EARTH PRIME TIME: FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 PREVIEW

Whoa what a couple o’ weeks, amiright? Did you know that nearly every comic book company worth a gosh darn gives out free comic books on the first Saturday in May? That’s right, I think we can all use a little outing this Saturday. Here are some of our most anticipated free comics to pick up at your LCS (Local Comic Shop) this weekend. Don’t be greedy, take only one! We previewed the free books last year…and we’re still into comics. Who knew?

 
One thing is for sure, publishers look forward to unleashing their swag on this geek high holiday every year, and they always pull out all of the stops. Free Comic Book Day means many different things to many different people. The day was brainstormed into being in 2001, and came to be the following year in 2002 to coincide with the release of Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man. This year’s movie of course is Iron Man 3, opening Friday.

The manifesto is three parts simple, and found on the font of knowledge, Wikipedia:

To introduce everyone to the joys of reading comics.
To call back former comic book readers.
To thank current comic book buyers for their continued support.

Many stores have signings, candy, costume contests and more to celebrate the day, so if you are like us (which you aren’t), you’ll be hopping on your bike or the T on a virtual tour of the city, high-fiving your favorite shop owners, buying some trades and collecting an issue of all of your favorite free comics. Clay’s favorite part of this weekend is that even 25-cent bins are sometimes cleared out gratis. LeaguePodcast likes deals!

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

TRIPLE SHOT: SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #12, JUPITER’S LEGACY #1, B.P.R.D: VAMPIRE #2 - FORCES OF GEEK

The thing about history, baby, is that it goes way back.   All the way back.

We stroll down memory lane with Miss Lane, get lost in a Legacy and follow B.P.R.D’s Simon Anders back to a small Czech town to investigate the origins of the vampire disease.

Will he escape unscathed before having to unleash his concealed garlic? 

SUPERMAN FAMILY ADVENTURES #12
WRITER: Art Balatazar & Franco
ART: Art Balatazar
Publication Date: April 24, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194130973601211
Buy it HERE

Aw yeah, everybody. It’s the end of an era, not only for Superman and his family, but for fans of a certain kind of book formerly put out under the Johnny DC banner.

In 2008, Art (Baltazar) & Franco gave us elementary school versions of our favorite Titans in Tiny Titans.

The Eisner Award winning book proved itself to be fun for all ages, including not only great stories for kids but nods to serious DC continuity and clever plays on the DC tropes. A Lunch Lady Darkseid ruled the cafeteria with Anti-Slop.

After the New 52 reboot, Cyborg gets new shoes and the guys were put on a new book, Superman Family Adventures, filled with all of the clever comic book industry and Superman movie quotes of the previous series, but concentrating on the family aspect of Superman. We’ve got Clark, The Kents, Jimmy, Chief, Lois, Connor, Kara and the Super Pets.

Nearly all of the Tiny Titans, the Justice League, Steel, Lex and even Miss Teschemacher sneak their way into the send off issue of this book. It is a bittersweet moment to end this five year run of the best kids comics DC has ever done.

Even Superman’s parents Lara-El and Jor-El make an appearance in the final issue, with an interesting twist on how the two survived the explosion on Krypt’n.

Unfortunately for us, we won’t get to see any more of Art & Franco on this book but look forward to them taking on The Green Team in the New 52, a story about trillionaire teenagers. And guess what? For more all ages comics, Art & Franco have launched a Kickstarter for new publisher Aw Yeah Comics and are fully funded. Expect some issues of Aw Yeah Comics #1 starring Action Cat and Adventure Bug at C2E2 this weekend, and distro to our hands very soon.

Aw yeah. Congrats, Art & Franco! And thanks for loading up the cover with lots of pink. I like pink very much, Lois! True story.

JUPITER’S LEGACY #1
WRITER: Mark Millar
ART: Frank Quitely
Publication Date: April 24, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Image Comics
UPC: 70985301350100111
Buy it HERE

This is the first issue of a highly anticipated book here from industry juggernauts Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, last seen working together years ago on The Authority.

