The Club Of Heroes Podcast Episode 15: Max Gaines vs. The World

It's a Club of Two for this very special Club of Heroes chat, as Evan and Chris continue their discussion on the horror comics of the 50's, 60's, & 70's! Witness Max Gaines taking on Fredric Wertham! Behold the birth of the Comics Code Authority! Look on as worried mothers everywhere burn comics by the hundreds in the name of decency!

It's right HERE, so come and get it!

The Colonel's Picks For March 27th, 2013

Dear reader, I've come to the conclusion that it's not healthy to obsess over a foe like Paula Deen. This Colonel is just too damn old and too damn tired to waste his days chasing noodnicks like that. It's time to inject a little peace and love into the Reddenbacher regimine!

Mister X: Hard Candy (Dark Horse)

Dean Motter's Mister X is a staple of independent comics. Motter is a master storyteller as well as designer and it shows every time he puts pen to paper for another Mister X adventure. Los bros Hernandez, Bruce Timm, Ty Templeton, and many other legendary creators have all lent their artistic talents to the character in the past as well. This one-shot is an original story with Motter going solo and promises to be a great introduction to the "pulp deco" stylings of Mister X. If you pick this up be prepared to race back to the comic book shop and plunk down the rest of your dough on Dark Horse's Mister X collections, it's that good.

Time Warp #1 (DC)

DC wallops my wallet with another Vertigo anthology one-shot this week, but I can't resist. An old-school adventurer like myself can't turn away from an anthology featuring such a killer lineup; Dan Abnett, Mark Buckingham, Jeff Lemire, Matt Kindt etc etc! The main draw in this collection of stories is the promise of a new Rip Hunter tale. We the readers haven't seen hide nor hair of the time traveling swashbuckler since the institution of the new 52, and I've been aching to see some era-spanning shenanigans.

Mark Waid's The Green Hornet #1 (Dynamite)

Mark Waid wants you to know this is his Green Hornet, bro. I suppose with the uber-talented and tenured Waid taking over the title, Dynamite has seen fit to begin again with a new number one issue. Waid can do no wrong these days, wether it be his magnificent work on Hulk or Daredevil, or his initiatives in the world of digital comics publishing. It's rare to see a creator with his already staggering body of work continue to produce high-quality stuff and be on the forefront of a new publishing platform. The pitch for this series is interesting as well, pitting the emerald-clad crimebuster against his own alter ego, Britt Reid. I'm not too familiar with artist Daniel Indro, but I can rest easy knowing Waid is a writer who scripts to his artists' strengths.

East Of West #1 (Image)

Jonathan Hickman writing another trippy sci-fi romp is a no-brainer. I'd pick that up in a heartbeat regardless. What drew me to this new series from Image was the inclusion of artist Nick Dragotta, who I feel is criminally underrated. His two issue Black Bolt story from Hickman's FF series and his art on Joe Casey's Vengeance are something to behold. His work is energetic and loose, fitting Hickman's fast-paced idea-crammed storytelling. This writer/artist combo will make it a winner, even if the solicitation text tells of a trope-filled dystopian setting.

B.P.R.D. Vampire #1 (Dark Horse)

Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon, the art team that brought us the extraordinary Daytripper series a few years back, teams with Hellboy creator Mike Mignola for this new miniseries set in the B.P.R.D. universe. Following the events of B.P.R.D. 1948, this series pits them against a cabal of bloodsuckers and their Gorgon-themed headmistress. If you've never seen Ba and Moon work together on a book, do yourself a favor and check this out. Their art style comes across as simplistic at first, but the longer you indulge, the more dimension appears.

Next week, be here as I attempt to bury the hatchet with Paula. Until then, happy reading!

Cheers.

The Club Of Heroes Podcast Episode 14: For The Love Of Horror

Presenting a thrilling new series of discussions led by our resident horror comics expert, Evan Arnold! Evan leads Chris and Matt into the darkest regions of imagination and creativity as they spotlight the horror comics of the 40's and 50's, particularly the infamous EC line. Learn how a single publisher almost brought the entire comic book industry to a grinding halt!

Groovy Ghoulies! You can listen to or download the episode HERE!

The Club Of Heroes Podcast Episode 13: Spring Break Survivor

After surviving another Spring Break in South Texas, the gang needs to decompress a little. There's some comic talk, some movie talk, and general silliness in the tried and true COH tradition. Also, special guest Rico joins the show, unplugged and uncensored!

You can give it a listen or download it HERE!

The Colonel's Picks for March 20th, 2013

This week, it's fiends from dimension five, youthful lawgivers, and justice in a tight flight suit. It's time again to share some of the contents of this week's "to read" pile with all of you playing at home. It's time for the Colonel's Picks, baby!

Action Comics #18 (DC)

Can Superman defeat the maniacal Lex Luthor, the fifth-dimensional Vyndktvx, and the furious Superdoom all in one extra-sized issue? Of course he can! Grant Morrison has pulled back the curtain in previous issues to show us a plot to murder the man of steel that spans from his infant years on Krypton to his lonely struggle at the end of days. Rags Morales and Brad Walker are doing a bang up job rendering intense pan-dimensional fight scenes and powerful personal moments, making this a complete package and a fine addition to the Superman mythos. It's been a little Smallville, a little Birthright, and even a little Jerry Siegel golden age as well. This is the final issue of Grant's run, with Andy Diggle and Tony Daniel taking over the title next month.

