Batman #17 Showdown in Arkham Asylum! Are Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo going to show what I think they’re going to show? Who will survive the Joker’s bizarre plot? The sadistic and shocking finale of Death of the Family! (This week watch for Batgirl #17 and Batman and Robin #17. These tie-ins to the storyline.)
Fatale #12 The addictive supernatural/crime noir series goes way back in time! Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips take us to the Dark Ages in a stand-alone chapter of Josephine and Fatale curse!
Manhattan Projects #9 Jonathan Hickman’s tale of weird science and twisted history launches a new arc! The scientists of the super secret government think tank made their bid to control the world.
Fatale Flashbacks Standalone stories starring the Femme Fatale of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s epic horror/crime noir series. Those genres get a twist of spaghetti western in Fatale #13 in a tale of Josephine and the Fatale curse in the old wild west. (Image)
Manhattan Projects Jonathan Hickman’s stange tale of twisted history and weird science evolves in a frightening way when the scientists behind the MP now control the earth! (Image)
Sex #1 Joe Casey (Image, March) A former superhero obsessed with having as much sex as he can? Is this like Shame but with capes?
The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys by Gerard Way and Becky Cloonan. The front man of My Chemical Romance who made The Umbrella Academy is back with a new series spinning out of his band’s 2010 album. (Dark Horse Comics)
All-New X-Men #5 A blast from the past to save the future of the mutant race! Professor Xavier’s original five students have been brought into the Marvel Now. The young Jean Grey’s telepathic powers are flooding her mind – can she take the terrible truth of how her life turned out? Will the Beast survive his severe mutating mutation? The first arc comes to an end – will it be The End for an original X-Man?
Batman Incorporated #6 Man-Bats! Bat-Robots! Gotham City is ground zero for the showdown between Batman and Talia’s Leviathan. Will this issue be the end of Batman and Damian? Will Bruce let Talia win?
Fatale #11 Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s gritty supernatural noir series exposes dark chapters of Josephine’s past in the first of four stand-alone issues. The first Fatale Flashback takes us to the 1930’s in a revealing tale of the cursed heroine on the run.
Manhattan Projects #8 Jonathan Hickman’s epic of twisted history and weird science takes another dark turn as the secret leaders that run this world turn on the scientists of the Manhattan Projects.
New Avengers #1 Jonathan Hickman assembles a brand new Illuminati! Black Panther gathers Marvel’s most brilliant minds to prevent a cosmic collision of universes.
Think you’re old to read superhero comics? You want something else out of literary escapes besides or instead of costumed heroes? Here are 5 of my favorite non-superhero genre series that gripped me in 2012 and wouldn’t let go.
The Walking Dead #100 courtesy Image/Skybound Comics
The Walking Dead This year it was time to stop just surviving and start living. One beloved survivor is on longer living in the larger world. The Walking Dead #100 ended with one of the most gripping, sick and painful moments of the year as “Lucielle” changed the survivors forever. I almost hope the television series doesn’t last long enough for me to have to watch that moment again. 100 issues and this series is just as provacative and powerful as ever.
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 courtesy IDW Publishing
Star Trek: The Next Generation/Doctor Who: Assimilation2 The Time Lord (along with Amy and Rory) beamed aboard the U.S.S. Enterprise at a time when Federation worlds are under attack from Cybermen working with the Borg. Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the Doctor must find a way to work together to save the Federation. The creative team captures the spirit of each franchise and demonstrates how each character would react, relate, bond and clash with each other.
The Massive #6 courtesy Dark Horse Comics
The Massive How do you remain a conversationist when you world you hoped to save has gone to hell? How do you remain a pacifist when you must dodge ruthless pirates to get food and supplies you must have to survive. Welcome to a new world where cities have sank, economies have tanked and civilization is crumbling. The crew of the Kapital sail the oceans in search of their friends on their sister ship, the Massive, and for necessary supplies in order to stay alive. Brian Wood has created a thrilling morality tale while building a dangerous new world that serves a a cautionary tale for humanity.
