Dynamite Reviews

Heres a couple of the new Dynamite titles on the shelves Tuesday.

Legenderry #1 is a steampunk mystery book featuring versions of the Dynamite superhero roster. Bill Willingham of Fables is taking the wheel on this one, and it's a good start to a fun idea.

After an altercation in Vampirella's Scarlett Club, a mystery unravels leaving a ton of questions to be answered in the coming issues. Joining in on the action will be Kato, Red Sonja, The Phantom, Flash Gordon and others, but this first issue focuses on Vampirella and The Green Hornet for now. The upcoming number of characters gives this title a promising future. It will be interesting to see not only how they interact with each other, but how this steampunk world allows them to do so.

Legenderry #1 introduces a vast steampunk world containing all of the elements which makes the genre one to be desired, including plenty of old Victorian-style English courtesy of Willingham. The choice of dialogue not only serves to project character but also to build the environment, helping shape this particular steampunk universe. Sergio Davila and Wes Hartman are on art duties bringing the world to life, and they do so quite well. The double page spreads and splash pages are great, each featuring some lively environments and heavy action.

Despite the friendly cover, this one isn't for kids. The action scenes can get a little bloody but, other than that, there isn't too much in the way of mature content. Hopefully the next few issues will showcase a little more of the steampunk heroes' talents, but this first issue certainly makes way for some well drawn action sequences.

Legenderry #1 is a promising start to a great genre crossing story that features well established Dynamite IP's and the writing of Willingham. It will be fun to see where this goes.



Lil Ernie is one of Dynamite's all-ages one shot issues based off existing Dynamite IPs. There'll  be one each week for the next 4 weeks,  Bionic Kids, Vampi, Lil Sonja and Lil Battlestar Galactica. These books are all ages, so you can enjoy the lighthearted take on your favourite characters while sharing with your kids.

Lil Ernie is a troublemaking psychopath (much like his adult counterpart) who refuses to do homework, won't brush his teeth, and rarely pays full bus fare. He's followed around by Smiley, his physically manifested conscience, as they embark on lesson filled journeys through three short stories. There's also a nice break in the middle, with two pages of puzzles including a maze and 'spot the difference' games.

It's a great read for youngsters who are fans of all things spooky. Young horror fans will enjoy the graveyards, zombies, and more, while older readers are certain to find some humorous elements snuck into the dialogue. Fans of the flagship title Evil Ernie will probably get a kick out of the parallels between the two Ernies. 

It should be interesting to see how the upcoming all-ages titles from Dynamite turn out. They each have a solid existing fanbase but the kid friendly gimmick might turn some readers off at first. Based on Lil Ernie, the others will most likely be filled with fun references for adults, well written dialogue and generally good entertainment for kids and adults alike. It's also a great way to get youngsters interested in the medium. Perhaps Dynamite will turn some of these into ongoings if the reception is good enough. All together, Lil Ernie is a good choice for a lighthearted read.

 

NEW COMICS TUESDAY DECEMBER 31ST

Well it is certainly a Dynamite week to wrap up 2013.
Starting off with Legenderry a Steampunk Adventure. A new mini-series by Fables creator Bill Wllingham, its an alternate world team-up of many of Dynamite comics licensed characters such as the Shadow, Green Hornet, Red Sonja and more.
We also get the new Twilight Zone series by Straczynski. And dont forget  L'il Evil Ernie, the first of the kiddified specials from Dynamite. Following weeks will see, L'il Red Sonja, L'il Bionic Kids and others.

Vertigo starts off the Dead Boy Detectives in a regular series, after their successful run in the Vertigo specials over the last year.
Star Wars the Lucas Draft gets a #0 issue that is basically the genesis of the series featuring artwork and script notes from the original Lucas stuff.
Revelations is reprinting the Ramos series from the beginning.
There is a nice batch of dollar comics shipping as well. American Vampire from Vertigo and Captain Midnight, Conan, and X, all from Dark Horse.

NEW COMICS DECEMBER 24th

Small shipment for Christmas.
Marvel has Avengers #24. now which is a dumb way of saying its the start of a new arc.
Also on the shelves will be Wolverine Origins2 the sequel to the hit Origins from a few years back. It has a cool acetate cover that may help it stand out on the shelf with all those comics that are coming in..
DC sends 2 books as well, Justice League #26 and Forever Evil #4.
Saviours #1 starts off a new Image book by James Robinson about Extraterrestrial conspiracies.
Jupiters Legacy Special is a reprint of the first 3 issues of the Millar Quietly series, to tide you over until the 4th issue ships some time in the far future.

