Welcome back to another addition of What Looks Good! Here are a few choice cuts from the books arriving in stores this week from The Big Two:
DC
Batman The Dark Knight Saga Deluxe Edition HC, $49.99
I can appreciate why this is being released (it collects The Dark Knight Returns and the Dark Knight Strikes Back), but I would imagine another version of this is going to be released not long after DKIII is finished, so you’re left with 2/3 of a complete run in hardcover form.
Luthor TP, $14.99
Collections like this make me sigh and shake my head. I wish DC would just create a unified theory of their universe, a madcap combination of their entire history. Hey, it could work! As it stand this is a collection of comics that have nothing to do with the Luthor currently appearing in the modern DCU. And that’s weird.
Midnighter #6, $2.99
Steve Orlando gets Midnighter. Perhaps second only to the character’s co-creator, Warren Ellis, Orlando knows who Midnighter is inside and out and that’s why this book works. Is a groundbreaking series? Yes, but it’s also a series that features a super cool lead engaged in crazy comic book adventures. Better yet, this issue features artwork by ACO, who is easily one of the top artists doing work for DC right now. Midnighter is the whole package.
Robin Volume 1 Reborn TP, $19.99
See above re: non-continuity collections. I do believe I actually own all of these individual comics. They’re enjoyable enough, but it’s the way that DC rolled out Tim Drake as the new Robin that I really enjoyed. They gave him more of an opportunity to grow into the role than they ever gave Jason Todd.
Sandman Overture Deluxe Edition HC, $24.99
I’m so glad I waited for this. Reading it all at once is going to much, much better than having to endure the wait between issues. I don’t know anything at all about this series, it should be noted, but you really only need to know who the creative team is to be on board, yeah?
Marvel Comics
Extraordinary X-Men #1 (Humberto Ramos Regular Cover), $4.99
I grew up reading X-Men comics, any and all of them. I go back to them no and again to see if there’s anything there for me, and I’ve been regularly disappointed. My expectations aren’t particularly high going into this, and they’re made all the lower by apathy towards Ramos’ art. I’m also not a fan of this particular assortment of characters, let alone the bizarre new status quo. But nostalgia forces me to at least give this a shot.
Hercules #1 (Clay Mann Regular Cover), $3.99
In case you were wondering, Hercules has the sex with both men and women. A certain editor in chief claiming otherwise is ultimately irrelevant, as he’s not creating that title (unless he has some kind of editorial edict against Hercules being bi, which would be a huge deal). In fact, the actual writer of the book, Dan Abnett, gave us the wonderful pairing of Phyla-Vell and Moondragon in the pages of Guardians of the Galaxy, so it doesn’t seem like he’d shy away from incorporating Herc’s orientation into the book.
Spider-Gwen #0, $4.99
This is a reprint of Spider-Gwen’s first appearance with “extras.” I like Spider-Gwen and enjoyed her very short first series, but I really wish they’d just call her Spider-girl. The name is free now. Spider-Gwen sounds ridiculous.
Uncanny X-Men #600 (Chris Bachalo Regular Cover), $5.99
Again, I keep trying the X-books because I’m a crazy person. But I also have a soft spot for anniversary issues and this one has been in the works for like a year now, so it’s got to be good, yeah?
Vision #1 (Mike Del Mundo Regular Cover), $3.99
While I can’t imagine anyone actually demanded a Vision title, we got one because, duh, he was in a movie. But Tom King appears to have decided to show the world that he can write anything and make it awesome and the art by Gabriel Hernandez Walta looks just about perfect for what appears to be a creepy suburban superhero story.
I didn’t have a problem enjoying Sandman Overture in single issues, it’s a sort of circular narrative that repeats itself a lot, but gives one character a key moment in each entry. Very rythmic, easy to get into the groove.
It was less reading it in pieces than having to wait so long between those pieces.
It’s perverse, but I’m kinda grateful for those delays when it’s an expensive series like this one. In the end, you still have all the issues and the full set, so will you even remember the delays?