Brave New Worlds started on a dare in Willow Grove Pennsylvania April\'s Fool\'s Day 1989. It was originally named the \"Comic Book Store\" until the shop moved to Jenkintown.
Brave New Worlds has been serving the greater Philadelphia area\'s comic book and toy needs for over 20 Years.
You can visit Brave New Worlds in one of 2 locations:
Willow Grove - 433 West Moreland Road Willow Grove, Pa. (215.657.8838)
Hours - Sunday 11-6, Monday-Friday 11-9, Saturday 11-7
Philadelphia - 55 N. 2nd Street Philadelphia, Pa. (215.925.6525)
Hours - Sunday 11-6, Monday-Saturday 11-8
Archive for the ‘Staff Picks’ Category
Aw Yeah!
Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus
Considered by many to be the quintessential Thor run, Walt Simonson’s epic tales of the Mighy Thor, his alter ego Dr. Donald Blake, The Warriors Three, Loki, Balder the Brave, Sif, Odin, Beta Ray Bill and of course Thor as a frog are ALL here – that is the complete run – remastered from the original art in all its glory.
Growing up in the 1980s I was fortunate to be able to experience the real golden age of the Marvel Universe. I know these words may be apocryphal and blasphemous to some, but the early days introduced readers to these classic characters by the legends of the industry – Lee, Kirby, Ditko, etc. The 1980s saw a new wave of creative talent that produced stories that became instant classics.
Think about it, not counting the Lee-Kirby years for many of these books, the 1980s saw the defining run for the X-Men (Claremont), Fantastic Four (Byrne), Daredevil (Miller) and of course Thor. While the narrative has become a little dated, the stories themselves have not.
As with Byrne during his FF run, Simonson pulled double duty and was an iron man playing both ways as he produced a monthly book that he was both writing and drawing. Think about that for a moment, especially during the too numerous to count delays from all the top talent today. Like clockwork FF and Thor always hit shelves, only forcing readers to wait a month instead of months and in some cases years that recent stories have fallen trap to throughout the industry.
Back to the merits of Simonson’s run he penned the battle of Surtur and Odin which resulted in the All Father’s demise, the Casket of Ancient Winters, told the origins of Asgard and the sacrifice of the Executioner, and was along for the ride on the Mutant Massacre.
But don’t take my word for it, experience it for yourself. I was never a big fan of the character, not very relatable for me. That said, Simonson’s run was just plain fun. Stop in at Brave New Worlds today to order yours!
2 Books I Wanna Read Tomorrow
It’s Lincoln’s Assassination week once again and also there are new comics hitting the shelves Wednesday. Let’s look at 2 comics I wanna read tomorrow…
Another Look
If you have been coming into the store and asking me what I have enjoyed at anytime over the past several months my answer has always been Amazing Spider-Man and Fantastic Four. So it is only fitting that I decided to take Another Look at two books that have been out for a few weeks – FF #1 and Amazing Spider-Man #657. While these books were released in the order listed, I recommend reading Spider-Man first; it actually leads into FF #1 and could make your enjoyment that much stronger.
SPOILER ALERT! I want to get this out of the way now. Please read no further if you are a Fantastic Four fan and have yet to read the issue where one of its members bites it. And if you do fall into this category, why haven’t you read this issue yet? You deserve to have it spoiled for you. But I digress.
Amazing Spider-Man #657
Dan Slott (w) Marcos Martin (a)
About a month ago the next issue of Amazing Spider-Man to hit the shelves after the death of Johnny Storm was #655 and it dealt with the aftermath of the death of Marla Jamieson. No mention of Johnny’s Storm’s passing could be found. Granted, the issue was perfect in the continuity of the ongoing Spidey title. However it had the bad luck of coming out the same week as the final issue of Fantastic Four, in which it’s surviving members plus a certain web head all dealt with the emotional aftermath of the matchstick being extinguished for good.
It was unfortunate too because the issue was referred to by Dan Slott as the best thing he had ever written. And while I did enjoy it, it was also overshadowed a bit for me by Jonathan Hickman’s final issue of Fantastic Four.
Fast forward to last week and Amazing Spider-Man #657 finally got around to dealing with the Human Torch’s demise. However, if you read FF #1 which came out a few weeks earlier you already knew that Spider-Man was the newest member (he is going to compete with Wolverine for team memberships soon).
While the official invitation is revealed in #657, the issue is much more than that as we learn what role each member of the FF played in the Fantastic Five’s lives. Some make sense, others will be a surprise. I was definitely caught off guard as to the group’s designation of Reed. It was a typical walk down memory lane, remembering someone they fault alongside for so many years.
One of the best moments comes when Ben Grimm recalls how he liked it when Spidey was around because it gave Ben a break from all of Johnny’s pranks. And it was true, he did get a break, for a bit.
