Immortal Iron Fist #27

Sad news this week from Marvel Comics, maybe. Newsarama.com posted a sneak peak at Marvel’s summer solicits that included one for the Immortal Iron Fist #27. Here’s how the solicitation looked:

IMMORTAL IRON FIST #27
Written by DUANE SWIERCZYNSKI
Penciled by TRAVEL FOREMAN
Cover by KAARE ANDREWS
70th Anniversary Variant Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Danny Rand is the Immortal Iron Fist. He has thwarted Hydra assassins… foiled a vicious plot to destroy his mystical city of K’un-Lun… fought in an interdimensional kung fu tournament… escaped the unstoppable beast that killed all other Iron Fists before him… and survived a trip into Hell itself. But will he make it through the fall of the House of Rand? Don’t miss this landmark FINAL ISSUE of the critically acclaimed, fan-beloved IMMORTAL IRON FIST (emphasis added).

With the news of the comic’s cancellation, fans lit up the comic web-boards with curses directed at Marvel; mine were particularly nasty. On Iron Fist writer Duane Swierczynski’s Twitter page, he dismissed the rumor as false Tuesday saying” “Nope, ’tis a lie! Iron Fist isn’t going anywhere.” Tuesday morning Newsarama.com posted a new solicitation for issue #27. See if you notice the subtle difference:

Danny Rand is the Immortal Iron Fist. He has thwarted Hydra assassins… foiled a vicious plot to destroy his mystical city of K’un-Lun… fought in an interdimensional kung fu tournament… escaped the unstoppable beast that killed all other Iron Fists before him… and survived a trip into Hell itself. But will he make it through the fall of the House of Rand?

No mention of a final issue there. As of yet I haven’t seen any confirmation as to what is going on with the series other than the writer’s Twitter message. (Yes, I follow my favorite writers on Twitter, and no, I don’t think it’s stalker behavior.) I’ll keep you guys posted as soon as I hear anything. In the meantime, you should all encourage 10 people you know to pick up the series just to help the sales a little bit.

This week is huge! I was amazed/slightly embarrassed at how many comics I’ll be buying this Wednesday, March 25. Below, you’ll find my giant pile of comics for this week. For a complete list of this week’s comics click here. To find a comic shop near you click here.

The Astounding Wolf-Man #14
Batman: Battle For The Cowl: Commissioner Gordon
Captain America #48
Conan The Cimmerian #9
Daredevil #117
Dark Reign: Elektra #1 of 5
Fantastic Four #565
Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5 of 5
Firebreather #7
Guardians Of The Galaxy #12
Immortal Iron Fist #24
Incredible Hercules #127
Mighty Avengers #23
New Avengers #51
Nova #23
Oracle #1 of 3
Superman #686
The Umbrella Academy: Dallas #5 of 6
War Machine #4
War of Kings: Darkhawk #2 of 2
Wonder Woman #30
X-Force/Cable Messiah War: Prologue
X-Infernus #4 of 4

Again, only a few new items to the list. The two new offerings from the Batman Battle for the Cowl event, Batman: Battle For The Cowl: Commissioner Gordon and Oracle #1 look like they could be fun. As stated above, everyone needs to be reading Iron Fist #24, available this week. I’m also pretty excited for Marvel’s X-Force/Cable Messiah War: Prologue (see Picks of the Week for more). Two great miniseries end this week issue #5 of Final Crisis: Legion of Three Worlds #5 of 5 (which turned out to have nothing to do with the Final Crisis event) and X-Infernus #4 of 4 (which sees the return of beloved New Mutants character Magik to the Marvel U). Both minis have been well worth the cover price and are probably still readily available at most comic shops.

And now, on to the Speculator Picks of the Week. These are books that, for one reason or another, may sell out quickly. If you don’t pay attention and get to your local comic shop in a timely fashion, you could be paying way too much for these comics very soon. The codes you see listed below the solicitations are for use when ordering through your local comic shop.

Daredevil #117: Marvel Comics

Daredevil

Solicitation: RETURN OF THE KING continues! Wilson Fisk, the Kingpin of Crime, comes back to Hell’s Kitchen to forge a pact with Daredevil! Their target? Lady Bullseye and the Hand! By the award-winning team of Brubaker and Lark!

