WHAT’S NEW @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 3/31/10

Posts Tagged ‘incorruptible’

THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 5/5/10

May 3rd, 2010 |

BRIGHTEST DAY #1 *FREE WHITE LANTERN RING WITH PURCHASE!* ARRIVES, KICKING THE SUMMER OFF RIGHT COURTESY OF GEOFF JOHNS AND CO.! IF YOU LOVED BLACKEST NIGHT, MAKE SURE YOU’RE READING BRIGHTEST DAY!
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Issue #0 was just a taste. This Wednesday, the Brightest Day begins in grandiose fashion with BRIGHTEST DAY #1, and alongside it? The final Lantern ring to round out your power ring sets.. the White Lantern ring! Seriously though, I think it’s pretty easy to say that this is one of the most highly anticipated books of the week. After reading BRIGHTEST DAY #0, I was completely sold on this event, and hooked to find out more, and more about what was to come.

But, lets face it, this is the next logical progression in the storytelling that Geoff Johns blew us all away with in the 8 issue limited series BLACKEST NIGHT (still available in limited quantities here at Third Eye). There’s no reason why we wouldn’t be stoked to see where things are headed. And, after having read BRIGHTEST DAY #0, I gotta say, it looks like things are headed in some very exciting directions. This is the perfect time for new and old fans alike to enjoy the DCUniverse, as BRIGHTEST DAY serves as a fresh, and exciting ground zero jumping on point, but with enough links to the events of BLACKEST NIGHT to continue the storyline threads developed there. Not to mention that this is essentially, DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH.

In a nutshell.. BRIGHTEST DAY is the resurrection of some key DCU characters, some major, some minor, in the aftermath of BLACKEST NIGHT. Basically, it’s a ground-level rebuilding of the DCU, and is helping make characters that have either been neglected or inaccessible more fun to read. Of course, there’s a very sinister plotline running through BRIGHTEST DAY, and here comes the real hook: Sometimes dead is better… okay, I know, Pet Semetary jokes aside, that’s kind of the running theme in BRIGHTEST DAY. What if some of these characters were not meant to be resurrected? And, why were these select characters chosen by the White Ring’s light to get a second chance? But, most importantly, what are the major ramifications of these character’s returning in the grand scheme of the DC Universe.

And, a look at that BRIGHTEST DAY #1 cover gives you a very haunting glimpse at what we’re referring to.

Why BRIGHTEST DAY is truly 100% Third Eye Must-Read Material? Well, first off.. it’s GEOFF JOHNS. This guy writes some of the best damn superhero comics on the stands, and we’ve already seen that when it comes to DC Comics, he’s the man. Now, picture this… Johns has been given a wide-open playground to basically rebuild the DC Universe. This is ground zero, and anyone who is a fan of rock-solid storytelling, and lest we not forget, the stellar art-team onboard, should be reading this series. Of course, there are a buncha tie-ins, and while we personally have been extremely pleased with the tie-in books, the only book you absolutely need to read to follow BRIGHTEST DAY is the core BRIGHTEST DAY title. But don’t get me wrong, so far… the tie-ins have been freakin’ great, especially GREEN LANTERN #53 and GREEN LANTERN CORPS #47.

Now, secondly, it’s a chance for us as fans to experience the truly unique experience of seeing the DC Universe as it’s being rebuilt and restructured. In other words, if you’ve never followed a lot of DC, or you’re an old fan who fell out of the loop, or maybe, you got hooked via BLACKEST NIGHT, then BRIGHTEST DAY serves as the perfect area to come aboard and find out how cool Geoff Johns’s spin on the DC Universe is. In just one issue (referring to issue #0), he took a mix of characters that were familiar to us and then a little more unfamiliar, and gave them more life than they’ve seen in years. It’s going to be pretty killer seeing this story evolve.

Verdict on BRIGHTEST DAY So Far? I’m loving it, folks. I thought issue #0 was fantastic, and so far the books carrying the BRIGHTEST DAY banner have all been outstanding (Flash #1, Justice League #44, Green Lantern #53, and Green Lantern Corps #47). If you haven’t given it a try yet, jump on this week with issue #0 (still in stock here at Third Eye), and BRIGHTEST DAY #1.

And, finally.. BRIGHTEST DAY #1 comes with the White Lantern Power Ring!
How could you not be stoked about that? I know everyone’s itching to complete their sets, and this is the final piece that everybody needs… and hey, you get to read a killer comic in the process! :)

Click here for the official THIRD EYE BRIGHTEST DAY CHECKLIST

Click here to read more about BRIGHTEST DAY #1

IZOMBIE #1, FRESH NEW VERTIGO SERIES, DEBUTS THIS WEDNESDAY AT ONLY $1.00, AND IT’S FREAKIN’ AWESOME! A LIVING DEAD GIRL DETECTIVE THAT HAS TO EAT BRAINS TO SOLVE CASES! FRESH AS HELL, THIS ONE DEFINITELY GETS THE THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL STAMP!
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Dude, for the last couple of years, Vertigo has been on a roll. They’ve been dishing out some of the freshest, and most innovative new series we’re reading, and so far, very few have disappointed us here at Third Eye.

This Wednesday, there’s a new one coming out, and I was actually lucky enough to get a pre-read on this one, and I gotta tell you: it’s BADASS. First off, I have always loved Mike Allred’s artwork. And, while his stuff on Madman has always been some of my favorite stuff since I was a snot-nosed little punk, it’s rare that we’ve gotten to see him really branch out from that area and do something as equally fresh and exciting as his work on MADMAN. Well, now he’s getting his chance to show us what he’s got all over again with this killer new Vertigo series, IZOMBIE.

What’s it about? I, ZOMBIE is a quirky series set in a world filled with paranormal creatures like werewolves, mummies and zombies. The story focuses on a young zombie girl named Gwen who uses her brain-munching tendencies to help others while at the same time putting a little cash in her pocket. See, Gwen learned quick that unless she eats a human brain once a month, then she begins to lose her own memories and personality and turns into shambling, growling ghoul like something out of Night of the Living Dead. But, ya know, she still doesn’t want to run around munching on innocent peeps, so she takes a job as a gravedigger, and once a month, sneaks a quick bite on the freshest body in the cemetery.

But, see, here’s the catch, while the human brain helps keep Gwen’s memories and personality intact, it also slowly “digests”, and fills her head with the memories and personality of the former owner. So, she ends up finding herself compelled to finish any unfinished business that the dead person left behind. If they were murdered, she’s gonna want to solve that murder. If they never told their pops they loved him, she wants to track down the grieving parents and make amends.

The world of I, Zombie is filled with all sorts of other monsters, and creatures of the night, but given the same kind of unique spin that Gwen’s received. Werewolves are people who find themselves overcome by the appetites and lusts of a wild animal. So, when the moon is full, they totally lose it. There’s mummies, there’s vampires, there’s all sorts of craziness. And, folks, it’s done in a way that works so well, I think you’ll really dig it. It almost seems like someone is taking the FABLES formula of characters living in hiding amongst the real world, and applying it to monsters, and it really pops well. The writing in the first issue was very sharp, clever dialogue, and strong characterization. The plot points are very good at hooking you, and definitely carry a strong sense of fun to them. Allred’s art is PERFECT for this as it captures both the creepiness and tension of the series, but also manages to play up some of the more light-hearted aspects as well.

Plus, the first issue is only a buck, so it definitely can’t hurt to try it, right?

Click here to check out a preview of IZOMBIE #1

BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 *RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE PROLOGUE CHAPTER 3* – THE FINAL INSTALLMENT OF THE PROLOGUE TO THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE! THE RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE BEGINS HERE!
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The Return of Bruce Wayne is probably one of the most highly anticipated story arcs of 2010, and the lead-up to it has been incredible. For the last couple of months, Grant Morrison has been paving the road for the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE in his incredible BATMAN AND ROBIN series. Now, nevermind the fact that I feel BATMAN AND ROBIN is one of the best damn comics on the stands, and probably one of the most incredible takes on the world of BATMAN in a long time, but beyond all that, the RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE Prologue that began in BATMAN AND ROBIN #10 has really kicked things into high gear for the Caped Crusader. The addition of Andy Clarke as the artist for this story arc has been an excellent choice as well (probably the best artist on the book since Quitely’s first arc, and that’s saying something considering Cameron Stewart and Phillip Tan are both pretty damn good).

I think what I’ve really dug the most about this arc has been the cool, Masterpiece Theater kind of take they’ve given the storyline. There’s a real sense of detective work in how Dick Grayson and Alfred are trying to solve the mystery of Bruce Wayne being lost in time, and it’s almost as if you’re playing detective right alongside them, as Morrison delivers subtle clues throughout the book. Of course, there’s the whole subplot of Damian being under the control of his mother, Talia, and being forced to kill Grayson, but we all know that the real story here is all the little tidbits dropped about Bruce Wayne. Things that will end up being crucial storyline elements, I’m sure, when the actual RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE mini-series begins next week.

If you’re looking to jump on board in time for the big RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE event, we’ve still got plenty of BATMAN AND ROBIN #11 and BATMAN AND ROBIN #10 in stock to get you caught up on the Prologue issues to the story arc. Issue #10 is a perfect jumping on point.

Also, if you’re curious about starting up on this incredible series from the very beginning, we’ve got ALL of the back issues (1-11) currently well-stocked, or you can just snag the BATMAN AND ROBIN hardcover which collects issues #1-6. Either way, we highly recommend checking out this crazy good series. The book just gets better, and better, and is really taking the world of Batman and his characters into new and exciting directions. The dynamic of Dick Grayson (Nightwing) as Batman, and Bruce Wayne’s long-lost son, Damian (raised by the League of Assassins) as Robin has been one of the most interesting team dynamics in comics I think I’ve ever seen. There was a really cool part in the recent arc, where Grayson is talking about how he thinks he may have figured a way to bring Bruce Wayne back, and then Damian almost shows sadness, asking “Would we still be Batman and Robin?” It’s kind of cool to see how he’s adopted Grayson as a father figure in Bruce Wayne’s absence. And, I think that’s because Grayson seems more human, and not as shut-off as Bruce does, oh, and he’s not lost in time, that helps, haha.

The other thing that I really dig about Batman and Robin is it’s truly a 21st century approach for Batman and Batman stories. While there were some fantastic stories in the ’80s, and ’90s, it felt like they’d taken the grim and gritty world to an extreme that was hard to get away from. While the character of Batman must always be the Dark Detective, it’s cool to see this new approach and direction to his world. It’s almost like Morrison has taken a stack of Silver Age ’60s Batman comics and then smashed them all together with a healthy dose of sleek, post-modern comics storytelling to make something truly unique, fun, and compelling.

Okay, it’s obvious, Batman and Robin rules, and you gotta read it. I rave about it every time a new issue comes out. I know!

For those of you already reading it, I’m a broken record, and you’re like Steve, you’re preaching to the choir, but man, this book is good stuff.

Click here to check out a preview of BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 *RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE PROLOGUE PT 3*

ASTONISHING SPIDERMAN & WOLVERINE #1DEBUTS A CUTTING EDGE, EXCITING NEW LIMITED SERIES FEATURING TWO MARVEL CLASSICS BY “SCALPED” & “WOLVERINE: WEAPON X” WRITER JASON AARON and ADAM KUBERT – A THIRD EYE MUST BUY!
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Okay, this one’s a big deal for a number of reasons, but we’ll start with the creative team that’s on board. Jason Aaron, writer of the critically acclaimed Vertigo series SCALPED, as well as the incredibly solid WOLVERINE: WEAPON X, and ADAM KUBERT, a comics art legend who’s delivered incredible runs on everything from the Uncanny X-Men to Ultimate X-Men to Action Comics and Wolverine. This is a blockbuster creative team, folks, and it’s definitely a creative team that’s deserving of the “new” ASTONISHING banner that Marvel is delivering with this limited series and the soon-to-be-relaunched ASTONISHING X-MEN.

Now, wait a second, I thought the whole Astonishing thing was just an X-Title thing, I know you’re thinking. Well, it started out that way. See, Astonishing X-Men, at the time it came out, was the ONLY X-Book worth reading. But now, the bar has been raised, and the X-Books are actually kicking ass, and Astonishing is kind of lacking in identity, which is a shame ’cause it’s still rocking hard. Marvel is trying something new here, basically think of books carrying the ASTONISHING tag as the equivalent to what DC has done with ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, or ALL-STAR BATMAN AND ROBIN. While it seems like the Astonishing books do fall into regular continuity, they provide rock solid, self-contained stories that deliver a kick-ass creative team doing kick-ass comics. And, to launch this banner, they’ve got ASTONISHING SPIDERMAN & WOLVERINE and ASTONISHING X-MEN: XENOGENESIS. This week, we’re getting the Spidey/Wolvie book, and after having read the advance copy, I can tell you guys, it’s pretty damn good.

So, what’s this all about then, huh? Well, the story starts off with a somewhat ridiculous premise… but it works, thanks to Aaron’s knack for taking the quirky and making it compelling. We start things with Spidey and Wolvie living amongst early man and dinosaurs in the late cretaceous age. See, they both ended up in this timeline somehow during an incident set in the regular, current Marvel U. And, in this world, we see Logan has adopted the cavemen as his own tribe, teaching them things, whereas Spidey has kind of self-imposed his own exile, and is now seen as a “Spider-God” by the natives. The story sounds kooky, but it actually works very well, and Kubert’s art really fits it nicely. We even get to see Spidey getting back to his old school roots a bit, which is nice. In fact, this is probably some of the best characterization I’ve seen of Spider-man in a while. I won’t go any further into detail, but, the plot develops in an interesting way, and I wonder if this story might lay some clues on how they intend to bring back a certain fan-favorite way down the road.

All in all though, this one reads like a REALLY good Spider-man story, and reminds you of the Spider-man you knew and loved way back when. Remember how Marvel would do those killer 4-issue Wolverine/Spider-man team-ups, or Spider-man/Incredible Hulk, or whatever? Yeah, it’s like a VERY well-written, and super pretty version of one of those. In other words, it tickles the nostalgia bone, AND provides a good story at the same time. I, for one, am looking forward to reading more of this one!

Click here for a preview of ASTONISHING SPIDER-MAN AND WOLVERINE #1

SUPERMAN: WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1FOLLOWS-UP THE FREE FIRST ISSUE THAT TOOK US ALL BY SURPRISE ON FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!
SUPERMAN vs. GENERAL ZOD.. FINALLY!
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WOW! I really was taken by surprise with the WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #0 that we got here on FREE COMIC BOOK DAY this past Saturday. Honestly, I thought that DC had really set the bar pretty high last year with BLACKEST NIGHT #0, and while I don’t think WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #0 beat that one out, it was still a FANTASTIC way to kick off this series and get people exposed to what looks to be a really cool storyline.

Now, before we start, don’t expect this one to be the large, year-long, universe-encompassing event that BLACKEST NIGHT was. Instead, this one feels more like a nice tight, short event that is going to set up for some incredibly cool stuff. At it’s core, this is the final showdown between SUPERMAN and his infamous, longtime nemesis GENERAL ZOD. James Robinson and Sterling Gates really put forth a solid effort in introducing new readers to what’s been going on in Superman’s corner of the DCU. What grabbed me though, was Eddy Barrows’s gritty Superman who shows that this is not going to be a clean fight between him and Zod. All in all, I was really impressed by the freebie, after expecting it to be more of the lame Daxamite and Kryptonian overkill.

Anyways, enough rambling.. you’re probably wondering (if you missed the WAR OF SUPERMEN freebie, which we still have in stock if ya wanna check it out) just what the hell this storyline’s all about. Well, basically, it’s Zod vs. Supermen, but Zod’s heading to Earth with an army of hundreds of Superman-level superpowered beings and he plans on scorching it to the ground. And, of course, there’s only Superman, and his supporting characters to stand in the way.

All in all, sounds like a great way to kick things off, and I’m pretty excited to see what follows up on that #0 issue from FCBD.

Click here for a preview of WAR OF THE SUPERMEN #1

“WALKING DEAD”, “INVINCIBLE” & “HAUNT” WRITER ROBERT KIRKMAN DELIVERS A KILLER NEW ONE-SHOT THIS WEDNESDAY WITH PILOT SEASON: STEALTH! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SUPERHEROES GET OLD AND BEGIN TO FALL APART? FIND OUT HERE!
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Oh man, here’s one I’ve been pretty pumped about for some time. Ever since I got to the last page of that killer PILOT SEASON: DEMONIC one-shot a few months ago, I’ve been waiting for the next one of ROBERT KIRKMAN’S one-shots, and I think STEALTH is going to end up being one of the coolest ones yet.

