Recommended Reading for the Week of August 25, 2010

Hey there, True Believers (can I say that?)!  Here's a quick look at some of the new comic books this week that are worth your hard earned cash:

*Warning: There may be slight spoilers ahead, but I won't spoil any of the really nifty stuff.

Driver for the Dead #1 (of 3)

Radical Publishing 

$4.99/56pages

The entire Alter Ego Comics staff has been looking forward to this series since it was first previewed in the 2010 Free Comic Book Day Radical Sampler, and I'm happy to say that it does not disappoint!

Fans of the TV show Supernatural or books like The Dresden Files will love this comic.  The story is fast-paced and the artwork is outstanding.

In fact, I've been so impressed by the comics coming out of Radical that we're spotlighting them from now through the month of September.  Check out the Radical Publishing display as you enter the store, and pick up some of the great comics that this indie comics label is putting out.

Justice League: Generation Lost #8

DC Comics

$2.99/32 pages

One of DCs two bi-monthly series, (the other is Brightest Day), Generation Lost is a treat for fans of Justice League: International.  

Max Lord is back from the dead (thanks to Blackest Night) and he's made the entire world forget who he is...except the former members of the JLI.  They know he's back, they know what he did (you know, murdering Blue Beetle Ted Kord, among other bad stuff), and they want to bring him to Justice.  

Generation Lost has been consistently good from the get go, and this issue turns up the action and excitement a notch or two.

Namor: The First Mutant #1

Marvel Comics

$3.99/40 pages

I was pretty skeptical about a new X-Men series dealing with Vampires when it came out a couple of months ago, but that new X book has been excellent.  Here's the setup: Dracula has been killed by one of his sons, and the son has taken over as ruler of all vampires.  Turns out there are different vampire sects out there in the world - Some want to get along with humans, some want nothing to do with them, and some want to kill them and drink their blood.  Put Dracula's kid into that last group.  

He's come up with a airborne virus that will turn mutants into vampires.  Now the X-Men need to bring Dracula back from the dead by getting his severed head and body back together. 

Enter Namor.  He's been hanging out with the X-Men on their island Utopia, and has been tasked with retrieving Drac's head from the Atlantean Vampires call Aqueos.  This first issue is a great read, and, surprisingly, I'm not burned out on vampire stories (you should pick up American Vampire from Vertigo, too).  'Nuff said!

Wonder Woman #602

DC Comics

$2.99/32 pages

J. Michael Straczynski's second full issue of Wonder Woman builds off of the first with more character development of the "new" Wonder Woman, and some butt-kicking action scenes.  Fans of the warrior Wonder Woman in the classic Kingdom Come story, will dig this issue.

I'm still not sure where JMS is going with his Wonder Woman, but it's definitely worth getting on board for the ride.

Fans of strong female characters and Greek mythology will want to check out Wonder Woman.

Superman/Batman #75 

DC Comics

$4.99/56 pages

This anniversary issue features a main story with the Legion of Super Heroes joining Superman and Batman, but the bonus content makes this book a must-read.  Some of DCs best writers and artists have contributed 2 page stories, including Adam Hughes, Brian Azzarello, Lee Beremejo, Francis Manapul, JT Krul, Shane Davis and many others.  Highlights include a Calvin and Hobbes style story featuring Lex Luthor and the Joker, a Red Robin/Batman and Superboy/Superman story and a Krypto/Ace the Bathound story.

See you next week!

Keeping the Industy Alive

Gail Simone, the current writer of Wonder Woman comic books, posted a column recently about people that love comic book characters, but don't read comic books.  She says, "Those people may not all read comics, but they are every bit as much a fan as we are. I think it’s time we all admit that the secret stuff that we loved, the stuff we thought only we knew about, has caught on with the outside world and will continue to do so."  I think that it's our job as fans of comics, to really go out of our way to evangelize comic books, and encourage those fans to read comics, whether they are current storylines, or classic ones from the past that are collected in trade paperbacks and hardcovers.  


Know someone that loves "The Dark Knight?"  Hand them a copy The Killing Joke, Joker, or Hush.  If they liked Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man, point them towards Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca's Invincible Iron Man series.  And if they are a fan of Wonder Woman, Simone's run is a great place to start.


The same can be said about the "collectibles" industry.  One of the great things about products from companies like Sideshow Collectibles, is that many of them are perfect for movie fans.  Things like the Fertility Idol from Raiders of the Lost Ark, or the Iron Man Arc Reactor Replica from Iron Man would look cool in any film buff's home or home theater.  


And with Sideshow's new Disney license, you should point Disney fans to their new premium format figures, like the Evil Queen.

I firmly believe that there are plenty of people out there who are not in the know when it comes to comic books and collectibles, that could become part of our tribe if only they are shown the way.  It's up to each of us to act as ambassadors to them to keep these industries alive.