Featured in this week's previews is the return of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Also, I'm taking a look at a couple of collections for which it'd be nice to have room in my comics budget and a couple of new miniseries that may or may not be worthwhile. Read on and see what I'm talking about.
The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects
- Writing & Art by Mike Mignola
- Colors by Dave Stewart
Mike Mignola has deservedly become one of the biggest names in comics for his creation of Hellboy. But when Mignola needs a short break from the Hellboy universe, he turns to diversions such as The Amazing Screw-On Head, winner of the Eisner Award for Best Humor Publication!
When Emperor Zombie threatens the safety of all life on earth, President Lincoln enlists the aid of a mechanical head. With the help of associates Mr. Groin (a faithful manservant) and Mr. Dog (a dog), Screw-On Head must brave ancient tombs, a Victorian flying apparatus, and demons from a dimension inside a turnip. This new collection of oddball Mignola creations also includes “The Magician and the Snake” from Dark Horse Maverick: Happy Endings, and nearly fifty pages of brand new material, all as weird and hilarious as the beloved Screw-On Head.
I guess I don't keep up on my news very well because I didn't know about this at all until I saw it as one of this week's releases. I'm not sure if you can go wrong with 104 pages of Mike Mignola's writing and art in a $17.99 hardcover. And it features an Eisner-winning story, at that.
Atomic Robo, Volume 4: Other Strangeness
- Written by Brian Clevinger
- Art by Scott Wegener
Atomic Robo faces an invasion from the Vampire Dimension, finds a giant kaiju monster attack in the heart of Tokyo, detours to the South Pacific to battle wits with Dr. Dinosaur, then comes face-to-face with his newest enemy: his oldest enemy! Collects the Atomic Robo and the Revenge of the Vampire Dimension mini-series, the Free Comic Book Day 2009 story Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur, and an assortment of Robo mini-comics in print for the first time!
Atomic Robo is one of the comics I really need to get but never seem to have room for when I'm actually buying stuff. See, I don't want to just pick up the issues when they come out because then my OCD self would have to hunt down everything that's already come out in single issues, too. And I have such a long list of trades I want to get that I never seem to be able to fit it in there, either. One of these days I'll just get all the trades at once or something, I guess. Anyway, I've actually read the FCBD story (no, I can never get to my shop in time to get the few copies they have each year — it's available online) and it's pretty much worth the price of admission by itself. And what are these mini-comics? I may have to find a way to start picking up these trades sooner rather than later.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season 8 #36
- Written by Joss Whedon
- Pencils by Georges Jeanty
- Inks by Andy Owens
- Colors by Michelle Madsen
- Cover by Jo Chen
The Big Bad—Twilight finally stands revealed, and it’s tearing the Scoobies apart, testing the limits of their friendship.
Seems like a perfect time for Spike to come back.
Joss Whedon writes the final five issues of Buffy Season 8, taking his greatest characters to places only he can take them! Teamed with series artist Georges Jeanty, Joss counts down to the biggest Buffy final ever—and it starts right here!
The Buffy hiatus finally (and actually) comes to a close! I'm really interested to see where Joss goes with this. I'm still really confused with the Angel-is-Twilight thing, and I'm wondering how he plans on making this make sense with the Angel series. But, hopefully, in these last 5 issues it'll all come together. Oh, and it actually does seem like a perfect time for Spike to come back, really. He's really good at cutting through all the crap (with others, anyway) and showing people (especially Buffy) what's they're really doing.
Deadpool: Pulp #1
- Written by Mike Benson & Adam Glass
- Pencils by Jae Lee & Laurence Campbell
It’s the Merc with a Mouth in a pulp caper filled with lies, spies and shapely thighs, courtesy of Mike Benson & Adam Glass (Deadpool: Suicide Kings, Luke Cage Noir) and Laurence Campbell (Punisher)! Wade Wilson. Codename: Deadpool. He’s the CIA’s deadliest agent. He’s also certifiably insane, suffering from Multiple Personality Disorder and haunted by the ghosts of his past. In other words, he’s the perfect soldier in a Cold War where it’s impossible to tell friend from foe and reality from a lie. Wilson is also the only one capable of hunting down a rogue CIA agent and recovering the stolen nuclear suitcase she’s carrying before she hands it over to America’s enemies. But who is this femme fatale and why has she turned traitor? And is Deadpool crazy enough to survive or will he become trapped in a web of international intrigue?
Okay, so I guess I really need to get Deadpool out of my system, but something keeps pulling me toward him. I'm big on messed-up characters trying to do good in spite of themselves. We'll see if this looks worthwhile or not — Deadpool has so many books out there's no way they'll all be good (or even decent). Still, the pulp genre could be a good fit if done well, and this month also brings the end of another Deadpool miniseries, so it's worth a look.
