Iron Man: Demon in a Bottle HC: Iron Man faces his most untouchable foe in criminal industrialist Justin Hammer and his literal army of super-villains! But can the Armored Avenger overcome an even more implacable personal demon, invulnerable to technology or wealth? Guest-starring Ant-Man and the Sub-Mariner! Collects Iron Man #120-128.

Hulk Red Hulk HC: Superstars Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness will change the way you see the Hulk! In this startling origin epic, the breathtaking events that ended World War Hulk rocket into this brand-new saga. When one of the Hulk’s oldest cast members is murdered, everyone turns to the team of Iron Man, She-Hulk, and Leonard Samson to solve the grizzly case. All the evidence points to the Hulk as the killer, but all is not as it seems! Plus, Hulk goes toe-to-toe with Wolverine in “PUNY LITTLE MAN.” Collects Hulk #1-6 and Wolverine #50 back-up.

Incredible Hulk Visionaries John Byrne: When the Hulk came back from the Crossroads, John Byrne was waiting for him – complementing his popular X-Men and FF runs by literally breaking the Green Goliath in two! After the Hulk and Bruce Banner are separated, the Jade Giant becomes the Earth’s emerald enemy – outfighting Iron Man, Wonder Man, Sub-Mariner, Hercules and Doc Samson! Could the one to succeed where these powerhouses failed be…Bruce Banner himself?! Plus: the wedding of Bruce Banner and Betty Ross! The new Hulkbusters! And the sinister Scourge! Collects Incredible Hulk #314-319 & Annual #14, plus Marvel Fanfare #29.

X-Men vs Apocalypse: The Twelve Vols 1 and 2:

Vol 1: Setting his grand plan for godhood into motion, Apocalypse dispatches his agents to capture the world’s most powerful mutants, the fabled Twelve: Professor X, Cyclops, Jean Grey, Storm, Iceman, Sunfire, Polaris, Cable, Bishop, Mikhail Rasputin, the Living Monolith, and Magneto. Having himself planted the seeds of the Twelve legend, Apocalypse hopes to siphon their power, granting him omnipotence. Desperate to stave off his ascension, the X-Men must strike a temporary truce with Magneto to battle the warlord’s forces as the Twelve are assembled – and one longtime member seemingly sacrifices his own life to end the threat of Apocalypse once and for all! Collects Uncanny X-Men #376-377, Cable #75-76, X-Men #96-97 & Wolverine #146-147

Vol 2: The Shi’ar on the Moon, Cable and his wife in Egypt, Wolverine in the Negative Zone – what’s wrong with this picture? Apocalypse has risen from the past to change timelines until he finds one he likes – but when the original X-Man looks him in the eye, both men are lost, leaving the X-Men to comb the world for friend and enemy alike! Will Cyclops literally become the thing he fears and hates the most, and vice versa? And where does the Red Skull fit into all of this? Anywhere he wants to! Guest-starring the Hulk, Machine Man, Deathlok, and more! Collects X-51 #8, Uncanny X-Men #378 and Annual 1999, Cable #77, Wolverine #148, X-Men Unlimited #26, X-Mehttp://bravenewworldscomics.com/wp-admin/post-new.phpn #98, and X-Men: The Search of Cyclops #1-4.

X-Men Supernovas TPB: Mike Carey (Ultimate Fantastic Four) and Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men) take over X-Men, or at least what’s left of them! As old threats are still having their effects, new, more deadly threats emerge from the unlikeliest of places. Threats that spell doom for the X-Men. Plus: What could possibly strike terror into the heart of…Sabretooth?! And who are the Children of the Vault? This is the book you’ve been waiting for! A perfect starting point for any new reader! Collecting X-MEN #188-199 and ANNUAL #1. (also available in Hardcover!)

Ultimate Hulk vs Iron Man: Ultimate Human: It’s the Ultimate war between the Hulk and Iron Man! Desperate for a cure to his dark disease, scientist Bruce Banner begs Tony Stark for a release from the curse of the Hulk! Stark agrees – but in the midst of the experimentation, something goes horribly wrong. And you know what happens next: Man and monster collide! Collects Ultimate Human #1-4.

Neil Gaiman’s Eternals TPB: You are thousands of years old. You have amazing powers. You have watched civilizations rise and fall. So why does no one remember any of this? Bestselling Author Neil Gaiman (Marvel: 1602, Anansi Boys, Sandman) is joined by superstar artist John Romita Jr. (Amazing Spider-Man, Wolverine) to present a tale that will change the Eternals and the Marvel Universe forever! Collects Eternals #1-7.

Stephen King’s Dark Tower:  The Long Road Home: It’s the return of the best-selling comic book series, inspired by Stephen King’s epic The Dark Tower! Gunslinger Roland Deschain has seen the death of his lover Susan Delgado. And the Big Coffin Hunters who burned her at the stake are now in pursuit of Roland and his ka-tet Cuthbert and Alain. The friends are forced to flee into the desert with the deadly posse in hot pursuit…and Roland is in a coma!
COLLECTING:
Dark Tower: The Long Road Home #1-5

Runaways Pride and Joy HC: In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains! Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents… or tear them apart? Plus: who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super-heroes? Marvel’s original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, make their first major appearance in years! In The Good Die Young, the world as we know it is about to end, and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it! Our fledgling teenage heroes have learned how their parents’ criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways’ epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team’s mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears?

Spider-Man One More Day: The stakes have never been higher for Peter Parker. At his darkest hours – and he’s had plenty – Peter has always had one shoulder to lean on, one person who’d remind him who he is, who he was, and who he can be. Now he’s about to lose that person. What would he do…what would you do, if you only had “One More Day?” The most-talked about – and controversial – comic event of the year – brought to you by J. Michael Straczynski and Joe Quesada! Collects Amazing Spider-Man #544-545, Sensational Spider-Man #40, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #23.

