Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find Exclusive
BITTER ROOT #6 Chris Brunner
“Do The Right Thing” *2ND PRINT* Variant!

The incredible Chris Brunner variant cover homage of Spike Lee’s “Do The Right Thing” on BITTER ROOT #6 was such a hit with the fans that it SOLD OUT before many even knew it existed!

Heroes has teamed with the BITTER ROOT Creative Team: Sanford Greene, Chuck Brown and David Walker, along with cover artist Chris Brunner with colors by Rico Renzi and Image Comics to bring you this Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find EXCLUSIVE 2ND PRINT VARIANT!

Seth’s Pick:: Head Lopper #1: I greatly enjoyed Andrew MacLean’s last book, ApocalyptiGirl, and was impressed with how he pulled together so many apparent influences into his own unique artistic voice. More than that, though, was the clear exuberance in the work for the craft of making the comic. You can tell that MacLean was making the kind of comic that he enjoys reading. The joy continues with his new quarterly Image series, Head Lopper. While this series previously existed as MacLean’s own indie comic, it’s now available with an 80 page story plus a brand new pin-up gallery. That’s 96  pages of barbarian action, monsters, witches, swords, and all things metal, for only $5.99! Fans of classic Conan, Hellboy and Harryhausen won’t want to miss this one!

Bonus Pick: Descender TP vol. 1: If you missed out on the acclaimed first six issues of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen’s space opera, you can find them all in this week’s first volume Image collection for only $9.99! I found this to be among Lemire’s most poignant writing since Essex County, and Nguyen’s art is better than ever. In the endless sprawl of Image sci-fi comics being published today, this one certainly stands out, and is worth a close look.

RICO’S PICK :: PLUTONA #1: “Stand By Me” but with a dead superhero in place of the dead regular person is most likely an oversimplification of this new Image comic book but from what I can tell, that’s the catalyst here. The art from Emi Lenox and Jordie Bellaire looks great and expressive. You can see for yourself in these previews here and here. Not sure if it’s a 4 or 5 issue series but Lenox, Bellaire and writer Jeff Lemire have put together a great looking book with an intriguing premise and I can’t wait to read it.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: AIRBOY #3: I was never too enamored of aviation comics. As a genre, it’s not something that appealed to my sensibilities. So, when Image announced a new take on Airboy, it wasn’t a priority in my reading. Airboy is in the public domain, which means the copyright on the property lapsed, and the character is fair game for any creator that cares to use him and his supporting cast. Now, I know James Robinson to be a quality author, and although he doesn’t have a lot of published work under his belt, Greg Hinkle’s art is a thing of great beauty. I didn’t have a lot of expectations when the first issue was released, but because of the top notch creative team I nibbled, and I’m rather glad I did. Robinson uses the title as a metafictional, autobiographical clearinghouse, detailing a debaucherous and undignified mid-career crisis. This is a refreshing take, with the Golden Age stalwart as a moral springboard. This is the kind of story only comics can pull off, and if you were on the fence like me, as of Wednesday, Heroes will have all three issues available for your enjoyment. Check out what is turning out to be something of a rare treat, and even more rare, a book every Heroes staffer seems to heartily recommend.

SETH’S PICK :: THE SPIRE #1: Start July on a good note this week with the latest collaboration between Si Spurrier and Jeff Stokely. You may remember their post apocalyptic sci-fi western Six Gun Gorilla from a few years ago. That book won a lot of deserved critical acclaim, and I enjoyed it immensely. The Spire features a similar apocalyptic scenario, but trades the western motifs for fantasy this time around. It also adds a murder mystery into the mix, and a protagonist who must solve the crimes as she navigates a racist and xenophobic society. Spurrier telling a fantasy story with plenty of modern societal parallels, plus an array of monsters, strange machines and characters rendered as only Stokely can? That’s enough to sell me (and you) on this new series. 

