Comic News And Reviews

Nov 9th 2010 By: David Brothers

Hank Pym has had a hard time of it. A domestic abuse story written years ago involving his wife Janet has dominated his character, despite several redemption arcs that followed. And while this week's Ant-Man & Wasp #1 starts off with more redemption, as Pym founds a domestic violence clinic in Janet's name, this time it truly feels like an attempt to move Pym past the past and into a new era. Ant-Man Eric O'Grady, on the other hand, doesn't care about his legacy so much as hooking up with girls and having fun. They had to run into each other at some point, and that moment is now. Tim Seeley, creator of Hack/Slash, is writing and drawing this three-issue limited series, and you can check out five preview pages after the jump.

Two of Marvel's smallest heroes must join forces and get over one BIG elephant-in-the-room! Eric O'Grady once STOLE the Ant-Man suit from Hank Pym. But now, Eric is the only one who knows about a secret AIM plot to steal Pym's greatest invention! Can the two men get along long enough to save the soul of the former GOLIATH, Bill Foster? Tim Seeley, creator of "Hack/Slash" brings us the big story of the two smallest Avengers! And make sure you check out this adventure before the astonishing events of AVENGERS ACADEMY #7 next month!

View the original article here

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali, one of the most improbable crossovers in the history of comics, has been reissued in a deluxe hardcover edition this week. Written by comics icons Dennis O'Neil and Neal Adams with artwork by Adams and Dick Giordano and Terry Austin (superstars in their own rights), Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali finds the Man of Steel and Earth's greatest fighter battling for the right to defend our planet in a contest against a malevolent alien race. Yes! While many know of it, few have actually read this gem of 1978, and so we're happy to offer some exclusive preview pages from the remastered Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali, which you can check out after the jump (before going out and buying this book before it goes out of print).

Superman Vs. Muhammad Ali
Written by DENNIS O'NEIL & NEAL ADAMS • Art by NEAL ADAMS, DICK GIORDANO & TERRY AUSTIN • Cover by NEAL ADAMS

The legendary science fiction epic that brought together The Man of Steel and The Greatest is back in two spectacular hardcover editions!

In 1978, an alien race called the Scrubb demands that Earth's greatest champion battle their world's own greatest fighter. Both Superman and Muhammad Ali step forward - and to determine who is truly Earth's greatest fighter, Superman temporarily loses his powers and faces Ali in the ring. Ultimately, the duo must work together to defeat the Scrubb, with Ali taking on their champion while Superman battles their space-armada.

The deluxe edition hardcover is printed at 7.0625" x 10.875" and features a new cover by Neal Adams, previously unpublished artwork and more!

Superman 96pg. Color Hardcover $19.99 US

View the original article here

The last time we checked in on J. Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis' Superman: Earth One, a young Clark Kent had just arrived in Metropolis only to be confronted by a mugger. While Clark didn't necessarily let it ruin his day (thanks to heat vision), our exclusive preview from DC Comics shows how the power of flight can wash away even the angst of a farm-raised alien adjusting to a bustling burg.

Earth One's take on Superman's origin has so far been characterized by its cover image and initial preview, which depicts a pretty moody Clark Kent in a hoodie and jacket, revealing his signature "S" shield underneath. Clark seems a little depressed as he searches for a purpose in the world, but the new preview seems to imply his apathy is a temporary itch that he can scratch with a quick flight into space. Maybe he's identifying with Neil Armstrong's famous quote following his mission to the moon? "It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn't feel like a giant. I felt very, very small."

It's nice to see that Superman's power levels are in line with what many fans might characterize as tradition. As an origin story set on Earth, Earth One probably won't see Supes do much space travel, but a Superman who can kick it in space without a dorky breathing apparatus is always a good thing.

Check out our exclusive 3-page preview below, and then catch up on the OGN's first preview:

View the original article here

Oct 29th 2010 By: David Brothers

Marvel's Strange Tales II anthology series continues the onslaught of indie and alt comics creators taking stabs at classic Marvel characters. I like that it gives creators who have established themselves without the aid of corporate comics work, and sometimes in opposition to it, a chance to play with Marvel's toys. For people who grew up with both corporate and indie comics, or who simply enjoy both for whatever reason, Strange Tales II and its predecessor is a treat. Take a look at the first page of ten stories by Nick Bertozzi, Farel Dalrymple, David Heatley, Gilbert Hernandez, Jaime Hernandez, Paul Hornschemeier, Paul Maybury, Tony Millionaire, Sheldon Vella, and Jon Vermilyea.