In recent years, Quitely had a great run on Morrison’s pre-New 52 Batman and Robin whereas Millar has been working on more movie deals, overseeing his comics become movies and has teamed up with Dave Gibbons on Secret Service and Lenil Yu on Super Crooks, and Steve McNiven on Nemesis.


There’s probably more (ahem Hit Girl, Kick Ass 2, Superior) worth mentioning as well, but the aforementioned series all had me hooked.

Millar has, if not a formula, at least a very structured format to his limited series. All are meant to stand alone in about 6 issues. All can very easily be made into a movie. He’s great at that. Icon and Image produce the books, and he can retain all of the creator owned rights. Some series likeWar Heroes never see completion! Too bad, though, I think the book would do well in the current market.

I guess all the filibustering I’m managing to churn out about Millar’s career is that while this is a highly anticipated book, supposedly of much scope, and featuring a mysterious long lost island mixed with two generations of superheroes is to have us chomping at the bit for more. We’ve got the old crusty Superman and Justice Society types taking down the bad guys while the sons and daughters are either partying or vying for attention from the media.

I’m sorry, this book doesn’t have me after the first issue like Nemesis, Super Crooks and Secret Service did. On the last page reveal on issue #1, I was just sort of glad it was over. I want my comics to make my heart pound on a cliffhanger, not just be glad that some superheroes’ daughter might have possibly OD’d. Why would I care? I only spent 3 pages with her. I don’t know, maybe I’m salty. Maybe issue #2 will pick me up like a cup of coffee but this one was snoozeville. 

Quitely’s pages are amazing, of course. Great to see him draw classic superheroes and then beautiful teenage girls. Brandon Sampson looks a little like the artist himself. We’ll see how it goes. Maybe the Girl With The Dragon Tattoo wakes up from her drug crash next issue. Sure. Whatever. I guess. Take my money.

B.P.R.D: VAMPIRE #2 (of 5)
WRITER: Mike Mignola, Fábio Moon, Gabriel Bá
ART: Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Dave Stewart
Publication Date: April 24, 2013
Price: $3.50
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
UPC: 76156820686900211
Buy it HERE

I’m not exactly sure why I’m getting at this book in the second issue of the series and completely missed the first, but I know I’m in for the long hall.

Hellboy mastermind Mike Mignola writes this vampire tale that acts as a direct sequel to B.P.R.D.: 1948. Brazilian brothers Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá that brought us the Vertigo mini-series Daytripper in 2011 are credited as co-writers and also the artists on the book.


We bask in the shadows of a classic vampire origin tale, following former merchant marine and current B.P.R.D. field agent Simon Anders to a Czech town.

When he gets there he discovers there are only women in the town that is also occupied by a large castle built in 1253. A wonderful series of alias for the vampire Wilhelm in various period garb throughout the ages was reminiscent of Bruce Wayne’s travel back to the present inBatman: The Return of Bruce Wayne.

Nothing to report from the castle, but a witch grabs Simon’s hand and urges him and companion Hana to follow the “serpent to the heart”. Likely this means follow the river to the woods, where they will discover more about the vampires. In the forest, it looks like they have been set up!

This issue has all the best that Hellboy, Daytripper, Buffy and Doctor Who have to offer, replete with a cute female companion to act as a guide and balancing force in the story. Moon and Bá have a thick line cartooning style that complements the look of the B.P.R.D. / Hellboy universe and draw conversations between people very naturally.

Great art and story here. Worth investigating further…into the woods!

[READ MORE at FORCESOFGEEK.COM]

TRIPLE SHOT: CHEW #32, ACTION COMICS #18, THE WHISTLING SKULL #4

Image has another huge week with too many books to review so we pick on the cibopathic Chew for our first shot this week. 

Over at DC we knock back a potion of Grant Morrison’s final Action Comicsissue before dusting off the JSA Liberty Files: Whistling Skull #4.

