Triple Shot: TITHE #1, CONVERGENCE: BATMAN - SHADOW OF THE BAT #1 & HARROW COUNTY #1 Preview at FORCES OF GEEK

Its back to basics for this comics reporter this week with a throwback Thursday Triple-Shot!

What’s better than some single issue comic reviews to get you out to the store this week and enjoy that spring weather. Matt Hawkins (Top Cow President, Think Tank) safecracks his way into a mega-church with The Tithe #1 and Larry Hama (G.I. Joe, Wolverine) takes on Batman and the classic Dark Knight substitute Azrael in Convergence: Shadow of the Bat #1.

The fine folks over at Dark Horse let us have a sneak peak at Cullen Bunn’s Harrow County #1, mentioned in our interview a few weeks ago!

THE TITHE #1
WRITER: Matt Hawkins
ART:  Rahsan Ekedal

Publication Date: April 15, 2015
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Top Cow/Image Comics
UPC: 70985301875900111
Buy it HERE

The Tithe refers to the 10% donation of wages donated to a church or religious organization. Actually, there’s a verb form of that word as well as a noun, and the tradition is ancient so don’t come after me with pitchforks if I’m only slightly correct!

Last year, we talked with Top Cow President Matt Hawkins about his spy-fi comic Think Tank. I enjoy listening to Matt’s views on comics creation and running the Top Cow brand in various podcasts and interviews.

Matt and artist Rahsan are at it again with The Tithe. Three armed robbers invade one of those Disney mega-churches at Sunday mass in Jesus masks.

In the front of house, a young lady highjacks the television screens a la ‘Anonymous’ with images of the pastor Miles Tibett in ungodly compromising positions and spending the churches’ money on extravagances. This organization is called “SAMARITAN” on the teleprompter signoff.

This is at the heart a great heist story, with religion and mega-churches as the playground. The FBI investigates SAMARITAN and other misallocated and tax-free accounting from the church with two very cool and opposite leads. Dwayne Campbell, a Baptist and believer is a family man. His partner Jimmy is a younger dude, a ‘hacker’ (apologies, not even Mr. Hawkins has a better name for this kind of computer savvy security breaching tech nerd gone good) and an atheist.

As what follows traditionally in Matt’s creator-owned books are some essays, behind the scenes to his research and a bit on his background as a former churchgoer turned atheist.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Ant-Man

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Cosmic Treadmill: Black Mask Studios' CRITICAL HIT #1-4 (review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Matt Miner (Toe Tag Riot) follows up his animal activist comic Liberator from Black Mask Studios with a spin-off starring Jeanette and Sarah on their own adventures.

Pre-orders for the collected edition are being sorted for the May release of Volume 1, so Earth Crisis and pit bull fans should get the word to the LCS.

Black Mask Studios recently launched a new YouTube channel for ‘tubecomics’ — motion comics versions of your favorites, including a prequel for Critical Hit with Liberator - tubecomic episode 1.1.

Jeanette and Sarah’s adventures aren’t always legal and they definitely aren’t safe, and this first volume of Critical Hit exposes the real risks and dangers of sticking it to the man!

Issue #1 starts out with our protagonists going hard on an ‘action’, smashing vehicles and invading cabins in the woods. The cabins are for deer hunters in the area, and Jeanette and Sarah do their best to destroy the camp with a firestorm.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Ant-Man

$75 Fandango Customizable Gift Card

STARLIGHT TPB (Image Comics, by Mark Millar - review) - at FORCES OF GEEK

Starlight
Written by Mark Millar
Art by Goran Parlov
Colors by Ive Svorcina
Cover by John Cassaday
Published by Image Comics
ISBN 978-1-63215-017-2
Diamond Comic order code DEC140693
Available via Comic Stores 2/11; Bookstores 2/24


Some creators, musicians and authors have a knack for cranking out hits. Stephen King, Tom Petty, you get the idea.

And like those gentlemen, Mark Millar’s work is often imitated but never surpassed. An upstanding member of a Bill and Ted-esque order of chivalry—Most Excellent Order of the British Empire—the Scotsman’s latest trade paperback is Starlight, another gold record to put on the wall.

