August 2012 Alternate Comics Diamond Previews Review part 1
With the big two out of the way, we turn our attention this time to Dark Horse, Dynamite, IDW, and Image Comics.
Dark Horse Comics brings us the official first issue of the Ghost mini-series. I do enjoy DeConnick’s writing but it is the art of Phil Noto that initially hooked me. He has clean, smooth lines, that, if needed, will still convey a darker side of the character, without losing the clean edge. I am excited for the #0 issue in September and I am sure that excitement will remain high as this is a creative team that will be sure to deliver.
With every issue that comes out I imagine Brian Wood’s The Massive as a very high concept genre show on one of the larger cable companies, maybe even acting as counter programming to The Walking Dead. It is a definite that there would be crossover fans for both, but The Massive would be an amazing way to build a science fiction fan community that would rival that of the zombie loving throngs of Walking Dead fans. The characters seem real, you feel the loss they feel, the sense of confusion, and the sense that while the global population may have gone down, the world has gotten bigger and far more dangerous. I am a fan of the mysteries, and post apocalyptic settings that have presented themselves thus far, and hope for a nice slow burn. The Massive is my Dark Horse Pick of the Month!
I am not normally a fan of Tarzan but Dark Horse is tempting me with a story of Tarzan in a future London, a London that is mostly submerged. Tarzan: The Once and Future Tarzan written by Alan Gordon, art by Thomas Yeates, is a collection taken from the pages of Dark Horse Presents. If anything is going to get me into Tarzan, this may be it.
IDW is becoming a publisher that I am starting to pay a little more attention too. They are snagging some interesting publishing rights (as a Brony I am stoked about a monthly series based on My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic announced from IDW!) and have started to get excited when reviewing their monthly solicits.
They have managed to combine modern story sensibilities with a retro flavor that you really cannot find anywhere else. Mars Attacks I am looking at you. The new series is a wonderful homage to science fiction from decades ago that was full of innocence, curiosity, and sometimes, even with questionable effects, a couple of genuine scares. Mars Attacks: The Holidays is one I am buying because of one creator (no offense to the others but I am a huge fan of one) and that is Fred Hembeck. His style of humor and illustration always brings a smile to my face. Christmas and martians? How could you not be in?
My IDW Pick of the Month is a book that leads to memories, my first memories of science fiction, and the worlds and stories that these amazing pieces of fiction were about! Frank R. Paul: The Dean of Science Fiction Illustration is a 150 page hardcover that celebrates the “Father of Science Fiction Illustration”. I love the imagination and creativity that oozed from every classic science fiction illustration before the eighties and cannot wait to enjoy this book which will become a mainstay on my coffee table.
My Image Comics Pick of the Month is Cyber Force #1. 20 years after they debuted to record breaking sales, Image is bringing back Cyber Force, and the best part is that the first 5 issues are free! Thanks to Kickstarter and some well placed incentives for retailers, this is an innovative way to shine a spotlight on a new release! Marc Silvestri and Matt Hawkins are the writers with Khoi Pham and Sunny Ono providing art. A free comic book, how can you go wrong? At that price it is more than worth it to pick up the first arc and see how the creative team have updated this earliest of Image concepts.
Think Tank by Matt Hawkins, Ransan Ekedal, and Brian Reber, has recently become an ongoing and it is no doubt because of the story. Tightly written, full of intrigue, and what appears to be an interesting variation on the Iron Man character. Time will tell if this title can shake the comparisons to Mr. Stark but if the first issue is any indication, that should not be too much of a problem.
My Dynamite Entertainment Pick of the Month harkens back to the nineties with Evil Ernie #1. Dynamite presents the first issue in the relaunch of my favorite character from the Chaos library of characters. For some I am sure it was all about Lady Death but there are plenty of examples of the bad girl in comics, whereas Evil Ernie was something different. Sure it was (and hopefully still will be) excessively violent, but Ernie was both a horrible, sadistic killer, and oddly sympathetic, it was the first time I actually cared about a bad guy. I am not that familiar with the creative team of Jesse Blaze Snider writing, and Jason Craig on art, but I am more than willing to give this new ongoing a chance with hope that it captures the magic that made the first run of this character so memorable for me.
My Alternate Pull List part one
Dark Horse Comics
Ongoings
The Massive
One Shots/Mini-Series
Axe Cop: President of the World
Ghost
Fatima: The Blood Spinners
Tarzan: The Once and Future Tarzan
Special Order
Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 8 Library Edition Volume 3 HC
Dynamite Entertainment
Evil Ernie
Special Order
Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist Vol. TP
IDW
Ongoing
Doctor Who
Mars Attacks
One Shots/Mini-Series
A Fine & Private Place
Mars Attacks: The Holidays One-Shot
Special Orders
Frank R. Paul: The Dean of Science Fiction Illustration
The Real Ghostbusters Omnibus, Volume 1
Image Comics
Saga
Think Tank
DROPPED AS OF OCTOBER
Creator-Owned Heroes
Prophecy
Transformers: Regeneration One