Alien Legion

This Week in Geek is a weekly blog about new comics written by WorthPoint Comic book Worthologist Matt Baum. Every Wednesday Matt takes a look at trends—good and bad—in the world of comic books from a collector’s point-of-view. Make sure to click on the hot links for previews and more information on the comics, characters, story-lines and creators discussed here and he encourages fellow comic nerds to post your comments below.

Years ago, while scanning the quarter bin at a now-defunct comic shop, I found a cover that caught my eye and for once, at the tender age of 15 or 16, I left the comic shop with a book that didn’t star Batman, Captain America, Spidey or Wolverine. That comic was “Alien Legion” volume 2, #2. Upon reading it, I instantly fell in love. Written by Chuck Dixon, who has also written some of my favorite Batman comics, and drawn by the incomparable Larry Stroman, Alien Legion followed a motley-alien-army-force into battle on even more alien worlds. I spent the next few years completing my Alien Legion run and will never part it, ever. I love Alien Legion and was overjoyed to hear about the Dark Horse “Alien Legion Omnibus” #1, which collects 300 pages of the original Carl Potts and the Chuck Dixon series. But lost my mind when I heard that Dixon and Stroman were reuniting for a new Alien Legion mini-series. I can’t tell you how geeked I am for this. I even told my fiancée. Who stared at me blankly and said, “That’s great, sweetie.”

The Stack:

Below you’ll find my stack of comics for the week of Wednesday, Nov. 18. Make sure and post your own weekly stack of comics below so I can make fun of what you’re reading and vice-versa. For a full list of comics shipping this week click here. To find a comic shop near you click here.

Adventure Comics #4
Alien Legion Omnibus Volume 1
Amazing Spider-Man #612
Cowboy Ninja Viking #2 of 4
Dark Avengers #11
Dark Reign: The List: Amazing Spider-Man
The Flash: Rebirth #5 of 6
Incredible Hulk #604
Mighty Avengers #31
Punisher #11
Realm of Kings: Inhumans #1 of 5
Realm of Kings
Spider-Woman #3
Supergirl #47
Thunderbolts #138
Wolverine: Weapon X #7

Thoughts on the stack:

Adventure Comics

Cowboy Ninja Viking

Dark Avengers

“Adventure Comics” by Geoff Johns is one of the best monthly comics I’ve read in quite a while. Johns has succeeded, yet again, in making me care about Conner Kent, Superboy. Unfortunately, Johns is only on the title for two more issues before Paul Levitz takes over. Yes, I’m being pessimistic here, but honestly, the guy hasn’t written comics since 1989. Which isn’t completely true. He wrote some fill-in issues of JSA that were . . . meh . . . at best.

“Cowboy Ninja Viking” is fun in the vein of Matt Fraction’s “Cassanova.” Issue one was violent, spastic, sexy, well-drawn, well-written and all-around-awesome. This is the kind of story you will only see in comic format. Don’t expect to see an AMC original series about a killer with a multiple personality disorder each of which are trained to kill as different historical warriors anytime soon. I highly recommend checking this one out.

“Dark Avengers” #11 wins the best-cover-of-the-week award with a homage to Todd McFarlane’s Spiderman #1. The closer we get to January’s “Siege” event, which looks to be the end of the “Dark Reign” crossover, the more nervous I get about this title ending. “Dark Avengers” is high-quality super-hero, or I guess in this case super-villain, storytelling and I love it. Every month.

Dark Reign: The List: Spiderman

Mighty Avengers

“Dark Reign: The List: Spiderman” is the only title with two—count ’em, two—semicolons, so it has to be good. That, and the fact that we finally get to see Norman Osborne go after Spiderman. Oh, and Dann Slott is writing with Adam Kubert on pencils. So I guess if you’re an uninformed jerk that hates Spiderman and America and your Grandparents and Thanksgiving, you’ll be skipping this one.

“Mighty Avengers” #31. Just when I thought I was done with this title writer Dan Slott pulls me back in by having Eternity name Hank Pym as Earth’s Scientist Supreme. It’s the little things that get me. I’m in Slott and cowriter Christos Gage have got me for at least six more issues. Although it would be nice if the art team could remain static for at least one story-arc.

Realm of Kings

Thunderbolts

“Realm of Kings” and “Realm of Kings: Inhumans” are must-buys. The writing team of Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning have transformed Marvel’s confusing and often boring cosmic cast into a cohesive, compelling and very well-written group of characters. Marvel Sci-Fi has never been this good. The fact that I even care about a Green Lantern knock-off character like Quasar blows my mind.

“Thunderbolts” is on its last chance with me. In fact, the only reason I’m picking this issue up is because of writer, Jeff Parker (“Agents of Atlas”). But honestly, this is Thunderbolts last chance. I don’t hate the book I’m just reading enough titles starring Marvel villains. If I’m going to read one starring Paladin, Nuke and the Headsman (whose real name is Cleavon Twain; terrible right?) it’s going to have to be pretty damn well written.

And now it’s time to mash all these comics together, mix with water, place on a giant spoon and cook them down to see which is the one comic I can’t live without this week in a little section I’m calling:

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Punisher #11; Marvel Comics

Punisher #11

Solicitation: “Franken-Castle” Part 1. In the belly of New York, skulking and forgotten creatures of the night uncover the remains of a man in a familiar outfit. Frank Castle is dead. What exactly is Frankencastle? Long time collaborators Rick Remender and Tony Moore (Ghost Rider, Fear Agent, The Walking Dead) are reunited for what will be the greatest struggle in the afterlife of the Punisher. Battle not with monsters, lest ye become a monster . . .

32 PGS
$2.99 US
SEP090449
Written by Rick Remender; Pencils and inks by Tony Moore; Cover by Dave Wilkins.

Why this one? Rick Remender’s Punisher has been fantastic so far but is running the risk of wandering into the doldrums of the typical Punisher story where in Frank goes after bad guys, has a little trouble with them and then kills the hell out of ’em. It’s a formula that’s worked for 35 years now, sure. Rick Remender is not your average writer and proved it when he chopped the hero of his story into pieces in the pages of “Dark Reign: The List: Punisher.” That’s right, Frank Castle is dead. Way dead. Pile-of-dismembered-body-parts dead. But now he’s back in a story aptly titled “Frankencastle.” This one’s got everything, Mole Men, the Man Thing and an undead Punisher. If you’re not excited about this one you could be a jerk. And you hate comics.

Nerdy Question of the Week:

Earlier in this blog I was gushing about “Alien Legion.” Everyone has a title like this that almost no body else cared about. What’s yours?

See ya next time, true believers.

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This Week in Geek is a weekly blog about new comics written by WorthPoint comic book Worthologist Matt Baum. Every Wednesday, Matt takes a look at the week’s new comics from a collector’s point-of-view and discusses which books may be hard to find in the near future and why. Make sure to click on the hot links for previews and more information on the comics, characters, story-lines and creators discussed here. Also, feel free to post your comments in the new “comments” section below, or you can follow him on Twitter, where he is always screaming about something nerd-related. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join WorthPoint for free and post your comics in the “Ask A Worthologist” section. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price. And finally a word to the Federal Trade Commission; all the comics discussed here are purchased solely by the writer, who receives no gifts or free merchandise from any publishers even though he would graciously accept them.

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