Hello all, and welcome to a week ripe with horror, humour and ectoplasmic expectoration! But first, I want to tell you about a little comic called What If – The Fantastic Four Tribute To Mike Wieringo. As we all know, comic book artist par excellence Mike Wieringo tragically passed away last August, to a flood of retrospectives, tributes and charity auctions in his honour from his contemporaries in the industry. However, less well-known is the fact that he was halfway through a special one-shot What If story at the time of his death, refitting the ‘replacement’ team of Spider-Man, Wolverine, the Hulk and Ghost Rider as the new Fantastic Four team.

Marvel were generous enough to donate the full scripts and the completed artwork to the Hero Initiative, the stalwart charity behind many an effort to give a boost to the unfortunate golden-and-silver-age comic creators who retired without a pension or royalties due. Now, they’re publishing the completed story, as finished by a number of Wieringo’s closest friends in the art world including Stuart Immonen, Art Adams, Cully Hamner, Alan Davis and Mike Allred, all in one big 48-page comic, all for just £3.35, and all for charity. Grab it! It’s our pick of the week.

Another biggie worth taking note of this week is the long-overdue arrival of Mythos: Captain America. The Mythos comics have been an interesting experiment – retellings of superhero origins, sure, but not revamped to fit current continuity. In fact, they’re more like returns to silver-age tradition, told in a pleasantly offbeat style by writer Paul Jenkins and showcasing the utterly gorgeous painted artwork of the underused Paolo Rivera. It’s a series that actually intrigues me, to a chin-stroking degree, making me wonder why it exists, and if perhaps it’s building up to something on a grander scale. But if not, and it’s just going to continue as a series of lovely one-shots, that’s fine too. You might know Mister Rivera’s work from his recent covers for The Twelve and Marvel Illustrated: The Iliad and he’s easily one of the best painters working in comics today. Check out his very swish internals work in this one-shot special celebrating Marvel’s first Avenger – you won’t be disappointed.

And it doesn’t end there! Marvel also brings us four (count ‘em) more issues worthy of mention. There’s New Avengers #42, once again fleshing out the background to Secret Invasion with superstar artist Jim Cheung and Marvel 1985 #2, continuing Mark Millar’s Secret-Wars-era nostalgia-fest. What’s more, there’s a Matt Fraction double-bill with Thor Reign of Blood, the second in a series retelling the thunder god’s epic Nordic history and Young Avengers #6, the final issue in the series, focusing on Hawkeye wannabe Kate Bishop, featuring art by the inimitable Alan Davis.

DC parries with the very timely release of Final Crisis #2, continuing Grant Morrison’s universe-spanning, mind-bending, nice-looking event series. My enthusiasm is reinforced by previews of the issue promising an appearance from Japan’s showstopping Super Young Team and their leader Most Excellent Superbat. I’ll read that. Also out this week is the first issue of James Robinson’s much-vaunted run on Superman, featuring lovely art by Renato Guedes and a lovely cover by Alex Ross. Robinson promises a more compelling universe for Supes to dwell in, with a deeper focus on character development for the Kryptonian crusader, and, most importantly, a reason to pick up both Superman books each month. Sounds interesting!

From Vertigo we get the next volume of superlative spin-off Jack Of Fables: The Bad Prince. You see what they did there? I like that, that’s funny. So far this series has been a swashbuckling romp across America with one of comics’ most loveable anti-heroes, and this most recent storyline has been no exception. If you’ve held back from checking out the series for fear of a limp, directionless spin-off series, hold back no more. It’s a great laugh with some compelling plots and some golden one-liners.

By contrast, it’s quite a bare week from the indie types, with two major exceptions. BPRD: The Ectoplasmic Man is another fine one-shot for the Bureau, written by Mignola and Arcudi as per usual, but this time with art from concept artist Ben Stenbeck. This is Stenbeck’s comic art debut, and it looks very promising indeed, riding the rail between the distinct but complimentary styles that Mike Mignola and Guy Davis have defined the world of the BPRD with. From Image we get Walking Dead Vol 8: Made To Suffer in paperback at long last. This collects the run-up to issue #48 and that issue itself, containing more surprise deaths, more betrayals and more twists and turns than in the whole series to date! Things truly will never be the same again, and it’s a teeth-grinding read from start to end.

One of the finest books on sale at the moment, and one of the best bargains in the shop, is the Mammoth Book of Best Crime Comics, edited by comics historian Paul Gravett, and showing the extent of his knowledge and research. It’s 24 of the best thrillers in comics history, containing an extended Spirit story from Will Eisner, Jordi Bernet’s Torpedo, a story written by Dashiell Hammett and drawn by Alex Raymond (I know, right?), and a couple of out-of-print yarns from comics grandmaster Alan Moore. There’s even more than that, but if I went through them you’d never believe it’s only £12.99! Which it is. Pick one up and while you’re there, check out the rest of our Crime Comics Spotlight display, showcasing what we reckon is the best in police procedurals, heist thrillers and car chases.