The main character of the book, is a young man named Todd Carey whose life is falling apart around him: he’s recovering from a bitter divorce, his daughter is flunking out of college, and his father has been diagnosed with Alzehimer’s disease. And, then, in the midst of all these problems, a famous masked vigilante known as STEALTH comes forward… and reveals that he’s Todd’s ailing father. See, his dad has to move in with him so Todd can take care of him, and he learns pretty quick that his father was Stealth. And, despite it all, his father is STILL trying to go out and fight crime, but he’s doing it to disastrous results due to his Alzheimer’s disease. And as you can imagine, this is a real burden for Todd, who is not sure how to handle what could be a terrible (unintentional) threat to society.

The preview I read reads very well, and the artwork fits the story perfectly. They’re able to make teh character look badass when he’s in the Stealth suit, but it’s also credible to believe that there’s an old, senile man in the suit. Very cool character-driven pacing, and plus… who doesn’t want to see a crazy old guy flying around and unintentionally causing disasters while his sun exasperatedly tries to save the day?

BRIAN WOOD AND BECKY CLOONAN CONTINUE TO IMPRESS US MONTH AFTER MONTH WITH DEMO! MAKE SURE YOU CHECK OUT DEMO #4THIS WEDNESDAY!
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Man, the more Demo I get, the more I want. I’m kinda bummed to think that this round of DEMOs is just a six-issue stint, and I really hope Wood and Cloonan return to do more sometime in the future. Not reading DEMO? Well, let me give you the lowdown on WHY this comic kicks so much ass… the concept: average, everyday people in their late teens up into their early 30s who have something extraordinary happen to them, or develop inside them. Basically, a real world approach to superpowers, but, the book doesn’t focus on that aspect of things at all, instead it takes a very cool, very introspective look at how normal people deal with unusual life situations. In other words, if you woke up tomorrow and could shoot death rays from your eyes… you probably wouldn’t go out and save, or conquer the world. You’d probably walk around figuring out how not to look at something and turn it into a smoking cinder of bones and ash.

Anyways, each issue of DEMO stands on it’s own as a one-shot story. 32 pages. That’s it. That’s all you get. This means you can pretty much jump in or out with whichever issues you want, but once you read one: you’ll wanna read ‘em all. The only thing that ties the issues together is the theme of exploring normal people put into extraordinary situations.

Past examples include the girl who can’t stop dreaming about someone who’s falling, becoming obsessed, and learning that these are visions, and then… well, I can’t say anymore.. Or the boy who can’t eat, who goes to disturbing lengths to get closer to the girl he’s in love with..

And, this week, we get to see the tale of a young man named Colin who’s been murdered by the local youth, or has he? DEMO #4: WATERBREATHER takes the revenge fantasy to new and disturbing heights as Colin grows up with a huge secret and crushing guilt, as well as a feeling that he doesn’t belong on the surface of the Earth.

If you’re looking to check out DEMO, we still have all the previous issues in stock, so give ‘em a peek!

Click here to read more about DEMO v.2 #4

ZENESCOPE (PUBLISHERS OF “THE WAKING”, “RETURN TO WONDERLAND”, AND “NEVERLAND”) PUTS THEIR UNIQUE TWIST ON THE STORY OF DANTE’S INFERNO THIS WEDNESDAY IN GRIMM FAIRY TALES: INFERNO #1
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Zenescope’s “Wonderland” and “Neverland” series are big guilty pleasures of our’s here at Third Eye, and it’s pretty exciting to see them heading into some new territory this Wednesday with the upcoming GFT Presents INFERNO limited series which gives us that horrifyingly twisted yet tongue-in-cheek fun Zenescope take on DANTES INFERNO.

The Zenescope crew always deliver the freshest art, along with some fun, darkly humorous stories, and with Inferno, it looks like we’ll be watching the story of a girl named Grace must go down into her own Dante’s Inferno as she battles her demons.

A must-read for all of you who dig the “Wonderland” books, “Neverland”, and “The Waking.”

INCORRUPTIBLE VOLUME 1 TRADE PAPERBACK ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY COLLECTING THE FANTASTIC COMPANION SERIES TO MARK WAID’S IRREDEEMABLE! WE’VE SEEN THE GOOD GUYS GO BAD, BUT WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BAD GUY GO GOOD?
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You’ve been hearing me rave on and on and on for months about both IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE, and this Wednesday, you can find out just why we’re so big on this series when you check out INCORRUPTIBLE VOLUME 1. This trade paperback collects the first four issues of the companion series to Waid’s “Superman gone Evil” epic, IRREDEEMABLE, and folks, trust me when I tell you that this is some seriously killer, high voltage post-modern superhero storytelling here. Waid takes the same care and approach that he does with IRREDEEMABLE, of taking the good guy, and deconstructing him, showing the reasons why he’s gone wrong, and just how wrong he’s gone, and applies that in reverse to the world of INCORRUPTIBLE.

See, the story of INCORRUPTIBLE is that of supervillain Max Danger who when faced with the Plutonian’s descent into fiery madness, decides that, in his words, somebody has to “step up.” And, so Max Danger becomes Max Daring, and we see him try to do the “right” thing in every “wrong” way you can possibly imagine. And, that is what makes the story so compelling.. just like we’ve watched the Plutonian completely go unhinged, but in a tragic way, we watch as someone with a very simplistic view of the world (very similar to the Plutonian) tries to make sense of it.. but in his own, damaged way. I mean, the simple changing of his name from Danger to Daring, as if that changes his nature… is a good example of that. There’s also the relationship between Max Daring and his sidekick, Jailbait, who he cuts his personal relationship off once he decides to walk the road of the righteous, but keeps her on as his sidekick, because he knows she’d do more harm than good on her own.

All in all, INCORRUPTIBLE is just as good as IRREDEEMABLE, and it’s really hard to say which one I like more. They both read very nice, and the shared universe that exists between the two books is forming nicely. It’s truly an organic, and natural growth of a new, and original superhero universe, unlike the forced growth that a lot of smaller publishers do right off the bat.

So, give INCORRUPTIBLE a shot this Wednesday and find out why we’re so jazzed about it!

UNCANNY X-MEN #524 *X-MEN SECOND COMING CHAPTER 6* – AFTER THE HEARTBREAKING END OF LAST WEEK’S X-FORCE #26, THE SECOND COMING CONTINUES.. IS RETRIBUTION ON THE WAY?
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Dude, SECOND COMING has been like, the best friggin’ X-MEN storyline in many, many years. I haven’t been this excited about X-MEN comics since I was like 14 or 15. Marvel has really managed to capture that sense of awe, excitement, and well, the most badass characters we all grew up with so well with this crossover, and I really can’t wait to see what comes next.

And, trust me, folks, after last week’s X-FORCE #26 *X-MEN SECOND COMING CHAPTER 5*… this is all really bittersweet for me, because one of my favorite X-Men characters totally bit it. I won’t say who, ’cause ya know, no spoilers, right? But, seriously, man, I was sad to see them get taken out. However, this whole friggin’ storyline has been so good, and the fact that it’s been so well-written that it made me care enough about the characters and events in the first place, well, crap, I’m sold, I’m hooked, I think you’ve done it Marvel.. you’ve finally made the X-MEN cool again (without Joss Whedon’s help this time).

Anyways, the SECOND COMING rages on this Wednesday in the pages of UNCANNY X-MEN #524, with SECOND COMING CHAPTER 6. I just got done reading the advance of this one, and dude, holy crap, whattatearjerker. Again, I’m trying to keep the spoilers to a minimum, but, man, this was a well-written issue, and a very nice middle-point for the SECOND COMING.

For those of you who aren’t yet familiar with SECOND COMING, it’s a crossover event following the arrival of a young mutant girl named Hope. See, in the post-House of M Marvel Universe, she was the first and last mutant born since M-Day, and is believed to be the great hope for the survival of the mutant race. Of course, all those classic X-Men baddies like Bolliver Trask, Cameron Hodge, and so forth are out for her blood… And, now that she’s here in the present, the X-Men have to keep her safe, to complete her mission.

All in all, the series has been fantastic, and folks, again, we highly recommend it.

Wanna jump onto the SECOND COMING? We’ve currently got plenty of all the chapters in stock here at Third Eye to get you caught up.

Click here for the official THIRD EYE X-MEN SECOND COMING Checklist

Click here for a preview of UNCANNY X-MEN #524 *X-MEN SECOND COMING PT 6*

THE KILLER: MODUS VIVENDI – IF THERE WAS EVER A COMIC THAT CAPTURED THE FEEL OF THE MOVIE “LEON THE PROFESSIONAL”, THE KILLER IS IT! THIRD EYE BRINGS YOU SOME INTERNATIONAL COMIC NOIR GOODNESS!
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One of comics best kept secrets is the French comic series, THE KILLER, which follows the day to day life of an unnamed assassin. Archaia has been bringing these over to the U.S for the last couple of years, and we’re pretty pumped to see the newest one kicking off this week. The subtle, soft art combined with the talented storytelling of this series make for one hell of an engrossing read. A pure noir treat that grabs you by the collar, and pulls you in head first.

In the very first arc of THE KILLER (Which we have available in graphic novel here at Third Eye), the writer introduces us to the Killer as he comes to the end of one part of his life. We learn how he rose to power from a college student, and then we get carried through several assignments he’s on. The real trick about the Killer that makes it such an engrossing series is how the Killer is not a one-dimensional character. We see how he has hopes of getting out of the business to start a new life. Of course, if it was that easy, then there’d be no story to tell. The coloring, the panel layout, the art, the whole thing really makes for a fantastic read, and captures the sobering solitude and risk of what a REAL contract killer would feel perfectly. And, trust us, this guy is as cold as they come, but even so, the story is so well written, you can almost feel an empathy for the character and his goal: retirement by choice, not by death.

This newest series, MODUS VIVENDI, serves as a nice entry point for new readers. We’d recommend giving this one a try, and t hen if you dig it, checking out the earlier graphic novels. The story kicks off with the Killer as he reappears on the scene, with no reasoning for why… boredom, fatigue, bad planning? An old associate recommends him for a quick-and-dirty freelance job. Kill a banker, and an international oil broker, simple as that. But, when he finds out his final target is a nun… things get tough.

If you’re into the darker, crime noir-esque stuff, we recommend giving THE KILLER: MODUS VIVENDI a look this Wednesday.

X-MEN: SECOND COMING – REVELATIONS: HELLBOUND #1 – MAGIK RETURNS TO LIMBO, AND THE SOULSWORD’S IN PERIL AS BASTION IS ON THE HUNT!
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Speaking of X-MEN SECOND COMING, we get a nice double whammy of SECOND COMING awesomeness this week as the first issue of X-MEN REVELATIONS: HELLBOUND hits the stands. Now, lets face it, I think a lot of us grew up with Magik as one of our favorites, and whenever she gets some of the spotlight, it’s always a must-read on that fact alone. But, this little 3-part limited series, which shows us Magik, gravely injured, and instinctively fleeing to the sanctuary of Limbo.. only to fall into the hands of one of her longtime adversaries, has got us pretty intrigued.

All those old Magik and Limbo storylines kicked ass, and to see a return to that world set against the backdrop of Second Coming is awesome. From what I’ve read in the advance, it’s pretty much a small sub-team of the X-Men sent into Limbo to rescue her, but they’ve gotta cut a path through hordes of blood-thirsty demons.

As for how it read? Very good, not just the run-of-the-mill mid-event filler stuff, ya know. I think this one’s gonna be a cool little three-parter. The fact that one of the main writers helming SECOND COMING, Chris Yost, is taking care of the writing chores is definitely a big plus.

Click here for a preview of X-MEN: SECOND COMING REVELATIONS: HELLBOUND #1

WALKING DEAD HARDCOVER VOLUME 5 FINALLY HITS THE SHELVES THIS WEDNESDAY! AND TRUST US, FOLKS, IT IS WELL WORTH THE WAIT!
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It’s always a cause for celebration and rejoice whenever a slab of WALKING DEAD arrives, whether it’s in trade paperback, or if it’s in hardcover.. there’s so many people who eagerly await one format or the other, or sometimes both formats, that we just gotta share the exciting news with ‘em!

And, what more can be said about WALKING DEAD than what we’ve said a million times before… this is one of the BEST comic books on the shelves. Month after month, it remains a consistently favorite read here at Third Eye, and never, ever lets us down. I mean, it’s not just a good zombie story, or a good survival horror story, or whatever, it’s a GOOD story. The characters, the plot, the pacing, it’s all so well put together, that it just pulls you in and does not let go. Seriously, I’ve been accused of being a crack dealer for turning people onto WALKING DEAD, that’s how good it is. The story? It’s simple… what happens when the Zombie movie ends. And, that’s where the beauty is… the characters, the solid writing, the punch in the gut plot twists, these are just a few of the things that really make WALKING DEAD so damn fun every month. If you haven’t read it yet… get the first hardcover, or the first softcover, or WHATEVER, and give this one a go. We keep plenty of all the volumes, in all formats, available here at Third Eye.. at all times. :)

And, for those of you who’re already in the know, we’ll see you Wednesday for your WALKING DEAD 5 fix.

AVENGERS THE ORIGIN #2 CONTINUES JOE CASEY AND PHIL NOTO’S FRESH, AND FUN 21st CENTURY RETELLING OF THE AVENGERS ORIGINS!
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If you haven’t checked out the first of this 5-issue limited series, then you are seriously missing out on some really cool stuff. While they’re not exactly re-inventing the wheel here with AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN, this limited series serves as a very cool, fresh, streamlined look at the early days of the Avengers. The real standout here though is Phil Noto’s incredible artwork, and when you combine that with Casey’s knack for respecting the history of the characters but also infusing a jolt of life and energy into their origins, it makes for a pretty fun Marvel read.

Click here for a preview of AVENGERS: THE ORIGIN #2

ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES #2FOLLOWS UP THE FIRST ISSUE OF JEPH LOEB & FRANK CHO’S KILLER NEW ULTIMATES TITLE!
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The first issue of NEW ULTIMATES was a pleasant surprise, and between this and ULTIMATE X, I’m pretty impressed that Loeb may finally be on his way back to the higher caliber stories he’d told in the past. I think a big part of this is due to the fact that the Ultimate Universe gives him a wide open playground to do what he does best, and that’s take a killer artist, and just go crazy with bigger-than-life over-the-top smashmouth superhero action.

And, after the first issue of NEW ULTIMATES, I gotta say, he’s on the right track. The artwork on this book is INCREDIBLE. I mean, it’s FRANK CHO, so that’s saying something right there, but man, he is really on point here. I just finished the Advance of issue #2, and it’s pretty awesome. Frank Cho draws everything he does so damn good. You’ve got Ka-zar and Shanna the She-Devil flying around on dragons, and fighting Asgardian monsters. And, when we say monsters, we mean TONS AND TONS AND TONS of monsters. Not to mention, there’s tons of lovely ladies, and we know Cho does a great job in that department as well.

I don’t want to drop too many spoilers, but, all I can say is that if you want an over-the-top high-action Marvel book in the vein of Ultimatum, then give NEW ULTIMATES a look. If you missed #1, we still have limited quantities in stock to get you caught up!

Click here for a preview of ULTIMATE COMICS NEW ULTIMATES #2

STAFF PICKS

Steve - Green Hornet #3 = This one may be a little surprising, ’cause I’ve been kind of on the fence about this series. The first couple issues were good, but this third issue was the payoff. It might’ve been my favorite read last week. The Kato moment is too cool, and folks, if you’re not reading this series, now you have a reason to start ’cause of how badass an issue #3 was!

Trish – WALKING DEAD #71 = Are you surprised? This one automatically makes pick of the week whenever it comes out. And, it was another great issue!

Torma – THOR #609 *SIEGE* = Thor just becomes better, and better as a series, and the SIEGE tie-ins have been great. If you aren’t reading this series, I recommend picking up with THOR #607 and catching up from there since that’s where the current arc begins. Great art, and great story here!

Matt – ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2 #1 = Leinil Yu’s art is INCREDIBLE, and even though it’s only one issue in, I think I like this Ultimate Avengers run way better than the one that just ended.

Posted in New Releases |

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THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 4/28/10

April 26th, 2010 |

Author: thirdeye

THE HEROIC AGE is HERE!
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 *PERFECT JUMPING ON POINT* NEW STORYLINE RESILIENT BEGINS HERE! FIND OUT WHY THIS SERIES HAS BEEN ONE OF OUR FAVORITE MONTHLY SUPERHERO BOOKS FOR NEARLY A YEAR STRAIGHT!
Meet The New Iron Man Armor!

PLUS, WIN A FREE THEATRICAL POSTER FOR IRON MAN 2 THIS WEDNESDAY AT THIRD EYE!
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If you haven’t been reading Matt Fraction and Salvador Larroca’s incredible run on Iron Man with the ongoing INVINCIBLE IRON MAN series, then now you have the perfect opportunity to find out why this is the BEST Marvel book we’re reading month in, and month out. No hyperbole here, folks, Fraction and Larroca have managed to make Invincible Iron Man feel like a must-read title each and every month for two years straight. No fill-in creative teams, no big delays between issues, just issue after issue of great storytelling, great artwork, and bigger than life Marvel madness.

