Category: books of doom

I would not be surprised if I’m flying solo on this one.

While one of the goals of the Book of Doom is to try something new, or at least choose a good hopping-on point, I may have picked something a little too out-there for my Doomkopf peers. I’m hoping not, but I’m obviously insecure in the choice, do I’m doing my damage control in advance.

I don’t know anything about The Warlord, but I do know that I don’t read anything like this, and it’s only $2.99. Wolverine: Weapon X #1 is $3.99, and the only other new arc I knew of was in Green Lantern, but I feel like we’ve gone to that well too many times. So Warlord it is. If you’re feeling adventurous, and maybe that’s kind of a Warlord pun — I really don’t know, pick up the book, send your review to doomkopf at doomkopf dot com and join us back here on Saturday for the roundtable.

Written by Mike Grell; Art by Joe Prado and Walden Wong; Cover by Mike Grell

At the Roof of the World in Tibet, a team of paleontologists and adventurers has made the find of the century: perfectly preserved dinosaur specimens that appear to have died mere days before! Their expedition takes a deadly turn when they uncover an impossible portal to another world – an unbelievable country at the hollow center of the Earth, the mythical land of Skartaris! But they’re not the first surface-worlders to find themselves stranded in Skartaris, and their arrival in his peaceful home triggers an unforgettable new adventure for the hero who has taken the land as his own: Travis Morgan, the Warlord!

This new ongoing series marks the return of creator Mike Grell to the fantasy saga that made him famous! Reunite with Tara, Shakira, Tinder and the rest of the cast in a story that continues the adventures of the Warlord but opens up a new era where any reader can jump aboard.

Along with Grell’s scripts – and lushly painted covers – comes the art of rising star Joe Prado (ACTION COMICS, SINESTRO CORPS SECRET FILES)! DC’s finest fantasy franchise is reborn!

I’m responsible for the Book of Doom this week, and as all three of my regular titles came out last week, I’ll be venturing into somewhat new territory, here. While I was really curious about the comics adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, and while Doominator tried to vicariously spite my fellow Doomers and having me choose the Franklin Richards April Fools issue, I ended up choosing a Nick Fury book, Secret Warriors #3. It’s not necessarily a good jumping-on point, but it’s the closest thing to something interesting to me.

The solicit sounds promising:

The most talked-about new Marvel series continues as HYDRA’s plans pick up speed while more remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. fall. Nick Fury reconnects with an old colleague and finds out that the balance has shifted between him and some of his former soldiers. All that, and the Warriors suffer their first casualty of war.
Rated T+ …$2.99

Join me this weekend, won’t you?

Plot itself: Cyclops’ elite force of murderers is hunting Cable and the messiah child through time. They land in a future with Deadpool and some sinking feelings. In the meantime, Bishop, the guy who came back to warn the X-Men of a traitor only to himself become a traitor, strikes a deal with an all-too-familiar face.

My thoughts: Well first of all, it was a quagmire to get this issue. Though I live in a fairly large city, there are only a handful of comic stores. My store dropped the ball and forgot to pull this for me. So that kind of sucks, because I had to go on a goose chase and ended up finding it at a chain bookstore with a creaky-ass rack.

So, that said, was the chase worth it? Kind of maybe I guessish? Everyone else is absolutely right. This is a rehash of X-Men in the year’s passed. Days of the Present Past if you will. Spoilers after the jump.
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So I may have snoozed my way through Stump the Doominator this week (it’ll be back next Sunday) but that doesn’t mean I’m skimping on the Book of Doom. The pickings were a little thin this week, and I refuse to read another Bat-book. But the second part of the Messiah trilogy is upon us, and I do love me some X-Men … even if the core books aren’t involved. But anyway, here we go …

Marvel Comics

(W) Craig Kyle & Christopher Yost
(A) Mike Choi & Sonia Oback

The X-Men event of the decade. The birth of a single mutant child forever changed the landscape of the X-Universe. Some see the baby as the last hope for mutankind’s survival; others see it as the bringer of the Apocalypse. No one knows which side is right because Cyclops handed the newborn over to Cable, believing his son could save both the child and mutantkind. But Cable never came back. Now, months later, Cyclops has found his son hiding in the future… and he’s sending in the one team that will do what needs to be done in order to ensure the survival of their species: X-Force.

