One of the more daunting tasks we will ever do willingly in this life is to become a fan. To do so means our brains begin to absorb everything about the subject merely by being exposed to it.
I say ‘daunting’ because if we were to look ahead at all we will know, we might take a step back, as surely as our friends and family look at us and shake their heads, wondering how we could know such obscure details or why we would ever need to know how to make or use that knowledge in the real world.
We do it because we enjoy it and it becomes a part of who we are.
As I write this brief intro, look at the choices I have made for review and the title I have already ‘saved as’ for this piece, I say ‘Huh’ to myself when I remember how I became a fan of comic books.
As a small child, home from school sick with something, laying on the couch, my father bought me a giant sized comic book of The Hulk in the Savage Land, because I loved dinosaurs, to help me feel better. I loved it and from there I branched out into Kazar and other Marvel titles like Spiderman and then into Image when one of my favorite artists, Todd MacFarlane, started it, to Frank Cho’s Liberty Meadows after seeing his run in Shanna, the She-Devil.
Such a simplistic snapshot, let’s see where those ripples have taken me…
Indestructible Hulk #1 – 3
Dr Bruce Banner has come to the conclusion that The Hulk is a part of him and cannot be ‘cured’. Wanting to be known for his contributions to science and not as a big green rage machine, Banner approaches Director Maria Hill of S.H.I.E.LD. with a proposition, provide him with a a lab, staff and all of the amenities needed to pursue his work pushing the boundaries of science and he will give S.H.I.E.L.D. the services of The Hulk to aim wherever and at whatever they deem necessary.
Director Hill accepts this proposition, of course.
You may remember the writer of this new ongoing series, Mark Waid, for his Eisner winning Daredevil, his many runs at DC, Impulse, JLA, 52, or the incredible Kingdom Come co-written with Alex Ross.
Maybe you remember him from one of his Marvel titles, The Amazing Spiderman, The Fantastic Four, I remember him for his run on Kazar in the 90’s.
Mark Waid has taken Banner in a new direction, towards achieving his life’s ambition while still managing his ‘condition’.
Issue #1 is the proposal to Director Maria Hill with a demonstration of how useful he will be to them.
Issue #2 Dr Bruce Banner has his showdown with Tony Stark a.k.a. Iron Man in order to prove he is Tony’s scientific equal.
Issue #3 has Banner assisting in a S.H.I.E.L.D. Operation and Director Maria Hill interviewing assistants for Banner and his lab.
Mark Waid is laying the groundwork for an outstanding series, do not miss this one!
Iron Man #1 – 5
Tony Stark, technological genius and Iron Man (surely by now you have seen one of the movies) hunts down the remaining Extremis kits to keep the volatile technology out of the wrong hands in the first five issue story arc of this Marvel NOW relaunch title.
What I like about this series is the focus on Tony Stark, the engineer, and how it effects his use of the Iron Man suit, tailoring it to suit the situation. Tony views each mission as a game of strategy, one which he intends to win ever time.
Ahead of the premiere of Iron Man 3 this summer, this is a great place to start experiencing the Iron Man universe.
Savage Wolverine #1
This is a new ongoing series from the enormously talented writer and artist Frank Cho. Billed as a Wolverine title, this is actually a team-up with Shanna, the She-Devil.
Eight months ago, Shanna was sent as a guide with a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents to survey the western edges of The Savage Land. Something grounded the ship leaving them stranded in hostile territory.
Wolverine wakes to find himself in The Savage Land with no memory of how or why he is there, but soon discovers his old friend Shanna and the remnants of the survey team. Now they must do everything in their power to survive and to figure out what is going on in order to find their way home.
The third comic today and the third Marvel Now title, I am extremely excited about Frank Cho returning to The Savage Land and Shanna and Wolverine is one of my all time favorites.
Need I say more?
It also has dinosaurs.
From here we segue back to finish up Image comics….
Frank Cho: Women Book 2
Frank Cho is an incredible artist. He draws beautiful women and some of the best wildlife, ancient or otherwise, you will ever see in print.
This volume is eighty pages of art, some process and character studies, and a lot of ‘Wow!’
Not strictly a comic, but I will hear no one complain after they peruse this book.
Comeback #1 -3 (of 5)
We are RECONNECT.
We can send our agents back in time in order to save your loved ones from an untimely death, for a price.
What the customers do not know is that there is a larger agenda behind the scenes, a conspiracy, and Agent Mark Thompson has just figured out what that is…
Great art and an excellent story that is fresher than you might initially think, this is my surprise pick for this post.
End of Times of Bram and Ben #1 (of 4)
The Rapture has happened but nobody knows it because there is no official announcement. Those left behind have only witnessed people around the globe disappearing in the millions.
Well, except for Bram. He knows it is The End Times because, due to a clerical error, he was taken up to Heaven and then returned.
Irreverent and tongue-in-check, if you have ever wanted to know how it would all really go down for those twenty-somethings stranded on Earth, this is your read.
All right, that will do it for the wrap-up portion of these posts. Wednesday I will get to the new releases and whatever I find interesting.
So, more of the same.
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