I never thought that Iron Man would be the Marvel book I looked forward to the most on a monthly basis. Why? ‘Cause I grew up reading comics in the era where Iron Man was kinda not so cool… you know, the whole kid Iron Man brought back to the future to stop evil Tony Stark era… yeah, the ’90s, it was a mess. And, while I did dig the Kurt Busiek run that came out in the late ’90s, the character never really clicked with me until I got into INVINCIBLE IRON MAN. I’ll have to admit though, it was a perfect synergy, because the first issue of this current run came out right around the same time that the IRON MAN movie came out two years ago. That first IRON MAN movie was so good, and captured the essence of what made the Armored Avenger cool so well that my mind was kind of opened to how cool the character could be. And, then, in step Mr. Fraction and Mr. Larocca with the debut of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, and I was hooked. See, Fraction and Larocca’s INVINCIBLE IRON MAN captures that perfect blend of bigger-than-life action, hard-hitting drama, and overall swashbuckling appeal that the IRON MAN movie had. The way that Stark is characterized is perfect, and the way that they are able to deal with technological situations, while keeping a very human feel to the characters involved is truly unique. See, for me, one of the pitfalls of Iron Man stories was they would get too bogged down in the technical details, and neglect the characters, but Fraction is able to balance the future-tech awesomeness of Iron Man with strong character-driven stories that make for some fantastic reading. And, the artwork has been consistently great since issue #1. Larocca has managed to keep a consistent, timely pattern of work, and really brings the world of Iron Man to life very well in the series. Seriously, folks, I love this book, and if you’re not reading it yet. You need to give it a shot this Wednesday.

The Perfect Jumping On Point – This Wednesday’s issue #25 is the perfect spot to jump onto INVINCIBLE IRON MAN, and find out why this is one of the best monthly Marvel books on the stands. If you’ve ever been curious about following an Iron Man title, or heck, if you’re just a fan of good comics, then now is your chance to jump in without coming into the middle of a previously running story. Issue #25 start fresh with an awakened Tony Stark who’s empire is in financial ruin, and his memory is missing certain blocks and pieces of actions he’s done. In other words… that whole Civil War escapade? He’s still trying to figure all of that out. Now, he’s trying to rebuild both his own company, as well as his legacy as the Armored Avenger. And, at the other side of the table? Hammer Industries, and their answer to terrorist threats: Detroit Steel. A new corporation intent on building robotic bodyguards piloted by former military men to be sold off to private corporations to protect their financial interests.

Now, I’ve just finished reading the advance copy that we got of this, and I’ve gotta say… it’s probably one of the best issues of the run so far. And, I thought that the whole Stark Disassembled thing would be hard to top, but I was wrong. This is a great start, and a great entry point to the series, but beyond all that.. it’s just a damn good comic. There’s a fantastic two or three interplay between Thor and Stark that’s probably one of the strongest character-driven moments in a comic that I’ve seen in a long time, and I was extremely impressed with how that played out. I mean, such a powerful story moment, and it’s just conversation, just two characters talking.

As for how this issue serves as a jumping on point, it’s a fantastic area to come in fresh, and it reads well without any back-story on what’s been going on in the Iron Man title. There’s a couple of references here and there, but all in all, #25 serves as a great spot to come aboard.

The New Armor Revealed – The other big milestone about this issue is that it shows the debut of the latest, and greatest in the evolution of the Iron Man armor. When I first saw shots of the new armor a few months ago, I wasn’t totally sold on it, but seeing it in action, and watching how it’s incorporated into the character… it’s freakin’ awesome. There’s a very cool retro, almost ’80s-kinda feel to the new armor, but with a 21st century spin. It has a timeless feel to it, but also still comes off as cutting edge. And, with this being the armor that Marvel is deciding on going with for Iron Man from here on out, this makes issue #25 of Invincible Iron Man one of those milestone armor-changing issues. Much like the appearance of previous incarnations of the armor that stuck around in the past.

The Heroic Age is Here; What is the Heroic Age? – Ever since the start of SIEGE, Marvel has been throwing around references to an upcoming HEROIC AGE for their titles. And, in my opinion, nothing showcases the feel and direction of the HEROIC AGE better than INVINCIBLE IRON MAN.
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What is the Heroic Age? Basically, SIEGE is closing the book on the last decade of stories running through the Marvel Universe. The Heroic Age is the start of a new book, a new journey, and a new direction for the Marvel Universe as a whole. The Heroic Age represents a bold, new era for the Marvel Universe’s greatest superheroes as they emerge from the darkness of things like CIVIL WAR and DARK REIGN with a renewed sense of hope and optimism. The last ten years have been a very long, and trying time for the Marvel Universe, and with the HEROIC AGE, it looks like we’ll be seeing a focus on the bigger-than-life, swashbuckling kind of stories that we’ve all come to love and enjoy in books like Fraction’s IRON MAN, Brubaker’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, Hickman’s SECRET WARRIORS, and most recently, Bendis’s SIEGE event. In other words, we’re going to see a renewed take on supervillains being supervillains, and the heroes being the heroes, while still maintaining the cutting edge 21st century storytelling that we’ve grown used to over the last decade.

INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 could not be a more perfect title to usher in the HEROIC AGE. And, for those of you who may have missed it a couple weeks ago, check out the first issue of the new ongoing Black Widow series, as that also carries the HEROIC AGE banner, and was a fantastic read.

And, if you end up digging INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 – We know once you guys get a taste of the awesomeness that is Fraction and Larocca’s Iron Man run, you’re gonna wanna go back and read some of the earlier stuff. We currently have nearly all of the back issues of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN in stock, and are well-stocked on the entire STARK DISASSEMBLED story arc that began in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN 20 and ran through to INVINCIBLE IRON MAN 24. If you’d rather catch up with the trade paperbacks, we’ve also got the first three volumes of Fraction’s INVINCIBLE IRON MAN run available in trade paperback and hardcover.

Speaking of hardcovers, have you seen this killer INVINCIBLE IRON MAN HC?
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For those of you looking to catch up in one fell swoop, take a peek at this killer oversized hardcover collection of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN 1-19, and it’s only $39.99. This beautiful slab of Iron Man awesomeness collects the first big chunk of the Fraction run, and for only $40, it’s a hell of a deal.

WIN A FREE THEATRICAL POSTER OF IRON MAN 2 WHEN YOU PURCHASE INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 THIS WEDNESDAY
So, Marvel has hooked us up with a few of KILLER IRON MAN 2 posters, and while we only need one of these bad boys here in the store, we figured we’d do something cool with the others… we’re gonna give it away! We’ll be randomly inserting a winning slip into a three random copies of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 this Wednesday. When you get your copy home, and crack it open to read it, you’ll find out if you won the poster or not. Of course, we’re counting on whoever the winner is to make sure they give us a ring or an email to let us know they won it! We’ll be running this as a one-day promotion only on Wednesday, so make sure you snag your copy this week!

Click here for a preview of INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #25 *RESILIENT CHAPTER ONE*

BRIGHTEST DAY SHINES IT’S LIGHT ONGREEN LANTERN CORPS #47 THIS WEDNESDAY!
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We’re only a couple of books in, but so far, from what I’ve read in BRIGHTEST DAY #0, the first issue of The Flash, and most importantly, last week’s GREEN LANTERN #53… BRIGHTEST DAY is KICKING ASS! Last week’s GREEN LANTERN was probably one of the best issues of the series I’ve read, and dude, the cliffhanger at the end… DAMN! For all of you who may have thought things were going to tone down with BLACKEST NIGHT at it’s end, don’t jump off yet, ’cause last week’s Green Lantern was one of the best issues in the run so far.

And, this is why I really cannot wait for Green Lantern Corps #47 this week. We saw during the events of BLACKEST NIGHT how the Corps was affected. And, honestly, I really think that out of all the books that tied in with BLACKEST NIGHT, Green Lantern Corps really got a chance to shine. The book went from being to one I looked forward to on occasion to one of my favorite DC monthlies, and a lot of that is due to the dynamic that Tomasi was able to write into the book against the backdrop of BLACKEST NIGHT. Now, while I don’t want to drop any spoilers, I will say that after the last page of last week’s GREEN LANTERN, I’m really pumped to see how a certain Corps member is going to be acting in this issue. I’m also excited about seeing how the Corps picks up the pieces after the cataclysmic tragedies of BLACKEST NIGHT. The whos, and the hows of the survivors of BLACKEST NIGHT, and what the road ahead of the Corps looks like.

I have a feeling that out of many of the books that BRIGHTEST DAY is going to be affecting, Green Lantern Corps will be one of the most interesting, and dynamic in the changes that are to come. Just by judging from what we’ve seen so far, and the new attitudes of certain characters… it’s gonna be one hell of an interesting summer for the GL books.

Click here to read more about GREEN LANTERN CORPS #47 *BRIGHTEST DAY*
Click here for the official THIRD EYE BRIGHTEST DAY CHECKLIST

ROBERT KIRKMAN’S (writer of WALKING DEAD & HAUNT) KICKS OFF NEW STORY ARC FOR INVINCIBLE WITH INVINCIBLE #71! A GREAT JUMPING ON ARC FOR ONE OF THE BEST SUPERHERO BOOKS ON THE STANDS!
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With all this talk of WALKING DEAD getting the TV series in the Fall, and all the hype that HAUNT’s been building, we feel that it’s about time that Kirkman’s incredible ongoing superhero saga INVINCIBLE gets some spotlight. This book is one of the most consistently well-written, well-illustrated reads on the stands. It’s hard to put into words all the things that we like about INVINCIBLE here at Third Eye, but, all we can say is it’s just… good.. You know how you watch a movie, and you can’t figure out why you’re so into it, you just are? Well, that’s INVINCIBLE. The way that Kirkman tackles traditional superhero concepts is so fresh, and so believable that it just keeps us coming back for more, and more. The characters that he’s built up over the course of the last 70-some odd issues have really taken on lives of their own. And, the twists and turns he’s dished out over the course of these 70 issues, well, lets just say they rival WALKING DEAD in how bad they punch ya in the gut.

This Wednesday, the biggest storyline to hit INVINCIBLE yet begins with INVINCIBLE #71. The Viltrumite War, which is a storyline that Kirkman has been building up to for quite some time kicks off, and we couldn’t be more stoked. Now, aside from the fact that we’re pumped about The Viltrumite War, we’re also pretty stoked to say that INVINCIBLE #71 provides a great opportunity for new readers to jump aboard. And, while INVINCIBLE is so damn good you’re gonna wanna go back and read all the trades that came previously, you can jump in with this week’s issue #71 and last month’s INVINCIBLE RETURNS #1 (still in stock here at Third Eye) to find out what all the fuss is about this incredible superhero book.

Give it a shot this week, INVINCIBLE carries the Third Eye seal of approval, big-time.

ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1 DEBUTS THIS WEDNESDAY FROM MARK MILLAR (writer of NEMESIS, KICK-ASS, OLD MAN LOGAN) and LENIL FRANCIS YU (SECRET INVASION ARTIST)
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The first run of Millar’s ULTIMATE AVENGERS this year with Pacheco on art was a solid read, and helped re-establish the world of the ULTIMATE AVENGERS, in a more proper way, after some missteps during ULTIMATES 3. However, while we thought Millar was on point, we could tell that the first round of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS was definitely the set-up for something bigger, and after last week’s conclusion, and a chance to sit down and read the advance of ULTIMATE AVENGERS 2 #1… we think we were right. Hot damn, this one was a killer read.

The first issue of this limited series reads like a demon, it’s very good, very fast-paced, and has that frenetic energy and style that you’d expect from a Millar-written book. The artwork really shines, with Yu delivering some of his best stuff in a while, in my opinion. And, of course, as to be expected from the ULTIMATE universe, there’s plenty of fresh, and interesting new takes on the Marvel Universe.

So, what’s the actual story on the plot behind the new ULTIMATE AVENGERS storyline? Well, as we saw in the events of books like the first ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS, and NEW ULTIMATES, a schism has formed between Nick Fury and Captain America. Fury understands that there are jobs that need to be done at any cost, and Captain America, even though he may be as hard as nails in the Ultimate Universe, still cannot condone the shady nature of certain wetworks operations. And, this is where the split has come between Fury and Cap, and this is why we have NEW ULTIMATES and ULTIMATE AVENGERS. The NEW ULTIMATES kind of act as the bigger-than-life superhero replacements for the original Ultimates team, and feature a mix of the classic Ultimate Avengers with newer characters, whereas the ULTIMATE AVENGERS have shifted into more of Fury’s personal hush-hush covert ops team that’s willing to cut throats, snap necks, and complete the mission at any cost. In the first issue of this series, we’re introduced to the Ultimate version of the Punisher, who has evolved into one of the most ruthless murderers on the streets. The opening sequences give us a good look at this. From there, things take an interesting direction (and mind you, I’m trying to avoid dropping spoilers here) for both the future of The Punisher, and Fury’s team of Ultimates.

Bloody, brutal, and cutting-edge, I really dug the debut issue of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1, and I’m really looking forward to seeing where this one takes us. Leinil Yu’s art is incredible, and it really has us on the hook for more.

While we feel that it’s a pretty good jumping on point, we do still have the original run of ULTIMATE AVENGERS #1-6 well-stocked here at Third Eye for you to get caught up with.

Click here for a preview of ULTIMATE COMICS AVENGERS 2 #1

JIMMY PALMIOTTI and JUSTIN GRAY (JONAH HEX, BACK TO BROOKLYN) DELIVER THE ULTIMATE HORROR STORY ONE-SHOT THIS WEEK WITH RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE! PURE ’80s SLASHER-INSPIRED (FREDDY, JASON, YA KNOW THE DRILL) FUN!
“THE HANGOVER” meets “SILENCE OF THE LAMBS”
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Here’s a cool one-shot that we’re pretty stoked to read this week. The writing team of JIMMY PALMIOTTI and JUSTIN GRAY is one of the most underrated duos working in comics today, and they prove month after month how damn good they are with their work on the sleeper DC hit, JONAH HEX. See, Gray and Palmiotti have a real knack for cool done-in-one storytelling, and this is why we were pretty pumped to hear about them doing this splatterpunk one-shot.

RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE is a true tribute to the old days of horror comics when they were grimy, violent, and subversive things. It features a “slasher” inspired by the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees, and Michael Myers. The story focuses on a horror character created by a duo of comics writers who inspires a real-life serial killer in the style of their creation. The way that co-writer Gray describes it as “THE HANGOVER” meets “SILENCE OF THE LAMBS.” A weird fusion of different genres that takes on one of society’s biggest fears: that video games, comics, music and movies will create some sort of Frankenstein’s monster.

I’m looking over the preview pages, and it looks pretty badass so far. A bit of sharp humor, mixed with a true, old school splatterpunk horror comic, and it’s definitely violent as hell. It’s a clever story wrapped up in the genre cliches of ’80s slasher flicks, and we highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good horror comic, or is a fan of all those old school slasher movies.

Click here to read an interview with Palmiotti and Gray about RANDOM ACTS OF VIOLENCE

IT’S SIEGE MADNESS THIS WEDNESDAY AS THIRD EYE AS WE NEAR THE CONCLUSION OF MARVEL’S BIGGEST EVENT IN YEARS! THE STORY CONTINUES THIS WEEK IN THOR #609, THUNDERBOLTS #143, NEW AVENGERS #64, MIGHTY AVENGERS #36, and MORE!
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It’s a big week for SIEGE as several key tie ins to Marvel’s biggest storyline in quite some time lead up to the final issue of SIEGE (due out very soon). After the crazy events of SIEGE #3 where we saw Asgard reduced to rubble, and the true nature of The Sentry was revealed, we’ve all been dying to see where things are going next. And, this week, Marvel dishes out some crucial tie-ins that help fill the gap in between SIEGE #3 and SIEGE #4. And, folks, I gotta tell ya, I’ve been really impressed with the level of quality that the SIEGE tie-ins have carried. Each one of these has really felt important to the grand scheme of the storyline, and felt like they’ve had a purpose. It’s often seen in big events like this where the tie-ins don’t really live up to the quality of the marquee book, but, with SIEGE, I’ve been pretty happy with most of the tie-ins.

First off, this week, we’ve got NEW AVENGERS #64which concludes the SIEGE arc running through NEW AVENGERS. I read the advance of this, and it’s probably my favorite issue of the SIEGE tie-ins for NEW AVENGERS so far. The story is taking place right around the same time as the Asgard-crumbling events, and it really shows an very crucial angle on some key Marvel characters that doesn’t get shown in the pages of SIEGE #3. I don’t want to drop any spoilers, but this one is a great read, and long-time NEW AVENGERS fans will especially get a kick out of where the story is heading.