NEW BOOKS ARE ON THE SHELVES AT 9:00 TUESDAY AND WE WILL BE CLOSING AT 6:00 FOR CHRISTMAS EVE. If you cant make it in due to the holidays, or its not worth the trip for so few books, make sure to reserve a copy of the ones you want, as stuff may sell out quick on Boxing day.
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TUESDAY DECEMBER 24TH

AVENGERS #24.NOW ANMN
DECEIVERS #1 (OF 6)
FOREVER EVIL #4 (OF 7)
JUPITERS LEGACY GIANT-SIZED EDITION #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE #26 (EVIL)
ORIGIN II #1 (OF 5)
SAVIORS #1 (MR)

Previews reviews

From top to bottom, All-New Marvel NOW! #1 showcases some of the upcoming titles for 2014. Some of the titles look better than others, but they all have something to offer:

Avengers World: looks like another epic Avengers book with Hickman writing. Looks like Hickman has a ton more Avengers stories to tell, and two books just won't be enough. Avengers World appears to use the same cast from the regular Avengers title.

Black Widow: This one should be a blast for spy-fiction fans, and that the book features a strong female lead is a plus. The art by Phil Noto is top notch and suits the character well. Hopefully this creative team stays on the book for more than a while.

All-New X-Factor: Another X-Book to add to the list. Featuring Polaris, Gambit, Quicksilver and others, it appears to have an interesting premise. A mutant team backed by a leading technology corporation.

Thunderbolts: Adding Ghost Rider to the team should spice things up a bit, but the real treat is having Charles Soule (Swamp Thing, Red Lanterns) writing the book. All of his current titles are top notch, so Thunderbolts might be one of the best new titles on the list.

Guardians of the Galaxy / All-New X-Men event: The two titles are crossing over, but don't let the renumbering confuse you. Despite both books being relatively new, the #1's are not new creative teams or reboots.

Savage Wolverine: Richard Isanove (Dark Tower) is taking full writing and art duties in this new Wolverine tale, which takes place in the 1930's. Wolverine could benefit from more "past" stories that focus on him as a person before the X-Men. This book should deliver just that.

That's the just of the free preview book. The new year looks to be chock full of great Marvel titles with the exception of all the confusing renumbering. Hopefully 2014 will focus less on new #1's and more on keeping books at top quality since there seems to be so many promising new titles.

Harley Quinn #1

Not to be confused with Harley Quinn #1 from September's Villains Month, this new first issue takes up where Harley Quinn #0 left off, and marks the beginning of Harley's brand new ongoing series.

Learning that she now owns an apartment complex, Harley sets off to Coney Island to start her new life. She packs her enormous cartoon-sized bag and takes off, only to be distracted by an assassin looking to take her out. After taking care of business, Harley arrives at her new building and the fun really starts. Palmiotti and Conner do a good job setting Harley up with her own characters and stories free of her usual supporting cast. By the end of the issue, it's clear that the creative team have cemented Harley in her own unique world within the DCU.

The #0 issue was filled with gags and fourth-wall-breaking humor, but Harley Quinn #1 is more rooted in its respectable universe. Harley is as odd as ever, and along with her talking gopher hood ornament and her new wiener dog, she's got some entertaining company by her side. The building she moves into houses some interesting characters, most of which are sideshows at the Coney Island freakshow. Suffice to say, Harley fits right into their world.

The art by Chad Hardin is pretty energetic and can verge from wacky and overly cartoony to calm and atmospheric. So far, he seems like a good choice for the book. All together, the creative team has taken a loved character and given her fans something to be pumped up about.  

BOXING DAY SALE

As previously mentioned, I will be having a 1 day Boxing Day sale on Thursday Dec. 26th.

Keeping things simple the sale will be

BUY 1 GET 1 FREE ON ALL PAPERBACKS AND HARDCOVERS IN THE STORE
including Manga and Red Tag items.
Lowest price book is the Free one.

EVERYTHING ELSE IN THE STORE WILL BE 25% OFF!

I reserve the right to limit any items and will not include reserved or held stock in the sale pricing.

The sale will be 1 day only, from 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. THURSDAY DEC.26th.

NEW COMICS DECEMBER 18th

Well only 2 weeks till Christmas and we've got another big week full of great stuff.
It seems like more books ending than beginning as Marvel wraps up some of their year long stories before relaunching and starting new titles next year, Fantastic Four and FF are 2 of them. Marvel does give us a freebie this week however, All New Marvel Now will feature previews of some of the new titles coming your way.
Locke and Key also comes to an end with a huge $8.00 issue with a batch of variant covers by artists like Kaluta and Seinkiewicz.
Harley Quinn gets an actual first issue( I guess the Villians Month one doesn't count).

For the kids(it is Christmas after all) Lisa Simpson gets a new comic, and Teen Titans Go returns.
For the adults, The Wake Special gives us an affordable collection of the first 5 issues before the 2nd arc starts up next year. Also theres a $1.00 reprint of 100 Bullets for the gangsta in all of us.

Remember, the NEW COMICS WILL BE ON THE SHELVES ON TUESDAY DECEMBER 24TH
FOR CHRISTMAS AND TUESDAY DECEMBER 31ST FOR NEW YEARS. AND THE STORE WILL BE OPEN FROM 9-6 THOSE DAYS SO YOU CAN GET YOUR COMIC SHOPPING DONE BEFORE THE MALLS FILL UP!