There have been a few bits and bobs in the news this week, largely thanks to the recent New York Heroes convention. Image Comics announced that Mike Allred’s sci-fi rock-and-roll classic Red Rocket 7 would soon be reprinted with new material in a new format – 7” size! In other Allred news, it was confirmed that New Frontier and The Spirit writer/artist Darwyn Cooke would be providing a backup story for Madman Atomic Comics #14. A while to wait, but it’ll almost certainly be worth it.

There was also talk of a BBC Television production of live-action skits based on episodes of Nicolas Gurewitch’s Perry Bible Fellowship comic strips. This would be frighteningly excellent, but after the strip’s success in The Guardian and Michael Kupperman writing for the Peter Serafinowicz Show last year, not totally out of the question. What’s next? Evan Dorkin and Sarah Dyer starring in a new series of Coupling? Why if that were to happen, the Earth would probably crack straight down the middle due to the excessive concentration of brilliance. Boom!

And now finally for our devilish dervish of a competition, this week in honour of the release of the What If Mike Wieringo tribute, with the phenomenally attractive prize of Tellos Colossal Vol 1 in oversized hardcover format! This is Todd Dezago and Wieringo’s resplendent fantasy epic packed full of lions, tigers, bears, swords and sorcery. The hardcover collects the complete run of issues that the team produced wrapped up in one big bundle, also containing sketches and pin-ups aplenty. To stand a chance of winning Tellos, all you need to do is tellus…

Who is this?

If you think you know the answer, just comment with your answer. 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! First person to comment with the correct answer wins a copy of the book. Please note that the judges 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.

That’s all for the week – happy reading!
- Tom

Hello! This week I’m kicking off with a great big plug for king cartoonist Jeff Smith’s brand new series Rasl, the second issue of which releases this week! Sure, we were promised it would be out last month, but who cares, eh? It’s all-new Smith, and after the first issue, this series seems packed with ideas and beautiful drawings galore.

For those of you who missed out on the first issue, worry not! We’ve got copies in stock right now, and let me assure you, it’s worth catching up on. It’s the story of the titular anti-hero, an interdimensional art thief who makes his way in the world boosting parallel Picassos and tangential Titians. The first issue captures the fearful and transitional nature of Rasl’s existence and introduces a mysterious interloper who chases our hero into an ill-advised jump into an unfriendly world. Spooky, huh? Grab yourself these fine first two issues, and put a little of the rasl dasl back into your reading diet.

The other release of the week which promises to light the shelves quite literally on fire is Y The Last Man Vol 10: Whys and Wherefores, closing the book on this smash hit Vertigo series. It puts me in a bit of a funny position because there’s not really much to say. If you haven’t read it, the paperbacks are in stock as always, and if you have, there’s not much chance that you’ll decide to give it up one volume from the end! What I can say is that I read these final issues as they were released individually, and they’ve got all the twists, turns, revelation and heartbreak that you’d expect from the finale to an epic series like this. But as I say, you were probably going to buy it anyway.

After reading Y and weeping at the loss of this beloved series, grab ahold of one of its successors in the brand new wave of Vertigo quality with Scalped #18. As I mentioned several weeks ago, I’ve only just caught up with the issues of this series, and good lord is it worth the effort. The most recent storyline, Dead Mothers, has just ended, and by the end of it writer Jason Aaron had effectively lashed my heartstrings to a pair of wild horses and fired a shot into the ground. I genuinely can’t wait to see where the team goes with the series now, and all I can be sure of is that I’ll be going with them.

And if that’s not enough Aaron for you, then take note: he’s also scripting this week’s issues of Ghost Rider and Hellblazer! He’s everywhere, and this is an extremely good thing! He’s the first American writer since Azzarello to write for John Constantine, so witness the faith Vertigo’s editors have in him! What’s more, those of you who are cynical of the notion of picking up a Ghost Rider comic – Aaron’s run thus far has been absolutely excellent. He’s doing his usual Aaron thing of injecting an established character with ideas and an energy that makes you wonder where they’d been in the past. Ghost Rider under his steady hand is a rip-roaring, barnstorming road trip through the most dangerous regions of rural America. This week’s issue begins a new run with art by the excellent Tan Eng Huat, so jump on now!

