Christmas comes a little early this year with some amazing comics this week!
In fact, paring this list down to four was hard for the first time in a while.
The Valiant Universe crossover continues in Unity #2, our friend Fred Van Lente takes two spots with his last G.I. Joe #11 and an early adventure in Brain Boy #0.
On ComiXology, Code Monkey get pants and more in his origin, Code Monkey Save World #2.
UNITY #2
WRITER: Matt Kindt
ARTIST: Doug Braithwaite
Publication Date: December 11, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Valiant Comics
UPC: 85899200312300211
Buy it HERE
The struggle against X-O Manowar continues this week in the Valiant crossover Unity #2.
Toyo Harada’s first wave of infiltrators, a team of Harbingers was largely unsuccessful, and Ninjak got himself captured by the Visigoth and is now trapped in the Vine ship in Romania.
Does none of that make sense to you?
Don’t worry, with only two issues in, you can start from the beginning and get a sense of story.
Valiant, by design, is making their second wave of comics great jumping on points for new readers, and are attracting more with consistent five-star reviews for this Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) written crossover limited series.
In issue #2, Livewire, Eternal Warrior and Harada infiltrate the ship and tap into the virtual controls, in attempt to rescue Ninjak and save the planet from Aric’s invasion.
The virtual reality fight scenes drawn by Doug Braithwaite ramp the action up to eleven, making for a true page turner.
I’m telling you, drop event comics from the big two and hop on Unity. Valiant is doing it right.
Explosive action with real consequences to characters you’ve just met makes for the best kind of comics.
Not sure quite yet? Wait for the reasonably priced trade in a few months.
G.I. JOE #11
WRITER: Fred Van Lente
ART: Steve Kurth
Publication Date: December 11, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400431101111
Buy it HERE
Another one of our favorite writers, heck at pretty much any comic company these days, is our pal Fred Van Lente (Archer and Armstrong, Action Presidents).
We’re sad to see him write his last G.I. Joe at issue #11 because his incorporation of everything from Sunbow to Hama to Kung-Fu grip tied all continuities in a fun way.
He put the Joes in the public eye, added a live blogger to the team and brought back an IDW exclusive villain from the first season, Mad Monk as a viable and scary threat—a Mirror Mirror version of Duke, if you will.
There was plenty of action, but also great fun, amazing art from Kurth and Jamal Igle.
This issue is the origin you’ve all been waiting for (kinda)…the origin of Roadblock!
For those not in the know, its the character played by The Rock in the Joe movies. Going out in a fan service blaze of glory, Fred ties in the almost forgotten Sigma Six version of the Joes with our classic heroes, introduces a family relationship between Heavy Duty and Roadblock, and we get cameo appearances from Rock and Roll, Snake Eyes, Lady Jaye and General Hawk.
If there is a way to gracefully back away from a G.I. Joe book, we don’t want it. We’ll take Roadblock infiltrating The Pit and blowing up robots with gigantic guns anytime!
Hooah, Fred! YO JOE!
BRAIN BOY #0
WRITER: Fred Van Lente
ARTIST: Fernando Pasarin
Publication Date: December 11, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
76156824003000011
Buy it HERE
Little known Silver Age comic hero Brain Boy Matt Price has telepathic powers, hence the moniker that he has a disdain for! This one shot is a great introduction to the character that Dark Horse tapped Fred Van Lente to reboot earlier this year.
By doing mental sweeps, like a specially trained K9 unit, Price is able to protect political figures in association with the Secret Service. Not a bad job if you can get it. The problem is, the psychic powers are not his exclusively! Other telekinetics can read and occupy minds around him, making this particular mission of protecting the President especially difficult.
Brain Boy keeps it light with a Parker-like inner dialogue, a flirtation with a mind-read Doctor Who fan and a call in to customer service when he starts to freak out!
Once again, Van Lente can write an action packed story with humor and very modern situations and apply them to old characters to give a forward-thinking version of our heroes without feeling forced or fish out of water. Freddie Williams II (The Movement, The DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics) impresses with his acting and fun art style!
Brain Boy #0 is a great place to jump on, for fans of X-Men, Harbinger and all of those other “I can read your mind” books.
There’s a few of those, right?
CODE MONKEY SAVE WORLD #2
WRITER: Greg Pak (based on Jonathan Coulton songs)
ARTIST: Takeshi Miyazawa
Price: $2.99
Imprint: Monkeybrain Comics
Page Count: 21 Pages
Digital Release Date: December 4, 2013
Age Rating: 9+ Only
Buy it HERE
We sometimes use this digital comics spot for a ComiXology Submit title, a creator owned independent book to spotlight upcoming talent.
You know who ruins that?
Just the coolest songwriter this side of geekdom and the guy working on a little title called Action Comics.
Ever since our trip to New York Comic Con, we wait for further adventures of Code Monkey & Skullcrusher on Skullcrusher Mountain and Chiron Beta Prime.
Just because someone is famous doesn’t mean we won’t support their digital first comic and tell everyone how awesome it is!
Kissing ass? Nah! This is the exact way Jonathan Coulton became Internet famous for writing these songs that form the basis for this comic. Unreserved evangelism from fan to fan.
This issue introduces the Skipper, our curling hero, we find out Skullcrusher’s talents lie in being a patent troll, and Bob the Zombie from RE: your brains!
If you don’t buy this comic, you might be dooming us all to mine coal on Chiron Beta Prime.
You don’t want to have to answer to the robot overlords….I mean, ‘protectors’!