CHEW #32

WRITER/LETTERER: John Layman
ART/COLOR: Rob Guillory
Publication Date: March 20, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Image Comics
UPC: 70985300808803211

Image had an incredible week, and when you are the go-to place to publish your own work and have the top talent in the industry dropping projects at your feet, you inevitably have some of the best books come shipping consistently.

It has been nearly four years since the debut of Chew, a crime story in the not so distant future where eating chicken is illegal. Not only that, the FDA has risen as a top federal crime agency and in this world people have sense based superpowers.

Some can communicate through food, detect the future of what they eat, and some like the star of the book, Tony Chu can read the history of the food he eats.

That is to say, when Tony eats a hamburger he experiences the lives and loss of 100 cows. This comes in handy, when more than once Tony has had to sink his teeth into a corpse to find out what happened to the body.

Chew is a hilarious book based on such a bizarre concept that is the reason for it’s success. You’d be lost picking this issue up if you are not caught up, a lot has happened in the past few issues. Newcomers should pick up the perennial bestsellers Chew Vol.1 in paperback or hardcoverOmnivore Edition.

Tony tackles terrorists at the taco tasting and immerses himself in his work while mourning the loss off his sister. Over lunch a strawberry milkshake lunch, tensions rise between Colby and D-Bear in an illegal chicken shack when Colby connects the dots on D-Bear’s post mission phone calls. Luckily this ends in a knock out fight in the kitchen with butcher knives and swearing.

Near the end of the issue, Tony makes plans to reconnect with his cibopathic daughter, Olive Chu.

Fun issue but this would be confusing to anyone not caught up, so save your lunch money for a few days and pick up the trade to dine on these fine comics!

ACTION COMICS #18

WRITER: Grant Morrison, Sholly Fisch
ARTIST: Rags Morales, Chris Sprouse and more
Publication Date: March 20, 2013
Price: $4.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194130637701811

Mr. Morrison has had quite a couple of weeks. First, the death of Robin Damian Wayne in Batman Incorporated #8, and now this…

Grant and Rags finish up their run on Action Comics, starring none other than the big guy, Superman.

The breaking news is that Andy Diggle (The Losers, Daredevil, Doctor Who), tapped to take over after this team’s departure with Tony Daniel (Batman, Detective Comics) on art has quit the title over professional differences with DC Comics.

Tony Daniel will now be both writing and drawing the book, after Diggle’s one and only issue #19 hitting the stands next month.

We’re going to be keeping an eye on this nugget of gossip for sure. Many creators have expressed similar differences with the higher ups at DC since the New 52 relaunch.

This issue was not cheap at a $4.99 cover price but was worth the price of admission to the fifth dimension. Morrison has done what he promised to do in his bestselling novel Supergods: What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human. He’s let Schrödinger’s cat in and out of the multidimensional bag and referenced 75 years of Superman’s history from each Crisis to silly Golden Age Legion of Super-Heroes stories starring Superboy to a brand new and over arching reconfiguration of the Fifth Dimensional imp Mister Mxyzptlk. 

If you can let this 18 issue Superman story wash over you from a place of superhero innocence and remember that this is the development of Clark Kent before joining the Justice League, this issue leaves off at a great point. By feeling that Clark graduated from the blue jeans and sprinting around in a single bound to fighting fifth dimensional time bubbles and hoisting an impossibly giant Doomsday into space, Kal is ready to take on saving Metropolis and the world (and the terraformers on Mars) hundreds of times over. 

Supergods could be a prerequisite to Morrison’s Action run, I’m curious to see if fans were turned off from the writing here, because I was teetering on the line of enjoyment / confusion through most of it, with leaning toward over 90% of enjoyment by the end of each issue. The trick is that Morrison doesn’t want these to be easy comics to read, and the more you understand that the better your experience may be!

