KINGDOM COME SPECIAL: SUPERMAN
Writer/Artist: Alex Ross, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 111208
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Spinning out of the "One World, Under Gog" storyline, the Kingdom Come Superman's struggle with his place in the world brings a final conflict between the Supermen of Earths 1 and 22! Feeling the weight of his own world's loss on his shoulders, the transplanted Superman searches for answers to the mystery of his life's seemingly cursed existence and encounters "old acquaintances" on the way. This is the first fully written and illustrated adventure by KINGDOM COME co-creator Alex Ross, building to the storyline's conclusion in JUSTICE OF SOCIETY OF AMERICA #22!

BO'S REVIEW:
This first in a series of Kingdom Come one shots is from writer/artist Alex Ross. As we know in the pages of Justice Society of America the Kingdom Come Superman has somehow entered the regular DCU and here we learn a possible reason why that has happened-the character of Norman McCay. McCay was introduced in the pages of Kingdom Come and another version of him apparently exists in the regular DCU. There are other parallels in this story as well including Ross revealing just how the KC’s Lois Lane died and how that changed one aspect of that world’s Superman forever. This isn’t a happy story at all (which Ross makes clear in the background piece that follows) but even with that doesn’t come off as a downer. His art here is as masterful as ever and the background piece gives us a look at his process in creating this story. The events here lead into the next week’s Magog special from Peter Tomasi and artist Fernando Pasarin. That will be followed by another one shot called The Kingdom from Geoff Johns and Pasarin that should end the Kingdom Come saga. The arc in JSA has been highly entertaining and it’s interesting to read a Superman that is older and haunted by the events at this point in his life.

ADVENTURE COMICS SPECIAL #1
Writer: James Robinson, Artist: Pere Perez, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
"New Krypton" part 3! At last! The true origin of the Guardian of Metropolis is revealed! Following directly on from last month's SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1, we learn the fantastic and sometimes terrible past of one of DC's most mysterious heroes. How did the first clone of the Golden Age Guardian come into existence at the hands of the Cadmus Project? We'll also introduce a mysterious young girl the Guardian has sworn to protect - even at the expense of the Cadmus Project, and, if need be, his very life!

BO'S REVIEW:
The New Krypton storyline going on in the Superman titles continues here with this special that tells what was going on during the pages of the oversized Jimmy Olsen special. Yes, kids if you bought that book then you have to get this issue also since it connects a few dots and brings the Guardian to Metropolis. The Olsen special had Jimmy off in the Arizona desert trying to find out more about the man he saw hovering in the background during the Superman/Atlas fight in Superman. This issue shows how the Guardian (and not the one that Grant Morrison came up with in 7Soldiers) returns as part of the Superman cast and his connection to the plans of Lois Lane’s father. Robinson tells a tight story here and is helped by the art from newcomer Perez. Perez has a nice style here. He seems to be more comfortable drawing ‘regular’ people but suggests that he could work on a superhero title depending on the character. There are some nice elements here that if worked right could turn the Guardian into an interesting character in the DCU. Robinson keeps the science fiction aspects of the character intact but adds a twist that can keep the character from becoming a cliché if it’s handled right. I just hope that someone at DC doesn’t think that he could star in his own book because that isn’t the case. Robinson makes Jim Harper interesting but not that interesting.

TERRA #1 (of 4)
Writer: Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti, Artist: Amanda Connor,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
From the pages of TERROR TITANS and the minds of Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Amanda Connor comes a new rock-slinging heroine! As Terra's earth-shaking stunts grab the attention of the world, a new threat rises from beneath the surface. Will Terra live to fight another day, as she takes on the blaze and fury of Pyrite and the Lavarians? And what is the secret behind this new mover and shaker's powers? Guest-starring Power Girl and Doctor Mid-Nite!

BO'S REVIEW:
Seemingly years in the making the Terra limited series finally shipped. DC announced this look some time last year but the pace of production was pretty slow. As fans can see from the cover this isn’t the Terra that was first introduced in the pages of Teen Titans during the Wolfman/Perez run on the title. That Terra was blonde and as we discovered was working with (as well as sleeping with) villain Deathstroke, the Terminator; this Terra is a dark haired girl. The original was Tara Markova, the sister of Geo-Force; this one is…well let’s just avoid that little comparison point for now. This pleasant little issue casually moves along and also guest stars Power Girl, who is getting her own series from the same team that gives us this. The trick in getting fans to come back after a first issue is to leave them at a point that has them wondering where the creators are going to go next and the last page reveal here should make a large portion of us pick up the following issue.

