STAFF PICKS :: TRANSFORMERS VS. G.I. JOE #1 (AND MORE!) :: JULY 23, 2014

July 21, 2014 By: Seth Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

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SETH’S PICKS: The week of San Diego Comic Con is always one where publishers unload lots of big titles. This week is no exception. In fact, there are so many notable titles that I couldn’t limit my Staff Pick to a mere single book. Let the lightning round begin!

1) Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #1: As with most ’80s children, I loved both of these toy-cartoon-comics. The adult in me, however, hasn’t paid much attention to either franchise. Leave it to writer/artist Tom Scioli to be the creator to pull me back in. Aside from Scioli’s always impressive Kirby-inspired art, I must say that it was his obvious enthusiasm for this project that he displayed in conversation at HeroesCon that makes this the book I’m most looking forward to this week. transgij1

2) Street Angel HC: Jim Rugg is a creator whose work always demands attention. Though this is a new repackaging of Street Angel, it’s printed in a larger format than the original collection. If comics can do with more of anything, it’s larger Jim Rugg art. Plus, since this new collection is brought to you by Adhouse Books, you know it’ll be a handsome publication. streetangel2

3) Avengers 100th Anniversary Special: James Stokoe writes and draws this one shot. It features future versions of Doctor Strange, Beta Ray Bill and Rogue. That’s about all you need to know about this one. If for some reason you aren’t familiar with Stokoe’s Orc Stain and Wonton Soup, here’s your opportunity to discover a comics giant-in-the-making.

4) Ragnarok #1: This is Walt Simonson’s new creator owned project for IDW. It happens to be a Norse-themed book, which we all know Simonson to excel at. I could go on, but do you really need another reason to look at this besides Simonson?

5) Supreme: Blue Rose #1: Warren Ellis writes this new chapter of the Supreme saga. While that alone will be enough to entice some readers, the art is provided by Tula Lotay. Some of you may not be familiar with her beautiful work, but you will be soon enough. Don’t forget that Lotay will be signing at Heroes next Tuesday, July 29, so make sure to pick up your copy this week. TulaLotaySigning

6) Hellboy Artist’s Edition: IDW continues their barrage of epic artist editions with Mike Mignola’s Hellboy. Giant format Mignola art painstakingly reproduced from the original pages? If that doesn’t warrant a spot on your bookshelf, I don’t know what will.

7) Guardians of the Galaxy: The Complete Abnett and Lanning Collection vol. 1: We’re only a week away from the Guardians of the Galaxy film. This series was a primary influence on the new film, and since speculators have driven the cost of the single issues and original collections sky high, here’s an affordable chance to see where it all started. In my opinion, this was a fun, inventive series that never got its due when first published. Even if you don’t care about seeing the movie, I think this is the Guardians series most worth your time.

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STAFF PICKS :: HELLBOY: THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS :: OCTOBER 23, 2013

October 23, 2013 By: Rico Renzi Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

staff_picks heather_staff_picksHEATHER’S PICK :: HELLBOY: THE MIDNIGHT CIRCUS: Young Hellboy joins the circus.  That sentence alone should be enough for you to pick up this hard cover graphic novel.  Just in case it’s not, let me elaborate and mention the minds behind this story-Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo.  Admittedly, I haven’t read a lot of Hellboy standalone books (I’m a B.P.R.D. girl, after all.)  Some of my favorite vignettes in the B.P.R.D. mini-series year books (1947, etc.) have featured young Hellboy.  Give me stories of Hellboy playing with his black lab and getting pamcakes any day.

 I couldn’t be happier to get a full graphic novel all about young Hellboy and his misadventures when he runs away to join the circus.  Of course, this isn’t just any circus but an evil one.  It’s particularly interesting that the tale of Pinocchio is intertwined with Hellboy’s story.  Mignola’s writing and Fegredo’s art combine to create a delightfully creepy book just in time for the Halloween season.
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HEROES DISCUSSION GROUP :: HELLBOY/B.P.R.D. :: Saturday, November 2nd

October 17, 2013 By: Andy Mansell Category: Discussion Group, EVENTS

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Well, the Heroes’ Discussion Group reunited with a bang.  We talked about Saga on and off for three hours and spent the rest of the time talking comics with legendary penciller Steve Bissette who stopped by with our friend Craig Fischer on a lark!  It was a tremendous afternoon—I was less a moderator and more of a plate-spinner with an itch between the shoulders.  We had a blast.  Thanks to all of you who attended.