Bonus Pick: Autumnlands vol. 1 TP: Tooth and Claw: This affordable debut collection (just $9.99) by Kurt Busiek and Benjamin Dewey features some of my favorite anthropomorphic fantasy storytelling in years. Dewey’s depictions of endless humanoid animal creatures is remarkable, and Busiek does a fine job of building an accessible narrative for a new world in this excellent first volume.

SETH’S PICK :: RUMBLE #1: What a way to end my year of Staff Picks! I’ve been eagerly awaiting Rumble #1 since it was first announced months back at the Image Expo. Sure, the blurb heralding the series – “a scarecrow-Conan fighting in a Louis C.K. TV show directed by David Fincher” – has an excellent hook. What ultimately sells it to me, though, is the creative team of John Arcudi and James Harren. Their involvement makes me think this will be one of Image’s most consistent and innovative series for as long as the creators produce it.

While many of you may best know Arcudi and Harren from their reliable work on B.P.R.D., it’s important to realize that these two possess far more creative dexterity than to simply be labeled as horror creators. Arcudi excels at humor just as well as he does with developing rich characters. Harren, while known for capturing scenes of violence or horror, is a fine storyteller just as capable at crafting small, quiet scenes. These guys always produce comics worth your time, and their combined skills should be on full display with this new creator-owned series. Rumble is the kind of new comic that makes me happy to be a comic retailer, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

RICO’S PICK :: DRIFTER #1: Drifter is a new science fiction series from Image Comics written by Ivan Brandon (Men of War) with art by Nic Klein (Captain America). Abram Pollux has crash landed on a very dangerous planet. What will he need to do to survive? I don’t know but I’m going to find out this Wednesday just like you.

JUSTIN’S PICK ::  THE HUMANS #1: When this book was solicited, it appeared to be more of the genre mash-uppery we’ve come to crave from Image Comics. “Planet of the Apes meets Sons of Anarchy” was my small mind’s trifling conclusion. Imagine my surprise when The Humans #1 turned out to encompass a far more broad range of reference points. Steeped in the exploitative iconography of 70s cinema and lacquered (liquored?) with an appropriately underground sensibility, this book’s as entertaining as it is unclassifiable. The back cover by bountiful Benjamin Marra sums things up nicely, and it’s also hand-lettered, which always sends my heart aflutter. Take a bow, Keller/Neely/Collantes…you’ve crafted a thing of gritty beauty.

JUSTIN’S PICKS: AVENGERS & X-MEN AXIS #1: I wasn’t a big Marvel reader in the Heroes Reborn days, and the subsequent emergence of the villain called Onslaught. But when promotional material started showing up for Marvel’s next big event – Axis – featured that iconic armor with the Red Skull’s head peeking out, I was intrigued. It’s been a while since the Red Skull was such a major threat, and Uncanny Avengers (the series that laid the foundation for Axis) has been one of Marvel’s more consistently entertaining titles. So this is an event I actually look forward to with some anticipation. With Rick Remender, one of my favorite writers, at the helm, I know I can count on a certain level of quality.

PUNKS THE COMIC #1: Speaking of Mr. Remender, my first exposure to the guy was an interview he did with Dog, a character from Punks, in a special that came out in the mid 2ks. The premise is simple: four roommates, Abe Lincoln, Dog, Skull, and Fist, share a domicile and engage in various shenanigans. It’s absurd and hilarious, and the art style Kody Chamberlain employs, an analogue collage approach, suits the subject matter perfectly. Now, Chamberlain and writer Joshua Hale Fialkov unleash new misadventures of this unlikely foursome via Image Comics, and I urge any fan of quality humor comics to give this one a go. Chuckles guaranteed.

RICO’S PICK :: SOUTHERN BASTARDS VOL 1: HERE WAS A MAN: If you haven’t been following Jason Latour and Jason Aaron’s incredible Image Comics series, here’s your chance to catch up.  “Welcome to Craw County, Alabama, home of Boss BBQ, the state champion Runnin’ Rebs football team…and more bastards than you’ve ever seen. When you’re an angry old man like Earl Tubb, the only way to survive a place like this…is to carry a really big stick. COLLECTS SOUTHERN BASTARDS #1-4”