Spike Spiegel
Member
None at all, honestly. None whatsoever. NONE.
...>__>
+Inhuman #1 by Charles Soule and Joe Madureira (April 2). After unfortunate delays (and a writer change), the most important Marvel comic that will change everything is finally here! Terrigen Mists have been unleashed upon New York, and once-normal human beings are being transformed into something... Inhuman. Is the world ready for a sudden flood of superpowered beings? Are you?
+All-New Ultimates #1 by Michel Fiffe and Amilcar Pinna (April 9). The Ultimate Universe survives, but without its biggest heroes following a noble sacrifice. In their absence, young heroes will answer the call and become the newest generation of Ultimates! Spider-Man, Black Widow, Kitty Pryde, Bombshell, Cloak and Dagger are all that stand between New York and the criminal underworld!
+Iron Fist: The Living Weapon #1 by Kaare Andrews (April 9). Flaming fists of fury will fly in an all-new series! Daniel Rand lives a pretty sweet life, running his own corporation and moonlighting with the Avengers as the martial arts master Iron Fist. But when a message draws him back to the mystical city of K'un-Lun, Danny finds himself embroiled in a bloody tale of intrigue, betrayal and vengeance.
+Nightcrawler #1 by Chris Claremont and Todd Nauck (April 9). The fuzzy dude is back, and so is legendary X-scribe Chris Claremont! Back from the dead, Kurt Wagner finds the world a very different place than when he left it; his mentor, dead at the hands of a brother, and the X-Men divided as a result. To make the most of his second chance, Kurt will dedicate himself to making the world safe for mutants... and having a lot of fun along the way.
+Elektra #1 by Haden Blackman and Mike Del Mundo (April 23). The world's deadliest assassin returns in a stunning new series! Elektra Natchios has long walked a path of violence and pain, and that path has led her now to the edge of despair. But when a new, hopeful path presents itself to her, will Elektra take the chance and change her fate? Or, will her bloodsoaked past refuse to let her go?
+The Amazing Spider-Man #1 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos (April 30). The moment you've all be waiting for is here, as the one true Spider-Man returns to swing across the New York skyline! But a lot has changed for Peter Parker, and as he picks up the pieces he'll find that a second chance at life is not to be wasted. Sometimes, it's not enough just being superior; sometimes, you have to be AMAZING.
+Aquaman and the Others #1 by Dan Jurgens, Lan Medina and Ed Tadeo (April 2). Spinning from the pages of Aquaman! A mysterious foe is after the Atlantean artifacts possessed by the King of Atlantis and his team, and they're not above murder to get them. Who is this new foe, and what is their master plan? Find out in this all-new series tha serves as a prelude to the weekly "Future's End" event!
+Detective Comics #30 by Brian Buccellato and Francis Manapul (April 2). The home series for "the World's Greatest Detective" gets a new look and new direction, as the creative team behind The Flash takes over! A powerful new drug is hitting the streets of Gotham City hard, and its deadly properties are leaving police baffled. Batman is determined to crack the case, but in doing so what new mysteries will he uncover?
+Batman Eternal #1-4 by Various Writers and Artists (April 9, 16, 23, 30). Celebrate the Dark Knight's 75th anniversary, with the debut of a new weekly series that promises to be THE Bat event of 2014! This one has it all: Commissioner Gordon, accused of a heinous crime; a gang war that threatens to consume the entire city; the return of some classic Bat villains; and, AND, the return of fan-favorite character Stephanie Brown!
No Cass, though.
+Justice League United #0 by Jeff Lemire and Mike McKone (April 23). Spinning out of the pages of Forever Evil and Justice League of America (which, uh, haven't ended yet btw) comes a new team of heroes from the land of maple syrup and hockey! A mystery in space will lead interstellar voyager Adam Strange to unite a team of Earth's greatest heroes to battle an approaching threat. Plus, witness the birth of an all-new, Canadian hero!
