What could be funnier than uniting a Moose and Squirrel to fight the cold War villainy of Boris and Natasha (fresh from their triumphs in War and Peace) and their fearless leader, FEARLESS LEADER? What if you engage the comic book legend and current scribe of the vastly under-rated Garfield comic book Mark Evanier along with perhaps the finest big foot comic illustrator in the business Roger Langridge?  If that isn’t  enough to get you to try this 4 issue mini-series from IDW? Well…. Here’s one thing you don’t see everyday Chauncey–What’s that Edgar? A long overdue Jay Ward Studios cross-over as the denizens of Frostbite Falls, MN meet everyone’s favorite Mountie Dudley Do-Right! Will Snidely Whiplash co-operate with Boris Badenov? Will Natasha fall for Horse and make Nell jealous.  That’s kinda weird.  Anyhoo…  Perhaps a Quisp and Quake cameo? We can only hope.These comics are guaranteed to be a total riot.

SETH’S PICK :: MOON KNIGHT #1: Moon Knight has often been treated as a multiple-personality-laden Batman of sorts.  While the jumbled nature of the guy under the mask is intriguing, I’ve always been partial to the character’s horror elements.  With this new relaunch, the creative team of Warren Ellis, Declan Shalvey, and Jordie Bellaire seem poised to integrate both elements of the odd character for new readers.  Though you might not initially recognize the character’s new look (white business suit sans the cape), you’ll no doubt remember that Ellis does still occasionally write solid comics for Marvel.  The fantastic Nextwave series jumps to mind.  And it’s worth noting that Shalvey and Bellaire, though they’ve already made names for themselves in their respective areas of comic making, do seem to have an opportunity to take their storytelling to interesting new places with this character.  I should also mention that this book has been building advanced buzz in recent weeks.  Don’t be surprised if this one sells out quickly.

Bonus Pick: Muppets Omnibus: Over the years on this blog I’ve written at length about the genius of Roger Langridge.  While his Fred the Clown will always be my favorite, his work on the Muppets is downright joyous.  Aside from being genuinely funny throughout, Langridge’s art is impeccable.  This summer he’ll be returning to HeroesCon, so do yourself a favor and stop by his table to bask in the awe of his original art pages.  Like me, you’ll probably wind up spending your money on several of his incredible pages.  

SETH’S PICK :: ROCKETEER: HOLLYWOOD HORROR #1: Whenever I talk or write about IDW’s new Rocketeer stories, I like to mention my opinion that any artists who work on the character pale in comparison with its creator, Dave Stevens.  No one will ever make Rocketeer stories better than Stevens.  However, I usually follow up that statement with this one:  I love the way IDW has created new stories that both revere and uphold Stevens’ legacy.  Their two volumes of Rocketeer Adventures read like a love letter to Stevens’ creation, and the Mark Waid/Chris Samnee miniseries Cargo of Doom fell right in line with the tradition.  This week IDW offers up an all new miniseries by Roger Langridge and J. Bone, along with Walt Simonson on covers.  Langridge, while known for humor and all ages work, has always had a strong connection with comics’ adventure roots.  Look no further than his excellent John Carter of Mars adaptation for evidence.  J. Bone has done lots of work with Darwyn Cooke, and also provided the covers for DC’s Super Friends title.  If you take his previous comics into consideration, it’s easy to see how well he could bring the Rocketeer’s era to life.  Even though I’ll always love Dave Stevens’ work best, it would be a shame if we were denied new stories of his famous creation.  Thankfully, IDW knows how much people care about Rocketeer, and hires creators who equally value the man and his work.  Let’s hope they will continue to produce quality comics that not only pay homage to Stevens, but allow future generations to be exposed to his genius. 

SETH’S PICK :: THOR THE MIGHTY AVENGER COMPLETE COLLECTION: This series remains one that I wholeheartedly love.  Though Marvel ended it far too early, and though their attempt to pigeonhole it as an all-ages book may have limited its audience, the book may well be one of the purest examples of super hero comics from the past decade.  You’ve got Roger Langridge writing a charming tale, Chris Samnee doing work that probably helped land him his current Daredevil gig, and perfectly fitting colors by Matt Wilson.  There are obligatory appearances from the likes of Captain America, Ant Man/Giant Man, Wasp, Sub-Mariner and Iron Man, but more than that, there’s a wonderful energy in these books.  These are stories that unabashedly celebrate what made so many of us love super hero comics from our first encounters with them.  The fact that these are innocent tales you can read to your children is really just the icing on the cake. 

SETH’S FAVORITES OF 2012 :: It’s been an eclectic year for comics.  Amid all the relaunches and reboots, company-wide crossovers and such, there were still some truly entertaining books that caught my attention.  It’s like I always say, you might not like everything new, and might not like the directions of some books or companies, but if you take the time to look around, you’ll find plenty of quality comics to enjoy.

Favorite Super-hero Book of 2012: Wolverine and the X-men/Hawkeye: I couldn’t narrow it down to one.  Wolverine and the X-men, in spite of having to weave in and out of the giant Avengers vs. X-men story, managed to be one of the most consistently joyous comics of the year for me.  Much of this is owed to writer Jason Aaron, who kept the tone of the book consistent, which may well have been a challenge this year.  Kudos also to artists Chris Bachalo and Nick Bradshaw for matching the energy and humor in Aaron’s scripts, and adding their own unique takes on these characters.
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HEATHER’S PICK :: SNARKED #11: Boy, do I ever love a good Roger Langridge comic! He has been hitting it out of the park on Snarked, so much so that I hope BOOM! will follow this series up with another new story when the current one ends next month with Issue #12.  Langridge’s refreshing take on the Walrus and the Carpenter from Alice in Wonderland has been a joy to read each month.  Be sure to pick up this issue to find out whether or not the Kingdom with be saved with some Snarked Island treasure (and what exactly that giant beaver on the cover is up to!).  If you haven’t been reading this wonderful all ages story, have no fear Snarked Volume One collecting Issues #0 through #4 awaits for your reading pleasure.