COMICS

Jonah Hex teams up with Amadeus Arkham to fight a giant bat to the death in All-Star Western #6! … Great movie ideas are being developed in comics every month, and we can only hope that a book called Nazi Zombies has been snatched up by a major studio. … Avast, readers, you get what you pay for, and you didn’t pay for this solicitation of G.I. Joe A Real American Hero Annual #1! … Will the LeaguePodcast weekly comic picks continue to ram boyhood soldier fantasies down your throat? The answer is yes!

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Enjoy! — Clay

SPENCER FOR HIRE: T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS / THE WORLD BELOW

Joss Whedon’s The Avengers will surely be a blockbuster hit this summer and most teenagers are familiar with the Justice League from the cartoons, but today

we focus on the best superhero team you’ve never heard of, T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents.

Named after 60s spy thriller The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Higher United Nations Defense Enforcement Reserves operates outside the boundaries of national interest, working to achieve world peace. The late artist Wally Wood and writer Len Brown created the first series, and now rising star Nick Spencer (Morning Glories, Iron Man 2.0) leads the team to the future.

Dynamo, NoMan, Menthor, Raven and Lightning fight the organization S.P.I.D.E.R. (Secret People’s International Directorate for Extralegal Revenue) and also a Subterranean society.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

On the eve of the release of Nicolas Cage reprising his role as demon hero Ghost Rider, we hear the unfortunate strategy of Marvel’s lawyers going after the character’s creator, Gary Friedrich. The debate and discussion in the comic market is lively on the matter of creative ownership this past week. Are Marvel and Disney lawyers being unreasonable with the creator of this top selling property, or are work-for-hire artists retroactively reviewing their original deals?

In 1967, Marvel published the star of my recurring nightmares (1978-present)—a gun wielding ghost on a spirit horse called The Ghost Rider. After the introduction of the flaming motorcycle-and-chains madman we are more familiar with in the 1970s, this character was changed to The Phantom Rider.

When not terrorizing my fever dreams, The Phantom Rider, with his stardust-infused cloak and Colt .44 shoots phantom bullets and rides his horse Banshee.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

COMICS

Sci-fi author Harlan Ellison (Star Trek; I, Robot) returns to his comic book roots with Phoenix Without Ashes set on a farm in 2785. What mysterious force sends rogue farmer Devon on a quest before the world is devastated? … Cobra Commander is back, baby. And so is the G.I. Joe movie franchise. Jon Chu takes the reigns for the promising sequel. Snake Eyes & Roadblock star in G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation #1. … Amazing Spider-Man entices new readers with a confusing numbering. It’s Peter vs. Morbius the Living Vampire in ASM 679.1. LeaguePodcast picks the winners this week!

Yesterday a trailer for Amazing Spider-Man hit the internet. What is the reaction so far? With Sam Raimi’s trilogy in the rear view mirror, will Mark Webb ((500) Days of Summer) fill the gaps of Peter Parker’s origin story by dimming the lights in his Queens bedroom and sticking Andrew Garfield in a hoodie?

[Read More at DIGBOSTON.com]

COMICS

Did you ever want to lead a double life? How about a wife and kids coupled with a penchant for high stake heistery? Thief of Thieves #1 from our favorite writers Robert Kirkman and Nick Spencer is on store shelves today. … While the big blue boy scout was out fighting the War of the Supermen, Lex Luthor took over the pages of Action Comics. Fueled by a lust for the Orange Lantern power of Avarice, the anti-hero’s journey teams him up with Sandman’s sister Death in Superman: The Black Ring. … Does the Merc with a Mouth bite it by meeting up with the Family Guy’s Death played by Norm McDonald, or is Deadpool’s demise brought on by his own body parts gone rogue? Deadpool #50 is listed as CLASSIFIED, but he’s gonna die (spoilers). Spoilers from LeaguePodcast. Pass the Daily Dig along! Your friends can sign up here!

COMICS

It’s creator-owned spotlight this week in the picks, starting with Mark Waid’s Irredeemable #34. The Plutonian is a superhero turned the world’s greatest supervillain. Issue #34 is made for you, the new reader! Here’s a taste. … PIGS is collected in trade paperback this week. Nate Cosby, Ben McCool and Breno Tamura rehash Cold War politics and mix in modern terrorism for a story scarier than an air raid siren. … Sometimes acerbic on twitter, master of the craft Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon hits 178 issues. Who can stop the alien invasion? Could it be the LeaguePodcast?

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Infiinite #2 - Liefeld / McFarlane (variant)

Just months before San Diego Comic-Con last year, The Walking Dead writer and Skybound publisher Robert Kirkman announced a new project with Image Comics co-founder Rob Liefeld. The Infinite is the story of 40-year-old Bowen, who has traveled back in time to team up with his 19-year-old self to battle an evil organization called The Infinite. The Infinite Volume 1 collects the first four issues, and is available in stores. Rob Liefeld cited creative differences with Kirkman on Twitter this weekend as the cause for the end of the book.

[READ MORE at DIGBOSTON.COM]

COMICS

Bat Boy, Leonardo, Optimus, and Snake-Eyes had best have a great Dungeon Master to guide them through the second IDW crossover event, Infestation #2. Lovecraftian demons have invaded IDW once again, could Cobra’s dark experiments be behind it all, or are other evil machinations in place? … It’s 60 years after the oil has dried up, a massive recession has crippled the economy, and civil war has broken out! The ancestors of Navy Seals protect the city of New San Diego in Marksmen #5 from Image Comics. … We’re no strangers to crippling coffee addiction at Dig & The League. Can there ever be too much? New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler’s Too Much Coffee Man #2 is added to the increasingly impressive BOOM! Studios catalog. … Picks by LeaguePodcast.

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COMICS

The controversial and gifted storyteller Grant Morrison released an analysis of super heroes and autobiography Supergods last year. Check out his take on British TV’s Avengers in Steed and Mrs. Peel #1. Best read in your worst Scottish accent aloud on the bus with one eyebrow raised! … If you’re trapped in the prison of Hell, you had best outsmart the mysterious Warden to escape. Greg Pak (Hulk) and Tony Parker (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep) debut Dead Mans Run #1 this week. Preview here. … We hate repeating ourselves but, come on! This Mark Waid Daredevil book is what everyone is talking about, plus Daredevil #8 features The Amazing Spider-Man and Black Cat! Don’t miss the astounding classic art style of Paolo Rivera and Matt Murdock being happy for once! Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.

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