This week, I refuse to be a slave. Or a fool.

Yes, there is a release this week that will certainly get me out to the store, for it is unmissable!

New comics this week (Wednesday, 4/1/09):

Agents of Atlas #3

Jeff Parker continues to work his way toward being the only Marvel writer worth caring about.  This issue sees more art by Gabriel Hardman (who did a great Tommy Lee Edwards impression in the flashback sequences last issue), and regular artist Carlo Pagulayan appears to already be taking a break, with Clayton Henry filling in.  Whatever the case, the book looks really nice, and it's full of fun action, and it's an actual good Marvel comic.  I should have a review up tomorrow at Comics Bulletin.

Bang Tango #3

Joe Kelly continues his story of dancing and assassination.  I don't know if this series will be one to watch out for when it's collected, but it does seem interesting, at least.  Greg McElhatton has a review of the first two issues here.

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam #4

This Mike Kunkel series doesn't seem to be coming out very quickly/regularly, does it?  I hope it gets collected soon, because I wanna read it.

Captain America Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1

It's one of those anniversary issues that comes out when people get excited about a large number of years since original publication being reached.  I thought Captain America's first issue came out in 1940, not 1939.  Huh.  Oh, I think it's Marvel's 70th anniversary, not Cap's.  Whatever.  Anyway, this special features a story by James Robinson and Marcos Martin, and it's pretty fun (I read a preview PDF).  I don't mind recommending it just based on that, but there's also a reprint of a Joe Simon/Jack Kirby story called "Death Loads the Bases!", so that makes for a pretty nice package.

Boys #29

Is this storyline finished yet?  I want to read me some Ennis/Robertson depravity sometime soon, please.

Cars: The Rookie #1 (of 4)

Here's Boom!'s next Pixar project, with a sort of prequel to the Cars movie that tells Lightning McQueen's origin story.  Could be fun.  It's by Alan J. Porter and Albert Carreres.

Dark Reign Fantastic Four #2

Jonathan Hickman continues his Marvel over-plot tie-in/lead-in to his upcoming run.  I liked the first issue okay, and maybe the miniseries will go in some interesting directions here.  I might have a review up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, but I might try to write about a different book instead (see below).

Dead Romeo #1 (of 6)

I'm not sure if this is coming out from Vertigo, Wildstorm, or just regular DC, but it's a sort of rock and roll vampire romance that sounds somewhat interesting, but possibly really terrible.  It's written by Jesse Blaze Snider (who?), with art by Ryan Benjamin, who appeared to do some interesting art in a Grifter/Midnighter series from a while back (I never read it though, so it might not have been any good.  The art, that is; I remember hearing that the story was pretty awful), but also did that one fill-in issue of Grant Morrison's Batman that was really, really bad (it managed to make Tony Daniel look decent by comparison).  Handle with care.

Destroyer #1

Robert Kirkman's latest book, a Marvel MAX (or is it Icon?) thing about a murderous superhero.  That's...something, I guess?  I've soured on Kirkman, but you never know when he might do something pretty good.  Art on this is by Cory Walker, the original artist on Invincible.

Franklin Richards April Fools

More cute kiddy antics.  Go for it, if you like that sort of thing.

Glamourpuss #6

I got caught up on this series through a recent sale at my shop, and it's interesting reading, as always.  That Dave Sim makes comics like nobody else, for better or worse.  This issue is sure to have more history lessons and discussions about technique, and probably some more offensive stuff about women and models and fashion.  Enjoy, if that's your sort of thing.  Is Sim making any money off of this, because the audience has to be ridiculously small, doesn't it?  Even among comics fans, it would seem like only his most ardent supporters are even interested in this.  What a strange industry.

Greatest Hits #6

Huh, I thought this miniseries was only four issues, but it looks like there were two more.  That's what I get when I barely bother going to the comics shop any more.  Anyway, it's the finale of the superheroes-as-Beatles-esque-rock-stars comic; I don't know if it was worth reading or not, but I could take a look at it sometime.

Haunted Tank #5

The latest Vertigo reinvention of this old property continues.  I might read it someday.

Invincible Iron Man #12

Matt Fraction and Salvador Larocca continue their "Iron Man vs. everybody" story.  Maybe they'll be able to get back to a non-editorially-mandated plot sometime soon.  That might make this more worthwhile.

Irredeemable #1

Boom! Studios has been hyping this new Mark Waid series for quite a while now.  It's apparently about a superhero-turned-villain, which could be interesting if I wasn't bored stiff with almost everything superhero-related these days.  But if you think you might like it, by all means, take a look.  Art is by Peter Krause (not the guy from Sports Night, I don't think).

Jersey Gods #3

This book has been getting some praise, so I might have to try to read it.  This issue features a Paul Pope cover and a backup story by Mark Waid and Joe Infurnari that gives some background on the Kirby-esque mythology.  Interesting.

Marvel Assistant-Sized Spectacular #1

I've often read about the "Assistant Editors' Month" gimmick that Marvel did back in the 80s, but I wasn't around to actually experience it, so this is another case of nostalgia for something I don't necessarily understand.  But it seems fun nonetheless (even though Marvel won't risk doing a line-wide stunt like that these days), with this two-issue series highlighting some forgotten characters lying around the corners of their universe.  This issue has a story about D-Man by Brian Patchett with art by Xurxo Penalta (two creators I know nothing about), an American eagle story by Jason Aaron and Richard Isanove, and Chris Giarrusso doing a Mini-Marvels story featuring Hawkeye.  It could be fun; I might try to review it for CB.

Preacher # 1 Special Edition

DC's latest attempt to capitalize on Watchmen's popularity, with a cheap version of the first issue of the Garth Ennis/Steve Dillon series.  I definitely recommend it, since it's one of my favorite comics, but I don't know if it's all that great of a Watchmen follow-up.  Still, it's good reading, full of blasphemy, ultraviolence, and indelible characters.  Check it out if you haven't read it before; hey, it's only a buck!

