Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Martian Sightings for August, 2011

mathematicscore's theory about the true identity of the Flashpoint Batman was disproved, so ignore all the Dark Knight coverage here as we move on to the next likely suspect...



FLASHPOINT: THE OUTSIDER #3
Written by JAMES ROBINSON
Art by JAVI FERNANDEZ
Cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
FLASH FACT: The Outsider’s greatest enemy is revealed.
On sale AUGUST 17 • 3 of 3, 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
B'rett? Well, it is a bit jaundiced for J'Onn, right? There certainly is not enough Kevin Nowlan Martian Manhunter art circulating. Things would have gone differently had he drawn the '88 mini-series...

DC RETROACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – THE ‘80S #1
Written by GERRY CONWAY
Art and cover by RON RANDALL
Between their traditional Silver Age incarnation and the tongue-in-cheek Giffen/DeMatteis run, there was…JLA Detroit! Series scribe Gerry Conway revisits what may have been the most controversial lineup of DC’s iconic team book ever. (Who can forget the breakdancing Vibe?) Then experience a classic tale reprinted from the ‘80s!
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 10 • 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
I'm ridiculously enthusiastic about Gerry Conway getting to write one more JLD tale, and add Felix Faust to their rogues gallery. I'm considerably less into the art, but it's not like the team had an unvarnished artistic legacy.

DC RETROACTIVE: JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA – THE ‘90S #1
Written by KEITH GIFFEN and J.M. DEMATTEIS
Art and cover by KEVIN MAGUIRE
It’s time to “Bwah Ha Ha” all over again as this classic JLA team tells a lost tale from one of the JLA’s most popular eras. The Injustice Gang is back! Not the truly menacing, more recent incarnation, but their not-so competent predecessors. Still, when they stumble upon a device they should never be allowed to have, the results might prove more disastrous than if they actually knew what they were doing! A previously released story from the era rounds out the issue.
ONE-SHOT • On sale AUGUST 24 • 56 pg, FC, $4.99 US • RATED T
Dang it! Months of getting stuck with red herring Batman art, and this month I have to choose to spotlight one of three awesome covers featuring Martians? Cruel fate!

FLASHPOINT #4-5
Written by GEOFF JOHNS
Art by ANDY KUBERT and SANDRA HOPE
Covers by ANDY KUBERT and SANDRA HOPE
1:25 Black and white variant covers A by ANDY KUBERT
Issue #4 Variant cover B by IVAN REIS and GEORGE PEREZ
Issue #5 Variant cover B by RAGS MORALES
FLASH FACT: The war between the Amazons and the Atlantians has arrived. The battle between Diana of Themyscira and Emperor Aquaman will tear this world apart – unless The Flash can fix it!
IMPORTANT NOTE: Because of its impact on the DC Universe, FLASHPOINT #5 is the only title that DC Comics is soliciting in this catalogue to arrive in stores on August 31.
Retailers please note: These issues will ship with three covers. Please see the Previews Order Form for more information.
Issue #4 on sale AUGUST 3
Issue #5 on sale AUGUST 31
4 and 5 of 5, 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
I was already put off by this thing, but now that I know I wasted space here promoting Batman, I'm really pleased to welcome its end. Nobody is coming out of this looking good, from my side of the fence.

DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS #13-14
Written by MARV WOLFMAN and TONY BEDARD
Art by MIKE S. MILLER, HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #13 by HOWARD PORTER and LIVESAY
Cover #14 by IVAN REIS and OCLAIR ALBERT
Superman’s power fluctuations are out of control, and while he’s battling everyone around him in a mass of confusion, a surprising figure tries to intervene! But can anyone – or anything – stop an enraged Kryptonian?
And in issue #14, it’s a tale of tragic proportions as an unexpected character falls in the line of duty...but who and how will forever change the course of the series.
Issue #13 on sale AUGUST 3
Issue #14 on sale AUGUST 17
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Woof. Anybody still buying this? If so, why?

DC COMICS PRESENTS JLA: HEAVEN’S LADDER #1
Written by MARK WAID and RON MARZ
Art and cover by BRYAN HITCH, PAUL NEARY and ANDY LANNING
The powerful graphic novel from 2000 is reprinted, along with GREEN LANTERN #1,000,000!
When the Earth is wrenched from its orbit and transported into a massive alien craft, The Justice League quickly begins an investigation to discover the identity of the culprit and his scheme. Earth’s greatest heroes soon learn that an eons-old race of scientists on the verge of extinction is acquiring planets in the hopes of finding a homeworld. Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash and The Atom must save these disparate worlds while aiding the godlike race in their quest.
And in the story from GL #1,000,000, also illustrated by Bryan Hitch, Kyle Rayner must adapt to a challenge in the 857th century when a rampaging interstellar menagerie is set loose. During the struggle, Kyle learns that there’s a traitor among the future JLA!
On sale AUGUST 24 • 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US
Good Lord, this will be my heaviest ordering month in a while. This came out when I still had my shop. I sold out before reading it, sold through my reorders, and never bothered to buy a copy for myself. I hate the unwieldy Treasury format, so I'll finally buy this thing as a standard comic (even with the unnecessary Green Lantern issue, especially when Martian Manhunter #11 would have been a better choice.)

JLA VOL. 1 TP
Written by GRANT MORRISON and MARK MILLAR
Art by HOWARD PORTER, JOHN DELL, OSCAR JIMENEZ and others
Cover by HOWARD PORTER and JOHN DELL
The legendary 1990s JLA series written by comics mastermind Grant Morrison (FINAL CRISIS) with stunning art by Howard Porter and others is now collected in trade paperback, including issues #1-9 and JLA SECRET FILES #1.
The action begins as the JLA reunites to stop the Hyperclan, who have come to Earth posing as a new group of Super Heroes. But as their true nature comes to light, only the World’s Greatest Super Heroes can stop them! Standing side by side, Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, The Flash, Green Lantern and the Martian Manhunter take on alien posers and come to realize that Earth needs a protectorate made up of only the mightiest icons.
This new trade paperback includes several issues written by Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Ultimate Fantastic Four) that were not collected in the hardcover JLA DELUXE EDITION series.
On sale SEPTEMBER 28 • 256 pg, FC, $19.99 US
A wonderful collection of stories, now at an affordable price.

Miss Martian
Absent this month, presumably because of DC's stunt of only shipping the final issue of Flashpoint on the last week of the month. That's also likely the reason why we have two issues of each Retro-Active to punch us in the wallet.

1 comment:

LissBirds said...

Alas, poor Yorick, for I am wearing button-fly jeans.

A JLI book? Finally, something current I want to read!

War between the Atlanteans and Amazons, huh? Sounds a little bit like Civil War to me...