Spider-Man Brand New Day Vol 1: This is it, Arachnophiles! The most pulse-pounding piece of four color fiction to be delivered unto the Mighty Marvel Minions in decades! You asked for more Spidey! You demanded it! And, by Buckley, you’re gonna get it! Same Old Power. Same Old Responsibility. Brand New Day! After the devastatingly heartwarming events of One More Day, Peter Parker puts the past behind him and sets forth on a Brand New Day! Spidey’s new status quo gets a swift punch in the gut as Dan Slott (She-Hulk; Avengers: The Initiative) and super-star artist Steve McNiven (Civil War) hit the ground running with new villains, new friends, and some familiar faces that promise to make Peter’s life messier than ever before. This is where it’s all happening! Collects Amazing Spider-Man #546-551; Marvel Spotlight: Spider-Man – Brand New Day and Free Comic Book Day Spider-Man.

Punisher War Journal Classic:  Angry and dangerous loners are famed for keeping journals, and Frank Castle is no exception! The Punisher confronts deadly enemies from both war and peacetime, but a vacation in Africa introduces him to a far different legacy of the past: dinosaurs! But the wild man waiting to throw down on him is no throwback. It’s Wolverine! Guns vs. claws for the historic first time! Guest-starring Daredevil! Collects Punisher War Journal #1-8.

SPECIAL ONLY $2 BONUS!!!:===========================================

World War Hulk Front Line: Your street-level view of the Hulk’s invasion! The Green Goliath has returned to Earth on a collision course with some of Marvel’s mightiest heroes. So what does that mean for the ordinary people caught in the crossfire? Ben Urich and Sally Floyd, fresh from their appearance in Civil War: Front Line, pound the pavement to uncover the story behind the story! Plus: Who wants our tireless reporters to take down J. Jonah Jameson, and how do they want them to do it? Grab your press pass, and join the Civil War: Front Line team of writer Paul Jenkins and artist Ramon Bachs as they take you to the middle of the action. Also featuring the Prologue to World War Hulk! Hulk is coming, and no power on Earth can stop him from getting revenge on the Illuminati! What events have led up to the superhuman battle-to-end-all-battles? As Hulk’s great stone ship approaches the planet, he prepares for the war on the horizon by reliving past conflicts with Iron Man, the Fantastic Four, Doctor Strange, and the Inhumans.

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SPECIAL ONLY $5 BONUS!!!:

Runaways Pride and Joy HC: In Pride & Joy, six young friends discover their parents are all secretly super-powered villains! Finding strength in one another, the shocked teens run away from home and straight into the adventure of their lives – vowing to turn the tables on their evil legacy. In Teenage Wasteland, the Runaways find a kindred spirit in a daring young stranger and welcome him into their fold. But will this dashing young man help the teenagers defeat their villainous parents… or tear them apart? Plus: who do you send to catch a group of missing, runaway teenage super-heroes? Marvel’s original teen runaway crimefighters, Cloak and Dagger, make their first major appearance in years! In The Good Die Young, the world as we know it is about to end, and the Runaways are the only hope to prevent it! Our fledgling teenage heroes have learned how their parents’ criminal organization began, and now they must decide how it should end. As the Runaways’ epic battle against their evil parents reaches its shocking conclusion, the team’s mole stands revealed, and blood must be shed. Which kids will still be standing when the smoke finally clears?

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There are tons of other super sweet books on the “bonus racks” at both BNW Locations. Be sure to hit them up every week!

CHECK OUT ALL THESE SWEET DEALS!

X-Factor Visionaries: Peter David vol 1

X-Factor Visionaries Peter David Vol 1: The name wasn’t changed to protect the innocent, but everything else was as Peter David took over the series from the founding X-Men! Alumni of the X-Men, the New Mutants and the Avengers join refugees from odd corners of the X-Universe as the government’s latest super-effort, but Mister Sinister and his Nasty Boys don’t want this team to survive long enough to get its roster straight! Featuring the historic first meeting of the cast of Marvel Knights’ Madrox! Collects X-Factor #71-75.

X-Men Supernovas HC

X-Men Supernovas HC: Mike Carey (Ultimate Fantastic Four) and Chris Bachalo (Uncanny X-Men) take over X-Men, or at least what’s left of them! As old threats are still having their effects, new, more deadly threats emerge from the unlikeliest of places. Threats that spell doom for the X-Men. Plus: What could possibly strike terror into the heart of…Sabretooth?! And who are the Children of the Vault? This is the book you’ve been waiting for! A perfect starting point for any new reader! Collecting X-MEN #188-199 and ANNUAL #1.

Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi'Ar Empire

Uncanny X-Men: Rise and Fall of the Shi’Ar Epire: A brand-new era for UNCANNY X-MEN begins here! Fresh off X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS, Ed Brubaker takes the helm of Marvel’s mighty mutants. Young Guns Reloaded artist Billy Tan and Clayton Henry join Ed for a story that won’t just affect Earth, but will rock the foundations of the entire galaxy! Vulcan is out for revenge and has his sights set on the Shi’Ar Empire! Get ready for the ride of your life! A perfect starting point for any new reader! Collecting UNCANNY X-MEN #475-486.

