9.12.12 Shipping Report

It’s been a while since we had another unofficial BRIAN WOOD WEEK around here, so this is it. First up is THE MASSIVE #4 (Dark Horse) from Wood and Garry Brown, who is debuting his work. Full disclosure, I’ve read the issue and it feels like a turning point on a couple levels, this issue set in Mogadishu. Not only does a new artist jump on for this arc (and anyone who enjoys the representational qualities in Sean Phillips’ work will surely get a kick out of Garry Brown, mixing that style with the fine line kineticism of say, Tradd “The Strange Talent of Luther Strode” Moore), but from a narrative standpoint, it also seems like Wood is settling into his groove finally for where this book is headed. I’d also start paying attention to the backmatter really closely. More on that later. We also have CONAN THE BARBARIAN #8 (Dark Horse) hitting the shelves, this time with once-in-a-great-while collaborator Vasilis Lolos, who turned in a one-shot issue of Northlanders I really dug about “The Viking Art of Single Combat.” It looks like the lovers are still in Cimmeria visiting mama as Conan tries to clear his name. Completing the trifecta of Brian Wood books for the week is ULTIMATE COMICS: X-MEN #16 (Marvel), still fleshing out Kitty’s band of mutant freedom fighters amid the mini-crossover event. What else, what else… let’s see… finishing off DC, I’ll also be picking up PUNK ROCK JESUS #3 (DC/Vertigo) from Sean Murphy and will definitely give TEAM 7 #0 (DC) a flip since I have a nostalgic affinity for some of these WildStorm characters and am interested to see what Justin “The Strange Talent of Luther Strode” Jordan can do on the writing end (hey, there’s Luther Strode again). I’m also really looking forward to STUMPTOWN V2 #1 (Oni Press). Volume 1 was a quirky crime story with a lotta’ heart, and though I enjoyed Greg Rucka’s stylish PI Portland thing, I was more concerned with the development of artist Matthew Southworth, so I’m all in on this. I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with this book in singles, but nevertheless I’ll be considering MANHATTAN PROJECTS #6 (Image) from Jonathan Hickman, Nick Pitarra, and Jordie Bellair, this time looking at the Russian side of the atomic equation. I’ve read ALL of the new Valiant books and none of them have grabbed me, but I’m interested to see how Ninjak gets worked into the universe, so I’ll give X-O MANOWAR #5 (Valiant) a curious flip. Lastly, CRACKLE OF THE FROST (Fantagraphics) from Lorenzo Mattotti looks interesting, so we’ll see if that GN passes the casual flip test at the LCS.

UPDATE: X-MEN #35 (Marvel) also comes out this week! As if the Brian Wood trifecta wasn't enough, we also get more on Marvel's Merry Mutants from the dude who is writing approximately 397 other books ranging from creator-owned, to licensed work, to company-owned properties!