by Josh Crawley

~

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, children of all ages; Westfield Comics proudly brings to you… Previews #272!!!

~

The Complete Major Bummer Super Slacktacular TPB

Having not seen Doug Mahnke’s awesome pencils until I started reading the Superman: Man of Steel run penned by Mark Schultz, and not being the kind of person to hunt down back issues, this collection is very welcomed. The only thing I really worry about, though, is the quality of reproduction. I’m really hoping it isn’t page after page of lackluster scans, as collections of material this old can end up being.

Of course, I also tend to find most people aren’t anywhere near as picky as me in that regard, so it may be a moot point.

~

Madame Xanadu Volume 4: Extra Sensory

If you’ve read my review of Volume 1, you’ve probably (very rightly) guessed that I’m very much looking forward to the release of this volume, the bittersweet finale of the series.

~

Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition

Honestly, if I have to say anything to convince you to buy this book you probably shouldn’t be buying it anyways… because no offense to Stan Lee or Jack Kirby, but these are probably the best Thor comics ever. (See, it’s so matter of fact I didn’t even use and exclamation mark.) If you’re on the fence, consider just how well the similar Rocketeer collection was received not too long ago (was it really almost two years ago?). Speaking of the devil, check out this amazing collection of Stevens’ sketches from IDW this month, too!

~

Parker: The Martini Edition

Not only does it have a classy name, it may double as a deadly weapon (if you can manage to throw it at someone).

~

The Red Wing #1

I’m just going to assume by now that you all know this is the same Jonathan Hickman who’s been writing Fantastic Four (and more recently FF, which stands for both First Family and Future Foundation, depending on who’s there), S.H.I.E.L.D., and some creator-owned titles like Red Mass for Mars, The Nightly News, and Pax Romana. Also, he’s not to be confused with Troy Hickman, the Pilot Season-winning creator of Twilight Guardian which just wrapped up.

Really, though, I just wanted to spotlight it because my friend Rachelle Rosenberg is doing some pretty colors for the book. Her work can be seen most recently in Doctor Who: A Fairytale Life, Captain America The Korvac Saga, and possibly my favorite, the Namora Women of Marvel one-shot.

It may also be a fun novelty gift for the Detroit Red Wings fan in your life, too.

~

Avengelyne #1 (cover B – Gieni)

I’d love to be proven wrong, but as this is a book Rob Liefeld controls, my hopes aren’t too high. However, I love the look of Owen Gieni’s art here. It reminds me of a slightly less cartoony Josh Howard. Also to help you get caught up, why not check out the Avengelyne Podcast from the fine folks at Image Addiction?

~

Reaper #2

I’m not quite sure I ever read the first book of this series from long, long ago (seven years ago; scripted by Robert Kirkman from a story by Cliff Rathburn, if memory serves me), but the preview art has a scantily clad, creepy & demony-looking lady, so you know I’ll check it out.

~

Bomb Queen: Gang Bang TPB

I’m a fan of “director’s versions” of things, even if in comics it usually is just commentary and sketches, not recut material.

~

Strange Girl Omnibus HC

I just wanted to point out that my friend, Micah Farritor, drew an issue of this series, too. You may know him from such titles as Night Trippers and White Picket Fences.

~

Cap and Thor! Avengers

I don’t even want to include a link to this, honestly, as I’m a huge fan of Ron Lim’s (especially his run on Captain America), and my feelings towards the movie costume are pretty much the exact opposite of that. Also, I’m of the general idea that making comics that feature the “characters from the films” is redundant. Those characters have been in plenty of comics already, and if the characters are different from the comics, why do those movies have their names on them, and why should we go watch them?

~

And sadly, on that note, I’m going to call it a week. Tune in next week, though, for… the rest… of Previews.
~

Follow my tweets, email me, and be sure to keep an eye out on the Westfield Comics Facebook.

Josh Crawley may or may not be the keyboardist for Everclear. He strongly suggests you not bet that he is.