The backup story drawn by Chris Sprouse and sometime Action writer Sholly Fisch is a cute and well drawn story set in the future at a Superman museum. This is in the era of the Legion of Super-Heroes. Basically a young kid stands up to bullying while Superman videos play in the background and we hear “Man of Tomorrow”, “Faster than a speeding bullet”, “Look, up in the sky” as sound bytes from the movies. Sprouse is an amazing artist, and we hope to see him draw more DC Comics in the future. He may not though, as he also jumped ship from his DC assignment Adventures of Superman earlier this month with anti-gay bigot writer Orson Scott Card. Sprouse did the Kal El thing and stood up for justice. Way to go, Chris!

THE WHISTLING SKULL #4 (JSA LIBERTY FILES)

WRITER: B. Clay Moore
ARTIST: Tony Harris
Publication Date: March 20, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: DC Comics
UPC: 76194126988700411

As we near the end of this week’s missive, save for the most popular superhero of all time, these books aren’t that easy to pick up and enjoy without a bit of prep.

Luckily the audience here has years of comic book experience to be able to handle this kind of thick, psychedelic and rare form of comic book suggestions that you’ve come to expect from us!  That is to say, when suggesting you read The Whistling Skull, branded as JSA Liberty Files, you’ll undoubtedly not be surprised that this book has absolutely nothing to do with Justice Society, Earth Two, Jay Garrick or Hawkman.

B. Clay Moore and Tony Harris have devised a way to tell old school bizarre tales of the weird starring original characters under the DC Comics banner. With no connection to the New 52, no superheroes that you know, and starring The Whistling Skull alongside partner Nigel this is a very strange book, indeed. 

This is also the book I am most looking forward to reading each month.

The Whistling Skull and Nigel are patrolling the English countryside and stumble upon the work of ex-communicated Nazi doctor Klaus Hellman. Hitler was not keen on Hellman’s machinations for making his own brand of super-soldier and was kicked out of the reich. Posing as broken down circus caravan, The Whistling Skull and Nigel stop to assist but are trapped by the Nazi Hellman and his band of gypsy freaks.

The origin of The Whistling Skull and his powers are slowly being revealed, but he is the most recent in a long line of Skulls. Nigel is a sweet and innocent—albeit not that bright—Watson to the Skull’s Sherlock. This fantastical WWII superhero adventure story sits on the shelf nearHellboy/B.P.R.D. or is reminiscent of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Also, what is amazing about this book is that while familiar, it is truly unique in scope and the art by Tony Harris is amazingly detailed and dark. Noir overtones, occult madness, Nazi Doctors and a skull with a steampipe on the right temple. Can you ask for anything more? Yes. “More issues of this please”, I say, with my fingers crossed, to not have DC editorial mess with this amazing book!

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for March 6, 2013

COMICS

Dark Horse Publisher Mike Richardson along with Usagi Yojimbo’s Stan Sakai continue with the national story of Japan, 47 Ronin, this week with issue 3. Oishi vows to avenge the death of Asano with loyal samurai. Catch these books now, or in the collection eventually for an historical and beautiful adaptation and interpretation. … Revealed in an untold tale of the Autobots is how Bumblebee takes command in Transformers Spotlight: Bumblebee one-shot from IDW. … Before Art & Franco spend all the kid’s money in the just announced New 52 Green Team title, there are still a couple of issues of Superman Family Adventures to hit the stands. Issue #10 pits the family against Zod and 52 Foot Long Frankfurters! Aw Yeah, hot dog comics! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for February 27, 2013

COMICS

Dennis Hopeless and Mike Norton give you The Answer #2 this week from Dark Horse Comics. How will our fearless punctuated pal protect the liberal librarian lady? Find out in the action packed second issue of this new fun series. … Skullkickers pick up an adjective and a brand new volume of Uncanny Skullkickers #1. Kusia and Rex are Lost on a desert island with little more than come coconut rum, will they be able to survive after a “Good Times Jungle Exploration Montage? Break the fourth wall to find out. Based on a DC Comics version of the video game Mortal Combat, the new INJUSTICE: Gods Among Us comic delivers a combination punch with issue #2 out today. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for February 20, 2013