Now we turn our sights onto Halloween.  In the past we’ve done Walking Dead and From Hell.  This year it is time we jumped feet first into the Mike Mignola-verse and talk about Hellboy and B.P.R.D.  The amount of consistent quality pages delivered by Mignola and team centering on everyone’s favorite earth-bound demon and his fellow bureau agents of Paranormal research and defense is legion.  So, we asked all of our Mignolaphiles which books we should tackle.  Based on a consensus over-seen by our own Seth Peagler (thanks Seth!) we have decided on the following trade paperbacks:

  • Hellboy: Wake the Devil—an early complete Hellboy story arc
  • Hellboy: The Chained Coffin—a really solid collections of shorter Hellboy pieces
  • B.P.R.D.—The Dead—one of the best of the early B.P.R.D. extended stories.

Topics will include:

  • The art by Mignola (Hellboy) and Guy Davis (BPRD) and how their different styles affect the storytelling
  • The supporting cast (certainly one of the largest and most interesting around)
  • The way Hellboy/BPRD is published—can new readers jump in anywhere?
  • The use of comedy relief
  • The consistency of the series
  • And for any who are already well-versed with Mignola’s work: What should the new readers pick up next?
  • And a whole lot more!  If you’ve been putting these series off—this is a perfect time to give it a try!

We hope you will join us for a belated Halloween on Saturday November 2nd at 1:00pm.  As usual we will meet at the store and repair to either the Tavern or Bakery across the way.

As usual, Heroes is offering the 10% Discussion Discount on these three books.  But as a special incentive–if you purchase all three we are offering a 20% savings.  That’s 3 Trades for only 45.00.  Just remember to remind the clerk of the discount when you check out.  (The overwhelming and ever-present smell of Mylar is starting to get to us.)

Hope you’ll join us and Happy Halloween!

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STAFF PICKS :: ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #1 :: AUGUST 28, 2013

August 22, 2013 By: Heather Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

staff_picks heather_staff_picksHEATHER’S PICK :: ITTY BITTY HELLBOY #1: Do you know what I miss? Tiny Titans, especially the bat penguins and rabbits.  Luckily for me, I can fill that adorable gap in my comic reading this week with a tiny little Hellboy and friends. At first, I wasn’t totally sold on this idea.  I mean, I love Hellboy, Jr. and the young Hellboy stories, but I like the grittiness in those tales rather than having a cutesy kid friendly-vibe.  But ultimately, Art and Franco won me over, mostly thanks to the addition of the animal sidekicks.  Who doesn’t love a purple monkey? Plus, any book that brings Roger back will make my pull list.

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STAFF PICKS :: SLEDGEHAMMER 44 #1 :: MARCH 13, 2013

March 11, 2013 By: Seth Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

SETH’S PICK :: SLEDGEHAMMER 44 #1: I had a long, detailed paragraph prepared as to why I think you should spend your hard earned money on this comic. . .and then it disappeared from my computer.  Instead, I’ll just keep it short and simple.  1) There aren’t many war stories set in the Mignola-verse.  2) This one features an Iron Man archetype fighting Nazis, but is just as much about the normal soldiers on the ground as it is the armor.  3)  Though it was written (by Mike Mignola and John Arcudi) for genius John Severin to draw, when he passed away it was given to Jason Latour, who excels at the kind of detail-oriented research this story requires, and understands the importance of balancing that research with a focus on the characters themselves.  4)  In a week where I could easily write about the Hawkeye vol. 1 TPB, Rocketeer: Hollywood Horror #2, or Ben Katchor’s Hand Drying in America, this is the book I’m most excited about seeing and reading. 

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STAFF PICKS :: HELLBOY IN HELL #3 :: FEBRUARY 6, 2013

February 01, 2013 By: Seth Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

SETH’S PICK :: HELLBOY IN HELL #3: The fact is, many times a high profile creator returns to a character they made famous, in spite of publicity, the book somehow doesn’t live up to expectation.  Mike Mignola’s return to drawing Hellboy in this series certainly attracted lots of attention, but it has been far from a let down.  In fact, it’s arguably as good as anything Mignola’s ever done.  You can really see the joy he’s getting out of taking Hellboy in a new direction.  It’s not a rehash of where Hellboy has been before, and Mignola is clearly crafting challenging stories and situations that will only further develop the character.  It’s also worth mentioning the genius-level coloring of Dave Stewart.  He’s long been Mignola’s go-to colorist, but the new setting of Hell has really allowed Stewart to stretch out and use a richer, more varied palette.  These are masters of the craft who are not only enjoying the process of making these comics, but are pushing themselves to evolve their work and the characters they continue to define. 