Pride & Prejudice #1

Marvel keeps trying to do their literary adaptations, but I don't know how successful they are.  This version of the Jane Austen classic has already received some complaints for the glamorous, pouty-lipped artwork, but it might manage to garner some teen-girl readers (but probably not until it's collected).  Probably not really worth reading though.

Prototype #1 (of 6)

Another one of those DC/Vertigo/Wildstorm books that probably won't be all that good.  Apparently it's based on a video game?  About a guy with claws or something?  It's written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Darick Robertson.  The latter creator is probably the only reason why I bothered to mention it.

Seaguy The slaves of Mickey eye #1

Ah, and here's the release of the week!  Grant Morrison!  Cameron Stewart!  The first three-issue Seaguy miniseries from a few years ago was quite good; I should re-read it and see if I can understand it this time.  This sequel has been long-awaited, so hopefully it won't disappoint.

Secret Warriors #3

Jonathan Hickman's series continues (with Brian Michael Bendis still on board, for now), and maybe it will be readable.  I did read the first two issues, but I barely remember anything about them.  Apparently SHIELD is now/has always been a subsidiary of Hydra?  Does that even make sense?  Not that it's really worth caring about or anything...

Universal War One: Revelations #1

I guess this is a sequel to the French comic, which Marvel published in conjunction with Soleil.  That is, the first miniseries reprinted a few of the original albums, so this one will do the same with some more.  I only read one issue of that first series, but I kind of liked it, so maybe I'll get around to reading more sometime.

X-Men First Class Finals #3

More Jeff Parker, still trying to finish out his run on early X-Men stories.  Not really my thing, but people seem to like it.

Boody Bizarre Comics Of Boody Rogers GN

Ooh, a bunch of wacky stories here; Boody Rogers was quite the oddball talent.  I certainly wouldn't mind reading this, but if you don't want to search it out, you can find a bunch of his stories posted online at sites like Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine or the ASIFA Hollywood Animation Archive.  Not that I want to dissuade anyone from buying the book, of course.  Here, you can see a slideshow of images from it at Fantagraphics' site.

Cecil And Jordan In New York Stories HC

Hey, it's the new Gabrielle Bell book, collection stories that were previously published in various anthologies, including one that Michel Gondry adapted to film for his section of the anthology film Tokyo!  Neat.  I like Bell, ever since I read Lucky all those posts ago, so I would love to check this out sometime.

Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti 

Ivan Brunetti makes comics about being an asshole, and here's a collection of them, from what I understand.  Probably enjoyable?  Here, have a slideshow.

Immortal Iron Fist Vol 4 Mortal Iron Fist Prem HC

Here's the first collection of the Duane Swierczynski run on the series, and it's kind of a rough start.  At least, I wasn't especially impressed with what I read of it, but I guess it wasn't terrible or anything.  It's gotten better though, and who knows, you might like it better than I did.  Check it out, if you feel like it.

Jonah Hex Bullets Dont Lie TP

I've never read any of this series, although I often hear that it's pretty good.  This volume is notable for containing stories illustrated by Darwyn Cooke and JH Williams III, and also a cover by Richard Corben.  

Luke On The Loose HC

The newest entry in the Toon Books series, by Harry Bliss.  It's about a kid who chases a pigeon through New York City, leading to a crazy, picturesque romp.  Probably fun.

Mother Come Home HC New Edition

This Paul Hornschemeier book about a father and son dealing with the loss of their wife/mother is quite good; I highly recommend it.  But mostly, I'm just using this as an excuse to link to the sketch (scroll down a bit to get to it) that Hornschemeier drew in my copy.  Eat it, suckas!

Skate Farm Vol 2 GN

I had never heard of this action comic about some Southern California kids who come into possession of cosmically-powered skateboards, but it seems like it might be kind of cool.  IDW is publishing this second volume (they apparently already put out a reprint of the first volume, which was originally self-published), and it might be worth a look.  You can find out more at the official site (although I wouldn't recommend it, since it's hard to navigate and plays annoying music), or read this interview at CBR, which also contains some preview pages.

Supermen! The First Wave Of Comic Book Heroes (1939-41) GN

This collection of early superhero comics has been getting some attention (I liked Jog's review), and for good reason, since it looks pretty cool.  I would love to give it a read sometime.  In the meantime, here's a slideshow/preview.

Witching Hour TP new ptg

I've never read this Vertigo miniseries, but I've always meant to, since I really dig Chris Bachalo's art.  Of course, I also kind of despise Jeph Loeb's writing, so there's the rub.  It was earlier in his career though, so maybe he wasn't quite so bad back then.  Recommendations, anyone?  Is it worth reading?

Samurai 7 Vol 1 GN

I've seen a few reviews here and there for this new series from Del Rey, but few mention the anime series that came out a few years back, preferring instead to mention that it's an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai.  I watched a good portion of that series before I got bored with it, but it wasn't bad, featuring some interesting designs and a goofy sci-fi take on the concept.  I don't know if the manga is really worth reading; adaptations of anime are often not all that good.  But you never know.  It's something I would take a look at if I saw it in a store.

Tezukas Black Jack Vol 3 TP
Tezukas Black Jack Vol 4 TP

And finally, here's your latest dose of Osamu Tezuka awesomeness.  I have the first two volumes of this series, although I haven't read them yet, and these two are on order, so I'll have plenty of Tezuka to blow my mind for some time to come.  Watch for reviews, someday.

-----

That's the week.  Keep hanging around; I should have a review of the final volume of Monster up sometime soon, along with a look at a manga about food and liquor.  Good times.