Judge Dredd Year One #1 (IDW)

IDW proudly presents the formative year in detail for 2000 AD's foremost crimefighting figure, the stoic Judge Dredd. 2000 AD Editor In Chief Matt Smith is writing this one, with art by Dredd veteran Simon Coleby. As most Dredd-heads can tell you, Dredd ages in real time in the 2000 AD strip and is now pushing 80 I believe. It should be fun to flash back to the earliest days for a more spunky, youthful "I am duh laawww!" shenanigans.

Five Ghosts #1 (Image)

The Haunting of Fabian Gray starts here! The solicit copy promises a bold, new era in pulp adventure and that's the right kind of hype to get this old Colonel's blood pumping. Heck, any time a new series proudly touts it's pulp trimmings, I'm inclined to at least give it a look. The elevator pitch for this series sounds pretty good, featuring a treasure hunter who's posessed by five "literary ghosts". The story is by Frank J. Barbiere and the art is by Chris Mooneyham.

Captain Marvel #11 (Marvel) (Use this cover)

Kelly Sue DeConnick and a slew of artists have really made Captain Marvel into something special. A brisk read with a strong female lead and aviation-themed sense of wonder and adventure. Scanning through upcoming releases the cover to this issue stuck out at me and screamed "Colonel's Pick!". DeConnick and artist Filipe Andrade promise a new twist on an old foe to kick off a brand new story arc. Give this one a shot, or Ms. Danvers may have to come over and rip up all of your X-Mens!

The Unauthorized Tarzan HC (Dark Horse)

Back in the swingin' 60's, Charlton comics commited a famous faux-paus in the form of copyright infringement, mistakenly believing that the Tarzan character had fallen into the public domain. The Tarzan comics collected here (originally drawn by the likes of Joe Gill and Sam Glanzman) were quickly pulled from shelves and Charlton's foray into Tarzan stories was tragically cut short. Damn legalities. Just a quick Google search of either Gill or Slanzman reveals these two were tearin' it up on titles like House of Mystery and Our Army At War around this period. So if classic art on a classic character in a classy hardcover collection sound like your thing, why not take a chance on this collection.

Well, we go from one unauthorized bare-chested king of the jungle to another. So long folks, and happy landings if you should choose vine-swinging as your personal mode of conveyance to your LCS this week.

Cheers.

The Colonel's Picks For March 13th, 2013

Spring Break!

This old Colonel prefers to kick it with some bouncing beach bunnies this time of the year, so this may be a more lackadaisical effort than usual, faithful readers. Besides, from my vantage point, it was a pretty weak week for new releases. Let's see what I can scrounge up for you.

Doctor Who Classics #1 (IDW)

These previouly released strips starring the seventh doctor are reprinted here for the first time. It's comforting to know that IDW plans to make these reprint editions a regular thing. So fire up the TARDIS and set coordinates for you comic book retailer of choice.

Aliens vs. Parker #1 (Boom!)

Is this high-concept sci-fi or a bad sci-fi sitcom? The solicitation copy for this new title left me wondering. This series follows a group of delivery men in space (Futurama...?) and the grand adventure this group of losers are thrust into. The writing team of Paul Scheer and Manuel Bracchi created that CSI parody show that graced the Adult Swim network a few years ago, so expect a lot of poking fun at genre conventions and jokes you've probably heard before. On a slow week like this week, I'll give it a chance and the fact Boom! Studios put their name on it doesn't hurt.

Triggergirl 6 #1 (Image)

Jimmy Palimiotti, Justin Gray, and Phil Noto present a collection of their Triggergirl 6 strip. The series follows an assassin on a mission to kill the president and her mysterious origins. We in the espionage business call that 'Tuesday'. Palimiotti and Gray have been one of the strongest comic writing teams in recent memory, taking concepts like the Freedom Fighters and All-Star Western out of obscura and ensuring them a loving home on today's shelves. Their tight plotting, along with multiple-award-winning artist Phil Noto radical renderings makes this a pick for sure.

Wolverine #1 (Marvel)

Paul Cornell and Alan Davis have sold me on this title, even if it is just another Wolverine book. After the disappointment that was Savage Wolverine, the sky's the limit here. Cornell writes razor sharp dialogue and makes clever use of whatever fictional universe he's writing in, while Alan Davis is a master of the comic art style. Davis even wrote and penciled the X-Men books in the late ninties, so he knows how to draw a "Snikt!" that really jumps off the page.

Grimm Fairy Tales St. Patricks Day Special (Zenescope)

It's not very often you see a funnybook based on the Colonel's favorite Holiday! And you know if anything from the Grimm Fairy Tales line makes onto it my pile it must be a slow week for comic releases!

...And that's the stack, ladies and germs. Now if you'll excuse me, I have copious amounts of liquor and hallucinagenics to consume before the week is out, so I'll leave the Paula Deen hunt up to you. If she comes stomping through your hometown, send us a postcard and we'll feature it!

Cheers.

The Club Of Heroes Podcast Episode 12: It's Mahvel, Baby!

This episode, Chris, Evan, and Matt marvel at Marvel after what has been a pretty DC-centric podcast thus far. They discuss the X-Men movies, the JMS Spider-Man run, Morrison's New X-Men, and lots lots more. So plug in your ear buddies and take a stroll down memory lane with us, won't you?

You listen to or download the episode HERE!