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One of my favorite tie-ins to SIEGE has been THOR. The first SIEGE tie-in that took place in THOR #607 was a HUGE issue in regards to the Marvel U, and kind of following up on the past events of CIVIL WAR, and their ramifications. The fact that the creative team of Kieron Gillen and Billy Tan have been dishing out some of the best damn Thor stuff we’ve seen since, well, since JMS left.. which I guess means there hasn’t been a big gap in quality Thor runs, but still, they’ve been doing a fantastic job.

And now this week in THOR #609, things are really getting crazy as we witness the forces of HAMMER raiding the Asgardians amidst the destruction of Asgard. Loki and Balder finally going head to head, and in the midst of this Thor is on a one way mission against an opponent that could rock him and Asgard to their very core: Ragnarok, AKA, the Thor clone that debuted way back in CIVIL WAR.

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And, rounding out the series of one-shots that’ve been hitting us throughout April fleshing out the details of SIEGE, we’ve got the SIEGE: SECRET WARRIORS one-shot from Jonathan Hickman. Now, nevermind the fact that I’m a total fan for SECRET WARRIORS, which is one of my favorite ongoing Marvel books out, but after reading SIEGE: SECRET WARRIORS, I think this may be my favorite of the SIEGE one-shots. I mean, the fact that we’re finally seeing some development in regards to how Phobos (the son of Ares) is dealing with the events of SIEGE #2 is pretty damn cool. This issue was action-packed as hell, and Phobos shows just how big of a badass he can be. Plus, we get some very cool insight into just what Fury’s plans are in regards to the events of SIEGE.

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The conclusion to the SIEGE tie-in to MIGHTY AVENGERS continues in this week’s MIGHTY AVENGERS #36 as we see Hank Pym and Jocasta going head to head all by their lonesome against the killer android, ULTRON. Meanwhile, the rest of the Mighty Avengers are left to fight on the frontlines of SIEGE. This one fits in right near the end of SIEGE #3.

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One of the quirkiest books in the Marvel roster, Thunderbolts has seen the shady characters who’re enlisted in the Thunderbolts going head to head with the Mighty Avengers. Now, as we’re getting closer to the conclusion of SIEGE with THUNDERBOLTS #143, it looks like everything that’s been set in motion by Osborn is coming to an explosive resolution. This one is the end of an era for the Thunderbolts, and sets the stage for the new direction and new line-up of the team coming out of SIEGE.

Click here for the official THIRD EYE SIEGE CHECKLIST

IRON MAN 2 PUBLIC IDENTITY #1 - THIS 3-ISSUE LIMITED SERIES BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN THE FIRST AND SECOND IRON MAN FILMS! A NEW TALE OFFICIALLY IN CONTINUITY WITH THE STORY OF THE MOVIES!
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You know, the rule of thumb on movie tie-in comics is that they SUCK. And, I’ve found this to be the case 98% of the time. However, this IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY mini-series actually looks pretty badass. The fact that it’s got a creative team I’m familiar with (Barry Kitson’s art is still some of my favorite, wish the dude did more stuff these days) is a plus, and the concept is actually pretty cool.

Basically, Public Identity is a limited series that fleshes out the events that happened between the end of IRON MAN, and the beginning of IRON MAN 2. Since the sequel to IRON MAN takes place months after Stark’s epic announcement of him being Iron Man, there were quite a few things that happened in the life of Stark and Iron Man between that and this.

So, you could basically say that IRON MAN PUBLIC IDENTITY is IRON MAN 1.5 as it kind of sets us up nicely for what’s to come in IRON MAN 2.

Click here for a preview of IRON MAN 2: PUBLIC IDENTITY #1

INCORRUPTIBLE #5 – ONE OF OUR FAVORITE NEW SERIES CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY, AS THE ORIGIN OF MAX DARING’S SIDEKICK, JAILBAIT, IS REVEALED!
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The universe that Mark Waid has been building with his two unique looks at the superhero deconstruction genre, INCORRUPTIBLE and IRREDEEMABLE have had us so hooked it’s not even funny. Both of these series have provided some of the most intriguing, and compelling looks at the world of superheroes that we’ve read in quite some time, and have continued to quickly build their reputation as being solid, consistent monthly reads. This week, we’re getting the 5th issue of INCORRUPTIBLE, which reveals the origin of Jailbait, and just what her true nature is.

Not reading INCORRUPTIBLE? Well, here’s why you should be… while Waid is doing a fantastic job of taking the whole “Superman gone Evil” thing in new and exciting directions, it’s INCORRUPTIBLE where we’re really seeing a lot of new ground being tread. Nobody does the Superman Gone Evil thing as good as Waid has been in IRREDEEMABLE, there’s no doubt about that, but nobody hardly touches on what happens when the big bad evil supervillain tries to go right.. at all. And, this is why INCORRUPTIBLE has become such a big deal for us to look forward to.

Here’s some back-story.. in the world of IRREDEEMABLE and INCORRUPTIBLE, the world’s most powerful superhero, The Plutonian (think your classic Superman-esque figure here) goes mad and turns on the world he once protected. In the rain of fire and death the Plutonian has unleashed, big-time super-villain bad guy (picture a mix of Batman’s TWO-FACE, and Spider-man’s SANDMAN), Max Danger, realizes that someone needs to step up. He sees this as his opportunity for redemption, and begins his path to set the world right, and what appears to be, protect it from the Plutonian. Of course, the most interesting thing about INCORRUPTIBLE, is much like with IRREDEEMABLE, where elements that’re familiar to us as comic readers are turned on their heads, or further explored by Waid as he toys with the dynamics of his world. Watching Max Danger try to do the right thing, but making all the wrong moves to do it, is fascinating, and adds a very compelling aspect to the world.

Ontop of all this, the world that Waid is building between INCORRUPTIBLE and IRREDEEMABLE is probably one of the most exciting, new superhero universes we’ve seen come to be. It all comes together in a very natural, non-forced way, where the characters, major and minor, see development through the course of the story.

If you want some good, cutting edge comic awesomeness, we couldn’t recommend INCORRUPTIBLE or IRREDEEMABLE enough.

Wanna get caught up? We’ve currently got issues 1,2,3, and 4 of INCORRUPTIBLE in stock for you to get caught up with, and as for IRREDEEMABLE, we have both volumes 1 and 2 of the trade paperbacks, as well as the issues you’d need to catch up following volume 2. Give these series a try if you’re looking for a really fresh take on the world of superhumans.

Click here for a preview of INCORRUPTIBLE #5

EIGHTBALL & GHOST WORLD CREATOR DAN CLOWES DEBUTS BRAND NEW GRAPHIC NOVEL THIS WEDNESDAY!
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Oh man, first we got that killer Peter Bagge HATE ANNUAL #8 a couple weeks ago, and now we’re getting a new DAN CLOWES graphic novel? Heck, all we need to finish out this trilogy of “Send Steve Down Nostalgia Lane” awesomeness is a new issue of Evan Dorkin’s DORK. Seriously though, we are so pumped to see a new Dan Clowes book. I’ll spare you a repeat of my ramblings from when HATE came out a couple weeks ago, but, the work of Clowes, Bagge, Dorkin, and others were really some of my stand-out favorite comics of the ’90s when I was growing up. There was a really weird, and wild subversiveness to their stuff that was the perfect thing for a teenager into comics and punk rock. And, maybe it’s the fact that it’s so rare that we see new work from Clowes that I’m even more excited about this, but, nothing captures the spirit of indie comics like his work on EIGHTBALL, and so on.

Anyways, this Wednesday, Clowes will be unleashing a new graphic novel, WILSON, which is being billed as Clowes’s first original graphic novel. Meaning that none of this has been serialized in issues of EIGHTBALL before. Wilson is a completely new story, which focuses on a bitter, lonely man named Wilson. This graphic novel takes us in and out of Wilson’s life through stand-alone vignettes that contain gags that stick in your throat, instead of going down easy. The whole thing combined with Clowes’s trademark style of artwork fuses together to give us a story that follows one lonely man’s existence and his desire to pull himself out of the repetitions of hostility and failure. In other words, Clowes is giving us a slab of misanthropic misery that’s just as brilliant as all of his other work.

This one’s highly recommended for anyone who’s into indie comics, and I really can’t express how excited I am about it. Part of that might be the nostalgia of being a snot-nosed kid finding Eightball hidden on a comic rack somewhere, and reading it like 15 times in the back of my parent’s car on the way to Ocean City, but, seriously, Clowes does some fantastic work, and if you haven’t been turned onto his stuff yet, then give him a shot.

Other Dan Clowes stuff we recommend:

Ghost World – The most famous, this is the story they based the movie off of.
Like A Velvet Glove Cast in Iron – A creepy look at aliens, satanists, and the weirdness that dwells beneath the surface of everyday people’s lives.
20th Century Eightball – A collection of Clowes’s one-or-two page gags, and strips.
Caricature – The bittersweet story of a caricature artist.

And, of course, there’s a ton more out there too, but those are just a few off th top of my head that I’d recommend checking out here at Third Eye. And, rest assured you can find ALL of Clowes’s stuff on our shelves here, ’cause dammit, it’s good comics! :)

FILM-MAKER KEVIN SMITH’S GREEN HORNET #3 CONTINUES THE HIT REVIVAL OF THE CLASSIC PULP HERO! SOMEONE WILL DIE THIS WEDNESDAY, BUT WHO WILL IT BE?!
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The revival of the Green Hornet has been a very pleasant surprise, and this Wednesday, we get the third installment in the headlining title of that revival with KEVIN SMITH’S GREEN HORNET. The director of Clerks, Mallrats, and more has really been breathing new life into the world of the Green Hornet, and we’ve been digging it so far. It’s a fun series with a true blockbuster popcorn movie kinda feel to it. He’s done a great job of adding a new dynamic to the Green Hornet, and so far, judging by the first two issues, we’re pretty stoked about the direction the series is going. The dialogue is sharp, as to be expected from Smith, but you can definitely tell this one is his style of writing, even right down to the action sequences.

And, now, this Wednesday, the big buzz is which Green Hornet character is going to bite it. While Dynamite has released a series of teaser images (like the one above), they’re being pretty tight-lipped with who it is that’s gonna bite it, and have given us several images teasing just who might be the one to bite the dust.

If you’ve missed out on checking out Green Hornet, don’t even sweat it, because we have plenty of the first two issues in stock to get you caught up. Check it out this Wednesday!

FLASH REBIRTH HARDCOVER ARRIVES THIS WEEK COLLECTING THE LIMITED SERIES THAT BROUGHT BARRY ALLEN BACK, AND LEADS DIRECTLY INTO THE HIT NEW ONGOING FLASH SERIES! FROM THE CREATIVE TEAM THAT BROUGHT YOU GREEN LANTERN REBIRTH!
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The creative team that made Hal Jordan cool again with GREEN LANTERN: REBIRTH has done the same thing again with their recent FLASH: REBIRTH limited series. And, now, this Wednesday, you can grab the entire thing in it’s entirety to find out just how good of a job they did. Let me put it like this, I’ve never been a major Barry Allen fan, and after reading Rebirth, he’s become a favorite. Just like he did with Hal Jordan, Johns has been able to take the silver age sensibilities of Barry, and meld them with the 21st century style of comic storytelling that makes characters so compelling. And, it’s not just the characterization that’s so good, but also the whole world of the Flash that Johns has managed to rebuild and flesh out over the span of this six issue mini-series.

I’ll go on record as saying that the Flash #1 (from the new ongoing series by Johns) was probably my favorite book I read that week, maybe only being beat out by Brightest Day #0 (only ’cause I’m a sucker for Deadman, and Maxwell Lord). And, having set down and read FLASH REBIRTH 1-6 in it’s entirety once the series has ended, I have a much better understanding and appreciation for where Johns is headed with the new Flash series.

So, if you’ve been waiting for The Flash to get good again, wait no longer, jump on with Flash Rebirth, and then check out the brand new ongoing series that’s totally kick-ass.

Click here to read more about FLASH REBIRTH

THE SECOND COMING CONTINUES THIS WEDNESDAY IN X-FORCE #26 *X-MEN SECOND COMING PT 5* – FIND OUT WHY THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST DAMN X-MEN STORYLINES IN A VERY LONG TIME!

AND TRUST US, FOLKS, THIS ONE’S GOT A HUGE SURPRISE!
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You know, I was wondering just how well they could keep the momentum going after that incredible opening chapter of SECOND COMING in the X-MEN SECOND COMING one-shot, but, here we are, five chapters in, and dude, I’m hooked. It’s great. They’ve totally brought back the excitement and buzz I used to feel for the X-Men universe back when I was in middle school. It’s just a big, crazy storyline that’s focusing on the characters we actually give a damn about, and it feels like it’s leading up to even cooler things.

This week, the 5th chapter of X-MEN SECOND COMING takes place in X-FORCE #26, and I’m pretty pumped. The artwork on X-FORCE is always top notch, whether it’s Choi or Crain, it’s always gorgeous, and getting to see Nightcrawler, Cyclops, and company being done by Choi is pretty killer. Also, after the events of X-MEN LEGACY last week, it’s pretty damn cool to see Rogue as an interesting character again. Another stnad-out about the SECOND COMING has been the bad guys. It’s been a while since we’ve seen X-Villains that were this cool, and the whole concept of Bastion, Cameron Hodge, Trask and others using their Human League to hunt down Hope is pretty interesting. Best part about it? The bad guys actually do something here. There’s a ton of action that’s running through this storyline, and it’s not the anti-climatic letdown that a lot of past recent X-Storylines have been.

As for this week’s chapter, the less I say the better, as there’s not a lot that can be said without dropping spoilers. All I can say is that this one has one hell of a surprise, and definitely shows that no one is safe during the events of SECOND COMING.

For those of you who haven’t yet hopped aboard with SECOND COMING, we’ve currently got all the chapters in stock that you need to get caught up.
You can click here to check out the SECOND COMING checklist, and get caught up on what you need.
Click here for a preview of X-FORCE #26 *X-MEN SECOND COMING PT 5*

STUFF OF LEGEND ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY IN TRADE PAPERBACK! ONE OF THE THIRD EYE FAVORITES OF 2009, THIS SERIES DELIVERS A VISCERAL, TRIPPY “SAVING PRIVATE RYAN” meets “TOY STORY” BY WAY OF GUIELERMO DEL TORO KIND OF EXPERIENCE! HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
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Here’s one that was a HUGE favorite around the store last year. This little indie gem came out of nowhere, and it took everybody by storm. Everything from the writing to the amazing artwork to the overall presentation and format of the book was top notch, and Stuff of Legend really built a following amongst the Third Eye Faithful here.

So, what is STUFF OF LEGEND? The way that I often describe it in terms of style and content is a cross between the gritty, dark violent turmoil of SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and then a kind of surreal, creepy take on TOY STORY… if it was directed by Guilermo Del Toro. Seriously though, it’s a very cool story, basically a young boy during WW 2 is kidnapped by the boogeyman, and his toys come to life to crossover into the Boogeyman’s realm to rescue him. And, when they do crossover, they become much more intimidating versions of themselves. In other words, the cuddly Teddy Bear becomes a giant rip-your-head-off grizzly bear, and the Jack-In-The-Box shows his meanstreak. The book is a fantastic story in it’s simplicity of dealing with toys come to life and the boogeyman, but there are themes much more complex at play such as love, loyalties, betrayal, war, and death. The story takes a very dark turn at the end of the first chapter, especially.

And, the artwork is fantastic. The artwork, with it’s sepia-tone style of coloring, really pulls you in, and makes you feel like you’re THERE in the story. It fits the nature, and the mood of the story completely, and really makes the book stand out.

The next arc of STUFF OF LEGEND is due out this summer, but in the mean-time, the fine folks at Th3rd World have put together this fantastic trade paperback collection. Make sure you snag a copy this week, and find out why nearly everyone at the shop is raving about STUFF OF LEGEND.

THE WAKING #3 CONTINUES “WONDERLAND” CREATOR RAVEN GREGORY’S TWISTED, AND KILLER NEW HORROR SERIES!
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Zenescope has really hit it spot on with their newest series, THE WAKING, from “Return to Wonderland” writer RAVEN GREGORY. This killer series takes a traditional gothic horror ghost story and mixes it with the detective noir genre for some fantastic results. See, in the world of THE WAKING, murder victims are rising from their graves and looking to dish out grisly revenge on their killers, in true E.C Comics grandiose fashion.

And, the detectives who’re investigating these murders are dealing with the moral dilemma of whether they should dig deeper into the murders that could be seen as justice. The second issue really kept the dread that the first issue had going for it building, and that’s where the zombies, and buckets of blood came into play.

Now, this Wednesday, the third issue of THE WAKING hits, and we can’t wait to read more. Gregory and Drujiniu are really delivering an atmospheric, mentally and visually creepy horror story that you just don’t see that much anymore. Sure, it’s bloody, and sure it’s violent, but there’s definitely a concerted effort to really deliver an atmosphere of dread, and creepiness. It actually has a slight E.C horror comics feel to it, but, without as much humor.

