Top 10 New Comics for 7/25/12

So many good comics this week I’m compelled to double down and make a top 10 week!

Batman Incorporated #3 courtesy DC Comics

Amazing Spider-Man #690 Love the new movie then grab this summer’s thriller in the comic shops. More than one Lizard is on the loose while Spidey tries to save the city from the mad Morbius. Reptiles, a vampire plus Madame Web, the Kingpin and Hobgoblin weave into the storyline as Marvel counts down to the miles 700th issue of Spidey!

Batman Inc #3 The Dark Knight is on the trail of the assassin after his son plus the New 52 return of Matches Malone! Never heard of this Gotham City mobster? He may be the key to solving the case. UPDATE: This book has been postponed due to the events in Colorado.

Manhattan Projects #5 This brilliant alternate history book challenges graphic storytelling and will challenge your mind. The mad scientists behind the think government tank look at the new future they created. Are we a better or worse word because of their breakthroughs?

Secret Avengers #29 courtesy Marvel.com

Secret Avengers #29 Hawkeye’s covert team may be blowing up and falling apart! A traitor, bitter rivalry and hidden romance threaten the squad. Hawkeye better get it together because the new Masters of Evil and an army of evil androids are ready to wipe them out!

Star Wars: Blood Ties: Boba Fett Is Dead #4 The mastermind behind Fett’s murder unleashes mercenaries to wipe out Boba’s child, ex-wife and family. But you can’t keep the galaxy’s most badass bounty hunter down. Revenge is going to be a blast in!

Star Wars: Darth Maul: Death Sentence #1 The red menace is back from dead with a new partner in crime. The horned Sith has a price on his head and he better hope the Jedi find him before the “others” hunting him do!

True Blood #3 Eric and Sookie on the trail of…Godric? An ancient vampire with chilling ties to Eric’s maker is deadly in Dallas. If the HBO series leaves you hungry for more…take a bite of this series!

Winter Soldier #8 Bucky vs. Black Widow! Have Marvel’s hottest couple turned against each other? Sexy, gritty, spy games heat up with old enemies coming out of cold targeting the Winter Soldier.

 

X-Treme X-Men #1 courtesy Marvel.com

Wolverine and the X-Men #14 Kitty Pryde on a date with Colossus? Are my favorite X-couple finally back together? Mutant romance goes cosmic as the Phoenix fueled Colossus woos Kitty. Plus the aftermath of last issue’s fateful clash between Gladiator and the Phoenix Five – what will this mean for the Shi’ar heir and Warbird?

X-Treme X-Men #1 Captain (Wolverine with a stache!) Howlett, Kid Nightcrawler, Emmeline Frost and Dazzler? Greg Pak sends a mutated team of teams across the multiverse but will everyone come back from the mission?

By Editor

 

 

 

Astonishing X-Men Gay Wedding Aftermath

Astonishing X-Men #52 courtesy Marvel

  Northstar is married. Marjorie Liu’s Astonishing X-Men #51 made history and headlines with the wedding of an openly gay X-Men to his human partner. Romance and social significance are just part of the story. Liu is equally spinning action and mystery on her X-Men run. It looks like a short honeymoon for the team as the manipulator was revealed. 

  Karma is the other openly gay mutant character Liu is using in a surprising way. Last issue’s shock ending and the cover of this week’s issue has me intrigued. The former New Mutant is the traitor playing deadly mind games with her fellow X-Men?

  There are times when a fan may exclaim there are “too many X-books!” When you have a writer like Liu on her game and giving underused characters the spotlight I’m thrilled to add another to the pull list.

By Editor

Joseph Gordon-Levitt Rises

SPOILER WARNING

 

IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN “THE DARK KNIGHT RISES” YOU MAY NOT WANT TO READ THIS OPINION POST

 

SERIOUSLY

 

OK

 

HERE IT COMES

 

ONE LAST CHANCE

 

AND MY GEEK THEORY BEGINS…

 

  Joseph Gordon-Levitt was just one of the outstanding performances in The Dark Knight Rises cast. Christopher Nolan left us with an intriguing possibility for the future of Batman…perhaps a Dark Knight Legacy.

Nightwing #1 courtesy DC Comics

  Police officer John Blake aka Robin was a hybrid of Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake. In the end John appears to be rising to become Gotham City’s new protector. I believe audiences will accept a new hero. Nightwing.

  Yes, I’m saying don’t call it a new Batman. Call it Nightwing. It’s a creative risk that I think is worth taking.

  Dick Grayson is one of the greatest superheroes ever created. Some argue Dick was a better Batman (Batman & Robin by Grant Morrison) than Bruce Wayne. Dick is the one sidekick that has been allowed to grow up, become his own man and developed his own identity and legend.

  Maybe the real ending of Nolan’s final film left fans and Warner Brothers with a new beginning for a talented young actor (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and an incredible character (Robin) who can take the Dark Knight legacy forward.

Nightwing #104 courtesy DC Comics

  If you’re interested in reading some excellent adventures of Dick Grayson here are some Amazon links to story collections: Nightwing Volume One: Traps and Trapezes collects the current New 52 stories by Kyle Higgins. Nightwing: A Knight in Bludhaven by the legendary Chuck Dixon chronicles Dick’s role as the sole superhero of corrupt the corrupt town. Nightwing: Year One follows how Dick went from being fired as Robin to his new identity by Dixon and Scott Beatty. Batman and Robin: Volume One by Grant Morrison was the series I mentioned earlier when Dick and Bruce’s son Damian were the new Batman and Robin. You just can beat Nightwing leading the Teen Titans by the legendary team of Marv Wolfman and George Perez.