SGT.ROCK THE LAST BATTALION #1 (of 6)
Writer/Artist: Bill Tucci, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
DC's iconic soldier for the ages returns in a 6-issue miniseries written and illustrated by multi-Eisner nominee Billy Tucci. From the bloody beaches of Normandy to the muddy forests of the Vosges Mountains, a cut-off Easy Company led by Sgt. Rock will be joined by Johnny Cloud and the Haunted Tank as they battle for their lives behind enemy lines against a force ten times their size. Based on actual events, SGT. ROCK: THE LOST BATTALION is a story of heroism and humanity as one small band of men defy all odds to survive.

BO'S REVIEW:
Bill Tucci has always been known for two things: his character Shi and the fact that he seems to bring his whole family with him to conventions. Here he throws us a change up by telling a story involving Sgt. Rock and the men of Easy Company. The story here is being told by artist William Kilroy (yes, one and the same) who was chosen to follow the troops into battle on Omaha Beach in Normandy, France. Tucci’s use of an outside observer like Kilroy as the narrator to this tale was a wise choice. It allows him to tell the story from multiple view points and create a mythic quality to Rock and his men before sending them out on the adventure that follows. From the opening we move to October of 1944 and show Easy relaxing between battles then getting their new mission. For that mission they will also be followed by Kilroy so that he can tell the tale of the mission to the folks back home. The story here is well told and if you told me that the man who wrote Shi could have come up with something as good as this I would have thought you were smoking something. Tucci’s art always brought readers into Shi, not the story but here the story is as cool as the artwork. I have never been a fan of Sgt. Rock. War stories have never been high on the list of stories to read but after reading this I am going to pick up the rest of this limited series because I found this issue so fascinating. Is this going to sell? Tucci is putting on the full court press to get fans to see that this book is out there on Facebook and other places. DC should be matching his efforts if you ask me because the book is that damn good.

ADAM: LEGEND OF THE BLUE MARVEL #1 (of 6)
Writer: Kevin Grevioux, Artist: Mat Broome, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
An unstoppable super-villain attacks New York City--and the Mighty Avengers fall before him! Where did Anti-Man come from? And who can stop his overwhelming rampage?! Now Iron Man races to find the only man who's ever defeated Anti-Man--THE BLUE MARVEL...a hero the world hasn't seen since 1961! Will Tony Stark uncover the truth behind Blue Marvel's disappearance...and will Blue Marvel ever recover from it? Kevin Grevioux (NEW WARRIORS) and Mat Broome (The End League) join forces to create Marvel's newest powerhouse super hero!

BO'S REVIEW:
If you are wondering why you have never heard of the Blue Marvel before don’t because this limited series marks the first time that we have seen him before. Marvel did this before with the Paul Jenkins character, the Sentry. They hinted that Sentry had been created by Stan Lee, then forgotten and fans bought into that before Marvel revealed that the character had never existed before the first issue of the limited series shipped. They are doing it again here with this creation of New Warriors writer Kevin Grevioux and The End League’s Mat Broome. Using a story device that gets fans into the story right away we begin this issue in the middle of a battle between the Avengers and a mysterious villain that seems to be having no problem kicking the team’s ass before he strangely disappears after mentioning someone known as the Blue Marvel. We then see the same villain (named Anti-Man) in the midst of a battle with that very same Blue Marvel during the 60’s. During the battle the world learns something about the Marvel that changes everything and that reveal leads to a decision suggested by President John Kennedy and his brother Bobby. We get enough plates spinning in this first issue that should hold enough readers in sway to keep them coming back for more. What did the Marvel do after the events of this issue? Where did Anti-Man go as well? Did the Marvel and the Sentry cross paths? If you have at least three questions in your mind after you read the first issue of a limited series then the creative team did its job. My only complaint about this first issue is the art. Broome has done tighter work than this and here he seems to be trying to establish a new style. He made his comics’ debut when Jim Lee and crew left Marvel to start Image. If you look thru the back issue bins you will see the difference in his work then and now. This book needs to look more like the work he did back then.

