Previews Spotlight #040 (Feb->Apr): Fri Feb 11th: 5pm pac

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:32 am

The new Previews has been delayed in January. While it normally should hit the stands Wed Jan 26th, Diamond has released an announcement that it will not hit the stands until Wed Feb 2nd, so the call will now be Friday Feb 11th at 5pm Pacific / 6pm Mountain / 7pm Central / 8pm Eastern.

As always, get on Skype around the start time (or join any time after, the call can run 4 hours of rousing comics chat) and look for thejohnmayo message him to get joined into the call.

Submissions for the Previews Spotlight #040 show should be in by Midnight on Friday Feb 11th.

Of course you can start sending in submissions as soon as you have them done. Sending them in early is appreciated as it give us more time to organize the clips and plan out the episode.

Remember: We encourage anyone to send in a short audio clip where they can talk about any book that's coming out in the upcoming Previews that they are really excited about. The email address to send the clips to is TheGuys@ComicBookPage.com. (Some people were only send them to either just John or just Bob and we both need to get them to prepare to recording the episode. By using TheGuys email address, the email goes to both Bob and John.)

PLEASE: Each featured item should be in a separate audio file.

We would also appreciate it if you put the page number followed by the full name of the item in the filename. If you don't know the page number, that is fine. Just leave it off. But having the full name of the item the clip is for makes it much easier for us to organize the files and prepare for recording the episode.
Tips on how to record a clip can be found here.

Discuss any of the new comics AND call dibs on reviewing any particular comic on this thread.

Dark Horse (Newsarama)

DC Comics (Comic Book Resources)

IDW (Comics Continuum)

Image (Comics Continuum)
Top Cow (Comics Continuum)

Marvel Comics (Comic Book Resources)

--------------------------------------------

12 Gauge (Comics Continuum)

Ape Entertainment (Comics Continuum)

Archie (Comics Continuum)

Avatar (Comics Continuum)

Big Dog (Comics Continuum)

Bluewater (Comics Continuum)

Bongo (Comics Continuum)

Boom! (Comics Continuum)

Dynamite (Comics Continuum)

Moonstone (Comics Continuum)

Radical (Comics Continuum)

Red 5 (Comics Continuum)

Zenoscope (Comics Continuum)

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:38 am

Interesting stuff from Dark Horse:

DARK HORSE PRESENTS #1
The legendary, premiere anthology is back! The 80-page spectacular, Dark Horse Presents returns with all-new stories by Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, and Richard Corben; a new Concrete story by Paul Chadwick, a new Crimson Empire story from the Star Wars universe, and an exclusive sneak peek of Frank Miller’s highly-anticipated prequel to 300, Xerxes!
The celebration continues with a brand-new, all-color Finder story by Carla Speed McNeil, a prose piece from science fiction legend Harlan Ellison, the return of Michael T. Gilbert’s Mr. Monster, and much, much more!

The $7.99 "Elephant in the room", I'm hoping for at least 50% off from DCBS & I will try this one out.

HELLBOY: BUSTER OAKLEY GETS HIS WISH
Sucked into a giant spacecraft full of mutated livestock, Hellboy must fight his way through giant robots, strange webbing, and evil aliens to get back to terra firma!
• Art by comics great Kevin Nowlan!
• The perfect title to attract new customers!

Kevin Nowlan art!!!! Sign me up!

SOLOMON KANE: RED SHADOWS #1 (of 4)
Bruce Jones (W), Rahsan Ekedal (P)
This first issue adapts Robert E. Howard’s taut, disturbing “Skulls in the Stars” short story! Beginning his adventures in England, Kane finds himself engaged in a supernatural battle on the dreary moor road to Torkertown.

