August Comics Solicitations (or what I'm going to be spending my money on)

The Comic industry is so much different than all other entertainment mediums, for those of us who order our books each month, the ordering system works 2 months ahead to give the companies enough time to see what will be ordered and how much.
So in June we get the solicitations for August and I decided to male a list ofo all the books that I'm really looking forward the most.

Please understand that this is not my TOTAL order( my total number of books for each month usually runs around 25 - 30 books), just the books that will be coming out that I'm excited for.

MARVEL
THE MARVELS PROJECT #1 (of 8)
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Pencils & Cover by STEVE EPTING
The centerpiece of Marvel's 70th Anniversary celebration! Who is the mysterious old man who lies on his deathbed in a hospital in 1939, and how does his passing mark the beginning of the first heroic age of the Marvel Universe — and signal the rise of the superhumans? Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting unveil the defining story of the origin of the Marvel Universe, revealing the hidden connections that unite the earliest costumed champions, and whose reverberations are felt dramatically into the present day! It’s a world on the brink of war, and the race is on to create the world's first super-soldier! Witness the first days of the Human Torch, the Sub-Mariner, and many more-- how they shaped the world to come, and how the future they would create in turn shaped them! The must-read event of the season for any Marvel fan from the Award-Winning creators who redefined Captain America for the modern audience!



MARVEL
ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS #1
Written by MARK MILLAR
Pencils & Cover by CARLOS PACHECO
Guess who’s back!! That’s right, kids, MARK MILLAR (THE ULTIMATES, WOLVERINE: OLD MAN LOGAN) and superstar artist CARLOS PACHECO (AVENGERS FOREVER, X-MEN) blast into the Ultimate Universe for a mind-blowing, heart-pounding and gut-wrenching event of epic proportions! When a highly-classified secret threatens Captain America, only the newly-returned Nick Fury has the tools to bring ‘em in! As the first of a series of blockbuster arcs begins: PROJECT AVENGERS is a go!


MARVEL
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #1
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
Almost ten years ago, Ultimate Spider-Man launched the Ultimate line, a reinvention of the Marvel Universe that defied the odds and every expectation. Today, it happens again: This new chapter in the life of the teenaged webslinger picks up in the aftermath of Ultimatum and completely redefines the status-quo of Spider-Man for the next generation! With a new supporting cast, new villains and maybe even a new Spider-Man, this new chapter will keep you guessing month after month. Join Eisner Award-winning writer BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS in introducing new ongoing artist DAVID LAFUENTE (ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL, PATSY WALKER: HELLCAT)! You have never seen a Spider-Man like this before! Be there!




MARVEL
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #601
Written by MARK WAID
Penciled by MARIO ALBERTI
Cover by J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
Prepare for the All-New, All-Deadly: DARK MARY-JANE!! Oops, sorry, that's the rest of Marvel's solicits...Actually, in this issue "Red-Headed Stranger" begins just after the surprising events of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #600 with Pete's love life taking a turn for the worse just as his old flame Mary Jane returns to New York City. (FINALLY!! Sheesh. What took us so long?!)



MARVEL
DAREDEVIL #500
Written by ED BRUBAKER
Penciled by MICHAEL LARK
Additional Stories by ANN NOCENTI, DAVID AJA & OTHERS
50/50 Gatefold Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
This is it! The 500th issue of DAREDEVIL! What is the Kingpin's true plan? What do he and Lady Bullseye have in common? What will Matt Murdock do to make things right again? And just how will Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark leave this story for the next creative team to pick it up? Don’t miss the twists and surprises that will have everybody talking! An all-star anniversary issue featuring new stories by Ann Nocenti, David Aja, and others!


MARVEL
FANTASTIC FOUR #570
Written by JONATHAN HICKMAN
Penciled by DALE EAGLESHAM
Cover by ALAN DAVIS
Brand new creative team - Brave new comics experience! Be there as Marvel's newest exciting creator, Jonathan Hickman, teams up with superstar artist, Dale Eaglesham, to give you the Fantastic Four experience you've been waiting for! It's adventure, it's family, it's tough questions in dark times...See what happens when Reed Richards tries to SOLVE EVERYTHING.



