HEATHER’S PICK :: AMAZING X-MEN #1:  Jason Aaron has jumped up to my favorite writer in comics and has filled my reserve bag with X-Men titles.  Wolverine and the X-Men was my gateway to all things mutant. Given how much I loved the bamfs in his stories, I cannot wait to see how those little critters help lead to the return of fan favorite, Nightcrawler.  If that wasn’t enough, it appears from previews of #1, there is a pirate story line! I’m really looking forward to reading how Nightcrawler makes the return from heaven to earth in this new series.  

ANDY’S PICK :: VIP: THE MAD WORLD OF VIRGIL PARTCH HC: Throughout the 40s, 50s and early 60s, Virgil Partch was one of the most popular magazine panel cartoonists in the country.  His madcap–often bawdy and even a little naughty– style was immediately recognizable and oft times laugh out loud funny.  In the last phase of his career, he produced a daily newspaper panel (and Sunday comic) called Big George.  Although it was a funny consistent strip, it focused on standard suburban family homeowner jokes.  the Beast had been tamed for a wider milder audience.  This month Fantagraphics offers VIP: THE MAD WORLD OF VIRGIL PARTCH, a career long retrospective of a comic genius that is long overdue.  Check it out.

SETH’S PICK :: HAWKEYE HC VOL. 1: It’s true, I’m writing about Hawkeye again, but for good reason.  This week you can pick up a large format hardcover collecting the first eleven issues of the acclaimed series.  There are several reasons why I think this is a worthwhile idea.  First is the oversized format, which allows you to enjoy David Aja’s work on a larger scale.  Secondly, you get all of Matt Fraction’s best Hawkeye stories (Pizza Dog, Hurricane Sandy) in a single volume.  And thirdly, this is a mainstream comic that manages to not only deserve all its critical acclaim, but  still understand the importance of being entertaining.  After writing about this book for this blog several times in the past year, moderating the Hawkeye panel at this past year’s Heroes Convention, and talking about the title’s merits to anyone who would listen, maybe it’s time I stopped my unabashed promotion of it.  Then again, it’s hard to not write or talk about good comics.  Ultimately, this hardcover is an expansive way to enjoy one of the year’s best series.

ANDY’S PICK :: THE GREAT WAR: THE FIRST DAY OF THE SOMME: Imagine a battle that was so devastating, so bloody that on the first day of this months offensive, 20,000 British soldiers well killed and another 40,000 were seriously wounded.By it’s end there were over 1,000,000 casualties and there was virtually nothing to show for this insane loss of life.  This event–the infamous Battle of the Somme– needs to be forever remembered so the debacle of trench warfare is remembered in the hope it will never be repeated.  The great cartoon journalist Joe Sacco (Palestine, Safe Haven Gorazdhe and Footnotes from Gaza– all highly recommended) presents the events of this entire first bloody day, July 1, 1916.  MR. Sacco shows the the events of the day with the use of a 24 foot long panorama that is printed on accordion-fold paper.  It comes in a handsome slip case and includes a 16 page booklet filled with background material.  this is a major project by one of this generations best cartoonists.  Do not miss it.

SETH’S PICK :: SANDMAN: OVERTURE #1:  Like it or not, it’s hard to deny the depth and range of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, or the mark it left on our beloved comics medium.  Like it or not (part two), Sandman is a book that warrants all the attention it’s received over the years.  It is nothing if not thought-provoking.  So here we are twenty five years after Sandman debuted, and Vertigo is appropriately ushering in a new mini series from Gaiman.  Overture is notable for a few reasons.  Aside from the fact it’s the first time Neil’s returned to these characters in a good while, the series features art from J.H. Williams III, whose particular artistic inclinations seem ready-made for Sandman work.  What’s more is that Overture deals with an often puzzling chapter of Dream’s past: what happened to him that lead to him being imprisoned prior to Sandman #1?  Sandman: Overture is at the very least a book worth noting in your comic travels this week.  Who knows?  This could very well be a fine addition to the legacy of one of comics’ most enduring libraries of the past quarter century. 

JUSTIN’S PICK :: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES VILLAINS MICRO-SERIES #7: IDW’s Turtles ongoing has been a commendable mix of old and new, blending elements of the Mirage books with the 80s animated series, all while adding its own twists and flavors. Now, this supplemental series does something no Turtles book has dared to do before: introducing Bebop and Rocksteady to mainstream continuity. Despite being fan favorites for those of us who grew up with the show, B & R remain a sharp reminder of the commodification of a beloved indie success story. Regardless, such politics are moot in the presence of quality entertainment, and I, for one, am super-excited to see these mutant marauders brought into the stapled fold.

HEATHER’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.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: MARVEL NOW WHAT #1: Marvel Comics have a pretty decent track record of self-parody, from Not Brand Echh, to the wonderful send-ups by Fred Hembeck, on through to Chris G’s Mini Marvels. The tradition continues with Marvel Now What #1, an anthology guaranteed to tickle the McRibs of many-a Marvelite. The Skottie Young cover alone is worth the price of admission, but you can rest assured that the House of Ideas has plenty of yuks lurking in these pages. Now, can we just get a third series of Strange Tales? Please?

ANDY’S PICK :: FABLES ENCYCLOPEDIA: There are few in fandom as detail oriented and obsessed as the living legend Jess Nevins.  He is the man who annotated every single panel from every volume of Alan Moore’s detail oriented work with League of Extraordinary Gentleman Companion (highly recommended!).  (Why is that car in the back ground on page 4 panel 2?  Whose car is it and what about the license plate?)  Once Nevins embarks on a project he never sleeps until all is explained. Now Vertigo and Bill Willingham have unleashed the very hard working and very focused Mr. Nevins on the expansive Fables Universe.  Fables Encyclopedia is just brimming with fun facts and anecdotes about this popular long running VERTIGO series.  Trust me, if there is minutiae to mined, Mr. Nevins is our man.  This coffee table book features illustrations from cover artists James Jean,  Joao Ruas, Adam Hughes, as well as contributions by the regular series art team of Mark Buckingham and Steve Leialoha.  Enjoy!!!

SETH’S PICK :: SAMURAI JACK #1: I’m not often drawn to comics based on animated shows, but I felt obliged to write about Samurai Jack this week.  It might be one of those cult classics, but even if you’re not all that familiar with the show, you’ll find the subject matter easily accessible.  There’s something to be said for the simplicity of a story centering on a samurai lost in a world ruled by a demon.  Cheers to IDW for translating a popular animated property into what very well could be a successful comic book.  Additional cheers to them for enlisting creators like writer Jim Zub (Skullkickers) and artist Andy Suriano (who happened to work on the animated show) to bring the character to a new medium.  Wednesdays are supposed to be fun for comic readers, and books like this epitomize that potential.