Well the Big Move continues.
Maybe you all will remember that last time I was here at WLG I was lamenting about the ‘joys’ of moving. And as you all know I was right to do so. Moving is just such a mess. And I guess it always takes longer than you think it would- hence my opening statement.
But even with myself knee-deep in boxes and frustration I’ve been able to keep up with my comics and comics news. And the last few weeks that has been centered on Marvel’s Marvel NOW! initiative. There have been many announcements confirming creative teams on the upcoming new titles. Lots of them are very intriguing to me and probably quite a few of you out there too.
Right now I’m looking forward to Iron Man, Indestructible Hulk and Jonathan Hickman on the Avengers the most. I’m sure that as we get more announcements on this I’ll be adding to the list. So until then let’s get to the comics coming out this week and my picks for What Looks Good.
MARVEL
Avengers vs. X-Men #10 of 12 $3.99 (Ed Brubaker & Olivier Coipel)
“Time is running out as the Avengers are cornered in their last stronghold! But the stakes change when Hope and the Scarlet Witch join forces! Why?! How?!”
I’ve been enjoying the series. Really I have, even though it seems to have been padded a bit and could have used a little more editing and focusing at times. But at this point in the series I’m just feeling like I did over a year ago during DC’s Flashpoint- ok let’s get it over. Back then it was because we were all ready to get to the New 52. Now we are all ready to get to NOW!
I guess that comes with the necessity of promoting titles so far in advance; by trying to push future books you take a little of the heat away from things in the present, even big event titles.
VALIANT
Bloodshot #2 $3.99 (Duane Swierczynski & Manuel Garcia)
“Waking up inside a body bag is no way to start the day. But that's where you are, and worse yet, you're 35,000 feet above the desert, guarded by the some of the toughest soldiers on the planet. You're being flown back to the people who created you, who may have even betrayed you. You're having a hard time separating your false memories (of family, duty, country) from the grim reality (of bullets, blood, screaming). Who's really on your side? Why were you created? Where does the 'real you' end and the programming begin? There's only one way to find out — by reaching up and zipping open this bag. And God have mercy on anyone who comes face-to-face with the weapon — no, the man — no, the soldier — known only as Bloodshot.”
Great first issue last month! So far Valiant has been killing it with all their debut titles.
Personally I’m still waiting for an Eternal Warrior relaunch.
DARK HORSE
The Victories #1 $3.99 (Michael Avon Oeming)
“Not long from now, all that will stand between you and evil are the Victories-six heroes sworn to protect us from crime, corruption, and the dark. As one member cracks down on the violence, he discovers himself touched by a painful past through the psychic powers of Link. Will this trauma cause him to self-destruct or continue the fight?”
Creator-owned pick of the week! I’ve been a big fan of Oeming’s work through many of his titles- Powers, Mice Templar and my daughter’s favorite comic Takio. He’s always solid and very stylish; that always works across genres. And even though we’ve seen him handle some darker ‘super’ material in Powers, I’m eager to see what he does when writing and drawing.
Well back to the Big Move. Thanks for reading the column and supporting What Looks Good. I’ll be back in two weeks and hopefully back to my longer columns!