Battle for the Atom is over and the fallout already hit the fan in the final issue of that mini-event. What’s next for the All New X-Men? What will kind of pitch will Brian Michael Bendis be throwing our way now? Will Nightcrawler, after he has returned, take some time away from Amazing X-Men to visit the All-New X-Men? Who is the strange mutant girl in the preview art, and what role will she play in future issues? This preview from Marvel Comics has a few answers, but it really just brings up more questions. 

Written By: Brian Michael Bendis
Art By: Brandon Peterson
Cover By: Brandon Peterson (Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. variant also available)
Publication Date: 11/27/13

Preview pages courtesy of Marvel Comics:

Let me know what you think of the All-New X-Men in the comments or send me a tweet. I’m Mark Avo, and you can find me on Twitter @MarkAvo or on Instagram @TheMarkAvo. 

Comics Superstar Alex Ross has been commissioned to create special variant covers to celebrate and commemorate Marvel Comics 75th anniversary. These covers will span the Marvel line over a period of 12 months starting in 2014. Ross will create the covers in his stunningly beautiful signature style. They will feature Marvel characters from all the classic titles and teams. The first of these covers is due in January for Avengers #25. 

Alex Ross, best known for the Marvel Comics mini-series Marvels and the DC Comics Kingdom Come, is a fan favorite for his painted coloring style of comic book art. Lately he has been the marque artist at Dynamite Comics working on titles such as Masks. His latest work for one of the big two has been at DC Comics producing Astro City covers with long-time partner on that series, Kurt Busiek. To see get a sampling of what he’ll be doing for Marvel, check out the preview art after the solicit:

Written by: Jonathan Hickman
Art By: Esad Ribic
Variant Cover by: Alex Ross
Publication Date: 01/15/14

Image courtesy of Marvel Comics

Dark Horse Comics is serving up another adaptation of the works of Edgar Allan Poe by Richard Corben. The last time Corben did an adaptation of Poe, it was a two part mini for The Fall of The House of Usher. It was haunting, unsettling, and incredibly well drawn. The Raven and the Red Death is another fine example of this Eisner Hall of Fame member’s storytelling mastery. This time, instead of two issues for 1 story, it’s a 32 page One-shot filled up with two stories!

The Raven, a horror tale that is infamous, is slightly changed in voice by Corben. The narrative turns from self-recited poem into a third person witness of madness through sequential art. You’ll instantly be familiar with the story by Edgar Allan Poe, and then find new depths that only Richard Corben could plumb for you.

The Red Death is told through color and narrative. The art is terrific but it is the colors that bring you, the reader, on the journey to a faraway kingdom. Those familiar with Corben will know of Mag the Hag, she walks the reader through the story and out the other end. The reveal of the Red Death had even Mag turning away. If you’re a fan of horror, Edgar Allen Poe, or Richard Corben, you’ll be turning back to the front to re-read this terrifically short, but incredibly rich One-shot available Wednesday.

Writer: Richard Corben
Artist: Richard Corben
Cover Artist: Richard Corben
Genre: Horror
Publication Date: October 30, 2013
Price: $3.99

Preview Images courtesy of Dark Horse Comics

If you have any feedback or opinions on the preview, remember to post in the comments or send me a tweet @MarkAvo.

I enjoy comics. Often I enjoy good comics. Occasionally I have enjoyed a great comic. It is a rare event for me though, to read that special comic that has moved me. Reading to oneself is a solitary activity. When a book connects you to the artist – when you can feel the emotion that was put into a story and you become charged by that emotion – that is an experience you’ll always remember. It’s also one that will compel you to share that story with others. Pretty Deadly compelled me to tell you to pick up a copy of issue #1 on Wednesday because it is that kind of special story. One told by phenomenally talented storytellers Kelly Sue DeConnick, Emma Rios, and Jordie Bellaire.

The story is a Western tale with some great mystical elements thrown in with a carefully subtle measure. There could be magic, but this story could also just be about good old fashioned revenge. What is clear, is that the way in which the story is told could be a magical thing in itself. The book mixes story dialogue with poetry. As the story unfolds, an old fashioned kind of comic on a tapestry is unrolled. The prime characters begin to tell the story of the tapestry as the comic narrative deftly weaves through the panels. Once the telling of the tapestry is over, and the travelling story tellers are paid for their tale, they continue on through rest of the comic with Old West action hot on their heels in the form of Ginny, the daughter of Death.

The art is the kind that you drink in and then put the book down feeling refreshed.