• 32 PGS
• $2.99 US
• JAN092503
Written by: Ed Brubaker; Pencils by: Michael Lark; Inks by: Stefano Gaudiano; Cover by: Matt Hollingsworth; Letters by: Chris Eliopoulos

Why it’ll go fast: The Kingpin, Daredevil’s arch-nemesis and one of my favorite villains, returns to what is one of the best-written superhero titles on the stands today. Daredevil has slid in sales, slightly, to the mid-thirties on the monthly top 300 comic sales list, shipping just over 40,000 issues for the past few months. This sales trend probably means that retailers are content with their DD numbers and won’t change them much, even when a major character returns to the comic. Which will probably lead to a very quick sell out of the latest issue. As retailers are feeling the squeeze of the flailing economy, they are becoming more and more content to sell out of issues rather than taking chances on the back-issue market. Thus, it’s getting harder and harder to find older issues of comics like DD that aren’t top 20 selling titles.

Oracle #1: DC Comics

Oracle

Solicitation: Part 1 of 3-part story that will change the life of Oracle forever! Barbara Gordon, after disbanding the Birds of Prey, returns to Gotham City as a recluse only to lose herself to her Oracle identity entirely. But when the evil Calculator seeks the remnants of the Anti-Life Equation to save the life of his daughter, Oracle will be caught in the crossfire, and Barbara Gordon will pay the ultimate price!

• 32 PGS
• $2.99 US
• JAN090185
Written by: Kevin VanHook; Pencils by: Don Kramer; Cover by: Guillem March

Why it’ll go fast: Assigning the writer of Bloodshot (Valiant Comics) and Superman and Batman Versus Vampires and Werewolves (DC and possibly the second longest comic book title ever… bonus points to whoever comes up with the longest title) to the Oracle Miniseries is not a move that filled a lot of fans or retailers with hope for the series. That’s not to say it won’t be good. If you dug VanHook’s original Sci-Fi Network films such as “Slayer” and “Death-Row” (which is also called “Haunted Prison” apparently), then maybe you’re excited. I missed his films (I swore off Sci Fi original movies after “Mansquito”) and never read Bloodshot, but I will be picking up Oracle #1. Barbra Gordon (Oracle) is a beloved DC character and fans are going to pick this story up; that is if retailers give them the option. Of the Battle for the Cowl tie-ins, I’m guessing this one will be the least ordered, even with a paraplegic shower scene on page two. How does Babs keep those legs looking so good?

X Force/Cable: Messiah War Prerlude: Marvel Comics

X Force/Cable

Solicitation: The birth of a single mutant child forever changed the landscape of the X-Universe. Some see the baby as the last hope for mutankind’s survival; others see it as the harbinger of the Apocalypse… No one knows which side is right because Cyclops handed the newborn over to Cable, believing his son could save both the child and mutantkind. But Cable never came back. Now, months later, Cyclops has found his son hiding in the FUTURE… and he’s sending in the one team that will do what needs to be done in order to ensure the survival of their species… X-FORCE. The X-Men event of the decade, “MESSIAH COMPLEX,” continues here as the past, present and future converge in the pages of X-FORCE and CABLE. Continues next month in the pages of CABLE #13 and X-FORCE #14!

One-Shot/Rated T+ …$3.99
• 48 PGS
• $3.99 US
• JAN092540
Written by: Christopher Yost and Craig Kyle; Pencils by: Mike Choi Inks: Sonia Oback; Cover by: Sonia Oback

Why it’ll go fast: While sales on X-force are holding pretty steady just above the top 20 in monthly sales Cable continues to fall from the 49th spot in Jan 09, ending up at the number 55 spot in Feb 09. While the book is high quality, fans are leaving the title, saying the current storyline has drug on too long. Well all that changes this week when the X-Force writing team launched the first part of the Messiah War. Now the question becomes, with a $3.99 price tag, are fans going to bite? I would guess retailers will order less of this one-shot than of the regular X-Force tie-in but still more than Cable. If Messiah War does sell out, it will happen in reorders as retailers scramble for more copies. The event looks great and Kyle and Yost’s writing has been top-notch.

Indy Comic of the Week:

Cecil and Jordan in New York: Drawn and Quarterly

Solicitation: A new graphic novel by Gabrielle Bell, featuring a story adapted to film by Michel Gondry. This new collection by Lucky cartoonist Gabrielle Bell presents her short comics work from various anthologies over the past five years, including Kramer’s Ergot, Mome, and Drawn & Quarterly Showcase. The surrealist title story, in which a young woman turns herself into a chair so as not to be too much of a bother to those around her, is being adapted into a short film, “Interior Design,” by director Michel Gondry (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”) as part of the forthcoming Tôkyô! trilogy set for a December 2009 release.

