Friday, November 1, 2013

Valiant Comics for November 2013

VALIANT Solicitations for NOVEMBER 2013

UNITY #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art & Cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Pullbox Exclusive Variants by BRYAN HITCH, J.G. JONES, TRAVEL FOREMAN, PAOLO RIVERA and CLAYTON CRAIN
8-Bit Evolution Variant by DONOVAN SANTIAGO
Valiant Signature Series Variant by BART SEARS
Variant Cover by NEAL ADAMS
B&W Sketch Variant by NEAL ADAMS
Blank Variant also available
Team USA Luge Variant also available

To kill a king, he has created an army.

The world's most dangerous man, Toyo Harada, has been struck by the one thing he never thought possible – fear. Halfway across the globe, a new power threatens to topple modern civilization and, to preempt the cataclysm that is to come, Harada will unite the most lethal, most volatile, most unforgiving team the world has ever known – UNITY. Their mission: defeat the warrior king armed with the universe's most powerful weapon. Kill X-O Manowar!

Be here when New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Justice League of America, Mind MGMT) and superstar artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice, Journey into Mystery) launch Valiant's first-ever superteam into the landmark comic book event of the year with an all-new ongoing series in UNITY #1, featuring covers by a murderer's row of comics juggernauts – Doug Braithwaite, JG Jones, Bryan Hitch, Paolo Rivera, Clayton Crain, Travel Foreman, and Neal Adams!

You've heard the buzz, you've seen the reviews. If you still haven't jumped onto Valiant Comics, the time is now! This November, UNITY is the perfect entry point for new readers.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th!
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X-O MANOWAR #19 (UNITY TIE-IN)
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CARY NORD
Cover by CLAYTON CRAIN
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by MIGUEL SEPULVEDA
Variant Cover by BART SEARS

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! X-O Manowar goes head-to-head against the forces of UNITY!

Aric of Dacia has fought to reclaim the ancestral lands of the Visigoths – and he has bled for it.  But nothing he has faced before can prepare him for the combined might of UNITY – and the deadly combination of Harada, Ninjak, Eternal Warrior and Livewire! New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Green Lantern) and Eisner Award winner Cary Nord (X-O Manowar: Planet Death) reunite for a landmark, standalone story arc at the heart of UNITY.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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QUANTUM AND WOODY #5
Written by JAMES ASMUS
Art by LEE GARBETT
Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON
Pullbox Exclusive Variant by LEE GARBETT
Variant Cover by DAVID LOPEZ
Variant Cover by MIKE McKONE

All-new arc, all-new jumping-on point! All-new…problems?

Eric and Woody have had their lives turned upside down. What do you do when the most annoying person in your life is also the only thing keeping you alive? You move in with him! And his goat. And his barely legal clone girlfriend. Besides, every team of heroes needs a secret headquarters…and this one has a slightly used hot tub. Plus: Quantum meets his first true super-villain!

Attention fans and retailers: Look for the Quantum and Woody Vol. 1 TPB in stores the same day! Intro priced at only $9.99!

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th! 
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ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #15
Written by FRED VAN LENTE
Art by KHARI EVANS
Cover by CLAYTON HENRY
Variant Cover by MICHAEL WALSH

WARNING: This is no longer a (FINGER QUOTES) "fun" comic.

Now that the Sect Civil War has begun, it is now a (FINGER QUOTES) "grim" and (FINGER QUOTES) "gritty" work of (REAL QUOTES) "sequential literature" with blood and headshots and naughty words (like "H-E-DOUBLE-HOCKEY-STICKS") and if you squint real hard at the backgrounds, maybe boobies.

In this particular issue that will change the Valiant Universe forever*, the man now calling himself Dark Archer (NOTE TONAL SHIFT) must find his former partner Armstrong so they can reunite to stop the aforementioned Sect Civil War.

And there are almost no fart jokes.

Okay, one.

(* FOREVER = APPROX. 20 MINUTES)

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th! 
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SHADOWMAN #12
Written by ALES KOT, CHRISTOPHER SEBELA, and NEIL DVORAK
Art by CLAYTON CRAIN, MICO SUAYAN, and NEIL DVORAK
Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Variant Cover by KEKAI KOTAKI

An all-star anthology of Shadowman tales from the Deadside and beyond!