ULTIMATUM #1 (of 5)
Writer: Jeph Loeb, Artist: David Finch, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
The end is here! Or, is it a new beginning? Massive climatic disturbances are wreaking havoc with the planet - underwater volcanic eruptions, tidal waves crashing over whole cities and snowstorms burying entire countries-and even the assemblage of the Ultimate U's mightiest is no match for this worldwide destruction! Featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Ultimates, the Hulk and more, find out whose lives are at stake in this defining moment of truth for the Ultimate Universe. Brought to you by award-winning scribe Jeph Loeb and superstar artist David Finch, this is the must-have book that will set the stage in the Ultimate U for years to come. If you want to get in on the most astounding changes taking place in all of comics, this is the place to be. You have been told!

BO'S REVIEW:
The event that will change the Ultimate Universe forever or at least until they decide to change it again began peacefully with glimpses into the worlds if all of the Ultimate characters at peace with each corner of their respective worlds before all hell broke loose. We see Reed about to ask the question to Sue, Ben exercising, Peter and his friends planning a night on the town, the Ultimates just relaxing and the X-Men going to a show. It all seems like a normal day until the skies darken and New York is hit with the biggest tidal wave ever. At that point everything changes and we have no idea who is alive or dead but we know that some are indeed gone beneath the waves forever. Loeb puts the characters thru their paces and when the issue ends we are fully aware of who is behind the destruction but do not know why it happened. Finch is given a lot of story to work with here and he does an admirable job drawing characters from every aspect of the Ultimate U. This is some of his best work yet because he has to run the gamut from start to finish. This issue has quiet moments and epic ones as well. The question I have at the end of this issue is this: how did Magneto get Thor’s hammer? The blurb for the next issue is: it gets worse but how much more badly could it get?

X-MEN AND SPIDER-MAN #1 (of 4)
Writer: Christos Gage, Artist: Mario Alberti, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Christos Gage (THUNDERBOLTS, HOUSE OF M: AVENGERS) is joined by international superstar-tist Mario Alberti to bring you the most misunderstood team of all time meeting the most misunderstood super hero of all time in a 4-part mystery that starts in the early days of the Marvel Age and winds it's way through to today! In Part One, Kraven the Hunter and the Blob attack the world's strangest teens while deep in the background an even greater threat watches...and waits.

BO'S REVIEW:
It has been mentioned from time to time in the news section of the site that Marvel sent sometime editor C.B. Cebulski off on what was called Chester Quest. The idea was to find the next generation of artists from all over the world, sign them up and let fans decide who the next big thing was going to be. One of those artists can be found here in the form of Mario Alberti because this is some of the most beautiful art I have seen all month. Alberti has been teamed up with Avengers: The Initiative’s Christos Gage on a limited series that will follow sections of time that had Spider-Man and the X-Men cross paths. This issue shows Peter Parker and his college friends and the Children of the Atom coming to the Coffee Bean while Kraven the Hunter decides to hunt down Spidey for a reason that connects the two corners of the Marvel universe. Seems Kraven thinks Spider-Man is a mutant for some reason and since the X-Men have just been revealed to the world at large it stands to reason that everyone ends up at the same place at the same time. Gage tells the story well here and gives us a last few pages reveal that will set up the rest of this limited series but the main reason fans will go nuts over this project is the detailed and yet extremely lush art of Alberti.

FINAL CRISIS RAGE OF THE RED LANTERNS
Writer: Geoff Johns, Artists: Shane Davis & Sandra Hope,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 102908
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
The prelude to "The Blackest Night" begins here! They come from a place of great anger and hatred. They are
the Red Lanterns and they will have their revenge against the greatest Green Lantern - Sinestro. That is, unless the Guardians have theirs first.

BO'S REVIEW:
For all you continuity buffs out there this one shot supposedly takes place between Final Crisis # 1 and #2 after the death of one of the New Gods. Things begin with the revival of Atrocitus, the Red Lantern and what a revolting revival it is since he spits gobs of blood out as a habit before moving to the less bloody Coast City. There we see Hal Jordan sitting with his family before he is informed that the execution of Sinestro is finally going to take place and he has been chosen as part of the escort team back to where his crimes began. Morrison creates a nice sequence that has Hal discussing his feelings about the planned death of his teacher with Carol before showing that the Guardians have reasons not yet revealed for marking Sinestro for death. He also introduces other players in this game before all hell breaks loose and the Red Lanterns make their move. The last pages of the story introduce another player to the game-Saint Walker, the Blue Lantern. Yes, another color in the spectrum is introduced here and he reveals that this one shot has more to do with the events in Green Lantern that those of Final Crisis. Some are having enough trouble following the events of Crisis to begin with without DC sticking a label on a one shot that really has nothing to do with it. I do like the story that’s told here but not the misdirection behind it.

