Weekly Previews for August 25, 2010

This week's Previews is almost all pull-list books. And some of my favorites, at that. Read on to see what's in store for this week.

Detective Comics #868

• Written by David Hine
• Art by Scott McDaniel & Andy Owens
• Cover by Peter Nguyen

A warped variation of the Joker drug has caused those who use it to suffer mental breakdowns and embrace anarchy and chaos. With riots cropping up throughout Gotham City, the citizens find themselves divided into two gangs: one led by a Batman impostor whose mission is to bring law and order back to the streets, and the other led by a Joker impostor whose purpose is to punish the innocent and set Gotham ablaze. And in the middle of it all is The Dark Knight – but can Batman stop an entire city?

The opening issue of this arc did not impress me. I'll have to take a flip-through at the shop to see if this is a step up or not. I'm loving the cover, though, and that's actually making me lean towards giving it a shot.

Fantastic Four #582

• Written by Jonathan Hickman
• Pencils by Neil Edwards
• Inks by Scott D. Hanna
• Colors by Paul Mounts
• Cover by Alan Davis

At collapsed Chronopolis, after the heat death of the universe, Reed, Ben, Doom and Nathaniel Richards battle for both the past and the future. It's the end of everything as two heroes sacrifice themselves for their family.

The solicit really intrigues me. It doesn't sound like it immediately follows from last issue, but I'm interested as to how we get there. I'm assuming that the two heroes who sacrifice themselves for their family are the two Nathaniel Richards, so I'm interested to see how the “bad” one gets to that point.

Prince of Power #4

• Written by Greg Pak & Fred Van Lente
• Pencils by Salva Espin, Reilly Brown & Adam Archer
• Inks by Terry Pallot
• Colors by Val Staples
• Cover by Carlo Pagulayan

It all comes down to this: Vali Halfing of the Pantheon and Amadeus Cho, the new Prince of Power, duke it out for the right to become…a GOD! And no matter who wins, THE MIGHTY THOR will destroy him! For if the Pantheon wins, they will slaughter the Council of Godheads and become the only rulers of the world's divine realms. And if Amadeus wins, he'll use omniscience to locate and bring back… All together now: “What th-?! YOU?! We thought you were DEAD!”

My shop didn't have #3 last month when I went, so this month I'll be getting both that one and this one. So I really can't say anything except that I'm always excited to read this book.

Time Masters: Vanishing Point #2

• Written by Dan Jurgens
• Art and Cover by Dan Jurgens & Norm Rapmund

“The Search for The Batman!” part 2 of 6! Already lost in the time stream while searching for the missing Caped Crusader, Rip Hunter and his ad hoc Time Masters (Booster Gold, Superman and Green Lantern) may not live long enough to make it out of the barbaric age they find themselves sidelined into. Will Claw the Conqueror be able to help them or will he be their doom?

You won't want to miss this companion series to the highly anticipated BATMAN: THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE!

I was really impressed with the first issue of this miniseries. I wasn't sure what I'd get, and I picked it up based solely on my nostalgia for Rip Hunter and Booster Gold after recently reading 52, but I was pleasantly surprised with the quality. I'm just hoping the story gets in sync with The Return of Bruce Wayne soon.

The Unsinkable Walker Bean

• Writing and Art by Aaron Renier
• Colors by Alec Longstreth

Walker Bean never wanted to be a high-seas pirate waging a pitched battle against the forces of the deep. It just worked out that way.

Mild, meek, and a little geeky, Walker is always happiest in his grandfather’s workshop, messing around with his inventions. But when his beloved grandfather is struck by an ancient curse, it falls on Walker to return an accursed pearl skull to the witches who created it—and his path will be strewn with pirates, magical machines, ancient lore, and deadly peril.

Author/illustrator Aaron Renier brings everything he has to this swashbuckling adventure story. Drawing from sources as disparate as Tintin, Treasure Island, and Harry Potter, Renier has woven together a breathless tale that will leave readers’ ears ringing from the cannon-shot and their eyes dazzled from the glowing stares of sea-witches.

I read Aaron Renier's first (I think) graphic novel Spiralbound and loved it. It, like this, is aimed at kids, but it has a story that appeals to adults, also. He has a nice style for a kid's book, too. I hadn't heard about this, but I'm excited to take a look based solely on having read that book.

X-Factor #208

• Written by Peter David
• Pencils & Inks by Sebastian Fiumara
• Colors by Jeromy Cox
• Cover by David Yardin

What's the single most-asked question we've been getting at X-Factor Central? Will Wolfsbane, cut adrift from X-Force, return to X-Factor? The answer is a resounding "yes." But how is she going to react when she discovers that Rictor and Shatterstar are a couple? Not all that well as Shatterstar finds himself in the fight of his life. And how will Rictor react when he discovers that Rahne is pregnant? What, you want us to tell you everything? We have to leave SOMEthing for you to discover for yourself in what is sure to be the most-talked about X-book of the month, if not the year.

I wish I had been able to read the earlier issues of X-Factor, because I only know of Wolfsbane and her relationship with Rictor from what I read in the bios from #200. I also have no idea what she's been up to in X-Force — did she get pregnant there? Anyway, I'm sure I'll love this issue; I've loved every issue I've read of this series.