With Goran Parlov (Punisher MAX) on art, this sendup to pulp heroes, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, John Carter and Adam Strange is a pop-art celebration of comics, serials and retired superheroes.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Cosmic Treadmill - Reviewing BATMAN/SUPERMAN VOL. 2: GAME OVER AT FORCES OF GEEK

Last week we took on Nightwing, and in these last weeks of the year that celebrate 75 years of Batman, we take a look at Greg Pak’s Batman/Superman Vol. 2: Game Over. 

Pak’s take on the World’s Finest team begins its second volume with an art change and video game story then the rest of the book tackles Mongul and son, Jochi, and a battle on Warworld. 

Pak is joined by Paul Levitz on some writing duties and the art team is split up between the talents of Brett Booth, Jae Lee, R.B. Silva, Kenneth Rocafort, Philip Tan, Scott McDaniel, Norm Rapmund and Joe Weems.

I did note in my Nightwing review that the art inconsistencies were less than ideal for such an expensive volume. Much the same could be said for this book but Booth’s tight and traditional comic pages contrast nicely with the ethereal Jae Lee art of this book. The supporting artists keep it all together as well. 

This hardcover volume is a great gift idea for the DC Comics fan in your life this holiday season featuringBatman/Superman Issues #5—9, Annual #1 and the crossover tale for Worlds’ Finest #20-21.

Batman Superman HC Vol. 2 Game Over
Writer: Greg Pak, Paul Jenkins
Artist: Brett Booth, Jae Lee, Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Publication Date: 11/22/14
Price: $24.99
UPC: 978140124935952499
Buy It HERE 
Digital: readdcentertainment.com


No stranger to the world of video games and programmers — Greg Pak’s Code Monkey Save World is a compendium on Jonathan Coulton songs brought to the page — the opening salvo of this volume is a gamer’s delight, all illustrated in landscape pages from superstar Brett Booth (The Flash).

A great experiment for this format was the McFarlane/Liefeld Spider-Man and X-Force: Sabotage from November 1991. Even more recently, Erik Larsen did this in Savage Dragon #199.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Cosmic Treadmill - Reviewing NIGHTWING V. 5: SETTING SON with a Side Order of GRAYSON at FORCES OF GEEK

I’m a Bat-family loyalist, reading weekly Bat-titles, even when they fall off the rails a bit (Detective Comics) or even reach into my pockets weekly for some drawn out something or other (Batman Eternal).

I’m also a Batgirl fan and am giving the new ‘’Burnside’ creative team a shot.

One book I personally passed on the New 52 shelves was Nightwing.

Perhaps I didn’t like his new costume — but was it really that offensive to my sensibilities?

At any rate, I visited Kyle Higgin’s Nightwing Vol. 1 eventually, snaking a deal on the trade.  Not bad…but then another break.

With a ‘Villain’s month’, Forever Evil and Zero Year, the New 52 has an inherent problem with it’s regularly programmed books this year.

How does one randomly pick up Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son without wanting to pack up and move far away from The New 52 like Grayson himself?

I attempted to do this, and like an acrobat there were highs and lows from this book. 

Thankfully, more tricks were landed than fell into the net.

NIGHTWING VOL. 5: SETTING SON
Writers: Kyle Higgins, Tim Seeley, Tom King
Art: Various
Publisher: DC Comics
Price $16.99
UPC:      978140125011951699
Release Date: 12/10/14
Pre-Order HERE 
Digital: readdcentertainment.com


Nightwing Vol. 5: Setting Son collects the final issues of Nightwing #25-30 plus Nightwing Annual #1.

My main criticism as a volume overall are the aforementioned inconsistencies and obvious problems with injecting crossover events into a planned out story arc.

In my opinion, most of the Zero Year stories could have been contained to the main Batman book but this Nightwing story fits in to continuity well.

I’m reminded of Batman: Year Three in which the Robin story is told revealing secrets of the circus and The Flying Graysons. 

In this flashback, the superstar teenager defies his parents and ditching his parents to catch a movie in Gotham solo. Our proto-Robin saves the day and there is even a costume origin — tidbits I devour when flashback stories are told. Will Conrad nails the art, Higgins tells a great story.

It should be stated that while this might appear to be collected edition — and it is, this is more a collection of single issues, much like nearly every volume of The New 52 Superman (see the wildly erratic Vol. 4 Psi-War for example). Other top selling titles maintain a great level of integrity —even if artists change for an issue or two — like Batman, The Flash and Batman/Superman. 