• $19.95 US
• OCT084116
Written and drawn by: Gabrielle Bell

Why you should care: First of all, if Michel Gondry is into it, I’m into it. Gondry is one of my favorite filmmakers and this sounds like the perfect surrealist story for one of his projects. I’ve also read and enjoyed some of Bell’s work from Drawn and Quarterly. So should you.

Nerdy Question of the Week!

Sales on comic miniseries have declined in the past few years to alarmingly low numbers in some cases (see sales numbers on Terror Titans and Sandman Dream Hunters for recent examples). Why do you think this is? Has the miniseries lost its mojo? Is it event fatigue, price, or lack of good short stories? Discuss!

Thanks again for your continued input and keep the answers to the nerdy questions coming. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question below in the “Leave a Reply” section below. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join WorthPoint for free and post your comics in the “Ask a Question” section. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price.

Matt Baum is a Worthologist who specializes in comic books.

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Before we get started let’s talk housekeeping. I’ve received a few e-mails detailing some problems with finding older “This Week” blogs, problems with posting comments and even some problems with getting in contact with me. I assure you I’ve read all your emails and forwarded them to the proper geeks and have been reassured by those same geeks that problems are in the process of being solved. There’s a lot of changes coming down the WorthPoint-pipe real soon here (no I’m not being replaced, as far as I know anyway) and they are all for the benefit of you guys. Stick around and you’ll see.

With that out of the way let’s talk comics. The yearly comic sales numbers have been released and it seems, once again, Marvel stomped DC in comic sales while DC whupped Marvel in Trade-Paper-Back sales. All in all not very surprising as Marvel’s “Secret Invasion” seems to have been a rollicking sales and critical success. The fans spoke with their wallets and bought a lot more Marvel Comics than DC. The numbers don’t lie. However, does sales success translate to collectivity? The short answer is maybe. For more on this question check out my other blog, “The Comic Speculator” where I’ll be taking a look at Marvel’s last big crossover event, “Civil War,” to try and predict where prices on the “Secret Invasion” comics will sit after the dust settles. Look for that blog later this week.

For now let’s take a look at this week’s new comics. Here’s my pile if comics for the week of Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2009. As always, I welcome your criticism, praise or threats of bodily harm based on what I am or am not reading/collecting. You may have noticed a new section below where you can respond to this article, it’s the perfect place to agree with or lash out at me for all to see! (No rhyme intended) For a complete list of this week’s new comics click here. To find a comic shop near you click here.

Action Comics #873
B.P.R.D.: The Black Goddess #1 of 5
Captain Britain and MI: 13 #9
DMZ #38
Faces of Evil: Prometheus
Final Crisis #6 of 7
Final Crisis: Superman Beyond #2 of 2
Green Lantern Corps #32
Nightwing #152
Punisher: War Zone #5 of 6
X-Infernus #2 of 4

Now let’s talk speculation. As you may or may not know, the purpose of this blog is to arm the comic nerd with the information he or she needs to make an informed and quality new comic purchase every week. While they might not be worth piles of money, these issues may be pretty hard to find in the near future.

Amazing Spiderman #583, Obama Variant

Amazing Spiderman #583, Obama Variant; Marvel Comics; Written by Mark Waid; Art by Barry Kitson, Back up story Written by Zeb Wells; Art by Todd Nauck; 32 pages $3.99.

Solicitation: YOU ASKED FOR IT, YOU GOT IT! PETER PARKER ON A DATE! After the revelations of “Mind on Fire,” love is in the air for more than one member of the cast, and Pete finally gets some time out with the ladies (and who better to bring it to you than two men who both had dates as recently as 1987!?!). Amidst the romance, though, forces are gathering that will spell trouble for Peter in the months to come. And, to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama, Marvel is proud to present an all-new story teaming up one of the world’s most recognizable political figures with the world’s greatest super hero, as President-Elect Obama joins Spider-Man in “Spidey Meets the President!”

