Releases are a day late for the Labor Day holiday and so are Previews. It's a light week for me, with only a couple of books from my pull-list. Still, when that includes Red Robin, it's not a bad week at all. Keep reading to see what else caught my eye this week.
American Vampire #6
- Written by Scott Snyder
- Art & Cover by Rafael Albuquerque
"At a time when vampire stories engulf pop culture, this one's actually fresh and original." – ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY
It's Las Vegas circa 1935, and Skinner Sweet and our gal Pearl are about to learn the hard way that the bloodsuckers in Hollywood were nothing compared to what awaits them in Sin City.
In just a few short years, young police Chief Cash McCogan has watched his native city of Las Vegas go from cow-town to wild, glittering boom-town. And when the bodies of prominent businessmen start showing up drained of blood, Chief McCogan finds himself facing a threat much darker and deadlier than anything he could have imagined...and the only sure bet in town is that Skinner and Pearl are right in the thick of it!
So belly up to the bar and lay your chips on the table, because "Devil in the Sand," the next cycle of AMERICAN VAMPIRE, begins now!
Last issue was a let-down for me: it just wasn't at the level this series has been. Hopefully that was an aberration and the start of a new arc will bring back what made this series good in the first place. I'll have to give it a flip-through, though.
Red Robin #16
- Written by Fabian Nicieza
- Art & Cover by Marcus To & Ray McCarthy
The new Anarky has his own version of Red Robin's Hit List! Ulysses Armstrong has made a record of Gotham City teens who could be Red Robin – and he's murdering them one by one. With an incapacitated Tim Drake crossed off his list, can Red Robin stop Anarky before the villain attacks his next target? And with the deaths of innocents weighing on his conscience, how far will Red Robin go to cross Anarky off his own Hit List?
I've only been reading anything Batman-related for the past year or so, so I had to look up Anarky after seeing him in the previous issue. (Kinda spoiled the reveal, I guess.) Even so, the fact that someone besides Vicki Vale has been trying to find out Red Robin's identity was a good enough reveal, and I like the way this story is headed.
Red Robin: Collision (TPB)
- Written by Christopher Yost & Bryan Q. Miller
- Art by Marcus To, Lee Garbett, Ray McCarthy & Trevor Scott
- Cover by Marcus To & Ray McCarthy
The hunt is on as Red Robin and Ra's al Ghul's League of Assassins go after the Council of Spiders in this title collecting RED ROBIN #6-12 and BATGIRL #8. Tim Drake must work Ra's to learn the truth behind Batman's demise in FINAL CRISIS.
Okay, obviously I've read everything in this trade, and I have no intention of purchasing it. But, if anyone hasn't read these issues, here's your chance. Red Robin has been consistently great from issue #1 (so go ahead and get that trade while you're at it). This trade includes the conclusion of the first year of Red Robin as well as the Batgirl cross-over issue. I'm not as fond of the art in that one, but it's written very well, and the Red Robin issues have wonderful art and wonderful writing. It's a beautiful thing. Seriously, you won't regret reading this. (Also, that cover is one of my favorites from the whole run so far.)
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (TPB)
- Written by Eric Shanower
- Pencils & Cover by Skottie Young
The premiere American fantasy adventure gets the Merry Marvel treatment! Eisner Award-winning writer/artist Eric Shanower (Age of Bronze) teams up with fan-favorite artist Skottie Young (New X-Men) to bring L. Frank Baum's beloved classic to life! When Kansas farm girl Dorothy flies away to the magical Land of Oz, she fatally flattens a Wicked Witch, liberates a living Scarecrow and is hailed by the Munchkin people as a great sorceress, but all she really wants to know is: how does she get home? Collecting THE WONDERFUL WIZARD OF OZ #1-8.
I love the Oz books. Every single one is pure joy, so I'm really happy that Marvel is making comic adaptations of them all (I hope they keep doing all of them, but I'll take what I can get). Skottie Young's art is such a perfect fit for these, too. This is the trade of the adaptation of the first book. And that means an actual retelling of the book, not the movie or anything else. (This has been done before, actually, and I have that, too. I like this art better, and they do seem to be planning on doing all the books, so: woot!) It's already been out for a while in hardcover, but I didn't have the blog up-and-running then, so I'm highlighting it now. I'm not sure if I'll end up getting the hardcover or the trade, but at some point I'm getting one of them.
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