Greetings comic book fans and welcome back to the Crank File, the only file that gives you 50% more file per crank. Another good week of books coming up and I have still barely touched last week’s stack. So this week, instead of my normal shtick, I’m giving you two comics per category and keeping my personal opinions short.
Here’s what I’m reading this week.
The Tops of the Pile:
We Stand on Guard #6
Publisher: Image
Words: Brian K. Vaughan
Art: Steve Skroce
MINISERIES CONCLUSION The smash-hit miniseries reaches its epic FINAL ISSUE with explosive battles and shocking revelations… but how will things end for the Great White North?
There are few things in the world more satisfying than a good Brian K. Vaughan ending.
Harrow County #8
Publisher: Dark Horse
Words: Cullen Bunn
Art: Tyler Crook
Kammi has rallied the forsaken haints to her dark cause. Now Emmy may have to make a profound sacrifice if she hopes to protect her kith and kin at the heart of Harrow County.
Demon fight!! Latest news on the Syfy TV adaptation is that it has moved into development.
The Mainstream Ones:
Secret Wars #8
Publisher: Marvel
Words: Jonathan Hickman
Art: Esad Ribic
GENESIS!
I’m sticking it through until the end, which has now officially been pushed back to January 2016.
Contest of Champions #3
Publisher: Marvel
Words: Al Ewing
Art: Paco Medina
IRON MAN! JOE FIXIT! GAMORA! MARVEL’S HEAVY HITTERS COLLIDE IN THE CONTEST! Can Iron Man and Gamora trust Guillotine – or is the call of her bloody legacy too strong? Ares strikes! Plus: Venom Hulk?!
Yup, you read that correct. Venom. Hulk.
The Indie Ones:
Monstress #2
Publisher: Image
Writer: Marjorie Liu
Words: Sana Takeda
Maika fights to cross the wall.
Loved the oversized first issue. Can’t wait for this #2.
Head Lopper #2
Publisher: Image
Writer: Andrew MacLean
Words: Andrew MacLean
Norgal and Agatha pass through a dark forest with a particularly grim history, where they meet a strange little creature named Gnym. Is he a friend? Or does he just want to see undead giants squish the Head Lopper to meat-jelly? All this… And more! MAJOR PLOT POINT Villain, Servin Lulach’s origin story is introduced.
Loved the oversized first issue. Can’t wait for this #2. Creator Andrew MacLean will be hanging out at Friendly Neighborhood Comics in Bellingham, MA on Saturday Dec 12 from noon to 3pm.
The #1 Ones:
Batman Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
Publisher: DC
Writer: James Tynion IV
Art: Freddie Williams II
DC Comics and IDW team up for the crossover you never saw coming as two of the greatest entertainment icons meet for the first time! In Gotham City, a series of deadly raids leads Batman to believe he’s up against a group of highly trained ninjas known as the Foot Clan! Somehow, they’ve crossed over to another dimension and are determined to take advantage of the situation while looking to get back home. But they haven’t come alone: Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello and Michelangelo are hot on their trail. Get ready for excitement as heroes and villains from both worlds clash and team up in an epic battle that threatens the very fabric of reality!
There was no way that I wasn’t buying a Batman/TMNT crossover. Having Tynion IV writing the script is just gravy. I’m snagging the Eastman variant.
Snow Blind #1
Publisher: Boom! Studios
Words: Ollie Masters
Art: Tyler Jenkins
What happens when you discover your dad isn’t the man you thought he was? For high school teen Teddy, life in a sleepy suburb in Alaska turns upside-down when he innocently posts a photo of his dad on Facebook, only to learn he and his family are in the Witness Protection Program. A man seeking revenge invades their town, and soon FBI agents arrive, too. But what if his dad’s reasons for going into the program aren’t as innocent as he says?
I’m really digging the creative team on this one. The 1:20 Matt Taylor variant cover is stunning.
The Ones I’m Buying for the Cover:
Insexts #1
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
Words: Marguerite Bennett
Art: Ariela Kristantina
At the dusk of a century, a pair of vengeful Victorian vixens discover a horrifying power that transforms them into rich and strange new creatures. Armed with their dark, evolving forms, they descend into a world of the cultured and occult, with new senses and new sensuality, to forge a life for themselves and the child of their love. This new monthly series is the brainchild of writer Marguerite Bennett (A-Force, Angela, Red Sonja) and artist Ariela Kristantina (Wolverines, Deep State), a comic unlike any you’ve seen before!
Classic art nouveau, reminiscent of painter Alphonse Mucha.
Batman #47
Publisher: DC
Words: Scott Snyder
Art: Grag Capullo
While Jim Gordon is in the fight of his life against Mr. Bloom, Bruce Wayne discovers a shocking secret about his past that will change everything in Gotham City! This issue features open-to-order variant covers by Alex Ross that will be shipped in opaque polybags.
This Alex Cover is a swipe of a cover he did in 1999 for Batman: Harley Quinn. The issue was printed in prestige format and introduced Harley Quinn into the main DC continuity. There were unconfirmed reports last week that a few fans actually received original artwork within their black poly bags for Harley’s Little Black Book #1.
The Speculation Ones:
Justice League: Darkseid War #1 (Lex Luthor)
Publisher: DC
Words: Francis Manapul
Art: Bong Dazo
Lex Luthor has gained the power of a God, but his one failure continues to deny him the peace he craves-and only a crazed Superman can help him get it!
If you’re caught up with the Darkseid Wars, then you know that at the end of the latest issue Lex Luther is imbued with god-like powers. This will be his first full appearance with super powers. Lex was scary enough when he was just relying on his evil mind.
Brooklyn Animal Control #1
Publisher: IDW
Words: J T Petty
Art: Stephen Thompson
Brooklyn Animal Control is not your run-of-the-mill social services agency, and the officers assigned to it are not your average caseworkers? they are a breed apart. These street-hardened veterans negotiate a dangerous secret world in the heart of New York City, one inhabited by werewolves that roam the streets by night, and infest the hidden back rooms of the criminal elite in their human alter-egos by day. Which of their forms is more viscous is open to debate? but both are equally deadly!
The USA channel is currently developing a pilot for the TV adaptation of this series.
Carpe Comics!