AMAZING SPIDERMAN ANNUAL #1
Writer: Marc Guggenheim, Artist: Mike McKone,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 102908
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Finally! One of the biggest mysteries of BRAND NEW DAY is revealed! Who is the mysterious Jackpot? For months, merry Marvelites have pondered this question? Who is she? What is her dark and mysterious secret? And how does Walter Declun (Wolverine: Civil War) play a part in it? We're not telling, but Marc Guggenheim and Mike McKone are!

BO'S REVIEW:
For those of you who wondered who Jackpot was this annual answers that question. From the moment we met the character in the Free Comic Book day story it was assumed that Jackpot was Mary Jane with super powers. That belief held true in her appearances in the pages of Amazing and now after all that time we get our answer in this well done annual. The book also marks the return of Walter Declun, who was last seen in the pages of Wolverine (getting claws jammed in his eyes) and Blindside. The last time Spidey and Jackpot crossed paths they exchanged secret identities (he told her he was Flash Thompson) and here we see that she wasn’t honest either. Guggenheim paces the story well by breaking it down into small chapters including clues that lead us to a surprising ending. Mike McKone also does a great job mixing action with drama. So is Jackpot Mary Jane? Well I am not going to tell you that because if I did then you would miss out on a cool annual.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: OPERATION: ZERO POINT
Writer: Dan & Charles Knauf, Artist: Mitch Breitweiser,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 102908
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
The first in a series of specials covering the length and breadth of the larger-than-life legend of Captain America, as told by the industry's leading experts in the field! First up, it's 1944, and wouldn't you know it? Them sneaky Nazis have managed to crack the secrets of electro-magnetic physics...yeah, that's right: apples may fall down in the free world, but schnitzels are falling up in the skies over a mysterious lab in a Polish forest, thanks to a little help from a nearby forced-labor camp. Sure, we could send in the Marines, but why bother when we've got Captain America?! But even Cap may be meeting his match against the lab's sadistic cybernetic commandant. Because everyone knows, the only thing worse than a Nazi is a Robot Nazi!

BO'S REVIEW:
The first in a series of one shots telling tales from the past of Captain America involves Steve Rogers on a mission during World War 2 that involves flying saucers. The Knauf written saga begins by showing Cap on his way to the mission doubting his objective but learning right away that the Nazi’s actually have come up with a new kind of flying machine. As he meets with his contact we also are introduced to The Butcher, the commander of the secret base in Poland. From there we get a pretty standard story with Cap getting caught, escaping and living up to his reputation by winning in the end. Now just because I say the story is standard doesn’t mean that it isn’t well done. The art by Breitweiser carries the story along and he is aided well by his wife, Elizabeth. The overall look of the art is dark but her choice of coloring matches the story and makes the art look a little different than the art we saw from Breitweiser in the David Morrell Cap limited series earlier this year. These Theater of War one shots allow fans a look at the Steve Rogers Cap since we won’t be seeing him in the pages of the regular Cap book for a while. I will say that the Knauf’s give us a Cap who comes off more of a regular guy. From him openly doubting that his mission is a serious one in the beginning of the story to his wondering if he was the same man before getting the super solider formula in his veins this Cap seems like a guy who you would enjoy having a beer with at the end of a long day.

SUPERMAN'S PAL JIMMY OLSEN #1
Writer: James Robinson, Artist: Jesus Merino, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: DC Comics,  Shipped On: 101508
MSRP: $4.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Straight from the pages of SUPERMAN, Jimmy Olsen, would-be star reporter, doggedly investigates the mystery surrounding Superman's newest foe, Atlas! But the secrets behind the titan of yore lead Olsen across the country and into great danger as he must survive attacks by none other than Codename: Assassin! And just as Jimmy is getting to the truth, he finds himself in the Midwest and seeking the aide of a hero long thought dead.