+The Flash Annual #3 by Robert Venditti, Van Jensen, Brett Booth and Norm Rapmund (April 30). This special annual event takes a look into the near future, where the life of the Flash is in complete ruin! With his powers failing, his loved ones lost, and his city suffering, he sees only one course of action: travel back to the past, to stop the tragic events that led to his downfall. Plus, witness the New52 debut of fan-favorite character Wally West!
+Self-Obsessed One Shot by Sina Grace (April 2). From the author of 'Li'l Depressed Boy' and 'Not My Bag' comes an all-new autobiographical tale of love, life, dreams, and frenemies. Thrill to these rare and never-before-seen strips full of humor and insight into the life of the author Sina Grace. And maybe, just maybe, learn what it takes to become a comics superstar (kind of?).
+Shotgun Wedding #1-4 by William Harms and Edward Pun (April 2, 9, 16, 23). Love, marriage, and bullets! Mike Stone is about to marry the beautiful and loving Denise, the girl of his dreams. Unfortunately, Mike hasn't told his bride-to-be that he left his previous fiance standing at the altar. Or, that he's secretly a world-famous assassin. Or, that his ex-fiance is ALSO a world-famous assassin out for revenge. Uh oh.
+Invincible #110 & 111 by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley (April 9, 23). The co-creator of The Walking Dead ushers in a new era for his most famous non-zombie creation! In the heartbreaking #110, all good things must eventually come to an end. then, in the explosive #111, Invincible and his allies are betrayed by one of their own, and the world will be changed forever, as Robot goes rogue!
+Shutter #1 by Joe Keatinge and Leila del Duca (April 9). From the writer of Glory comes an exciting new series that combines modern fantasy with globetrotting adventure! Kate Kristopher was once the most famous explorer on Earth... only, not this one. When someone sheds light on a family secret she thought long buried, Kate will have to return to her adventuring ways or risk losing everything that's worth protecting.
+Southern Bastards #1 by Jason Aaron and Jason Latour (April 30). From the creators of the critically acclaimed series 'Scalped' comes a bold new series set in the heart of the American south! Earl Tubb is an angry old man in Craw County, Alabama, home to some of the meanest, roughest, redneck sons-a-b*tches ever to walk the Earth. The only way to make it? Well like Ol' Teddy said, "speak softly and carry a big stick."
+Umbral #6 by Antony Johnston and Christopher Mitten (April 30). The first story arc reaches its incredible conclusion! Rascal finds herself on the run, desperate to evade capture by the Redguard. Yet even if she does manage to escape, what will freedom cost her? And where will she go, now that the world she knew has been upended? More importantly, who can she trust in a world cloaked in lies?
+Angel and Faith Season 10 #1 by Victor Gischler and Will Conrad (April 2). The tenth season of Angel won't be found on your TV set! Recent events (see Season Nine I'm guessing) have transformed the city of London into a magical realm full of fantastic creatures. What better place for a reformed vampire out to save the world to hang his hat? Meanwhile, Faith joins forces with Buffy to take on the zompire menace!
+Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight #7 by Alex de Campi and Gary Erskine (April 2). The cheap thrills keep coming! Camp Oneida may be known for women's hockey and juvenile hijinks, but it's also built on the sight of an old Puritan village -- and horribly cursed! The Devil Doll has returned, and its "Flesh Feast" will pile the bodies high!
+Ghost #3 by Kelly Sue Deconnick, Chris Sebela, Geraldo Borges, and Andy Owens (April 16). The city of Chicago erupts in chaos as the first story arc reaches its senses-shattering conclusion! While the White City Butcher has Tommy and Sloane in his bloody clutches, Doctor October sends his minions to attack Elisa and her friends! Torn between protecting her allies and at long last discovering the secrets of her forgotten past, Ghost will have to make a terrible choice that will cost her dearly either way.
