Comics To Come

This Week: December 7, 2005

DC COMICS

HARD TIME SEASON TWO #1 $2.50- The sleeper hit of last year returns. And DC welcomes it with open arms. I was quite a late supporter of this series, I saw the trade at somewhere around the ten to twelve dollar mark, and I have to say it was a great purchase. Ethan Harrow is your typical cynical teen, only this guy is doing 50 to Life (the name of Season 1's first and only trade). Now we get to see what happens to young Ethan as he comes to grips with an entity that escapes him at night to correct the injustices that happen while he is locked up. I think what I enjoyed most about the trade was that the main character had it way to easy, I am anxious to see what progressed with issues 7-12 and also where this new series will go. If you see this on the rack and enjoy it, order more this will be a series that really needs the support.

MARVEL

FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #3 $2.99- Here we go. 6 issues done, and six more to go. This starts off J. Michael Strazynski's 3-part finale. I have high hopes. JMS's endings have most of the time left more to be desired, but that ride has always (except for what he did to Gwen) been enjoyable. That all being said though, this is one time I wish I would have waited for the trades. (And even then probably only the second one).

MARVEL ADVENTURES SPIDER-MAN #10 $2.50- I love this series. I love Sean McKeever. To me there should always be a Spidey title on the racks just like this one. These are just wonderful "done in one issue" stories, and yet it establishes it's own cues for those of us hoping to be long time readers. The problem with Marvel Age (a previous attempt)... is that it relied to heavily on big events... the key moments for Stan and Ditko when Spider-Man started, and copied the words with new art. So readers who remember or have read this are unimpressed and maybe put off buy the new package. And new readers (the few there were) were confused at the leaps that the series took, and by the idea that something was not quite right, and took their money elsewhere. New stories, new feel, classic fun... that is the way to go. And in the words of Marty McFly, "Your kids are gonna love it."

MARVEL TEAM-UP #15 $2.99- Alright here they come, cats and kittens. The loveable, sales-friendly, but ultimately forgotten heroes of the 90s. Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, Speedball... just to name a few, along with some very popular heroes newly created Arana, Gravity, and X-23 (again, just a few). These will be the folks that pull the big boys out of the fire... but can they do it, and maybe even make a name for themselves? This is another book that could use support and very much deserves it. I cannot stress enough that this is the series that can be enjoyed for fans new and old. If you want to dip your toe in the Marvel Universe, this is so spanning and yet so personal that it gives you the ability to get to know loads of characters in a short time. And if you are a fan from way back... it's a fun read, you can revisit characters that have long been neglected and keep up on the current universe without buying every book out there. It is more book for your buck, and there is never anything wrong with that.

NEW WARRIORS #6 (OF 6) $2.99- The end of a great mini. I was very sad to see this last issue was coming out. But this was a good way to test the waters on a very funny and quirky series. A team of heroes reunite, at the request of their former leader, and reluctantly decide to start a reality show: To Bring Super to Smalltown America. This fascinated me right off, because as a child I was quite distraught that I did not live in New York and so would never see Spidey. And so it is fun to see the bus breakdown in Wichita, Kansas. That and this is the series for people who are tired of reality TV. This nips it in the bud, by giving reality a healthy dose of escapism. And really, couldn't we all use that anyway?

SPIDER-MAN BLACK CAT EVIL THAT MEN DO #4 (OF 6) $2.99- I suppose on other blogs that do this you will see the long-winded moans of how long they waited. Not me, this has DD... 'nuff said. The fantastically drawn (if laughably unrealistically drawn) breasts are an added bonus.

ULTIMATES 2 #9 $2.99- This series has come to a boil. I mean this has just been kick ass rollercoaster type stories. This is the best thing I can say about it. If the Avengers had been written like this I would have loved the Avengers. And up until recently, I never touched an issue. You will come away from this book having strong opinions about each and every character. And you will be kicking and screaming to know what comes next. This is just no excuses, kick you in the teeth, and have you knowing you like it storytelling. This is the book that let's me know that a part of me will always feel guilty for being a Mark Millar fan.

This is probably the first time since I started this Comics To Come, that I will actually need these entries. It will be fun to see after I read these, hopefully somewhere around the middle of the month, if what I thought actually holds true. Oh, and I know my reviews seem fairly one-sided, most of the time, but there is a simple reason for that. I try to buy what I love. And I think great books should be praised as much as possible.