Hello all! This week’s quite the oddball in terms of new releases, but don’t fret, there’s plenty of industry mainstays to pad out the pile! However, pride of place goes to Elephantmen War Toys #3. Yes, it’s the final issue in the series, but I’ve just been enjoying it so much that it deserves this last shot at being spotlighted. In its previous two incarnations, Hip Flask and Elephantmen, the series shied away from showing the European war that led to its dystopian setting, only rarely making reference to the events therein. Here, creator Richard Starkings and artist Moritat bring it to life in vivid, gory detail, bringing about some of the series’ greatest thrills to date.

DC’s two biggest releases this week are Action Comics #864 and DC Universe Zero. The former of these is a one-shot by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, following on from their excellent Legion of Super-Heroes arc. Gary Frank’s art has been a perfect match for DC’s flagship title, displaying a clear understanding of action-packed storytelling, and with evident care being taken over the design of the characters and their world. If the writing maintains the high standard established in the previous arc, this should be an issue well worth reading!

DC Universe Zero, on the other hand, is the one-stop shop for all your DC continuity needs! Aiming to catch out-of-the-loop readers up on twenty-odd years of DC history, this 30p wonder should tell you everything you need to know going into the upcoming Final Crisis. Written by Grant Morrison and Geoff Johns and with art supplied by a host of fan favourites including George Pérez, JG Jones and Carlos Pacheco, this is 30p you can probably afford to spend. Particularly if, like me, you missed out on the entirety of Countdown!

Marvel’s week is less robust, however they do bring us perennial favourite Immortal Iron Fist and two new Thor releases! The first is the most significant, being the first release in hardcover of J Michael Straczynski and Olivier Coipel’s new title. This series has been consistently excellent so far, and if you haven’t picked it up at all yet, do! It’s a real back-to-basics approach to the character, but one with more depth than you’d expect, written with a real flair and an endearing sense of humour. This is all to say nothing of Coipel’s absolutely gorgeous artwork, backed up with some outstanding work by gifted colourist Laura Martin, whose rendering and colour scheme has really helped cement the series’ rich visual quality.

It’s this quality which is mimicked to good effect in the mythologically-charged Thor: Ages Of Thunder, the week’s other showcase for the Odinson. This is the first in a series of one-shots written by Casanova creator and Immortal Iron Fist co-writer Matt Fraction. The series plans to flesh out Marvel’s thunder god character by resetting the character’s history against traditional myth. It’s a nicely done romp and full of dangerous liaisons, royal rivalries and frost giants, and a nice diversion in the wait for the next issue of the regular series.

If those picks weren’t enough, there’s an almost ridiculous number of tempting trades on offer this week as well! We’ve got The Definitive Queen & Country Vol 2! We’ve got Mike Allred’s edition of Modern Masters! We’ve got BPRD Vol 8: Killing Ground, Tales Of The Fear Agent and X-Men: Messiah Complex in hardcover. However, you know all about those already. I’m here to talk to you today about Princess at Midnight. No, wait, come back! Regular readers of this column will know that we here at Gosh were great advocates of Andi Watson’s most recent series, Glister, and for all intents and purposes, this is its spiritual precursor, reprinted for the first time and expanded in a new edition, all for just £4. The plot revolves around a young girl who spends her days languishing in home-schooling boredom, and spends her nights as the warlord princess of Castle Waxing, leading her people against the Horrible Horde. Sounds cool, right? Well, a certain kind of cool, anyway.

We’ve also recently received the fourth volume of Hank Ketcham’s Complete Dennis the Menace collections, along with the second box set, of volumes three and four. Don’t be mistaken, this isn’t the hero of the Beano, this is the serendipitously synchronous scallywag spawned in America, and there’s some pretty incredible stuff in there. While the gags are firmly in the ‘inoffensive’ category, the artwork communicates clarity of line and ease of brushwork that’s still impressive today, and needs to be seen to be believed.

The news comes in dribs and drabs this week, starting with word that Hellboy and Pan’s Labyrinth director Guillermo Del Toro is going to be helming the long-delayed Hobbit film. Or rather, films. The film’s going to come out in two segments, both directed by Del Toro and executive produced (whatever that means) by Lord of the Rings maestro Peter Jackson.

