Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Waiting for Wednesday, Volume 3, Issue 23

As I write this week's Waiting for, I find myself, well, mostly trying to find things. Like my suitcase, for example. You see, I'm off to Las Vegas tomorrow for a bachelor's party, and cliche as that might sound (thanks, The Hangover), it also happens to be the truth.

What also also happens to be the truth is the inescapable fact that I hate to fly.

Hate it, hate it, hate it. And this flight's a long one; direct to Vegas from JFK, about 6 and a half hours up in the air, George Clooney style. Which is to say, up in the air, and not in any kind of style besides coach.

Because I'm in coach, and he (Clooney, I mean) was in that movie. You know the one. See? It's funny. Not LOL funny, but still. Witty. It's witty. Not John Stewart witty, but, well, you get the idea.

Or not.

I don't care, really. I'm just nervous (and talky, as I tend to get when I get nervous) because, as I mentioned, I do not like to fly.

If I were Superman (and, really, who's to say I'm not?), you'd have to go in and re-edit all of my power ratings, because I would most definitely be grounded. Leaps tall buildings in a single bound?

More like, "Don't get mugged anywhere outside of my immediate vicinity, or you'll be fending for yourself."

Yep. It's gonna one of those days, folks. So let's just get to the comics, yes? Yes.

First up, we have a new spin-off mini series from DC/Vertigo. A great jumping-on point for those who might not be reading the excellent American Vampire series from the publisher, today's offshoot title should serve as a nice taste of what that main series is all about.
American Vampire: Survival of the Fittest, issue one, ships today with a story by American Vampire creator Scott Snyder (Detective Comics) and with art by the great Sean Murphy (Joe the Barbarian, Hellblazer: City of Demons).

Here's the solicitation information from Vertigo:

From the pages of the red-hot Vertigo series comes a five-issue spin off miniseries!

It's World War II in Nazi-occupied Romania as vampire hunters Felicia Book and Cash McCogan (last seen in the critically acclaimed AMERICAN VAMPIRE story "Devil in the Sand") go behind enemy lines with the secret organization known as the Vassals of the Morningstar in search of a rumored vampire cure. But their haunted, twisted past with Skinner Sweet makes the mission more difficult than they imagined.

Superstar artist Sean Murphy (JOE THE BARBARIAN) joins Scott Snyder to tell a story of horror and history, expanding the American Vampire mythology in a way that changes this story forever.


Sounds great, and preview pages that I've seen look fantastic. And, really, at the just-right price of $2.99, why wouldn't you try this out?

Next up, we have another DC book, Batman and Robin, issue 24. Now, I'm recommending this one with a caveat--you need to pick up issue 23, as this week's book is the second part of a new storyline by writer Judd Winick (Justice League International, Power Girl) and artist Guillem March (Gotham City Sirens).
I picked up last month's issue when I saw Winick's name on the cover, and I'm glad I did. I dropped the title once Grant Morrison left it, but now I'm happily reading Winick's take on these characters. He gets the Batman universe, and he really gets the Red Hood (being that he's the guy who brought Hood back into things).

I've read quite a bit of Winick's stuff over the past few months, and I love what he brings to mainstream comics. He has a great ear for realistic, snappy dialogue, and his stories are always solid and don't take themselves too seriously.

I like a little humor injected into even the most serious of stories, and Winick is always good at reminding readers that these things are supposed to be fun, after all.

Here's the blurb from DC about this week's issue:

The Red Hood is out! But the bigger mystery is who broke him out of prison – and why? His liberators seem to have plans for him.

Plans that Jason wants no part of. It's a street brawl, and unlikely allies come together! Batman, Robin and The Red Hood must fight alongside one another in a knockdown, drag-out battle, taking on the people who sprung Jason Todd.


Check it out. I think you'll dig it.

Finally, we have a real milestone issue from creative force Terry Moore (Strangers in Paradise). Echo, issue 30, ships today and marks the end of one of the best series of the past five years.
A sci-fi masterwork from one of indy comics' best, Echo is the story of a young woman, a mysterious alloy that fell from the sky, and the top secret government agency that created it.

Obviously, as today's issue 30 is the final issue in the series, this isn't the greatest jumping-on point for new readers. But I wanted to mention the issue here to acknowledge yet another fine achievement in Moore's storied career.

And I wanted to whole-heartedly recommend the series in trades, which are available now at your comics shop and on Amazon.

For those reading issue to issue, here's the solicit information from Moore:

This is it - the Final Issue of this award-winning series! Julie and Annie, sharing the same Alloy618-covered body, must fight their way through an army to stop the Phi Super-Collider from making a black hole that will consume Earth. Don't miss the adrenaline charged conclusion of Terry Moore's sci-fi thriller!

If you're an old school sci-fi fan, do yourself a favor and check this series out.

And with that, I have to fly. (Get it?) See you all when I return. But, in the meantime, what are you Waiting for?

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