Ultimate Spider Man Venom HC

Ultimate Spider Man Venom HC: Spider-Man’s ultimate villain gets the Ultimate treatment! After reuniting with his childhood friend Eddie Brock, Peter Parker discovers a secret about their fathers’ pasts…a black liquid that can transform into a protoplasmic bodysuit, curing any illness and enhancing the wearer’s strength and abilities. But when Peter tries to continue his father’s work, he accidentally becomes encased in the murky liquid and becomes nearly unstoppable…but at a terrible price. Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #33-39.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 1

 Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 1: Witness the beginnings of the Four – Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, Susan Storm and Ben Grimm – super-hero icons for the new century! When high-school genius Reed Richards enrolls at a secret government-sponsored school for the most gifted minds in the world, he unwittingly starts himself and his friends on the journey of a lifetime! A story about science, adventure and above all else family, set in the most dynamic and unpredictable universe in the comic-book world! Collects ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #1-6.

Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 5

 Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol 5: Mark Millar returns to ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR, and he’s brought X-MEN: PHOENIX – ENDSONG superstar Greg Land with him! Even in their short careers, the Ultimate FF have seen a lot of amazing things – but nothing will prepare them for the world they’re about to enter! Reed Richards has used his scientific genius to contact an Earth in a surprisingly familiar parallel dimension – and he’s ready to visit! Plus: The shocking secret of the Storm family is finally revealed! Locked away at the bottom of the ocean for 5,000 years, Namor the Sub-Mariner’s Atlantean tomb has been breached; now, he’s back to rule a planet. This is a Namor you’ve never seen before with a vastly different agenda. This is Ultimate Namor! Learn about the ties between Atlantis, the Ultimate Inhumans and the super-races that existed before man ruled the Earth! Collects ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-26.

Ultimate Spider Man Ultimate Collection vol 1

 Ultimate Spider Man Ultimate Collection vol 1: Collecting the groundbreaking first year of Ultimate Spider-Man in one colossal trade paperback! High school, puberty, first dances – there are many pitfalls to being young. Compound these with intense personal tragedy and super human powers, and you can start to visualize the world of Peter Parker, a.k.a. Spider-Man. Following the murder of his uncle and the Green Goblin’s assault on his high school, Peter finds himself on the brink of manhood: getting a job at the Daily Bugle to help support his widowed aunt and taking on extracurricular activities – such as bringing down the Kingpin, the head of organized crime in New York City! Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #1-13.

The Hood HC

The Hood HC: With great power …comes great opportunity.
Nineteen-year-old Parker Robbins couldn’t afford college, but he was able to buy a ski mask and a Lorcin .380 handgun. After dropping out of high school, he hoped to follow in the footsteps of his late father, a soldier in the Kingpin’s vast criminal empire – but life in the mob isn’t always as glamorous as the movies make it seem. With a pregnant girlfriend, a demanding mistress and an institutionalized mother to care for, Parker can barely make ends meet. So when the small-time crook finds mystical apparel that grants him strange powers, he elects to forgo organized crime … for the more prestigious and financially rewarding world of costumed villainy. Collecting THE HOOD #1-6.

The Punisher Presents Barracuda Max

The Punisher Presents Barracuda Max: What? You didn’t actually think that a load of buckshot to the chest in shark-infested waters was gonna put him down for good, did you? The Punisher’s wildest foe is back ? give or take a few boy parts ? this time he’s embarking on a solo mission: playing bodyguard to the son of a dangerous mob boss. Should be a breeze for a guy who went toe-to-toe with Frank Castle and lived to tell about it, right? Guess again. Junior is a hemophiliac ? and every crime syndicate in the country can’t wait to take a shot at him as payback to his dad. To survive, Barracuda will have to navigate hitmen, corrupt cops, black ops, a Central American strongman and rescue a damsel in distress. No kidding. Collecting PUNISHER PRESENTS: BARRACUDA MAX #1-5.

New Mutants Classic Vol 1

New Mutants Classic Vol 1: Cannonball. Sunspot. Moonstar. Karma. Rahne. Teenagers, thrown together by the one thing they had in common: the X factor in their genes that made them different, made them mutants. Relive the adventurers of the team that will come to be known as X-Force…if they survive. Collects MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #5, NEW MUTANTS #1-7 and UNCANNY X-MEN #167.

Fantastic Four Visionaries Walt Simonson Vol 1

Fantastic Four Visionaries Walt Simonson Vol 1: After a string of successes with THOR, X-FACTOR and AVENGERS, it’s sensational Simonson storytelling for Marvel’s First Family – starting when the FF’s Congressional hearing is disrupted by dozens of vengence-seeking villains! After the famous foursome – plus Ms. Marvel – deal with the Capitol chaos, a time anomaly sends them to find the future’s fate! But while Kang and Nebula take up their time, will the universe fall to Galactus? Guest-starring Thor, Iron Man and Death’s Head! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #334-341.

X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga

X-Men Dark Phoenix Saga: Gathered together by Professor Charles Xavier to protect a world that fears and hates them, the X-Men had fought many battles, been on adventures that spanned galaxies, grappled enemies of limitless might, but none of this could prepare them for the most shocking struggle they would ever face. One of their own members, Jean Grey, has gained power beyond all comprehension, and that power has corrupted her absolutely! Now they must decide if the life of the woman they cherish is worth the existence of the entire universe! Collects X-MEN #129-137.

Captain America Red, White and Blue

Captain America Red, White and Blue: In this thought-provoking original graphic novel, a world-class collection of top comic-book creators from around the globe presents a series of uniquely personal visions of the heroic icon that is Captain America! RED: WHITE & BLUE roams between the humorous and the serious, the farcical and the personal  invoking the power people give over to Captain America. In all, more than fifty creators have crafted timeless stand-alone stories  each told with a color palette limited to Cap’s signature colors of red, white and blue! In addition to these original short stories, this anthology reprints the back-up stories in CAPTAIN AMERICA #50 (2002) and MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: CAPTAIN AMERICA REMEMBERED.