+Conan the Avenger #1 by Fred Van Lente and Brian Ching (April 23). A new chapter begins for the world's most famous barbarian, with a new creative team at the reigns! Struggling to recover from the loss of his great love Belit, a heartbroken Conan drowns his sorrows with drink in the city of Shumballa. But when a daring theft draws the Cimmerian's attention, the time for sorrow is ended and the chase begins!
+The Eltingville Club #1 by Evan Dorkin (April 23). A new series from the twisted mind behind Milk & Cheese! For twenty years, the Eltingville Club has devoted its time and efforts to the pursuit of comics, role-playing games, science fiction, fantasy, and horror. But when Bill's dream job becomes a nightmare, the club that stood against everything stands upon the brink of collapse... and when it goes, nothing will ever be the same again.
+Star Wars: Rebel Heist #1 by Matt Kindt and Marco Castiello (April 30). The Star Wars franchise's most roguish hero stars in a thrilling new adventure! For his first assignment, a new recruit to the Rebel Alliance gets the opportunity to work alongside his idol -- the legendary smuggler, Han Solo! But reality quickly sinks expectations, as the young man discovers his idol doesn't match the hype. Is Han Solo equal to the legends, or just plain lucky?
+7th Sword #1 by John Raffo and Nelson Blake II (April 16). Samurai epic and science fiction collide! Daniel Cray is a wandering ronin in search of purpose, until he wanders into the desert city of ZenZion. There, the pacifist villagers tell of a vicious warlord extorting a heavy toll from the populace, and beg him to save them from the warlord's tyranny. Reluctantly, Daniel must draw his fabled blade one more time...
+24 #1 by Ed Brisson and Michael Gaydos (April 23). Jack Bauer returns, in an all-new series set before events of the upcoming 24: Live Another Day event! Find out what everyone's favorite counter-terrorism super agent has been up to in the years following 24's final season, and how these events lead into the upcoming resurrection. It's high-octane action and thrills, twenty-four hours at a time!
+Danger Girl: May Day #1 by Andy Hartnell, John Royle and Jose Marzan (April 23). The lovely ladies who crave danger and excitement are back, for one of their wildest adventures yet! As a new crop of villains arise to menace the team, shocking truths about Deuce's mysterious past are brought to light. But dirty secrets aren't the only thing to haunt the group, as a former teammate-turned-villain makes her triumphant return!
+Dexter's Laboratory #1 by Derek Fridolfs and Ryan Jampole (April 23). Everyone's favorite boy genius -- and his annoying, stuuuuuupid sister! -- is back in comic form! Dexter is tantalizingly close to realizing the crowning scientific achievement of his short life: an experiment that, if successful, will increase his intelligence beyond comprehension. Now, if only he could figure a way to keep Dee Dee from butting in...
+Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Annual 2014 by Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz (April 30). Turtles creator Kevin Eastman takes the reigns in this special annual tale! Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo are transported to another dimension to fight against warriors from across the universe, in a brutal tournament! To survive they'll have to master new techniques and forge strange alliances; but with the odds against them, is escape beyond their grasp?
+V-Wars #1 by Jonathan Maberry and Alan Robinson (April 30). From NY Times best-selling author Jonathan Maberry comes a story of political intrigue, suspense and horror! When a vampire terrorist cell claims responsibility for the assassination of the US Speaker of the House, uneasy relations between human- and vampire- kinds become openly hostile. The fuse has been lit, and America is set to erupt into bloody warfare the likes of which it has never seen before.
+Caliban #1 by Garth Ennis and Facundo Percio (Avatar, April 2). The acclaimed author of Preacher and The Boys takes his uncompromising vision to the stars, for a tale of extraterrestrial horror! The crew of the interstellar vessel Caliban is on a routine journey through the lonely vastness of space when a suspicious accident causes their ship to collide with an alien derelict! Soon, they're fighting for their lives against an impossible nightmare, and the madness of the terrible fate that awaits them.