If you missed issue #1, or issue #2, we’ve still got limited quantities of both to get you caught up. So, check ‘em out this Wednesday!

Click here to check out a video trailer for THE WAKING

STAFF PICKS

Steve - AMERICAN VAMPIRE #2 = Dude, the second issue of this new VERTIGO series totally blew me away. The whole take on how the biology of vampires work, and the development of the Pearl character was fantastic. This series could be to vampires, what Walking Dead was to zombies. Awesome stuff.

Trish – CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #1 = You know, I thought Garth Ennis couldn’t push the envelope any further than he did, but then David Lapham comes along and rips the envelope to shreds with the new CROSSED series. Read it, and when you see the ending.. you’ll know what I mean.

Torma – GREEN LANTERN #53 *BRIGHTEST DAY* = One of the best issues of Green Lantern I’ve read, and that’s saying a lot. The way the relationship between the New Guardians is touched on, as well as the cliffhanger at the end were great.

Matt – JOE THE BARBARIAN #4 = Morrison continues to increase the epic feel of this new Vertigo limited series. Each issue gives this one a modern day Lord of the Rings-kinda feel, and I’m really loving it. Very cool fantasy storytelling that you don’t see done this well often.

Posted in Featured Books, New Releases |

Tags: annapolis comic book shop, annapolis comic book store, annapolis comic shop, annapolis comic store, annapolis comics, brightest day, dan clowes, fcbd, flash rebirth, free comic book day, green lantern corps, heroic age, incorruptible, invincible 71, invincible iron man, invincible iron man 25, iron man public identity, jsa series 2, kevin smith's green hornet, maryland comic book shop, maryland comic book store, maryland comic shop, maryland comic store, md comic book shop, md comic book store, md comic shop, md comic store, new comic day, random acts of violence, stuff of legend, the waking, third eye comics, third eye comics annapolis, third eye comics maryland, viltrumite war, wilson, wilson by clowes, x-force 26, x-men second coming |

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WHAT’S NEW @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 3/31/10

March 28th, 2010 |

Author: thirdeye

WHAT’S NEW @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 3/31/10

Hey gang! Here’s a full listing of new releases arriving at Third Eye this Wednesday! See something you just absolutely gotta have? Shoot us an email atthirdeyecomics@gmail.com, and we’ll be happy to set it aside for you!

A-TEAM WAR STORIES BA #1
ADVENTURE COMICS #9 *LAST STAND OF NEW KRYPTON PT 5*
ADVENTURE COMICS #512 VARIANT
ALADDIN LEGACY OF THE LOST #2
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #627 *THE GAUNTLET PT 15*
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY JMS ULTIMATE COLLECTION v.3 TP
ARMY OF DARKNESS OMNIBUS TP
ASTRO CITY THE DARK AGE BOOK FOUR #3
BIBLE EDEN GN
BILLY BATSON AND THE MAGIC OF SHAZAM #14
BLACKEST NIGHT #8 *FREE BLACK RING WITH PURCHASE* THIRD EYE MUST BUY
BLACKEST NIGHT #8 VARIANT
BLACKEST NIGHT #8 SKETCH VARIANT
BLACKEST NIGHT POSTER 1
BLACKEST NIGHT POSTER 2
BLACKBEARD LEGACY VS. PISTOLFIST ONE-SHOT
BRAVE AND THE BOLD DEMONS AND DRAGONS TP
CAPTAIN AMERICA WINTER SOLDIER ULTIMATE COLLECTION TP
CLASSIC PIN-UP ART OF JACK COLE TP
CLOAK AND DAGGER #1
COWBOY NINJA VIKING #5 *THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL*
THE CREEPER BY STEVE DITKO HC
DARK WOLVERINE #84 *SIEGE TIE-IN*
DETECTIVE COMICS #863
DISNEYS HERO SQUAD #3
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP #10
DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC SHEEP HC v.2
DRAGON AGE #1
ESCAPE FROM WONDERLAND #6
ESSENTIAL RAMPAGING HULK TP v.2
ETERNAL DESCENT #1
EZ STREET GN
FANTASTIC FOUR #577 *PRIME ELEMENTS PT 3*
FATE STAY NIGHT GN v7
FEMALE FORCE ELLEN DEGENERES
GI JOE COBRA II #3
GI JOE COBRA II #3 CHAYKIN VARIANT
GOD OF WAR #1 *THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL*
GODLAND #31
GOTHAM CITY SIRENS #10
GOTHAM CITY STORIES STATUE PT 1 BATMAN
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY TP v.3 WAR OF KINGS BOOK 2
HACK/SLASH #30
HEAVY METAL MAY 2010
HI FRUCTOSE MAGAZINE QUARTERLY #15
HIGH SOFT LISP GN
IMAGE FIRSTS WALKING DEAD #1 *FREE THIS WEEK AT THIRD EYE!*
IMAGE FIRSTS YOUNGBLOOD #1 *FREE THIS WEEK AT THIRD EYE!*
IMPALER #5
INCORRUPTIBLE #4 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY*
INCORRUPTIBLE #4 VARIANT
IRON MAN EXTREMIS HC
IRON MAN I AM IRON MAN TP
IT WAS WAR O/T TRENCHES HC
JACK OF FABLES #44
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #43
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #43 VARIANT
JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #37
KEVIN SMITH’S GREEN HORNET #2 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY*
LEGENDARY TALESPINNERS #2
LOGANS RUN #2
MADAME XANADU #21
MARVEL PREVIEWS APRIL 2010
NEW MUTANTS #11 *SIEGE TIE-IN*
NOMAD GIRL WITHOUT A WORLD TP
ORACLE THE CURE TP
OUTSIDERS #28
PALS N GALS DOUBLE DIGEST #140
PENNY CENTURY TP
PLUTO URASAWA X TEZUKA GN v.8
POLITICAL POWER #9 BILL CLINTON
PRELUDE TO DEADPOOL CORPS #5
PREVIEWS CATALOG APRIL 2010
PUNISHER #15 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 5*
GARTH ENNIS’S PUNISHER MAX #1 *FREE THIS WEDNESDAY AT THIRD EYE!*
PVP #45
RASL #7
REALM OF KINGS INHUMANS #5 *REALM OF KINGS*
ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS BATTLE AMONGST THE STARS #1
SENSATIONAL SHE-HULK #1 ONE-SHOT
SILENT MOBIUS COMPLETE EDITION GN v.3
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #211
SPIDER-MAN COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC TP v.1
SPIN ANGELS PREMIERE HC
STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION GHOSTS #5
STAR WARS LEGACY #46
STRANGE ADVENTURES TP
THE SWORD #23
TALISMAN ROAD OF TRIALS #5
TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #61
TEEN TITANS #81
TERMINATOR #1
TERMINATOR OMNIBUS v.1
TEZUKAS ODE TO KIRIHITO SC v.1
TEZUKAS ODE TO KIRIHITO SC v.2
THUNDERBOLTS #141 2ND PRINT
TRANSFORMERS ONGOING SERIES #5
TRANSFORMERS ONGOING SERIES #5 VARIANT
TRINITY BLOOD GN v.12
UNKNOWN SOLDIER #18
USAGI YOJIMBO #127
VINCENT PRICE PRESENTS #16
THE WAKING #2
THE WEB #7
WIZARD MAGAZINE #224
WIZARDS OF MICKEY #3
WOLVERINE ORIGINS #46
WOLVERINE ORIGINS ROMULUS TP
WONDER WOMAN #42
WONDER WOMAN ENDS OF THE EARTH TP
X-FORCE #25 *NECROSHA*
X-FORCE #25 CRAIN VARIANT
X-MEN FOREVER #20
X-MEN SECOND COMING #1 *SECOND COMING PT 1* THIRD EYE MUST BUY
X-MEN SECOND COMING #1 FINCH VARIANT

The Third Eye Subscription Service!

Can’t make it to the shop every week? Lose track of the books you’re following from time to time? Join the Third Eye Army, and Sign Up For our FREE Subscription Service! Register on our website by going here. Or, if you’d prefer, you can email us directly @ thirdeyecomics@gmail.com, and we can get you set up that way as well.

Posted in New Releases |

Tags: annapolis comic book shop, annapolis comic book store, annapolis comic books, annapolis comic shop, annapolis comic store, black rings, blackest night, blackest night 8, blackest night posters, cowboy ninja viking, dragon age, dragon age 1, dragon age comic, god of war, god of war 1, god of war comic, incorruptible, kevin smith, kevin smith's green hornet, maryland comic book shop, maryland comic book store, maryland comic books, maryland comic shop, maryland comic store, md comic book shop, md comic book store, md comic shop, md comic store, new comic day, second coming, siege, third eye comics, third eye comics annapolis, third eye comics maryland, x-men, x-men second coming |

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THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 2/17/10

February 15th, 2010 |

Author: thirdeye

KICK-ASS HARDCOVER by MARK MILLAR (OLD MAN LOGAN) & JOHN ROMITA JR ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY! THE MUST-READ SERIES OF THE LAST TWO YEARS! READ IT BEFORE YOU SEE THE MOVIE!

YOU. MUST. READ. KICK. ASS!!! One of the most widely anticipated releases hitting the Third Eye racks this Wednesday is the KICK-ASS hardcover. Why? Cause this whole series friggin’ smoked from start to finish. It took a while to finish, but heck, that ending was worth it. Millar was in true form here, delivering some vile yet humorous dialogue, some horribly gory action, and some of the most clever comics storywriting we’ve seen. And, who can forget John Romita JR’s part in all this? His skill as a storyteller shined through here so well, that you got lost in every issue of KICK-ASS you read. Every broken bone, every knife in the gut, every bullet in the face… he makes the violence hammer you over the head, in a quick, machine-gun fire burst.

And, soon, in just a matter of months, you will be able to see KICK-ASS on the big screen, as this film went straight from the pages of the comic to the movie theater. So, now, before we just keep rambling on and on about why we think this series is so damn good, lets tell you WHAT it’s about, and WHY it’s good.

WHAT IS KICK-ASS? KICK-ASS is a story about a teenage comic book fan named Dave Lizewski. Disenfranchised with his everyday ordinary life, Dave decides to take his love of comic books to the next level, and embark on becoming a vigilante. And, from there, everything goes horribly wrong. Right from the start, he purchases a wetsuit from eBay, to fashion into his costume. His first night out, he tries to stop some teenagers from spraypainting a wall, and ends up getting brutally beat and hospitalized. Broken ribs, broken collar bone, he’s a mess.

Six months to a year later, and Dave is out of the hospital. He swears he’s done with the superhero game, and burns all of his comics, tossing out all of his “secret plans”, and more. And, then, weeks later, he feels that itch.. to go out, and try again. And, this time, things work out where he ends up an internet viral sensation known as KICK-ASS.

And from there, the story begins, carrying us into a world where REAL people disenfranchised with the way things are, have decided to put on costumes, and try to change it. The thing that makes this interesting though is most of the people acting as superheroes are psychologically damaged in some way. Whether it be the relationship between Hit-Girl and Big Daddy (which you learn more about in the later issues of the series), or the motivation of the Red Mist… it’s a world of people desperately trying to escape their day-to-day through the guise of “fighting the good fight.” Of course, a real, flesh and blood gangster gets involved in the picture, and that’s when the world of superhero role-play quickly turns into a bloody war across the city streets.

WHY WE LOVE KICK-ASS? The series is sharp as hell. The characterization of everyone from the main character, Dave Lizewski, to the psychotic Hit-Girl, is dead on. Each character’s dialogue is so believable for them, and their background, that it really helps to pull you into the story. And, the pacing, the pacing is perfect. The story never feels like it’s dragging, but at the same time, you’re given brief moments where the backgrounds of these characters you may have just met are explored and fleshed out.

And, of course, the pop culture references and the insane amount of violence. What can we say, folks? We love our ultraviolence here at Third Eye, and KICK-ASS has it every which way. Plus, being the big pop culturally obsessed kinda folks we are, Millar’s use of comic book and T.V references in the dialogue, and even some of the storytelling of the book is most appreciated.

At it’s heart, KICK-ASS is a modern-day everyman superhero story, that serves as a nice 21st Century spiritual successor to the classic Stan Lee/Steve Ditko Spider-man stuff. I know, I know, you’re like “Steve, how the hell do you connect those two?” Well, to me, both are stories about guys who do find themselves wielding a responsibility, even though it gets them their asses handed to them. And, both also tend to put on that suit just as much for the self-gratifying escapist need, as they do the need to “do the right thing.” Both are characters that could be anybody, and are written that way too.

I HEARD THERE’S A KICK-ASS MOVIE? Ontop of all of the above mentioned factoids, there is a KICK-ASS movie hitting this Spring, and it looks… well, KICK-ASS. The trailers for it look INSANE. And, Nick Cage actually looks like he’s got a good role for him, for once! At first we were skeptical about how the book would translate to film, but, after seeing the red-band trailer… we’re convinced it’s going to rock.

OKAY, OKAY.. I WANT IT! We’ll have plenty of the hardcover in stock this Wednesday, packs the eight issue series into one giant slab of awesomeness for only $24.99. This one is going to be a popular one this week, so if you’re really set on getting one, make sure you get in here this week, or drop us a line about holding you a copy.

Click here to read more about KICK-ASS on the KICK-ASS wiki page.

Click here to see a trailer for the KICK-ASS movie.

BLACKEST NIGHT: GREEN LANTERN #51 & GREEN LANTERN CORPS #45 DELIVER A DOUBLE-DOSE OF BLACKEST NIGHT AWESOMENESS THIS WEDNESDAY!

It’s funny, but the quality and importance of the GREEN LANTERN title in the big scheme of BLACKEST NIGHT has become so important that I look forward to it almost as much as I do the core BLACKEST NIGHT series. Each issue of GREEN LANTERN fills in the gaps between BLACKEST NIGHT issues very nicely, and nothing proved that more than GREEN LANTERN #50 from a few weeks ago. If you’re only reading the core BLACKEST NIGHT title, and skipping GREEN LANTERN, you’re seriously missing out on a lot of cool stuff that Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke have been expanding on in the core series.

Anyways, last month’s issue of GL, issue #50 (still in stock here at Third Eye, in case you missed it!) picked up directly after the last page of BLACKEST NIGHT #6, with the deputized Lanterns throwing a beat-down on the Black Lantern. And, not only did we get to see Orange Lantern Luthor, Yellow Lantern Scarecrow, Star Sapphire Wonder Woman, and more, go to town, but we also got to witness the likes of Sinestro, Atrocitus, St. Walker, and more prepare to go to battle with the Black Lantern Spectre.

Of course, the Spectre being the embodiment of God’s wrath, and all that made things a little tough… and that’s where things really got interesting, with Hal Jordan re-inventing the Parallax entity back into his being, to reunite to take down the Spectre.

And, now, here we are GREEN LANTERN #51, and the question everyone has on the top of their mind is: How will they take down the Spectre, but more importantly, what’s going to happen to Hal and this Parallax thing when all is said and done? I guess this is what we’ll find out this week in GREEN LANTERN #51.

Meanwhile in the pages of GREEN LANTERN CORPS, we’ve been seeing Guy Gardner as a RED LANTERN. And, what former Green Lantern would be more fitting to represent the Rage than the infamous hothead, Guy Gardner. Ever since the finale of GREEN LANTERN CORPS #42, Guy has officially flipped his lid. And, c’mon… the Red Lanterns are just plain cool. From the looks of the cover for this week’s GREEN LANTERN CORPS #45, it looks like Guy is going to be going head to head with his former comrades in the Green Lantern Corp as they try to bring him back from the dark side of the Red Lanterns.

BLACKEST NIGHT: BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH #3WRAPS UP GEOFF JOHN’S AWESOME INCLUSION OF THE FLASH AND HIS ROGUES INTO BLACKEST NIGHT!

If there’s one character besides Green Lantern that you can tell Geoff Johns (Blackest Night mastermind) was born to write it’s The Flash. In fact, before Johns relaunched the world of Green Lantern and brought it back to the top of everyone’s mind, he was belting out some killer Flash yarns on the regular ongoing series. It’s actually kind of funny, because in the late ’90s, The Flash had kind of registered on my radar as being a book that always tended to have a very strong creative team onboard, from Mark Waid’s run (which got me into the Flash) to those killer Morrison/Millar issues, but it was Geoff Johns who really helped me appreciate, understand, and feel a connection to the Flash, his supporting cast, and his villains.

And, this is why I feel that the Blackest Night Flash has shined as one of the better Blackest Night-related limited series. Johns has a real love for the character, and you can really feel how he manages to connect both FLASH: REBIRTH and BLACKEST NIGHT to the world of Flash. Johns is doing a fantastic job of tying the events of BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH with FLASH REBIRTH, in regards to Reverse Flash, and of course, his Black Lantern counterpart.