Avengers Kang Time and Time Again

 Avengers Kang Time and Time Again: The super-villainy of Kang the Conqueror…unleashed at last! You’ve seen his true colors in YOUNG AVENGERS; now, see what came before! In a classic contest, the Grandmaster and Kang pit the Avengers against the Squadron Sinister and the wartime Invaders! And when the self-proclaimed “Ultimate Kang” sets outs to conquer his alternate-reality counterparts, only one force can possibly halt his mad march: himself!? Plus: Kang takes on Thor and the Hulk! Collecting AVENGERS #69-71 and #267-269, THOR #140, and HULK #135.

Avengers Galactic Storm Vol 1

Avengers Galactic Storm Vol 1: The Kree are one of the Fantastic Four’s oldest enemies; the Shi’ar, one of the X-Men’s oldest allies. But it’s the Avengers who are caught in the middle when the two alien races wage a war to re-write Marvel’s map of the universe! As two-legged WMDs land on Earth, the Avengers end up as alien invaders on wartorn worlds of wonder, both as a unit and individually! Featuring the Imperial Guard! Starforce! Deathbird! Thor vs. Gladiator! Super heroes from three galaxies and more clash in the first half of the story that shook the team to its foundations! Collects CAPTAIN AMERICA #398-399, AVENGERS WEST COAST #80-81, QUASAR #32-33, WONDER MAN #7-8, AVENGERS #345-346, IRON MAN #278 and THOR #445.

Avengers Galactic Storm Vol 2

Avengers Galactic Storm Vol 2: One galaxy’s heroes are another’s villains, and two galaxies’ worth of them collide head-on – with the Avengers in the middle of a war whose repercussions will haunt them for years! The events that split and shook Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to their foundations end here, and intergalactic boundaries aren’t the only lines being drawn! Plus: The tri-galaxy war devastates Earth far more literally when we see “What If the Avengers Lost Operation: Galactic Storm?”! Collects IRON MAN #279, THOR #446, CAPTAIN AMERICA #400-401, AVENGERS WEST COAST #82, QUASAR #34-35, WONDER MAN #9, AVENGERS #347 and WHAT-IF #55-56.

Avengers Defenders War HC

 Avengers Defenders War HC: Captain America. Iron Man. Thor. Doctor Strange. Namor. The Sub-Mariner. The Hulk. The world’s greatest heroes at the forefront of its two most titanic teams! But when the dread Dormammu and the lying Loki manipulate the Defenders and Avengers in an effort to obtain the awesome Evil Eye, the groups’ first team-up is almost their last! Hero vs. Hero across the world, with world-destroying power as the stake! Guest-starring Sunfire and Prester John, later of Cable and Deadpool fame! Collecting AVENGERS #115-118 and DEFENDERS #8-11.

Anita Blake Guilty Pleasures HC

Anita Blake Guilty Pleasures HC:  New York Times Best-Selling author LAURELL K. HAMILTON offers readers a brand-new experience in the world of ANITA BLAKE in a beautiful hardcover edition! Fusing mythology, werewolves and vampires with a story loaded with mystery, action and romance, the ANITA BLAKE novels take place in a world where vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of nightmare have been declared legal citizens of the United States. ANITA BLAKE is an “animator” – a profession that involves raising the dead for a living.
ANITA BLAKE is also known as a fearsome hunter of criminal vampires, and she moonlights by investigating cases that are far too much for “conventional” police. But as Anita gains the attention of the vampire masters in her hometown of St. Louis, she also risks revealing an intriguing secret about herself – the source of her unusual strength and power. As a special treat, Anita Blake fans will also discover an original side story featuring Anita and Dolph, written specially for the
hardcover edition by LAURELL K. HAMILTON.

Ultimate Spider Man Clone Saga HC

Ultimate Spider Man Clone Saga HC: THE FIRST-EVER ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN PREMIERE HC! As Peter Parker tries to sort out his relationship with the X-Men’s Kitty Pryde – and continue his friendship with Mary Jane – a mall-food-court lunch turns into a free-for-all as Peter and MJ are interrupted by the debut of…the Ultimate Scorpion! But who is the Scorpion – and what sinister conspiracy is threatening Spider-Man’s very existence? The clues have been laid over the past 96 issues…and it all starts to come together here, as we begin the most shocking, most mind-blowing Spider-Man story ever published! Collecting ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN #97-105 and MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS/MARK BAGLEY, plus extras.

It’s that time of year again and Brave New Worlds is happy to share with you some Holiday Gift Ideas!

There are a few things that get me fired up for comics. Hellboy is one of them…and if you add Frankenstein to it you know I’m probably going to lose my shit. Let’s take a look at the solicitation for Hellboy: House of the Living Dead shall we:

Devastated over the loss of his luchador comrade to vampires, Hellboy lingers in Mexican bars until he’s invited to participate in the ultimate wrestling match with a vicious Frankenstein monster!

WHAT THE?! Did they write this with me (and a few of my compatriots) in mind?! I mean are they literally listening to the beer induced babble between myself and Patch?! However this book came into being I am super glad it did!

Maybe this will help me get over the fact that Fear Agent ends forever this week…

Here’s a preview of the book from the good folks over at Dark Horse!!

Hellboy: House of the Living Dead HC

Price: $14.99

Writer:

Mike Mignola

Artist:

Richard Corben

Colorist:

Dave Stewart

Cover Artist:

Mike Mignola

I’m going to start this off by saying I’ve never been to a BIG convention before. This was my first. I’ve had good/mediocre times at the Philly Con (in it’s PRIME I’d borderline say great times) but as we all know that Con has transmogrified from being a Comic Convention into a C and D List Entertainment Convention. If I wanna meet WWE Super Star Virgil next year I know he’ll be coming to Philly.

