New issues of Dark Horse Presents and Batman Incorporated (finally), along with the conclusion of Batman: Gates of Gotham, and more are on your way in this week's Previews. Read on to see 'em all.
Batman: Gates of Gotham #5 (of 5)
- Written by Scott Snyder & Kyle Higgins
- Art & Cover by Trevor McCarthy
It's Batman vs. The Architect! The downfall of a major Gotham family! The betrayal of Damian Wayne! It's all here in this final issue, plus the untold fate of Gotham City's first Super Villain!
Be here as GATES OF GOTHAM sets the stage for a bold new direction in the Bat books!
While I've still been enjoying it, the recent issues have been weaker than the first issue. Still, it's been intriguing, and I'm eager to see the both The Architect and the new Bat-direction revealed.
Status: Buying It.
Batman Incorporated #8
- Written by Grant Morrison
- Art by Scott Clark
- Cover by Chris Burnham
- Variant Cover by Scott Clark
When Waynetech's launch of Interworld is plagued by a series of "virtual murders," Batman teams up with Oracle to hunt down the culprit in a simulated environment that's slowly collapsing into post-apocalyptic zombie-haunted chaos. A computer-generated Batman adventure that brings Dark Knight justice to a wild new frontier, to face a new and virulent menace. In a world of numbers, does everything have a price?
This sounds like (1) Grant Morrison being Grant Morrison and (2) very much like what happened a few issues back in Red Robin. Not that it probably won't be both a different spin and interesting. It's just a curiosity, that's all. And, will they even get the last two issues of this out before the relaunch which, technically, starts next week? I guess not.
Status: Buying It.
Dark Horse Presents #3
- Written by Howard Chaykin, Richard Corben, Carla Speed McNeil, Paul Chadwick, David Chelsea, Robert Love, Michael T. Gilbert, Dave Gibbons, Neal Adams & Jim Steranko
- Art by Howard Chaykin, Richard Corben, Carla Speed McNeil, Paul Chadwick, David Chelsea, Robert Love, Dave Gibbons, Sanford Greene, Geof Darrow, Neal Adams & Jim Steranko
- Cover by Dave Gibbons
- Variant Cover by Paul Chadwick
- Ultra Variant Cover by Jim Steranko
A blockbuster 100-page spectacular is afoot in Dark Horse Presents #3! Featuring continuing stories by industry greats, this issue also packs a new 12-page story by Watchmen's Dave Gibbons! And to top all that, this issue additionally spotlights an exclusive, 13-page preview of the new edition of Red Tide, written and illustrated by comics legend Jim Steranko! Add to that an exclusive interview with Steranko himself and you've got a super-sized installment of Dark Horse's legendary tradition that's not to be missed!
This has been really enjoyable, so far. You can never be sure with anthologies, but I don't think anything has been bad or even “meh” so far. And there have been a few that I'm really interested in (). So, an extra twenty pages for no extra charge? I'm all for it.
Status: Buying It.
FF #8
- Written by Jonathan Hickman
- Pencils & Cover by Steve Epting
The War of Four Cities escalates and we learn what it is that Marvel's First Family fears most!
I was actually disappointed with the last two issues. After the big reveal that Black Bolt was alive and he and the rest of the Inhumans were back on Earth, I was very excited. I love the Inhumans, and I love Black Bolt even more. The solicit for last month's issues was even terser than this month's: The Return of the King.
Which, I felt was all you needed, really. And the covers had Black Bolt flying towards you and fighting Ronan, respectively. So, what was inside? A history lesson. Literally, it told the story of The Return of the King [i.e., Black Bolt]
. Not threaded in the main narrative; not told and then we move on to what's happening now; and not told in one issue with the repercussions shown in the next. No, it was two full issues of backstory (and no problems at all between Black Bolt and Ronan, btw). Now, I'm a fan of stories, so this might not have been bad. If all indications did not point to us seeing what the Inhumans were going to do now that they were back. If we could've had some warning that these were, basically, a two-part stand-alone story that you could almost just skip over (except, if I know Jonathan Hickman's writing, some stuff in there will come up as being quite important down the road). In short, I feel like I had the rug pulled out from under me. So, I guess I should just read them again with all that in mind, so I'm not letting my expectations kill the story. (Also, I guess I need to start writing reviews again, so I don't make huge comments in the Previews like this.)
