Brian Buccellato (art) and Mike Miller (writing) taking over creative duties on Injustice: Gods Among Us, expect a must different product when issue #15 drops today. Source: ComiXology.

A cool little twist for Tekken 7 has been revealed; a new camera option will let both players be on the left side of the screen when starting a match. To a lame-o like me, whatever, but to serious competition players, this could be the difference between kicking a 13 year old’s ass and throwing your controller down in rage. Source: Twitter.

X-Men: First Class and Kick-Ass 2 director, Matthew Vaughn started poppin’ off at the mouth today when he said that he thinks “Nolan kick-started a very dark, bleak style of superhero escapism, and I think people have had enough of it.” SCOOOORE-BOARD. SCOOOORE-BOARD. Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

Sony is going to continue kicking Microsoft’s ass with these upcoming Playstation features:

• Playstation Now will launch this year, and offer so much content for either $20/month of $45/quarter. Sourcer: Wikipedia (super reliable).
• Playstation Vue could eventually do away with cable TV, and several major companies are already supporting it. Source: IGN.

Best of 2014: Comic Books

Another year is in the books, and we here at Hush Comics couldn’t pass at the chance to rank our favorites of this year’s releases in all types of mediums. Some of the winners will surprise you; heck, some of the results surprised  us. The results are completely subjective, and therefore were chosen with infallible logic. We would love to hear your opinions on what we have chosen, or if you thought we missed anything. This should be a fun review before we gear up for 2015.

Click on the link to take you to the “Best of 2014” homepage for all categories.

This year’s nominations are…

Best Comic Book Series (Monthly On-going)

• DC Comics – Batman (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• Image Comics – Black Science (Rick Remender & Matteo Scalera)
• Image Comics – Saga (Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples)
• IDW Comics – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Tom Waltz & Mateo Santolouco/Ross Campbell)
• Image Comics – The Walking Dead (Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard)

Results here.

Best Story Arc

• DC Comics – Batman: Zero Year (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• DC Comics – Batman: Endgame (Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo)
• Marvel Comics – Spider-Verse (Various writers and artists)
• DC Comics – Forever Evil (Geoff Johns & David Finch)
• DC Comics – Multiversity (Grant Morrison & various artists)

Results here.

Best Creative Team

• Brian K Vaughan & Fiona Staples – Saga (Image Comics)
• John Layman & Rob Guillory – Chew (Image Comics)
• Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard – The Walking Dead (Image Comics)
• Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo – Batman (DC Comics)
• Tom Waltz & Mateo Santolouco – TMNT (IDW Comics)

Results here.

Best Writer

• Geoff Johns – Superman (DC Comics), Justice League (DC Comics), Forever Evil (DC Comics)
• Josh Williamson – Nailbiter, Birthright (Image Comics), Captain Midnight (Dark Horse Comics)
• Matt Fraction – Hawkeye (Marvel Comics), Sex Criminals, Satellite Sam, Ody-C (Image Comics)
• Rick Remender – Black Science, Deadly Class, Low (Image Comics)
• Scott Snyder – Batman, Superman: Unchained, The Wake, American Vampire (DC Comics), Wytches (Image Comics)

Results here.

Best Artist

• Fiona Staples – Saga (Image Comics)
• Greg Capullo – Batman (DC Comics)
• Leila del Duca – Shutter (Image Comics)
• Mateus Santolouco – Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (IDW Comics)
• Mike Henderson – Nailbiter (Image Comics)

Results here.

Best New Comic Book Series

• Image Comics – Deadly Class (Rick Remender & Wes Craig)
• Marvel Comics – Ms. Marvel (G. Willow Wilson & Adrian Alphona)
• Marvel Comics – Moon Knight (Warren Ellis/Brian Wood & Declan Shalvey/Greg Smallwood)
• Image Comics – Nailbiter (Joshua Williamson & Mike Henderson)
• Image Comics – Shutter (Joe Keatinge & Leila del Duca)

Results here.

Best Comic Book Mini-Series

• Marvel Comics – Deadpool vs. Carnage (Cullen Bunn & Salva Espin)
• Marvel Comics – Edge of Spider-Verse (Various writers and artists)
• Marvel Comics – Hawkeye vs. Deadpool (Gerry Duggan & James Harren)
• Vertigo Comics – Sandman: Overture (Neil Gaiman & JH Williams III)
• Dark Horse Comics – Serenity: Leaves on the Wind (Zach Whedon & Georges Jeanty)

Results here.

Onto: Best of 2014 – Movies

Comic Book Reviews 11-26-14

Review Scale:

The mythical A+: Classic comic book material. Belongs next to your copy of The Notebook and The Joy of Cooking.