As it seems with most of the Cons I got to, no matter what the size, I spend all of my time in Artist Alley. I like to talk to artists in a one on one manner, if they have the time. I tend not to swing by the big booths (they’re really crowded a lot of the time), I’m not gonna spend money at shops (let’s face it I spend all my time in a comic shop) and while I’d love to sit in on a panel to hear the news “first”, I’m not looking to spend time waiting in line or sitting cramped in a room full of people (every panel I’ve ever been to I’ve been sitting near the smelly guy or the annoying guy who has something to say about every talking point…and before you accuse me of being the smelly guy  I assure you the one time I have no idea how a human could smell like that). I’m getting ahead of myself though.

I had a great time! I arrived in NYC just before 11pm on Saturday night. My plan was to find my friend Sarah who lives in NY and meet up w/ her and have her show me a good time. She knows some comics people, as she used to write for Newsarama and her one good friend was an Editor on the Bat-books until recently, so I knew we’d end up somewhere cool. Little did I really know that I’d end up at the iFanboy/Marvel Comics Party. I’m pretty sure that Rob was a little fed up with my texts from about midnight to 2am. Spending those hours sitting around a table drinking beers and shooting the shit with (Uncanny X-Men/Journey Into Mystery scribe) Kieron Gillen and his wife Chrissy (who’s really awesomely hilarious btw), Jamie McKelvie (Phonogram and X-Men Season One artist) and Lauren Sankovitch (editor extraordinaire of Journey Into Mystery) made for an oddly awesome end to my day. Mix in the fact that I shook hands with Garth Ennis, actually physically bumped into John Romita Jr (I think), saw Dave Finch (what’s a DC guy doing there?), had to say excuse me and sorry to Jason Aaron (Scalped and Wolverine and the X-men) as I squeezed through the crowd carrying drinks (free ones btw…thanks iFanboy/Marvel) and at one point mid conversation looked up from my seat to see that Matt Fraction was standing next to me (me: “Hey man.” Matt Fraction: “Hi, how’re you doing?”). It was an awesome end to a crazy day that started in Philly at 10:30am and I hadn’t even been to the Con yet.

You may or may not know this but NYC is huge. I knew this but my brain + beers had to recalibrate this fact. The next day, my only day at the Con, it took a while to get from Brooklyn to Midtown. Between trains being out and having to take shuttle buses (why the F was that thing so damn warm?!), certain trains only being express and being sure to stop in and check on the status of Occupy Wall Street (which I’m glad I did) I got to the Con with plenty of time to see and do what I wanted to do.

Sarah needed to make contact with Ryan Kelly (artist of Local and both New York 4 and New York 5) to sure up dinner plans for that evening, after the con but before I took the bus home. As we were doing this my phone died. I had plans of taking tons of pictures, sending tons of tweets and meeting up with people but alas all hopes of doing that died. I mean when I walked by Fred Armisen on my way to the bathroom I’d have loved to have snagged a pic with him. But I couldn’t. When I talked to Becky Cloonan (swoon) for 15 min I would’ve loved to ask her for a pic with her (that shit woulda been my avatar/icon/profile pic for every form of digital communication I have). Finding BNW’s own Chris Beaumont’s CubeeCraft booth may have been easier had my phone worked (except he was right behind Becky Cloonan so I found him way easy). Also maybe just knowing what time it was could have helped me figure out what was going on around me.

Phone troubles be damned…I had a great time. That being said I’m not sure if Cons are for me. Unless there’s just a con out there where I get to meet and talk to awesome artists. I can do without all the videogame booths causing blockages in the aisles. I can do without all the cosplayers stopping every other second to pose for 5 guys with digital slr cameras, who need to get real low angle shots for some reason, when I’m trying to walk around. Who brings a stroller to a comic con!? Maybe if I had had more than one day there I would be signing a different tune. And maybe if I had a trillion more dollars in my pocket so that I could pay all the badass artists for commissions and art books that I couldn’t afford and had to, sadly, leave behind. I also wonder how tiring/stressful this whole weekend has to be for the creators…and did any of them get Monday off?!

Also I think I’ll probably go again…if the opportunity arises in the future.

Last week was huge in the world of comics. Action Comics got an all new #1 (much to the chagrin of long time Supes fans and to the guy who said that Kal took the Lord’s Name in vain) while Barbra Gordon got to run around again (using her legs!) and Sgt Rock joined the world of modern warfare…all the while DC Comics stirred up a lot of buzz in the mainstream media.

Here’s the list of the DCnU Proper books hitting shelves tomorrow (for the rest of the books and sweet stuff coming out tomorrow CLICK HERE):

BATMAN AND ROBIN #1 : Written by PETER J. TOMASI Art and cover by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY Battling evil with his son, Damian, at his side, Batman now realizes that the hardest part of the job may be trying to work together! As Batman and Robin try to adjust to their new partnership, a figure emerges from Bruce Wayne’s past: His name is NoBody, and he’s not happy that Batman Incorporated is shining a light on his own shadowy war against evil…

BATWOMAN #1: Written by J.H. WILLIAMS III and W. HADEN BLACKMAN Art and cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III At last! Batwoman’s new series begins, from the multiple award-winning creative team of J.H. Williams III and Haden Blackman! In ‘Hydrology,’ part 1 of 5, Batwoman faces deadly new challenges in her war against Gotham City’s underworld – and new trials in her life as Kate Kane. Who or what is stealing children from the barrio, and for what vile purpose? Will Kate train her cousin, Bette Kane (a.k.a. Flamebird), as her new sidekick? How will she handle unsettling revelations about her father, Colonel Jacob Kane? And why is a certain government hunting her?