Oh yeah, the issue at hand: it seems like Hickman doesn't want to give anything away in the solicit, but I'm all for seeing the escalation of the War; and, is this supposed to be a quasi-tie-in for Fear Itself or something?
Status: Buying It.
How to Understand Israel in 60 Days or Less
- Writing, Art & Cover by Sarah Glidden
When Sarah Glidden took a "Birthright Israel" tour, she thought she knew what she was getting herself into. But when she got to Israel, she found that things weren't quite so simple.
HOW TO UNDERSTAND ISRAEL is Sarah's memoir not only of her Israeli government-sponsored trip through Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Masada and other famous locations, but of the emotional journey she never expected to take while she was there. Her experience clashes with her preconceived notions again and again, particularly when she tries to take a non-chaperoned trip into the West Bank. Sarah is forced to question first her political beliefs and then her own sense of identity, until she finds that to understand Israel she first must come to understand herself.
Not that I'll be buying it right now, but this looked interesting. Worth checking out someday.
Status: Of Interest.
Ultimate Comics Ultimates #1
- Written by Jonathan Hickman
- Art by Esad Ribic
- Cover by Kaare Andrews
- Variant Cover by Esad Ribic
The Republic Is Burning
The next era has begun. As our heroes struggle to find their place in the world, the The Ultimates face game-changing threats even they can’t handle. And with the heart of the team missing in action, the country’s last stand of defense may be on its last legs. Critically acclaimed writer Jonathan Hickman (Fantastic Four, FF, Secret Warriors) and superstar artist Esad Ribic (Uncanny X-Force) drive the Ultimates into new and deadly territory! The series we’ve all been waiting for!
I don't think I'll be able to pick up this series, for a few reasons:
- I've never read any Ultimate universe books before (except for Hickman's Ultimate Thor), though, I guess this would be the ideal jumping-on point
- the only reason I'm interested is that it's written by Hickman
- and, it's a $4 book at a time when I'm looking to pick up several new titles from DC's relaunch
So, I'd get this if I had extra cash, but I doubt I'll have extra cash.
Status: In Consideration.
WordGirl: The Coalition of Malice
- Written by Chris Karwowski
- Art by Steve Young & Pat Lapierre
Word up! KABOOM! proudly brings you all-new adventures of WordGirl —based on the Emmy Award-winning animated children's show of the same name. Join WordGirl and Captain Huggy Face as they fight for truth, justice and use of the right word! But a titanic team-up spells trouble when WordGirl’s arch-villains The Butcher, Mr. Big, Dr. Two-Brains, Granny May and Chuck the Evil Sandwich-Making Guy join forces…as the fearsome Coalition of Malice!
Yes, I do quite enjoy children's literature and entertainment. WordGirl is not just a really good kids' show, it's probably one of the best comedic shows I've seen in a while. It's seriously funny. So, here's hoping they can translate that into a comic book form.
Status: In Consideration.
X-Men #16
- Written by Victor Gischler
- Pencils by Jorge Molina
"THE LAND OF THE SKULL"
The X-Men and the FF team up when strange happenings in the Bermuda Triangle threaten the Marvel Universe. Yes, you've seen the X-Men and the FF interact before, but never with Magneto and Dr. Doom on the side of the angels. Don't miss this landmark team-up with an adventure that you have to see to believe.
The only reason I'm looking at this is the FF are involved. Okay, I like the X-Men, but I haven't kept up with them very much, and I have no idea how the writing or art is on this book. But a team up with the FF and the X-Men that includes Doctor Doom and Magneto fighting together with the good guys is intriguing. Still, this is at least a four-parter that would mean I'd have to pick up two extra $4 books a month for a couple of months and, well, you've probably just read my comments on The Ultimates.
Status: In Consideration.
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