Why it’ll go fast: As you may recall, a few months ago Batman may or may not have died in the pages of Batman as part of the “RIP” storyline. This issue prompted me to predict a huge sellout on the basis that DC would drop a press release to media sources everywhere, hoping the news papers and networks would pick up on the story and send people everywhere to their nearest comic shop to see how Batman dies. Well it didn’t happen. Whether DC dropped the ball on this one or no one cared, we may never know. Marvel on the other hand seems to have their PR dept in marching order and already this week CNN, NPR, and USA TODAY have run stories about Spidey meeting Obama in the pages of Amazing Spidey #583. Already pre-sales for the issue on eBay are going for $30-$50 and with the announcement of a second printing of the Variant cover it would seem the entire first print-run is spoken for before hitting the stands. Retailers had to order more of the regular cover of #583 than they did of Amazing Spidey #575 to be eligible to order the Obama variant. If they surpassed their order of #575, then the sky’s the limit; order as many Obama Variant as you want, although there’s no guarantee you’ll receive them all. The distribution of the variants seems to be a mystery, and the rumor of a10,000- to 20,000-print-run will make this comic extremely hot and hard to find. I wonder how a Sarah Palin variant would sell?

Faces of Evil: Prometheus

Faces of Evil: Prometheus; DC; Written by Sterling Gates; Art by Federico Dallocchio; Cover by Mauro Cascioli; 32 pages; $2.99.

Solicitation: It’s an all-new prelude to the upcoming, all-new JUSTICE LEAGUE #1! Prometheus once defeated the Justice League single-handedly, and with his latest lethal crime spree, he’s moved to the top of the heroes’ Most Wanted list. But what grave crimes has he committed, and what will he do to prevent capture? Learn the real face of evil that is Prometheus!

Why it’ll go fast: I love the current Faces of Evil event, but sadly, am still awaiting last week’s FOE: Grundy issue due to a shipping error at Diamond Comics. I’m still trying to get a solid answer on who was affected by this shipping error and will let you know as soon as I do. That aside, FOE takes a look at the villains that will be making problems fot the DC heroes in the coming year and Prometheus is one of my favorites. Writer Sterling Gates has been doing great work on the current Supergirl run and I’m excited to see how he brings Prometheus back to the DC villains “A-list.” While the numbers for orders on the first FOE issue aren’t available yet, I’m guessing this issue will be ordered much lower than the Geoff Johns Grundy issue based on the fact that, though he’s great, Sterling Gates isn’t a huge name yet.

X-Infernus #2 of 4

X-Infernus #2 of 4; Marvel Comics; Written by C.B. Cebulski; Art by Giuseppe Camuncol; Cover by David Finch; 32 pages; $3.99.

Solicitation: Darkchilde comes calling to the X-Men’s doorstep—and she’s not leaving without her Soulsword. The next pulse-pounding issue by C.B. Cebulski (LONERS, Drain) and Giuseppe Cammuncoli (MS. MARVEL, Intimates) is here and it’s shaking up the X-Men in a big way.

Why it’ll go fast: X-Men mini-series haven’t had the best reputation for sales or quality for quite a while now, however, X-Infernus seems to be the exception to the rule. Issue one was GREAT! I love the character of Magik, Illyana Rasputin (Colossus’ little sister), and can’t wait for her to return to the Marvel U (sans goat legs). I’m not the only nerd that loved this story, fans bought issue #1 by the fistful causing an instant sell-out at the printer and a second and third printing. If you can find issue X-Infernus #1 pick it up along with issue #2. It’s good fun for fans of both the now classic New Mutants, and the more recent New X Men Academy X.

The Indy book of the Week pick will return next week. For this week, I’m introducing yet another new section to stir up some discussion. It’s called the The Nerdy Question of the Week, where I’ll pose a question to you the reader and hopefully you’ll respond. Responses can come via email or using the “comments” section at below. This weeks question comes from a discussion a friend of mine and I had this past weekend.

If you had to reduce your pile to one comic a month (just one title) what comic would it be?

Post you answers below or feel free to e-mail them to me.

Until next week, keep the questions coming. Also, check out my other blog The Comic Speculator, where I discuss new and classic yet still affordable back-issue comics. If you have any questions about these books or anything else in the comic book world feel free to contact me or post your question in the Comic Book community forum. Want to know what your comics are worth? Join WorthPoint for free and post your titles in the “Ask A Question” section. Remember to post the title, issue number and cover price.

Matt Baum is a Worthologist who specializes in comic books.

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