DEATHSTROKE #1: Written by KYLE HIGGINS Art by JOE BENNETT and ART THIBERT Cover by SIMON BISLEY ‘Friends die, family disappoints, but a legacy… That lives forever.’ Slade Wilson is the best mercenary in the DCU, and he’s been doing this a long time. Some might say too long. But they’ll learn: Never turn your back on Deathstroke the Terminator. He won’t quit, no matter how high the stakes. Kyle Higgins (BATMAN: GATES OF GOTHAM) and Joe Bennett (TEEN TITANS) team up to bring you the finest in mayhem and gore.

DEMON KNIGHTS #1: Written by PAUL CORNELL Art by DIOGENES NEVES and OCLAIR ALBERT Cover by TONY S. DANIEL Set in the Dark Ages of the DC Universe, a barbarian horde is massing to crush civilization. It’s fallen to Madame Xanadu and Jason Blood, the man with a monster inside him, to stand in their way – though the demon Etrigan has no interest in protecting anyone or anything other than himself! It’ll take more than their own power to stop an army fueled by bloodlust and dark sorcery, and some very surprising heroes – and villains – will have no choice but to join the fray!

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #1 : Written by JEFF LEMIRE Art by ALBERTO PONTICELLI Cover by J.G. JONES It’s Frankenstein as you’ve never seen him before, in a dark new series from acclaimed writer Jeff Lemire (SWEET TOOTH) and artist Alberto Ponticelli (UNKNOWN SOLDIER)! Frankenstein is part of a network of strange beings who work for an even stranger government organization: The Super Human Advanced Defense Executive! But can he protect the world from threats even more horrifying than himself? And since he’s vilified for who and what he is, will he even want to take on this mission?

GREEN LANTERN #1 : The red-hot GREEN LANTERN team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Doug Mahnke introduce an unexpected new Lantern.

GRIFTER #1: Written by NATHAN EDMONDSON Art by CAFU Cover by CAFU and BIT The DCU’s most wanted man stars in his own series! Cole Cash is a charming grifter few can resist. And yet he’s about to be branded a serial killer when he begins hunting and exterminating inhuman creatures hidden in human form – creatures only he can see! Can the biggest sweet talker of all time talk his way out of this one when even his brother thinks he’s gone over the edge?

LEGION LOST #1: Written by FABIAN NICIEZA Art and cover by PETE WOODS Seven heroes from the 31st century have traveled back to the present day. Their mission: Save their future from annihilation. But when the future tech they brought with them fails, they find themselves trapped in a nightmarish world that, for them, is the ultimate struggle to survive!

MISTER TERRIFIC #1: Written by ERIC WALLACE Art by ROGER ROBINSON Cover by J.G. JONES The world’s third-smartest man – and one of its most eligible bachelors – uses his brains and fists against science gone mad! In this new series Michael Holt is the head of a successful high-tech corporation and an institute that recruits and encourages the finest minds of the next generation to excel. As Mister Terrific he inhabits a world of amazement few others know exists, let alone can comprehend

RED LANTERNS #1: Written by PETER MILLIGAN Art and cover by ED BENES and ROB HUNTER Atrocitus and his Red Lantern Corps return in their own series, battling against injustice in the most bloody ways imaginable!

RESURRECTION MAN #1: Written by DAN ABNETT and ANDY LANNING Art by FERNANDO DAGNINO Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO It’s the return of Mitch Shelly – and he’s still dead. Resurrection Man can’t stay dead for long, though – and with each rebirth comes new and unexpected powers. But his many returns have not gone unnoticed, and forces are gathering to learn what’s so special about him – and to see which of them will finally stop Resurrection Man dead.

SUICIDE SQUAD #1: Written by ADAM GLASS Art by MARCO RUDY Cover by RYAN BENJAMIN They’re a team of death-row super villains recruited by the government to take on missions so dangerous – they’re sheer suicide! Harley Quinn! Deadshot! King Shark! Defeated and imprisoned, they’re being interrogated about their mission – and about who’s pulling the strings behind this illegal operation. Who will be the first to crack under the pressure?

SUPERBOY #1:Written by SCOTT LOBDELL Art by RB SILVA and ROB LEAN Cover by ERIC CANETE They thought he was just an experiment – and a failed one at that! Grown from a combination of Kryptonian and human DNA, the Clone was no more than a set of data to the scientists of Project N.O.W.H.E.R.E. But when the scope of his stunning powers was revealed, he became a deadly weapon! Now the question is: Can a clone develop a conscience?

So you’re sitting there reading your news online and you’ve got your favorite movies and shows playing infinite on NetFlix Instant Watch and all-of-a-sudden BLAM! the power goes out. Now being smart and responsible you decide to power down your iPhone/iPad/iMac/iPC/iSega/iWhatever to save the batteries for later…cause who knows how long the power will be out and boy does that thing eat batteries like there’s nothing else going on.

We now find ourselves in the first real dry run of the Zombie Apocalypse in some time. City infrastructure damaged. Power out. Public Transit out the window. Your fridge slowly melting all of Gortons Fisherman fish sticks you’ve got stored in there and you can’t cook ‘em cause you’ve got an electric stove. Also does anyone know if you can flush the toilet without power?!! How about shower?! And you don’t dare go outside in this mess…that’d be crazy. So why not pass the time with funny books! Catch up on your reading whydonthca!

Here’s some good candlelight reading!:

All of EVERYTHING that Jonathan Hickman has written for Marvel!

Start With Fantastic Four Dark Reign and segue into the Fantastic Four, Secret Warriors and S.H.I.E.L.D.! You wont be sorry!

In anticipation of the 3rd book coming out soon from Vertigo Crime I cant’t help but tell you to read Road to Perdition and Road to Perdition 2: On the Road by Max Allan Collins. Depression era crime is totally in right now…and what better way to get psyched for the next season of Boardwalk Empire than read these!