A: Would definitely recommend to all comic book readers. Even more so to fans of the genre or characters

B: Enjoyable read. Fans of the genre or characters will especially like.

C: Non-essential read. Can be enjoyable for fans of the genre or characters, but likely for only one or two events in the books.

D: Unenjoyable book. Read at your own risk. Might find satisfaction if major flaws are overlooked.

F: Please don’t buy this book. Donate your money to a local comic book writer’s workshop instead to inspire future generations to write something better than this trash.

 

Pick of the Week:

Ody-C #1

Ody-C #1 – A

I’ve never read a Fraction book before, but if they’re all anything like Ody-C, I might have to start. In short, at its most perhaps offensively basic, Ody-C is a science fiction space opera gender swapped taking its the Odyssey. The book is full of crazy ideas feeling much like a Hickman book – like Pax Romana or the Manhattan Projects. The art is appropriately abstract, colorful, and French looking (think Moebius or Marvel’s Soleil line) to reflect that kind of story telling approach. The two coolest ideas come aboard the ship in which the captain (Odyssia, the gender swapped Odysseus) and her for co-captains must float in psychic in order to stear the ship, and her symphony that must reprogram space as they fly through it. The book is incredibly enjoyable and a lot of fun to look at, and I do highly recommend reading it. My only criticism is the source material: I know I’ve read the Odyssey at least three times in my college experience, as I’m sure any other liberal arts major has, and I found myself being too distracted at times trying to crack the gender code to be able to focus on what was going on. I guess I would have liked either a longer first issue or a more basic one just to get my footing before launching into the crazy stuff so that I could get a sense of what from the original Greek masterpiece mattered. – Cuyler

 

Other Reviews: 

Dark Horse Comics:

Alien: Fire & Stone #3 – B

One word – creepy! Creee-py!!! This series continues to be great and It continues to freak me out. However, some aspects are starting to get old and, for the first time since the Fire and Stone series began, I found myself a bit tired with the “mysterious black goo” ponderings. We’ve gotten plenty of examples of what this stuff is capable of and how horrific its effects are on any life form. This is a minor gripe overall, and it certainly doesn’t take away from the story. There’s only one issue left in the Aliens arch of Fire and Stone – this will effectively round out the prequel of the ongoing events. There’s plenty of action left to be had and a ton of mystery to be unraveled. After this many issues, I’m confident that Fire & Stone’s conclusion will be eerily fantastic. – Taylor

 

DC/Vertigo: 

Superman #36 – A

Wow, I can’t believe I am this excited about a Superman book. Geoff Johns has gotten me hooked on another superhero I have been skeptical about. Ulysses is finally coming clean about a secret he’s been keeping from Superman. Only, we still have to wait another issue to find out what it is! The reference to Brian Azzarello and Jim Lee’s For Tomorrow stands at the forefront as the best pat of this issue. Superman has since learned that while he is the strongest being on Earth, he still cannot cure disease, cannot control men’s urge for war. It’s some really deep stuff that I really feel deserved to be revisited here. Cheers to another knockout issue for Johns and Romita Jr.! – Sherif

Arkham Manor #2 – A-

After DC has spent the past couple months throwing new Bat-related titles to the wall, I think this could be one that has finally stuck. Arkham Asylum has fallen and Gotham has found the perfect place to house the criminally insane – Wayne Manor. To infiltrate the Manor and find out what is really going on, Bats has disguised himself as Jack Shaw, a John Doe criminal. Things take an interesting turn when it turns out he can’t protect the inmates anymore than he can the other citizens; hopefully he hasn’t bitten off more than he can chew. I love the originality of this series, and it immediately reminds me of Jeph Loeb’s The Long Halloween with the mysterious tone it takes. If you love Batman, or mystery, pick this book up while it’s still in its infancy. – Sherif

Futures End #30 – B-

That… was, surprisingly, not all that bad. I’m going to try to not get my hopes up, but I’m tempted to believe that this might actually go somewhere interesting. This week’s edition of Futures End focuses on one of the plot points that actually seems to matter so far. I’m dubbing this, “Attack on Cadmus Island” (Catchy, ain’t it?). Attack on Cadmus Island has everything I could really want: the action is great, decent art, and to top it all off actually moves the story forward! There’s even a couple of pretty great surprises in store for those who’ve been keeping up so far. To quote Big Barda, “….Did not see that coming.” – Moke

The Flash #36 – C

This trope may have been done before, but when future Barry Allen came to kill present time Barry Allen, things got a little mixed up. Now, they have swapped places… sorta. The Barry Allen from the future is now parading around like he owns the present time while the other Allen is stuck in some parallel dimension. Basically, the story is getting really convoluted, and the point I thought was the climax ended up just dragging the story out a little further. That being said, this future Flash is brutal and efficient, and willing to kill anybody he knows will upset things in the future. I’m not sure where this arc will go, but I can definitly stay on until I see what kind of awkward mess this is going to be for the present-day Flash to iron out.  – Sherif