By Editor

Batman Family in Court of Owls Movie?

Batman #5 courtesy DC Comics

  I’m trying to keep this post spoiler free so if seems vague I’m trying to not give away the ending of The Dark Knight Rises or The Court of Owls.

  How do you top Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy starring Christian Bale? I humbly suggest Warner Brothers wait at least 7 or more years and give Mr. Nolan the Court of Owls epic by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo for inspiration.  

  As I read each chapter of this dark epic I often thought how Nolan would translate the conspiracies and mind games of Snyder’s storylines and Capullo’s Owl designs to the big screen.

  While the other New 52 Bat books focused on classic rogues Snyder created a dark new enemy and history for Bruce Wayne and Gotham City. The Court of Owls is a secret society that had been manipulating Gotham City for decades. The Owls have a ruthless assassin known as the Talon. The secret society has their talons gripped into the Wayne family and Gotham City history.

Batman #8 courtesy DC Comics

   The storyline included Night of the Owls crossover. The Court unleashed an army of Talons on Gotham all at once with specific targets. While Bruce was under siege in the Batcave he called on his Batman family to prevent the Court’s deadly agenda. Only Bruce could ultimately uncover and face the mastermind behind the Court. A revelation that rocked the Wayne family legacy and Bruce’s memory of his parents.

 In The Dark Knight Trilogy Bruce learned you must become a symbol and anyone could be Batman.  In this potential film Bruce returns to see the young heroes inspired by him and he must confront a symbol of evil and the Bat’s natural enemy – the Owl.

By Editor

Avengers Gets Bigger

 

courtesy Marvel.com

  Marvel’s The Avengers! The world’s biggest movie. The biggest comic franchise. No pressure Jonathan Hickman. The man who reenergized Marvel’s First Family is taking on Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in the post AvX, Marvel NOW! universe. The Avengers with Jerome Opena will be a twice-monthy book launching in December followed by New Avengers the next month. Hickman tells Comic Book Resources why he’s expanding the roster.

  “The idea is that the Avengers have to get bigger. That means bigger in every sense. That means the roster has to be bigger, and the missions have to be bigger, and the adversaries and scenarios they find themselves in have to be larger. I’ve played with this stuff a little bit over in the Ultimate Universe. Obviously, it’s a completely different weight class here, but in a lot of ways that’s the kind of velocity that the book should have. We (Tom Brevoort and I) also felt like that if the book was going to be about an Avengers world, it should look more like the world. Of course there are complications starting out when the necessary movie characters are five white dudes and a white lady, but, you know, bigger roster. Frankly, I’m really, really excited at how we address that. The lineup is killer.”

  With a massive cast of up to 18 members in Avengers why have a New Avengers? Hickman can’t reveal that book’s lineup but says it will make sense.

  “It’s not like that at all. There’s one big massive Avengers team that is the Avengers, and there’s this other thing that’s going on in ‘New Avengers.’ When we announce exactly what ‘New Avengers’ is, it will make perfect sense and everybody will like, ‘Oh yeah! Of course,'” Hickman explains. “‘Avengers‘ and ‘New Avengers’ are the same book — just from two different sides of the world.”

  Hickman’s acclaimed Fantastic Four run is coming to an end. I also recommend his SHIELD series with Dustin Weaver and Manhattan Projects from Image – but warning, this book has graphic violence and language.

 

Man of Steel Is “Superman That Has Never Been Seen Before”

 

courtesy Warner Brothers

  Superman fans may be surprised what was chosen fo the Man of Steel teaser. The Dark Knight Rises and Man of Steel producer Charles Roven tells Absolute Radio how the Dark Knight Trilogy team is involved.

  “Chris [Nolan] came up with the story with David Goyer, so a lot of the same team is in place,” said Roven. “I’m really excited about the picture. There’s an announcement piece that’s on the current ‘Dark Knight Rises’ when it comes out and I think people will be a little bit surprised to what we decided to do with it, but also recognize we’re doing something completely different and creating a Superman that has never been seen before.”

 Thanks to Comic Book Resources. By Editor

Switching Sides: Rogue vs. Ms. Marvel

X-Men Legacy #270 courtesy Marvel

  Carol Danvers is sporting a new look as the new Captain Marvel. The premiere issue of the new series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Dexter Soy sold out in the first week!

  This week’s X-Men Legacy #270 clears up unfinished business between Carol and Rogue in this Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in. The powerhouse women share a tragic connection. The rivalry flared up again last issue but writer Christos Gage gave us twist. This was far more than an old grudge match. Marvel teases one woman will switch sides in the AvX before the issue is over.

By Editor

 

Scarecrow Strikes Back in Batman: The Dark Knight

Batman The Dark Knight #11 courtesy DC Comics

  Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy comes to an end. Gary Oldman as Jim Gordon is one of the many beloved characters of the series. The British actor made Gotham City’s “one honest cop” into the everyman hero and one of Batman’s greatest allies. Cillian Murphy brought the criminally brilliant Dr. Jonathan Crane/Scarecrow to menacing life in the franchise. The trilogy and those performances are part of cinematic history.

  In the comic books those classic characters live on in a new storyline by Gregg Hurwitz.  Scarecrow is back in this week’s Batman: The Dark Knight #11. Dr. Crane uses Commissioner Gordon as the bait in a new trap for Batman. The past of both villain and hero came racing back to haunt them. David Finch continues his dark reign as artist on the title.

By Editor