Next up — Batgirl in Nightwing Annual #1. The on-again/off-again relationship tension is addressed as the two team up to take on a Scooby mystery of Hollywood proportions. The cute Robin/Batgirl selfie flashback is the backbone to the Dick/Babs vignette.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Get Your Tickets to Big Hero 6 Now on Fandango.

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: G.I. JOE #1, STARLIGHT #5, GHOSTBUSTERS #20 Plus THE ADVENTURES OF A 4TH GRADE SPACE CAPTAIN at FORCES OF GEEK

What better reason to bring back the Triple Shot of comics at FOG! than a new G.I. Joe book?

Season 4 of IDW’s run is written by Karen Traviss and has Scarlett as the head of the team. We also check in on Starlight by Millar and Parlov over at Image and try to trap them ghosts in the final issue of Ghostbusters from IDW.

Back all of that up with an all ages The Adventures of a 4th Grade Space Captain from ComiXology Submit!

Ahhh….refreshing…

G.I. JOE Season 4 #1
WRITER: Karen Traviss
ARTIST: Steve Kurth
Publication Date: September 24, 2014
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400693300111
Buy it Here 


IDW continues the Joe legacy with it’s fourth season of books.

Building off of the history and world building established in previous seasons is the latest from sci-fi author Karen Traviss. This new book jumps forward 5 years from G.I. Joe: Season 3 and the events in the spyfi thriller spinoff book G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files from Mike Costa.

I’m happy to report that this is a new take on the Joes, but also one that’s as thick as Dutch chocolate cake and the characters are all true to form. Fans of Hama’s military jargon will be satisfied, but also real world politics enter the dialogue and situations presented herein.

Recommended if you are enjoying Nathan Edmondson’s work on The Activity, or more recently in Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Echoes.

That should do it for the author comparisons, except to say that this is very different from the relatively lighthearted Yo-Joeing going on in Chuck Dixon or Fred Van Lente runs on the book.

Traviss is taking this very seriously, and as a long suffering Joe fan, I couldn’t be happier. Notable changes to the vibe are Scarlett taking a lead role and trying to save the team from disbanding and a course change for Cobra and the surviving Crimson Twin, Tomax.

I am eagerly awaiting the next volume of G.I. Joe with a cool new logo and very talented new female writer at the helm.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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Cosmic Treadmill: LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS (review) - AT FORCES OF GEEK

Today, Dark Horse releases Leaving Megalopolis, originally a Kickstarter funded project from the amazing creative team of Gail Simone and artist Jim Calafiore.

Jim and Gail were responsible for a longtime run on Secret Six, the DC villain team book that will be returning to the New 52 with Gail on writing duties. 

Leaving Megalopolis stands in the grand tradition of books going back to Watchmen. At the center of the conflict, innumerable super powered beings take over and turn on the innocent humans they at one time were sworn to protect. 

Mina is our hero — a cop with baggage just trying to get out of the city in one piece.

Strong analog characters to popular super heroes have been created for Leaving Megalopolis. 
The Man of Granite — Overlord — is our Superman, Hulk and even a ‘grim and gritty’ Batman. In this world, comics also celebrate the heroes, and references and an excerpt from issue #47 of the fictionalOverlord comic is the turning point that the comic writers make Overlord a dark hero.

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

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THE FOX: FREAK MAGNET (GN Review) - COSMIC TREADMILL AT FORCES OF GEEK

Just before Archie Comics superhero imprint Red Circle Comics gets eclipsed by the grittier, jaw gnashing Dark Circle Comics (imagine lots of lightning and silhouettes), The Fox Vol.1: Freak Magnet is collected for your enjoyment.

Written and illustrated by Dean Haspiel with heavy scripting help from Mark Waid (Daredevil, Thrillbent).

A classic comics creative team J.M. DeMatteis along with Mike Cavallaro (pencils, color), Terry Austin (inks) and John Workman (letters) set WWII comics on it’s side with tie-in back up story “The Face of Hate,” a cornerstone of the whole volume. 

If you remember comics being fun, bad guys getting punched, and if heroes leaping between dimensions gets you trotting, please check out this all-ages friendly The Fox. 

Back in MY DAY, we took our comics by the issue and we liked it! Well, that’s what I said way back in October when issue #1 hit the stands.

