If you’re fresh to the comic market, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re not new but looking for what’s new and good to pick up on, you’ve also come to the right place. Either way there’s something going on in the comic market that you should know about, and that thing is Marvel NOW! Marvel Comic’s gradual relaunch of some of their major series. We’ve covered this in the last two or three issues of Comics For Noobs, and without sounding like a broken record, it really is taking the comic market by storm. It all started with the Avengers vs. X-Men event, a twelve issue special that was essentially what the name describes. What it brought about through its almost Marvel wide tie-ins was a focal point to set off new events/new series that could all reference to this event without being consumed by it. This was a great initiative from Marvel to attract new readers; create a Marvel wide event that attempts to include anyone interested in any Marvel character, bring them together and then start them all onto some new attention grabbing titles. Right now most of the Marvel NOW! titles have been the center of attention amongst comic fans, both negative and positive attention. Whichever way you look at it there are some great titles for new readers to start off on, and then there are some that are not so great to start on.
Again, avoiding sounding like a broken record, I’d like to also inform you that there are a lot of other new comics from other publishers that are taking advantage of the extra comic shop traffic. I’ve said it more than once before, most new readers will come to comics for the well-known super heroes, but they will also in-turn discover a wide variety of other genres, and end up staying because of comic market diversity. Image Comics released Comeback #1, Clone #1, and Nowhere Men #1, Great Pacific #1, Where is Jake Ellis #1, Storm Dogs #1 and Witch Doctor #1 in the month of November alone. Valiant Comics released Shadow Man #1. Dark Horse released 47 Ronin #1, R.I.P.D. #1, Colder #1 and Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi – The Prisoner of Bogan #1, just to name a few. IDW Publishing saw Judge Dredd #1, Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots #1, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #1, to name a few. You see where I’m going with this, right? There are a lot of comics coming out this month that are meant for new readers. I only wish I could cover them all here, but it’s just not possible. I will cover some of the most notable new series, though.
New Series:
Captain America #1 Published by Marvel Comics
Even as a new reader to comic books you’ve surely heard of Captain America. Marvel Comic’s first property, leader of the Avengers, star of his own movie and the blockbuster The Avengers movie. Even if you’ve never read a Captain America comic you can only guess that he fights for justice in the name of America. The problem with his seemingly one-track way of doing things some may have grown tired of his 70 year on and off run in comic books. His premise may come off as predictable and old-fashioned, and Marvel certainly would like to break free from those shackles and present an appealing comic to fans coming off the of The Avengers movie. Two bold moves that they took with this new series that screams reform is Rick Remender (Uncanny X-Force, Secret Avengers) writing the script and John Romita Jr. (Kick-Ass, Hit-Girl) on art duties.
From the time you flip open this comic the point is made clear that Cap is tired of working all the time, saving the world, leading the Avengers, and never taking a break. There is a prominent love story that takes place, and the though of settling down is enticing to Steve Rogers. The story doesn’t give him much time to think about marriage, though, and shoves him into an alternate dimension after a routine investigation goes sideways. This new team is adding a brand new dynamic to the Cap with a sc-fi twist and a genuine love story as a motivation. This issue was funny, smart and exciting and does justice for fans looking to jump on to Captain America for the first time and for return readers alike. Fancy yourself a fan of do-gooder superheroes and sci-fi trans-dimensional travel? This series is a great one for you.
Art: 9/10
Script: 9/10
Parental Concern: Low. Violence.
Supurbia #1 Published by BOOM! Studios
Supurbia is a very fitting name for this comic series about super heroes and their families living in a specialized suburbia to keep them safe. The series started as a four-part mini series from BOOM! Studios with Grace Randolph at the helm. The mini series received rave reviews from the general comic community and critics alike. It took the idea of super humans and gave them something more than just an identity to keep safe. Many of them heroes have children, spouses, girlfriends and scandalous homosexual affairs. It was a wonderful introductory story as it ended with a great climax followed by a gripping cliffhanger. It connected comic readers to the emotional side of the characters, the part that has a family, perfect for the grown-up comic reader looking for a down-to-earth series. After it’s huge success it was decided that the pilot mini-series would carry on with an ongoing series.
