What you should buy-6/26/13

LOTS and LOTS of good stuff this week!! Let's get right to it!!

Justice League #21: The origin of Shazam concludes and the road to Trinity War gets underway!!!

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #3: He-Man has to defend Castle Grayskull! Seriously, people think he does it all the damn time, but this issue he ACTUALLY has to defend Castle Grayskull.

Ghostbusters #5: Spooky train!!!

Flash #21: Flash meets Kid Flash! And from the looks of things, he's not too impressed!

Captain America #8: Crazy. Super freakin crazy.

Previews #298: Spotlighting stuff coming out in September of this year-this issue features the upcoming The Star Wars from Dark Horse!!
-Get all this stuff and MORE at you're local comic shop. As always, I'll be at Challengers Comics + Conversation, so if you're in the neighborhood, stop by!! And get ready for next week:

What I thought of...Star Wars #6!!!

Star Wars #6: This is....a not so pleasant issue. Now, what I mean by that is that, in this issue, some unfortunate things happen to the main cast of characters.Things were pretty bad when we left Luke, Leia and Wedge last issue and, believe it or not, they just get worse. On a side note, trade paperbacks usually collect the first 6 issues of a series. I really canNOT see this being the last chapter of a trade.
The Good: Even though our heroes get in a LOT of trouble this issue, it's really fun to watch. Like when you were a kid and would watch a scary movie with your hands over your eyes, but your fingers spread apart just enough so that you could still see what was going on. This is hard to do. Escpecially in a book like Star Wars. Let's be honest. We KNOW Luke Skywalker isn't going to die in this comic. We KNOW Darth Vader's not going to tell Luke his father in this comic. Yet, I felt an honest sense of urgancy when reading this book, as if anything can happen. Also, as usual, the art is FANTASTIC here. I LOVE Carlos D'Anda, and in particular I love the life and energy that he brings to this book. I hope he sticks around for awhile.
The Bad: Look, the only "bad" thing that I could come up with is the 30 day wait that we have before the next issue. Everything else is pure gold!
The Verdict: BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!BUY IT!!

What you should buy-5/15/13

A decent size week of really entertaining books. Let's dive right in:

He-Man & The Masters of The Universe #2: BOOK OF THE WEEK!!! After last issue's shock ending, what more can go wrong for He-Man? I guess we'll find out!

Mark Waid's Green Hornet #2: This book is AWESOME!!! It's what the Green Hornet should've been from the start!!

Dream Thief #1: This book is CRAZY awesome!!!!! Now, you can tell just what kind of comics that I like. This is about as far removed from that kind of book that you can get and I'm over the moon crazy about it!!!! BUY IT!!

Battlestar Galactica #1: The ORIGINAL BSG returns!!! And I can't think of a better creative team than "DNA"! If you're even a slight fan of the show, grab this one!

Conan the Barbarian #16: Stop being so awesome, Brian Wood!!!

Avengers: The Enemy Within #1: This is GREAT!!!! Starts a crossover with a few other Avengers titles. VERY well written and interesting.

Bionic Man vs Bionic Woman #5: This is it! The last issue of this awesome crossover!!! Sad to see it go, but can't wait to read the ending!!

-This is one of those weeks, were I really haven't even scratched the surface of all the good stuff that's coming out. Make sure you head down to your local comic store and grab them up!!! If you're in Chicago, stop by the city's finest comic store, Challengers Comics + Conversation. Have a great Wednesday!!!

What I thought of...Star Wars #5

Star Wars #5: Things get even MORE hot and hectic.There's an awesome space dog fight with some X-Wings and TIE Fighters, more Han & Chewie on the lam, and dash of Luke & Vader(not together).
The Good: Almost everything. I really want to talk about the art this time. Carlos D'Anda, in my opinion, will go down as one of THE Star Wars artists. He hits all the beats when it comes to character likenesses and all the classic creatures are instantly recognizable, yet he puts his own spin on them that makes them different and refreshing. Just absolutely fantastic artwork here.
The Bad: Dog Fights. I HATE reading dog fights. Whether in a novel, a comic, or anywhere else, I have always found them pretty boring. Unfortunately, about 60% of this issue is a big dog between Leia's squad and some Imperials. When that's over, the comic does kick into high gear, though, so it's not a total loss.
The Verdict: BUY. IT. How many times do I have to tell you how awesome this book is?

What I thought of...Star Wars #4

A less awesome issue than normal, but still awesome. I have to say, though, Carlos D'Anda is REALLY good. I mean really REALLY REALLY good.
The Good: The good parts in this issue are REALLY good. A TON of mysteries are set up in this issue, and I really can't wait to see just how they're paid off. Brian Wood has really just thrown a lot of continuity out the window. Actually, he hasn't. He's just decided not to use it.
The Bad: There's a lot of things that confuse me in this issue. For one, basically the whole rebel plot line. The traitor story line seems to have almost been abandoned. Yeah, there was some scratching my head moments in this issue, and, some parts that just flat out bored me.
The Verdict: Even an off issue of this title is still a great comic. Grab it! And send me an email after you're read it. There's a couple things that I need explained to me!