But, the best thing about the Blackest Night Flash so far has been the return of Johns’s focus on the Flash Rogues. These characters have always been some of my favorite in his Flash works, and they are really shining in this limited series. It’s pretty awesome to see Captain Cold and crew taking down the Black Lantern Rogues, not only because the Black Lantern Rogues are out to get them, but because they feel a responsibility to put them to rest.

Scott Kolins, who has worked with Johns before on some of his earlier Flash stuff, in addition to last year’s FINAL CRISIS ROGUES REVENGE, brings his trademark, hyper-kinetic artstyle to the book, and that just compliments the high energy tone of this mini.

Folks, if you’re a Flash fan, or just plain ol’ digging Blackest Night, and you’ve yet to try BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH, I can’t recommend it enough. We currently have plenty of issues 1, and 2 in stock, and issue #3 will be in this week.

From the looks of BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH #3, we’re going to possibly see some Nekron action going on here. And, I wonder if this will maybe touch on Barry’s transformation into a deputy BLUE LANTERN.

Click here to read more about BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH #3

BLACKEST NIGHT SERIES 3 ACTION FIGURES THIS WEDNESDAY! YOU KNOW YOU WANT YOUR LARFLEEZE! MINEMINEMINE

This Wednesday, the next fearsome foursome of Blackest Night action figures arrive from DC DIRECT! So far, we’ve been so impressed with the quality of the sculpts on the Blackest Night stuff, and this next wave looks just as killer as the previous two. This week, we’ve got LARFLEEZE, THE ORANGE LANTERN! BLACK LANTERN AQUAMAN! STAR SAPPHIRE! and ARISIA!

If you’re stoked on these, and want us to reserve you any of them, then feel free to drop us a line!

DARK AVENGERS #14 – THE SIEGE CONTINUES AS NORMAN OSBORN NEGOTIATES WITH THE SENTRY’S DARK SIDE!

Okay, Marvel has really knocked things up quite a few notches with their SIEGE event. So far, this has probably been the best event that they have done since CIVIL WAR, and is definitely living up to the hype they’ve given it. Surprisingly, the tie-in issues have all been very solid so far, but the best of the bunch thus far, was DARK AVENGERS #13 which revealed the origins and true nature of the Sentry.

Now, the Sentry has always been a character I’ve really disliked. I just couldn’t get into him, or the concept of his backstory. The REAL origin that they revealed in DARK AVENGERS #13 completely changed my opinion of the Sentry, and I feel that he has truly found his place now in the Marvel Universe as a top tier heavy-hitting bad guy.

Continuing the story of the Dark Avengers in regards to SIEGE, DARK AVENGERS #14 arrives this week and picks up right where DARK AVENGERS #14 left off. The way that it reads, it looks like it takes place directly before SIEGE #2, and it really is a good follow-up issue to the strong origin issue of the Sentry. I don’t want to give too much away, but this issue explores the Sentry’s new embracing of his dark side, and his complete submission to the Void side of his personality. And, of course, how Osborn deals with it. We also see how Osborn is slowly losing his own grip on his sanity, and is put into check by Victoria Hand.

Without giving away too much, this sets up what you already saw in regards to the Sentry’s actions in SIEGE #2, perfectly. It’s a very action-packed issue, that has some very cool character growth for Osborn, as well as an interesting look at what The Sentry’s goal is now that he has embraced his dark side.

Click here for a preview of DARK AVENGERS #14

Click here for the official Third Eye SIEGE Checklist

THIRD EYE CERTIFIED COOL: DEVIL #1 – LEGENDARY ANIME/MANGA STUDIO MADHOUSE (TRIGUN, NINJA SCROLL, ect) DELIVER THEIR FIRST AMERICAN-STYLE COMIC WORK! SCI-FI VAMPIRE CRAZINESS!

Here’s one that caught my eye while doing the Previews orders last month. DEVIL is a brand new Dark Horse limited series where the powerhouse anime/manga studio behind NINJA SCROLL, and TRIGUN, are bringing their incredible and unique artwork to the world of American comics. Please note, this is not a manga, but a Western-style comic being illustrated by some of the most talented animators and artists from Japan. Of course, the killer artwork is what got my eye, but, then I read about the concept of the story, and this one sounds pretty damn killer. Let me tell you some more about it.

A virus has been unleashed on the planet, and is spreading quickly. It turns ordinary people into superhumans with a thirst for blood called “Devils”, while most of them “burn out” and die within days, or weeks, there’s a new strain that allows the “Devils” to survive. And, this poses as a threat to mankind, with them being replaced on the food chain by this new predatory breed of human.

The only ones left to stand in the way of humanity going the way of the dinosaur are a couple of detectives from the Tokyo Police department.

From what I’ve seen in preview pages, this one has some gorgeous art, and looks like a very cool cyber-punk-esque horror tale.

Click here to read a preview of DEVIL #1

INCORRUPTIBLE #3 - BOOMS! RED HOT IRREDEEMABLE SPIN OFF CONTINUES TO ASK THE QUESTION: WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BAD GUY GOES GOOD?

One of the best new ones to come out here in 2010 has been Mark Waid’s companion book to IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE. What’s awesome about this is that whether you’re reading IRREDEEMABLE or not, the book is still accessible, and easy to follow, so you really need no prior knowledge of the world of the Plutonian (Irredeemable) to enjoy it.

However, if you are reading Irredeemable, then you’re like me, and REALLY digging INCORRUPTIBLE. The world that Waid is building here is so compelling, and is turning into one of the best superhero universes I’ve seen. This story runs parallel to the events of IRREDEEMABLE, where one of The Plutonian’s arch-enemies, in the wake of the Plutonian’s turk to the dark side, has had a revelation that he needs to step up, and change his path of criminal behavior. Basically, it’s the flip side of IRREDEEMABLE.. what happens when the bad guy goes good?

And, so far, two issues in, it’s been great. Just as interesting, and compelling as Irredeemable, if not moreso. The characterization of the main character, Max Danger (formerly Max Damage) is dead on, and the somewhat creepy former relationship to his sidekick is slightly disturbing. The motivation of Max is very cool, and the way Waid is writing him so that he’s applying the same kind of thinking he’s lived with his entire life, but applying it to the flip side of what he’s always done.

It’s really an interesting take on the world of superheroes, and one that hasn’t been explored fully before. We’ve seen the hero fall, but it’s rare that we see the path to redemption being traveled by the bad guy. And, Max Danger was a very, very bad man, as we find out through glimpses at his past in Incorruptible.

Both IRREDEEMABLE, and INCORRUPTIBLE practically hum with fresh, post-modern superhero energy that manages to take the standard foundations of classic superhero storytelling and infuse it with a fresh breath of air.

We currently have both INCORRUPTIBLE #1, and #2 well-stocked here at Third Eye, in case you haven’t hopped onto the series yet, so if you need to catch up, we got you covered.

Click here for a preview of INCORRUPTIBLE #3

WHAT IS IRREDEEMABLE? You’re probably wondering after seeing the references to IRREDEEMABLE above just what the heck IRREDEEMABLE is. Well, for those of you who haven’t yet stepped foot into the exciting new superhero universe Waid’s been building, here’s the rundown.

Irredeemable is the story of the Plutonian, who is basically the equivalent of Superman in this world. Essentially, it’s WHAT IF SUPERMAN WENT EVIL? The series kicks off with the Plutonian hunting down and murdering his former team-mates (Imagine Superman systematically exterminating members of the Justice League, and their family one-by-one, and that’s pretty much the feel here), and the first story arc culminates in the Plutonian sinking Singapore just to prove a point! Much like INCORRUPTIBLE, the characterization of the Plutonian and his supporting cast is fascinating, and we learn more and more about the why of him snapping and turning to the dark side through well-placed flashbacks to past events. We see a man who has saved the world time and time again, and we see the times where he’s been taken for granted, betrayed, and otherwise crapped on by a world that he’s made vows to protect. All of these things culminate in one major event that finally sends him over the edge, and when you get to that point, it’s one of the best reveals in comics, in recent memory.

Want to check out IRREDEEMABLE? For only $9.99, you can grab the first trade paperback collecting issues 1-4, and then either hop on with issue #5 (which is only $.99 cents), or go straight to the second trade that collects issues 5-8. The series itself is currently at issue #10.

DOOMWAR #1 – DR. DOOM IS MORE POWERFUL THAN HE’S EVER BEEN BEFORE, AND OUT FOR BLOOD! AND HE’S GOING HEAD TO HEAD WITH THE BLACK PANTHER, THE UNCANNY X-MEN, and THE FANTASTIC FOUR.. PLUS… DEADPOOL’S THERE TOO?

Who doesn’t love Dr. Doom? One of the best Marvel villains of all-time, and over the course of the last couple of years, they’ve really re-established Doom as a major force in the Marvel Universe, as he should be. And, now, in DOOMWAR, a limited series beginning this week, we see the good Doctor getting the title billing he deserves.

See, for the last few years, Doom has been slowly plotting and manipulating events and people in the Marvel Universe. In the pages of books like Black Panther, we’ve seen Doom launch vicious sneak attacks against T’Challa, and manipulate key events so that the support of Wakanda would lean towards Doom. With Storm being held prisoner, T’Challa has decided the time is right to strike back at Doom, and get his revenge. Now, T’Challa has called in the aide of the X-Men, and the Fantastic Four to wage war against Doom and his forces. T’Challa has also paid for the services of one of the most unpredictable and dangerous men in the Marvel Universe: DEADPOOL.

Why Are We Stoked About It? It’s going to be a five-issue over-the-top brawl from start to finish, featuring one of our favorite Marvel baddies, Dr. Doom. It’s also got a roster of characters involved that is pretty impressive, with Black Panther, the X-Men, the FF, and Deadpool all being thrown into the mix. Also, from the preview pages we’ve seen, Scott Eaton’s art is seriously on point, and this one looks like a fantastic event where one of our favorite villains gets to shine.

Click here to read an interview with the creative team on DOOMWAR about the series

WARREN ELLIS’S IGNITION CITY ARRIVES THIS WEDNESDAY IN TRADE PAPERBACK! GRITTY STEAMPUNK AWESOMENESS! DEADWOOD MEETS BUCK ROGERS MAYHEM!

Available in trade paperback this Wednesday, we’ve got one of Ellis’s coolest stories in ages. Ignition City was one of the best things we read last year, and we know that a lot of you guys have been waiting to scoop this one up when it hit trade, and now it’s finally here!

Ignition City delivered a great, pulpy steampunk/retropunk tale that Ellis has gone on record as describing as “Deadwood meets Buck Rogers”. Essentially, it’s a story set in a steampunk alternate history where World War II was interrupted by a Martian invasion. As a result, space travel became the norm, and the age of space heroes was born. Of course, in the wake of World War II’s ending, things have changed drastically. The world is now one where spaceships belch smoke, and it’s not uncommon to see a quickdraw raygun shoot-out in some dusty tavern.

The story itself focuses on a former space pilot, Mary Raven, as she ventures to Ignition City to recover her dead father’s possessions. Once she’s there, she discovers the true nature of Ignition City, a dead island on the equator, where lawlessness runs rampant, and space heroes go to die. She finds that her father was murdered, and begins her quest to find out who did the deed in this World of Tomorrow rotting out from the inside. On Ignition City, broken down men who were once swashbuckling science heroes pass out drunk in the shells of their former ships. On Ignition City, rayguns burn holes in the torsos of card cheats. On Ignition City, the ugly face of the World of Science is revealed.

This, my friends, was a fantastic read, and we can’t recommend it enough.

Check it out this Wednesday here at Third Eye!

FALL OF THE HULKS CONTINUES THIS WEEK INHULK #20 and INCREDIBLE HULK #607! RED HULK vs. THE X-MEN! RED SHE-HULK vs. THE AVENGERS!

The monster epic FALL OF THE HULKS has been a big hit here at Third Eye, as it barrels forward to a conclusion that should reveal many things, including the identity of The Red Hulk and Red She-Hulk! So far, I’ve been really enjoying the FALL OF THE HULKS storyline. It’s got everything that I’ve loved about the current direction of the HULK title: big, over-the-top, beat’em up fun. larger than life Marvel characters making guest-appearances, and incredible artwork.

The concept is pretty simple: The Intelligencia, a gathering composed of Marvel’s mad scientists, old and new, ranging from obscurities like Egghead to heavyhitters like Dr. Doom, all working under the banner of The Leader, have combined their scientific know-how and demised a final solution to rid the world of all the different Hulks running around.

The storytelling has a nice edge to it, but definitely fills a niche in Marvel as having an old school late ’70s/early ’80s vibe fused with some modern day Marvel madness to keep it from feeling dated (I mean, c’mon… Red She-Hulk broke Green She-Hulk’s neck, for God’s sake!)

Coming down the pike this week, we’ve got two big FALL OF THE HULKS chapters in the pages of HULK #20, and INCREDIBLE HULK #607. In the pages of HULK #20, we get to see the Red Hulk going toe-to-toe with the X-Men, and, ontop of that, the Red Ghost and the Super Apes are up to some bad mojo regarding The Beast and Black Panther. Of course, this issue is being illustrated by the insanely talented ED MCGUINNESS. This guy is pretty much THE Hulk artist, and whenever he’s cranking out the book, you know you’re going to get BIG, because McGuinness does BIG very well.

Next up, is INCREDIBLE HULK #607, the next chapter in FALL OF THE HULKS, where it looks like we’re going to be seeing the Red She-Hulk going toe-to-toe with the Avengers (anyone noticing a theme here?). And, that’s when Banner and Son step in to save the day. Apparently, in this one, we get to see just where Banner stands, and what his true motives are now in the grand scheme of things. And, to be honest, I’m as excited about that as I am about finding out who Red Hulk is going to be. Ever since World War Hulk, I’ve been wondering just what Banner’s overall plan about things was.

Anyhow, folks, if you want some killer Marvel fun with bigger than life characters, lots of extremely brutal comic book brawls, and every Marvel character you could think of… all in gorgeous artwork by folks like Ed McGuinness and Paul Pelletier, then do yourselves a favor and check out FALL OF THE HULKS. One of the most fun mini-events we’ve been following here at Third Eye!

Click here to check out the official Third Eye FALL OF THE HULKS Checklist

JOE THE BARBARIAN #2 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY*FOLLOWS UP THE FIRST ISSUE OF GRANT MORRISON’S KILLER NEW VERTIGO SERIES! A MUST-READ FOR FANS OF STUFF OF LEGEND! IMAGINE FIGHTING ALONGSIDE YOUR OPTIMUS PRIME AND SNAKE-EYES ACTION FIGURES! MISSED #1? STILL PLENTY IN STOCK!

Oh man, here’s one I’m so excited for it’s not even funny! Joe the Barbarian, I could tell from the first issue, is already going to become one of my favorite books. I mean, nevermind the fact that Grant Morrison is writing it, and he’s one of my favorite writers, or that Sean Murphy is showing us just how incredible his artwork can be, but dude.. it was a GOOD read. That’s what got me hooked!

This Wednesday, the second issue of Morrison’s Joe the Barbarian arrives, and picks up from the cliffhanger issue #1 left us on. If you’ve already read Joe #1, then you probably felt like I did after the first issue: AWESOME set-up, but c’mon.. lets get to it, I want more! And, this is why I can’t wait to read issue #2 this week. The first issue did a solid job of establishing the main character, and the world around him, but it wasn’t until those last three or four pages, that I was caught hook, line and sinker. For those of you who haven’t yet read JOE THE BARBARIAN #1 (and you should, it’s only a buck!), here’s a brief rundown on what the heck this book is all about!

WHAT IS JOE THE BARBARIAN? Joe the Barbarian is a 8 issue miniseries about a kid named Joe. Joe’s kind of a typical geeky kid, who hasn’t really gotten a fair shake in life. He lost his father in the Iraq War, and he’s got diabetes, not to mention the kids at school tend to give him a pretty hard time. Joe retreats to his world of drawing, and action figures, avoiding the harsh realities of his mother fighting to keep their house. He spends a lot of his time finding ways to escape the somewhat sour real world around him. The first issue, which admittedly, is a quick read that doesn’t really give you much to go on with the series other than that it’s going to be a wild, crazy trip, ends with Joe heading up to his bedroom, and waking up in a strange world surrounded by his action figures in the flesh. Characters ranging from Optimus Prime (okay, an Optimus Prime stand-in, licensing, I know, I know) to Batman to Darth Vader crowd around him, and from that point forward… we have no clue what’s going to happen next, but we know it’s going to be a wild ride.

Morrison injects his unique blend of well-paced, high concept storytelling with his knack for capturing a human feel in his dialogue and characterization. His story pops perfectly with the INCREDIBLE art of Sean Murphy, who is a real rising star newcomer, that I think is going to break out big on this book.

The story looks like it might have a feel similar to STUFF OF LEGEND (another fantastic book that we can’t recommend enough), but we feel that Morrison may have a different take on this one as he moves things forward.

