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You really can't go wrong with Iron Fist or Ant-Man, but my vote goes toward Runaways #25.

Come on, you know you want to read it.

I really can't think of any reason why Irredeemable Ant-Man #7 and Runaways #25 are not on there.

With Ant-Man, you have some of the best art of Phil Hester's career (which says alot, because Phil is amazing) with inventive layouts serving as the backdrop for Robert Kirkman's insane send-up to anti-heroes. Now that the dual storylines have come to a head, the book will be a bit easier to follow to boot. This is the least Marvel-esque of Marvel's superhero books, feeling almost like an indie-spoof and I say that in the most endearing way possible.

I can't sing enough praises about Runaways though. Whedon starts with this issue and he has proven that he can reinvent quality characters in imaginative ways that build upon rich histories (as he did with Astonishing X-Men) and he has always done well with the teen-centered drama. The Runaways, on the other hand, are the most interesting group of characters that Marvel has in their sandbox right now, so seeing Whedon play with them should be great. Michael Ryan's art looks solid, but the real draw has always been the character interactions and I think that this is going to be a can't miss issue (then again, every issue of the title has been can't miss for me). If there are two books that I could never pass up, it would be this and Fables, so I'm giving you the highest recommendation here.

For you, it's a slow week. For me, it's a big week, and I'm only buying five singles-- less than you. Ha.

Well, since you're some kind of scary zombie disliker and non-Buffy enthusiast, and you're already getting Madman, I figure Runaways would be decent to try. Given Joss' run on X-Men, I'm not expecting much, but I'm going to try it out because I am a huge fanboy.

Some might suggest Omega Flight, but... ehh.

Maybe the relaunch of Savage Tales? I have no idea what's even going to be in it, though.

It's a huge week for me; I'm getting six things, which is quite unusual:

52 #48
Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #2
Justice League of America #7
Showcase Presents the Legion of Super-Heroes #1
The All-New Atom #10
Supergirl and the Legion of Super-Heroes #28

Of these, what to recommend... Well, 52 is all right, but now is probably not the time to jump on. Buffy's pretty good. Now's a good time to try Justice League, if you're inclined, because the team is actually becoming a team, and stuff. The All-New Atom is excellent, more fun than humans should be allowed to have, but #10 is the second of a three-part story, so if you're still doing this in two months I'll recommend it then. The Showcase LSH volume is great value for the money, but it's all Silver Age stuff that everyone else seems to like more than I do, so I won't recommend it.

I will recommend Supergirl and the Legion, the title which is the whole reason why I'm collecting comics in the first place. (I'm serious. There are a lot of comic books out there that I like, but if DC cancelled all its Legion stuff, I'd stop collecting altogether.) At the moment, the Earth is a shambles and the Legion and Lightning Lord's Wanderers team seems to be about to go beat up the Dominion, as Waid and Kitson get an issue closer to wrapping up their tenure on the title (#30 being their last issue). I can't wait to see what happens.

I would say go either with "Savage Tales" #1 if you like fantasy, or "Annihiliation: Heralds of Galactus" if you are more into cosmic-y and outer space stuff. "Savage Tales" looks like a fun anthology with a lot of variety to the stories. I don't normally buy "Red Sonja," but the "Atlantis" story looks really cool. I have been marking for "Annihilation" since the start, and the first "Heralds" one-shot was very enjoyable. And this one has the Silver Surfer and Firelord in it, so how can you go wrong?

I would also say to buy "2000 A.D." if your LCS stocks it, but that's just typical, and getting it here in the States is iffy at best.

Happy hunting!

If you're a Stephen King fan, then Dark Tower: Gunslinger Born # 3 (of 7) is for you.

If you're a Garth Ennis fan, then Ghost Rider: Trail of Tears # 3 (of 6) is for you.

If you're a hard-cover fan, then Ultimate Spider-Man: Clone Saga HC is for you.

Nothing else needs to be said.
For I am a man of few words.