If you thought to yourself ‘that was quite nerdy, that news there’, then hold onto your pocket protector for this one, as DC has revealed that – ahem – fan favourite character Power Girl is soon to be starring in her own series debuting later this year. It’s going to be written by Jimmy Palmiotti and drawn by Amanda Conner, meaning that not only will it look nice, but it’ll have a female creator’s name on it. This, of course, will totally absolve it of any offences it might potentially be seen to be committing.

Now for a corner of the news roundup that I myself am very excited about: Aaron-watch! Scalped creator Jason Aaron is a hurricane of comics writing, and he’s proving it once again with his recently announced two-issue stint on Hellblazer. The two issues, #245 and #246 will both have art provided by Sean Murphy, and will revolve around Constantine’s time in Newcastle as frontman of punk band Mucous Membrane. Aaron’s other new upcoming run is writing issues #39-41 of Black Panther, a gig apparently garnered from his work on Vertigo series The Other Side. What’s the connection? Well, these issues are the Black Panther Secret Invasion tie-ins, and they will apparently take the form of a land war between Black Panther’s subjects and the invading Skrull forces. The fur’s going to fly, starting in July.

But Tom, you ask, what was with that teasing Sam and Max image you posted yesterday that everybody noticed? Well, it was all a ruse, a cunning ruse to build excitement for today’s great big Telltale Games giveaway! We’ve got download codes for the brand new season of Sam and Max computer games courtesy of our very generous friends at Telltale Games. These games are chock full of fun, gags and personality, and carry on the proud tradition of Purcellian humour established in the series. But enough of the hard sell, you all want to know how you can win this phenomenal prize! All you have to do is answer the following question:

Who was singled out, both in the first comic book issue and the animated series, as the Freelance Police’s greatest enemy? Clue: he was described by Max as ‘warm and squishy’.

If you think you know the correct answer, just comment on this post on our blog. If you can’t sign in to a personal account, you can comment anonymously – but don’t forget to leave your name in the comment itself! We’ve got one grand prize of the complete second season of games and three runner-up prizes of the first episode, Ice Station Santa. Please note that the judge’s decision is final. Good luck!

And finally, just a reminder that due to next week’s sure-to-shine bank holiday Monday, the next delivery will arrive a day late, on Friday, May 9th.

- Tom

Hello and welcome to a week of long-awaited releases and secret gems! Yet again, the new releases are a little thin on the ground, but as ever, there’s something new and exciting if you just look for it.

This week’s top billing goes to an original graphic novel coming at you straight from Random House. Ha! And they say this blog’s too mainstream. But seriously, folks, this isn’t just some ineffectual grab at indie credibility. Brighton-based writer/illustrator Hannah Berry’s debut graphic novel, Britten and Brulightly, sounds like just the kind of noir-tinged murder mystery to draw in fans of crime comics like Criminal, Gotham Central, Daredevil and just about anything else Ed Brubaker has put out in the last ten years.

The plot deals with Fernandéz Britten, a suicidally guilt-ridden private investigator with an ‘unconventional’ business partner who sets out to discover the truth behind a suspicious suicide. Sounds delightfully bittersweet to me! Give it a look and support a burgeoning British talent today! And if you enjoy it, consider popping along to a talk with the creator at the Redbridge Literary Festival on April 29th! (More information available here: http://www.paulgravett.com/events/events.htm )

If that all sounds far too cerebral, then Doctor Gosh prescribes 10ccs of Hulk Vs Hercules: When Titans Collide! – a comic whose title cannot be spelt without an exclamation point on the end. Oh, sure, when I saw this advertised I was all ready to dismiss it as cheap cash-in nonsense, but my cynicism was assayed immediately by the mere presence of the names Pak and Van Lente. Greg Pak’s new Incrediverse has brought us some outstanding titles and events, and Incredible Hercules, co-written with Action Philosophers’ Fred Van Lente, is one of the most entertaining comics being published today. Not convinced? Then grab this one-shot and mull it over as you revel in some prime smashing action.

If that doesn’t Make Yours Marvel, then go instead for Thor #8, the second and final part of cover artist star Marko Djurdevic’s plot arc. Last issue saw Thor communing with his father Odin by trapping himself in the land between life and death, which is cool, as I’m sure you’re aware. This issue brings him haring back home to defend his reconstituted Asgard from a threat on this mortal plane. This title goes from strength to strength, and really shows that Straczynski can still pull an excellent story out of his hat when he wants to.