All in all, JOE THE BARBARIAN is a definite Third Eye Must Buy series, and if you missed #1, pick it up for a buck here at Third Eye this week.

Click here to read what POP MATTERS has to say about JOE THE BARBARIAN

PUNISHER #14 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 4* – ONE OF THE FRESHEST, QUIRKIEST MARVEL COMICS ON THE STANDS! A PERSONAL FAVORITE, AND A MUST-READ FOR FANS OF BIZARRE, FUN COMICS!

All right, what started out as a guilty pleasure has become a full-fledged obsession here for me with FRANKENCASTLE. Dude, this is the illest, craziest comic I have read in quite some time. It’s definitely the freshest thing they’ve done with the Punisher in the 616 Marvel Universe, and while I’m trying not to get hung up on “What happens after this story ends? What’s gonna go down with the Punisher?”, I think it’s probably one of the best things I’m reading. Seriously.

First off, the artwork is fantastic. Tony Moore is the man, and he’s got such a unique, stylized technique to his art, that he just takes whatever book he’s on, and makes it into his own world. The coloring especially on this one really pops for me, and I’m pretty excited to hear we’re going to see some guest-art by a favorite legend of mine, Dan Brereton, in this week’s issue.

Secondly, Rick Remender has managed to take an idea that could’ve totally flopped, and been complete crap, and make it into something that is fresh, fun, and definitely on the trail-blazing fore-front of 21st Century Comic Awesomeness. His characterization of not just The Punisher, but the Legion of Monsters, is dead on, and has given these under-used characters more life than they’ve seen in years.

So, now you’re probably wondering why I’m so amped up on a storyline that sounds.. well, kind of goofy? Well, let me tell you about FRANKENCASTLE, and maybe you’ll get where I’m coming from on this one.

WHAT IS FRANKENCASTLE? The FRANKENCASTLE story arc takes place directly after the DARK REIGN LIST PUNISHER one-shot where Daken chopped the Punisher into pieces and dumped his remains in the sewers. His remains are then gathered by Man-Thing and the Morlocks that live below, and taken deep into the Morlock Tunnels where all of the Marvel Monsters have gone into hiding.

Why are the Marvel Monsters hiding? Well, they’re being hunted by a steampunk monster of a man in a giant clockwork suit, and an army of Cyber-Samurais. Folks. I can’t make this up. It’s too good. And, what do they want with The Punisher’s remains, you’re probably asking?

Well, they patch him together into this Frankenstein-looking monstrosity, and are hoping to receive his military strategy as an aide in saving their skins. Now, Castle, of course, is ticked they didn’t leave him dead. He’s an abomination now, and he knows it. He has to constantly keep taking these brain-glue pills to keep his synapses firing right, or else he finds himself reduced to a mindless, growling beast. As the story goes on, we see a Morlock.. in a Devo shirt.. bringing Castle his pills, and just helping him adjust to life amongst the Monsters. Castle, of course, is still not sold on his newfound existence or in helping these folks… and then the Cyborg Samurais raid the tunnels, and we see Castle cradling the body of said Morlock in his arms.. a smoking hole in his Devo shirt. And, then, from there, Castle decides it’s time to throw down.

I know it sounds weird, but this is the good kind of weird, folks. It’s got great art, great story, and probably the best take on the Legion of Monsters characters in a long time. And, they’re all here too… Morbius the Living Vampire, Werewolf by Night, the Living Mummy.. some baby Fin-Fang-Fooms.

If you want to try FRANKENCASTLE, we still have all of the chapters in stock, and you can get started by picking up PUNISHER #11 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 1*.

Click here for a preview of PUNISHER #14 *FRANKENCASTLE PT 4*

A DOUBLE-DOSE OF DEADPOOL THIS WEDNESDAY WITH DEADPOOL #19 *WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN PT 1* & DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #8..PLUS, A LADY DEADPOOL POSTER!

What’s better than ONE Deadpool book? How about TWO Deadpool books? Yup, this week we get a double-dose of the Merc With A Mouth, and hell, they even threw in a smoking cool poster of Lady Deadpool too.

First on the agenda, we’ve got DEADPOOL #19 which begins the new story arc pairing ol’ Wade Wilson with Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-man. Now, you know as well as I do that a dream team couldn’t be better made than these two. You’ve got two of the biggest smart-asses in the Marvel Universe coming head to head, and you know… it’s only going to end in a very horrible, horrible… yet hilarious way. We can only assume that Deadpool’s taken his whole “finding himself” thing to the streets of New York, where he figures maybe.. just maybe, he could be a good stand-in for the wallcrawler..

Click here for a preview of DEADPOOL #19 *WHATEVER A SPIDER CAN PT 1*

Next up, we’ve got the zaniest of the Deadpool titles with DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #8. Deadpool, Headpool, Betty, and Agent Bill head into the Marvel Zombieverse to get to the bottom of this whole flesh-eating superhero thing, once and for all.

Click here for a preview of DEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #8

And, then, last but not least… A LADY DEADPOOL poster!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #42 – JAMES ROBINSON’S KILLER NEW DIRECTION ON THE JLA CONTINUES AS DICK GRAYSON JOINS THE TEAM!

I don’t know about you guys, but I really enjoyed last month’s JLA #41, where the new direction of the JLA began, and the new team was revealed. I thought that the storytelling was sharp, and there was enough of a balance between the characters we all know and love, and then the lesser known characters that you need in the mix, to keep things interesting. I also really dug Bagely’s pencils on the book, and feel that he really shines as a team-book artist.

This week, Robinson continues his new direction for the League (which is essentially the Titans grown up, with a mix of some heavy-hitters like Green Arrow, and Green Lantern), as we find out whether or not Dick Grayson will accept the invitation to join the team (aw c’mon, we all know he’s going to). Plus, it looks like Dr. Impossible (remember the guy that Brad Meltzer made cool on his relaunch of JLA a few years back?)

All in all, the new JLA looks to be a solid team book, and we’re excited to see what the second issue of the official new direction holds.

Click here to read more about JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #42

ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS: AVENTURE #1 DELIVERS… ZOMBIES ROBOT SMACKDOWN MADNESS!

What more can be said then.. Zombies vs. Robots. I mean, c’mon.. what more could you want? Seriously though, I’m intrigued by this one. I mean, imagine this… the world is now over-run by zombies, the human race is pretty much extinct, and there’s a handful of robots left fighting off the zombie hordes, and trying to restore the human race.

And, you know.. zombies do need brains, so what the heck are they going to do when they try to sink those teethers into a metal robot skull? Well, it’s not going to be pretty.

Each issue is made up of three stories that continue in each issue. The first story is Kampf, which is the big war story, set in the early days of the Zombie/Robot War, where you’ve got humans and robots fighting alongside each other to squash the zombie menace. The second story is Masques, which focuses on how scientists have tried to build this giant metal suit to go through some sort of time-travel gateway.. and of course, it fails miserably, and then some maintenance guy finds the suit and uses it to kind of half-assedly fight zombies. And, then the third of the stories in each issue is Zuvembies, which is follows a small group of survivors in Haiti, as they try to use voodoo and magic to form their own resistance against the zombies.

All in all, this one sounds like a lotta fun, and I’m pretty interested to read the first one this Wednesday and see how it is.

STAFF PICKS

Steve – Mesmo Delivery = Dude, awesome art, awesome story, violent as hell, and it’s caused me to coin a new term: Truckstop Noir. Seriously, if you took Johnny Cash’s darkest ballads, a couple of Pogues bar-room romps, Steve Ditko, Paul Pope, and Geoff Darrow and mixed them all together in a tumbler of Jack Daniels.. you’d get MESMO DELIVERY. Pick this one up, for sure!

Trish – Choker #1 = I LOOOOOOVE Ben Templesmith’s art, and this book is a perfect fit. Kind of reminds me of Ed Brubaker’s CRIMINAL meets Men in Black. Weird crime noir mixed with mutants and aliens.

Torma – NEXTWAVE: AGENTS OF H.A.T.E ULTIMATE COLLECTION= one of my favorite all-time comics. it’s like you took every obscure Marvel character and ran them through a blender with ’80s Arcade games, and Warren Ellis’s twisted brain.

Matt – Haunt #5 = Robert Kirkman continues to make this one of the best comics coming out monthly. Super bloody, but well-written all the way through.

Posted in Featured Books, New Releases |

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THIS WEEK’S HIGHLIGHTS @ THIRD EYE FOR WEDNESDAY 1/20/10

January 18th, 2010 |

Author: thirdeye

JOE THE BARBARIAN #1 *THIRD EYE MUST BUY* DEBUTS FROM MASTER STORYTELLER GRANT MORRISON (Batman & Robin).. IMAGINE GOING TO A WORLD WHERE YOU COULD FIGHT ALONGSIDE OPTIMUS PRIME, SNAKE-EYES, AND ALL YOUR FAVORITE ’80s TOYS! A MUST-READ FOR FANS OF STUFF OF LEGEND! ISSUE #1 IS ONLY $1.00

Here’s one I’ve been pumped for since I first read the solicits on it a few months back. First off, it’s one of my favorite comic book writers, Grant Morrison, a man who stands right up there alongside that wave of writers that includes Warren Ellis, and Garth Ennis. Secondly, it’s one of those fresh, can’t lose concepts that just hooks you from the get go.

Meet Joe, a young man with a hyperactive imagination, who really hasn’t gotten a fair shake in life. A misfit at school, a victim of bullies, not to mention he lost his father in the Iraq war, and ontop of it all, he’s living with Type 1 Diabetes. You could say that Joe hasn’t really been dealt the best hand of cards in life.

The question though, is it an insulin-deprived delirium, or something much bigger, and much more magical that transports Joe to a land where all of his favorite toys have gotten lives of their own. Whether it’s robot commanders (think Optimus Prime), star fleet captains, or samurai rodents (Ninja Turtles), Joe is navigating a world that’s familiar and foreign to him all at the same time. So, is he the savior of an oppressed land, here to set it’s inhabitants free? Or is he just an over-imaginative boy lost in his own fantasies?

Folks, this one is going to be a true classic. It’s an eight-issue mini-series, and they’re kicking off issue #1 with a $1.00 price tag. The artist, Sean Murphy, is a newcomer who I feel will be getting his big break on this series, as his art is NICE. And, with this incredible modern fantasy tale being penned by a great writer like GRANT MORRISON (the man behind the red-hot BATMAN AND ROBIN series happening right now), you know the story is going to deliver on all fronts. Plus, ontop of all that, it’s just a plain cool concept, and I’m sure most of us our children of pop culture, and at one time or another growing up, we thought about how cool it would be to have Optimus Prime, or Han Solo throw down some stomp-ass.

And, hey, it’s only $1 to try the first one, so what’ve you got to lose? Give this one a shot folks, I’m definitely giving it the THIRD EYE MUST BUY stamp this week, and marking it as one of the coolest books hitting the racks.

Click here to see some preview pages of JOE THE BARBARIAN #1

Clickhere to read an interview with Grant Morrison about the series.

SIEGE ALERT: DARK AVENGERS #13 & DARK WOLVERINE #82 FEATURE A COUPLE OF SPECIAL SIEGE TIE-IN ISSUES! DARK AVENGERS #13 ESPECIALLY LOOKS TO BE A GOOD TIE-IN!

SIEGE kicked off with a bang a couple of weeks ago, and delivered both a killer first issue of the main series, and a very cool start to the SIEGE: EMBEDDED mini-series. This week, the SIEGE rages on in the pages of DARK AVENGERS #13 and DARK WOLVERINE #82.

First off, if you’re not already reading DARK AVENGERS, you really need to be. It got a little off track towards the tailend of the UTOPIA crossover, but other than that, the book has been a consistent top tier Marvel monthly that delivers great art, and great story month after month. Plus, the concept of seeing a dysfunctional team of supervillains and morally questionable characters posing as the Earth’s Mightiest Heroes is still pretty damn cool. We know that this issue of Dark Avengers will definitely be a must-read, even if you haven’t been following the series in a while, because it reveals the secrets, and mysteries of THE SENTRY after years, and years of hints, guesses, and misdirections. Who controls him? How powerful is he really? And, just why does he have the Gods of Asgard trembling with fear? Find out the integral role that both the Dark Avengers, and the Sentry play in the Siege on Asgard in DARK AVENGERS #13 this week! Click here for a preview of DARK AVENGERS #13

Also arriving this week is DARK WOLVERINE #82, which looks to explore what side Daken really is on? He runs with some of the biggest heavyweight villains of the Marvel Universe, but what are his motivations, and where do his loyalties lay? But, more importantly, with his boss, Osborn, and his team-mates the Dark Avengers playing a major role in the Siege on Asgard, what role does he play, and just what happens when this vicious killer goes toe to toe with the Gods of Asgard? Click here for a preview ofDARK WOLVERINE #82

For those of you following SIEGE, make sure you don’t miss either of these epic tie-ins this week here at Third Eye!

Click here to check out the official SIEGE checklist!

BLACKEST NIGHT DELIVERS BIG WITH THREE MUST-READS THIS WEDNESDAY! GEOFF JOHNS’S BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH #2,STARMAN #81 (YES!), and PHANTOM STRANGER #42 PLUS, GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 CONTINUES GUY GARDNER: RED LANTERN!

Blackest Night continues to rage on this week in the pages of one of the more killer tie-ins we’ve seen, BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH, as well as two more installments of the “Back from the Dead” one-shots, both of which I’ve been personally anticipating since they were announced. And, of course, the next installment of the consistently awesome GREEN LANTERN CORPS featuring GUY GARDNER: RED LANTERN arrives this week.

So, first, lets talk about BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH. Why are we so into this one here at Third Eye? Well, first off.. it’s Geoff Johns and Scott Kolins doing THE FLASH. These guys did one of the best runs on the character that I’ve ever read with story arcs like Rogues. They’ve got a real chemistry together, and their FINAL CRISIS: ROGUES REVENGE limited series was definitely a highlight of that event. The first issue of BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH delivered everything I expected it to…it ties together some pretty integral storyline ideas that fit nicely into what Johns is doing in FLASH REBIRTH, it’s got that ultra-detailed, yet high-energy art that Kolins is known for (and which works perfectly for a character like the FLASH), and finally… it’s got the Rogues.

And, that folks, is what I think really makes Geoff Johns’s FLASH stuff stand out, how he writes THE ROGUES. He has thoroughly developed the personalities of each one of these forever second-stringer supervillains, and actually used their second-string status as a way to further the characters. Of course, the one who has developed the most is CAPTAIN COLD, who has quickly become a favorite of mine over the years, with a killer personality, and a shift into leadership of the Rogues. And, I mean, you can’t not love lines like “Okay, Rogues, lets go kill some zombies.”

The first issue of BLACKEST NIGHT FLASH was a great read, with some killer BLACKEST NIGHT moments, some killer FLASH moments, and it looks very promising. I highly recommend picking up the first issue if you haven’t already, otherwise, we’ll see you this week for #2!

Next up, we’ve got two more of the BLACKEST NIGHT “Back from the Dead” one-shots which give “dead” series one final issue, in a means to further the story of BLACKEST NIGHT. Lets talk about Phantom Stranger first, and then we’ll get to Starman.. I’m saving Starman for last because that’s where your normally cool, calm and collected comic shop guru turns into a rambling fanboy about how much he loved Starman.

Phantom Stranger 42 - The Phantom Stranger is one of those obscure, often-forgotten characters that has amassed a rabid, cult following over the last couple of decades.. and why you might ask? It’s because he’s a cool freakin’ character! This BLACKEST NIGHT one-shot features the Phantom Stranger, as well as a myriad of other DCU “magic”-themed characters, and has them throwing down with the BLACK LANTERN SPECTRE, and BLACK LANTERN DEADMAN. I know that a lot of you, like myself, have a soft spot for characters like Phantom Stranger, Blue Devil, and Zatanna, so I’m sure some of you are looking forward to this one as much as me. Plus, the Black Lantern Spectre is RIDICULOUSLY awesome, and I’m curious to see more about him.

And, then..

Starman 81- Okay, I’m going to try to keep myself from going on too much about what a great series STARMAN was, and how it was one of the defining forces of comic storytelling in the ’90s. All I’ll say is that the idea of character-driven superhero comics, deep stories, and a realistic bent on the idea of “legacy” superheroes… all of these were roads that Starman paved in the ’90s, when most comics were focusing more on splash pages, and less on compelling storylines. This issue features the Shade (a cool character in his own right), going head to head with a certain Black Lantern Starman of days gone past. Will Jack Knight step in on this one?

GREEN LANTERN CORPS #44 - GUY GARDNER, RED LANTERN, IS HE BEYOND REDEMPTION?