Deadpool: Wade Wilson's War #4
- Written by Duane Swierczynski
- Pencils & Cover by Jason Pearson
They say the greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist…Wait. That wasn’t “they.” It was Kevin Spacey, in The Usual Suspects. Anyway, Wade Wilson — a.k.a. Deadpool — seems to have the opposite problem. He’s having a damned hard time convincing the world that he does exist, that he’s been a brave soldier on the front lines of America’s secret wars for more than two decades. Now his former partner Domino is pointing a gun at Wilson’s head on live TV, telling a panel of Senators that he’s full of [REDACTED]. But when the truth finally does emerge, the walls will come tumbling down and everybody will be caught in the crossfire just the way Deadpool likes it. Don’t miss the conclusion of Duane (Cable) Swierczynski’s and artist Jason (Body Bags) Pearson’s full-tilt double-barrel assault on reality.
The last issue was a bit all-over. I think it's interesting what Swierczynski is doing — is Deadpool just delusional or are they trying to cover up the existence of these superheros? — but I think it could've been done better. Here's hoping for a more coherent conclusion.
Magdalena #3
- Written by Ron Marz
- Art by Nelson Blake II
- Cover by Ryan Sook
The Star of the Forthcoming Feature Film Gets Her Own Series!
Descended from the bloodline of Christ, Patience is the latest incarnation of the Magdalena. Armed with the Spear of Destiny, she is tasked with destroying any and all evil... even if it takes the form of a little boy. Patience might be able to destroy the boy's demonic protectors, but can she bring herself to murder a child who could ultimately prove to be innocent?
The original solicit date for this was July 7. That puts this at two months late. I enjoyed the first issue — it's an interesting premise, and I'd never heard of this before. The second issue was much weaker, with very little happening. I'm not sure if I really want to pick this up anymore. I don't know if I could really bring myself to drop something mid-arc, so I'll probably read through the conclusion of this story, but if the quality doesn't go up I'm sure I won't read more than that.
One Month to Live #1
- Written by Stuart Moore, John Ostrander, Rick Remender & Rob Williams
- Pencils by Mike Del Mundo, Andrea Mutti & Koi Turnbull
- Inks & Colors by Andrea Mutti
WHAT WOULD YOU DO WITH ONE MONTH TO CHANGE THE WORLD? An all-star creative roster brings you a weekly Marvel event! Featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers! In a world of unlikely heroes, Dennis Sykes is about to become Marvel’s unlikeliest. Banker by day, struggling parent by night – and unhappy about it all. But when a tragic turn of events gives Dennis a 30 day death sentence, he discovers his accident comes with super-powers. And as the weeks in Dennis’ life tick down, he sets out to leave a mark one way or the other - - even if he has to go through Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four and the Avengers to do it. Everyone is the hero of their own story…but not every hero is a good guy.
This is one of those concepts that could be a great story or a crappy one. I'm sure I won't pick it up because it's weekly, but I'll take a flip-through and listen out to see if it'll be worth getting in a trade.
Taskmaster #1
- Written by Fred Van Lente
- Pencils & Inks by Jefte Palo
- Colors by Jean-Francois Beaulieu
- Cover by Alex Garner
The fan-favorite anti-hero from AVENGERS: INITIATIVE explodes into his own mini-series! Taskmaster has trained hench-thugs for every terrorist organization and criminal cartel in the Marvel Universe. So when the rumor starts that he's turned traitor and now works for STEVE ROGERS, a billion-dollar bounty is put on his head, and every cadre of costumed fanatics -- A.I.M., Hydra, Ultimatum, the Sons of the Serpent, everyone -- looks to collect. Now Taskmaster has to fight hordes upon hordes of his psychopathic students while at the same time figuring out who framed him -- which requires him figuring out who he really is! That's right, the man with the photographic reflexes has no memory of his true identity -- and you'll learn the unexpected truth along with him! The action-packed SECRET ORIGIN of Taskmaster begins here, courtesy of New York Times bestselling writer Fred Van Lente (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN, INCREDIBLE HERCULES, MARVEL ZOMBIES) and acclaimed artist Jefte Paolo (DOCTOR VOODOO)!
The only thing I've read that has Taskmaster in it is Avengers and Power Pack Assemble! which I loved. He's an interesting character, and I may want to give this a shot, especially with Fred Van Lente writing it. I haven't read much that he's done outside of All Ages comics, but I've really liked everything I've seen from him there.
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