Marvel’s biggest release of the week is certain to be Wolverine #66, the first issue from the team behind Civil War, Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. The run, currently slated to run for eight issues, promises to provide Logan with his very own Dark Knight Returns, presenting a post-apocalyptic vision for the Marvel universe. The villains have long since beaten the good guys and it’s only an appeal from war buddy Hawkeye that brings Wolverine back into action. Old Man Logan kicks off here!

And if it’s old guys kicking ass that you’re looking for in your Marvel comics, you’ll be three times treated, as we’re also getting in Punisher #58 and Incredible Hercules #118. The former is the penultimate instalment in Garth Ennis’ history-making run on the series, and the latter is another episode of Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente’s unexpectedly excellent relaunch for the little demigod that could. At this point, Incredible Hercules is knee-deep in Secret Invasion, with Hercules and his old god buddies voyaging into another dimension to track down and defeat their Skrull equivalents. What a notion, eh? Rafa Sandoval’s keeping their divine invasion easy on the eyes, so what possible disincentive could you have?

Finally, there’s another weird one (surprise surprise), this time from Image Comics in the form of Amazing Joy Buzzards writer Mark Andrew Smith’s new comic, Kill All Parents. No, it’s not a Marilyn-Manson-style cry for attention, it’s an offbeat new series playing off the history of tragic superhero origins. The pitch? An authoritarian government initiates a plan to ensure that every child born with a superpower becomes a hero by sending out a secret task force to kill their parents, inspiring Bruce Wayne levels of moral drive and, no doubt, thrilling consequences. Smith’s other recent work of insanity, Aqua Leung, proved to be a very worthy distraction, so this could easily turn out to be similarly compelling. Take a chance and Kill All Parents today!

I’m afraid there’s bad news for everybody who’s been wondering about the whereabouts of Kick-Ass #3 – it seems that we will not be receiving our full quantity of the first printing of the issue. At first it seemed that we, along with all the other retailers in the UK, had just been heavily allocated on our initial quantity, but it seems the situation is somewhat bleaker than that. Here’s the distributor’s word on the problem: “Due to a printer/shipping error, all outstanding orders on Marvel/Icon’s Kick Ass #3 will now be cancelled.” We’ll be replacing all of our non-supplied standing orders with copies of the second printing, bearing a new cover by series artist John Romita Jr. as soon as possible.

Also in the news: JG Jones is to be joined in his artistic duties on Final Crisis by Superman superstar Carlos Pacheco from issue #4 and on into the rest of the series.

And now for our world-famous competition spot, once again hosted by our very generous friends over at Telltale Games! To celebrate the release of Rasl #2, they’ve given us three sets of their first two Bone videogames to give away to three lucky winners! True to the original graphic novels on which they’re based, sublimely rendered in 3D and wittily voice-acted, these games are a must for any Jeff Smith enthusiast. To win a set, all you have to do is tell us…

Who is this?

The first three people to comment with the correct answer win a set of the games. If you can’t sign in to a personal account, you can comment anonymously – but don’t forget to leave your name and email address in the comment itself! If you’re a lucky winner we’ll contact you with details on how to download your games. Good luck!

- Tom

Hello all! I continue to define myself as the human with the least representative taste in comics ever, as this week’s delivery is a) of tremendous and powerful interest to me, and b) dominated by that publishing house known as Image Comics.

I’m not exaggerating in the slightest. This is Image week. Somehow the stars (and the creators’ schedules) have aligned to permit the independent organ to deliver all of its most thrilling material in one fell swoop. These are varied in nature, ranging from long-standing favourites to perennial resurrections. However, they’re also launching a brand new title that I’ve decided to give the top spot to this week: Charlatan Ball.

This title’s of particular interest to me as I’ve just been catching up on the trade paperback volumes of writer Joe Casey’s other big Image series, Gødland, and it’s superb. Deeply demented and sublime, and eminently worthy of the Jack Kirby sensibility that it strives to recapture. That’s why this new series excites me so much, as it appears to be coming at the same notion from a more comedic angle. It’s the story of Chuck Amok, conjurer of cheap tricks, who gets transported into a world where magic actually works, filled with magicians and monsters of every order. The art, provided by Andy Suriano, looks beautiful; a kind of Kirby by way of Steve Purcell, and for obvious reasons that is an extremely excellent prospect. Give it a go, this one’s got more potential than a mechanical Morris dancer at a May fair.

I’ll run through the rest of the releases snappy-like since I’ve bigged them all up before and you know you should be reading them. There’s Jack Staff #17, which has survived its re-launch as a monthly series totally unscathed and is as fresh and funny as ever; Madman Atomic Comics #9, which begins a new storyline for Allred’s ginchy superhipster; Elephantmen #12, marking a return to the regular series after its excellent War Toys excursion; and Screamland #4, this week focusing in on the fate of silver screen star Dracula.