BO'S REVIEW:
One of the things that James Robinson said he was going to do on Superman was to turn Jimmy Olsen into one of the greatest reporters ever at the Daily Planet. This oversized special begins that journey and also leads into the New Krypton arc going on within the Superman Universe. Robinson along with three more than capable artists show Jimmy at a crossroads in his life. He hangs out in bars with his friends, he sort of has a relationship with a girl, he talks about Superman and Clark Kent all the time and he can’t seem to get Perry White’s coffee warm all the time. He also took a picture of a guy who was floating on air while Superman was fighting Atlas and that guy is connected with a story he took pictures of before. After talking with Clark, Jimmy decides to make a move and that move sends him off on a journey that takes him from the desert to the remains of Project Cadmus in an attempt to learn who is behind Atlas’ arrival to take out Superman. There are some action sequences here but this is a character piece more than anything. We are actually watching Jimmy go from being a kid to a man as the pages turn. The changeover in artists could have been a distraction but here it works for the story instead of working against it.

X-MEN WORLD'S APART #1 (of 4)
Writer: Chris Yost, Artist: Diogenes Neves, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Marvel Comics,  Shipped On: 101508
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Over the course of her life, STORM has been many things: A thief. A goddess. An X-Man. A Wife. A Queen. But not until now have these roles come into conflict. When a mutant commits a mysterious murder in Wakanda, Storm takes it upon herself to investigate. And what she discovers will force her into a position where she must choose: Will she stand with the X-Men or with her husband? Writer Chris Yost (X-FORCE, NEW X-MEN) and up-and-coming artist Diogenes Neves bring you this first part of a limited series that will change Storm forever...

BO'S REVIEW:
With all the speculation that Storm is going to become the new Black Panther X-Force’s Chris Yost wanders in to tell a solo adventure involving her. The story starts with a death in Wakanda before we join Storm and Cyclops in the sewers of New York. Following a thread introduced in Astonishing X-Men as the two make their way thru the tunnels beneath the city Cyclops challenges her on where her loyalties lie-life in Wakanda or life with the X-Men and its nice to see the continuity between the titles. The death takes Storm back to her adopted homeland and the reveal of who the murderer is at the beginning of the story is a shock. Of course, the person who is accused of murder could not have done so but the crime is on video so disputing the findings is difficult. Storm does not believe what she sees and has a good idea who is behind all this and her actions from that point counterpoint the question posed of her by Cyclops at the beginning of the story. Once we get to the end of the issue then the true villain is revealed and he is someone that has been part of Storm’s continuity for a while. He is also someone that she has never been able to beat by herself and that will make the following issues interesting. The art by Neves is very nice.

NO HERO #1
Writer: Warren Ellis, Artist: Juan Jose Ryp, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans,
Publisher: Avatar Comics,  Shipped On: 100108
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

AVATAR COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp, the team behind the fan-favorite Black Summer, are revolutionizing masked heroes yet again in the hottest new series of the summer! Dead heroes in the dirt. A killer capable of almost supernatural tortures. Five generations of the world's only superhuman group. A forty-year legacy of standing for the rights of freedom and safety. A young man obsessed with the need for street justice. How much do you want to be a superhuman? How badly does he want it? Bad enough to bring on the last days of an American legend? If he even gets to survive that long? Forty years ago, a group of superhumans emerged in San Francisco, guided by the man whose unique new drugs gave them their incredible powers. But the team is not the only thing that's advanced over the years, and there are no easy victories when their luck finally begins to run out!

BO'S REVIEW:
The latest Avatar offering from Warren Ellis and Juan Jose Ryp is No Hero, a dissertation on becoming a super hero and why anyone would want to be one. Things begin at the funerals of heroes Judex and Doctor Shift, members of the San Francisco superhero team the Front Line. The funeral is attended by a man known as Carrick Masterson and from what we can divine he had a lot to do with the fallen becoming super in the first place. The main character here is Josh Carver, a regular guy who nevertheless goes out at night and fights crime in his neighborhood. He wants to replace the dead heroes and is doing his damn best to get Masterson to notice him. This first issue is audition and as the pages turn Carver passes but in the back of your mind as you read this is: what will be the price he pays? Nothing in life is ever easy and becoming a superhero without any powers to speak of cannot be an uncomplicated thing especially since this comes from the mind of Ellis. We know that there is a catch to the deal and from this first issue can’t wait to see what it is. As usual Ryp’s artwork is incredibly dense and lush. He has gotten some serious offers from Marvel to work there but seems very happy at Avatar. When he started he had some major issues with deadlines but he seems to have gotten past that without losing any quality.

MARVEL ADVENTURES: SPIDERMAN #44
Writer: Mark Sumerak,  Artist: Jonboy Meyers, Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 100808
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
All Peter Parker wanted to do was catch a movie with some friends... but NO! Instead, he's got to save the city from a legion of lizards set loose by the sinister Serpent Society! And if that wasn't enough, one of his oldest foes is ready to rampage through the streets of NYC all Godzilla-style! Sometimes being a super hero really bites -- with big pointy fangs!