Rahsan Ekedal's moody, tonal art should be a great match for Solomon Kane.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 11:42 am

Archie has some interesting solicits:

MEGA MAN #1
Written by Ian Flynn, art by Patrick Spaziante, John Workman and Matt Herms, covers by Spaziante and Chad Thomas.
"Let the Games Begin!" Part One: The future looks bright when brilliant and benevolent Dr. Light unveils his latest creations: the Robot Masters! But when the nefarious Dr. Wily steals them for his own sinister purposes, there is no one left to stop him. No one Ð except Mega Man! Don't miss the first issue of this brand new ongoing series

If you're the right age, you may want to revisit some childhood memories with Mega Man, or get it for your kids (boys 6-12 or so). I know my kids loved this character when they were younger.

VERONICA #206
Written, art and cover by Dan Parent.
"Spy Girls Ð Back in Action," Part 1. Part one of a two part spy crossover! Pranks and bad behavior are running wild in Riverdale! Agents Betty and Veronica soon discover the problems could be caused by coded messages hidden on the popular kids show Funtime USA! And the main culprit looks to be a lovable clown named Klutzy. Things look to get worse when Funtime USA makes a live stop in Riverdale! Continues next month in Betty #192.

Betty & Veronica as secret agents, this one may resonate well with young girls, Hassan, be aware as a possibility for your daughters

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 5:48 pm

Some interesting Marvel stuff:

FEAR ITSELF: THE HOME FRONT #1 (of 7)
Terror has gripped the globe and now all the world is the front line for the next superhuman conflict! America blamed Speedball for the deaths of six hundred people in Stamford, Connecticut - the event that sparked the super hero Civil War. And while some have forgiven him, he hasn't forgiven himself. But a new crisis has arisen…fear is spreading throughout the populace…and, while doing charity work in disguise, Robbie Baldwin's true identity is exposed to the people of Stamford. With the world falling apart around him, can Speedball rally the population against the new danger…or will this survivor of an old war be the casualty of a new one? PLUS: Marvel’s super agent Jimmy Woo confronts his deepest fears in an all-new, all-action adventure! Join the fight as Marvel’s top talents take you on a series of globe-spanning adventures that will test the mettle of hero, citizen and villain alike!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

The obligatory tie-in mini to the main event series. At least it has an elevated page count for the $3.99 price tag. Will there be MORE Fear Itself minis next month?

JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY #622
Fear Itself Tie-in!
Prepare for Fear Itself when the acclaimed Thor series becomes Journey Into Mystery! Loki is back and the mystery surrounding his death is about to be revealed! What can the Trickster God be up to this time? How will this affect Thor? Acclaimed creators Kieron Gillen and Doug Braithwaite bring Thor’s dark, little brother back into the fray. It’s time for the Odinson and the Trickster to reunite! Also – get caught all caught up on THOR since he made his return to the Marvel Universe in J. Michael Straczynski’s epic run.
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$3.99

Thor #ing flipping back to JiM from whence it originally spawned so that a new #1 can be put out in the movie timeframe.

CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIGHTING AVENGER #1
Written by BRIAN CLEVINGER
He’s got the strength. He’s got the training. But has he got what it takes? A ragtag Special Forces unit takes Captain America on his first mission of World War II. Their orders? Don’t get him killed! But when the low-profile assignment draws the attention of Baron Strucker, the future Red Skull and half the Nazi army, it’ll be a crash course in super heroics for Marvel’s first Avenger!
48 PGS. /One-Shot/Rated A …$3.99

Art looks manga-y, but I really like Brian (Atomic Robo) Clevinger's writing, so I'll get this one-shot.

STEVE ROGERS: SUPER-SOLDIER ANNUAL #1
“Escape from the Negative Zone!”
Continued from the X-Men Annual! STEVE ROGERS! X-MEN! NAMOR! Steve Rogers goes on an interdimensional rescue mission after the X-Men find themselves imprisoned by Blastaar! But the Negative Zone alien isn’t the biggest problem that the #1 Avenger and the X-Men are going to face. The most visually spectacular Marvel story in years is not to be missed! This issue, IBRAIM ROBERSON (X-MEN: SECOND COMING) joins writer JAMES ASMUS for the latest chapter of this blockbuster. Part 2 (of 3)
40 PGS./One-Shot/Rated A …$3.99

ARRRGH!!! Steve Rogers Annual is a continued story from X-Men!!!!!

