This Week In Comics - 1/2

Happy New Year!  And to start the year off right, the first thing we’ve got to look forward to is the January 2013 Previews, with everything scheduled to start shipping in March…  I’ve already been through it and there are a couple of gems to keep me excited and anticipating their arrival…

Dark Horse Comics is shipping Hellboy In Hell #2, $2.99, by Mike Mignola and Dave Stewart.  In Pandemonium, the dead wait for Hellboy to claim his throne, but is he interested…?  Mignola returns to Hellboy to reveal more of his secrets and so far, this one has gathered a steady little fanbase…

Star Wars: Purge of the Tyrant’s Fist #2 (of 2), $3.50, by Alexander Freed, Marco Castiello, and Andrea Chella sees Vader’s path power blocked by a Jedi…

DC Comics has got Green Lantern hc vol 2 Revenge of the Black Hand, $24.99, written by Geoff Johns with art by Doug Mahnke and various others, and that collects Green Lantern New 52 #7 – 12, and Annual #1 in which Sinestro and Hal Jordan investigate a crime that leads them deep into the heart of the Indigo Tribe home world and in the process uncover a secret that will change the GL Corps forever.  This story delved into the back story of the Indigo tribe and as for Black Hand himself?  I can’t believe I’m not selling more of this title.  This is one of the better books I’ve seen produced lately.  If you’ve been at all interested in anything Lantern related since Rebirth, Johns’ story only keeps getting better and better and I continue to fear for what’s going to follow when he decides he’s done with this…

Scott Lobdell and Kenneth Rocafort have made for us Superman #15, $2.99.  H’el on Earth continues and Superman, Supergirl, and Superboy are together at last and it’s a disaster.  Superman looks to the one man who thinks only of how to stop a Kryptonian when he seeks Lex Luthor’s aid.  I’ve heard good things about this story as well…

Katie Cook and Andy Price worked together for IDW and produced My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #2, $3.99.  Queen Chrysalis has returned and our ponies are off to rescue their friends.  Here’s another entry this week with strong fan support…

All New X-Men #5, $3.99, by Brian Michael Bendis and Stuart Immonen is the first choice from Marvel Comics this week and that’s because this is the book that makes me feel good about Marvel right now.  As the first story arc comes to a close, this focuses on Jean Grey and the history she has to learn to live with.  This is a great book from a company that’s done a lot to depress me lately…

Daredevil End of Days #4 (of 8), 3.99, by Brian Michael Bendis, David Mack, Klaus Janson, and Alex Maleev and the end of Daredevil goes right through his greatest enemy.  Without having thumbed thru it at all, I am looking forward to having this as a hardcover…

Archaia Entertainment’s going one step further on the high end market.  Gunnerkrigg Court HC leather bound vol 1 Orientation is a limited edition featuring a lush black leather case wrap with gold leaf etching, limited to only 400 copies in existence and will not be made available to bookstores.  Gunnerkrigg Court is the winner of Foreward Reviews’ Best graphic novel of 2008…

Dynamic Forces has lured Thomas E. Sniegoski back to the property that helped launch his triple threat (comics, prose, and film) career; Vampirella Strikes #1, $3.99, featuring art by Johnny D.  In the first of a six issue story the angels of heaven are sent by God, himself, to recruit her services…

And plenty more that’s not listed.  For a more complete list, feel free to visit your local comic store or favorite site.  If you’re interested in more of what I think, follow me on Twitter at Mycomicstore001 or like my Facebook page.

Michael R. Murray is a full time Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service who has got his kids trained so well that eight years ago they named the new family dog, Blackfell, after Bearclaw’s wolf friend from Elfquest.