BO'S REVIEW:
This month’s installment of MA: Spider-Man should appeal more to young boys than young girls since the book has the Lizard as the villain. We start out with Spidey fighting the Lizard and learn that this version isn’t the one we know. In fact there is a whole mess of Lizard’s here and that’s due to the Serpent Society. The fast paced story bounces from silence to slimy from page to page and we even get a giant lizard/Spidey battle when it’s all over. Jonboy Meyers seems to be having a lot of fun here. His Spidey has a larger than normal head which gives the book a manga feel. The story also has a sub plot involving Peter being asked to do something with the cool kids and that something should induce a few chuckles.

You can read this review and other Kids Comic Reviews on the KIDS CORNER REVIEW PAGE

JUNGLE GIRL SEASON 2 #1
Writer: Frank Cho, Doug Murray, Artist: Adriano Batista, 
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Dynamite Comics, Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $3.50 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DYNAMITE COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
From the stunning conclusion of the first season to the exciting opening of our new season of stories, Jungle Girl delivers action, excitement, twists, thrills and the finest illustrations of dinosaurs and the female form found in comics today! Don't believe us? Just check those covers! And that's just the beginning... for our second season, Cho and Murray are taking the action underground, and underwater as more clues regarding Jana, the undisputed Queen of the Jungle, finds out more about her mysterious past, and the mysterious island she call home!

BO'S REVIEW:
Dynamite allows Frank Cho to get his jungle swerve on with the first issue of the second season of Jungle Girl. Cho comes up with the idea behind the issues and does the major cover but the book actually is produced by Doug (The Nam) Murray and Adriano Batista, who has an art style similar enough to Cho’s to get by. This first issue shows our heroine in a series of battles with creatures of many types as she (along with her traveling party) follow a shuttle that lands on the outskirts of the region that she lives in. The issue is paced in a way that allows Batista to dazzle us with his smooth artwork and while the story is pretty basic never insults our intelligence. The audience for this book is the same one that Cho created with his Shanna the She Devil limited series at Marvel. That audience likes to look at smooth artwork with occasional moments of animal slaughter thrown in.

KULL #1 (of 6)
Writer: Arvid Nelson, Artist: Will Conrad, 
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics, Shipped On: 110508
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DARK HORSE COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
From the stunning conclusion of the first season to the exciting opening of our new season of stories, Jungle Girl delivers action, excitement, twists, thrills and the finest illustrations of dinosaurs and the female form found in comics today! Don't believe us? Just check those covers! And that's just the beginning... for our second season, Cho and Murray are taking the action underground, and underwater as more clues regarding Jana, the undisputed Queen of the Jungle, finds out more about her mysterious past, and the mysterious island she call home!

BO'S REVIEW:
Since their revival of Conan has worked so well the fine folks at Dark Horse have decided to further mine the legacy of Robert E. Howard with the launch of an ongoing Kull series. This follows the launch of a new Solomon Kane book as well. All three characters had series at Marvel back in the 80’s and now years later all three have series again. Conan was introduced as a barbarian who eventually became a King but when fans were introduced to Kull he had already taken over the kingdom of Valusia. In this first issue we see that Kull may very well be the king here but he is still considered by some to be a savage who isn’t fit to rule by birth but rules by brawn and the strength of his will. The creative team of Arvid (Rex Mundi) Nelson and Will Conrad has constructed a good story here. I did find the story telling a bit ahead of the artwork here but Conrad isn’t a stranger to the world of Howard. Considering the successes of the relaunch of Conan, Red Sonja and Solomon Kane it’s hard to believe that the sword and sorcery genre was once considered dead.

THE STAND CAPTAIN TRIPS #1 (of 5)
Writer: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Artist: Mike Perkins, 
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 090408
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
It begins here: the apocalyptic epic battle between good and evil based on the classic bestseller by master of horror Stephen King! On a secret army base in the Californian desert, something has gone horribly, terribly wrong. Something that will send Charlie Campion and his wife and daughter fleeing in the middle of the night. Unfortunately for the Campion family--and the rest of America--they are unaware that all three of them are carrying a deadly cargo: A virus that will spread from person to person like wildfire, triggering a massive wave of disease and death, prefacing humanity's last stand! Be there as writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Secret Invasion: Fantastic Four) teams with artist Mike Perkins (Captain America) for the first arc in the next great Stephen King event!