VENOM #2
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils & Cover by TONY MOORE
A mysterious super villain has weaponized Antarctic. Vibranium to sell to dictators, madmen and terrorists across the globe. To stop this WMD, the US military unleashes the enhanced black ops agent Venom! First stop on his hunt: The Savage Land! But who’s hunting who? Venom soon discovers that death stalks these jungles; Kraven the Hunter stalks these jungles! Rick Remender (UNCANNY X-FORCE, PUNISHER) and Tony Moore (PUNISHER, The Walking Dead) give you ringside seats to the grittiest, down-and-dirtiest brawl of the year! Venom vs. Kraven the Hunter!
32 PGS./Rated T+ …$2.99

Yay! Only #1 was $3.99........ongoing it's a $2.99 title.

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #38
"IDENTITY WARS," A THREE-PART ANNUAL EVENT STARTS HERE!
In a perfect world, what could possibly go wrong?
An exciting new story by Eisner Award Winning writers JOHN LAYMAN (Chew) and LEE GARBETT (Batgirl).
Peter Parker thinks life couldn’t get any better—until an explosion at Horizon Labs plummets him (along with Deadpool and Hulk) into another dimension where The Amazing-Spider is the world’s most powerful and beloved hero and Peter Parker is a billionaire mogul playboy (with surprises in his supporting cast). Will Peter discover the price for perfection? And what dreams come true does this dimension hold for Deadpool and Hulk? Find out as the story continues in their respective Annuals in May and June.

How am I supposed to see this as anything but a contrived story to try to get people to buy books from 3 totally disparate "lines" at Marvel, much like the X-Men -> Steve Rogers crossover.

INCREDIBLE HULK #626 & #627
MR. & MRS. HULK, Part 1 & 2
See the Hulk as you’ve never seen him before: as an international super-spy! With Amadeus Cho as his guide, Hulk dons a tuxedo and enters into a world of espionage, only to find his opponent is…Red She-Hulk? And what happens when Betty finds a new man? Hint: it doesn't really go over that well…especially when that man is one of the Hulk's oldest foes!

If that's not a typo and they are really dropping the "s" and going back to Incredible Hulk (singular), then I think Hulk will beat the FF in 1st time a title has gone away from and back to original #ing more than 1 time. See thread here for more:
http://www.comicbookpage.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1151

MARVEL BACKLIST READING CHRONOLOGY #1
Marvel’s got serious game when it comes to collected editions, but it always helps when someone’s keeping score. And that’s what the MARVEL BACKLIST READING CHRONOLOGY aims to do! This 96-page catalogue highlights your favorite characters and series: the Avengers, Captain America, Thor, Iron Man, the X-Men, Deadpool, Wolverine, Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man and more! Get a bird’s-eye view on Marvel’s in-print collected editions, listed in optimal reading order. Whether you’re a fan catching up on your reading or a retailer who wants to make sure you’ve got all your bases covered, the MARVEL BACKLIST READING CHRONOLOGY ensures you won’t miss a page of the action, drama and incredible art of Marvel Comics!
96 PGS./$1.99

REALLY????????????? Something that should be free and Marvel will sell it for $1.99? C'mon Marvel. Just put this info on your website and save a few trees.

S.H.I.E.L.D. INFINITY
Decode the miraculous designs of Leonardo Da Vinci. Devour the truths and reel with the lies of Isaac Newton. Puzzle at the perilous predictions of Nostradamus. Discover the Forever Machines of Nikola Tesla. Stemming from the pages of the most critically-acclaimed series of 2010, Jonathan Hickman (FANTASTIC FOUR, ULTIMATE THOR) and company bring you the apocrypha of the Marvel Universe. The foundations will shake, crumble and fall.
48 PGS./All-New One-Shot/Rated T+ …$4.99

Wait.....is this a story or just one of those handbooks?

