Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 8 2010

MARVEL COMICS

OCT100581 CAPTAIN AMERICA KORVAC SAGA #1 (OF 4) $2.99

OCT100683 CAPTAIN AMERICA PREM HC NO ESCAPE $19.99

OCT100719 CAPTAIN AMERICA TP AMERICA FIRST $16.99

OCT100597 CHAOS WAR ARES #1 $3.99

OCT100552 DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER LITTLE SISTERS ELURIA #1 (OF 5) $3.99

OCT100681 DEADPOOL TEAM-UP HC VOL 02 SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP $24.99

OCT100711 EXCALIBUR VISIONARIES WARREN ELLIS TP VOL 03 $29.99

OCT100583 I AM AN AVENGER #4 (OF 5) $3.99

OCT100602 INCREDIBLE HULKS #618 $3.99

OCT100617 INVADERS NOW #4 (OF 5) $3.99

OCT100572 NEW AVENGERS #7 $3.99

OCT100585 SHADOWLAND AFTER FALL #1 $3.99

OCT100623 SUPER HERO SQUAD #12 $2.99

OCT100692 SUPER HERO SQUAD TP HEROED OUT DIGEST $9.99

OCT100624 SUPER HEROES #9 $2.99

OCT100625 THOR #618 $3.99

OCT100626 THOR MIGHTY AVENGER #7 $2.99

OCT100690 THOR MIGHTY AVENGER GN TP VOL 01 GOD WHO FELL INTO EARTH $14.99

OCT100723 UNCANNY X-FORCE POSTER BY ESAD RIBIC $8.99

OCT100706 VENGEANCE OF MOON KNIGHT TP VOL 02 KILLED NOT DEAD $14.99

OCT100637 WHAT IF WOLVERINE FATHER $3.99

OCT100724 WOLVERINE BEST THERE IS POSTER BY BRYAN HITCH $8.99

OCT100680 X-FORCE SEX AND VIOLENCE HC $19.99

OCT100664 X-MEN FOREVER 2 #13 $3.99

IDW from Diamond Distributors for December 8 2010

IDW PUBLISHING

OCT100437 5 DAYS TO DIE TP $19.99

OCT100433 DOCTOR WHO CLASSICS TP VOL 06 $19.99

SEP100396 DRAGON AGE #6 $3.99

OCT100422 GEORGE RR MARTINS DOORWAYS #2 (OF 4) $3.99

OCT100382 GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO #161 $3.99

OCT100385 GI JOE FUTURE NOIR SP #2 (OF 2) $7.99

OCT100378 GI JOE ORIGINS #22 $3.99

OCT100424 JAMES PATTERSONS WITCH & WIZARD #7 OPERATION ZERO $3.99

AUG100368 MYSTERY SOCIETY #5 (OF 5) $3.99

OCT100441 PANTHEON TP VOL 01 $19.99

JUN100383 POLLY & HER PALS COMPLETE SUNDAY COMICS VOL 01 1925-1927 $75.00

SEP100377 SILENT HILL PAST LIFE #2 (OF 4) $3.99

OCT100402 SPIKE #3 (OF 8) $3.99

OCT100419 STAR TREK KHAN RULING IN HELL #3 (OF 4) $3.99

OCT100392 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING #14 $3.99

OCT100394 TRANSFORMERS ONGOING TP VOL 02 INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT $19.99

Dark Horse from Diamond Distributors for December 8 2010

DARK HORSE COMICS

AUG100066 BORIS KARLOFF TALES OF MYSTERY ARCHIVES HC VOL 04 $49.99

OCT100015 BPRD HELL ON EARTH NEW WORLD #5 (OF 5) $3.50

AUG100076 DOMO 4 INCH DECO VINYL FIG POLKA DOT $14.99

AUG100077 DOMO 4 INCH DECO VINYL FIG SPIDER WEB $14.99

AUG100064 FLASH GORDON COMIC BOOK ARCHIVES HC VOL 02 $49.99

OCT100009 LET ME IN CROSSROADS #1 (OF 4) SEAN PHILLIPS CVR $3.99

SEP100121 LITTLE LULUS PAL TUBBY VOL 02 RUNAWAY STATUE $15.99

AUG100023 MAGNUS ARCHIVES TP VOL 01 $19.99

AUG100024 MIGHTY SAMSON ARCHIVES HC VOL 02 $49.99

OCT100035 STAR WARS KNIGHT ERRANT AFLAME #3 (OF 5) $2.99

SEP100096 STAR WARS LEGACY TP VOL 10 EXTREMES $15.99

APR100042 USAGI YOJIMBO TP VOL 08 SHADES OF DEATH NEW PTG (RES) $15.99

APR100043 USAGI YOJIMBO TP VOL 09 DAISHO NEW PTG (RES) $15.99

APR100044 USAGI YOJIMBO TP VOL 10 BRINK OF LIFE & DEATH NEW PTG (RES)

Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for December 8 2010

IMAGE COMICS

SEP100435 27 #1 (OF 4) $3.50

JUN100415 HACK SLASH OMNIBUS TP VOL 03 (IMAGE ED) $34.99

OCT100510 HALCYON #2 $2.99

SEP100470 SPAWN ORIGINS DLX ED HC VOL 02 $100.00

SEP100471 SPAWN ORIGINS DLX ED HC VOL 02 S/N $150.00

OCT100492 WALKING DEAD T/S LG $24.99

OCT100491 WALKING DEAD T/S MED $24.99

OCT100490 WALKING DEAD T/S SM $24.99

OCT100493 WALKING DEAD T/S XL $24.99

OCT100494 WALKING DEAD T/S XXL $27.99

MAY100514 WITCHBLADE #140 PETERSON CVR B $2.99

MAY100513 WITCHBLADE #140 SEJIC CVR A $2.99

Comics and Magazines from Diamond Distributors for December 8 2010

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT
OCT100728 TOYFARE #162 $4.99

COMICS
OCT100777 ARCHIE & FRIENDS #150 $2.99

OCT100778 ARCHIE & FRIENDS DOUBLE DIGEST #1 $3.99

OCT101106 ATOMIC ROBO DEADLY ART OF SCIENCE #2 (OF 5) $3.50

AUG100798 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #6 (OF 7) (MR) $3.99

AUG100799 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #6 (OF 7) TORTURE CVR (MR) $3.99

AUG100800 CROSSED FAMILY VALUES #6 (OF 7) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

OCT101099 HOLIDAZE SC $9.95

OCT100869 IRREDEEMABLE TP VOL 05 $16.99

OCT100948 KEVIN SMITH GREEN HORNET HC VOL 02 WEARING GREEN $24.99

SEP100993 MY BAD GN (MR) $12.95

OCT108095 MY NEW YORK DIARY GN (NEW PTG) (O/A) $16.95

SEP100812 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #2 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99

SEP100813 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #2 (OF 5) GORE CVR (MR) $3.99

SEP100814 NIGHT O/T LIVING DEAD #2 (OF 5) WRAP CVR (MR) $3.99

SEP100745 NIGHTMARES & FAIRY TALES ANNABELLES STORY #1 (OF 4) $3.50

SEP100996 NO ONE LOVES ME GN (MR) $12.95

OCT100964 PROJECT SUPERPOWERS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL #1 $5.99

JUL100938 QUEEN SONJA #12 $3.99

OCT101166 RECONCILERS GN VOL 01 $14.99

OCT100785 SONIC UNIVERSE #23 $2.99

SEP101086 TICK NEW SERIES #7 $4.95

AUG101125 ZMD ZOMBIES OF MASS DESTRUCTION TP $17.95

MAGAZINES
OCT101216 ALTER EGO #98 $7.95
OCT101121 STAR WARS CLONE WARS MAGAZINE #2 $4.99

Leroy Douresseaux on Legion of Super-Heroes The Great Darkness Saga The Deluxe Edition

Legion of Super-heroes: The Great Darkness Saga (Deluxe Edition)

DC COMICS
WRITER: Paul Levitz
PENCILS: Keith Giffen with Pat Broderick, Howard Bender, Carmine Infantino
INKS: Larry Mahlstedt with Bruce D. Patterson, Rodin Rodriguez, Dave Hunt
COLORS: Carl Gafford, Gene D’Angelo
LETTERS: John Costanza, Bruce D. Patterson, Ben Oda, Adam Kubert, Annette Kawecki, Todd Klein, Janice Chiang
COVER: Keith Giffen and Al Milgrom with Drew R. Moore
ISBN: 978-14012-2961-0; hardcover
416pp, Color, $39.99 U.S., $47.99

If there are superhero comic book stories that deserve to be called legendary, then, The Great Darkness Saga is legendary. It may be the most famous Legion of Super-Heroes comic book storyline, and DC Comics is bringing The Great Darkness Saga, first published in the early 1980s, back to print.

No, make that DC Comics is celebrating The Great Darkness Saga with a new book, Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga The Deluxe Edition. This 416-page (7.25in x 11in) hardcover reprints Legion of Super-Heroes #284-296 and Legion of Super-Heroes Annual 1. The Great Darkness Saga started in #290 and ended in the double-sized #294, but the event was foreshadowed before it actually began in a half-year’s worth of Legion of Super-Heroes comic books. After the end of the epic, the series continued to deal with the repercussions on the Legionnaires.

