Whew. I hope that you readers made it out of those last few days of absolute polar temperatures. I barely made it to the corner for milk which is a MUST have for the morning coffee. Today is Super Bowl Sunday and will put the New England Patriots against the Los Angeles Rams and while we are not at all sports fans here, I do hope that the Rams destroy the Patriots since I am tired of them. What I am a fan of is the comic book scene and there are a bunch of cool launches coming from DC Comics this month. Let’s take a look.
FEMALE FURIES #1: All their lives the Female Furies have been raised to be the meanest, most cunning and most ruthless fighting force on all of Apokolips. So why are Granny Goodness’ girls left behind every time the men go to war? With the might of New Genesis hanging over the planet, and the Forever People making mincemeat out of Darkseid’s army, Granny thinks it’s about time that changed. And so, Big Barda, Aurelie, Mad Harriet, Lashina, Bernadeth and Stompa set out to beat the boys at their own game. Little do they know the game is rigged—and one accidental murder could spell disaster for them all! FEMALE FURIES is an exciting new miniseries starring some of Jack Kirby’s coolest Fourth World characters by the writer of SHADE, THE CHANGING GIRL and the artist of PLASTIC MAN!
written by CECIL CASTELLUCCI; art by ADRIANA MELO; cover by MITCH GERADS
HIGH LEVEL #1: Hundreds of years after the world ended and human society was rebuilt from scratch, a self-interested smuggler is forced to traverse a new continent of danger and mystery to deliver a child messiah to High Level, a mythical city at the top of the world from which no one has ever returned. Don’t miss the start of a new series from writer Rob Sheridan, co-creator of Nine Inch Nails’ groundbreaking Year Zero alternate-reality game!
written by ROB SHERIDAN; art by BARNABY BAGENDA and ROMULO FAJARDO JR.; cover by GUILLAUME OSPITAL
WONDER TWINS #1: Exiled from their home planet, alien heroes Zan and Jayna must navigate life as teens on Earth at South Metropolis High School, where they’re even bigger outsiders than the typical awkward young adults. Under the watchful eye of Superman, the brother and sister pull monitor duty at the Hall of Justice as interns, while also trying to overcome the pitfalls of Zan’s brash confidence and Jayna’s shy but streetwise persona. If you think you know the Wonder Twins, think again—this book takes the form of the unexpected.
written by MARK RUSSELL; art and cover by STEPHEN BYRNE
ABSOLUTE BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM (30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) HC: One of the greatest Batman stories ever told, BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM is celebrated in this new 30th anniversary slipcased edition featuring new cover art by Dave McKean! The inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over and are demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to endure the personal hells of The Joker, the Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face and many other sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison.
written by GRANT MORRISON; art and new cover by DAVE McKEAN
ABSOLUTE DARK KNIGHT HC NEW EDITION: Now back in print once more, this Absolute edition features an extended sketch section from THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN with commentary by Frank Miller, a look at the plot and pencils from the legendary finale to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, an introduction by Miller, cover and slipcase art by Miller and more! Ten years after an aging Batman retired, Gotham City has sunk deeper into decadence and lawlessness. Now, when his city needs him most, the Dark Knight returns in a blaze of glory. This Absolute edition collects THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS #1-4 and THE DARK KNIGHT STRIKES AGAIN #1-3.
written by FRANK MILLER; art by FRANK MILLER and KLAUS JANSON; cover by FRANK MILLER
BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN TP: Ty Templeton and Rick Burchett reunite for a story that serves as a prequel to the Batman and Harley Quinn animated film! Harley Quinn is a legend in her own mind, so when she realizes The Joker thinks of her as more of a sidekick, she takes her revenge! But before Batman can swoop in and cart her off to Arkham Asylum, her pal Poison Ivy rescues her! But if the only way to get rid of her sidekick status is to strike out on her own, will Harley be willing to try it? And does that mean…joining Batman? Collects BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN digital chapters #1-7 and HARLEY QUINN AND BATMAN digital chapters #1-5.