Superstar artist Clayton Crain and a stellar roster of all-star creators bring you not one, not two, but three chilling Shadowman stories. Ales Kot (Suicide Squad, Zero), Christopher Sebela (Captain Marvel, Screamland), and Neil Dvorak (Easy Pieces) push the outer bounds of the world of Shadowman further than ever before! 

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th!
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ETERNAL WARRIOR #3
Written by GREG PAK
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover by J.G. JONES
Variant Cover by RILEY ROSSMO

Save the Wizard!

Hungry for glory as the new Fist and Steel, the Eternal Warrior's daughter Xaran has started a war between the mysterious Houses that rule the world. Now, as Gilad struggles to contain his daughter's savage nature, two generations of Eternal Warrior race after the answers that lie between science and myth, rumor and legend, conquest and defeat.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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BLOODSHOT AND H.A.R.D. CORPS #16
Written by CHRISTOS GAGE & JOSHUA DYSART
Art by EMANUELA LUPACCHINO
Cover by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Variant Cover by CHRISCROSS

Sometimes gunslingers go out the hard way.

H.A.R.D. Corps has just experienced its first fatality. Bloodshot is severely weakened. He and Charlie are at each other’s throats. And the new rookies are a mess. It would be suicide to take on Harada now…so that’s exactly what they’ll do.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 20th! 
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HARBINGER #18
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by BARRY KITSON
Cover by MICHAEL WALSH
Variant Cover by ANDREW ROBINSON

Nothing is what it seems when hyper-psychics go to war.

Scattered across their own mental landscapes, each one of the remaining Renegades must quest to unite with the others or be lost forever inside themselves. It will take courage, strength, imagination and an unwavering belief in one another if they're going to discover the dark truth behind their Perfect Day.

$3.99/T+/32 pgs.
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th! 
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QUANTUM AND WOODY VOL. 1: THE WORLD'S WORST SUPERHERO TEAM TPB
Written by JAMES ASMUS
Art by TOM FOWLER
Cover by RYAN SOOK

Those guys are the worst.

Once upon a time, Eric and Woody Henderson were inseparable. Adopted brothers. Best friends. Brilliant minds. Years later, they are estranged siblings, petty rivals, and washed-up failures. But when their father’s murder leads them into the throes of a life-altering scientific accident, Eric and Woody will find themselves with a whole new purpose – and a perfectly legitimate reason to wear costumes and fight crime. Go big or go home, folks! Quantum and Woody are coming! (And, yes, there is a goat too.)

Collecting QUANTUM AND WOODY #1-4 by creators James Asmus (Thief of Thieves) and Tom Fowler (Hulk: Season One), start reading here to jump into the action-packed, zeitgeist-shredding exploitation stunt comic that Comic Book Resources calls "yet another critically acclaimed hit for Valiant Comics."

$9.99/T+/112 pgs.
TRADE PAPERBACK
ISBN: 978-1-939346-18-6
ON SALE NOVEMBER 6th! 
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HARBINGER DELUXE EDITION VOL. 1 HC
Written by JOSHUA DYSART
Art by KHARI EVANS, TREVOR HAIRSINE, MICO SUAYAN, BARRY KITSON, PHIL BRIONES, LEE GARBETT, PERE PEREZ, and MATTHEW CLARK
Cover by MICO SUAYAN

An oversized, deluxe hardcover collecting the landmark first year of Harbinger in the Valiant Universe!

Outside the law. Inside your head. You've never met a team of super-powered teenagers quite like the Renegades. Skipping across the country in a desperate attempt to stay one step ahead of the authorities, psionically-powered teenager Peter Stanchek only has one option left – run. But he won't have to go it alone. As the shadowy corporation known as the Harbinger Foundation draws close on all sides, Peter will have to find and recruit other unique individuals like himself… other troubled, immensely powerful youths with abilities beyond their control. Their mission? Bring the fight back to the Harbinger Foundation's founder Toyo Harada – and dismantle his global empire brick by brick…

Collecting the sold-out HARBINGER #0-14, the Harbinger Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 HC also comes jam-packed with more than 20 pages of never-before-seen art and extras, direct from the Valiant vaults.