While #655 was really well done and very poetic, for my money give me #657. It is another opportunity to say goodbye to a cherished member of the Fantastic Four and Marvel community, but also a perfect jumping on point and a new future for not only Spidey, but the remaining members of the FF.
FF #1
Jonathan Hickman (w) Steve Epting (a)
It’s odd to think that after all these years there is not a new issue of the Fantastic Four coming out. The book has morphed into FF, which makes sense since one of the original members is gone.
Even if you have not read anything that has come before, this introduction issue is a terrific jumping on point and hopefully a catalyst for people to take a look back at Hickman’s entire run not just on the book but with the team (beginning in the Dark Reign Fantastic Four mini-series).
Just like the issue prior, we find the team in the grips of the death of their brother and friend. We welcome a new member onto the squad, which now has a new look (several actually). But there is more as we find how everyone is dealing with Johnny’s demise.
Two of the most telling are Reed and Valerie. Reed seems to be going out of his way to be more understanding and more of a presence for the entire family instead of sequestering himself in his lab and he is want to do most of the time. No, that role now goes to Valerie who seems to have adopted some of her father’s more obsessive traits when it comes to solving a problem.
And that is what this new team is all about, solving problems any way they can, including inviting a very surprising individual to join them in this quest.
I also love how Hickman begins the story narrative, telling the tale through Spider-Man’s eyes as we play witness to how he sees the team in their mourning period and how they are looking into the future.
One thing is for sure, this is not your father’s Fantastic Four anymore.
I am eager to see how long the emotional effects last for all of the team members, especially Ben and Reed who at least on the outside seem to have the most visible issues dealing with what has occurred. It will be interesting to see if Hickman is tempted to tell those stories, and then move on. As anyone who has experienced lost knows, that while things do return to normal, more often than not those initial changes creep into your personality and will always affect those characters motivations moving forward – and that is one story I am looking very forward to reading.
What I Liked This Week
Fear Itself #1
Matt Fraction (w) Stuart Immonen (a)
Cynics will tell you the next big Marvel event is here and who cares. I am not one of them however. I am all about the event, especially if it is done correctly. If issue number one of Fear Itself is any indication, this one is going to be a doozy. And the repercussions have already begun by the end of the first issue.
Sin’s story and quest for her father’s hidden power continues and answers are revealed in the very first issue. Unlike Lost, one mystery is revealed only to lead to another new mystery. But wait, there is more …
The sneak previews of the issue focus on Tony Stark and the Avengers publicly discussing the rebuilding of Asgard. With the return of a major player in the pages of Thor over the past few months (a Fraction written book), things are going to change for our favorite God of Thunder. And I so did not see that coming.
Besides Sin and Asgard, there are other seeds planted in the issue that give Steve Rogers an opportunity to take center stage. The new Marvel Universe is here, and for the most part, all is good in the world. Until now that is.
When I finished reading the issue, I did not want it to end. The greatest compliment I can really pay any weekly floppy. Don’t take my word for it however, jump in and see what all the fun is about.
Avengers Children’s Crusade #5
Allan Heinberg (w) Jim Cheung, Mark Morales (a)
This is issue is all about four characters who for the most part have not appeared in this mini-series until now. Each’s return has a major impact on events in the issue and most likely moving forward.
Heinberg continues to peel away the layers of the onion with each issue, all along presenting new questions with each discovery.
With at least another six months before this nine-issue series ends, it is never too late to jump on board.
And even though, including in this issue, the fireworks have flown especially with Doom and Magneto, you know this is really just the start of things to come. And if the children’s crusade is realized, what then?
Retro Random Comic Review
Showcase Presents #98
Paul Levitz (w) Joe Staton, Dick Giordano (a)
Way, way back in a decade known as the 1970s, DC Comics decided to bring back the original Justice Society of America. To accomplish this, they introduced Earth 2 in which these Golden Age heroes habited. In addition, they introduced some new younger heroes to the squad as to attract newer readers. One of these new heroes was Power Girl.
A few years later after Gerry Conway (Power Girl’s creator) left DC to head over to Marvel Comics, Paul Levitz inherited the All Star Comics mantle in which the Earth 2 JSA resided. Levitz also took over Showcase comics and decided to use a three-story arc to explain just who was Power Girl.
I decided to spotlight the middle issue of the trilogy, as this one is the meat of the three. As much as things have changed in the DC Universe since Crisis on Infinite Earths took out the Multiverse, they have remained the same, especially when it comes to PG’s origin story.
In fact, the PG we know and love from the current DC continuity is actually this PG from the Earth 2 story, pulled into the current timeline during the Crisis. Pretty neat eh?