MARVEL
WAR OF KINGS #6 (of 6)
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by PAUL PELLETIER
Cover by BRANDON PETERSON
Variant Cover by ADI GRANOV
This is it – the big fight for all the cosmic marbles! Shi'Ar vs. Inhuman! Black Bolt vs. Vulcan! Who will rule? The fate of two intergalactic civilizations teeters on the brink, and the outcome of this conflict will send shockwaves throughout the Marvel Universe! Don’t miss the climactic chapter in what IGN.com calls: "Action-packed but intimate and character driven...this could very well be the textbook definition of how to execute major superhero storylines."


DC COMICS
BATGIRL #1
Written by Bryan Q. Miller
Art by Lee Garbett & Trevor Scott
Cover by Phil Noto
Variant cover by J.G. Jones
In the wake of “Batman R.I.P.” and BATTLE FOR THE COWL, a new heroine has emerged in Gotham City, and as she begins her nocturnal crusade to take back the night, she will truly learn what it means to wear the mantle of the Bat. But who is this young woman, and why has she donned the cape and cowl?



DC COMICS
ADVENTURE COMICS #1
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Francis Manapul, co-feature art by Clayton Henry
Covers by Francis Manapul
It's the return of one of DC Comics' longest running books and one of its greatest modern-day heroes – Conner Kent! In our first heroic issue, Superboy can't wait to jump back into his life – but which life will it be? With a clarity he's never had before, Conner makes a beeline for the greatest place on Earth...Smallville?
Plus, in the wake of FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS, Starman heads off on an all-new mission in the present. And it's one that will not only impact Superboy, but the future of the DC Universe itself. Fortunately, the off-kilter Legionnaire won't be dong it alone! And in the upcoming months of ADVENTURE COMICS look for Lex Luthor! Brainiac! Lightning Lad! Superboy's pal Simple Simon! Sun Boy and Polar Boy! Ultra, the Multi Alien! Wonder Girl! Black Lantern Alexander Luthor! And many, many more new and familiar faces!



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G-MAN: CAPE CRISIS #1 (of 5)
story CHRIS GIARRUSSO
art & cover CHRIS GIARRUSSO
Mini-Marvels creator CHRIS GIARRUSSO returns with a brand new G-Man miniseries! When pieces of G-Man's magic cape fall into the wrong hands, things quickly spin out of control. G-Man and his friends must battle to recover the pieces, and this time the bad guys have the same power as G-Man!



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KING CITY #1
story BRANDON GRAHAM
art & cover BRANDON GRAHAM
Pete falls in love with an alien he's forced to betray...Anna watches her boyfriend literally turn into the drug he's addicted to...and Joe has a cat that can become any tool or weapon.
It's all just another day in King City, where mystery is down every alley...and weirdness is crawling through your window.
From critically acclaimed comics vet BRANDON GRAHAM comes a comic unlike any you have ever read!



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KILLER OF DEMONS TP
story CHRISTOPHER YOST
art & cover SCOTT WEGENER
120 PAGES / FC

Collecting the critically acclaimed mini-series from the writer of Marvel's X-Force and the artist of the Eisner nominated Atomic Robo! Hell has invaded Earth and only one man can stop it... junior account executive Dave Sloan, aka the Killer of Demons! With an angel at his side, Dave can see the demons that have infiltrated our world... and they all have to die! But these 'demons' are mostly Dave's co-workers, or people that annoy Dave in some way, leading him to believe that he's gone totally insane. Or has he? Dave has to fight to survive and find out the truth... is he a whacked out mass murderer, or the last hope the world has against the forces of Hell?

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Best of 2008 - Comics Part 1

With the new year here, I wanted to reflect on a great year for comics we had for 2008.
From the big companies like Marvel and DC comics to Indies, everyone brought out there best and this is a list of my very best of comics from 2008.




Best Series of 2008 - JSA (Justice Society of America)

Even though this current arc (Thy Kingdom Come) started in 2007 and the last issue finished on January 2, 2009, this was the book that I most looked forward to in 2008 by far.
This unofficial Sequel to Kingdom Come came from the seeds that were planted since the very first issue and had me wanting more. With great writing from Geoff Johns and some beautiful artwork from Dale Eaglesham and covers from Alex Ross, this was to me the best of 2008.





Best Single Issue - Joker's Asylum: Penguin by Written by Jason Aaron Art and cover by Jason Pearson(DC Comics)

Joker's Asylum was a fifth week event (meaning the comic comes out weekly for five week straight done by different creators)
To me not only was this the best issue of the series, but the best single issue of the year.
Aaron and Pearson gave us a compelling story of the penguin for his beginning to his current state all told from an outside perspective.
this story really elevates The Penguin to another level of villains.




