Vertigo revitalized
The death-knell seemed to be sounding when the decision was made to end HELLBLAZER with the epic #300. Luckily, it was a false alarm. There were quality titles launched within the thirty-month span. Karen Berger decided to give the edgy imprint an armful of adrenalin by releasing twelve freshly-squeezed number ones, weekly from the onset October to the end of December. Five of the dozen are limited-series. unFOLLOW is being adapted for an ABC TV series. That morsel mentioned ten days after the comic hit the shelves made the first issue an instant sell-out. LUCIFER, the Lord of Lies, returns with a second volume. His presence will grace the small screen on FOX Network come the end of January. Not too shabby for an imprint that has weathered the storm for twenty-two years!!
Making waves
Mike Marts, former editor at the Big Two, made the boldest move of all: launching his own publishing company!! Officially in business as of September, the first shockwave [pun intended!] struck the stores this month. High-end talent dared to rock the industry to its core. Four brand-new books rose from the rubble from the established Marguerite Bennett, Andy Clarke, Amand Conner, Garth Ennis, Francesco Francavilla, Paul Jenkins, and Jimmy Palmiotti to up-and-comers Simon Coleby, Rafael de Latorre and Ariela Kristantina. More to follow in 2016!
Donnie dream it’s over 🙁
Fans of the Heroes in a Half-Shell were hit hard in March when one of the beloved Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fell for good – the debonair, dutiful Donatello!! The brains of the outfit had his body broken and discarded by Bebop and Rocksteady! Heartless bastards!! Fear not, faithful ones. Fake-out!! Sighs of relief were exhaled when the following issue had Master Splinter watching over his son as he recovers. Nevertheless, this extremely hush-hush under-the-radar had people like me miss the boat from finding a copy. TNMT #44 went to second and third printings due to the buzz. Donnie returned to full fighting form for the anniversary #50 issue.
Valia-ble lessons
Since its rebirth in 2012, Valiant Entertainment has been consistently knocking it out of the park. Superlative storytelling and exquisite art have them sucker-punching the other publishers! On a personal note, I finally entered their universe in the summer thanks to the persistent chatter over the BOOK of DEATH event. That storyline was so streamlined that I did not need to unnecessarily purchase a copious amount of books nor did I have to drudge through convoluted continuity. My admiration for this publisher does not have me looking back. UNITY came to a close and a relaunch occurred with WRATH of the ETERNAL WARRIOR but it was a logical course rather than a grab-it gimmick. Oh yeah, their intellectual properties Bloodshot and Harbinger are getting the film treatment from Sony Studios with five flicks beginning in 2017. Mighty!!
Harley any effort ^_*
The maniacal minx has crazy clout and billions of back-up. Who would have thought a one-off character would reach stratospheric levels almost rivalling a certain Dark Knight?? Amanda Conner’s and Jimmy Palmiotti’s take on the Harlequin [get it?] of Hijinx has made her series the number-two selling DC book every single month since it was given a second shot. There have been critical comparison to Marvel’s Deadpool but they are two very different animals!! Forget the endless cosplayers attending the cons, Harleen’s popularity has given way to a second monthly title: a team-up book of all things!! HARLEY’S LITTLE BLACK BOOK appeared at the beginning of the month. To sweeten the deal even more and empty the wallets, DC made each book polybagged. The odds are three-to-one, kinda, in terms of what lies within – a sketch variant, a partially-coloured variant or the regular cover by the top artists in the field. I was ‘foolish’ enough to fall for this gimmick and have purchased her newest offering as well as five of the other titles with this incentive. Harley co-starred with her BFF P.G. earlier this year for more oddball adventures. She wears a very different hat in NEW SUICIDE SQUAD. Deep down, we know she’s still the same 😉 Plus, she’s made gratuitous guest-appearances in DEATHSTROKE {2nd Series} twice this year!! DC seems to be going the same route as Marvel did in the 90’s when Ghost Rider, Punisher, and Wolverine were wedged into every single title no matter how ludicrous. Don’t forget that Ms. Quinn makes her major motion picture debut in July 2017 as one of the SSQ crew.
The top five begins next page!