So anyway, I often enjoy these old 70s stories. Something awesome about the narrative, which is not as heavy handed as some of the 1960s stuff. Levitz had a real way with the words back in his heyday, and Staton and Giordano’s work on the pictures is smooth and sweet. I am not sure what it is about Giordano, but his style on this era more than anyone else’s has always made me look back on this era’s comics with great fondness.
Anyway, issue #98 focuses on Power Girl’s ship that brought her to Earth after the destruction of Krypton 2. Turns out her pop made the ship a symbiote and enabled it to give her virtual memories of life moving forward just in case she did not land somewhere for a very long time. Nice guy that pop of hers.
But, the ship was not ready to give up that relationship and sucked her back into its own twisted version of Pleasantville again, giving Power Girl everything a growing Kryptonian girl dreams about.
Anyway, this is a real fun story, especially for those who are fans of the Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Judd Winick and Sami Basri versions.
The other nice thing for all Power Girl fans, the trilogy is actually collected and available at Brave New Worlds in the Power Girl tradepaperback, which collects these three issues plus Geoff Johns and Conner’s JSA #32, 39 and JSA Classified #1-4 from the Infinite Crisis days that put PG back on the DC radar.
Check out previous Random Retro Comic Reviews below.
Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #40
Invincible Iron Man Volume 3 #37
Innernette Friday (Rob’s @ SxSw btw)
It’s friday. Hope you are enjoying the weather outside. Maybe swing by either or both BNW’s and grab some comics and go read em outside! But for right now let’s see what’s going on around the innernette while you are at work and bored, shall we…
What I Liked This Week
Uncanny X-Men Annual #1 (2010)
James Ausmus (w) Nick Bradshaw (a)
“Escape from the Negative Zone” Part One harkens back to a time in the late 80s and early 90s when Marvel attempted to make their annuals more relevant by tying them into one another and telling one big tale. The most successful attempt at this was Uncanny X-Men Annual #9 and New Mutants Special Edition in which our hapless mutants are transported to Asgard and fun with the Warriors Three is had by all. While comparing those books with this week’s annual is like comparing apples to watermelon, the effort and intention is still there.
Continuing and ending in Steve Rogers Super Solider Annual and Namor First Mutant Annual, respectively, Uncanny X-Men Annual has all the prerequisite elements for Marvel’s summer time distraction – fun, fun and a trip to the Negative Zone.
Oftentimes annuals are not produced by the monthly book’s creative team which can lead to uneven storytelling and unfamiliar character traits. However, this book does not suffer from either one of those as James Ausmus writes the X-Men as if he has been all along. And Nick Bradshaw’s art is almost an identical copy of Arthur Adams (and that is not meant in any way to diminish what Bradshaw brings to the story – I like the style, it’s “fun”) which gives the book even more of a summer-time X-Men feel like the classic tales referred to in my first paragraph.
The story basically spotlights Cyclops, Hope, Namor and Dr. Nemesis. Four great characters, two of which have major issues with Cyke, and another who cannot be bothered (can you guess who fits into each role). Hope’s feelings about everything have been percolating (she is a teenage girl after all) and she begins to let those feelings out, while Namor is also suffering from not enough attention.
I always like to see how writers take on Emma’s sardonic and dry with, and Ausmus does not miss a chance to give her some of the issue’s most memorable lines – my favorite having to do with scotch.
In the end, this is a setup issue for a much larger story, but the fun is the journey arriving to the setup, the reveal and figuring out what is going to happen next.
I have not said this in a long time, but I am very much looking forward to the next two parts of this tale.
Innernette! I’m aware it’s been a while
Ready for a dose of innernette nonsense? If you’re not don’t click on this post cause that’s all I’ve got to offer today.
My Pick
Daytripper
Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba (w/a)
Really, words truly fail me when it comes to describing just how awesome Daytripper is. It’s not your typical comic or graphic novel, and for that we are all lucky. The Brazilian twins Moon and Ba have been doing this for awhile, just telling stories about life in their native country. Daytripper seems to be the perfect storm for what they wanted to do.
Daytripper is about the moments in life, and how we view them and how they effect us. But it is so much more than that. John Lennon once said and I am paraphrasing, “life is what happens to us when we are trying to go where we want.” That’s what Daytripper is to me, is all about the journey of one man’s life, the moments and everything in between.
It is also told in such a Memento like style, jumping back and forth through time that it would make Christopher Nolan blush.
Now that I have gushed thoroughly about the awesomeness that is Daytripper, let’s take a look at the story itself.
Daytripper is about an obituary writer named Bras de Oliva Domingos. He is the son of a famous writer, which overshadows and truly shapes Bras into the man he is. But that is too simple an explanation of what this book is truly about.
Like the story itself, there are a lot of moments that stand out and make me think of my own life. However, it’s the style in which the twins decide to tale this story that separates it from the pack. Each chapter (save one) is a number, corresponding to our lead character’s age. However, at the end of each chapter, his story is finished, until the next chapter. It may be a little confusing of an explanation of the writing style, but I truly do not want to give anything away.