$39.99/T+/384 pgs.
OVERSIZED HARDCOVER
ISBN: 978-1-939346-13-1
ON SALE NOVEMBER 13th!
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VALIANT MASTERS: RAI VOL. 1 – FROM HONOR TO STRENGTH HC
Written by DAVID MICHELINIE
Art by JOE ST. PIERRE, PETER GRAU, and SAL VELLUTO
Cover by JOE ST. PIERRE

The legendary future of the Valiant Universe – back in print after 20 years!

4001 A.D. - Tohru Nakadai is the 42nd Rai, the spirit guardian of Japan. Infused with the energy of his ancestors and dedicated to the way of the samurai, Rai is sworn to the service of Grandmother – the personified artificial intelligence that governs the island nation of Japan. For forty generations Grandmother's benevolent dominion has endured, but in the wake of her sudden disappearance, Rai will become all that stands between his nation and all-out chaos. As humanist factions war with mechanist loyalists for control of the future, the masterless Tohru is about to become the first Rai that must choose for himself how best to defend his people, his family, and his honor.

Collecting RAI (1992) #1-8 in a deluxe hardcover format for the first time anywhere, revisit the future of the original Valiant Universe with Rai’s critically acclaimed, highly sought-after adventures from legendary creators David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Iron Man), Joe St. Pierre (Spider-Man 2099), Peter Grau (Titans) and Sal Velluto (Bloodshot)!

$24.99/T+/184 pgs.
HARDCOVER
ISBN: 978-1-939346-07-0
ON SALE NOVEMBER 27th!




I Reads Thanksgiving 2013

It is November 2013.  Once again, we want to welcome you to I Reads You, a ComicBookBin web publication (www.comicbookbin.com).  We write about the things we read:  mostly comic books, comics, and related books.  Sometimes, we’ll write about or link to other topics:  typically books, politics, and entertainment.

All images and text appearing on this publication are copyright © and/or trademark their respective owners.





Thursday, October 31, 2013

I Reads You Review: ALL-NEW X-MEN #15

ALL-NEW X-MEN #15
MARVEL COMICS

WRITER: Brian Michael Bendis
ARTIST: David Lafuente
COLORS: Jim Campbell
LETTERS: VC’s Cory Petit
COVER: Stuart Immonen and Wade von Grawbadger with Rain Beredo
28pp, Colors, $3.99 U.S.

Rated T+

By now, some of you, dark readers, know the premise of All-New X-Men, one of the titles born out of Marvel Comics’ Marvel NOW initiative.  At the Jean Grey School for Higher Learning, Storm, Wolverine, Beast, Iceman, and Kitty Pryde try to keep Professor Charles Xavier’s dream alive.  Meanwhile, Cyclops/Scott Summers, one of the original X-Men, has become a highly controversial figure, and he is now the public face of a new mutant revolution.

In a desperate bid to stop Cyclops from triggering a mutant apocalypse, Beast/Hank McCoy (who was dying at one point) goes back in time.  He brings the original X-Men:  Cyclops, Jean Grey, Iceman, Beast, and Angel, back with him.  Beast hopes that what they learn in his present/their future, they can take back to their time and keep a dark future from happening.  The teens decide to stay and fix what is wrong… now.

All-New X-Men #15 is a stand-alone issue that focuses on the original X-Men.  The story opens with the return of Rachel Grey to the mansion.  Is she ready for the original Jean Grey?  More complications arise for young Jean during a vehicle repair session with the adult Beast.  What she inadvertently learns from him could change the group dynamics of the original X-Men.

Meanwhile, young Scott and Bobby (Iceman) decide to “blow this popsicle stand.”  They basically run away from home/the school to be with real people and to do things that real teenagers do.  They end up at a street market, where they make new friends.  But will their mutant powers get in the way?