Manhattan Projects Jonathan Hickman’s gripping story of twisted history and weird science shocked and challenged me with every new issue. Building the atomic bomb was nothing compared to the staggering creations of this government think tank.
Fatale #1 cover courtesy Image Comics
Fatale Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips’s mixed crime noir with supernatural horror in two tales of a woman who may be immortal and the men who die for her. The second arc just wrapped. An actor crosses Josephine’s path and all hell runs wild in 1970’s Hollywood with killer cults.
Teen romance, horror, crime, western? Visit your local comic book shop in 2013 and ask for a book to fit your genre tastes!
Avenging Spider-Man #12 Spidey and Deadpool go back to high school? I’m sure there’s something much more sinister going on but the idea of Peter Parker and the Merc With a Mouth in detention is too good to pass up!
Avengers vs. X-Men #11 courtesy Marvel.com
Avengers vs. X-Men #11X-Men join the Avengers in a last stand against the cosmic might of the Phoenix Two. What happens when Cyclops and Emma Frost turn on each other? What is Professor X prepared to do to save humanity? Marvel is teasing a fatality – who will pay the ultimate price to defeat the Phoenix Force?
Batman #0A look into the past. Bruce Wayne returns from his global quest ready to launch his war on crime. See how the gadgets, Batcave, costume and more were born.
Manhattan Projects #6 Some of the most famous scientific geniuses in history as you’ve never seen them before. Creating the atomic bomb was nothing compared to what this American think tank was really up to. You can catch up with the first 5 issues in a new collection. Now see the other side of this twisted alterate history and weird science. Go back into the Cold War days and inside the Russia’s scientific counterpart to the Manhattan Projects.
The Massive #4How you continue to have the moral companss of a pacifist when the world has gone to hell? A crew of environmentalists sail the poison oceans in search of their friends and trying to survive modern day pirates. What happens when the Captain meets a ghost from his past when he was a corporate mercenary.
I could have written a top 15 this week there are so many good books out there! Here’s my previews of the Doctor Who Annual, more Batman Family Zero issue books and a legion of X-Men books!
Avengers vs. X-Men #2 Captain America wants custody of Hope. Cyclops blasted Steve off the island. The Avengers storm Utopia.
Batman #8 Bruce Wayne is battered. The Court of Owls will strike at the heart of Gotham City. This is the prelude to Night of the Owls when the Talons attack Batman’s friends and allies. A new back story begins chronicling the secret history of Gotham City, The Court of Owls and the Wayne family.
Manhattan Projects #2 A horrific tale of altered history. Creating the nuclear bomb was just a cover for the mad science writer Jonathan Hickman is formulating in this series. This chapter delves into the hidden history of fall of Germany in World War II.
Rachel Rising #7 Rachel can see the impending death of others but her ability is a blessing and a curse. A supernatural thriller by award-winning creator Terry Moore.
Wolverine and the X-Men #9 What happened when Captain America went to the Jean Grey School? How did Steve convince Logan to come with him to Utopia? But will Wolverine remain on the Avengers side? Will the students and teachers follow their headmaster?
The Manhattan Projects #1 is the book of the week for me. Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, SHIELD, Ultimates) creates a tale of alternate history and true science fiction. He’s a mad scientist executing his experiment like a cold assassin.
The premiere issue explores good and evil as a scientific genius is recruited to the top-secret Manhattan Projects. The atomic bomb is nothing compared to what’s being birthed in this eerie think tank.
Nick Pitarra’s exaggerated style is perfect for Hickman’s high concept horror show. The art reminds me of Frank Quitely but grittier. Every panel works building the action and tension.
The Manhattan Projects is a high concept with a razor-sharp focus on Dr. Oppenheimer. The mind bending new world gets even weirder with a dark twist. I’m excited to see where this alternative history and mystery leads.
