By all rights this should have run before Free Comic Book Day (FCBD), so I apologize for being a day late and a dollar short. (Wait a minute, these were all free!) Four of the six new issues I picked up yesterday at my local comic shop (Titan Comics in Dallas) are connected in some way to movies, and future editions of Betwitched will similarly highlight comics and graphic novels related to upcoming or past films. But other titles of interest will also inevitably be covered -- because you never know what might get picked up for adaptation. Suggestions for future coverage are always welcome, and feel free to correct and/or ridicule (kindly, please!) my under-informed opinions in the comments.
Atomic Robo (Red 5 Comics)
The intelligent indestructible robot that has no mouth but must quip returns. In the world created by writer Brian Clevinger and artist Scott Wegener, Atomic Robo was created by Nikola Tesla in 1923 and "became the go-to defense force against the unexplained." The series is delightful to read for fans of 50s science fiction-themed adventure tales, very winning without unneeded psychological baggage. The free issue has an eight-page story ("Why Atomic Robo Hates Dr. Dinosaur") that provides a good introduction: a robot and dinosaur carrying on a debate as they shoot at each other. Volume 3, Issue 1 was due to hit stores this past Wednesday.
Two secondary teases are included: Drone appears to follow three teens who've hacked into a military operation utilizing mechanized, non-human warriors and We Kill Monsters, in which two brothers / auto mechanics decide to expand into creature-killing. Based on the samples, I'd pick up Issue #1 of each when the series begin this summer.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars (Dark Horse)
FCBD is good for picking up comics you might not otherwise pick up, and I learned one thing from this eight-page all-ages sampler story ("The Gauntlet of Death"): this series is not for me. Based on my viewing of the movie version last summer, though, I'd much rather have my children read this than let them watch that.
The issue also includes a six-page Usagi Yojimbo story (a series I've been eyeing but haven't sampled before), an odd Emily the Strange four-pager (love the deep dark reds, though there's not much for me, it seems), and a 2-page Beanworld that leaves me just as confused as the Christmas issue I picked up a while back. Oh, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Yearning, which could be a good intro for young, young readers.
Savage Dragon (Image Comics)
After I began reading comic books again last October, I quickly became wary of the learning curve with long-running series. Issue #148 features a four-page summary ("Our story thus far...") of the man / dragon / once and future Chicago police officer. It starts with the appealing point of the titular character searching for his kidnapped children, but then immediately drops in a new character named Daredevil (no, not Marvel's Daredevil, but Lev Gleason's original public domain comic creation).
It's confusing for a new reader like me -- I don't know Savage Dragon enough to even understand his powers and limitations, much less why and how he would work with another superpowered hero. I thoroughly enjoy other Image series (Invincible, etc.); the story here is fine for action junkies, but not distinctive enough to make me want to pick up more. What am I missing?
Blackest Night (DC)
What is the deal with DC? I've bought various issues of The Green Lantern, Green Lantern Corps, Green Arrow / Black Canary, Superman, Supergirl, Justice League, and Justice Society of America (this was all before I lost my primary source of income) and most of the stories were incomprehensible. The stories inched along month by month and a multitude of characters dropped in and out, and I just didn't care. (Just to show I'm not entirely a DC hater, I like The Secret Six and enjoyed the limited series Terra and Year One: Black Lightning).
Blackest Night has been pumped up as DC's next great event. With the movie version of The Green Lantern scheduled to start production in September (still without a leading man), Blackest Night is well-timed to capatalize on the (presumably) increased interest in the masked intergalactic police officer. But this issue confirms that DC superheroes are (in general) not for me. There is something that strikes me as off-putting and irrelevant about them, with too little sense of fun. And my budget is not going to expand enough to pick up six issues each month from July through October in order to keep up with "Part One."
The Avengers / Wolverine: Origin of an X-Man (Marvel)
(Two separate, smaller than usual issues.) The Avengers: This is a superhero team-up that I could get behind. I don't have the budget right now to keep up with all the various incarnations of The Avengers (Dark, New, Diet, Ninja) that are currently crowding shelves, and I still can't accept the way that Norman Osborn was shoved so arbitrarily into power, but I've read just enough of the various series in recent months to enjoy the character interactions. Ridicule Marvel's first-page catch-ups all you want, they're a life-saver for keeping up with long-running series.
The all-ages Wolverine issue is far superior to the pallid, underachieving movie version, and puts me in mind of the enjoyable Wolverine: First Class ongoing series.
I have been waiting for Twitch to start covering comics for forever! The subject matter that Twitch focuses on is so prevalent in the comics industry, it seems like a natural fit.
The boy cleaned up at FCBD yesterday ... it's become a major event on his yearly calendar. One day he'll realize that these things exist the rest of the year, too, and then I'll be broke.
I used to dislike DC comics, but then a friend lent me the Green Lantern run started by Geoff Johns (and I read the rest for FREE thanks to my local public library!), and now Darkest Night is my most anticipated piece of entertainment I can currently think of.
You really, REALLY cannot pick up random issues of DC stuff, this much I admit, which I is why I only read (and buy) the trade-paperbacks. Check out Green Lantern: No Fear, and Green Lantern Corps Recharged. Some stuff won't make sense, it's true, but stick with it. If you like those, read Green Lantern: Rebirth for some more backstory, and continue on through the series. If you are tremendously confused about something, look it up on Wikipedia. Just don't scroll TOO far down the page, or else you get into spoiler territory.
I like Green Lantern so much that I'd just hate to see a possible fan go to waste!
Atomic Robo on Twitch! You guys need to pick tp the first two trades of Robo...i'm friends with Scott and even did a 5 page bonus story for the first vol. It's a great great comic.