Comics to Buy, May 22

Greetings all and happy New Comics Day! Here are some of the things I’m picking up that you may want to put on your radar.

As usual I’m starting with a first issue and this week it’s one I’m very interested in from DC. If you’re read Tiny Titans (and if you haven’t why not?) or Superman Family Adventures you know that Art Baltazar and Franco are terrific creators. But those books are targeted towards kids while this book is not. 

Amanda Conner covers make everything look great don’t they? I’m hoping that this book has a little less grim and grittiness than some of DC’s other offerings.

A book that definitely doesn’t have that grim and gritty feel is Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs L’il Gotham which collects the digital comic. A fun book for kids and adults.

And I still like some things that are dark and Justice League Dark is still my favorite Justice League book.

And on to Marvel where this week three of my favorite series appear. Perhaps you listened to the Podcast and heard Kelly and discuss Fearless Defenders - if you did you know the art is still a bit of an issue. This issue, however, has a guest artist and he is one of my favorites -Phil Jimenez who knows a bit about drawing Amazons and warrior women. This issue is a tie-in to a big cross-over and so has a higher price but still ..

. Phil Jimenez!

I wonder if “Yamblr.” will be bought by, I assume, Tahoo! in the YA world? Can Loki change it? Or will Yahoo change the name of Tumblr to Yamblr for reals? All questions sure not to examined in this book.

I’m a little less sad at not reading the book with that Amazon when I can read about Sif. This starts a new arc, so jump on board this book which has some of my favorite art right now.

And you are reading Powers, right?

That’s it, what’s on your list?

She’s Back - First Picture of Jennifer Lawrence In Days of Future Past

Bryan Singer posted the first picture of Jennifer Lawrence in costume for X-Men: Days of Future Past a little while ago on Twitter. 

Lawrence told E earlier this year she’s wearing a body suit from the neck down this time. 

Amanda Conner Variant for Fearless Defenders #5

It’s A LOT of Marvel ladies drawn by Amanda Conner for a variant cover of Fearless Defenders. How much would I love if DC let Conner do a cover with the all their ladies. 

Also I’ll add I’m happy to see Colleen Wing here.

Marvel DOES Have A Script for Ms. Marvel Movie

Almost a year ago, I posted news that a Ms. Marvel movie script was ready (although let’s hope it’s now Captain Marvel). The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that the script exists.

Even as Phase 2 gets under way with Iron Man 3 and sequels to Thor and Captain America, Marvel is working on Phase 3. Ant-Man, a project to be directed Edgar Wright, has a release date of Nov. 6, 2015. Beyond that, the company is tight-lipped about its plans. Marvel has a writing program it uses as a concept generator and has scripts for Blade and Ms. Marvel features, for example. 

Will Marvel get a female led superhero to the screen before DC makes Wonder Woman? I’d say that’s a very real possibility. Marvel makes their standalone hero movies fairly quick and fairly cheap. (Yes, cheap. Go read the article linked above to see  the way Marvel squeezes the pennies.) Carol Danvers can easily be worked into an planned movie as well (you’d think Whedon would be going with her rather than Wanda/Scarlet Witch for Avengers but that scripts till has a few spins before it’s done).

DC and Warner Bros. have had so many starts and stops on their superhero franchise let alone trying to get Wonder Woman to the screen that it will be a few years, if ever, before she’ll get a movie (even David Goyer agrees). 

So now the most important question, who do you want to see play Carol Danvers? 

via

Fiirst Look: Wood and Coipel’s X-Men #1

It’s no secret that I’m pretty excited for X-Men #1 the all ladies book by Brian Wood and Oliver Coipel. Wood has proven that he is not just a great comic writer but a terrific writer of female characters. The book lands on May 29 and Marvel has sent along this description along with these unlettered pages:

An old enemy shows up at the X-Men’s door, seeking asylum from an ancient evil come back to Earth. Meanwhile, Jubilee has come home, and she’s brought with her an orphaned baby who might hold the key to the Earth’s survival…or its destruction! With an imminent alien invasion and an eons-spanning war between brother and sister around the corner, Storm steps up and puts together a team to protect the child and stop a new threat that could destroy all life in the Marvel Universe!

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Can’t Wait for Captain America: The Winter Soldier? Here You Go!

It’s just under a year until the film debuts but here’s some set shots of Evans and Johansson as Cap and Natasha. 

(Source: joblo.com)

Pepper Potts and Tony Stark in Iron Man 3: the Lego Comic

If you’ve seen the most recent preview for Iron Man 3 ( and if you haven’t you can watch it below) you know that Tony Stark isn’t the only one wearing the Iron in this movie.

But this wasn’t news to anyone who saw packaging for the Lego sets that tie-in to the movie when the popped up online a few months ago.

But what you might not have seen is the comic that shows, in Lego of course, the scene preceding the trailer scene and shown on the box. 

And it is cute.

The rest follows and, of course, proceed with your own caution although I don’t think there is anything spoilerish.

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Preview of Hawkeye #9

Bro!

Courtesy of Marvel, a preview of Hawkeye #9, Bro! Out April 10, Bro but available for pre-order now, Bro!

Say you have to kill the Avengers, make a list – who do you kill first? The regular guy. In this action packed issue, the women in Hawkeye’s life get involved. That’s right, Black Widow, Mockingbird, Spider-Woman and Kate Bishop attempt to tie up all the loose threads that may point to Clint’s secret attacker! But can they find out who’s leading the track suits before they claim another victim?

This is the best book and you can now get the trade, Bro!

Order it here!

Comics to Buy this Week, March 13

It’s a good week for the LADEEZ and let’s start with the book that I’m sure everyone is wondering about.