BO'S REVIEW:
If you ask most fans what their favorite Stephen King book is then most will say The Stand. It’s definitely his longest book and contains more characters than any of his other novels. It was optioned as a movie many years back but never happened because the book was so dense that the film would have had to be 5 hours long or adapted into a trilogy. ABC developed a relationship with King and turned the book into a mini-series that starred The West Wing’s Rob Lowe (Lowe hadn’t acted in a while and the part made him popular again). The mini-series did quite well. King then went back to the book and reinstalled sections that he edited out to release a definitive edition. Then he and Marvel developed a relationship and adapted his fantasy novel The Dark Tower into a series of limited series. Someone at a con asked King if he would be interested in having his other books adapted and he said yes, he wouldn’t mind an adaptation of The Stand. Marvel was more than welcome to accommodate him and here we are.

Peter David and Jae Lee were busy with Tower so King picked Aguirre-Sacasa and my Facebook buddy Mike Perkins to adapt his work. We begin quietly in California where Charlie Campion wakes up his wife Sally and tells her in no uncertain terms that they have to pack up and go. Something bad has happened and Charlie is very concerned about the direction of the wind. From there we move to the Texas gas station owned by Stu Redman where Stu and some of his buddies are shooting the breeze before the Campions arrive and they don’t need any gas. Perkins establishes everyone here as individuals. Everyone he draws looks different from the person they are on the page with and when we see what has happened to Sally and her son that quality comes in handy. Aguirre-Sacasa takes his time here and establishes the set up-something went wrong and when you start coughing then you are in for some major problems. In this first issue we are also introduced to Frannie and one hit wonder Larry Underwood. Her intro takes place over two pages but Underwood’s is a long one that shows the arc of his life up to this point.

This first issue is a promising start to what will end up taking up a while to finish up. We are getting the palate for the rest of the book here; the start of the plague. As we continue we will see the survivors uniting and we will also meet Randall Flagg, the Walking Man who is what Joss Whedon would call ‘the big bad’. The choice of creators was a wise one. Aguirre-Sacasa has a background in writing horror and Perkins has a detailed style that allows him to draw normal people as well as ones that wear costumes.

WOLVERINE: ORIGINS #28/X-MEN ORIGINAL SIN #1
Writer: Mike Carey & Daniel Way, Artist: Michael Deodato & Scot Eaton,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 092408 and 100808 respectively
MSRP: Wolverine Origins #28: $2.99, X-Men Original Sin #1: $3.99
  (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Wolverine's days in the Weapon X program, his first encounter with The Incredible Hulk, his induction into the X-Men...it's all here in the prologue to DARK DECEPTION and then "ORIGINAL SIN" PART 1 The X-Men event of the fall begins in this one-shot! For years, Logan has been a man without a past, whose memories existed only as conflicting fragments. And Charles Xavier has been a master of his own mind and others. Now the tables are turned, and as WOLVERINE struggles to rescue his son, DAKEN, from the evil and darkness that have consumed him, PROFESSOR X comes face-to-face with the most terrifying secret of all!

BO'S REVIEW:
In the pages of Origins Daniel Way introduced the character of Daken, who we later learned was Wolverine’s son. He, like his father has claws and a healing factor. He and Logan also worked for the mysterious man known as Romulus doing things less than savory. Romulus sent Daken after his father but Logan stopped his son from killing him and in Origins #28 we see the two facing off but not killing each other. Way paces Origins well and takes us through the steps that trace back to the first appearance of Wolverine in the pages of the Hulk to the point in which Charles Xavier asked him to join the X-Men. The art by Deodato is pure magic in the issue. Way and Carey team up on Original Sin #1 and bring Eaton into the mix to handle parts of the story. The art style shift is at times off putting but doesn’t distract heavily from the task at hand-filling in more blanks in Logan’s past and seeing if Daken can be freed from the control of Romulus before its too late for him. The one shot also adds another player to the mix and at the end tells us something that we hadn’t known until now.

X-MEN: MANIFEST DESTINY #2 (of 5)
Writer: Mike Carey & Chris Yost, Artist: Michael Ryan & others,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 100808
MSRP: $3.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
Mike Carey's Iceman saga continues as things take a dark turn for Bobby Drake with the emergence of an old, deadly foe of the X-Men. Will this spell disaster for our hero or a new chapter in the history of this original X-Man? Also, Emma Frost as you've never seen her before. And find out what Boom Boom has been up to since NEXTWAVE!