GABE! · Post by **GABE!** » Wed Jan 19, 2011 9:06 pm

Do you guys still do the live Previews page by page Skype call?

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 8:46 am

Moonstone has a couple interesting ones as well.

Sheena #0 - I recently snagged some old classic Sheena reprints from the 50s (DDP) and have really been enjoying them. May be worth a look.

Honey West #5 - I was hoping they weren't going to stop with #4. This has been a really good series all things considered.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:31 pm

GABE! wrote:Do you guys still do the live Previews page by page Skype call?

Indeed we do! Read the first post in this thread!

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 4:32 pm

Link to DC solicits added to 1st post in thread......

GREEN LANTERN #65
The “War of the Green Lanterns” takes a shocking turn! With the entire Green Lantern Corps against them, the four Earthborn GLs make a choice that will rank among the most memorable in GL history. But not all of them agree on what has to be done and what lines are to be crossed.

VERY intriguing solicit!

BRIGHTEST DAY #23-24
It’s the beginning of the end as we head toward the epic conclusion to BRIGHTEST DAY! The mystery of the heroes’ return and the secrets of the white forest are revealed! Plus, Captain Boomerang draws closer to completing his mission! And at last, it’s Firestorm vs. Deadman!
And in the extra-sized issue #24, a new age for the DC Universe begins! A long shadow is cast across the world in a a finale that will have everyone talking! Twelve heroes and villains were resurrected, but that doesn’t mean it will remain that way as the new champion of Earth is chosen!

JUSTICE LEAGUE: GENERATION LOST #23-24
DC’s bi-weekly JUSTICE LEAGUE reaches its shocking conclusion!
In issue #23, WONDER WOMAN and the JLI find themselves face-to-face with the ultimate weapon Maxwell Lord has been planning since the beginning of GENERATION LOST. The world seems to be revolting against the human race. Can our heroes defeat Lord’s machinations?
And in the extra-sized issue #24, the final battle is here! But who will be the victor?

JLI is ending at 24, is Brightest Day also ending at 24???

ACTION COMICS #900
Superman returns to ACTION COMICS just in time for the title’s historic 900th issue, which clocks in at 100 pages! Everything Paul Cornell and Pete Woods have been building to over the last year culminates here in the ultimate Superman vs. Lex Luthor battle! But that’s not all - this story will lay the grounds for an insanely epic story coming out this summer in the pages of ACTION!

100 pages! Any maybe a tease/pre-cursor to the big summer event....

BATWOMAN #1
Launch the first, chilling arc of the ongoing series fans have been clamoring for! In the 5-part “Hydrology,” Batwoman faces bizarre new challenges in her war against the dark underworld of Gotham and new trials in her personal life as Kate Kane.
This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are canceled.

Bummer! Need to wait 2 extra months for this.....

FIRST WAVE SPECIAL #1
New York kingpin Shonder Zeev isn’t scared of going to war against the ruthless Central American cartels – but he is terrified of one man: Richard Benson, The Avenger! The mastermind behind Justice Inc. has decided it’s time for Zeev to fall – so why are Doc Savage and The Bat Man trying to prop him up? It’s a 30-page epic from Jason Starr, writer of the JUSTICE INC. co-feature, and artist Phil Winslade!

Justice, Inc. backup has been better than the main story in Doc Savage, really looking forward to this one!

SECRET SIX #32
In chapter two of the three-part epic “The Darkest Horse,” the team finds out the terrible conditions required to use a “Get Out of Hell Free” card that allows them to retrieve the body and soul of a fallen loved one! But who has the card, and who do they want to bring back from Hell itself?

I love the idea of that “Get Out of Hell Free” card......

GABE! · Post by **GABE!** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:25 pm

BobBretall wrote:
GABE! wrote:Do you guys still do the live Previews page by page Skype call?
Indeed we do! Read the first post in this thread!