So will Harper Row become the next Robin? Let’s just say if you put an empty pair of boots on the cover of a comic, it may mean someone could fill them … Just read the issue, you’re going to want to get this one.

Also this week are second issues for two female-led books from both Marvel and DC. Both had mixed reviews for their first issues (although they both landed on the “buy” side for me). 

First up is Katana #2 from DC Comics. The sales of the first issue were not great and the promotion of the second was muted. That’s not good.

Preview here.

Marvel has the second issue of The Fearless Defenders. From the preview it seemed like the art was still not quite there but, hey, Dani Moonstar joins the team. Also check out this awesome variant cover by Marcos Martin.

Dark Horse has issue #4 of the Ghost reboot by Kelly Sue DeConnick this week. They announced at ECCC this was going to be an ongoing and I’m glad, it’s been a fun series.

And speaking of DeConnick, Avengers Assemble #13 is out this week. This is fun series that captures the tone of the movie. Oh and look who is in this issue.

That’s it for me, what’s on your list?

700 Marvel Digital Comics Now Free Until March 12

All those teasers around the number one that Marvel has been posting began making sense today following an announcement at SXSW. Right now and through 11PM EST March 12 the company is making 700 first issues of its comics downloadable for free on Comixology and the Marvel Application.

I just went through the comics and it is a amazing list including everything from the first issue of the Fantastic Four to the recent first issues of FF and Fantastic Four from Marvel Now. There are one-shots and specials and issues from Marvel proper, Ultimate Marvel and even Marvel Knights. 

If you haven’t yet read Hawkeye, you can try it for free.

For those of you focused on female heroes I’d recommend first issues of Captain Marvel, X-23, three runs of Black Widow and one-shots with Rescue, Sif, Valkyrie and Dazzler. I also recommend the first issues of Mystic and Ruse. 

Of course you could just download them all, because they are free. Do that. Get ‘em all!

Kelly Sue DeConnick On the Secret Behind that New Captain Marvel Costume

During ECCC, writer Kelly Sue DeConnick sat down with Blair Butler for an hour of conversation including some anecdotes about how the Captain Marvel book came together and updates on her creator owned project with Emma Rios.

When DeConnick learned from editor Steve Wacker she was writing Captain Marvel (the name change was a surprise) they began discussing Carol Danver’s costume. DeConnick said while she admired the iconic Ms. Marvel design by Dave Cockrum it was also dated. She also knew in her first arc Carol was going to a funeral in uniforms and “who goes to a funeral in thigh high boots? I couldn’t see showing up to the funeral with her butt cheeks hanging out.”

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Valentine’s isn’t over until the Hawkguy appears: Preview of Hawkeye #8 

Hopefully you’re all reading Hawkeye, which is one of the best comics being published right now. If you’re not, pick up the next issue as it is chock filled with guest stars - all of whom have a certain purple archer in common. This is via CBR in case you can’t tell by all the watermarks.

(Source: comicbookresources.com)

Two Years Gone: Dwayne McDuffie. Let’s remember. Let’s get angry.

Today marks two years since the death of the most talented, prolific and influential creators in superhero comics, Dwayne McDuffie. 

I don’t know when we’ll see another person who will fill his shoes.

McDuffie’s vision of comics, of superheroes was one where everyone could have representation. This too is my vision. This is one of things I work for.

Both DC and Marvel have made strides in diversity in the two years since McDuffie passed. This month we saw titles starring Vibe and Katana debut. Marvel has Misty Knight co-leading a team book. Miles Morales is still swinging. 

Unfortunately when it comes to the creators behind those characters none of them of are black. Joe Hughes wrote about there being no black writers at either Marvel or DC for Comics Alliances a few weeks ago concluding:

It is incumbent upon all of us — publishers, editors, fans, and members of the comic industry media — to keep this conversation going. We owe it everyone — from Jackie Ormes to Dwayne McDuffie — who has come before us and tried to show us a better way. But maybe most of all, we owe it to ourselves. We deserve better than this.

The blogger Cheryl Lynn at Digital Femme made this point about the lack of black writers:

As much as I love Idie, she isn’t ours. Luke isn’t ours. David isn’t ours. T’challa isn’t ours. Miles. Isn’t. Ours. Yes, they look like the men, women, and children in our lives, at our tables, and on our minds—and that is important—but they do not carry our voice. There are no black writers working on mainstream comics at DC. There are no black writers at Marvel at all. In the DC universe and in the Marvel universe, black people are voiceless. It is what it is.

It’s disheartening. It’s depressing. It’s just. Not. Right. 

Can it change? I think so. But as Hughes says there needs to more people discussing the lack of black creators at the big two. I know the power that the demands for diversity can have on the comics community. I’ve seen how the anger about the hiring of Orson Scott Card by DC drove story after story. I know intimately how anger about the lack of female creators drove change at the big two. 

More of us need to get angry about this issue as well.

For Dwayne. For us. For comics.

Here’s a lovely video tribute to the Maestro. Watch it and know the impact he had. And let’s work to ensure his vision, his impact continues.

Comics to Buy Today, 2/13/13

Here’s some things to think about for you pull list this week and as always I’ll start with a first issue that people can jump on.

I interviewed Nocenti about the book a few weeks ago. I’m looking forward to this.

If you didn’t pick up the first issue of this, I really recommend it. I wasn’t going to read this series but that first issue convinced me.

If you want a team book with a vibe similar to the movie, this is it.

After a long delay, Deena Pilgrim is back. 

And finally, it’s the conclusion of The Death of the Family. 

Going to be interested in what people think about this.

That’s it for me. What’s on your list?