Best New Series - Guardians of the Galaxy(Marvel), Terry Moore's Echo (Abstract)

Both of these series let me venture onto something that I had never read before, one is Sci-fi comics and the other is Terry moore.

Guardians of the galaxy written by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning is a team of interstellar heroes that will be proactive in protecting the galaxy, rather than reacting to crises as they happen. The team consist of Star-Lord, Adam Warlock, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Phyla-Vell(the new Quasar) and Rocket Raccoon. each character has bring something different to the story and your curious to find out what happens next.



Terry Moore's Echo written and drawn by Terry Moore is a story revolves around Julie, a young photographer who inadvertently comes across a government test facility which has an explosion that rains down on Julie covering her body with some kind of metal and the government wants it back.
Even though I'm reading both of Terry Moore's major works (Runaways and Spider-man loves Mary Jane) this is the best of all his current work.






Best Revamp - Amazing Spider-man (Marvel)

I'm a big enough man to admit when I was wrong and on this series I WAS WRONG. After the controversial and disappointing "One More Day" storyline, I thought this series would never make its promise of both good stories and having the book on time (book has gone to a 3 times a month schedule) but they have.
With great writers like Dan Slott, Bob Gale, Marc Guggenheim, Zeb Wells and others and amazing artists like Chris Bachalo, Phil Jimenez, Mike McKone, John Romita, Jr. and Marcos Martin this series has gotten a second chance at greatness.

This is part 1 with the second one coming in about a week.

End of a Marriage…start of a brand new day.

On Friday 12/28/07, Marvel comics released Amazing Spider-man #545 which was the last part of a four part cross-over called “One More Day”, written by J. Michael Straczynski and illustrated by Joe Quesada.


This controversial mini-series was going to change the life of Spider-man forever starting with the removal of his marriage.

But before we get to that lets give you a back story on all that has been happening in the world of comics.

In 2006 Marvel had a company wide cross-over titled Civil War, which had heroes against heroes in a battle over the need for a Superhuman Registration Act in the United States., during this cross-over Spider-Man deciding to prove his point reveals his secret identity as Peter Parker to the world.

After realizing that he was on the wrong side of the battle, Peter joined the rebellion in a losing cause. With his identity known to the public he and everyone he knows became a target.


Almost immediately following the Civil War, Peter’s Aunt May is shot by an unnamed assassin hired by the Kingpin to kill Peter. With Peter being a fugitive due to the registration act, he is unable to provide Medical help to Aunt May and she slipped into a coma. After Failing to get help from the most powerful people in the Marvel U, Peter begs god to help him no matter what, but instead of god he gets mephisto ( who is Marvel's Satan) who offers to save aunt May's life and in return he wanted Peter & Mary Jane's marriage. The catch, as there always is with the Devil, is they would both feel some pain of loss from losing their marriage without knowing what that pain is from.


Peter & Mary Jane have a decision to make Peter says that he could never live with himself if he let aunt May died because he believes it was his fault she got shot in the first place and Mary Jane only cares about is Peter's happiness. With both of them taking Mephisto up on his offer, Peter wakes up the next day living with aunt May and having his friends back with no recollection of his prior life toasting to a brand new day.

One of the things that has made me and a lot of fans upset, was that the decision to do this storyline was the editor in chief's idea, not the writer. In fact J Michael Straczynski mention on his blog that he wanted to take his name of this story line but was talked into keeping it. Joe Quesada (marvel's Editor in chief) has mentions several times that one of the problems with Spider-man was that he was married and there are no new stories to be told with him being married, that many of the younger audience didn't relate to a thirty year old married spider-man. So he decided that the best way to take care of this, is to have Peter make a deal with the devil.

I'm sorry but this is a horrible decision on the part of Marvel, to get rid of something that was precious and long lasting in the world of comics (this is the 20th anniversary of their marriage)
just to push the envelope, just because one person can't relate to the character anymore.
there are many alternatives books to read if you want a story about an un-attached spider-man (ultimate spider-man, marvel adventure series), i personally don't need a younger spider-man, i grew up on those stories and i want the characters to grew with me.

Marvel you will always have a die hard fan in me, but your pushing your fans away this time and i lot of them are not going to come back.