D'oh! I'm a jerk. I'll try to join in after I get off of work.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Thu Jan 20, 2011 6:51 pm

Action Comics #900 sounds like it could be the best book of the month.

torchsong · Post by **torchsong** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 9:05 am

Bob, John,

Hopefully it's a typo but $39.99 for the Infinity Inc. Hardcover? At less than 200 pages? I love me some 80s InfInc but not at that price. Particularly when you have the 296 page Legion Lost complete 12-issue story for the same price in hardcover.

Also, yet another Amanda Conner Supergirl statue I'll probably end up buying. I loves me some Kara Zor-El, but there ARE other Women of the DCU they could be making (old school (or new school) Terra, Lady Blackhawk, Batgirl (Steph version), etc.)

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 10:05 am

torchsong wrote: Hopefully it's a typo but $39.99 for the Infinity Inc. Hardcover? At less than 200 pages? I love me some 80s InfInc but not at that price. Particularly when you have the 296 page Legion Lost complete 12-issue story for the same price in hardcover.

I don't think it's a typo. $39.99 seems to be the price point they've settled in at for the "DC Classics Library" HCs which are somewhat of the successor to the DC Archives. The 2 volumes of "JLA by George Perez" also in the "DC Classics" series, and also <200 pages were at the $39.99 price.

BobBretall · Post by **BobBretall** » Fri Jan 21, 2011 12:49 pm

BobBretall wrote:
BATWOMAN #1
Launch the first, chilling arc of the ongoing series fans have been clamoring for! In the 5-part “Hydrology,” Batwoman faces bizarre new challenges in her war against the dark underworld of Gotham and new trials in her personal life as Kate Kane.
This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are canceled.
Bummer! Need to wait 2 extra months for this.....

JH Williams addresses the delay on his BLOG:

http://www.jhwilliams3.com/archives/337

Okay, as some places on web have determined, Batwoman has been pushed back to April. I feel I should comment on this and get some facts straight. Some think that this book was to launch last July, this was never the case, this was speculation on the part of some. The book was also never to launch in November either. The zero issue which came out at that time was never in the original plans, but was done as a bit of a reminder as requested by DC, and to set the stage, this of course took out time of the work already in progress. February had been decided on the launch date by the company with reservations about that from me. I felt that was a bit too soon in a realistic look at work progression. One of the reasons for this was that I had been seriously committed to making appearances around the world over this past year. I think maybe 3 months or more of work loss occurred during that time. I kept trying to point this out whenever discussions about schedule came up. When first discussing the launch date earlier last year we had originally wanted April 2011, and now ironically that is what we have. Only after solicits stating otherwise, causing some unnecessary frustrations. Added to this mix I was being asked to do covers for Batman Inc., which I was concerned about considering the schedule for Batwoman, this quickly added to the problem of not being able to launch in February. So I thought it best to bow out of the Batman Inc. project. Even though there has been issues raised in the scheduling and plans being jumped the gun on, DC acknowledges for the greater good of the project we need more time. I’m glad that they saw this was a good idea, this will help maintain a certain standard that we’ve already set in place. The work has been very intense on this so far. Haden and I have put a lot of time and detail into the plot to make it as strong as we can, going well beyond the first 2 arcs. We know where we want to ultimately take this, we know what we’d like to see happening in 2 years for this character, and have thought a lot about it. Things we are doing in the plot now will impact and have meaning for what is to come later. Same goes for the art, I want this to be at least as good as what came before. So in the daily grind of work, in terms of writing, the process of the script creation gets in the way of drawing quite often. I’m just sorry that solicits took place when they clearly shouldn’t have. I hope this gives more clarity to what has been going on.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:18 am

BobBretall wrote:
BobBretall wrote:
BATWOMAN #1
Launch the first, chilling arc of the ongoing series fans have been clamoring for! In the 5-part “Hydrology,” Batwoman faces bizarre new challenges in her war against the dark underworld of Gotham and new trials in her personal life as Kate Kane.
This issue is resolicited. All previous orders are canceled.
Bummer! Need to wait 2 extra months for this.....

