QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-15-09

QUICK REVIEWS FOR COMICS DUE 07-15-09
By John Judy

ACTION COMICS #879 by Greg Rucka, James Robinson, Fernando Dagnino and Cafu. Nightwing! Flamebird! Captain Atom! The reasons one buys ACTION COMICS!

AGENTS OF ATLAS #8 by Jeff Parker and Carlo Pagulayan. The AoAs meet the Hulk. Smashing ensues.

ALL-SELECT COMICS #1: 70th ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL by Marc Guggenheim and Javier Pulido. The Blonde Phantom is “gorgeous, quick-witted and hard-boiled!” I think I used to date her. Nefarious schemes will be foiled, believe you me! Plus a golden-age reprint and Marvex the Super-Robot! Recommended.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #599 by Joe Kelly and Marco Checchetto. For some reason this has Richard Nixon on the cover. Hey, the last time Spidey had a President on the cover it went to seven printings or something. Marvel ain’t no dummy.

BATMAN: WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE CAPED CRUSADER HC by Neil Gaiman, Andy Kubert and Others. “Ummm, he got kilt?” It’s Neil doing his dreamy funeral thing. Looks good too. Plus other Gaiman Bat-tales. All good.

BLACKEST NIGHT #1 of 8 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis. “The dead shall rise!” Or as we say here in Comics-Land: “It’s Wednesday!” If your favorite hero snuffed it in the past few years they’re probably here looking corpsey. Gotta look!

CAPTAIN AMERICA #601 by Ed Brubaker and Gene “The Dean” Colan. Those two names in the credits should tell you how good this book is. Highly recommended.

CREEPY COMICS #1 by Many Talented Horror-Meisters, including Angelo Torres and Bernie Wrightson. It’s back from the publishing graveyard and ready to eat your brains in glorious black and white! For fans of the original mag and those who weren’t even born back then. Featuring two painted covers by Eric Powell. Yum!

DAN DARE OMNIBUS VOL. 1 TP by Garth Ennis and Gary Erskine. Collecting the cult favorite mini-series that brought the British space hero out of retirement in every possible way. Good stuff.

DARK AVENGERS #7 by Matt Fraction and Simone Bianchi. The DAs throw down with the X-gang in San Francisco. Big fight.

INCOGNITO #5 by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The penultimate issue of this beautiful anti-heroic ditty. Too good to wait for the trade. Highly recommended.

LITTLE MOUSE GETS READY HC written and drawn by Jeff Smith. A children’s book from the creator of BONE, RASL and SHAZAM: MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL about a little mouse who gets ready. Tell yourself you’re getting it for your kid. Recommended.

MIGHTY AVENGERS #27 by Dan Slott and Khoi Pham. A new story of a king so vile he had to be written out of history, but only after he screwed up traffic all over LA with his memorial service. Dan Slott is rocking this title. Highly Recommended.

RASL #5 written and drawn by Jeff Smith. Our dimension-hopping science thief gets in even more trouble. This one keeps getting better. Recommended.

SCALPED #30 by Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera. Red Crow learns there’s an FBI agent on The Rez as Dash Bad Horse begins the countdown to Totally Screwed. Not for kids. Highly Recommended. Read it.

UNWRITTEN #3 by Mike Carey and Peter Gross. Tommy Taylor meets Frankenstein! How great is this book? Very-very! Highly recommended.

WALKING DEAD #63 by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard. The scary non-zombies are hunting our intrepid band. Let’s hope Michonne chops ‘em up good. Not for kids. Recommended.

WEDNESDAY COMICS #2 of 12 by A Pantheon of Comics Dieties. Tabloid-sized awesomeness every week to remind you of how great a newspaper comics section could be. No lie, this stuff could save newspapers if they picked up on it. Highly recommended!

X-FACTOR #46 by Peter David and Valentine DeLandro. Time travel and girl-fights, but the big news is that Rictor and Shatterstar are gay. In other news, water is wet.

www.johnjudy.net