Marvel's critically acclaimed indie anthology returns! The best, most exciting cartoonists working today re-imagine Marvel's greatest characters in three giant-sized issues! And with no ads! Get excited, folks. Comics absolutely do not get more awesome than this! Don't miss out on what's guaranteed to be one of the best reads of the year!!! Parental Advisory - $4.99

Jaime Hernandez

Nick Bertozzi

Gilbert Hernandez

Jaime Hernandez

Jeffrey Brown

David Heatley

Tony Millionaire

Sheldon Vella

Farel Dalrymple

Jon Vermilyea

Paul Hornschemeier

Paul Maybury

View the original article here

If anyone's had a rough go over the past few years at DC Comics, it's Superboy. He had a nervous breakdown, died, came back to life, and starred in a backup feature before finally returning to the Teen Titatns. But the real excitement for SB fans comes next Wednesday when writer Jeff Lemire (Sweet Tooth) and DC newcomer artist Pier Gallo relaunch the Boy of Steel's ongoing series with a new Superboy #1. What's in store for Kon-El and his Smallville home? Find out after the jump. DC's The Source hosted a brand new six-page preview of Superboy's November 3 debut today, along with a cryptic clue regarding the direction of the book that suggests Smallville's not exactly the wholesome Kansas town it appears to be. With the Phantom Stranger rearing his creepy head in the first few pages, the publisher's mysterious solicitation info seems validated.

Solicitation copy from the book's second and third issues promise a confrontation with Poison Ivy and guest appearances from his fellow Teen Titans to boot, meaning Smallville residents likely won't be getting much rest anytime soon.

Check out the first six pages from Superboy #1, along with a variant cover by Rafael Albuquerque below:

View the original article here

I'm a pretty big fan of artist Ryan Dunlavey thanks to his work on Action Philosophers and Comic Book Comics, but I often find that as much as I love seeing his expressive cartooning, it does not allow me to solve the problem of being hungry. Honestly, it's probably my biggest complaint about his work.

But now, that's going to be taken care of, as Dunlavey is teaming up with Amanda Cohen, chef and owner of New York City's Dirt Candy vegetarian restaurant to create a comic-style cookbook. According to a blog post by Cohen, "My problem has always been that I couldn't think of a reason to add yet another cookbook to the already crowded shelves, but that all changed about a year ago when I had an idea for the kind of cookbook that would work for Dirt Candy: a graphic novel cookbook."

When I asked Dunlavey, the cookbook came about, like all good things, as a result of giant monsters:

"About 2 or 3 years ago my work with Wizard was starting to dry up so I posted on one of Warren Ellis' many forums that I was looking for paid work. Big mistake - people thought I was looking for creative collaborators and I got slammed with requests - flattering of course, but not really what I was looking for. Most of them didn't interest me at all, but two of them were really good - one of which was from Grady [Hendrix]. It was a cool story involving Kaiju monsters but I didn't feel like I was the right person for the project so I passed, but we kept in touch through emails and at the New York Comic-Cons. Last spring he approached me with the Dirt Candy Cookbook idea that he and his wife, Dirt Candy head chef/owner Amanda Cohen, had come up with. As a former grill cook and an avid home cooker I often daydreamed of doing an Action Philosophers style cook book -- taking a seemingly complex subject and presenting it in an entertaining comic book -- now suddenly here was that very project dumped right in my lap, and with a famous chef attached no less. It was just too awesome to turn down. I dove right in and last summer we made a 10-page sample chapter to help sell the concept, and it worked!"

Cohen and Dunlavey will be joining the ranks of DC's Super-Heroes Super-Healthy Cookbook and that one page from the Untold Tales of Spider-Man annual with the recipe for Aunt May's Wheatcakes in the summer of 2012, but as an appetizer to hold you over until then, we've got a few pages from the sample chapter, including an exclusive look at a step-by-step recipe for Spinach Soup:

If all goes well, you'll end up with Dirt Candy's signature Spinach Soup:

Or at least something close. Garnish with a side of M.O.D.O.K.: Reign Delay and you've got yourself a meal.

View the original article here