Variant Covers: Little Boys, Tight Shorts, and Alan Moore.
Another week, another batch of Variant Covers. The comic book column where I give a cursory glance at release lists and tell you what I’m interested in. I encourage you to share your own most desired of picks, cause I have poor taste, a limited attention span, and I’m always looking to try something new.
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Captain America and Bucky #620.
Marvel is trying so hard, SO HARD, to get everyone who goes to see their funny books turned silver screen experiences into the comic book stores afterwards. They’ve leveraged the Thor and Captain America movies into the seriously convoluted Fear Itself. Not only that, they’ve restarted Captain America with a new #1 issue. Dur! Joe Mouthbreather can totally figure out what title to buy after he goes and stares at them there Chris Evans’ glorious glutes for two hours. Why, it’s a #1 issue. Then they went and took what was previously Captain America and turned it into Captain America and Bucky. A mysterious comic book that somehow is numbered after the original Cap line. Captain America and Bucky! Starting at issue #620.
Yep. I don’t know man. But hey there, Bucky is in the Captain America movie!, so let’s get him in there. Never mind the fact that in the movie he’s a grizzled friend of Steve’s. They’re going full-tilt creepy pedo-friend.
My bitterness bleeds today, the scabs refusing to form. Captain America was going swimmingly with Bucky as Captain America, with sensible numbering. But oh shit!, new movie coming out. Let’s rejigger everything for the crowds that aren’t going to turn out.
If you can get past that, it’s still Ed Brubaker, being complimented by Chris Samnee and his excellent artwork. Hint: I can work it out, but it’s going to be with a couple muffled groans. In fact, I may even intentionally crease my own copy. Fuck you, resale value.
Also Dropping From Marvel is FF #7, which continues my Hickman love fest. Glory be his name. There’s also a big Spider-Man event starting, in case you weren’t sated with Fear Itself and Flashpoint. Amazing Spider-Man #666 is the beginning of Spider Island! which I think means that everyone in Manhattan gets Spider-Man’s powers. I’m not making this up. But oh shit seriously, grab Uncanny X-Force #12. Rick Remender brings the perfect balance of hyper-violence, witty repartee and homosuperior.
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Alan Moore: Storyteller HC.
Tomorrow the ultimate is arriving for all of the Alan Moore fanboy warlocks and witches out there. This hardcover is a compendium dedicated to the guy who wrote That Comic Zack Snyder Nearly Ruined as well as V for Vendetta, Miracle Man, Swamp Thing, and Neonomicon. The last title being my favorite title ever to feature examinations of textual conventions and oh yeah – lizard cock jism splash panels.
So you’re a warlock and you’ve got your skull rings on and maybe a few crumbs in the beard you grew out in Moore’s name and you’re curious as to what’s in this pig. I’m going to tell you. Buckle up and prepare to cast your favorite spell of glee. It’s an authorized biography with quotes, cuts from scripts and artwork. The fun doesn’t stop there though. There’s a friggin’ CD with some of Moore’s musical and spoken performances. This may sound like something to sniff at, but if you’ve ever heard Moore read some of Rorschach’s dialogue, you know he’s a creepy and entertaining son of a bitch.
As much fan as I make, it’s an interesting collection of tidbits from one of the most prominent comic book writers ever. It only runs $27 on Amazon, and for that money you can get an insight into the dude who made deconstructing the superhero part of even the average non-lover of comics jabroni’s lexicon.
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Xombi #5.
The second to last issue of John Rozum and Frazier Irving’s Xombi drops tomorrow. It’s passing away in a couple of months, the victim of poor sales and the DC Reboot-Refresh-Resomething. You’re probably not reading the title, but I’m going to continue pumping the mill for it. It’s one of the most gorgeous books out there, with Irving’s artwork absolutely crushing it every issue. You say you haven’t read an issue of the comic book yet. Just buy it, and stare at the glorious visuals before your plump oculars. You’ll thank me. It doesn’t hurt that Rozum’s somewhat religious, totally futurist storylines are the special sort of odd. Fare thee well, Xombi. May you live a new live in TPB sales that you never had as a monthly comic.
Also In The Pre-DC Reboot World this week is DC’s gimmicky DC Retroactive line. I’ll admit that it’s got me a bit interested. The Distinguished Competition has creators from the 1970’s coming back to write a retro issue of established icons before the forthcoming reboot hits. Martin Pasko is penning a new tale in DC Retroactive: Superman – The 70s #1, and there’s also retroactive installments of JLA, and Green Lantern dropping. As well, Detective Comics #880 is hitting the shelves before Snyder takes over Batman proper post-relaunch, and I’m excited. The guy knows the Flying Rodent.
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That does it for me this week, what are you guys and gals checking out? Hit me.