Finally, wrapping up Image week, is a title that seems to have become the company’s flagship publication, and with good reason. Invincible #50 promises to be the end of one era and the beginning of another, with big changes to the title’s status quo (and a shiny new costume on the way to boot). It’s also quite an achievement in itself – an independent creator-owned superhero comic reaching such a lofty issue count is almost unheard-of, but as I say, there’s a reason: it’s the best superhero comic in the universe. Grab it now!

Well, that’s Image week for you, but the other publishers are bringing out the new comics thick and fast too. There’s Dark Horse with The Goon #25 and BPRD War On Frogs #1, the latter beginning a series of one-shot stories set in the Bureau’s past. This first issue is devoted to Roger the Homunculus and is brought to you by artist Herb Trimpe! How will the former Hulk maestro handle stories of a more modern persuasion? There’s only one way to find out!

Those other two companies what do comics haven’t forgotten about you, however, and Action fans will be pleased to note that regular writer Geoff Johns is joined once more this week by artist Gary Frank. Their Legion of Super Heroes story was an instant hit, but can this new arc live up to it? Well, it promises to bring you the definitive Brainiac story for the new generation of Super-fans, so we know it will involve revelation, scintillation and a robot man with a big green face. That’s enough for me and it should be enough for anybody.

Meanwhile, Marvel releases the first issues of two thrilling new series, Eternals and Skaar: Son of Hulk. Many people will immediately reject the new Eternals because it’s not written by Neil Gaiman, but this is a mistake! Father-son writing team Daniel and Charles Knauf have done some sterling work writing for the ongoing Iron Man title in recent months, and artist Daniel Acuna’s work has really found focus in the pages of this title. It’s got the potential to be tons of fun, so adopt early and enjoy.

Skaar: Son of Hulk is the latest entry in Greg Pak’s new Incrediverse, richly rendered in pure pencil-o-vision by Spider-Man and Wolverine artist Ron Garney, looking for all the world like the lovechild of John Romita Jr. and Joe Kubert, if such a product were biologically feasible or advisable. It’s a rip-roaring space fantasy featuring the not-so-jolly green giant’s imperial offspring. Conceived in armageddon, gestated in the cold Earth and born into a post-apocalyptic world of chaos and torture. If I didn’t know better, I’d call that rough justice. While this first issue does seem to get through a lot of story very quickly, it still manages to entertain while setting up a new adventure in one of the most exciting corners of the Marvel universe. Skaar smash!

There’s also a nice slice of indie graphic novel pie in the form of the confusingly-titled Number 73304-23-4153-6-96-8 by scratchboardmeister Thomas Ott, of Cinema Panopticum and Tales of Error fame. The silent story deals with a prison guard who discovers a strip of paper bearing the titular series of numbers in the cell of a late death row inmate, and the strange twists and turns his life takes as he attempts to discover their meaning. Ott’s artwork is breathtaking and affecting, and should be incentive enough to take a look at this latest offering.

Our big book exclusive for the week is Centifolia, the latest self-publishing endeavour from Nextwave and Ultimate Spider-Man artist Stuart Immonen. What’s it all about? It’s a book crammed full of quick comic strips, sketches, design work and all manner of out-of-the-ordinary junk. Only it’s Immonen, so of course every page is utterly gorgeous. Readers, grab it for irresistible coffee table browsing! Artists, grab it and weep with envy into your Bristol board! It’s a resplendent item and well worth the meagre asking price. If only so you can say the name ‘Immonen’ a lot. Immonenimmonenimmonen.

We’ve also got a brand new acquisition in our small press department, entitled 89˚, by regular Private Eye contributor Phillip Warner. He’s honed a charmingly striking style through his years as a cartoonist, and this sprawling story belies a strong talent for storytelling which really deserves a look. It’s a silent story filled with humour and pathos about the history of an icy mountain, and the generations of attempts to reach its summit.

Alan Moore fans will want to take a good long listen to Resonance FM’s interview with him here: http://podcasts.resonancefm.com/archives/931 mainly because it’s a really good interview. But as an added bonus, there’s a thrilling competition announced at the very end which ought to pique anybody’s interest! Don’t be thrown by the date of broadcast, this contest is still open and waiting for your entries, so hop on board!

And so to competition time! We’ve got a set of big old Incredible Hulk hardcovers to give away, namely the first two volumes that Marvel put out collecting the memorable moments of Bruce Jones’ run on the title, featuring art by John Romita Jr. and Stuart Immonen, amongst others. To win, you need only answer the following question:

Who is this?

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 person to comment with the correct answer wins a copy of the books. 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 that’s all for the week! Have a good one.
- Tom