Lots of good suggestions this week already, and I can't argue with Runaways #25 of Irredeemable Ant-man #7, although I belive this issue is drawn by Cory Walker, and not Phil Hester, but that's a pretty decent trade off.
I'm going to throw out an odd ball and suggest Iron Man: Hypervelocity #4. It may not be the best spot to start, but its been a fun, action packed Iron Man story without all the Civil War inspired angst.

Ant Man is pretty much DEAD. The only thing that could save it is huge digest sales(which I'd actually like because I'd much rather spend 8 dollars on trades than 14-16 for everything Marvel publishes). So a buy for Ant Man is a wasted vote!

Now Iron Fist is an incredibly fun book, possibly the most fun book that Marvel is publishing now that Nextwave is gone, but it's also in the midst of a story and something you might want to wait for the trade for. But at the same time, it really needs sales. It's the one book from Marvel that I buy and then immediately donate back to the retailer's hands so that they can give it to someone who might like it in order to maybe get sales up a bit.

But there's nothing in the last year I've looked forward to out of Marvel than Omega Flight. Beta Ray Bill + USAgent (one of the best Marvel characters their is. Marvel's best possible Guy Gardner) + Arachne (who's a great little character with a ton of depth) + Oeming + Kollins + a great little concept (all the villains who don't want to deal with a superhero in every state rush over the border)= a whole lot of goodness. Please support it. I want an ongoing.

Oops! Forgot to mention the Showcase: Legion of Superheroes.

I have very little love for LSH stories before the Levitz run, but those first stories are so mindnumbingly trippy. Every comic fan should experience them at least once.

(and while I'm at it. Hulk/Power Pack is at least worth a read on the shelf. The "Power Pack &" stories have really been incredible).

I'm gonna throw in another vote for Runaways. It's a new creative team, but the preview looks cool, and like Ye Olde Iowa says, it's got one of the greatest casts around. If you need more than that, there's a frickin' dinosaur.

I'd go with Runways #25.

So a buy for Ant Man is a wasted vote!

Are we voting, or are we buying comic books that we want to read?

I'd get one of the TMNT movie prequel comics, but that's just me. It should be you too though.

ALL OF YOU.

What a crappy week.

I GUESS I'll say Runaways, because it will be interesting, at least, to see what Whedon does with the book.

Ant-Man because I'm selfish, love that book, and it needs more support!

Midnighter #6. It's Ennis's last issue for the near future, and it's a stand alone story with Midnighter traveling to Feudal Japan. The first arc Ennis did was a lot of fun and he seems to have the best handle on the character of any of the writers to tackle the Authority. Plus, Glenn Fabry is doing the artwork, so it's guaranteed to look amazing.

Nightly News #5 is supposed to be out tomorrow, and it's been goddamn phenomenal so far, but if you haven't been picking up the previous issues, this may be a little late to jump in the game. Probably my favorite description of the series to date has been "It's like if Chuck Palahniuk wrote The Invisibles."

Aside from that, I'd recommend picking up the hardcover reissue of Grendel: Devil by the Deed if you don't already have it. It's definitely an attractive package, although $13 is a little steep for 48 pages of material. Still, if you're a Grendel fan like I am, it's worth it just to compare the complete overhaul of the coloring to that of the original version.

I guess the shipping lists have changed since the last time I saw them, because Nightly News isn't on them at all. Weird, it definitely was when I was putting my shopping list together last week.

It's a fairly big week for me.

I'm getting

52
American Virgin
Detective
Jack of Fables
Hex
Tranquility
Madman Atomic
Iron Fist

Maybe Superman. I'm not sure. I'll flip through it in the store. I hate that it's a fill in, but it is Busick writing.

Anyway, I'm going to vote for Jonah Hex. It's continuous amazing.

that should be continously

Scapled

Issue 4 comes out this week. Its been a great little read so far. That's my recommendation.

Hasn't Greg already dropped Ant-Man?

I'm going to suggest picking up Immortal Iron Fist, largely because you're a Brubaker fan and due to it's stylistic similarity to Daredevil. Though the downsides are that it's issue 4 and the art tends to be hit and miss (the flashback sequences are usually better done, IMHO).