These days with all the hustle and bustle and Instagram snaps it’s hard sometimes to focus on a story when you have to wait a whole month between chapters. Lots of stuff is going to trade for me lately.

And boy was I happy to come across this sly Fox, all bundled up nice!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

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THE PRIVATE EYE #1-7 Gets a Turn on The Cosmic Treadmill

Brian K. Vaughan (Saga, Y: The Last Man, TV’s Lost) and artist Marcos Martin (Amazing Spider-Man, Daredevil) have quietly disrupted the comic book industry with a small crack in the wall.

Beyond the innovative distribution method they have devised with a ‘pay what you want’ donation system at Panel Syndicate site, the story itself is revolutionary. 

‏Within the tablet-friendly landscape format with a DRM-free file formats lies a future tale where nothing is private. The Internet doesn’t exist. The ‘cloud’ has burst and everyone wears a mask. The cops of the future are The Fourth Estate - code word for the press.

You may not know about this sleeper hit, but if you wanted to, you can pay $0 to read it right now.

You’ll quickly find justification for leaving a donation (or not, that’s how they roll). 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

THE COSMIC TREADMILL LOOKS AT 'AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE: BOOK ONE' (REVIEW)

Afterlife with Archie: Book One collects the first five issues of Archie’s first horror comic that oozes blood, terror and Archie family in-jokes that is sure to make you run from Riverdale.

Don’t run too far, because the art is by Francesco Francavilla and is written by screenwriter Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Glee, Big Love) who’s understanding of the Archie-verse allows him to turn this town on it’s head.

His most spectacular feat is making transforming Jughead into a monster of Freddy or Jason proportions.

Zombies. Halloween Dance. Teenage romance. ‘Don’t go in there’.

The most unsuspecting comics company took a turn for the morbid with this series.

With the announcement of a Sabrina the Teenage Witch series in the same bloody vein, it looks like the supermarket comic crowd is in for a terrifying surprise.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

TRIPLE SHOT WITH A DIGITAL CHASER: G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #200, STAR SLAMMERS #1, ROCKY & BULLWINKLE #1 PLUS DEPARTMENT O #1 - FORCES OF GEEK

Yo Joe! 

With Larry Hama delivering us the milestone issue of G.I. Joe #200 this week, we also have an 80’s Marvel graphic novel reprint in the form of issues with Walt Simonson’s Star Slammers #1 (remastered).

Mighty Mark Evanier & Roger Langridge team up just like their title characters inRocky & Bullwinkle #1.

Over in ComiXology Submit land, wash this down with a spooky British team in Department O #1.  

G.I. JOE: A REAL AMERICAN HERO #200
WRITER: Larry Hama
ART: SL Gallant
Publication Date: March 26, 2014
Price: $5.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400148820011
Buy it HERE

“Yo, Joe!” - That’s what you’ll hear like the shot heard round the world tomorrow at 11 or noon when the shops open up in your town.

In fact, here in nearby Somerville, Tim Finn of Hub Comics is giving away 200 copies of this six dollar book for free today! All coming from a love for the ninjas, soldiers, tanks, reptilian villains and military banter sensei Larry Hama has given us since the first comic series (there have been many since) in the G.I. Joe franchise!

My heart fluttered in anticipation of reading the book and suddenly I was 12 years old again! 

This double-sized issue has a climactic standoff between our arrogant and whiney Cobra Commander and top notch Joes, including original Joe Coulton (played by Bruce Willis in G.I. Joe: Retaliation. 

There is one page, near the end of the book that is fan service to us loyal RAH fans. Joe Headquarters The Pit is given a reboot and boy howdy is it cool.

IDW even reenlisted the letters page, ‘Postbox: The Pit’, where a young Clay N. Ferno was first published way back in 1991 (Issue #110, Saw-Viper)! You best believe it, I wrote in a gushing Postbox letter immediately. If I’m in the Joe letter page twice in my life, I’m dropping my microphone and walking away!

Happy Anniversary to Larry, Herb Trimpe, and new artist SL Gallant (and of course all of the great RAH artists, too many to mention here)! Dinner Wednesday: frozen pizza, grape soda, and little chocolate covered donuts! 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

THINK TANK - SEASON 1 (Issues #1-#12) — COSMIC TREADMILL at FORCES OF GEEK

The last issue of Top Cow’s President and COO Matt Hawkins’ Think Tank: Season 1 hits shelves next Wednesday, February 12th.