When he meets his wife in chapter two, he was getting out of a long-term relationship and was pretty despondent. We have all been there and can relate. And then one day, he changes up his routine and bumps into her.
All of a sudden his attitude changes and he gets this sense of anticipation waiting to see her again, to tell her how he feels. Again, its something we can all relate too. This book is literally littered with moments like this. Some chilling, some touching, some sweet and some hard.
The journey and metaphors that are loaded through each chapter are definitely open to each individual reader’s interpretation and I for one would be interested to see how you view the tale.
If Daytripper intrigues you, or if you have already read it and are looking for something else from the twins, take a look at De Tales, published by Dark Horse Comics and available as a hardcover. They are more “observations of life” in vignette style. Very good, and of course in stock at both Brave New Worlds locations.
Check out previous “My Pick” selections below.
Thor by J. Michael Straczynski TP Volume 1
What I Liked This Week
X-Men Legacy #245
Mike Carey (w) Clay Mann, Jay Liesten (a)
Even before this book hit shelves, the naysayers were comparing the Age of X to the Age of Apocalypse, which is like comparing apples to oranges. Both ages have to do with alternate universes (speaking of which, some of the best Star Trek stories are alternate universe tales – including the recent movie), but just like apples and oranges are fruit, that is where the comparisons end with the ages.
X-Men Legacy #245 shows that Mike Carey has a plan – and from this debut issue and chapter two (also out this week in New Mutants #22), this plan of his promises to be a doozy. I do not particularly care to give out spoilers, it’s too easy and not fair to people who like to be surprised. And it is hard to review this issue without giving some things away. Suffice to say, the X universe is turned on its head as the Marvel world that we know is now existing in another reality, one where mutant has been hunted down to the brink of extinction.
What we do get is a brand-new look at some familiar characters, as they are thrust into new roles and relationships. However, everything is not as it seems, and for me, that’s where the money lies with Age of X. The first two issues (counting New Mutants #22, also written by Carey) begin to lay the seeds for what should be a promising tale over the next few months.
So, if you are fan of the Star Trek mirror dimension episodes (while not a perfect comparison), than you should enjoy this new version of what we used to know as the X-Men.
Ultimate Doom #3
Brian Michael Bendis (w) Rafa Sandoval, Roger Bonet (a)
First, I cannot believe this mini-series and trilogy is just one issue away from ending. It has been so good. I always want each issue to continue. This of course rang true once again with Ultimate Doom #3 as the gang is finally thrust together by book’s end, gearing up for the final climatic confrontation next month.
This series perhaps more than any other has really turned the Marvel Ultimate Universe on its head with its antagonist being none other than Reed Richards. I mean, who saw that one coming. It’s an arc that Bendis has been working on since the re-launch at the conclusion of Ultimatum.
My guess, more than one person is going down next issue, this being the Ultimate universe – any takers on whom?
But wait, as usual, there is more! Sadly you will not be getting steak knives with this issue (or review for that matter). No, there is a new partnership that the good guys are forced into if they truly want to save the day.
Also, there was another awesome heroic moment for one certain character while another was rooting against that moment. These are the moments I live for, character moments – love ‘em.
Avengers #10
Brian Michael Bendis (w) John Romita Jr, Klaus Janson (a)
The best compliment I can pay to the main Avengers title is that each issue feels like a movie, and a blockbuster movie at that. The team splits up this month in an attempt to locate the remaining infinity gems to keep them out of the hands of a certain evildoer. However, when you think of that plan, isn’t it a flawed one? Don’t you think that’s just what the bad dude wants? Well yes, but it turns out it did not seem to matter.
So we get our separate squads looking for the gems, meanwhile they discover at one site that they are already too late – cue music.
Bendis does a terrific job as usual giving each character their moment while moving all plot threads and such ahead.
As for the visuals, there is one great scene that Romita Jr drew that looks like it came straight out of The Right Stuff – truly heroic and all that. You should know it when you see it.
Honorable Mention goes out this week to Victor Gischler’s X-Men #8. I don’t know why I did not pick up on this in the first issue of the Serve and Protect arc, but this story appears to be a continuation of the Shed storyline from Amazing Spider-Man #629-633, complete with Chris Bachalo’s fun pencils. So if you enjoyed the Lizard’s recent metamorphosis, then pick up this week’s X-Men (and last month’s as well).
Well that’s it for this week boys and girls. Sadly I did not get the opportunity to read everything this week yet, but I am sure Amazing Spider-Man, Fantastic Four and American Vampire were awesome. If they are truly noteworthy, I will drop you another line. Also looking forward to reading Daniel Way and Jason Pearson’s new take on Astonishing X-Men.