What I would like to see though is you taking the same "close your eyes and pick something" approach you do to your back issue box column at some point. The results could be pretty interesting.

My personal top pick is Buffy #2. The first issue was pretty much pure set-up, but was good fun and seems to have a lot of potential. However, it's strictly for fans of the show, so if that doesn't apply to you then you're probably just as well skipping it.

In that case, I'll recommend Runaways. Another Whedon book! I'm a big fan of the series and I thought anyone besides BKV at the helm would be blasphemous... until they announced Whedon was next up. Honestly, Runaways and Whedon should be a natural fit, and I have high hopes that it'll be a great read.

Dude, Savage Tales!

It will "feature a rotating cast of characters and creators featuring the savage and brutal worlds of Red Sonja and the Hunter, Cthulu and the Old Ones, Gleaming Atlantis and much, much more!"

Nuff said.

(NOTE: If your LCBS doesn't do Dynamite titles, then cast my vote for Iron Fist.)

Thanks for the kinds words about Elk's Run, Greg.

Hope some of y'all check it out, too!

I nominate IRON FIST, as I mentioned in a previous post. It's a great book, very fun, well-written, solid characterization, weird enough to be interesting, and not so continuity-laden that you can't enjoy it. It's fantastic.

As for 'TEC, I only find it enjoyable if Dini is writing it. Luckily, he's writing 831 so it's worth a purchase.

Ennis' run on MIDNIGHTER is violent, full of action, and strangely funny. In other words, it's about as good as Ennis gets while writing a non-ironic superhero book. I recommend it wholeheartedly if you've been reading the series (and I recommend back-issues if you haven't).

I will try OMEGA FLIGHT, but with cautious optimism.

Matt D: What is it that makes you think IRON FIST might be in trouble in terms of sales numbers? I heard the first few issues sold out and Marvel has been generally pleased with the overall reception of the book. Is there bad news? Might the title be cancelled? I'm only asking out of curiosity because I haven't checked the sales figures lately.

Iron Fist is selling about 35,000 copies, but it's maintained basically that level since issue #1. So it's a low-selling title, but not in danger right now.

Ant-Man, on the other hand, is selling only about 12,000-15,000 and DROPPING fast. And Ant-Man is a better series. Too bad.

Source: http://www.icv2.com/articles/home/10270.html among other places.

Mikus sexual orgy diary!

Well if no one else will recommend them then I will, Jonah Hex and Jack of Fables (as well as Scalped, Iron Fist, Buffy and Ghost Rider: trail of tears). Of course Elk's Run and Welcome to Tranquility should be on everyones list. I'm also considering picking up Dini's Detective tpb, but that depends on how much abuse my bank account can take in one week.

Ok so someone else did recommend all those titles. My bad. Seriously though the second trade for Jonah Hex is also out this week and if you haven't been reading it this could be a great time to start.

The LITTLE NEMO COMPLETE WORKS HC has the WHOLE classic Little Nemo series in an affordable package. Every comics fan should have it!

It's quite old stuff (it started over a CENTURY ago!), but there are some sequences that just deserve to be seen. I recommend it heartily!

Best,
Hunter (Pedro Bouça)

I hadn't seen the take on the numbers for this month, but I didn't realize Iron Fist was maintaining its sales so well.

I just know that it had a very, very low start compared to let's say Heroes for Hire and was expecting big second and third issue drops.

But it's like the rest of the Bru books in that it's holding up really well. I think that really says something about him as a writer.

I expect Runaways will win the vote, so rather than recommending that one (even though I'll be getting it), I'll vote for Midnighter. It's a standalone issue, with art by Glenn Fabry. Should be fun. I predict violence.

your picks include most of what I would recommend, but I will recoomend Legion of Super Heroes as it may inspire you to collect the earlier Waid/Kitson issues.

They have done a fine job on the book, even with having to interrupt their storyline with the addition of supergirl which felt like it cam out of nowhere. Also the backup feature where legionairres answer letters is great!