Imagine being a successful comic book bigwig and a physicist and television producer and on top of all that, write a number of titles for Top Cow and Image!

With an insider’s view of the comic making industry, the back matter for Think Tank often has Matt speaking on readership numbers, legal and illegal. The Science Class at the end of the book also goes in-depth to his research and theoretical military tech used in the book.

Issue #12’s glossary announces what is next for the black and white spy-fi series as it embarks on a newly colored life in Season 2 and a one shot in March!

Review copies come my way, and also I am willing to try new books when one catches my attention from the media or by its cover on my weekly trip to the shop.  

 

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

Cosmic Treadmill: RED LIGHT PROPERTIES by Dan Goldman (Review) at FORCES OF GEEK

Last December, we interviewed Dan Goldman about his psychedelic ghost hunting real estate comic Red Light Properties on the Cosmic Treadmill.

And you thought Jack ‘King’ Kirby could get weird!


Imagine the apartment or house you lived in came with a ‘Green Light Certificate’, after the regular inspectors do their thing, the folks at Red Light Properties come in and do a clean sweep to make sure poltergeists are not hanging around (quite literally in chapter one, double hanging suicide).

We’ve had some time with this 200 page remastered and recolored Red Light Properties — it had it’s first life as a webcomic — and on February 5th, IDW’s paperback version hits the stands.

Ahh Florida. My last trip there was mostly for the attraction parks, but I fondly remember the hours spent driving around in the muggy heat, the big box stores, trucks filled with oranges. When visiting new places I often imagine living there. That was tough to do for Florida. It was fine enough, I suppose, but so foreign to my snow-shoveling-Yankee-flannel ways that I couldn’t find myself there. 

But imagine if…I got a cheap place! What Red Light Properties the company does is provide a ghost busting service unlike the one you are thinking of. This Mom and Pop operation is a money making venture.

If you’ve seen The Wolf of Wall Street, think of these property lists as the pink sheets, or the leads from Mitch and Murray in Glengarry Glen Ross. The reason the apartments are undesirable is that they are haunted. Husband and father Jude has an extrasensory vision that allows him to break through the membrane and see the ghosts and eradicate them from the premises.

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK]

2-BIT COMICS: Waid, Palmiotti and Conner’s Gatecrasher at 13th DIMENSION

We continue to expose the truth! This almighty truth is that there are plenty of neglected comic books and graphic novels hiding in your discount bins and long boxes at your favorite store just begging for attention. This week, Gatecrasher Vol. 1: Ring of Fire, from the sure-fire team of Mark Waid, Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner.

This teenage tale of interdimensional invasion is exactly what I look for in a 2-Bit comic: There are space crews with big guns, angry mentors and broken dates with a hot girlfriend all in the first chapter.

Our hero is college jock Alec Wagner, who by day is swooning over girlfriend Mia. He’s got a bit of the Peter Parker luck, always being called in to fight bug-eyed aliens on his covert team — the Split-Second Squad — just in time to break their dates. Because of his human instincts and his age, he’s routinely given a hard time by his crewmates.

On the other side of the “gate,” the evil Solen Cagliar has stolen an important piece of technology — the Thinktank. When Alec steals it back, he is covered in a liquid computer goo. Will this new goo make Alec more valuable to the team? I think Vol. 2 has the answers!

[READ MORE AT 13thDIMENSION.COM]

Triple Shot Digital: 'WORLD WAR MOB' #1, 'VALHALLA CINDERMANE' #1 and 'THE SOLDIER' #1

Now that someone has an iPad, that someone (OK, its me!) is reading comics whenever, wherever and however he can! This Triple Shot takes us to more than one battlefield with Vito Delsante’s World War Mob and also to the Anglo-Zulu War in Guido Vrolix’ The Soldier. Don’t worry, we have aliens and huge axes wielded by a strong female hero in Valhalla Cindermane.

All of these books are submitted to the ComiXology platform via the creator-owned ComiXology Submit program, where independent creators can be discovered alongside the virtual shelves with mainstream books!

WORLD WAR MOB #1
Writer: Vito Delsante
Artist: Giancarlo Caracuzzo
Price: $1.99
Imprint: New Paradigm Studios
Page Count: 22
Digital Release Date: January 29, 2014
Age Rating: 17+ Only
BUY IT HERE
TWITTER: @incogvito

Issue #1 of Vito Delsante’s World War Mob hits the ComiXology store today. A quick review of the book in the platform’s new browser-friendly HTML 5 Beta reminds us what a great story we have here.