Written by Paul Levitz and largely drawn by penciller Keith Giffen and inker Larry Mahlstedt, The Great Darkness Saga is basically about the Legion of Super-Heroes war against the forces of Darkseid. The New God quietly reawakens in the 30th century and hatches a complicated, but ingenious plan to both revive his powers and to finally conquer the universe and subvert it to darkness.

Unaware, the Legion of Super-Heroes is in a state of flux with retirements and resignations, and also with Legionnaires moving to reserve status. Older members find themselves feeling replaced by newer members and also dealing with their own adult issues and midlife-like problems. Personal problems become team problems, and personal and professional failings take a toll on the team. When Darkseid’s minions attack, the Legion basically wakes up with their lives like a house on fire.

The Great Darkness Saga was of its time and ahead of its time. The character drama and storylines captured the best elements of two of the most popular comic book series of the time, Chris Claremont’s soap operatic Uncanny X-Men and Marv Wolfman’s emerging New Teen Titans. As the story gets deeper into the conflict with Darkseid, the Legion of Super-Heroes basically establishes the template for series-wide and company-wide crossover events that are common today.

In a more compact manner and with fewer characters (although there are lots of Legionnaires) than most crossover events, Paul Levitz takes readers across the 30th century version of the DC Universe to experience a super powers fight club, in which the superheroes try to stop their existence-as-they-know-it from blinking out in favor of eternal darkness. Levitz deftly balances sustained battles with electrifying, fleeting glimpses at other clashes. This epic is the stencil for Crisis on Infinite Earths and its children; one might even recognize Marvel Comics Secret Invasion in this.

One also cannot help but be impressed by how Keith Giffen and Larry Mahlstedt drew this without the art ever looking hurried or rushed. There is a consistency to the storytelling, and the compositions, also stunningly consistent, are impeccable in their professionalism.

What would a grand hardcover collection of classic comics be without some extras? Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga The Deluxe Edition offers the standard sketchbook material and bonus cover art, but by far the best extra – the one that really makes this collection – is the inclusion of Levitz’s plot for issue #290, the opening chapter of Darkness. This detailed plot breakdown (one paragraph for each page) will be a treat for Legion fans and of importance for those who want to write superhero comic books.

The Great Darkness Saga was popular at the time of its publication, but because it was so ahead of its time that it seems of this time; so it deserves the deluxe treatment. Legion of Super-Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga The Deluxe Edition is one of those pricey books that should have place in the home of every reader of superhero comic books.

A+

I Reads You Review: PSYCHO BUSTERS, VOL. 6/7

Creator: Akinari Nao (manga) and Yuya Aoki (story); Stephen Paul (translation and adaptation)

Publishing Information: Del Rey Manga, paperback-B&W, 400 pages, $17.99 U.S., $19.99 CAN

Ordering Numbers: ISBN: 978-0-345-51896-5 (ISBN-13)

Rating: “OT” for “Ages 16+”

Psycho Busters is a manga created by Akinari Nao from a story by Japanese novelist and screenwriter, Yuya Aoki. It follows the adventures of Kakeru Hase, a boy who discovers the world of psychic powers when a girl named Ayano visits him via astral projection. Soon, Kakeru is on the run with Ayano’s friends: Jôi, Kaito, and Xiao Long. Their adversary is Ikushima, the wicked and murderous supervisor of the “Greenhouse,” a laboratory where experiments on psychics are conducted. In time, Kakeru learns that he is also a psychic, a very powerful kind.

In Psycho Busters, Vol. 6/7 (which collects Vols. 6 and 7 of the regular series), the battle between Team Kakeru and Ikushima comes to an end, but not before shocking revelations in the origin story department. Ikushima manages to destroy the world, but there exists in a crack in time a place called the Tower of Time. If Kakeru and his friends can reach the top of the Tower and find the mysterious Akashic Records, they can restore existence. However, Ikushima has a mind-bending connection to one of Kakeru’s friends that will complicate the race to restore the world.

Psycho Busters is a like a shonen manga version of the X-Men. The characters here are essentially mutants, and they are hated and hunted for their powers. Like the X-Men, Psycho Busters has well-drawn characters in which the author provides enough details to keep the readers interested. Akinari Nao offers some visually imaginative sequences in the Tower of Time episode that propel this manga in a way that will keep the readers delightfully surprised. Too bad, this is also the end of the series. I enjoyed reading it, but these characters have more to say than what this relatively short series presented.

B+