[REVIEW] ‘CONAN VOLUME 7: CIMMERIA’ HC

“Trade Show” reviews?! Oh yeah, I gots another one to post…

CONAN VOLUME 7: CIMMERIA HC

DARK HORSE
They say you can never go home again, but when you’re a near unstoppable, sword-wielding warrior, you go where you damn please! In this homecoming story written by Timothy Truman, Conan forsakes the scantily clad beauties of past volumes for a visit to the cruel country he came from: Cimmeria. Stumbling upon a lost love, a pack of warriors and an angry sorcerer before returning to his village, Conan’s flashback interludes come illustrated by the incomparable Richard Corben, and tell tales of Conan’s grandfather Connacht and his exploits that further enlighten readers to the titular hero’s current struggle. Cimmeria rechristens the barbarian badass anew.
JUNE 3 | $17.95 • JIM GIBBONS

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Also, especially if you dig Conan, check out EnemyOfPeanuts.com!

[REVIEW] ‘HOUSE OF MYSTERY’ VOL. 2

Yet another “Trade Show” entry from this badass blogger right here…

HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 2

DC/VERTIGO

This second installment of Matthew Sturges and Bill Willingham’s reinvention of a DC classic raises the bar from quirky horror storytelling to the threshold of a sprawling epic on par with their work on Fables and Jack of Fables. Featuring an arsenal of wicked artists such as Mouse Guard’s David Petersen and Swamp Thing’s Bernie Wrightson alongside series mainstay Luca Rossi, this volume delves into what goes on below the House in its enigmatic basement as lead heroine Fig learns about her father’s secrets and a bit more about her reticent love interest, barkeep Harry. As engaging as any comic on stands today, House of Mystery has cryptic rooms left to explore while still begging you to step back into each collection in search of more clues.
JUNE 3 | $14.99 • JG

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Also, check out EnemyOfPeanuts.com!

[REVIEW] ‘Daredevil: Lady Bullseye’

Another “Trade Show” joint from yours truly…

DAREDEVIL: LADY BULLSEYE

MARVEL

Ed Brubaker brings a brand-new villain into Daredevil’s world with the first story spotlighting the dangerous Lady Bullseye. As the female killer who emulates the classic DD baddie allies herself with The Hand in order to get a shot at Murdock, a cadre of Marvel street-level heroes come together to defend themselves from the ninja threat. With great art by Clay Mann and Michael Lark, this seedy crime book converts to a classic kung fu tale with appearances by Iron Fist, Black Tarantula, White Tiger and the mysterious, badass and blind Master Izo. The team-up dynamic really makes this action-packed and psychological storyline a nice change of pace, yet continues the high quality readers have to come to expect from ol’ Hornhead’s title. MAR 25 | $14.99 • JIM GIBBONS

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Also, check out EnemyOfPeanuts.com!

[REVIEW] ‘Amazing Spider-Man: CRIME AND PUNISHER’

From “Trade Show”…

SPIDER-MAN: CRIME AND PUNISHER

MARVEL

On the heels of the epic “New Ways to Die,” this Amazing Spider-Man trade features shorter tales about Flash Thompson, Spidey’s run-in with an amped-up Hammerhead and a team-up with the Punisher. Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo’s Hammerhead story really shines with spot-on Spidey banter and kinetic action sequences, but that’s saying something as Zeb Wells and Paolo Riviera deliver an exciting Punisher tale and Marc Guggenheim and Barry Kitson keep things almost harshly grounded in reality as they relate Flash Thompson’s story covering his time in Iraq. Though the Hammerhead stuff seems to be the only part necessary for readers concerned with “Brand New Day’s” broad strokes, this trade has plenty to enjoy for any diehard fan of the Wallcrawler. MAR 4 | $16.99 • JG

Also, check out EnemyOfPeanuts.com!

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Holy crap! Hosting Philly’s BSG panel was awesome!

Hey Folks! I just finished hosting a “Battlestar Galactica” panel featuring Michael Hogan, Edward James Olmos, Lucianna Carro and Nikki Clyne and it was one of the awesomest nerd moments I have ever had. It was greater than I could put into words here.

However, I do have a request of any and all Wizard World Philly attendees who were at the panel. If you were there and have any photos of the panel, or videos (particularly ones that I am also in—I was the moderator), please please please contact me at jgibbons[AT]wizardent[DOT]com, I’d really like a few mementos of the panel. Thanks so much!

My review gets a “thanks” over at “Comics Should Be Good!”

In the most recent issue of Wizard (#213), I wrote up a little review of Brian Cronin’s Was Superman A Spy? which spins out of his “Comic Book Urban Legends Revealed” column at CBR.

If you haven’t seen it in the ish, Mr. Cronin has scanned in the review and posted it over at his blog Comics Should Be Good, so head over there and read it. Once my review-y wordsmith abilities have wooed you, go buy the book!

First look at ‘Iron Man 2′ hits the interweb!

You can get your first peek at the flick over at USA Today…

It’s a pretty casual shot of RDJ as Stark chillin’ at a set of computers, but the real awesomeness is in the background…he’s in a workshop chock-full of Iron Man armors. Looks like the stakes are definitely upped in part two!

[REVIEW] ‘Marvel Zombies 3′

Before I paste my Trade Show review of the newest volume of Marvel Zombies—which originally ran in Wizard #211—I thought I’d begin by saying a few things to expand upon the 125 word review.

Firstly, I really enjoyed the first Marvel Zombies series and the Dead Days followup—though enjoyment of DD was thanks almost entirely to the terrifying Reed Richards-centric ending. However, after that the whole concept seemed a little played out.

Then, I heard Fred Van Lente would be writing it—one of my current favs at Marvel thanks to his work with Greg Pak on Incredible Herc—and my hopes soared. It seemed like the addition of Van Lente, plus making the story interact with current Marvel continuity in the 616 would really make this a series worth enjoying.

Then, the icing on the cake, I found out the series would star Machine Man! I don’t think I ever paid the character much heed until his hilarious run in Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen’s N.E.X.T.wave, but after that it just seemed like every other appearance of the character was suddenly the best guest star I could ask for on the book.

As expected—though I’ll still say “luckily,” as getting psyched about a comic and actually getting a good comic can be two very different things—Marvel Zombies 3 really delivered, thus I delivered it this rave review.

MARVEL ZOMBIES 3
MARVEL
The brain-binging baddies of Marvel Zombies are back and more Marvelous than ever! This third collected mini features the zombie “heroes” dimension-jumping into the 616 and threatening all in-continuity existence! It’ll take a pair of robot badasses–synthetic sweethearts Machine Man and Jocasta–to stop their decomposing derrieres. Writer Fred Van Lente pulls no punches with this third incarnation of costumed flesh feasters, delivering memorable gruesomeness, some “Army of Darkness”-esque chainsaw massacres alongside Machine Man quips and plenty more humor to temper all the gore, which looks particularly grim–thanks to artist Kev Walker–in the Marvel proper. 
Apr 8 | $19.99 • JIM GIBBONS

Originally, my only gripe about this series was that it ended on a cliff hanger, but after one issue, Marvel Zombies 4—which features both Van Lente and Walker continuing their story—is off to a great start. I’m in, yet again!