JH Williams addresses the delay on his BLOG:

http://www.jhwilliams3.com/archives/337

Okay, as some places on web have determined, Batwoman has been pushed back to April. I feel I should comment on this and get some facts straight. Some think that this book was to launch last July, this was never the case, this was speculation on the part of some. The book was also never to launch in November either. The zero issue which came out at that time was never in the original plans, but was done as a bit of a reminder as requested by DC, and to set the stage, this of course took out time of the work already in progress. February had been decided on the launch date by the company with reservations about that from me. I felt that was a bit too soon in a realistic look at work progression. One of the reasons for this was that I had been seriously committed to making appearances around the world over this past year. I think maybe 3 months or more of work loss occurred during that time. I kept trying to point this out whenever discussions about schedule came up. When first discussing the launch date earlier last year we had originally wanted April 2011, and now ironically that is what we have. Only after solicits stating otherwise, causing some unnecessary frustrations. Added to this mix I was being asked to do covers for Batman Inc., which I was concerned about considering the schedule for Batwoman, this quickly added to the problem of not being able to launch in February. So I thought it best to bow out of the Batman Inc. project. Even though there has been issues raised in the scheduling and plans being jumped the gun on, DC acknowledges for the greater good of the project we need more time. I’m glad that they saw this was a good idea, this will help maintain a certain standard that we’ve already set in place. The work has been very intense on this so far. Haden and I have put a lot of time and detail into the plot to make it as strong as we can, going well beyond the first 2 arcs. We know where we want to ultimately take this, we know what we’d like to see happening in 2 years for this character, and have thought a lot about it. Things we are doing in the plot now will impact and have meaning for what is to come later. Same goes for the art, I want this to be at least as good as what came before. So in the daily grind of work, in terms of writing, the process of the script creation gets in the way of drawing quite often. I’m just sorry that solicits took place when they clearly shouldn’t have. I hope this gives more clarity to what has been going on.

This is an example of business v art. DC wanted a Batwoman comic book at there sooner than JH Williams could commit to. The good news is that they resolicit the book prior to the first issue coming out. I think that is better than having a large delay between the issues. While David Finch's Batman comic wasn't resolicited, DC released it a month late in order for the issues to come out closer together.

I don't blame JH Williams. What I found interesting that people were already complaining about the lateness of the book prior to the book being solicited in February. Unless it is solicited, it isn't late.

HassanT · Post by **HassanT** » Sat Jan 22, 2011 7:25 am

BobBretall wrote:
torchsong wrote: Hopefully it's a typo but $39.99 for the Infinity Inc. Hardcover? At less than 200 pages? I love me some 80s InfInc but not at that price. Particularly when you have the 296 page Legion Lost complete 12-issue story for the same price in hardcover.
I don't think it's a typo. $39.99 seems to be the price point they've settled in at for the "DC Classics Library" HCs which are somewhat of the successor to the DC Archives. The 2 volumes of "JLA by George Perez" also in the "DC Classics" series, and also <200 pages were at the $39.99 price.

Bob is right. I wish the hardcover was at least a little less than $39.99. Generally, DC's hardcovers are better valued than Marvel's hardcovers. For example, the first four issues of Uncanny X-Force is being released as a hardcover for $19.99. But for the older material, DC has different pricing.

I collect hardcovers and trades, instead of getting back issues, so I will be pre-ordering this hardcover. In fact, it is going to be an expensive month for me because of all the great DC collections I want to order:

DCCP: Legion of the Damned
Deadman Vol 1
Green Lantern: Brightest Day HC (Yes, I double dib with GL)
Infinity Inc Vol 1 HC
Legion Lost HC
Hellblazer: City of Demons
DMZ Vol 10
WE3 Deluxe Edition

There is no way I will pre-order all of these trades. Some I might wait until they actually come out and order them through IST or Amazon.