That’s where THIS Supurbia #1 comes in, though there is no name difference to tell it apart from the first, besides the #1 (of 4), so don’t be confused. This issue picked up shortly after the final events of the first volume, with the every day events of this tight-knit superhero community. When I say it picked up shortly after those events I mean there was a short space in-between, but the details are continuous. Although this issue was extremely compelling and well written, well drawn and well presented, it drew very heavily on the previous series for details. There was a lot of exposition to help the new reader transition into the series while refreshing the returning fans. The problem is that those expositions can read like quantum physics in places. As for suggesting it to new readers, I can say that this series is a very emotional and original one, but will be better enjoyed if you can get your hands on the first four issues or the paperback collection of them.
Art: 8/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: High. Violence, sexual content.
The Invincible Hulk #1 Published by Marvel Comics
Another series from Marvel part of the NOW! movement looking to recreate a long running character. The Hulk is another character that has essentially grown stale to the general populace. He is incredibly strong and seemingly impossible to defeat, so keeping him fresh and intriguing can be a difficult task. Once again, though, Marvel has shown their intent of giving Hulk a new face by adding different styles of writing with Mark Waid, and a different art style with Leinil Yu. So, how has the new creative team done in attempting to add a different dynamic to Bruce Banner?
This comic started off with Maria Hill, director of S.H.I.E.L.D. on the hunt for the green Hulk. The thought was how can a big green monster hide for so long? When Maria is approached by Banner in a small town cafe, free of aggression, the tables are turned. Through their conversation it is made clear that this comic takes directly from the Avengers vs. X-Men event and Hulk and Iron Man’s involvement in it. Banner is tired of only being known for his muscle while Stark and Reed are known for helping the world with their brains. Bruce is a genius, after-all, but has only ever been used by the Avengers for his strength. He has an offer for S.H.I.E.L.D. that would allow him full access to state-of-the-art labs, in exchange for his more-controlled green form. Without giving away too much, the final result of this comic was very enjoyable with a great progression for this one-trick-pony. If you were looking for a chance to start reading a Hulk comic, it’s here, and you should read it.
Art: 9/10
Script: 9/10
Parental Concern: Moderate. Violence.
Nowhere Men #1 Published by Image Comics
Nowhere Men is a new series from Image comics that may be a little off of your comic book map. There are no superheroes, there are no heroes period. What Nowhere Men IS, is a realistic science-fiction story about the four most brilliant men in the world. This is one of those series that will appeal to a niche crowd of people, but also shows a strong comic market that is being built on diversity. No longer does a comic book need to be about super humans, it can be about every day occurrences, out of this world space/dimension travel, or in this case a science-fiction story with a believable premise.
The beginning of this comic introduces us to Dade Ellis, Simon Grimshaw, Emerson Strange and Thomas Walker, the smartest minds in the world and owners of the biggest company in the world, World Corp. Their goals through running World Corp are to end poverty, war and illness through scientific advancements. Then the story fast forwards to “years later” and we see that the dynamic of the group has changed, and that World Corp is performing experiments that are hurting and killing humans and animals alike. Fast forward again to “now” and we see a group of people who are all extremely ill with a virus no one knows anything about. Each of them are showing different symptoms of the virus, which hints at World Corp as being the originator of the virus.
Although reading this comic was rather slow and event sseemed to be very unrelated, once you read the final page you understand the significance of each of the three different timelines presented. It may take a bit of patience as a reader, but a sci-fi mystery laid out in this man timelines can be a very rewarding read for fans of crime and sci-fi TV and movies. The art style is an acquired taste though, as the faces of each character don’t change very much from panel to panel, and their teeth are usually showing. I wasn’t a big fan of the art, but it served the purpose of expressing the characters emotions fairly well, despite being very similar in each panel.
Art: 6/10
Script: 8/10
Parental Concern: Low.
New Story Arcs:
Amazing Spider-Man #698 opened up a can of WTF on its readers with a new story arc leading into the final #700 issue.
Hawkeye #4 started a new 2-part story arc.
Harbinger #6 started a new story arc.
Planetoid #4 began, in a way, a new jumping on point.
Thanks for tuning in, aspiring comic geeks! I hope that this column accomplished at least one thing, portraying a healthy comic market with diversity to appeal to many different tastes. Have fun reading! Tommy out!