That tone of writing and art is changed throughout the book by the ever wonderful coloring of Jordie Bellaire. DeConnick and Rios couldn’t have picked a better colorist to work with. Rios’s pencils are soft but at times hurried. Her pencils are never lazy though. Rios matches DeConnicks words in a pace that pushes the story forward when necessary, but slows it down again so you don’t read too quickly. The art is the kind that you drink in and then put the book down feeling refreshed.

Kelly Sue DeConnick’s words are what moved me. Although the art of Pretty Deadly was spectacular, it was the heart of the book and the afterword that confirmed my interpretation of the story they’re telling. Pretty Deadly #1 ends with a set of short stories about events that happened to DeConnick in different parts of her past. Those events, tied together, are like the feathers of the wings that helped this book to fly. We’ve all had an experience in our past where we felt like we were falling. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have support, and are lifted through the experience. Other times falling down can be the lesson. I’m looking forward to finding out which one of those experiences this book will take me down.

Writer: Kelly Sue DeConnick
Artist: Emma Rios
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Publication Date: October 23, 2013
Cover Price: $3.50

Preview pages courtesy of Image Comics

Let me know what you thought about the book in the comments or on Twitter @MarkAvo.

MOVIES Coming Soon released nearly 15 minutes of B-Roll and behind the scenes footage of Thor: The Dark World October 17^th. Most of the footage jumps around so it’s hard to get a timeline on anything but the sets look spectacular. Brian Tyler’s score is played during the footage, which at times feels out of place. The music though, only builds further anticipation for this film which is set to be released in 18 days at the time of this writing on November 8^th, 2013. In the film, viewers can expect to see Thor battle an ancient race of Dark Elves lead by Melekith the Accursed. Thor: The Dark World is set after the Avengers film and is the second film in phase two of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

MOVIES Coming soon has a collection of thousands of early looks at footage, extended spots and behind the scenes footage like the Thor: The Dark World footage below. The footage is the kind that those who don’t like to know anything about the film before seeing it should probably avoid. If you’re the paranoid type who is afraid this kind of video will spoil anything, fear not. The clips are very short and only tease plot points of the film. So, if you’re the adventurous type or if you like seeing behind the scenes clips of your favorite films, the video below will not disappoint.

Sound off in the comments about anything in the footage you were struck by, or send me a tweet @MarkAvo. I’d like to know what you thought.

Francesco Francavilla’s critically acclaimed The Black Beetle volume 1: No Way Out from Dark Horse Comics is now available. The graphic novel collects the entire No Way Out story into a hard cover format for the first time; and the story is spectacular. The marriage of image and story in comics is rarely this perfect. The book is a creation of Francavilla’s that is all his own. The illustrations are not only done in his classical pulp noir style, but the story is built from the ground up by Francavilla as a pulp noir mystery. That makes the collected edition so much better because the mystery can be enjoyed in one big serving.

The Black Beetle is a character who is part super-hero, part man of action, and part Continental Op. He is the protector in the shadows of Colt City. The story starts with Black Beetle protecting a museum curator and her archeological treasures from machine-gun wielding Nazi’s with jetpacks. Gun play and intrigue ensue as Francavilla’s hero investigates his way in and out of trouble. Most of the time he’s saved by the use of some amazing gadgets created in the noir era of the 1930’s & 40’s but clearly based on modern technology. You will not be alone in comparing the gadgets to Dick Tracy, Inspector Gadget, James Bond and a Navy Seal.

That’s not to say that the story isn’t firmly grounded in storytelling. The use of the gadgets and action isn’t a cheap trick to make up for an uninteresting story. It is instead part of the fun and flavor to an already exciting thriller. The Black Beetle puts the puzzle together through detective work in sewers and in night clubs. The smoky lounge scene when the band plays and the canary sings are spectacularly done. The music is drawn in a way that gives the visual a sense of sound. As you read along, you’ll swear you can smell bourbon and tobacco. Francavilla’s pencils and colors create and then draw you into his world like few others can.

The book’s foreword is by the amazing Darwyn Cooke and there are 19 pages of additional content in the back. That many extras with a total page count at 152 is not something you always see at the 20 dollar price point. For anyone who likes a little sampling before they jump in, there is a nice sized preview after the solicit below. For any additional Fracesco Francavilla art check out his page here. To tell me I talk about Francesco Francavilla too much, go ahead and leave a comment or send me a tweet @MarkAvo.

