Wednesday.  The weekly grind slogs on.  The guy one cubicle over won’t shut up about the goddamned weather.  Your neighbor’s dog continues to shit in your yard.  Frozen fishsticks for dinner.  Again.  There is, however, a brightness to be found in the murk.  I wish I could say it was this column, but nay, I am not that good.  No, it’s the subject of this column that is our beacon.  I’m here to round up the best and brightest funnybooks that drop in our laps (and comic shops/tablets/grocery store wire racks circa pre-1992) on this most miserable of days.  So walk towards this brightness with me – seek out the light.  Let’s talk some damned comics, shall we?

Lots of great titles this week, and a full list can be found HERE.

Join me as we discuss new Rick Remender, my favorite West Coast Avenger, and an Omnibus collecting my favorite series of ALL TIME.  Plus I get a little salty at Marvel.  Should be fun!

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What if Superman took over the world…and the story ends there?  Not because there isn’t anything left to tell, or that once a man who is also a god declares himself king there is no more strife in the world.  No – the story ends because DC loses the rights to Superman, and the character remains tied up in litigation for years, and the story CAN’T be told.  Sorry, no third act.  Curtains.

Hit the jump and let’s talk about the very similar story of Miracleman, the dawn of deconstructionism in comics, and how the third act in the story of Miracleman begins again this week courtesy of Marvel!

Oh, and we’ll also be chatting about some of the other cool books dropping this week (full list can be found HERE) so if Miracleman ain’t yo’ thang you might find some other goodies within. 

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I blame myself for ignoring the Starks.  “Winter is coming! Winter is coming!” they kept saying.  And not even with aplomb.  Always some somber ass portending with them.  Well, they were right.  The 2014 Polar Vortex (I prefer Meat Tornados, personally) dropped right square on my section of the country, and I was a fool for ignoring poor, dead Ned (SPOILER ALERT).  I’ve been digging my way out of my house ever since, and have only recently regained feeling in the extremities.  So I’m just now able to bang out this column for you guys, the first BTFC of 2014!  We got a few pretty cool books to check out (if you haven’t already), so hit the jump and let’s discuss, shall we?  Perhaps over a warm fire, with some cocoa and whatnot, yes?

As a reminder, all this week’s new releases can be found here.

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So 2013 is in the rearview, but what a year for comics, am I right?  While Marvel had an impressive and diverse publishing initiative in Marvel NOW, DC alienated fans across the board with bland updates to their characters (save for Batman & Wonder Woman, maybe) and business practices that would seem right at home in the mid 20^th century.  Meanwhile, Image released a flood of new titles that only continued to improve their brand as the go-to company for independent, creator-owned fare.  Paul Pope dropped his long awaited Battle Boy, comic legend Gilbert Hernandez dropped five new books, and we got another issue of Adrian Tomine’s Optic Nerve.  We even got some “Event” books that weren’t half-bad.  Hit the jump and check out what we here on Spaceship Omega thought was the 13 Best Comics of 2013, and make sure to agree/disagree with our rankings in the comments section!

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Let’s get the apology out of the way first. To the crew and passengers aboard the ship, I’m sorry for being so unacceptably neglectful of my duties. However, I’ve been building you all a present. Come down any time you want and visit me just off the engine room in our brand-spanking new Dreamatorium. Not as technologically advanced as a Holodeck, but it works in an overly imaginative pinch.

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Admittedly, I don’t get out much.  More often than not I can be found in the bowels of Spaceship Omega, hiberbating in my nanotumblr chrysalis-tomb, forever scrolling through pictures of Kate Upton and 80’s pop-culture ephemera.  Time well spent, to be sure, but it also keeps me well behind the game – the game in this instance being knowledge of all the greatest media the current year in pop culture has to offer.  Oh sure, I know about the Sagas, Infinities, Prophets, and X-Menonites, they big guys, but what have I let slip through the cracks?  What great funnybooks have I failed to verse myself in, and in turn, failed bringing to you guys?  These past couple weeks I’ve shed the nano-skin, hopped in actual clothing and went outside to the local brick and mortar to find some of the best and brightest books I was missing out on in 2013.  Wanna know what I found?  Hit the jump and read on, kids!

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Seven days left, ya’ll!  You feelin’ it?  Merry X-Mens is right around the corner, and the search for gifts, trimming of trees, all that goofy shit is reaching a fever pitch.  Me?  No X-Mens Spirit yet, folks, I gotta be up front.  Ol’ Hotsauce is workin’ like crazy and is bone-weary.  But I’m getting there.  It helps when I get to kick back and relax, catch up on the tv I’ve had to ignore, and dive into the ever-growing “To Read” funnybook stack.  That stack grows considerably larger this week as a truckload of my very favorite books drop.  It’s like Kris Kringle, even knowing full damned well I’ve never been on the NICE list, is still looking out for me.  Hit the jump and see what books have caught my eye and belong in stockings across the globe (note:  do not actually put a comic book into a comic book fan’s stocking – don’t fuck up the CGC value plzzzzz), and make sure to tell us what books you want wrapped, bagged, and boarded under YOUR tree.  For those of you reading that don’t celebrate X-Mens, you should be ashamed.  Very un-American of you.  Xavier died for all of our sins, and his birthday should be kept holy.

On to the books!

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Being a bro means many things. The word has decayed, transmuted, metamorphisized throughout the ages. The term has been passed from one culture to the next, each co-opting the sacred letters for their own means. Those who wield Thu’um have used the word for power, pain, and glory. At its truest essence, being a bro means coming through for another bro in moments of need. Strip away the smell of Milwaukee’s Beast, peel off the layers of Frat Hall grease, and you will find such a truth. So when Johnny Hotsauce said that The Tricky Thing Called Life was keeping him away from this column, I decided to be a bro. Help a bro. Make a bro. For life.

Now I’ll level with you. There are a couple things  I’m better at than Johnny Hotsauce. Eating sixteen pizzas in front of a disgusted family and tee-ball team.  Desperately shitting into a toilet four minutes before I have to teach a class and still making it before the bell rings. Torrents of man-chocolate glossing the ceramic throne, all while I’m counting seconds and checking Tumblr. However, writing a comic books column is where Hotsauce has me bested. By a considerable portion. So I supplicate myself before you folks. Accept my bro-powered offering until his return next week. I know I am not worthy, but I know I am a true bro.

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Welcome, friend-os, to another installment of BTFC, the #1 stop to find the best and brightest comic releases each week.  Not #1?  Did I make your top 10, at least?  No matter.  What DOES matter is that we’ve got a week chock full of interesting releases, and if you hit the jump you can check those out AND be privy to my insane Marvel U conspiracy theories.  It’s a win-win for everyone.

Check out all the new releases HERE and remember to hit up the comments section and mention the floppies that made your pull list but perhaps missed my mentioning.  See you inside!

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“On my signal, unleash Hell.”

So this is why last week was so dry, and why pull lists were weak – the industry was gearing up for the holiday season and the Black Friday LCS sales!  This week sees a thunderous ton of books dropping into our laps.  Every book that normally gets a “Omega Level Pick of the Week” all come out this week.  Huge events reach their conclusion.  Exciting new books drop to replace them.  Superman celebrates his 75^th Anniversary.  Your wallets groan, your credit cards gnash their teeth, gift cards jump to their death.  So put your bibs on kids, this is the meal before your Thanksgiving meal.  Don’t gorge yourself, the trick is pacing – and the helpings are plenty.

Check out all the new releases HERE, and give your LCS a visit to see if they are offering any cool sales for the holiday season!

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