COMICS

YO JOE! Clay’s so excited about the release of this book, and a recent conversation he had with scribe Fred Van Lente that he got the Arashikage tattoo on the 27th anniversary of his first G.I.Joe comic book (#46!). Dig favorite comic writer Van Lente puts the team in the public eye in the age of WikiLeaks and Twitter combat in G.I.Joe #1. It’s an extra-sized extra-wierd Action Comics #17 from Grant Morrison and Rags Morales. Morrison’s New 52 Superman run ends here, as Kal-El must save all of creation, natch! … Billy Martin of Good Charlotte enters the ring of spooky comic writers with his debut book, Vitriol The Hunter from IDW. Knowing our soft spot for guitars and vampire comics, it’s a safe bet we’ll stake this one out for at least a few issues. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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EARTH PRIME TIME: BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS – PARTS 1 & 2

Frank Miller’s 1986 genre defining and milestone graphic novel, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns has been adapted in the latest installments of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The extended storyline demanded that the story—initially broken into four chapters—be broken up into two parts. The highly anticipated last chapter was made available on Blu-Ray, DVD or Download on January 29th. The Dark Knight Returns as a comic defined the look and tone of Bruce Wayne’s alter-ego for a generation, twisting both tropes of the comic book page and the media’s 24/7 news cycle down to their aging knees while all the while inexplicably breathing new life and reflection on both. We’re hard pressed to find fault with DC attempting to share the story with a new audience in a new medium, and aside from dyed in the wool fanboy nit picks, we’ve gone in depth comparing and contrasting the original art form with the movies to be mostly satisfied with the result. Peter Weller (Robocop, Star Trek: Into Darkness) stars as the aging Batman, eventually facing the maniacal Joker voiced by Michael Emerson (Ben Linus onLost, Person of Interest).

Both the movie and the book start out with a moustachioed and retired Bruce Wayne (Earth-31) totaling his racecar over the finish line in the Ferris 6000 motor race. After cheating death, Bruce meets up with outgoing Commissioner Jim Gordon for more than a few drinks and then a solo stroll through Crime Alley. He is confronted by some of the Mutant gang and scares the boys away. A restless night and a trip to Batcave after the encounter with Gotham’s new string of baddies motivates Batman back into the cowl, to the chagrin of our faithful Alfred Pennyworth. Sound familiar?

Christopher Nolan (and Tim Burton, for that matter) have a lot to owe this book for characterization and major plot points.

Another animated property, Batman Beyond owes it’s entire existence and frequently nods at this touchstone of future Bat-legacy.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for January 2, 2013

COMICS

Last week was the death of Peter Parker in Amazing Spider-Man #700, making news headlines and making way for Superior Spider-Man #1 next week with an upgraded webhead assuming the mantle. This all ties into Marvel NOW!’s Spider-spinoff book, Morbius The Living Vampire #1 this week. Can Michael Morbius keep the bloodlust at bay and be a real hero? … Franco and Art Baltazar are STILL delivering the best Superman stories for kids these days! Aw Yeah, it’s Superman Family Adventures #8 where the Superfamily takes on an alien menace…or menaces. Find out for yourself or have your kids read this one to ya! The Heretic returns and Bat-Robots face off against the Man-Bat armies in Batman Incorporated #6. It’s the firs Bat-Comic of the year from Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham. … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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EARTH PRIME TIME: BILL FINGER – SECRET CO-CREATOR OF BATMAN WITH MARC TYLER NOBLEMAN

The stories of how comics are made are half the reason we pay so much attention to the brightest and most talented creators out there today. We want to be able to say we have been paying attention to an artist right from the beginning, or that a writer has had his breakthrough arc on a particular series. Much of this idea runs parallel to following the hottest underground bands in the music business. When Simon and Kirby created Captain America or when Jack teamed up with Stan Lee to create the Marvel Universe, there was no telling the effect superheroes would have on the culture.