If you haven’t read anything where Guy Davis is the artist then I’m not sure you can really get why he’s such an awesome artist. If you’re reading by candlelight today his creator owned series, from Darkhorse, The Marquis is perfect! 18th Century pseudo France, creepy monsters, weird churches and all sorts of musket type weaponry…not to mention is our main character actually just insane? Also I can’t help but suggest the B.P.R.D. HCs vol 1 and 2 (each collecting 3 volumes of the series) in which Davis draws some truly creepy monsters alongside all your favorite paranormal investigators.

There are currently 7 Volumes of Scalped. You would be my hero/envy if you read all 7 in a row. This is something I plan on doing soon (who knows maybe I’ll do it this weekend) because Jason Aaron can write one helluva story!

I’ll take a step back from my usual suspects of books I love and “push” on people and suggest everyone should read The Invention of Hugo Cabret, not just because Martin Scorsese is making the film adaption of it but because it’s a beautiful little story with awesome illustrations.

I’m also gonna recommend a series that I am going to be starting soon (since a lot of my current regular Vertigo series are ending over the next couple months) that everyone tells me I should be reading…The Unwritten. For me any book where Frankenstein (the monster) shows up is totally right up my alley. The series is full of literary references and is fantasy comic for those who like to think a la Sandman. With 3 volumes in print and on our shelves this one would be well worth starting during the “storm”.

Lastly Supergods by Grant Morrison. While not a comic book it is a book about comics. I’ve yet to start it myself but 2 people I know have read it (One person loved the book so much she bought the UK version while visiting Scotland…she just showed it to me Friday) and have been so excited to talk about it and comics afterward it’s moved to the top of my to read stack in my bedroom…I just have to finish the book I am reading right now. If you can read this entire book before Irene passes overhead I’ll be very impressed.

Everyone have a safe, dry and comics filled weekend and we’ll see you on the other side! Especially for the Midnight Release of Flashpoint #5 and Justice League #1 Tuesday night!

DC Comics Presents Legion of Super-Heroes #1

So like I used to do every once in awhile, from time to time maybe you have said to yourself, “self, it’s time to try to get into Legion of Super-Heroes again.” But ultimately it does not work for you for whatever reason – too many characters, too much back story, too strange and disconnected (as it is set in the 31st century). And then the great experiment fails, again.

If you are willing to give Legion another go, I have two suggestions for you to take a chance on – both of which were recently collected and released by DC Comics again. During one of the previous-mentioned “relaunches” the Powers That Be tapped the cosmic writing duo of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning (War of Kings, Nova) to update to revitalize it’s future heroes.

DC Comics Presents Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (don’t worry, it’s a one-shot) by Abnett and Lanning collects a four-issue run of Legionnaires and Legion of Super-Heroes that dumps the reader right into the middle of the action as a power called The Blight has taken over the Earth, and many of its occupants including a majority of the aforementioned Legion.

What makes this story so awesome is that it does not try to run all of the Legion characters at you, but focuses on a few who have been able to hold out and build a resistance against The Blight. Characters are introduced but not in an overwhelming way.

The Blight are one of the nastiest villains ever brought forth (think Star Trek’s Borg but with feelings). They have evolved into the characters we see ripping apart our home and it is their acquisitions that eventually turn on them.

Plus, another reason this book rocks besides the price (@ $7.99 that’s $1.99 an issue) is Olivier Coipel’s (Thor) artwork. It is not as refined as his stuff today, but it is still really good, unique and the man knows how to tell a story.

The Blight storyline, or “The Damned” arc as it is solicited, is an awesome gateway to the 12-issue mini-series Legion Lost by Abnett, Lanning, Coipel and Pascal Alixe. This mini-series leads to the new Legion relaunch which The Blight trio produced for the first year.

Legion Lost is exactly what it sounds like, several members of the Legion are lost in time and space and attempt to get home, while also searching for one of their missing teammates. Once again, Abnett and Lanning only focus on a small corp group of characters while filling in Legion back story and giving the reader a sense of the team’s history.

In fact, each issue is told from the point of view of one of the stranded members, which allows readers to get to know each character while the continue to suffer through this dire and hopeless situation. The twists and turns and payoff are huge and worth the ride. I can only imagine what it was like to read this arc while it came out monthly. It has sort of a desperate Battlestar Galactica feel to it when the team comes to the realization that they may never get home.

There is also an epic Dark Phoenix sort of tale being weaved as well and readers will be surprised to find out just how this story played out.

The only sad part about both tales is these are the only two Abnett-Lanning DC Legion collections, hopefully for now.

Both DC Comics Presents Legion of Super-Heroes #1 and Legion Lost HC are available at both Brave New Worlds locations.

If you have the issue in your collection (err i mean stack of comics on your nightstand/desk/toilet area[?] that you are meaning/promising to “clean up” or put in a bag and board and then fully catalog and index in a long box) go grab it…you’ll need it handy in the next 20 min or so while your brain is curious. In that issue, you’ll remember, our heroes were confronted by a chart of historic events, a timeline if you will, that showed them the events that were to come and helped them solve their problem.

It also gave us, the readers, a look into what Marvel had in store for us in the past, well now that I think about it, the past year! When the issue first came out I spent a Friday morning reading the chart and scrying the future out of it as best I could. If you missed that CLICK HERE

Let’s see how I did and take a look at it again. First here’s the Timeline:

CLICK TO ENLARGE

Looks like I was unaware of Spidey joining the FF when I wrote:

•SPIDER ON THE HORIZON- There’s a dashed line going down with that written in a circle at the end of it. Whatever that means.

I still don’t know what Throwbacks means…maybe it’s Thunderbolts related?:

•THROWBACKS- up above that is the word Throwbacks. Who the heck knows what that means?! I sure don’t.