+Flash Gordon #1 by Jeff Parker and Evan Shaner (Dynamite, April 9). Flash! Aa-aaaah! Savior of the Universe! On his home planet of Earth, Flash Gordon's cocky attitude and insatiable taste for danger made him a dangerous element. But on the planet Mongo, those traits are an asset in the fight against the armies of the world-conquering tyrant Ming the Merciless! Adventure awaits!
+Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis and Brooke Allen (Boom!, April 9). Five teenage friends are determined to turn their experiences at the Lumberjanes Scout Camp into the best summer vacation adventure ever! But Molly, Mal, April, Ripley, and Jo aren't your typical teenage girls, this isn't your typical summer camp, and all those yetis and three-eyed wolves aren't your typical woodland creatures. It's time for these girls to kick some butt and be totally awesome!
+Solar Man of the Atom #1 by Frank Barbiere and Joe Bennett (Dynamite, April 16). Another cornerstone of the Gold Key Universe returns! To unlock the secrets of the universe, physicist Phil Seleski is irradiated with experimental energies, granting him the near-limitless powers of a god. Man was never meant to hold such power, though, and Phil will soon discover that every choice he makes could have disastrous consequences for the world.
+Rachel Rising #25 by Terry Moore (Abstract, April 30). It's springtime in the town of Manson, and love is in the air. But for Rachel, romance is the last thing on her mind; she's out to find a killer, and the victim is none other than herself! But who can Rachel trust to help her investigation, when almost anyone in Manson is a potential suspect? This new story arc presents a perfect jumping-on point for this series from the acclaimed creator of Strangers in Paradise.
+Rai #1 by Matt Kindt and Clayton Crain (Valiant, April 30). In the year 4001, the island of Japan has ascended to the heavens literally, and moves in geosynchronous orbit above the ravaged wasteland known as Earth. There, the people live in peace and tranquility under the benevolent rule of "Father," an artificial intelligence. But when the first murder in centuries threatens to topple their utopia, the people of Japan turn to a legendary warrior of the past... the mysterious Rai!
1ST PLACE WINNER:
Batman #29; written by Scott Snyder; pencils by Greg Capullo ; colors by FCO Plascencia; published by DC Comics (20 points)
2ND PLACE FINISHER:
Moon Knight #1; written by Warren Ellis; pencils by Declan Shalvey; colors by Jordie Bellaire; published by Marvel Comics (19 points)
3RD PLACE FINISHER:
Deadly Class #3; written by Rick Remender; pencils by Wes Craig; colors by Lee Loughridge; published by Image Comics (18 points)
Here's How It Works
In the last week of the month (or earlier, if you're confident about your choices), any GAF member can send me a private message with their personal picks for the three best single issues released that month, from any publisher. These picks should be arranged in order of rank -- first, second, and third place -- and each ranking will be worth a specific point value. A first place ranking for a comic is worth 5 points; a second place is worth 3 points; a third place, 2 points. Then before next month's COMICS! OT goes live, I'll tally the results and point values from each ballot, and post the top three overall winners in the next OP as last month's, GAF-approved, best of the best. Then, maybe at the end of the year, we'll have a showdown between the year's top finishers or something similar.
A Sample Ballot
This is an example of how a sample ballot submitted by you might look. You don't have to use this formatting but I do ask that, however you send it to me, you are CLEAR on which comics you are voting for and in what order they are ranked.
Average GAF Member said:
The Voting Rules
1. Only single issues released that month are to be considered for voting; no trade collections, and no "just caught up" considerations for issues released one/two/however many months ago. Sorry if this excludes you from the voting process, trade-only readers and mail-order folk. I didn't see any other way.
2. Each GAF member is allowed one ballot, and once that ballot has been cast you are done for the month. If an issue comes out and you think it's the best comic you've ever read or will ever read, but you already cast your vote the week before, that's too bad. In other words, there are no take-backs so VOTE THOUGHTFULLY.