Marc Tyler Nobleman has written many books about comic book history. He joins Earth Prime Time today to tell us about his new book, Bill the Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman, drawn by Ty Templeton, and how Bill’s legacy affects the comic market today.

DIGBOSTON: Marc, thanks for taking the time to talk with us about your book today. I don’t think I’m overstating by saying this is an important book for Batman fans or Batmanians. Has the Bill Finger story always been interesting to you?
Marc Tyler Nobleman: I don’t remember when I learned the “Batman created by Bob Kane” credit was inaccurate, other than that it was sometime after college. Soon after I sold the manuscript for my first superhero picture book, Boys of Steel: The Creators of Superman, Bill’s story grabbed me as a natural (not to mention more heartbreaking) follow-up.

In a sense, his story is even more important—Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster lived long enough to win back credit and compensation for their icon, but Bill Finger didn’t.

There has not been much coverage of this topic beyond the comic book convention scene crowd. Comic book historians and other creators certainly know a bit about the story, but for the first time you are presenting the information so that there is less mystery surrounding the origin of Batman’s creation. Why did you want to write this book?
For the reason you just stated! Comics diehards indeed know the name Bill Finger, but his contribution to pop culture is so significant that I feel the mainstream should know the back story, too. That’s also why I wrote it as a picture book for older readers.

I want kids to grow up knowing the truth about Batman’s creation rather than learning about it (like me), as an adult—if at all.

A rare photo of Batman Co-Creator Bill Finger from Green Lantern #1 (1941)

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.com]

EARTH PRIME TIME: DC NEW 52 ZERO ISSUES

One year after the relaunch of the DC Universe, with many titles still holding strong through two waves of cancellations, DC breaks the flow to provide Secret Origin stories for many characters. Finally we will get a peek at the five year gap between the Flashpoint story and the first appearance of The New 52 The Justice League.

Need some comics to pull out of your backpack on the quad to impress that cute co-ed with the Scott Pilgrim vs. The World ‘Sharpie‘ shirt? How about sparking off that fling with a re-imagining of Clark Kent’s first years in Metropolis in Action Comics #0 or read about how Bruce Wayne got his martial arts training before becoming Batman in Detective Comics #0.

Your critical analysis of the Dark Knight Rises ending could lead to an autumnal romance brimming with nerdcore in-jokes and tokidoki hoodie snuggles.

EARTH PRIME TIME: DC NEW 52 ZERO ISSUES by clay-fernald

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for August 29, 2012

COMICS

It’s annual time! Bow ties and fezzes are cool. New creative team of Andy Diggle and Mark Buckingham gets a preview in Dr. Who Annual 2012. Check out the giant-sized all-star timelord stories from Len Wein, Doctor Who novelist Richard Dinnick, and art by the un-Doctor Matthew Dow Smith. … What happens when you get a magician, the writer of G.I.Joe: Cobra and a former New England Comics employee together? Smoke and Mirrors happens, check out the DigBoston exclusive interview here! Issue 5 of 5 solicits this week—will transplanted magician Terry Ward trick the reader into buying the trade paperback in September? We hope he does! … Dan Jurgens explained the alien powers of the New 52 armor in issue 12. Will Keith Giffen and Cafu’s Superman Annual #1 reveal any more about his new look, or will Supes be too busy playing games with the help of the Green Lantern? … Perennial picks procured and processed by LeaguePodcast.com.

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EARTH PRIME TIME: SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE

Superman vs. The Elite is the latest DC Comics Animated Universe movie released last week. Written by Joe Kelly (Ben 10, I Kill Giants) for the first time in Action Comics #775, the story pushes The Man of Steel to the breaking point of his strong moral fiber. Can new and violent superhero team The Elite defeat Superman, and does the public want a less tolerant but more permanent solution to dealing with the bad guys? The Action Comics issue was called, “What’s so Funny ‘Bout Truth, Justice, and the American Way,” published just months before the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

