JUSTIN’S PICK :: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES UTROM EMPIRE #1: I’m a Turtles guy, and this three issue miniseries fleshes out the plans of warlord Krang and his assistant Baxter Stockman to complete their Technodrome and devastate the Earth. There are enough reference points in that sentence to perk the ears of any Turtles fan, but the real, true reason I’m blathering about this comic book can be boiled down to a single name: Andy Kuhn. This guy is one of the most criminally underrated artists working today. His clean, high contrast style adapts incredibly well to anything he chooses to work on (see his creator-owned Firebreather with Phil Hester, or issue #33 of Secret Avengers he did with Rick Remender to see what I mean). Any time Andy lays pen-to-paper, I’m there; that he’s back on the Turtles only sweetens the deal.

Pre-order your very own Skottie Young commemorative Charlotte MiniCon T-shirt today!

Shirts will be available for pick-up at Charlotte MiniCon on Saturday, January 25, 2014 at the Fine Print Shoppe table. Any orders not picked up at the show will ship after that date.

Order now to make sure you get the size, color and fit you want.

Shirts are 17 plus $3 shipping in the US, no international orders please.

ADD NOTE TO SELLER at checkout to SPECIFY SHIRT COLOR!

Colors available:
• black (light purple print)
• heavy metal (light purple print)
• indigo (light purple print)
• heather gray (light purple print)
• light gray (dark purple print)
• yellow (dark purple print)
• white (dark purple print)

Colors may vary slightly between your monitor and the actual garment.

Next Level Apparel t-shirts. Sizing runs similar to American Apparel.
•4.3 oz. 100% combed cotton jersey
•Tear away label

Click here to get yours!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: BLACK DYNAMITE #1: Black Dynamite has gotten staggering mileage for a cult-spoof introduced a half-decade ago. Some things – pomade, French fries, Blaxploitation – just never go out of style. Writer Brian Ash penned the wonderful (and now evidently rare) Slave Island one shot for Ape Entertainment in 2011; now, IDW is serving up the funky fury, with Ash aided and abetted by Ron Wimberly (!) and Sal Buscema (!!!). This is the first of a four issue series, so sharpen your ninja stars, break out the Nag Champa, and settle in for some quality funnybook entertainment.

BONUS PICK :: SAVAGE DRAGON ARCHIVES TP VOL 3: Plagued by delays, volume three of Erik Larsen’s Savage Dragon Archives finally hits the stands. This bargain collection – in the format of Marvel’s Essential and DC’s Showcase trades – is the easiest and most affordable way to catch up on Image’s most underrated ongoing. This volume really drives home how daring Larsen is as a creator; for example, Dragon’s not even the star at the outset! It’s the sensational She-Dragon at that point! This third volume of Archives ramps up the crazy, culminating in the series-shattering issue 75, where everything changed forever. If you’re sick of the spurious changes and relentless retcons of most mainstream superhero mags, Savage Dragon is your safety haven.

ANDY’S PICK :: MIRACLEMAN #1: Short and sweet.  Buy this comic book.  Forget about all the litigious baggage this series carries and revel in a great (not good–GREAT) comic series that changed things up in the superhero world as much as Dark Knight and Watchmen.  This is Alan Moore’s re-imagining the Captain Marvel legend (changed to Marvelman then Miracleman for British publication) tailor made for a modern audience.  I don’t want to give anything away.  Just buy it and make sure you have Justin add MIRACLEMAN to your subscriber pull-list.  The book just gets better and better.  Issues 14 to 16 will take your breath away and then Neil Gaiman takes over and the results are truly sponge-worthy!!  I can’t wait!!!!

RICO’S PICK :: ADVENTURE TIME: The FLIP SIDE: There are a bunch of comics I’m excited about this week. Minimum Wage #1, Black Widow #1, and the conclusion of Fantomex are all worth a look. Adventure Time: The Flip Side features art by Wook Jin Clark (whose awesome OGN MegaGoGo comes out next month!) and it’s written by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover. Check it out!

ANDY’S PICK :: ART OF HARVEY KURTZMAN HC  is a fine career retrospective from Denis Kitchen that is offered again from the good folks at ABRAMS.  The book is subtitled, “The MAD Genius of Comics” highlighting Kurtzman’s role as the creator of MAD Magazine.  That alone would make Kurtzman a first ballot Hall of Famer (no steroids here) , but Kurtzman deserves recognition for developing the Modern War Comic in two famous must-read EC titles Two Fisted Tales and Front Line Combat.  And to add yet another layer to the legacy, with his humor magazine titles Trump and Humbug, Kurtzman unwittingly became the patron saint of the ’60s Underground Comix as well as  Independent Comics publishers that followed in their wake.  It matter not if you know a lot or a little about this talented visionary; this is a terrific book for your library.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: SUGAR BOOGER #1: If the title doesn’t say it all, that cover sure does. Potty humor intersects dark comedy in this technicolor travesty courtesy of Kevin Scalzo and Alternative Comics. I don’t know what this pick says about me as a person (and I’m kinda surprised that title wasn’t taken already), but 28 pages of full color glory await anyone daring enough to take the plunge.

MATT’S PICK :: HELLO KITTY: DELICIOUS: I believe I have a ten-year-old-girl living inside my brain! That is the only explanation I have for my recent comic reading preferences. With that out of the way, I suggest you pick up a copy of  Hello Kitty: Delicious featuring art by Jacob Chabot, Jorge Monlongo, Ian McGinty, and Stephanie Buscema. I agree the stories featured within my not be the most Earth-shattering, senses-reeling prose ever written, but the art may be the most heart-warming, sincere work you see all winter, at least that is my hope. I don’t even like food, but I’m willing to read a book about a kawaii kitty and her just desserts, so there! When you are done with the book, you can pass it on to your niece. Your secret will be safe with me.

SETH’S PICK :: BLACK WIDOW #1:  There are several new Marvel reboots/relaunches coming up in the next few months, and I’m anticipating a good number of them.  We’ll see Felipe Smith and Tradd Moore starting a brand new car-driving Ghost Rider, Jason Latour teaming with Mahmud Asrar on Wolverine and the X-men, Kelly Sue DeConnick returning to Captain Marvel, and Mike Allred on Silver Surfer.  Add to that list this week’s Black Widow #1 by Nathan Edmondson and Phil Noto.  Edmondson has a knack for collaborating with exceptional artists, and he’s done it again here.  Who doesn’t want to see Phil Noto illustrate a Black Widow series?  Start the year on a good note with this comic, and don’t forget about those other upcoming debut issues hitting the shelves soon.  

Happy New Year! We’ve been telling you about all the great creators coming to Charlotte MiniCon later this month but we can’t stop the HeroesCon 2014 guest announcement train from rolling! Let’s get to it…
MICHAEL CHO :: Cartoonist/Illustrator: Batman Black & White, Shoplifter, Back Alleys and Urban Landscapes

SHAWN CRYSTAL :: Artist/Podcaster: Fantomex, Deadpool, Inkpulp Audio

JEREMY DALE :: Writer/Artist: Skyward, NFL Rush, Marvel KaPow, G.I. Joe

JEFF DEKAL :: Cover Artist: Superior Spiderman, Inhumanity, Journey Into Mystery, Valiant

KEVIN MAGUIRE :: Artist: Justice League, Gaurdians of the Galaxy, World’s Finest

PHIL NOTO :: Artist: Black Widow, Ghost, X-Force

COMIC FANS! Tickets for Heroes Convention 2014 are on sale now!

CREATORS! Artists Alley tables are on sale now! These spaces are available first-come-first-served and they usually go fast! Reserve your space today!