For fans of Band of Brothers and Goodfellas, this World War II story brings us from the collection rounds of gangsters on the Lower East Side to the front lines to the Battle of the Ardennes.

Capt. Vinny DiGreco is offered a secret mission while on leave in Sicily.

The circle of life as it where, even the Army owes Lucky Luciano a favor, so Vinny accepts a top secret mission, that will have affects on the outcome of the war!

Vito shared that no one in comics has touched on wiseguys joining the draft before, and we hope the concept catches on. Issue #1 is off to a great start, full of action, Nazi punching and also street level crime stuff happening in New York. 

Giancarlo’s art is great as well, he colors himself in watercolor washes. His line work reminiscent of great Sgt. Rock work by Joe Kubert. The realist illustration really helps set the tone and time setting. 

World War Mob takes comics back to classic storytelling, combining rather than mashing up genres to give the reader a one of a kind experience. This world can be built on in many different directions, and our hero in the first issue is one we can root for both as patriotic Americans and fans of organized crime stories. 

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

Why You MUST READ VALIANT at 13th DIMENSION

By CLAY N. FERNO

Valiant Comics‘ Must Read Valiant Greatest Hits Volume 1 is out now and the oversized comic is priced at $5.99 to get you into the increasingly popular Valiant Universe for the price of two regular comic books! Superheroes, space travel, top talent and an unflinching editorial eye for quality makes for a rich universe. Are you one of those fans that thinks the X-Men have too many books and The Avengers are cool on the big screen, but Avengers Mansion seems like a Spanx-filled flop house? Come on over to the Valiant side, there’s room for everyone over here and it all makes sense together!

Let us first take a look at the offerings in Greatest Hits Vol. 1. Back in MY day, we called this a 100-Page Giant. We’ll keep it short so you can start working on your Shadowman and Ninjak cosplays by the end of the article.

We start off with Valiant’s Iron-Prince-Out-Of-Water, X-O Manowar #5. The Visigoth from ancient Romania was taken away from the Vine aliens to toil on their farms before escaping and bonding with their most powerful weapon, the X-O Manowar armor. This issue reintroduces Ninjak, kind of like a Ninja Boba Fett. Killer issue!

Quantum and Woody #1 deals with two knucklehead step brothers who step into their late Dad’s  science lab when, of course, a life-altering scientific accident leaves them just as annoying to each other but all the more powerful! Who’s responsible for their Dad’s murder? What’s all this about a goat? For fans of snarky humor but also butt kicking!

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION]

2-BIT COMICS: Harlan Ellison’s “Phoenix Without Ashes” at 13th DIMENSION

In this new segment — 2-Bit Comics — Clay N. Ferno digs deep into back-issue bins and discount trade shelves, refusing to pay more for great comic stories found on discount! First up, Harlan Ellison’s IDW hardcover for “Phoenix Without Ashes.”Sharing his love for great stories found in the quarter bin may prompt you to revisit these books wherever you can find them, in a yellowed longbox or on your tablet!

By CLAY N. FERNO

The Seventies were a great time for science fiction, though the genius of Harlan Ellison’s stories were often mucked with enough to make him take his name off plenty of projects. A TV version of this graphic novel appeared on Canadian and American stations in 1973 under the new name, “The Starlost.” Audiences were told Ellison’s alter-ego Cordwainer Bird created and wrote the show.

As a concept for sci-fi and comics, this merges the best of “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Lost,” “Doctor Who” and of course a bit of “Star Trek.” All the action starts out in an Amish town, where our main man Devon is accused of being a heretic, speaking out against the Elders, who have lied to the villagers about the will of the Creator.

Devon is driven to the edge of the mountains by an angry mob after revealing the hoax to his beloved Rachel, to whom his love is forbidden as she has been promised to a man named Garth since birth.

The naturally curious Devon has had questions all his life about where the sky starts and ends, and why the Creator has only given his people 50 square miles of land on which to live.

Devon discovers, by his exile, an escape, in the quite literal form of a hatch that drops him into a most unusual place — the life support system of a very large space ship en route to certain doom into the heart of a nova!