EARTH PRIME TIME: SUPERMAN VS. THE ELITE by clay-fernald

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for May 30, 2012

COMICS

Aw Yeah, Superman Family! Superman fans rejoice as our favorite Tiny Titan creative team gives us a full issue of Superman Family Adventures #1 — first seen earlier this month at Free Comic Book Day! Art Baltazar and Franco debut a fun look at the first family of superheroes and superpets. Aw Yeah, Krypto! … Last week was the epic and meta conclusion of Mark Waid’s Irredemmable. The companion book, concentrating on bad dude Max Damage turned superhero, Incorruptible concludes at issue 30. … Money! Get back. It makes the world go round, innit? Eddie Campbell (From Hell, Bacchus) presents a fascinating look into currency “how does it work?” in Lovely Horrible Stuff hardcover. Your money is well spent when you follow the weekly LeaguePodcast comic book suggestions!

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for April 25, 2012

COMICS

100 Months was written and drawn by the late 2000AD/Judge Dredd artist John Hicklenton before his assisted death in 2010. Diagnosed with MS, John struggled with the disease and left us with this ethereal and insightful quest of Mara the Earth Goddess vs. evil Longpig. … S.H.I.E.L.D has taken over in Ultimate Comics: Ultimates #9. What does this mean for the Ultimates and the nation they are sworn to protect? … Find out all about the place Superman hangs his cape and his gigantic golden key in Superman Secrets of the Fortress of Solitude! The sheer number of visits to the Fortress of Solitude Wikipedia site is prompting another check up at the shrink before having to explain this to HR! Picks from LeaguePodcast’s Boston Comic Con After-Party are here. Thanks for coming!

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Psssst… guess what graphic novel thing is tonight at Harvard Book Store at 7pm? EARTH PRIME TIME: GUY DELISLE SIGNING FOR ‘JERUSALEM’. Don’t forget your sketch book, kehd.

EARTH PRIME TIME: JACK KIRBY’S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL. 1

Jack “King” Kirby created Captain America with Joe Simon in 1941. By 1970, Jack negotiated a deal with DC Comics to create the Fourth World series of books that showcased hero Orion along with the Forever People and Superman facing off against new villain Darkseid of the planet Apokolips. Kirby’s Fourth World is collected for the first time in affordable paperback from DC Comics, and continues to be at the top of the list for timeless superhero adventures. The King didn’t merely innovate comic book storytelling and create all of our long lasting heroes, Jack Kirby is why there is a comic book industry today.

EARTH PRIME TIME: JACK KIRBY’S FOURTH WORLD OMNIBUS VOL. 1 by clay-fernald

[READ MORE AT DIGBOSTON.COM]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for March 28, 2012

COMICS

“Spoon!” you say? You’ve got that right, as The Tick turns #100, local New England Comics character teams up with Robert (The Walking Dead) Kirkman’s Invincible in an absurdist superhero romp through The City facing Chairface Chippendale! … The man who killed Superman teams up with the dude who penned Batman knocking out the Green Lantern in ‘one punch’ to bring us a new team on Superman in issue #7. Dan Jurgens and Keith Giffen bring new blood to the New 52 take on the last son of Krypton. … If you are too cool for another steampunk vampire/zombie comic (or as Jaush says, “Vamp-ombies” then the League wishes Consumption on your offspring! Just kidding, but seriously, if you are into that sort of thing, check out The New Deadwardians #1 from Vertigo. … LeaguePodcast.com has inspected and endorsed these periodicals!

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IT’S WEDNESDAY, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS: #COMICS DAY! IN THIS WEEK’S EARTH PRIME TIME COLUMN, AN INTERVIEW WITH JAY PISCOPO, WHO’S REBIRTHING LEGENDARY GOLDEN AGE HERO CAPTAIN MIDNIGHT IN DEC 2012.

EARTH PRIME TIME: JUSTICE LEAGUE: DOOM

Vandal Savage rounds up the baddest of DC villains to bring down the Justice League in Justice League: Doom, the latest DC Universe Animated Movie.

[Read More at DIGBOSTON.com]