Stories with an air of mystery injected into their plots almost always make for more interesting stories. They are sure develop slowly, offering a wealth of gradual revelations, with the payoff, ideally, being something we scarcely suspected. As with any though, it's difficult to grasp where a story can be headed after only its first issue, leaving readers to ponder the allusions throughout the issue and what they may mean in the greater context of the arc.
Read MoreMind the Gap #1
When DC relaunched its line of comics in September 2011, noticeably absent were any titles featuring the classic JSA characters of Golden Age infamy. Even still, at a DC panel at Fan Expo 2011 in Toronto, Canada, it was acknowledged that before long fans of classic versions of Green Lantern, Flash and Superman would get their fill. After many months of anticipation, fans of the characters received the first issue of Earth 2 #1 last week as it thundered onto store shelves and into our loving hands.
Read MoreEarth 2 #1
Where many superhero comics featuring Canadian characters fail is the inclusion of a given character's nationality not necessarily as a fundamental component of the story, but rather as a gimmick to dress the story up to encourage national interest. This is hardly the case with Evans' Canadian superhero title, Legion Unleashed, as we find the opposite to be true as band of Canadian heroes of varying cultural backgrounds come together to tackle contemporary threats to national security while coming face-to-face with the country's greatest myths and legends.
Read MoreLegion Unleashed #1
Issue #25 of "New Avengers" was released last week, and with it came a number of revelations about the history of the Phoenix and that of the Iron Fist legend.
Read MoreNew Avengers #25
Bruce Brown and Dwight MacPherson return to their Lovecraftian world with the second installment of their graphic novel series, "Howard Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom."
Read MoreHoward Lovecraft and the Undersea Kingdom
While in the past I’ve made a concerted effort to keep separate my dual roles in the comic book industry, this weekend marked the first time I worked a comic convention both as media and as an exhibitor. Although some…
Similarly to film, summers tend to lend themselves to huge blockbuster story lines in comics. With seven years of planning behind it, Marvel's 2012 foray pits the Avengers against the X-Men. The Hope-centric plot brings together the world's greatest heroes and places them on opposing sides; one fights to save the world, the other to preserve its very existence.
Read MoreAvengers vs. X-Men #1
The horror genre in comics can easily be divided into two categories. In one group we have stories which are formulaic, largely unoriginal and don't really offer anything to the medium. Contrarily, there are comic horror stories which push the storytelling possibilities of the medium and take it new places or adapt it to new environments. Fan favourite writer Dan Abnett hopes to provide the latter over the course of his new eight-part series through DC's Vertigo imprint with his horror tale, The New Deadwardians.
Read MoreThe New Deadwardians #1
Hawkman is one of DC's more notable characters that has never quite caught on with comic fans beyond its core base. Most recently Carter Hall figured into the company's Brightest Day maxi-series, before mostly fading to obscurity prior to the "New 52" relaunch in Sept. 2011. Prior to its first issue, the series was touted as featuring Hawkman in a more violent comic with a vicious tone unseen in previous iterations.
Read MoreThe Savage Hawkman #7
Since her birth in the Alaskan cold in the 2007 X-Men crossover Messiah Complex, Hope Summers has been the central figure in all mutant related stories. From her role in the latest Cable series which lead to her return to the present during Second Coming, Hope has been an integral player in Marvel's plans for the X-books, destined to either save the mutant race from extinction or to destroy the world. That wasn't even the beginning of the complete story mind you, as the planning for this crossover stretches as far back as the 2005 mini-series House of M which resulted in the mutant gene being wiped out by the Scarlet Witch.
Read MoreAvengers vs. X-Men #0
Considering the overwhelming popularity of zombies due in large part to the successes of the Walking Dead comic and television series, it's difficult to revolutionize the horror genre. Even with that in mind, that's what co-plotters Alex Link and Riley Rossmo have attempted to do with their creator-owned series, entitled Rebel Blood.
Read MoreRebel Blood #1
Wonder Woman has traditionally been a character unlike most within the mainstream superhero genre of comics. Where the heroes themselves are commonly viewed as gods in the metaphorical sense, Wonder Woman literally lives among them, standing beside the likes of Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Athena and Ares. Yet without a true antagonism the character's books has always felt a little hollow outside the Justice League books.
Read MoreWonder Woman #7
Books such as the revered Ex Machina series by Brian K. Vaughan and more recently Brian Bendis' Scarlet immediately spring to mind when considering series which are overtly political in their tone. The series have a distinct message to communicate to its readership whether as a commentary of the contemporary political arena or as a mobilizing rallying call against corruption. For well over 20 years, Tom Morello has presented his politics both as a member of rock bands Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave, as well through his work as a solo artist. Last year Morello turned his attentions towards comic books as an avenue to explore his political side, scripting what would become Dark Horse's 12-issue maxi-series, Orchid.
Read MoreOrchid #5
After 80 years it's difficult to put a new twist on the superhero genre of comics, and yet that seems to be what Keatinge and Image Comics have attempted to do with one of their latest releases in Hell Yeah.
Read MoreHell Yeah #1
This series has been one of the more under-exposed series among the "New 52," which despite resoundingly positive reviews hasn't quite met the level of acclaim the top 10 on Diamond sales charts. The title puts Buddy Baker in darker situations than he's been before, dealing with the underbelly of his powers, while also juggling the strains of raising a family.
Read MoreAnimal Man #7
Dark Horse's modern, mystical samurai tale continued with its third issue last week. The story is based off the Japanese novel Ura-Enma, written by Fumi Nakamura and follows a young tattoo artist versed in the art of imbuing spirits into the subject of his artwork.
Read MoreThe Immortal, Demon in the Blood #3
Justice League and its varying assortment of off-shoot titles has long been considered the flagship title of the DCU, often featuring the biggest heroes DC has to offer. Having been the lead-off title for the company's New 52 initiative, that distinction held true and has remained a top title on Diamond's sales charts since Sept. 2011. The first arc of the Geoff Johns penned series concluded last week with the world's greatest heroes having a final showdown with the dark god himself, Darkseid.
Read MoreJustice League #6
Back in January DC finally provided a name for the mysterious, hooded woman who has maintained frequent, lurking appearances strung throughout their relaunched line of titles. The character, who first appeared in Flashpoint, is largely responsible for the realignment of the multiverse in the DCU, creating a storyline cause and effect of the DCU status quo. That character's name is Pandora, and in the sixth issue of Justice League, released this week, a back-up story featuring an exchange between the Phantom Stranger and Pandora is given as a bonus.
Read MoreEpisode 17: Opening ‘Pandora’s Box’ in the New 52
There's no place like home, there's no place like home, there's no place home. That rings true for Dee, a converted resident of Emeraldsville, Kansas who had left her parents for the big life in Los Angeles. Angelo Tirotto and Richard Jordan present, in association with Image Comics, the first chapter of their tale featuring a young girl returning home, only to find not everything is as she remembered it.
Read MoreNo Place Like Home #1
As one of the newer series to come out of the DC relaunch, I, Vampire has delivered a vampiric dose of horror into the DCU over its first five issues. With a crossover with Peter Milligan's Justice League Dark looming, issue six of this series was released alongside the latter title last week to help kick-off one of DC's first crossover stories within its new status quo. The question left to answer though is how well this book, and its first story arc for that matter, were able to stand on their own.
Read MoreI, Vampire #6