written by TY TEMPLETON and others; art by RICK BURCHETT and others; cover by RICK BURCHETT
DARK NIGHTS: METAL: DARK KNIGHTS RISING TP: The evil Batmen—twisted mirror images of the Dark Knight—have been unleashed upon Earth and the Justice League with only one thing on their minds: total devastation. How can the World’s Greatest Heroes stop a horde of deadly beings who appear to be powerful nightmare versions of familiar figures? Collects BATMAN: THE RED DEATH #1, BATMAN: THE DEVASTATOR #1, BATMAN: THE MERCILESS #1, BATMAN: THE MURDER MACHINE #1, BATMAN: THE DROWNED #1, BATMAN: THE DAWNBREAKER #1, THE BATMAN WHO LAUGHS #1 and DARK KNIGHTS RISING: THE WILD HUNT #1.
written by SCOTT SNYDER, GRANT MORRISON, JOSHUA WILLIAMSON, PETER J. TOMASI, FRANK TIERI, JAMES TYNION IV, DAN ABNETT and SAM HUMPHRIES
art by CARMINE DI GIANDOMENICO, TONY S. DANIEL, FRANCIS MANAPUL, PHILIP TAN, TYLER KIRKHAM, ETHAN VAN SCIVER, RILEY ROSSMO and others
cover by JASON FABOK
DETECTIVE COMICS: 80 YEARS OF BATMAN: DELUXE EDITION HC: Celebrating the legacy of the Dark Knight, DETECTIVE COMICS: 80 YEARS OF BATMAN follows the best-selling ACTION COMICS: 80 YEARS OF SUPERMAN. Curated by guest editor Paul Levitz, it features reprints of the Dark Knight’s most memorable adventures, from his first appearance to the debuts of Robin, Batwoman, Bat-Mite and Batgirl, as well as villains including Two-Face, the Riddler, Clayface, Man-Bat and more. This hardcover also spotlights crime-fighters including Slam Bradley, Air Wave, the Boy Commandos, the Martian Manhunter and the 1970s Manhunter, Paul Kirk! And, published for the first time anywhere: a new tale of a traumatic early moment in Bruce Wayne’s life written by Paul Levitz with art by Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz, and an extraordinary look at a long-ago work in progress—the original layouts for the Batman tale from DETECTIVE COMICS #200, as illustrated by Lew Sayre Schwartz (and signed “Bob Kane”). As if that’s not enough, this volume includes essays on Batman from contributors including Cory Doctorow, Neil Gaiman, Glen David Gold, Dennis O’Neil, former San Diego police chief Shelley Zimmerman and pulp historian Anthony Tollin.
stories and art by various; cover by JIM LEE
PROMETHEA: THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY DELUXE EDITION BOOK ONE HC: Sophie Bangs is an ordinary college student in a futuristic New York who finds herself transformed into Promethea, the living embodiment of the imagination. Her trials have only begun, as she must master the secrets of her predecessors before she is destroyed by Promethea’s ancient enemy. Complete with character sketches, variant covers and other bonus material, this new hardcover collection is perfect for any fan of this incredible series. Collects issues #1-12 plus the complete script for issue #3.
written by ALAN MOORE; art by J.H. WILLIAMS III, MICK GRAY, CHARLES VESS and JOSE VILLARUBIA; cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III and MICK GRAY
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PiercingMetal Thoughts: There are a few items that I am rather interested in on this rundown such as the “Female Furies” and the “Wonder Twins” and I might just brave the massive “Detective Comics” hardcover based on the 1000th Issue Anniversary that is coming up very, very soon. What about you readers? What interests you the most on this list? Chime in down below and “Let’s Go Rams!!!!”…..see you next time.
Update: So the Super Bowl just ended a few minutes ago (it’s like 10:30 now EST) and the Los Angeles Rams barely seemed to show up for the game. The New England Patriots bested them with a victory of “13” points against the Rams “3”. Now this might be the Metal guy in me speaking here but that Halftime Show with Maroon Five and all the Rappers was a ramshackle affair that made no sense when you saw how it was merged and morphed together. They probably should have only had the Rap guys. Of course Maroon Five used Heavy Metal band special effects with fireworks and flameshooters. That was the only part I enjoyed.
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