I seemed to have totally missed the meaning of Who Is Worthy (we all know that’s all Fear Itself stuff now) but I still don’t know ’bout this 9.9.9 business:

•FIVE LIGHTS- at the end of the Second Coming we saw those 5 lights signifying new mutants. This seems like it will be a big deal especially with the Generation Hope series coming just around the corner. Also on either side of that line and circled are “Who is worthy?” and “9.9.9″…

Maybe I’ve just known Black Bolt was going to return in the pages of FF:

•RETURN OF THE KING- I am guessing that this has nothing to do with LoTR but who knows. Is this reference to Black Panther, Thanos being badass or maybe Black Bolt.

Though I may have failed at the Blackest Night joke (cause seriously how many of you read these posts anyway) but could this have something to do with Fear Itself? Or could someone be taking a dirt nap soon?…:

•NIGHT FALLS- All the people who have died come back to life with the power of these mysterious black rings and try to kill all of Earth’s heroes…oh wait

Uh oh…does this mean things could get messy in the pages of Avengers: Childrens Crusade?:

•IRON LAD (RE)TURNS?- Does this mean the Young Avenger will come back or will turn on his team?

Will it be Doom that helps figure out how to stop all of those renegade Reeds in FF?:

•ALL HOPE LIES IN DOOM!- Valeria says this to Dr. Doom in the latest issue of the FF. What the heck is gonna happen here?! I can’t wait for Doom to do something Doom-ey. “Doom. Always Doom.”

Jason Aaron did say that Schism is going to be like the X-Men’s Civil War:

•SCHIZM!- This one is underlined. So there’s gonna be some sorta split? Like two sides that don’t agree…like some sorta civil war…hmm

Here’s that pesky Childrens Crusade again:

•WHERE IS WANDA?- At the end of an upward dashed line is a question about the Scarlett Witch. We haven’t seen her since basically the end of the House of M story…well we did see her when Clint Barton went to kill her for killing him but then just slept with her. Anyways she was hiding in the Alps.

In S.H.I.E.L.D., Uncanny X-Force, FF and Mighty Thor the word SEED has been thrown around a lot recently…I wonder what the deal with SEEDS could be?:

•GALACTUS SEED- Well there is a Galactus buried in the Earth. See Fantastic Four.

These next ones are X-Men related. We are getting the new X-Men series X-Men First to Last which is about yesterday’s X-Men but told today and Hope may still have some Phoenix stuff left to tell:

•YESTERDAYS X-MEN- Why is this written so far in the future? Does it not having a line attaching it to the larger timeline mean it doesn’t necessarily belong there? Does Beast get un-blue?

•BORN TO BURN- very faintly towards the top of the final dashed line it says born to burn. Phoenix? Is Hope really the Phoenix?

As we can see we still don’t have all of the answers to what’s written on this thing but we have some…and have found some more questions. Though I think it’s pretty darn sweet that these guys have done their job,come up with a plan and stuck with it over the last 10 months and still counting, and it’s worked. Way to go Marvel writers and editors! Also still being unsure of some of this stuff still gives me hope to more surprises yet to occur.

Think I’ve misread something or have missed something altogether leave a comment. Together we could probably figure this whole thing out.

In no way shape or form will I be anywhere near breaking any news and in all honesty most of the links I’ll share here will, if they are current, will be really late to the party. So many of these links will probably be total nonsense…(but that’s what I do best). I hope you enjoy!

•First off I hope everyone did their nerd/Patriotic duty and went to see Captain America at 12:01 AM this morning. Rob n I were there will bells on, of course, with a team of Howling Commandos in tow. I will say nothing more than I enjoyed the crap out of the movie and am very happy that there will be a generation of kids growing up with this as their favorite super hero movie.

Little do people know or realize (or care?) the movie was based offa what Rob n I did for the Allied Forces in the early to mid '40s

•You may have seen the new Spidey trailer floating around the net…I knew it felt familiar (caus I’d wanted to play that game but never got the chance)….CLICK HERE

•I’ve already fallen behind the comics coverage and news coming outta San Diego. Here’s some DC preview art (via Newsarama.com) CLICK HERE

•Lookit this crazy ass alien looking thing…I’ll bet the FF will prob have to fight these at some point but they will probably be made huge by some ray or another. CLICK HERE

•Some sweet Shark Week stuff (yes it’s another link from the Huffington Post) CLICK HERE

•You may have seen that we recently started stocking the Street Fighter Blind Box Toysfrom Kid

lookit! they're so cute!

Robot…but did you see the trailer for the new edition of Marvel Vs Capcom CLICK HERE

•Wanna watch a sweet animation? Sure you do. CLICK HERE

•You may know that I cannot stand Greg Land‘s (f)artwork. I suffer through the issues of Uncanny X-Men (a book I really enjoy) when he’s on art chores. But while reading X-Men Schism I did point out to Rob that the one guy looked like the Iranian President Ahmadinejad. This blogger over at Newsarama poses an interesting question  CLICK HERE

•I hope you all read the new Jonathan Hickman book that came out last week. It rules.

•I don’t normally play this type of game but man this looks fun CLICK HERE

•Frank Miller’s Holy Terror (sans Batman) is finally coming out (in 2 months) CHECK IT OUT

•This link may be a little late to the party, but, Parents do you know where your kids are? CLICK HERE

•Conan has arrived at SDCC

•Speaking of Conan CLICK HERE

•Did you see the episode of Brave and the Bold with the opening that featured SPACE GHOST!? No? It’s awesome! CLICK HERE already!

•Alec Baldwin and his undies CLICK HERE

•This was from last week (i know i should have blogged it then) but that doesn’t mean it’s not funny this week. Also I never saw the original CLICK HERE

•And I’ll leave you with a song, which just played on my ipod, from a Philly band that i love, The Extraordinaires. Enjoy and have a great weekend. CLICK HERE