I am reviewing All-New X-Men #15 in order to praise guest artist, David Lafuente.  His work here reminds me of Mike Allred’s art for the late X-Statix, one of my favorite X-Men comic book series.  I think Lafuente’s alt-comix and semi-retro style is perfect for telling character drama-based (with some comedy) stories starring the original X-Men.  This is one of my favorite issues of what is my favorite X-Men comic book.

I am not quite at the point where I want to call Brian Michael Bendis one of the all-time great X-Men writers.  That would put him (in my estimation) with Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Chris Claremont, John Byrne, and Grant Morrison.  But he’s getting close.

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux

The text is copyright © 2013 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.




Tuesday, October 29, 2013

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 30 2013

DC COMICS

AUG130228 ACTION COMICS ANNUAL #2 $4.99
AUG130200 AQUAMAN ANNUAL #1 $4.99
JUL130236 BATGIRL TP VOL 02 KNIGHTFALL DESCENDS (N52) $16.99
MAY130216 BATMAN HC VOL 03 DEATH OF THE FAMILY (N52) $24.99
AUG130193 DAMIAN SON OF BATMAN #1 $3.99
JUN130262 DC COMICS ONE MILLION OMNIBUS HC $99.99
JUL130244 DEADSHOT BEGINNINGS TP $14.99
AUG130166 FOREVER EVIL ARGUS #1 $2.99
AUG130265 GREEN LANTERN ANNUAL #2 $4.99
JUL130243 JSA LIBERTY FILES THE WHISTLING SKULL TP $14.99
AUG130252 NIGHTWING ANNUAL #1 $4.99
AUG130329 SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 COMBO PACK (MR) $5.99
AUG130325 SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 CVR A (MR) $4.99
AUG130326 SANDMAN OVERTURE #1 CVR B (MR) $4.99
AUG130288 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 SPECIAL #3 $4.99
JUL130227 SUPERMAN ADVENTURES THE MAN OF STEEL TP $9.99
JUL130226 SUPERMAN THE MAN OF STEEL BELIEVE TP $9.99
AUG130271 SWAMP THING ANNUAL #2 $4.99
AUG130273 TEEN TITANS ANNUAL #2 $4.99
AUG130313 VERTIGO ESSENTIALS V FOR VENDETTA # 1 (MR) $1.00
AUG130344 VERTIGO RESURRECTED THE EXTREMIST #1 NEW PTG (MR) $7.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

JUN130316 INJUSTICE CATWOMAN VS DOOMSDAY 2 PACK AF $29.95
MAY130287 ORANGE LANTERN 1:1 SCALE POWER BATTERY PROP W RING $199.95


Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 30 2013

MARVEL COMICS

AUG130747 AVENGERS #22 INF $3.99
AUG130771 AVENGERS AI #5 $2.99
AUG130883 CABLE AND X-FORCE TP VOL 02 DEAD OR ALIVE $12.99
AUG130811 CAPTAIN AMERICA LIVING LEGEND #2 $3.99
AUG130780 CATACLYSM #0.1 $3.99
AUG130849 DEADPOOL KILLS DEADPOOL #4 $2.99
AUG130757 GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #8 INF $3.99
AUG130740 INFINITY #5 $3.99
AUG130896 INHUMANS TP BY RIGHT OF BIRTH $24.99
JUL130693 KICK-ASS 3 #4 (MR) $2.99
AUG130871 MARVEL UNIVERSE THOR DIGEST TP $9.99
AUG130831 PUNISHER TRIAL OF PUNISHER #2 $3.99
AUG130793 SCARLET SPIDER #23 $2.99
AUG130893 SCARLET SPIDER TP VOL 03 BIG LEAGUES $15.99
AUG130787 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #20 $3.99
AUG130806 SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN TEAM UP SPECIAL #1 $4.99
AUG130825 THOR CROWN OF FOOLS #1 $3.99
AUG130874 THOR VS THANOS TP $24.99
AUG130887 ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES TP DISASSEMBLED $19.99
AUG130783 ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #33 $3.99
AUG130854 UNCANNY X-FORCE #13 $3.99
AUG130888 WOLVERINE AND X-MEN BY JASON AARON TP VOL 07 $19.99
AUG130845 X-MEN BATTLE OF ATOM #2 BOA $3.99