MATT’S PICK :: ALIEN ILLUSTRATED STORY TP: Ohmanohmanohman! What an AWESOME week the comic shops have in store for us fan-boys AND girls!  Its not every week we get hit with TWO Frederator Studio comic books. Boom Studios produces the finest all-ages books on the shelves. (The Mouse should have maintained his relationship with them.) The Adventure Time: Fiona and Cake mini-series is produced by the the same people who came up with the concept for the original F&C episode. Excellent reading. The other title, Bravest Warriors adds a lot of depth to this web-based Frederator cartoon. You can enjoy the comic or cartoon on their own, or get the full effect by enjoying them in tandem!

The two books I mentioned above are nice and all, but I had to save this week’s best title for last. Sorry if I’m hoggin’ the bloggin’ – I did say it was an AWESOME week! Anyway, you need to buy yourself a copy of Alien: Illustrated Story TP Facsimile Edition. Don’t even think twice. There is no excuse for any self-respecting comic book fan missing this book in their collection. Alien is the type of film that has near-universal appeal to comic book and sci-fi fans. Archie Goodwin and Walt Simonson deliver the goods. Walt restored the artwork and added extra art to this edition. I’ll be the guy at the register clutching his copy tighter than a face-hugger!

JUSTIN’S FAVORITES OF 2012:

Favorite Super-hero Book of 2012: This may be a bit premature, but the Marvel NOW! relaunch of Captain America stands head and shoulders above any other new superhero book for me this year. It manages to be kitschy and modern all at once, a post-millennial nod to Jack Kirby’s near autonomous 1970s run that would surely send the King over the moon. I haven’t read a single issue of a comic book so many times this year; I think my current tally is closing in on a baker’s dozen. Rick Remender deserves a big ol’ hug. If he’d come to Heroes Con, he’d get one.
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JUSTIN’S PICK :: BRAVEST WARRIORS #2: Adventure Time creator Pendleton Ward trades in the fantasy tropes for sci-fi in this charming new series. Hearkening back to the halcyon days of 80s team adventure (think SilverHawks or Voltron), the action is undercut with a quirky and disarming sense of humor. Great for readers young and young-at-heart, Bravest Warriors should please any fan of Ward’s, Adventure Time, or cartoons in general.