Comic Pick of the Week (April 16 2014)

Great Stories selects…..

 

Hulk #1 (Marvel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel continues to relaunch its brands as part of Marvel NOW, and this week we have the big green badboy getting his turn at renumbering with writer Mark Waid and artist Mark Bagley bringing us the broken pieces of Bruce Banner’s life after two bullets lodged in his brain have brought him to the brink of death at the conclusion of The Indestructible Hulk series.  Who shot Doctor Banner and what are the repercussions?  It all starts here, so jump on board before Hulk smashes YOU!  😉

Check in with us next week when Rob will make our comic pick of the week!

In the meantime, remember that Great Stories are everywhere!

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

Comic Pick of the Week (April 9 2014)

Great Stories Selects……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

DC’s flagship property is indisputable.  Batman commands numerous titles on the market at the moment in the New 52, and this one pushes the envelope even further as it is due to be released weekly.  The storyline set up by writer Scott Snyder has a mysterious figure portending the tragic future of Batman and his home city of Gotham before we return to a present day chase that has Batman and Commissioner Gordan chasing down Professor Pyg and his cohorts to a disastrous result.

 

It is tough to say how this story will fall into continuity with the other Batman titles, but for those of you out there who hate waiting 30 days for every installment, this is the book for you.  The art is looks great in the first installment, and will hopefully not drop in quality due to such an aggressive release schedule.

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

Comic Picks of the Week (April 2, 2014)

Ok, here we go for real this time.  It’s another strong week with four titles I know I will be picking up.

 

Captain America: Winter Soldier #1 (Director’s Cut), Inhuman #1 (finally!!!), Moon Knight #2, and Punisher #4.

From time to time, Marvel and other publishers will release a Director’s Cut version of a comic.  This issue will often include the full written script for the issue, both concept and unfinished art, and writer, artist, and/or editor commentary that give tremendous insight into the creative process.  To help celebrate what will no doubt be the best movie you can go see this week, Marvel has given us a Director’s Cut to honor the release of the film.  Captain America: Winter Soldier #1 (Director’s Cut) includes the complete script, Brubaker’s original series proposal, concept art, and preview pages from the forthcoming Marvel book on the art of the feature film.  If you know, or are, an aspiring comic artist or writer, tracking down a few Director’s Cuts can be a great gift idea.

 

Next up comes a personal favorite of mine; artwork by Joe Madureira.  His work is just flat out AMAZING!  Below we’ve got the cover for issue one, some Inhuman pencils, and an alternate cover for your viewing pleasure.  The artwork alone sells this one, but I am really looking forward to seeing what Soule can do as well.  Marvel is billing Inhuman as the next big thing.  So what’s the premise?  A cloud of Terrigen mist has turned regular people into Inhumans with amazing powers.  But not everyone thinks this is a good thing…  Don’t miss this issue!

 

 

Next up are a couple of fan favorites around the Great Stories blog.  Marc Spector, The Fist of Khonshu, is back in Moon Knight #2, and so is that dude with the guns that is supposed to be locked in an underwater vault by the Avengers. Continuity?  In comics?  Nah.  Frank Castle is running around the left coast and tangling with one of the webhead’s old enemies in The Punisher #4.

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

~Rob

Comic Pick of the Week (April 1 2014)

Great Stories selects…

 

My Little Pony Portfolio (IDW)

 

 

At long last we have a reprint of the coveted My Little Pony Portfolio!!!  I have been waiting for this one all year long!!

 

Eight, yes you heard me right, eight of your favorite My Little Pony Covers, suitable for FRAMING!  A high quality artist’s portfolio, with 11″ x 17″ prints that are going to KNOCK YOUR SOCKS RIGHT OFF!!! Who doesn’t need a pony hanging in every room of the house?!?!?!?!?

 

Come my fellow bronies and unite in joy!!  Grab this one off the shelves before they are gone!!!

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

 

p.s.  This April Fool’s Day joke has been brought to you by the number 8 and the letter S for shenanigans.  The real pick(s) of the week will be posted later today or tomorrow.  No bronies were harmed in the production of this blog post.  ~Rob

Comic Picks of the Week (March 26, 2014)

Wondering what books are hitting the comic shelves tomorrow?  Well, as always, there are quite a few, but which will prove to be a worthy read?  I’m going with four titles this week!

Blackout #1, Serenity: Leaves on the Wind #3, Origin II #4, and The Superior Spider-Man #30.

 

 

 

 

First introduced in 2013’s Dark Horse Presents #24, Blackout is the story of Scott Travers.  He has discovered a suit that lets him move through the world both unseen and untouchable within a shadow dimension.  But at what price and where did this mysterious suit come from?  Seems like a tale worthy of a read.

 

My second selection needs little explanation.  If you haven’t watched Firefly or Serenity, then you should start there.  Although admittedly, it boggles the mind that such could be the case.  Once you’ve done that, grab the prior two issues of this series as well.  Serenity: Leaves on the Wind continues the story of the best crew in the ‘verse about nine months after the events of the feature film.  There are also two one-shot stories out there by Dark Horse that you can hunt down.  “You can’t take the sky from me.”

 

Next up is Origin II.  First of all, the issue is packed with Adam Kubert artwork; which, in and of itself, is worth the price of admission.  Second of all, you’ve got more of Wolverine’s backstory penned beautifully by Kieron Gillen.  Still not sold?  How about I mention Sabretooth and Sinister are involved as well.  Give it a shot.  You won’t be disappointed.

