The Massive #5
By: Brian Wood, Garry Brown, Dave Stewart, J.P. Leon
Publisher: Dark Horse
Price: $3.50
The Lowdown: I can’t say enough about this story. This is old fashioned science fiction at its best. It is a simple story about a group of environmentalists trying to keep their drive and passion in a post-apocalyptic world. The writing is very smart, subtle, and completely void of all the usual comic book tropes like costumes and superpowers.
Batman #13
By: Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $3.99
The Lowdown: The second year of Scott Snyder’s amazing run on the Caped Crusader. The only way he could really out do his awesome Court of Owls story line is to bring back The Joker. Thanks to the first issue of Detective Comics, the Joker has his face cut off his head and now restapled on making the already creepy visage even creepier. The story is called “Death of the Family,” which is a callback to the story where Joker killed Jason Todd. I’m guessing the Joker is making it personal. Look for most of the Bat-family books to get in on the Joker action, but Snyder says that his book will remain self-contained if you don’t want to buy all those books.
Frankenstein Agent Of Shade #13
By: Matt Kindt and Alberto Ponticelli
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: While Animal Man and Swamp Thing are lost in Rotworld, The Rot starts invading the present day. Frankenstein and his fellow SHADE agents are standing on the frontline. If you are paying attention to Animal Man and Swamp Thing, you should look into this too. Even without The Rot threat, the Frankenstein book has had the same creepy vibe as A-Man and Swampy.
Phantom Stranger #1
By: Dan DiDio and Brent Anderson
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: Issue 1 of the brand new series following the enigmatic Phantom Stranger. The Stranger’s existence is bound to lead to some awesome developments specifically regarding the behind the scenes machinations of the reboot within context of the canon. Not only does Stranger bargain with Lord Trigon, but Raven (of the Teen Titans) is clearly on the cover.
Team 7 #1
By: Justin Jordan and Jesus Merino
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $2.99
The Lowdown: Another brand spanking new comic, Wildstorm’s Team 7 is repurposed in the DC world that adds DC regulars like Amanda Waller and Slade Wilson to their ranks. The actual quality of the book remains to be seen, but it probably deserves a look. There is also a promise of revealing secrets of the new 52′s history since they were the team that was brought together to protect us from the superhumans when they first showed up.
Transfusion #1 (of 3)
By: Steve Niles and Menton3
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99
The Lowdown: It is an age old story. Machines and monsters have taken over the world, and the human survivors are trying to scratch by. The only reason why I am even considering it is because I really like Steve Niles.
Uncanny Avengers #1
By: Rick Remender and John Cassaday
Publisher:Marvel Comics
Price: $3.99
The Lowdown: With the fallout of Avengers vs X-Men and Cap feeling guilty that the Avengers never did more for the mutant cause, he brings together a Avengers/X-Men collaborative effort. Written by Rick Remender who was killing it on Uncanny X-Force, this book is bound to be awesome.