[READ MORE at 13th DIMENSION]

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: G.I. JOE: #12, SUPERIOR FOES OF SPIDER-MAN #7, INDESTRUCTIBLE HULK #17 plus KAMI #1

Happy New Year!  We hope you get to make your regularly scheduled trip to the comic store this week and when you do, take into consideration this Triple Shot! 

G.I. Joe gets a new writer that explores the origins of different Cobra Commanders past and present, the new Beetle’s origin starts at a birthday party years ago in The Superior Foes of Spider-Man, and Hulk gets mad when people start invading his space in Indestructible Hulk #17.

Kami is a nice quick chaser over at ComiXology.

G.I. JOE #12
WRITER: Paul Allor
ART: Alex Cal, Steve Kurth
Publication Date: December 31, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400431101211
Buy it HERE

It is no surprise to anyone that I am a fanatical G.I. Joe fan, I literally wear it on my sleeve in the form of an Arashikage tattoo.

Larry Hama’s Marvel run (continuing to date over at IDW) is what got me into comics, and the reboot of the franchise at IDW has impressed and compelled me to write about the multiple IDW series from the get go.

That was because names like Chuck Dixon, Hama, Christos Gage, Mike Costa and Fred Van Lente were carrying on the legacy.


Sure, the main series has had its low points but in general, overall I have been happy.

To my surprise, a guest on my podcast, a relative unknown writer in the scheme of things, Paul Allor was tapped to take over for Fred Van Lente on Season 3 after his departure. Allor cut his teeth in Comics Experience (online classes led by former Joe Editor Andy Schmidt) and quickly got pro work on several TMNT titles.

Allor is picking up on a Gage and Costa concept from G.I. Joe: Cobra in which the Cobra organization has been around for centuries. Like an anonymous Pope, one Commander is replaced by the next, hiding his identity.

This book tells the story of at least two Commanders, not including the present day as C.C. hires a Press Agent to tell the story behind Cobra.

Taking over for one of comics hottest writers, Fred Van Lente can not be easy, and I am delighted to say Paul Allor pulls it off! I can’t wait for the next issue, and more ghosts of Cobra Commanders past!

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TARDIS on The COSMIC TREADMILL – A Look at IDW's 'DOCTOR WHO 2013 SPECIAL #1' - FORCES OF GEEK

After a visit to the town called Christmas in the Time of the Doctor, Who fans are sure to miss Matt Smith as the Eleventh Doctor.

Just the day before, on Tuesday, December 45th, IDW Publishing marked its regeneration cycle by releasing a 53 page year end special in tribute not only to Matt but to the publisher’s claim to the Time Lord.

Since 2008, IDW was the first US publisher to have the comic rights through the BBC to new stories with the tenth and eleventh doctors, and this book is a sign off for them. Written by longtime Doctor Who television and comics writer Paul Cornell and drawn by Jimmy Braxton (Cornell’s partner on Batman: Knight and Squire).

Rarely does a single issue deem itself worthy of a run on the Cosmic Treadmill, but as the New Year, a new Doctor, and the next 50 years of Doctor Who are all converging on a timey wimey convergence, this one is definitely worth picking up.

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Francesco Francavilla's 'THE BLACK BEETLE' Takes a Walk on The Cosmic Treadmill AT FORCES OF GEEK

Can a review come out in December and not be a gift suggestion?

Probably not! We do the cool down lap on the Cosmic Treadmill this year with our favorite short run series of the year, Francesco Francavilla’s breakout pulp hit Black Beetle Volume 1:No Way Out from Dark Horse Comics.

Francavilla’s composition, colors, and ink brush line work complement his own script—drawing influences from noir film to The Shadow and Batman.

Our hero looks cool, has steampunk weapons and is 100% creator owned and original. The hardcover version serves as a great gift, even for yourself as a sort of ‘reward’ for how generous you have been this season!


The book starts out with the long out of print One Shot - Black Beetle: Night Shift. I read this volume first in issues as No Way Out #1-4, kicking myself for missing a hard copy of the one-shot and issue #1 when I heard the buzz. The precursor to the main series hits hard with Nazis seeking a lizard amulet, a strong female doctor in a museum and hiding in a sarcophagus. It was clear to me that this was the beginning of a larger world with exciting consequences as we enter Colt City — the home base of the mysterious Black Beetle.

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