 

Last, but by no means least is The Superior Spider-Man #30.  This is part four of the Goblin Nation Arc and everything has certainly come to a head.  Marvel is teasing the issue saying “Once this happens, it CANNOT be undone!”  Once What Happens?!?!  Guess there’s only one way to find out…

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

~Rob

Comic Pick of the Week (March 19 2014)

Great Stories selects…..

 

The Witcher #1 (Dark Horse)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dark Horse brings graphic novel rebirth to a character born in a fantasy book series written by Andrzej Sapkowski  in the 90’s (and recently translated into English!).  The comic adaptation is penned by Paul Tobin with art provided by Joe Querio, and this first of five issues sets up quite a creepy tale as our protagonist Geralt meets a hunter with a tragic history.

 

This incarnation of the comic is actually the second go around for The Witcher in this medium, and we recommend you pick up a copy.  If you really enjoy it, you can then go on a true treasure hunt for the six comic series that was released between 1993-1995.  The novels, which have also been adapted into a video game series, may just shoot to the top of our reading list as well.

 

Great stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

 

P.S.  Thanks to Rob Fossey for last week’s comic pick of the week, as well as his support for my fascination with all things Greg Rucka.  😉

Comic Picks of the Week (March 12, 2014)

 

I’ve gotta be honest here, there wasn’t a clear winner for me in this week’s new comic releases.  I’m very excited to read both Dark Horse’s The Star Wars #6 (of 8) and Marvel’s The Superior Spider-Man #29.  However, both are in the middle of existing story arcs and it’s hard to advise people to hop on mid-arc.  But, if you are looking to grab some back issues then by all means go to town!  Both stories are well told.

 

 

 

 

The Star Wars is an adaptation of George Lucas’s original rough draft screenplay.  It’s quite different than the Star Wars you saw on the big screen and for Star Wars fans it’s a great treat to see how things might have been.  You could of course wait a few months for the trade paperback or hardcover of the collected issues.

 

The Superior Spider-Man is coming to an end and this issue is part 3 of 5 of the Goblin Nation story arc.  If you’ve been living under a rock, then you may not know that Otto Octavius is the “Superior Spider-Man.”  But, good old Peter Parker will be back next month.  As things come to a head, this issue will be packed with the nefarious spiderslayers, Spider-Man 2099, The Green Goblin, and his army of henchmen all gunning for “Spider-Man”.  What’s an octopus in spider’s clothing going to do?

 

To be honest though, you would do well to also hop in a time-machine and go back a week and grab a copy of Moon Knight #1.  I’m particularly fond of the Skottie Young variant.  Or, you know, you could just go to the shelf with last weeks releases if you don’t have a time-machine…whatever works.  Of course, I could be somewhat biased since The Fist of Khonshu ranks up there with a certain webhead on my list of personal favorites.  The truth is that this really should have been the pick of the week last week if someone around here didn’t have a giant man-crush on a certain Punisher storyteller…

 

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

~Rob

Comic Pick of the Week March 5 2014

Great Stories selects…….

 

Veil #1 (Dark Horse)

 

 

 

A new brand of horror comic from the mind of Greg Rucka and illustrated by Toni Fejzula.  A young woman of unknown origin awakes in a subway station naked and alone amidst a sea of vermin.  As she makes her way into the world we know, she is immediately confronted with the best and worst of our society.  But Veil, as she is named, is not as helpless and vulnerable as she seems.

 

As we became familiar with Greg Rucka’s writing through Punisher and later through his wonderful creation, Lazarus, it is quite apparent that he has a talent for writing strong female characters.  More evidence can be found in his two Whiteout graphic novels.  Veil seems to be no exception, and if horror graphic fiction is your cup of proverbial tea, then we encourage you jump aboard for this tale and see what twisted paths Mr. Rucka has planned!

 

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

Comic Pick of the Week February 26 2014

Great Stories selects….

 

Dead Body Road #3 (Image/Skybound)

 

 

 

 

 

 

The story revolves around a man (Gage) seeking revenge for the murder of his wife after a heist goes bad.  Following the few leads he has, it is a race against time as the orchestrator of the deed is out to tie up all of the loose ends to cover the tracks.  What we have is a tale that has probably been told a hundred times before in print and on screen, but we find compelling just the same due to the artful way in which it is presented to the reader.  Writer Justin Jordan and artist Matteo Scalera may have just scored for Skybound/Image Comics, which continues to shine with its fine creative output.  The gritty pencils provided by Scalera are in perfect concert with the hardened story that is unfolding within these pages.  A good one for the more mature comic reading crowd.

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)

Comic Pick of the Week February 19 2014

Great Stories selects….

 

Punisher #2 (Marvel)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marvel’s new Punisher series with Nathan Edmonson and Mitch Gerads at the helm is a return to the Punisher’s glory days stylistically from the early 90’s with a strong supporting cast and our favorite vigilante networking heavily to gain information and supplies on the streets of his new town…Los Angeles.  His main target, the dangerous gang Dos Soles has a new weapon in their efforts to take over Tinseltown thanks to the terror organization AIM.  Meanwhile, two separate adversaries are on the trail of Frank Castle and determined to bring him down.

 

 

 

The action and story are really starting off very strong in this book.  Do yourself a favor by picking up the first two issue which can be found in comic shops from coast to coast!

Great Stories are everywhere!

 

-Chris (for the Great Stories team)