Valiant Comics Offers Four Titles for September 2012

VALIANT Solicitations For SEPTEMBER 2012

X-O MANOWAR #5
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by LEE GARBETT
Cover by MICO SUAYAN
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by PHILIP TAN
Interlocking Variants by PATRICK ZIRCHER

All new arc! X-O Manowar vs. Ninjak!

Jump on board the smash hit series of the summer as two legends of the Valiant Universe collide for the first time! The X-O Manowar armor has fallen to Earth... and now the world's most lethal intelligence agent has a new target. But who is the operative known only as Ninjak? And who – or what – has marked Aric of Dacia for death by his blade? Find out as the all-new Ninjak makes his shocking first appearance – and cuts his way to the forefront of the Valiant Universe.

$3.99/ T +/32 pgs.
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 12th!
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HARBINGER #4
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS & LEWIS LAROSA
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Variant Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE

School is out. Of control.

Inside the Harbinger Foundation, Peter Stanchek thought he would finally find freedom. Instead, he found a prison of his own design. As Peter begins to yearn for the comforts of his old life, he’s about to discover that leaving Harada’s program isn’t easy – it’s impossible. As rebellion brews among his pupils, Harada must ask himself: has he been building an ally in Peter all this time – or the perfect enemy?

$3.99/ T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 12th!
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #2
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Cover by ARTURO LOZZI
Variant Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER

In the Valiant Universe, even secrets have secrets. Have you heard the one about The Michelangelo Code?

Inside a Masonic crypt beneath Wall Street, The 1% engineer a financial apocalypse that will save the dollar, but could destroy the world. Within the secret archives of the Vatican, The Spirituali shelter a secret that could crack history in half. And – in a bar somewhere – Archer & Armstrong are all that stands between the ancient conspiracy that binds these two group together. But can Archer survive a terrible betrayal from his own family – and the shocking revelation of Armstrong's closest ally? Get ready for a spreadsheet-shattering, kung-fu gripping action epic that will set the Valiant Universe aflame!

$3.99/ T +/32 pgs.
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 5th!
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BLOODSHOT #3
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Art by MANUEL GARCIA & ARTURO LOZZI
Cover by ESAD RIBIC
Variant Cover by ARTURO LOZZI

Heroes aren’t born. They’re built.

You have no name, just a project designation. They call you Bloodshot, but the voices inside your head call you “daddy, “sir,” “commander,” “comrade” – whatever it takes to motivate you to get the job done. But after so many missions and so many lives, you’re finally ready to confront your handlers at Project Rising Spirit and find out who you really are. You’d better move quickly though, because your former masters don’t like it when a billion-dollar weapons project decides to go rogue. Can you discover the truth before their next deadly mind wipe takes you off the board for good? Let’s hope so…because everyone inside you is counting on it.

$3.99/ T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE SEPTEMBER 5th!

Review - Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero

"High-Flying Tidbits and Anecdotes"
SUPERMAN: THE HIGH-FLYING HISTORY OF AMERICA’S MOST ENDURING HERO
RANDOM HOUSE

AUTHOR: Larry Tye
COVER: The Dynamic Duo/Corbin Images
ISBN: 978-1-4000-6866-1; hardcover
430pp, B&W, $27.00 U.S., $32.00 CAN

Random House, the publisher of Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero, bills the book as “the first full-fledged history not just of the Man of Steel but of the creators, designers, owners, and performers who made him the icon he is today.” The book is written by author, Larry Tye, a former journalist for The Boston Globe. Tye is perhaps best known for the book, Satchel: The Life and Times of an American Legend, his 2009 biography of Negro League baseball pitcher, Satchel Paige.

In a sense, Random House is accurate in its description of Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero. This is a broad and comprehensive history of Superman and of the real life people who created him, published him, marketed him, and brought him to life in other mediums (like radio, film, and television). This book is less history than it is like a very long magazine feature full of information, tidbits, anecdotes, etc. that the casual Superman fan may not know, but the rabid or dedicated fans already know. For instance, I didn’t know that George Reeves of the famous 1950s television series, Adventures of Superman, slept in the nude. I didn’t know that Brandon Routh, who played Superman in the 2006 film, Superman Returns, wore Superman costumes so fitted to his body that he could not gain or lose an ounce until the film was released.

Tye’s Superman book is a history of Superman, sort of a fictional biography that looks at his allies and adversary, his powers, his struggles and ordeals – his mythology, if you will. However, Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero is also the story of the comic book creators, owners, writers, artists, and businessmen, as well as the people in television, film, and radio who made Superman into an international icon and one of the most famous fictional characters of the last one hundred years.

The story of Superman begins in America’s heartland, in the depths of the Great Depression. In Cleveland, Ohio, a shy, awkward teenager named Jerry Siegel dreamed up the hero he needed, but it turns out the world in which Jerry lived also desperately needed a hero just like the one he created. Joined by neighborhood pal and aspiring artist, Joe Shuster, Siegel brought to life Superman, the star of a hoped for newspaper comic strip. Fate brought Superman to a new medium, the comic book, and before long he was a media and merchandising star. Tye writes that he has drawn upon newly revealed sources (including Jerry Siegel’s unpublished memoir) to tell the story of Superman and the real-life people behind the superhero also known as the Man of Tomorrow.

Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero is not the kind of book that will compete for the Pulitzer Prize in the categories of “Biography or Autobiography,” “Feature Writing” or “History.” This book is a broad overview mostly about Superman and the people at National Comics Publications (which would later be named DC Comics) who would turn Superman from an idea and a few pages of comics produced by two young men in Cleveland into a global brand and icon. The book also covers the people who brought Superman to life on radio and in films, television series, and animation.

In that sense, Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero is essentially a book-length feature article with elements of history and biography, and that’s probably for the best when an author is trying to cover everything about Superman – fictional and real. There are over 70 years worth of multiple comic book series featuring the Man of Steel and spin-off characters, plus all the supporting characters, villains, and faux-mythology related both to the main character (Superman) and those spin-offs. As for the people behind Superman: well, that story that starts before Superman ever appeared in a comic book (Action Comics #1, April 1938); it goes back to the late 19th century and the birth of magazine entrepreneur, Harry Donenfeld, in Romania. Then, there are the people who, for over seven decades, have brought Superman to life in a variety of mass media formats: newspapers, television, film, etc.

There are so many people that Tye can only offer a few highlights (and low lights) about the prominent ones. Reading this, I get the idea that there are even better stories about a lot of these people that would fill a separate book. I know there’s a great book about Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster’s relationship waiting to be written, to say nothing of the riveting read the tale of the relationship between Siegel and his boss, Jack Liebowitz, would be.

Still, this is a fun read. Tye’s foray into the life of actor George Reeves of the classic 1950s TV series, Adventures of Superman, seems to be right out of CBS’ “48 Hours” or “E’s True Hollywood Stories.” Tye’s account of the birth of Superman: The Movie is some of the best film history I’ve read in years.

I wished that there was more about certain individuals, but this is still a good book. People who want to know more about Superman will not go wrong with Superman: The High-Flying History of American’s Most Enduring Hero.

I Reads You Review: Young Justice #16

"Christopher Jones Superstar"
YOUNG JUSTICE #16
DC COMICS

WRITERS: Kevin Hopps and Greg Weisman
ART: Christopher Jones
COLORS: Zac Atkinson
LETTERS: Dezi Sienty
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S.

Rated "E" for "Everyone"

“Young Justice” is an animated cable television series that debuted on Cartoon Network in 2010. Although it shares a name with the DC Comics comic book series that debuted in 1998, “Young Justice” the television series is really an adaptation of the entire DC Universe of characters.

The series focuses on the lives and adventures of the sidekicks and protégés of some of DC Comics’ biggest superheroes. Characters such as Superboy, Robin, Aqualad, and others try to prove themselves while dealing with adolescent issues. As it has done with other animated series based on its comic book titles, DC Comics is publishing a comic book adaptation of “Young Justice,” also entitled Young Justice.

Young Justice #16 (“Common Denominators”) finds three different hero-sidekick combinations dealing with unusual robberies. In Star City, Green Arrow and protégé, Artemis, take on a band of well-armed thieves in Star City World History Museum. The next day, Flash and Kid Flash race through Central City on a mission to capture escaped animals at Central City Zoo? The story moves four days forward to Gotham City. Batman and Robin find thieves in the Gotham City Observatory, but these thieves aren’t after something; they’re after someone.

The first thing about this issue of Young Justice that stands out to me is the art. Christopher Jones is a highly-skilled artist, showing flexibility when dealing with figure drawing and dexterity in the layout of his pages. His compositions are lively, and the backgrounds are simple, clean, and evocative. The color by Zac Atkinson makes the art even more energetic and even makes the drawings pop off the page. This is a good effect for scenes like the splash page (Page 2) and ¾ splash (Page 20).

The art by Jones and Atkinson is what really gives weight and depth to this story, which is written by Kevin Hopps and Greg Weismann, who are also writers on the “Young Justice” TV series. It is not that this is a bad story; it is just slight. This is the kind of story that can only exist as a full story when drawn by a comic book artist. In fact, if this story were drawn by an artist less talented than Christopher Jones, “Common Denominators” would not be much of a story. This is a comic book, and Jones’ kind of comic book art is what makes it fun to read.

B+

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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 20 2012

DC COMICS

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APR120234 BLUE BEETLE #10 $2.99

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APR128194 JUSTICE LEAGUE BATMAN ACTION FIGURE WAVE 2 PI

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APR120295 UNWRITTEN #38 (MR) $2.99

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APR120271 YOUNG JUSTICE #17 $2.99

Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 20 2012

MARVEL COMICS

APR120719 ALPHA FLIGHT COMPLETE SERIES BY PAK AND LENTE TP (RES) $29.99

APR120718 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN MOVIE PRELUDE TP $9.99

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APR120584 AVENGERS ACADEMY #32 AVX $2.99

APR128104 AVENGERS VS X-MEN #1 (OF 12) 4TH PTG CHEUNG VAR AVX (PP #102 $3.99

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APR120612 AVENGING SPIDER-MAN #8 ENDS $3.99

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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for June 20 2012

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APR120402 ILLUSTRATED MASQUES TP $19.99

MAR120396 LOVECRAFT LIBRARY HC VOL 02 CALL OF CTHULHU & OTHER TALES $16.99

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MAR120382 MEMORIAL #6 (OF 6) $3.99

APR120375 NEXT MEN AFTERMATH #44 $3.99

MAR120394 RIO HC $49.99

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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 20 2012

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