A big event for silver age fans this week will be Mark Evanier’s encyclopaedic Kirby: King of Comics hardcover. The book looks utterly gorgeous from the preview materials we’ve received, and, being from former Kirby assistant Evanier, should provide new insight into the oeuvre of this eternal (do you see what I did there) comics legend, packed full of artwork from the vaults.

If you can find room in your buy pile, or you’ve got a kid struggling with Shakespeare in English lessons, spare a thought for this week’s brand new No Fear Shakespeare line. No, really. Not only does it have a catchy name, it also boasts a creative team far more impressive than you might expect, particularly in Hamlet, which is adapted by Flight veteran Neil Babra. Babra’s work displays a keen eye for layout and visual storytelling, as well as being oh-so purdy. If you’ve ever thought ‘Hell, I’d read a Shakespeare comic if Craig Thompson adapted it’, give this one a go. You won’t regret it!

There’s a huge crop of news the wake of the New York Comic Con last weekend, so I’ll just whiz through the highlights quickly. First, though, the skinny on some free comics from way back! Kiwi animator Rod Fransham is uploading, for absolutely nothing, his ten-year-old comics project Poke – the story of a pilot pig making his way in the modern world. The first issue is up and ready to read, and if it gets enough attention, the rest will soon follow! Click here now: http://goodonfranshamanyway.blogspot.com/

Closer to home, though, rising star and author of Laika, Nick Abadzis, is currently featured in the Guardian Family section’s Comic! His new series is called Cora’s Breakfast and will run for five more Saturdays. If you missed the first installment, not to worry! It’s online and available for the next week here: http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/family/comic/0,,2197542,00.html

But now, to NYCC! The Vertigo panel yielded some intriguing tidbits such as the news that Cliff Chiang is to produce a miniseries inspired by Neil Young’s album Greendale. Yep. Also covered was the upcoming graphic novel from cartoonist Dean Haspiel (best known for his work with Harvey Pekar) and prose novelist Jonathan Ames. The two talked about their creative collaboration and how writing for comics differs from writing for novels. Haspiel closed by saying that Ames was a natural, and that he hoped he would produce more comics in the future. And if you’ve been waiting for a nice fancy hardcover edition of Y The Last Man, your wait may soon be over…

Dark Horse announced two particularly left-field and exciting projects, both miniseries coming in the summer. The first is Hellboy: Crooked Man. This isn’t the direct sequel to Darkness Calls, no sir, this is a special flashback story set in the heartland of America in 1956, shot through with Appalachian folklore. Though intended to release at the same time as Hellboy 2: The Golden Army, this is very much a project unto itself. Richard Corben provides the art for these three issues, so this will be an excursion you won’t want to miss! If you feel like comics just don’t have enough big robots in them anymore, you’ll be pleased to hear about Dark Horse’s second announcement: Gigantic, brought to you by Rick Remender and Eric Nguyen. Remender said he was gunning for an art-intensive, B-movie epic vibe, and we can but hope that’ll be what we get!

And finally, for the real geeks in the audience (myself very much included), good news! Boom Studios are proud to announce that they’ve landed the license to produce comics based on the cancelled intercontinental Jim Henson space opera Farscape. The even better news is that the series is releasing to coincide with a series of online webisodes being produced for the Sci-Fi Channel. All potential nerdy references to the euphemistic term ‘frell’ have been self-rejected from this column.

And now for the competition! To celebrate the release of the King Of Comics hardcover, we’re giving away three copies of last year’s Complete Devil Dinosaur Omnibus hardcover! To win, all you have to do is answer the following question:

When Eric Powell, creator of The Goon, brought back Devil Dinosaur as part of 2005’s Marvel Monsters line, which popular present-day Marvel character was he pitted against?

If you think you know the correct answer, just comment on this post on our blog. If you can’t sign in to a personal account, you can comment anonymously – but don’t forget to leave your name in the comment itself! The first three people to comment with the correct answer win a copy of the book. Please note that the judge’s decision is final and that it is the responsibility of prize winners to arrange collection of the prize within a period of 14 days, after which any non-collected prizes will be offered to the runner-up.

And after that epic of an article, I can only wish you a happy week, and happy reading!

- Tom