Blackest Night has been really tearing through a lot of books, and refreshing the stories in them, but I’d have to say one of the ones I feel has benefited the most from Blackest Night has been Green Lantern Corps. The series really started to hit it’s stride after the Sinestro Corps with Ring Quest and Sins of the Star Sapphires, and as soon as the Blackest Night hit, it just jumped up the scale of awesomeness tenfold. Peter Tomasi is a great writer, and you can tell that he and Geoff Johns work closely together and making the core Green Lantern book and Green Lantern Corps compliment each other well.

Anyways, currently in Green Lantern Corps, the biggest story arc to hit the series continues, and that’s the fall of Guy Gardner to becoming a Red Lantern. One of the coolest things about Blackest Night so far has been witnessing the different color rings pick and choose key DCU characters to recruit into their corps. Guy Gardner is a perfect choice for the Red Lanterns, being that he is, and always has been the epitome of a fly off the handle hot-head. After the earth-shattering events of Green Lantern Corps #42, we witnessed Guy become a Red Lantern in Green Lantern Corps #43, and now, we see more madness to fuel his rage, and the question is asked: Can anyone save Guy Gardner from himself?

This one’s a must-read if you’re digging Blackest Night, so definitely pick up on the Green Lantern Corps!

GARTH ENNIS’S (THE BOYS, PREACHER, CROSSED) BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY #2 CONTINUES HIS LATEST, AND GREATEST FORAY INTO GRISLY WAR STORIES!

A lot of you, like us, are hooked on Garth Ennis from his over-the-top madness in books like CROSSED, and THE BOYS, but there’s something you may not know about this fantastic writer: he can write one of the best damn war stories you’ve ever read. In fact, I think that Ennis’s war comics are the BEST war stories I’ve seen told in any medium. The amount of love, and passion that Ennis has for the genre is obvious from the first page of each story he’s written, and it shines through brightest here in the pages of BATTLEFIELDS: HAPPY VALLEY.

The story of HAPPY VALLEY is about an English bomber pilot who gets saddled with a rowdy crew of Australian bomber crew pilots, during World War II. Of course, it’s up to this young pilot to not just earn the respect of these guys, but also to be able to fly the treacherous path known as Happy Valley, and bomb the hell out of those Nazi bastard’s industrial complexes.

Ennis manages to reveal the horrors of war in bloody, grisly detail while still bringing his own trademark style of developing characters, and a compelling story. His war stuff is often some of the stuff you can tell he really puts his heart into the most, because of his own huge love for the genre.

We still have plenty of Battlefields Happy Valley #1 in stock, if you’d like to catch up, and we couldn’t recommend it enough!

LADY DEADPOOL DEBUTS THIS WEEK INDEADPOOL: MERC WITH A MOUTH #7! GREAT JUMPING ON POINT WITH A BRAND NEW STORY ARC!

Just when you thought the insanity of everyone’s favorite Merc With A Mouth couldn’t reach further heights, a whole new spin is given to the character this week with the debut of LADY DEADPOOL in the pages of DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #7, in a very special double-sized issue featuring art by ROB LIEFELD, KYLE BAKER, and more.

What do you do with a crazy zombie Deadpool head that’s feeling a tad bit homesick? Well, you take it back home to the zombieverse where it belongs. Of course, things go a bit awry when Deadpool finds himself making some wrong turns, and ends up in alternate realities that’re more warped than anything we’ve seen before in Deadpool’s troubled head. The Deadpool Kid… Major Deadpool.. and, the arrival of the Merc with A Mouth’s female counterpart; LADY DEADPOOL!

The thing that we love about the Deadpool books here at Third Eye is the quirky, weirdness, and sense of fun they capture, and this new story looks to be a Deadpool classic in the making. And, is it just me, or is anyone else curious to see what Lady Deadpool’s all about?

Yes, it’s ridiculous, but c’mon, that’s what makes Deadpool so cool!

Clickherefor a preview of DEADPOOL MERC WITH A MOUTH #7

COWBOY NINJA VIKING #3 – THE FRESHEST NEW IMAGE BOOK WE’VE SEEN SINCE LAST YEAR’S CHEW! FIND OUT WHY THIS SERIES IS TEN DIFFERENT KINDS OF AWESOME!

One of the coolest new series we’ve seen launch in the last few months has been IMAGE’s COWBOY NINJA VIKING. The stylized artwork, and the off-the-wall story make a match made in comic book heaven, and we can’t get enough.. and that’s only after two issues! If you haven’t read COWBOY NINJA VIKING yet, let me give you the scoop on this little gem..

Basically, in the near-future, the government takes individuals with multiple personality disorder and turns them into agents of destruction called “Triplets” in the battle against terrorism. Essentially, they find three of the dominant personalities, hone in on them, and use those to shape the triplet into a lethal, killing machine.

Now, what happens when one of these Triplets goes rogue, and runs loose? Well, that’s the case of COWBOY NINJA VIKING. The storytelling is awesome, and while the concept sounds goofy, it’s actually pretty cool, and more reminiscent of a film like KILL BILL or something in terms of the pacing, and plot progression. One of the coolest aspects is how the title character’s three personalities conflict with one another. Each time one talks, it’s conveyed through a word balloon shaped like a six-gun (the Cowboy), a battle-axe (the Viking), or a katana sword (the Ninja), and each one has it’s own unique personality. The Cowboy constantly talking about getting drunk, and visiting brothels, the Viking saying they should just kill and eat their enemies, and the Ninja being the calm, and collected strategic thinker of the group. The humor in the book is sharp, and clever, but without being heavy-handed, and trust us, when they start introducing other triplets, like issue #2’s Pirate/Gladiator/Oceanographer.

We know, the title of the book makes it seem like it could be a one-trick pony, but this is a clever, sharp, and well-told story that has a lot of life to it. We highly recommend giving it a look, because we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that this book defies the cliches that it could fall into with a name like COWBOY NINJA VIKING.

And, in this week’s issue, the solicits don’t say much other than “You know how Jason Bourne got his ass kicked all over the globe, well picture that, but with Cowboy Ninja Viking, and an Amish dude”.. how can you go wrong with a description like that?

Did you miss issues #1, and #2? Pick ‘em up here at Third Eye, as we still have limited quantities of both in stock!

Clickhere for a preview of COWBOY NINJA VIKING #3

CAPTAIN AMERICA #602 – FOLLOWING THE EVENTS OF “WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIED?” WHAT DOES BRUBAKER HAVE IN STORE FOR THE WORLD OF CAP? FIND OUT HERE! AND READ BELOW TO FIND OUT THE SCOOP ON CAP REBORN #6

Before I start talking about why I’m pumped for Cap #602, I want to just let everyone know the deal with Captain America REBORN #6. Bryan Hitch, an incredible artist, is also incredibly slow… due to this, the 6th issue of REBORN has been running behind schedule. Instead of holding up the story, and letting it affect the flow of things in the Marvel Universe, Marvel went straight to WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD, and now CAP #602. Reborn #6 WILL be out, an as of right now has a release date of 1/27/10.

Ed Brubaker writes Captain America better than just about anybody. His long, epic run on the character has lasted a total of 52 issues (57 if you include REBORN), and he has done more with the character than just about any writer I can think of in recent memory. Brubaker is able to take Cap, write him like he should be, a soldier, and not just any soldier, but the ULTIMATE soldier, and then effortlessly mesh that realistic tone with some of the coolest, pulpiest, comic book magic that you could think of.

In Captain America #602, we see a return to Cap’s regular monthly series, but for those of you following REBORN, we definitely recommend sticking around, because things are going to really start getting good after the revelations of WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD? What happens when the crazy ’50s clone of Cap resurfaces? And, just how does the dynamic work between Bucky and Steve Rogers, in the face of new enemies, and new threats?

The awesomeness of Brubaker’s Cap returns to a monthly schedule starting here, and we couldn’t be more stoked. A brand new story arc spilling out from the events of Cap Reborn and WHO WILL WIELD THE SHIELD!

Click here for a preview of CAPTAIN AMERICA #602!

SOLOMON KANE: DEATH’S BLACK RIDERS #1BRINGS PURE PULP NOIR OCCULT WEIRDNESS, AND ADVENTURE THIS WEDNESDAY!

This Wednesday, Dark Horse brings us a slab of creepy, pulp awesomeness with the return of Robert E. Howard’s classic insane 16th-century Puritan who has no other mission in life than to wander the Earth looking for evil to vanquish… at the end of a bloody sword, or the barrel of a smoking flintlock pistol.

This all new story from Dark Horse is a great entry point if you haven’t read a Solomon Kane story before, and we gotta say, folks, we think a lot of you would dig this cult classic pulp anti-hero. The story takes place in the depths of Germany’s Black Forest, where Kane comes across gypsies being terrorized by bandits… but Kane’s not sure which horror is worse, the bandits and their sadistic actions, or the horrific occult evils residing in the depths of the forests.

These weird tales are a must-read, and capture the classic spirit of the Solomon Kane pulp stories, with a modern comic storytelling approach to the art and writing of the books. Great reads, and recommended for any fans of Hellboy, and BPRD.

Clickhere for a preview of SOLOMON KANE: DEATH’S BLACK RIDERS #1

INCORRUPTIBLE #2 FOLLOWS UP ON THE FIRST ISSUE OF MARK WAID’S FLIP SIDE TO HIS SUPERMAN GONE EVIL SERIES, IRREDEEMABLE! WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE BAD GUY GOES GOOD?

Dude! The firs issue of INCORRUPTIBLE blew me out of the water! Waid proves that he’s got what it takes to apply the post-modern comic energy hum that he delivers on IRREDEEMABLE to a companion series while still making it feel fresh, and accessible. The concept is pretty simple: What happens when the supervillain goes good? We’ve seen the flip side in Irredeemable, as well as many other books exploring the idea of a world’s greatest hero becoming it’s greatest villain, but very rarely have we seen the opposite idea explored.

The first issue carries that same energy, and rock solid comic storytelling that Waid has perfected in a book like Irredeemable. The superhumans names are cheesy, yes, but just like in Irredeemable, the cartoonishness of their names contrasts so well with their believable, realistic actions, that it’s a perfect match.

The plot? Meet Max Danger, one of the world’s most despicable supervillains, he and his companion/sidekick, Jailbait, have terrorized and ripped off the world on a global scale many times before. But, Max was there the day that the Plutonian lost his mind, and began scorching the earth, and that, in Max’s words was the day he “saw the face of God”, and it told him that if the world’s greatest hero can go bad, then someone needs to step up and handle the mess. This is his road to redemption, so to speak, and we’re sure the details of it will be revealed more and more, in each issue, just like the Plutonian’s fall is chronicled in flashbacks in the pages of Irredeemable.

All in all, I really liked issue #1, and would most definitely recommend giving issue #2 a shot. We currently have limited quantities of issue #1 in stock if you missed it the first go around, so be sure to check out!

Click here for a preview of INCORRUPTIBLE #2

FALL OF THE HULKS CONTINUES THIS WEEK IN HULK #19 *HULK vs. THE THING, ED MCGUINNESS RETURNS TO ART* *FALL OF THE HULKS PT 4* and INCREDIBLE HULK #606 *FALL OF THE HULKS PT 5*

Click here for the FALL OF THE HULKS Checklist!
This issue of HULK is big, and for more than oen reason. First off, it’s the return of superstar artist ED MCGUINNESS to HULK. This man was born to draw BIG, and nothing is more perfect for that than hopping back on HULK. Secondly, this is the next chapter in the epic FALL OF THE HULKS storyline, where many of the Marvel’s greatest minds have combined forces in an effort to once and for all rid the Marvel Universe of those giant, gamma-irradiated pests. Oh, and we can’t forget that FALL OF THE HULKS is also leading up to the big reveal of the Red Hulk (finally!). The preview pages of this one promise one major, knockdown, drag-out brawl between the Red Hulk and the Thing, and with McGuinness illustrating… it looks cooler than all get out.

Oh, and did we forget to mention that the reason for this epic clash is due to the brand new Frightfoul Four charging an onslaught on the Baxter Building, and the Fantastic Four? Just like all the other issues of McGuinness’s HULK, this one is guaranteed to be a bigger than life, over-the-top, high energy comic book fightfest.

Clickherefor a preview of HULK #19

Also dropping this week is the fifth chapter of FALL OF THE HULKS, with INCREDIBLE HULK #606, where we get to see the triumphant return of the original, the classic, the legendary INCREDIBLE HULK, yes, Bruce Banner makes a change back into his original Hulk-mode, and he’s going to be going head to head with DR. DOOM.

The Incredible Hulk series (which officially began the new direction at issue #601) has actually been really good, and well-written stuff. Greg Pak (writer of PLANET HULK) is telling a compelling story where Bruce Banner is teaching his son, Skaar, how to be a HULK. He’s having Skaar go head to head with classic heavyweight baddies like Juggernaut, classic Hulk villains like the Harpy, and then modern day creeps like Dark Wolverine. All in all, it’s been a cool way to see Banner showing his son how to handle himself in each situation, and showing the parallels between the battles he himself had once fought. He’s also teaching him how to know when to run, when to fight, and how to hide, because you know, being a Hulk, these are essential skills.

And, this issue, playing into the big FALL OF THE HULKS storyline, is supposed to deliver not just pure smashmouth action, but a whole array of revelations about both Bruce Banner, Skaar, and Dr. Doom’s role in the Fall of the Hulks.

Click here for a preview of INCREDIBLE HULK #606
Click here for the FALL OF THE HULKS Checklist

THIRD EYE TRADE PAPERBACK PICK OF THE WEEK: REBELS v.1: THE COMING OF STARRO!

I’m really surprised by this one, folks, I’ve gotta be honest, I slept on this series for a while until the BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in. I had flipped through some of the early issues of this series when it began last year, but, not being a long-time LEGION fan, I figured I’d be too unfamiliar with it to really “get it.” Well, I read the BLACKEST NIGHT tie-in to REBELS (#10), and I was so impressed with just that one issue that I went back and read all the way up from issue #1 to current, and dude… this is one of DC’s most underrated books, I can’t believe it.

Seriously, the way the characters are written makes even the biggest LEGION noob feel at home, and the artwork is REALLY good, especially considering the book kind of exists in that overlooked end of the DCU that doesn’t really get a lot of critical buzz, or marketing hype. The concept? Brainiac’s son, the arrogant Vril Dox has to recruit a new team of freedom fighters to take out a new, unseen force that’s compromised L.E.G.I.O.N. The hook? He’s basing each member he recruits off of the galaxy’s greatest superheroes and supervillains.

The villain of the series is definitely one of the cooler ideas, as they’ve taken the idea of STARRO, and really played up the “the Conqueror” part of his name. Originally, we’ve always seen Starro as a giant star-fish thing that just consumes worlds through attaching little starfish things to people’s faces, and turning them into mindless zombies. It’s revealed in this storyarc that STARRO is actually an ancient warlord, a humanoid, who uses the starfish things as his drones across the galaxy.

Overall, the combination of big widescreen sci-fi action, with cool concepts like the reinvention of Starro make the series a great read. One of the strongest points of the book though is the characterization of the egotistical Vril Dox. He’s a hero, yeah, but there’s also a very dark, brooding undertone to him that’s shown in his arrogance, a trait that I’m sure runs through the entire Brainiac bloodline.

Looking for a new DC series? Give this one a shot, it’s actually surprisingly very good stuff so far!

OUTSIDERS #26 – NEW DIRECTION, NEW CREATIVE TEAM FEATURING DC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF DAN DIDIO & BATMAN & ROBIN SUPERSTAR ARTIST BILLY TAN!

The Outsiders as a book has had a shaky history. Moments of great runs (like Judd Winick/Tom Raney’s original run a few years back), and then moments of total mediocrity. This week, DC is trying to get the book back on track with an all-new direction, and a new creative team consisting of DC’s Editor in Chief Dan Didio, and superstar artist Billy Tan.

The details on this one have been pretty closely guarded, but what we do know is that a certain Kryptonian joins the team, and the Outsiders as a whole have been cast as enemies in the eyes of the world. We’re more curious about the creative team than anything, to be honest. Didio hasn’t written a lot that we know of for DC yet, so it’s going to be interesting to see how good the man in charge’s chops are. There’s also the fact that the incredibly talented Billy Tan is handling the art, so that’s something to keep an eye out for as well. Either way, this issue serves as a great jumping on point for those of you who’ve been on the fence about trying the Outsiders.

Click here to read more about OUTSIDERS #26

STAFF PICKS

Trish – Daytripper #2 – One of the best examples of letting a story take you to where it’s going, and not bothering to question it. This one has some of the best art, and the story just sucks you in.

Torma – SECRET SIX #17 *BLACKEST NIGHT* - AWESOME second half conclusion to what began in the pages of SUICIDE SQUAD #67. A really cool Blackest Night tie-in, and worth picking up.

Steve – Invincible Iron Man #22 – Every issue of this series just gets better, and better, if you’re sleeping on Fraction’s Iron Man run, you’re missing out!

Posted in Featured Books, New Releases |

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