Writer & Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Cover Artist: Francesco Francavilla
Genre: Superhero, Crime, Action/Adventure
Publication Date: October 16, 2013
Format: FC, 152 Pages; HC, 7″ x 10″
Price: $19.99

October 22, 2013 heralds the release of one of the biggest expansions the Sims franchise has seen yet. Jet packs, time travel, wind cutters (a.k.a hoverboards), robots, this expansion has it all. My hands on experience with the folks at EA showed me just how complex the Sims has become. This specific expansion allows you to manipulate time.

Photo: The Portal to the Future

My personal favorite is the opportunity to check the winning lottery numbers during your time frame, and if you don’t get caught you are free to head back in time and play those numbers. Different sets of quest chains also allow you to enter different futures. You can help keep everything on path and enter a “normalized” consistent to your time style future, you can mess with the time line a bit and walk into a Mad Max reminiscent dystopian world, or you can help improve things and head to utopia where everything is hugs and butterflies. 

Along with new quest chains, worlds and adventures you are also given different traits. One trait “robot fanatic” allows you to build, invent, and customize Plumbots. Plumbots are characters (pictured below) that work in retail shops, help around the house, or simply become a part of your family that you can control. With so many options at your disposal this expansion looks to be earning it’s price easily. We have the b roll trailer below with more game play insight, are you ready for some Sims?

Titan Comics has had some great pulp and sci-fi offerings this fall, not least of which is the mini-series Number Cruncher. Simon Spurrier, the current writer behind Marvel’s X-men Legacy, and P.J. Holden are the creators/owners behind Number Cruncher from Titan Comics. The art is delectable and brings up memories of Fearless, from Image Comics, and the controversial mobile comic Murderdrome. The colorist is my MVP from last week’s 5 and 3, Jordie Bellaire who should give a clinic on her coloring. The comics time travel shennanigans told with the use of color should sell you on the book, but Si Spurrier does a better job himself in this SDCC 2013 announcement.

If Spurrier telling you that the book is, “About love, the fabric of the universe and casual ultra-violence,” didn’t convince you to pick it up, here is the solicit followed by some wonderful preview pages. 

Writer: Si Spurrier
Artist: P.J. Holden
Colorist: Jordie Bellaire
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Publication Date: October 23, 2013
Format: SC, 32 pages
Price: $3.99

Rocket Girl #1 is not Ameri-Manga but, with a teenage super-heroine, a futuristic setting, and time travel, it feels very close to it. The story is about a 15 year old cop named DaYoung Johansson from a futuristic New York set in 2013. This version of New York has flying cars, Jet Packs, super robots and a teenage police force. She must travel back in time to the year 1986 to save the future which just happens to be her present. The destructive Quintum Mechanics Corporation, shrouded in mystery, uses politics to cement their position and their vision of the present. As she investigates Quintum Mechanics in the past she discovers a large conspiracy about the place she came from – the place she went back in time to protect. That future New York shouldn’t exist at all!

The creative team of Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare, have brought their book from a successfully funded Kickstarter project to Image comics. Image is, to the eyes of the industry, the home of creator owned. Amy Reeder and Brandon Montclare are working with Image to introduce us to Rocket Girl’s world and characters. After the first five issue arc they plan on turning Rocket Girl into another creator owned ongoing series for Image Comics creator owned quiver.

Amy Reeder’s future New York reminds me of a world similar to the one Marcos Martin has brought to life in Private Eye. The colors are so vibrant and full of pop that when you visit New York from 1986 you’ll think a mutant turtle might make a guest appearance. The art is terrific and the young beauty that the lead character DaYoung has makes for an enjoyable comics experience. Take a look for yourself at the preview pages below and then let me know what you think in the comments or via Twitter @MarkAvo.

Writer: Brandon Montclare
Artist: Amy Reder
Genre: Science-Fiction, Action Adventure
Publication Date: October 09, 2013
Price: $3.50

Amazing X-Men #1 will be the return of the fan favorite mutant, Nightcrawler. He’s been missing for a number of years but his return has been teased since the beginning of Wolverine and the X-Men #1. Will the Elf’s return be another hit for Jason Aaron? The story sounds intriguing as Wolverine and a handpicked team attempts a rescue mission in a swashbuckling pirate themed adventure. With Ed McGuiness on art, and based on the first look below, it appears that the answer will be a resounding yes.

AMAZING X-MEN #1
Writer: JASON AARON
Artist: ED MCGUINESS
Cover Artist: ED MCGUINESS
On-Sale: 10/14/13