Bonus Pick of the Week:  I’d be remiss not to mention this week’s debut of our pal Jason Latour as the new writer of Winter Soldier.  All of us around here have long known how hard Jason works at comics, and some of us have even heard about what he has in the works for Bucky Barnes.  Alongside Nic Klein, who may well be the most suited artist to work on Winter Soldier since Jackson Guice, Latour plans to move Bucky forward in genuinely interesting ways.  Ed Brubaker brought Bucky back to relevance, and he’ll always cast a long shadow on whoever else writes the character, but Latour and Klein will distinguish Winter Soldier in ways you’ve never seen before.

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STAFF PICKS :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1 :: DECEMBER 05, 2012

December 04, 2012 By: Rico Renzi Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

JUSTIN’S PICK :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1: While all the staff at Heroes are friendly and familiar, at times our tastes can run pretty different. It results in some genuinely good conversation (and good-natured ribbing) but if there were any staff-wide consensus, Mignola-drawn Hellboy would have to be it. I’m sure I’m not the only one picking this, and that should tell you something (i.e. BUY IT).

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STAFF PICKS :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1/AVENGERS #1 :: DECEMBER 5, 2012

December 03, 2012 By: Seth Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

SETH’S PICK(s) :: HELLBOY IN HELL #1/AVENGERS #1:  Yes, it’s a two pick week for me.  Hellboy In Hell #1 brings creator Mike Mignola back to full-time illustrating his most famous creation.  Yes, he killed Hellboy, but now he can take him through all the different realms of hell.  Now that HB’s free from the physical world, Mignola can draw whatever he’s always wanted to, without needing to be bound to continuity.  It says a lot to me that with all the things Mignola might have done (and it could’ve been anything from more movies to continuing to have other talented folks like Duncan Fegredo illustrate his creation), he really just wanted to get back to drawing Hellboy.  That’s something I respect, and have looked forward to seeing for quite a while.

Avengers #1:  When the Marvel Now books were announced, I said the two near-guaranteed most promising titles were Thor: God of Thunder and this book.  Writer Jonathan Hickman has proved countless times over that he can handle large casts (Fantastic Four and FF) and big concepts (S.H.I.E.L.D. and Manhattan Projects).  Now he’s tackling an enormous cast of over 18 characters, and returning the Avengers to big, cosmic stories.  Artist Jerome Opena really left an indelible mark on Uncanny X-force, and brought a visual dynamic to Rick Remender’s stories that I don’t think anyone else could’ve done.  On paper this title looks like a no-brainer, and I’ll be really shocked if this doesn’t end up being a great book.

 

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STAFF PICKS :: B.P.R.D. 1948 :: OCTOBER 17, 2012

October 16, 2012 By: Rico Renzi Category: DISCUSS, Staff Picks

RICO’S PICK :: B.P.R.D. 1948: This new B.P.R.D. looks like the perfect book for the season. Max Fiumara and Dave Stewart make everything look exciting and Max does a great and unique version of Hellboy as a…boy. Mignola and Arcudi’s latest B.P.R.D. tale is wrapped in a beautifully spooky Dave Johnson cover.

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WHERE DO I START? :: B.P.R.D.

October 02, 2012 By: Heather Peagler Category: DISCUSS, Where Do I Start?

It’s no secret to readers of this blog that my husband/Heroes blogger Seth loves all things Hellboy, but he has been completely unable to get me to read anything outside of Hellboy Jr. and the Beasts of Burden crossover one-shot.  There’s no real reason for my stance on this.  I liked the Hellboy movies, but that’s more about my love for Ron Perlman in beastly make-up than any particular attachment to the Hellboy storyline.  (While we’re on Mr. Perlman, can we all have the warm fuzzies again about the Make-A-Wish kid and Hellboy story from this summer?) Anyhoo, back to comics…Seth has full shelves in our house dedicated to Hellboy and B.P.R.D., but they had been gathering dust where I was concerned until recently.

At this year’s HeroesCon, I stumbled into a conversation between B.P.R.D. artists Jason Latour and James Harren in which I mentioned that I had not read B.P.R.D. and I wasn’t sure it was for me.  Not daunted at all by my hesitation, Jason immediately suggested that I start with Plague of Frogs and assured me that I would like it.  August rolled around without me picking up any of the trades on our shelves until I had a week without many new comics in my reserve bag and decided to pull volume 3 and it give it a go.  Cut to about a week and half later and I am about to start volume 13. (more…)

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