What I thought of....Star Wars #3

Luke vs Leia! Han & Chewie!! Darth Vader!! All this in more in the latest issue of Dark Horse's Star Wars comic written by Brian Wood.
The Good: If you love the classic trilogy as much as I do, this book is for you!! The issue is PACKED with story. There's a Han Solo & Chewbacca vs the Empire story, a Luke Skywalker/Princess Leia story, a Darth Vader story, and the ongoing arc of the traitor within the Rebellion. Did I mention that it's all AWESOME? Brian Wood is KILLING it on this book!! Not to mention Carlos D'Anda's art really bringing this comic to life. This is a natural, believable, tale that would take place after Episode 4, and I love everything about this book.
The Bad: The names. I have a feeling that I should know some of the supporting characters, but I don't. I think POSSIBLY they're established characters in the Expanded Universe, but I'm not sure. If any of you EU fans are out there reading this and I'm wrong, please leave a comment or drop me a line. That's pretty much my only complaint, and it's a very small one.
The Verdict: Yup, this comic is worth the $2.99, so I suggest you buy it. This comic totally reminds me of the old "anything goes" Marvel Comics series that was published after the first movie. There's some interesting stuff that takes place between Luke & Leia, and yes, you'll snicker at it, but again remember, Wood is writing this book as if Episode 4 was the only Star Wars movie that's ever existed. And, sometimes, I wish that were true.

What I thought of ...Star Wars #2

Last month, Star Wars #1 was honestly my favorite Star Wars comic since the Marvel Comics series, way back in the 70's and 80's. So, I went into this with great excitement. Let's just say, it didn't disappoint at all.
THE GOOD: All of it. Seriously. Writer Brian Wood manages to cram this issue with just about EVERY  Star Wars character that he can, but nothing ever seems forced or crowded, or needlessly thrown in the story. If you read last issue, you know that Princess Leia has been assigned to find a traitor in midst of the Rebellion. This issue, the suspects are introduced and let the mystery solving begin!! Also...HAN & CHEWIE!!!!! How awesome is that?
THE BAD: Ummmmm.....nothing. OK, if I HAD to pick something, I'd say that judging by the cover, I was looking forward to seeing Boba Fett in this issues, but he's technically not. So, that was a bummer. But yeah, that's the only thing that I can come up with. Oh wait, there's a reference to the prequels. Didn't need that.
THE VERDICT: BUY THE HELL OUT OF THIS ISSUE!!! It's great, it's CLASSIC Star Wars, and it's just a damn good comic book. It WILL have you on the edge of your seat waiting until next month, but hey, that's what comics are for!!

Nothing but Star Wars........

I had the chance to read Dark Horse Comics' Star Wars #1 by Brian Wood and Carlos D’Anda. Here, are my thoughts on this VERY anticipated comic...

A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...there was an awesome movie called Star Wars. No Episode number(OK, technically there was), just a movie called Star Wars. It was a movie with little hype that nobody expected to do much at the box office. Of course, we all know how that story ended. After Star Wars became a mega-hit, Marvel Comics published some comics picking up where the movie left off. We can look at those comics now and go "HOLY CRAP WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!!". You have to realize at the time, there was NO sequel planned, NO prequels, just the movie that the creative team had for reference. There was appearances by a VERY different Jabba the Hurr, giant bunnies and all sorts of fun stuff. 

But, I digress. Let's focus on THIS comic book. Basically, the premise for this comic is the same as the Marvel Series. There's NO sequels, NO prequels, NO expanded universe, nothing. Except the movie Star Wars. And it is FANTASTIC. What I loved most about this book, was that, again, there is NO reference to anything but the first Star Wars movie. There's a scene in the book where the Emperor is talking to Darth Vader and I was SURE there was going to be a line of dialouge from the Emperor like "remember when I rescued you on Mustafar" or "You killed Padme" or something like that, but NO. NOTHING. Just the Emperor scolding Vader for the Death Star getting blown up. The story does take a VERY natural progression from where Star Wars left off. This is the book that I've wanted since Dark Horse acquired the license for Star Wars. They've published some good series, but lately it's been ALL comics based on the video game eras of Star Wars and the prequel era. So, this book is really for people my age. I don't know if younger readers are going to appreciate this book as well as my generation, but we'll see. Overall, this is a GREAT book. The writing is fantastic, the art is excellent, and it's one that you'll find yourself reading multiple times. Again, I'm not sure how younger Star Wars fans who grew up with the prequels will take to this book, but anyone who grew up with the original trilogy-THIS IS A MUST HAVE!!!!! I can't say enough good things about this book!!! Make sure you this ones on your pull list!!! 

SPEAKING of Star Wars, if you're in Chicago, you better mark January 13th on your calendar. You do NOT want to miss STAR WARS DAY at Challengers Comics!! We've got a jam packed event! Jimmy Mac from the Forcecast! Crish Macht, filmmaker of The Force Among Us, and the upcoming The Force Within Us! The 501st and Rebel legion!! Snacks! Cake! And, best of all, we've got prized from both LUCASFILM and HASBRO!!!!! Simply purchase a copy of Star Wars #1 and you're in the drawing for some REALLY great prizes(and I'm talking REALLY great prizes!!!) Here's all the details:

If you have any questions, you can give Challengers a call at 773-278-0155. Hope to see you there!! It's gonna be outrageous!!!