Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Weekly Previews for August 10, 2011

This is a sad week for the Previews. It marks the end of both the Snyder-Jock-Francavilla run on Detective Comics and the ever-excellent Red Robin. Take a moment of silence and then read on for this week's Previews….

Alpha Flight #3

  • Written by Fred Van Lente & Greg Pak
  • Pencils by Dale Eaglesham
  • Cover by Phil Jimenez
  • Variant Cover by Dale Eaglesham

FEAR ITSELF TIE-IN!

HEROES ON THE LAM! Having escaped imprisonment at the hands of the corrupt Unity Party, Alpha Flight find themselves hunted by the government they’d sworn to protect. Outmanned and outgunned, the Flight decide to go guerilla, but what will they do once the government raises the stakes by revealing their leverage against the team, including Northstar’s boyfriend and the child of Guardian and Vindicator held hostage?! Marvel Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente, along with legendary artist Dale Eaglesham, continue their revival of fan favorite Alpha Flight in this pulse-pounding issue!

My shop was out of #2, so I can't really say much here. Umm… I really liked the first issue?

Status: Buying It.

Baltimore: The Curse Bells #1

  • Written by Mike Mignola & Christopher Golden
  • Art by Ben Stenbeck
  • Colors by Dave Stewart
  • Cover by Mike Mignola
  • Variant Cover by Francesco Francavilla

Monsters are overrunning Europe, and Baltimore, the only one who can put an end to these horrors, must find and kill Haigus, the vampire responsible for this chaos. Following reports that Haigus is holed up in a cloister, Baltimore finds a haven full of death and black magic, and the creature at the heart of his obsession!

I really enjoyed the Free Comic Book Day issue of Baltimore. It's now on my official “to read” list along with basically everything else Mike Mignola has done. So there's that. Which means I'll probably be getting this in trades, too, especially with everything that's coming out in the next couple of months.

And I just had to post both covers because they're both so nice.

Status: Trade Waiting.

Batman 80-Page Giant 2011

  • Written by Various
  • Art by Various
  • Cover by Dustin Nguyen

Don't miss this new helping of short stories featuring Batman and his partners in crimefighting, told by some of comics' newest voices and freshest talents.

You literally never know what to expect from these things. I love Batman enough to check it out, but without knowing anything at all about it (other than the cover), I can't say whether it's woth it or not.

Status: Flip-Through At The Shop.

Detective Comics #881

  • Written by Scott Snyder
  • Art by Jock & Francesco Francavilla
  • Cover by Jock

This is it – the finale so twisted, so shocking we can't even begin to give away details here! Be there for the extra-sized conclusion of the acclaimed run by Scott Snyder, Jock and Francesco Francavilla. DETECTIVE COMICS #881 is the issue everyone will be talking about. Believe it.

I haven't read the penultimate issue yet, so I can't speak to the story thus far. So I'll just say here how sad I'll be to see this creative team broken up.

Status: Buying It.

Red Robin #26

  • Written by Fabian Nicieza
  • Art & Cover by Marcus To & Ray McCarthy

Ready to operate from his new HQ, Red Robin knows that before he can fulfill his crimefighting destiny, he must close out one outstanding issue. His father's killer, Captain Boomerang, was brought back to life... The time has come for him to return to the grave!

If I'm sad about the end of the Snyder-Jock-Francavilla Detective Comics, I'm distraught over the end of Red Robin. This book has been so good from issue #1. It's a shame it's going away. Looks like it'll be going out with a bang, at least.

Status: Buying It. And Then Weeping.

The Red Wing #2

  • Written by Jonathan Hickman
  • Art & Cover by Nick Pitarra & Rachelle Rosenberg

“LEARNING TO FALL”

Lost in time -- deep in enemy history -- the Captain of the First Wing must find a way home so that he can begin the space-time program that will one day save his future.

Join us for the second jaw-dropping issue of THE RED WING by award winning writer JONATHAN HICKMAN and possibly the best new talent of the year, NICK PITARRA.

My shop was also out of this, so I'm still eagerly awaiting this series. (Yes, I had a somewhat less diverse take on my last trip to the shop.)

Status: Buying It.

Spider-Island: Cloak & Dagger #1

  • Written by Nick Spencer
  • Pencils by Emma Rios
  • Cover by Mike Choi

SPIDER-ISLAND TIE IN!

The fan-favorite, critically acclaimed team of Nick Spencer (IRON MAN 2.0) and Emma Rios (OSBORN) answers the overwhelming demands of readers, and puts the beloved heroes Cloak & Dagger back in action…in SPIDER-ISLAND! Everyday citizens fall prey to a mysterious infestation, and Manhattan is quarantined! Cloak & Dagger are at the front line, in the streets. Thousands of people are gifted with great power…and it’s a disaster!

I don't think I can afford to pick up Amazing Spider-Man through the Spider-Island arc ($8 a month for one title is a lot), but I might bite on this (and/or the Spider-Girl mini that starts next week). I love Cloak & Dagger more than I probably should. I've really only seen them in two or three books, but each appearance was wonderful. So, I might bite if this looks good.

Status: In Consideration.

The Unwritten #28

  • Written by Mike Carey
  • Art by Peter Gross & Vince Locke
  • Cover by Yuko Shimizu

While the cabal continue their seemingly motiveless murder spree, Tom researches his father's journals to uncover the secret connections between Wilson Taylor and his deadliest enemy, Pullman – as well as a hint at an eighty-year-old atrocity that could be a clue to Tom's own nature and origins!

I haven't yet read #27 (I just got it last week, and I usually read The Unwritten as one of my last books of the month). Every issue has been so good up to this point — enough so that I leave it as a “save the best for last” book — so I'm always eagerly anticipating each issue.

Status: Buying It.

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