October 2012 Alternate Comics Diamond Previews Review part 1
I must apologize to my readers again for the delay but I have completed reviewing the December shipping product and this is the second to last article to see what Previews has revealed to us for the last month of 2012. This article discusses Dark Horse, Image, Valiant and IDW.
First up is Dark Horse Comics and the first issue of a new ongoing that is sure to excite fans in comic world. Hellboy is back with Hellboy in Hell #1. Mike Mignola last penciled his supernatural, and tough as nails hero in the 2001 story Hellboy: Conqueror Worm, but he returns for this incredibly important chapter in Hellboy’s life. I for one am intrigued with the prospect of a Mignola inspired Hell.
First Dark Horse returned Ghost to the pages of a Dark Horse comic, and now they retool another of their superheroes in the pages of Dark Horse Presents # 19. Dark Horse’s version of Batman meets Punisher, X, returns to the streets of Dark Horse’s Gotham, Arcadia. Duane Swierczynski writes, and Eric Nguyen provides the art. After having read the X Omnibus I admit to an enjoyment of the character, and if the cover art is any indication he is retaining his edge and vigilante approach to crime control.
Being a fan of DC’s Elseworlds, and Marvel’s Alterniverse I am looking forward to the collection of Star Wars mini’s that posited a changed universe where things, only slightly changed, created a very different story from what we know and love in the original trilogy. The Star Wars Infinities Omnibus collects Star Wars: Infinities – A New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. Having all 280 pages of these books under one cover for $24.99 is an amazing value for fans of alternate universes and Star Wars all rolled into one, and makes this book my Dark Horse Pick of the Month.
I was excited when the original solicitation came out for My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic but apparently it is only a four issue mini-series, with #2 coming out in December. The anticipation for this title is high with the initial issue hitting orders of 90,000, and creating a demand for our four hooved friends. I am hoping, and I see it as inevitable, especially with the sales numbers for the first issue, that it will be turned into an ongoing. I may be speaking out of turn, but if a property like Popeye can get upgraded to an ongoing then there is no reason that My Little Pony cannot reach the same level. This is my IDW Pick of the Month.
Image Comics brings a new Brian Wood comic to the stands with Mara #1 (of 6). I love the series The Massive over at Dark Horse, and I am a fan of DMZ published under the Vertigo imprint over at DC, and I am assuming that that love will translate over to the story about a woman with abilities that impact a world that already values physical ability and war over all other things in civilization. Ming Doyle has an amazing art style that fits a futuristic world where muscle seems to have more stature over the mind.
If you are not reading Saga, that does not make sense. Issue #8 is out in December, and is the next chapter in a comic book that has presented something so new in a genre where innovation was no longer abundant. Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples are crafting a timeless masterpiece that takes typical science fiction cliches and turns them on their heads, building a world, that while familiar, presents us with concepts that are unlike anything we have seen. Spaceships made out of wood, that grow in a forest? Royalty with televisions for heads? A baby that is actually the storyteller of her own tale? This is a book for fans of comic books, and storytelling. Issue #8 is my Image Comics Pick of the Month.
I cannot rave about Valiant Comics enough. Each title comes home with me each month, with one exception, X-O Manowar. But that is resolved in December with my Valiant Comics Pick of the Month. X-O Manowar Vol.1: By The Sword TPB collects the first five issues of the series that heralded the return of the much missed publisher. The best part is they are releasing it for an introductory price of only $9.99.
An issue to keep an eye on is Bloodshot #6 as it brings to light a connection between Bloodshot’s creators, Project Rising Spirit, and Tony Harada’s Harbinger Foundation, and chances are he didn’t act as their babysitter. Bloodshot always brings the body count, and the story to go along with it.
Buy Valiant!