Comics

Star Wars – Purge: The Hidden Blade

Do you remember when Darth Vader was a bad ass? When he would choke someone out just for speaking out of turn? Well that Vader is still alive and well in the comic universe. Purge, follows Vader as he over-sees the construction of the At-At’s being built on the planet Otavon 12. After an attack on the base he decides to hunt down a powerful Jedi he senses, even though the emperor has instructed him otherwise.

The book is very action heavy, especially since we’re talking about old school Vader who doesn’t whine and screw around. Haden Blackman (Star Wars) does a great job of telling a simple story that itches the nostalgic Star Wars area of the brain. Vader is vindictive towards the unknown Jedi that he is hunting. Just the intensity of his dialog and actions give the strong impression that he hates him. Vader has several awesome one-liners that just highlight how evil he is and make you cover your mouth while reading them.

The art is in the style of Dark Horse’s other Star Wars books and Chris Scalf (Battlestar Galactica) does a great job of keeping that feel of the world.  Vader is drawn to look intimidating and even without the use of facial expressions. Most importantly, Vader is without a doubt, Vader. He acts like a bad ass, he’s drawn like a bad ass and he’s not to be messed with. Scalf draws spot on Star Wars’ creatures, vehicles and light sabers that again capture the old school feel.

S.H.I.E.L.D. #1

Shield, does not destroy the Marvel Universe that you know and love… at least not in the first issue. It does lay down the framework for one of the largest retcons (retroactive continuity) in Marvel’s history. Shield’s history spans throughout the ages, and begins with the first Brood attack on earth. The Brood is an alien race that takes over their host body in order to infect and colonize the planet of their choosing. However, they are defeated by Imhotep, an Egyptian warrior holding a spear and a shield.

Jonathan Hickman (Nightly News, Red Mass for Mars) tells the story of Leonid, a teenage boy that is taken to the Immortal City, an amazing sub-city underneath Rome. He is taken before the high council of the city and the order of Shield is explained to him. Hickman cherry picks great historical figures as agents of Shield to give the overall impression that they are everywhere. In one such case Galileo creates a device to stop Galactus from eating earth years before Reed Richards was ever forced to do so.

Nemesis #1

I would like to start by saying that the first rule of selling a product, be it a comic, a movie, a videogame or even a TV is that you do not insult your own previous work/product. Let me give you an example. Apple is releasing the iPad. They did not come out and say that the iPhone was a piece of crap, comparatively.

Before even opening the book, Mark Millar has told his readers that Kick-Ass is shit compared to this book. What does that say to all the people that bought and enjoyed Kick-Ass? What does it say to the people that worked on the book? Or even the artist of the book? It says that Millar’s previous work was in fact shit and that it was wasted time and money. You should have waited for Nemesis instead. Sorry if you bought Kick-Ass because it was shit, so says Mark Millar.

Scott Pilgrim Vol. 6 Title Announcement

On Friday, March 19th, Oni Press announced the title and release date to the final chapter of the Scott Pilgrim series. Entitled Finest Hour the final chapter is sure to wrap up Bryan Lee O’Malley’s story six years in the making. The release date is July 20, just one day before the start of San Diego Comic Con. I would look for this book to be a strong second week seller due to that fact, since most readers will probably be at the Con. Also at the Con will by Bryan Lee O’Malley, on hand to sign copies. O’Malley has said that this will be the best Scott Pilgrim ever, which is a bold statement to make before the books release. The book will be hitting comic shops and book stores at the same time, perhaps explaining the Tuesday release. I for one am really looking forward to this issue and secretly hope that Scott ends up as the newest evil boyfriend.

IDW Becomes a Diamond Premier Publisher