Looking forward

I usually give you guys a rundown when I get my comic shipment, just so I can let you know what's come in and what I'm stoked about reading. I thought that this time around I would try something a little bit different. I'm going to share with you my recent order, which I won't see until January.

For those wondering, I order through a U.S. based site that Randy recommended to me: http://dcbservice.com

Boom Studios (4) I ordered four books from Boom Studios this month guys. Ever since I discovered BOOM as a result of Mark Waid's work there (he's the Editor In Chief) I've been keeping an eye on this company. They have the license for publishing Disney's books right now (I have to assume that will change with Disney now owning Marvel) which no doubt keeps them with steady revenue streams and the opportunity to grow before that license expires.

So what am I reading from them? Well I'm still reading Irredeemable & Incorruptible, but recently they launched a series of books that were created in concert with Stan Lee. I was intrigued enough that I ordered the first issue as a sampling of each title. If I like them I'll read them in GN format. Most of them anyways. The one which is a collaborative effort between Waid and Lee is now a regular order. That book is entitled Stan Lee's Traveller. The new title this month is Stan Lee's Starborn.

So the official order is:
Incorruptibe #14
Irredeemable #20
Stan Lee's Traveller #2
Stan Lee's Starborn #1


Dark Horse Comics (3) I don't read a lot of Dark Horse, but the last couple of months I've been ordering a few books because they're revivals that are being done by the same man who once breathed new life into the characters when he built Valiant. I'm speaking of Jim Shooter's return to the old Gold Key characters Solar and Magnus. Last month that expanded when I ordered the new Turok book, and this month it grows once more.

Still, even as it grows, Magnus comes to an end. It was only a four book series. Turok isn't offered this month, which makes it an easy month from Dark Horse.

So the official order is:
Solar, Man of the Atom #5
Magnus, Robot Fighter #4
Mighty Samson #1



DC Comics (31) Of the big two, this is my BIG one. DC dominates my reading list for a myriad of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that their characters have always been just a little bit more iconic in my mind. They're who I grew up with. I read all of the core books for Superman, Batman, Green Lantern, Flash, Green Arrow, Justice League, Justice Society, Wonder Woman and The Titans. It's a lot of books, and it only gets worse each time some Batman editor green lights yet another Batman book. The truth is that I get annoyed when they stretch continuity over 4 or 5 books a month. The second it goes beyond that, I start thinking about dropping titles.

So the official order is:
Action Comics #896
Action Comics Annual #13
Adventure Comics #521
Batman #705
Batman Annual #28
Batman & Robin #18
Batman Inc #2
Batman The Dark Knight #2
Birds Of Prey #7
Brightest Day #15 & 16
Detective Comics #872
Detective Comics Annual #12
Flash #9
Green Arrow #7
Green Lantern #61
Green Lantern Corps #55
Green Lantern Emerald Warriors #5
JSA All Stars #13
Justice League Of America #52
Justice Society Of America #46
Legion of Super-Heroes #8
Legion of Super Heroes Annual #1
R.E.B.E.L.S. #23
Red Robin #18
Secret Six #28
Superman #706
Teen Titans #90
Time Masters: Vanishing Point #6
Titans #30
Wonder Woman #606 

Dynamite Entertainment (1)  No news here. I'm reading The Boys by Garth Ennis.

The Boys #49

IDW Publishing (1) Normally its not even on the list, but there was big news in this previews. John Byrne is returning ot his creator owned series that to me always felt like The X-Men done properly. As soon as I saw the listing I knew I would be ordering John Byrne's Next Men. The last time he did this book it was in the nineties (early nineties if my memory isn't failing) and the run was sensational. Full of everything you'd expect from John's work.

John Byrne's Next Men #1

Marvel Comics (17) It's funny to think about the stock I owned in marvel Comics and yet how utterly disappointed I was with the way they ran the company. Too many X-books. Mega events that climaxed early and never delivered on the promise of the story concept. Losing key writers. Plus there was always that pain in the ass habit they had of actually taking pride in Spider-Man. Damn that bothered me! But times are slowly changing. There's a new wave of talent that's been working at Marvel the last year or so, and these people can write. Two of the big tickets for me come in the form of Matt Fraction (who made his mark on Iron Man) and Jonathan Hickman (who is breathing new life into Fantastic Four every month!) I've always been a big fan of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, who seem to capture the right perspective on just about every book they get assigned, and yet somehow they keep getting assigned to second tier characters. Go figure.

This month is no different as they launch a brand new Heroes For Hire series that will feature classic b-list Marvel characters like Luke Cage and Danny Rand. You know, Power Man & Iron Fist? In any event, I suspect the book will be under ordered and really, really good. That's just how books by Abnett & Lanning tend to be.

So the order this month for Marvel is:
Avengers #8
Captain America #613
Chaos War #4
Daken Dark Wolverine #4
Fantastic Four #586
Heroes For Hire #1
Hulk #28
Incredible Hulk #618 & 619
New Avengers #7
Secret Avengers #8
Secret Warriors #23
Shield #5
Thor #618
Ultimate Comics Avengers 3 #5
Ultimate Comics Thor #3
Wolverine #4

And that's it. That's the whole order for this month. I've dropped some things. I've added some things. I continue to be mainly a main stream book reader.

January's going to be so much fun!