FC, 48pg $3.99
Item Code: JAN092540

Hey, remember Azrael? Sure ya do. He took over as Batman for a little while in the 90s, then he got his own series and eventually died. But now he’s back. Or is he?

My choice for this week’s Book of Doom is the first issue in this three-part miniseries, where we’ll find out if this Azrael is really Jean-Paul Valley or some kind of impostor. So check it out, yo, and send us a review if you feel like it. And then come back this weekend to see what the Legion thought.

I’m guessing we’ll all probably hate it, but it’s a slow week, so what the heck. Here’s what DC says:

Written by Fabian Nicieza; Art by Frazer Irving; Cover by Guillem March

He was a husband and a father. A brother and a friend. A cop and a dark knight. But he had all that taken away. And in return, he was given a suit of sorrows, a quest for redemption and a new name. He is Azrael, avenging angel for the Order of Purity and a new protector for Gotham City’s troubled times. But who will protect the citizens from him?

Guest-starring Robin, Nightwing, Talia and the League of Assassins, this miniseries runs alongside BATTLE FOR THE COWL and features the dramatic presence of a strangely familiar, troubled hero with two things on his mind: crazed vengeance for the wrongs he has suffered and salvation for the sins he continues to commit!

This is what Guardians of the Galaxy has been building up to. I love me some Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning and Paul Pelletier. As for the rest, I’ll let the solicitation do the talking.

WRITER: DAN ABNETT
ANDY LANNING
PENCILS: PAUL PELLETIER

In the aftermath of the Secret Invasion, Black Bolt has led the Inhumans on a shockingly savage path to restore their strength and security. But that path has brought them into direct confrontation with the Shi’Ar Empire – and their mad ruler Vulcan! Who will get in the first strike? Who will fall on the bloody battlefield? Who will rule? The Imperial Guard, the Starjammers, the Inhuman Royal Family and more of your favorite sci-fi characters are locked on a collision course…and it all starts here! Join the acclaimed team
of Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (NOVA) and Paul Pelletier (GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY) for a pivotal turning point in Marvel’s
cosmic history!

Yes, it’s $3.99, and yes, it has a Brandon Petersen cover, but if you give it a chance, be sure to send your reviews to doomkopf at doomkopf dot com to be included in the weekend roundtable.

Hercules #126

The Incredible Hercules is one of my favorite books out right now, and I was hoping this “jumping on” point would be the best opportunity for the series to do all the talking for me. As I write this, I haven’t heard the reaction from the others, but I doubt I’ll have succeeded in proving my point. It wasn’t a bad issue, necessarily, it was just rather substandard. And for $4?

Hercules #126 was pretty segmented. His origin story took place in ancient, in-continuity Greece, followed by a catch-up piece for any new readers this book is hoping to pick up, and finished out with a light-hearted, but still moving, story of Amadeus Cho’s search for his lost pup.

It’s segmented in more than just story, however, and while the writing team showcases their diversity by bringing in Planet Hulk-style action, and Hercules-style humor, it’s too bad they couldn’t mix them together a bit more evenly. I’m not completely turned off by action comics these days, but they’re so much smarter when they pepper in a bit of smirking wit. B.C.-period writing tends to get a bit heavy-handed as it is.

So we’ve got his origin, which, as you would expect from a warrior god-halfling, is full of posturing, honor, and performance. On the other side we’ve got the super-intelligent Cho trying to unearth the whereabouts of the coyote pup he lost somewhere between World War Hulk and Secret Invasion. And hello, look guys, it’s the Hulk! Remember him from back when he still owned this book? Yeah, those were good times (and yeah, I’m still bitter, Marvel). In the middle is the series recap, which dryly parses Herc’s early Marvel appearances, and then divulges the details of a lot of recent events, including World War Hulk, Secret Invasion, and other spin-offs and universe-wide events—yawn. (more…)