BO'S REVIEW:
As was the case with the first issue this installment of Manifest Destiny also contains three stories. We see the second part of the main tale involving Bobby (Iceman) Drake and Mystique at the start. The Carey/Ryan tale moves quickly and more or less establishes what we already assumed-Mystique s both attracted and repulsed by Bobby. Carey has hinted that we will see a more powerful Drake when this is all over and we see here the means to get him to that end. The second tale is a quieter but cool one involving Juggernaut in a bar. He is just trying to get a drink in but as we see in the tale Cain Marko’s status in still in question. The art is from inker Dan Panosian and it’s not bad. Skottie Young’s story is as I said, pretty cool. The gem here is the final tale involving Emma Frost from Chris Yost and Paco Diaz. The story is an internal one showing the conflict inside the White Queen. She was a villain for a long time but now she is a member of the X-Men and wonders what the others think of her. We see here that just because she can turn her form into a diamond she isn’t as hard inside as we think she would be.

NORTHLANDERS #9
Writer: Jason Aaron, Artist: Dean Ormston,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: DC/Vertigo Comics, Shipped On: 082708
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

DC/VERTIGO COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
An all-new story arc begins! Lindisfarne, England: An ancient center of religion and learning, and the infamous site of the first Viking raid. Described as "demons from hell," the Vikings kicked it off with a vicious attack on a monastery. See it all from the perspective of a native - a young Saxon boy who dreams of the larger world, of better things, of heroes and myths and foreign gods. Are the Vikings what he's been waiting for? Featuring guest art by Dean Ormston (LUCIFER)!

BO'S REVIEW:
Artist Dean Ormston drops by the world of Northlanders for a short arc that starts out as something that could be very cool. The arc takes place in Northern England town of Lindisfarne. The town is near the major church and locations that as the narrator says has the townspeople nearer to God. The narrator here is Edwin, who we assume is a man but as the tale takes place he is a young boy who has the responsibility of guarding the town by way of sword. The fact that he is a boy is irrelevant to his father because he and everyone else in the village must keep the village safe. Wood does a good job showing that the boy’s life truly sucks and that his father couldn’t care less. It is the nature of Edwin’s life that leads to him praying for salvation and as we see at the end his prayers get answered-or so we think. I would assume that the next issue involves lots of blood and hacking of flesh but am curious to see where Wood is going to leave Edwin. He could punish him for praying to the war gods, he could kill him or he could have him leave the village for the life of a pirate. The fact that I want to know should tell you that this is a very good issue.

AVENGERS/INVADERS #5
Writer: Alex Ross & Jim Krueger, Artist: Steve Sadowski,
Review By: Larry "Bocepheus" Evans
Publisher: Marvel Comics, Shipped On: 100808,
MSRP: $2.99 (15% OFF during it's 1st Week of release only at Alternate Reality!)

MARVEL COMIC'S SYNOPSIS:
The second act of the hit maxi-series begins as our three teams -- the Avengers vs. the Avengers vs the Invaders - face off in an all-out battle aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier! While battle rages, Dr. Strange attempts to solve the mystery of what ripped the greatest Heroes Of World War II to the present day, and how to put them back. Will the combined might of three super-teams be enough to stop the cross-time devastation? Match all of this with the return of one of the Avengers deadliest villains -- one with a particular interest in the Original Human Torch -- and you know, from what you've seen so far, the return of Captain America is only the tip of the iceberg!

BO'S REVIEW:
When we last left this inter-company crossover (on the publishing side, not the character side) the current Captain America was telling his younger self that he had to make sure something didn’t happen when the Invaders returned to the 40’s. This issue starts with a young man at a grave site but then goes back to the Helicarrier where the battle between the two teams of Avengers and the Invaders is continuing on. As is the custom in fights between teams as the issue progresses some understandings are made and we also learn just how it was possible for the Invaders to be brought into the present day. The action is interspersed with quiet moments that have the Invaders learn things about themselves that they were unaware of. There are also moments of humor but those moments are few and far between. At this point we still do not know who is behind all this but that reveal seems to be getting closer and closer. Sadowski’s art seems less rushed this issue so I would assume that he wasn’t comfortable when this series started with the characters but did as he was working on this issue.