 

IDW Entertainment:

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters #2 – A

Most 80’s kids have already imagined this team-up in their heads with toys, but still seeing it come to fruition is awesome! Crossovers are always kind of iffy, as the IDW X-Files one that crossed over with these two properties earlier this year was a little weak, but this one so far has been great. Seeing the banter between Donatello and Egon is exactly what I wanted it to be and the pairing of characters is perfect. The story has just barely gotten past the, “Ghosts don’t exist!” or “You’re a giant talking turtle!” things – which will obviously be there, but it still is setting up something good. The art is as good as you could ask in mixing styles and characters and, all around, this issue is must have for any 80’s kid or any nostaligia-loving enthusiast. – Jacob

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #40 – A-

The fight between the mutants of the series continues in this issue as we see the mutated animals battling the humans-turned-mutants, Bebop and Rocksteady. All this while, Casey helps out the O’Neils, and Donatello is off doing his own thing and may be going behind the turtles back to do so. All of which makes for a great issue of TMNT and although it seemed more to set up next year’s Mighty Mutanimals book, it still felt like a solid piece of the story and was a really enjoyable read. Santolouco continues to impress as the artist and it always brings a smile to my face to see Kevin Eastman contribute on an issue. – Jacob

Samurai Jack #14 – B+

Jack has been on a quite a journey recently since he lost his sword, which was the one thing that could defeat Aku and send him back to his time. In this issue we now see Jack being judged for losing such a weapon of power and whether or not he should be worthy of such a gift again or not. We don’t figure out whether or not they decide on this issue, but we reach a point where everything is on the line and Jack must act out with only his wit and no weapon. This story has been a very enjoyable read and I have loved the art of this whole series, as Tartokovsky’s style transfers so well to comics – which is why his other book, Powerpuff Girls, is so successful, as well. – Jacob

X-Files: Year Zero #5 – B-

This month’s Year Zero brings the story to an end and we finally get to see how the first case in X-Files history brought about what the X-Files is today. Despite being an interesting story and idea I think the execution was a bit wrong as I was never really into the story as much as I usually am when it comes to X-Files. It has a pretty cheesy ending over all and the different art styles for the modern and past X-Files teams makes me more interested in the series both I have not been a fan of most of the art coming out of X-Files as it just has way too may shadows. Ultimately I would say try and pick up this book to complete the series but over all this issue and mini series as a whole is one that will likely be forgotten in time and maybe even retold differently depending on the future of `. – Jacob

 

Image Comics:

Shadow Show #1 – A-

Shadow Show is not what I was expecting, but that ended up being okay. Initially, I was disappointed because the first page opens up and where I was expected something more fantastical and dark, I was greeted with warm artwork that was more reminiscent of a children’s book or Miyazaki movie. I’m not normally a fan of children’s book artwork in the comics I read, but as the story continued I realized what a great fit it really was. The adaptation of Joe Hill’s By the Silver Water of Lake Champlain was wonderful. The story is sweet and sad, and while the climax may have been a little predictable I was not left wanting. It had a great flow and to it and read really well. While it was a sad story, it still left me with happy feeling when I finished it. I’d definitely recommend this book. – Keriann

Rasputin # 2 – B

They say a picture is worth a 100 words. Whoever they is, they sure are right. Rasputin relies more on the art than it does on narration and dialogue. I’m a big fan for the way the storyline is unraveling itself between his history and the present. It feels organic and seamless and for a story steeped in so much mystery and magic, so the sort of timelessness really works well for the story. The use of red is brilliantly well-used. It’s a life force or death, but it’s the red the use of blood that’s really the narrator. It succeeds in a way that Trees kinda of fails. A lot of information and intrigue happens within panels of each other but while at the same time it doesn’t feel rushed. Rasputin is off with a Antoine to Verkhturye and to his ultimate destiny… (Insert maniacal laugher here.) – Jené

Trees # 7 – C

You can tell that Trees is gearing up to actually start – kinda of like the first act in a film; I think I’ve already said something similar about this storyline the last time I reviewed it. And it still seems that way. I think we only have to wait about two or three more issues until things really start coming to a head. At the moment, it still feels like there are too many characters and storylines; I want them to start weaving together more. I have my favorites and I’m bummed I can hang read more about the artist and the biologist more.  Still not all that sure where Ellis is taking the storyline, but, Transmetropolitan was amazing and I trust Trees is going to be just a good. He’s still doing something right if I’m glad to see Trees on the list to review. Overall, it’s an issues to get to a means. – Jené