HOLIDAY HOURS AND DELIVERY

Due to the fact that Christmas and New Years fall on Wednesdays this year...NEW COMICS WILL BE ON SALE ON THE TUESDAYS FOR THE LAST 2 WEEKS OF THE YEAR.

HOLIDAY STORE HOURS WILL BE:

SUNDAY DEC. 22ND -           10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
MONDAY DEC. 23RD -         10:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
TUESDAY DEC. 24TH -           9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
WEDNESDAY - CHRISTMAS DAY - CLOSED
THURSDAY - BOXING DAY - 9:00 A.M. -6:00 P.M.
TUESDAY DEC 31ST  -             9:00 A.M. - 6:00 P.M.
WEDNESDAY NEW YEARS DAY - CLOSED
ALL other days remain as usual.

As you can see I will be open on the Monday before Christmas and early both Tuesdays for the NEW COMICS releases.
Details of the BOXING DAY SALE will be up soon!!

JLA 3000

Justice League 3000 is a futuristic look at a Justice League in the 31st century. Right off the bat, this is a book that appeals to fans of sci-fi stories, and serves as a good mix of superhero sci-fi action.

In a world of microchip implants, otherworldly teleportation, and corrupt genetic scavenging, the Justice League does what they do best. But this is a Justice League unlike the one found in the present day titles. Each member is cloned from genetic materials from their modern day counterparts, and while they might retain some memories and powers, they certainly haven't retained the personalities of the old heroes. It's an interesting look at our favorite characters had they not been brought up in the present day.

Bruce never dealt with his parents death, and so his motivation to fight crime isn't as strong. Clark didn't have the affection of the Kents, and so he grew up arrogant and smug. Justice League 3000 revolves around an infectious hive-mind virus that's sweeping through universes,  but the real conflict takes place within the team. Regardless, it doesn't feel like a senseless "heroes vs heroes" book, but rather this internal conflict appears to be leading into something much bigger.

It'll be interesting to see which other members are added to the league, as well as learning the details behind the origin of the league. We know they're cloned from genetic samples, but what were the motives for doing so, and for whom was the project meant to serve? The creative team of Giffen, DeMatties and Porter do a good job with the title, pacing it well and keeping it rather action packed. There are quite a  number of subplots occurring in Justice League 3000, so readers have a lot to think about after reading this one.

All in all, Justice League 3000 is a good addition to the Justice League books, and it's actually nice that it doesn't tie into the present day stories. The $2.99 price tag also helps if you're looking to jump into a Justice League title that's a little less expensive than the usuals. Justice League 3000 is a fun read overall and recommended for this week's reads.

NEW COMICS DECEMBER 11th

The Amazing Spider-Man weekly continues with issues #700.2 and #700.3. I have to admit I liked the first chapter, it was nice to have a heroic Spider-Man story to read.
We get 3 Justice League books this week, one of them is the new Justice League 3000 #1. Are these the heroes we know and love thrown into the future somehow..or sons and daughters of the originals?
The Legends of the Dark Knight Special is a big 100 pager full of stuff previously seen only on line digitally. Looks like a great deal for $9.99.
Inhumanity gets its first spin-off with Awakening by Matt Kindt. Sounds like a continuation of his Infinity mini-series about the kids of the various super-hero schools.


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INHUMANITY

Inhumanity #1 is a one-shot that transitions the Marvel Universe from the Infinity event into the new Inhumanity event. Inhumanity #1 is written by Matt Fraction and illustrated by Oliver Copiel.

Inhumanity #1 gives us a solid recap of the end of Infinity, and shows us the aftermath of the Terrigen Bomb. The entire issue serves as both a recap and a foreshadowing extravaganza. It's clear that a lot of the cryptic information provided in Inhumanity #1 is going to be addressed in the future. Fraction does a good job with the book as he veers away from the lighthearted, witty tones found in Hawkeye and FF, and gives us something with a little more  darkness and weight. The art by Copiel is fantastic as always.

Inhumanity #1 was supposed to be followed by a new ongoing called Inhumans, which has been pushed from January to April. That's a big gap to fill for an event that's already started. In the meantime, there are a few other one-shots that will be released. Inhumanity: Medusa and Inhumanity: Superior Spider-Man are two one-shot titles that will be out shortly, and some other ongoings will tie into the event. Those books are slated for December and January, so it's fair to assume that more tie-ins and one shots will be announced to fill the gap until Inhumans #1 is out in April. Marvel will no doubt be scrambling to make sure the event doesn't fall flat.

Regardless of the delay, Inhumanity #1 delivers a good look at the history of the Inhumans and their role in human evolution within the Marvel Universe. It's a little like the Earth X series that was released years ago. It will be interesting to see a Marvel Universe with new unknown heroes and villains, and it'll more than likely present some fresh new characters. Another interesting aspect will be just how the Terrigen Mist has affected regular citizens - how unwanted powers can change everything about you, from your physical appearance to your daily schedule. Basically, we'll get a look at regular people afflicted with powers and transformations.

Inhumanity #1 is a good foray from Infinity to Inhumanity. This extra-sized issue, which includes a poster featuring upcoming covers, is also a good value for the standard Marvel cover price.