3. Three comics per ballot, and no more. You could send me a list of the ten best comics that month, with full paragraph summaries on why you ranked them in what order; but in the end, I'm only going to tally points for the top three and ignore the rest. You CAN pick just one book as the best that month... but that one vote is still worth only 5 points.
4. No ties on the ballots, please. You have to pick three comics as the best that month, and you have to rank them "1st, 2nd, 3rd" so that I can assign points to each. If you're torn between two issues of two different series as the best that month, and you can't decide which one you loved more than the other, TRY.
5. To make things a bit easier on me when it comes to making the OP, I'm establishing a deadline for casting ballots of 6pm Eastern Standard Time on the last day of the month. You can cast your ballot at any time during the month that you wish; however once that deadline has passed, any ballots sent to me will be ignored.
6. Again, to make things easier I would prefer that your votes be cast via private message sent to me, rather than through an open post in the OT. In addition to keeping the voting process a secret, using the PM method means I won't have to search through thread pages for someone's vote posted as an afterthought to an unrelated discussion.
Failure to comply with any of the above rules MAY result in your ballot getting thrown out.
Other rules and stipulations may follow, but for now we'll roll with these for the first round and see how it goes. Have fun voting!
Spoilers. In the age of digital comics, they are increasingly becoming an issue in these threads, as the drive to be first to discuss the week's releases overrides common sense and good posting etiquette. So over the coming weeks and months, the members of Comic GAF will be collaborating on and will eventually be implementing a system of general rules for avoiding spoilers on new comics in the Comics OT thread. But for now, please abide by the temporary guidelines outlined below. And remember, you are being watched and judged by your peers.
1. Discussion of newly released comics that involves specific plot details shall be accompanied at all times by the appropriate use of the
tag function.
2. Direct posting of full-page images from newly released comics using the tags is strictly prohibited, and outgoing links to such should be accompanied by the appropriate spoiler warnings.
3. Direct posting of images or spoilers from comics that have yet to be released is strictly prohibited, and outgoing links to such should be accompanied by the appropriate spoiler warnings.
4. Covers, solicitation copy, and/or promotional materials shall not be considered spoilers and are allowed, unless their content involves specific plot details; in those cases, outgoing links with spoiler warnings should be used.
5. The unmarked posting of spoilers related to comics will be allowed after a period of one week (Wednesday to Wednesday) from that comic's release.[/b] ([u]NOTE:[/u] Longer? -Spike)
[b]6. Members of Comic GAF are expected at all times to exercise common sense and polite discretion as a matter of courtesy to fellow posters. I know, tough one.
7. If you are unsure of whether or not posting something would constitute a spoiler, err on the side of caution and use the [SPOILER] tags.[/b]
In short, don't be Stephanie Brown. Don't be... The Spoiler. For one thing, [b]you're[/b] not that loveable. >:|
Happy reading!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April Fool's! >:p
2. Direct posting of full-page images from newly released comics using the tags is strictly prohibited, and outgoing links to such should be accompanied by the appropriate spoiler warnings.
3. Direct posting of images or spoilers from comics that have yet to be released is strictly prohibited, and outgoing links to such should be accompanied by the appropriate spoiler warnings.
4. Covers, solicitation copy, and/or promotional materials shall not be considered spoilers and are allowed, unless their content involves specific plot details; in those cases, outgoing links with spoiler warnings should be used.
5. The unmarked posting of spoilers related to comics will be allowed after a period of one week (Wednesday to Wednesday) from that comic's release.[/b] ([u]NOTE:[/u] Longer? -Spike)
[b]6. Members of Comic GAF are expected at all times to exercise common sense and polite discretion as a matter of courtesy to fellow posters. I know, tough one.
7. If you are unsure of whether or not posting something would constitute a spoiler, err on the side of caution and use the [SPOILER] tags.[/b]
In short, don't be Stephanie Brown. Don't be... The Spoiler. For one thing, [b]you're[/b] not that loveable. >:|
Happy reading!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
April Fool's! >:p
I think we're going to start seeing a pattern and the picks are