American Legends #4&5 – C-

American Legends came to an end this week and it will not be missed. Overall the series just really missed the mark in my opinion. It never really hit that level of excitement I think it was striving for. It was campy as all hell, even through to the very end. The last panel concluded in such cheesy fashion I basically heard 80’s family sitcom music in my head while I read it. Now don’t get me wrong, the series wasn’t horrendous, it had its moments and it came with a really fun premise, it’s just that every week I felt this issues fell a little short and issues 4 and 5 were no exception. Davy, Sally and Mike’s adventure came to a close, naturally, and if anything it was poorly thought out, rushed, and a little confusing with a pretty boring climax. That’s what she said! Sorry, I couldn’t resist. The main problem with issues 4 and 5 really was that everything just felt rushed. Maybe it was supposed to be interpreted as nonstop action, but for me it didn’t read that way. It all just felt very choppy and hectic. I didn’t like that Paul Bunyan appeared to be a relatively normal sized man with a blue goat, instead of an ox. Johnny Appleseed was written like a no good dirty hippie, but was still probably the best character in the whole series. And apparently it is extremely easy to kill people with his apple seeds. I’m pleased that the series at least had fun and creative ideas, but sadly in my opinion it was mostly just a flop. – Keriann

 

Marvel:

Superior Iron-Man #2 – B+

I love me some good guys behaving badly. Tony’s acting like a bit of a d*** and I, for one, am thoroughly entertained. Extremis 3.0 is a hit, problematically so. Naturally, one of the more traditional hero-types comes to investigate (Not gonna lie: I didn’t even know Daredevil was in town) [Ed note: Daredevil relocated to San Francisco after his law license was stripped in NY for exposing his identity]. They fight. Hilarity ensues. Let’s be honest, although a bit morally ambiguous at the moment, Tony hasn’t fully crossed into villain territory. I find myself wondering what implications this might have on the Marvel U as a whole.  A**holishness aside, I think I could get used to this new Tony. Though it initially caught a lot of flak, Superior Spider-Man ended up being wildly popular, and I’m just itching to see the type of damage a Superior Iron-Man could cause. – Moke

Scarlett Spiders #1 – B

The Spider-Verse event has begun branching into smaller, varied events that focus on a few particular Spider-Men/Women. Scarlett Spiders follows the three primary cloned Spideys. They’ve been given the very important task of unveiling the secret behind the cloning capabilities of their pursuers, The Inheritors. I really enjoyed the set-up. The setting is gorgeous, the danger feel real, and the interaction between all the Spider-heroes is engaging. I can see the potential for the Scarlett Spiders series. My biggest fear is that it will become cluttered with non-essential and distracting characters. The level at which I’m invested in the Spider-Verse plot and chronology has made me a bit more impatient than typical; hopefully it won’t backfire on me! – Taylor

Spider-Man 2099 #6 – B

I’m all about all the Spider-Men and Women lately! The comic book world has been inundated with Spider-heroes of an infinite number of alternate realities and so far it’s all made for a great adventure. The plot in this series of Spider-Man 2099 maintains it original composition while weaving in the Spider-Verse happenings without making things seem too forced. This issue highlights multi-armed Peter Parker, Miguel O’Hara and (my favorite) May a.k.a. Lady Spider. It’s fairly apparent that the grand planners at Marvel are strategically placing certain Spider-Men in particular storylines. Each one has a specific role to play and thus far this has played out in a very exciting way. Spider-Man 2099 will be one of the branched series to really pay attention to. Their relation and interaction with Morlun is sure to be pivotal to every other arc.

All-New Ghost Riser #9 – D 

Ever since the end of the introductory arc of The All-New Ghost Rider I’ve been losing interest in the series. The first five issues rocked my world; it resulted in a high-set bar for the follow-up story. Filipe Smith (writer) has displayed a vast lack of creativity by essentially copying the plot from the previous arch. Dialogue is incredibly corny. Altered and added story elements are unbelievable and forced. The artwork is quite difficult to read. A lot of aspects are misfiring. The outlook is equally bleak. There aren’t a lot of opportunities for this series to improve – Smith has everything locked in fairly rigidly. To diverge now would feel awkward and unnatural. Our best prospects are to hunker down and wait for this all to pass. – Taylor

 

Funniest Panel:

Superior Iron Man #2

 

Panel with the Most Awesomeness:

Superman #36

That about wraps it up for our reviews this week! Look for next week’s previews coming soon. Any comic books you didn’t see reviewed that you want reviewed? Any grades you didn’t agree on? Let us know in the comments!

All images taken from ComiXology app and the credit for them goes to the respective publishers; thanks to IDW Comics, image Comics, Dark Horse, Boom! Studios, Oni Press, Dynamite Entertainment, DC and Marvel for putting out great books.