Spike Spiegel
Member
Welcome back. Let's take a look at what February has to offer, shall we?
+Loki: Agent of Asgard #1 by Al Ewing and Lee Garbett (Feb 5). The Norse god of mischief is back with a grown-up body and an all-new new series! To protect Asgardia's from those who would do harm, Loki is ready and willing to lie, cheat, and steal his way into and out of every situation -- sometimes, with sexy results! His first job? Avengers Tower, and the death of Thor!
+Ms. Marvel #1 by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona (Feb 5). There's a new Ms. Marvel in town, and her story is unlike any other! Kamala Khan was just your average girl living in Jersey City, until the day the Terrigen Mists were released into the world and Kamala suddenly gained superpowers! What's a newly minted teenage Muslim superheroine to do?
+The Punisher #1 and 2 by Nathan Edmondson and Mitch Gerads (Feb 5, Feb 19). Frank Castle flies solo in a new series once more, and this time that flight takes him to Los Angeles! When a lead on a pipeline of illegal drugs and weapons takes him to the West Coast, Frank finds himself waging his one-man war on a new front, and taking fire from a hit squad eager to collect a bounty on his head!
+Wolverine #1 and 2 by Paul Cornell and Ryan Stegman (Feb 5, Feb 26). With his healing factor gone, Wolverine suffered a defeat at the hands of his archenemy Sabretooth line none before. How far and to what depths will he go, to regain what he's lost? Find out in this new series whether the man named Logan can battle back from the brink, or if he will sink further into the darkness.
+She-Hulk #1 by Charles Soule and Javier Pulido (Feb 12). The Gal from Gamma Gamma Gamma returns! By day, Jennifer Walters is the finest legal attorney in the Marvel Universe (take that, Daredevil!). She also happens to be an Avenger and a member of the FF, as the seven-foot green powerhouse better known as the Sensational She-Hulk! Find out how she does it, in this all-new series!
+Superior Spider-Man #27.NOW and 28 by Dan Slott and Giuseppe Camuncoli (Feb 12, Feb 26). The end begins here! Under Otto Octavius' watch, the NY underworld has fallen under control of the nefarious Green Goblin. Now, Otto must take responsibility for his actions and bring an end to the Goblin's criminal reign, at any cost? Could this be the Superior Spider-Man's last battle?
+Action Comics #28 by Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder (Feb 5). The Man of Mu- uh, Steel (damn it!), comes face to face with... the Ghost Soldier! But who is this mysterious figure, and will he prove friend or foe? Superman had better find out the answer real quick, because an army of subterranean monsters is approaching the surface... and Metropolis!
+Green Lantern/Red Lanterns #28 by Robert Venditti and Billy Tan (Feb 5). Green and red combine this month, for a special flip-issue! Hal Jordan struck a bargain with Guy Gardner, new leader of the Red Lantern Corps, and the time has come to pay up. But what does that mean for the Reds' newest member... Kara Zor-El?!? "Red Daughter of Krypton" continues in this month's Supergirl #28!
+Batman #28 by Scott Snyder, James Tynion and Dustin Nguyen (Feb 12). Batman has fallen into the Riddler's cunning trap, and things are looking pretty grim for the Caped Crusader. But before Batman can make his daring escape, readers will have to take a slight detour to the future, with this special issue that serves as an introduction to the new 'Batman Eternal' weekly series. Get a glimpse of what's to come in the year ahead, for the entire Batman universe!
+Harley Quinn #3 by Amanda Conner and Chad Hardin (Feb 19). The most awful comic to ever win NeoGAF's coveted "Champions Comic of the Month" award reaches its third-issue milestone! It's Valentine's Day for the New52, and Harley is feeling the blues. Will it take a visit from "Mistah J" to cheer her up, or does Poison Ivy have what it takes to do the job? (I'm totally messing with you, Messi.)
+Justice League #28 by Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis (Feb 19). By some miracle Cyborg has survived his encounter with the Crime Syndicate, and been reborn in a new cybernetic body. Yet even with his new form, he can't take on Ultraman's gang alone... and he won't have to. New heroes are rising up to challenge the Syndicate; among them, none other than... The Metal Men!
+Superman: Lois Lane One-Shot by Marguerite Bennett and Dan Jurgens (Feb 26). DC's most intrepid reporter stars in her own one-shot! Lois Lane will go to any lengths to get the story; but, what happens when the story is about her own family? While Lois' father rises to power in the US government, her sister sinks to new lows. All this, and Brainiac too!
+Apocalypse Al #1 by J. Michael Straczynski and Sid Kotian (Feb 5). Alison "Al" Carter isn't your typical private detective. Oh sure, her cases take her to some unusual places, and put her at odds with some shady characters. That's where the similarities end, however, because Alison is helping to prevent the end of the world, and her investigations will have her facing monsters, demons, zombies, and Hell itself!
+The Fuse #1 by Antony Johnston and Justin Greenwood (Feb 12). Homicide investigations can be rough on the people involved, especially the investigators themselves. But when you're in orbit twenty-two thousand miles above the Earth, on a city-satellite crammed with half a million potential suspects, it can be more than rough. Murder in mystery, in the vacuum of space!
+The Mercenary Sea #1 by Kel Symons and Mathew Reynolds (Feb 12). The year is 1938, Japan has invaded China, and Europe is about to erupt in war. In the South China Sea, Jack Harper and the crew of 'The Venture' take on pirates, spies, enemy soldiers, and whatever else comes their way in search of treasure. Adventure awaits, on and under the sea!
+Rat Queens #5 by Kurtis J. Wiebe and Roc Upchurch (Feb 12). Palisade isn't exactly "the happiest place on Earth," even under the best of circumstances. Right now, it really stinks there; like literally, what with all the dead orcs and trolls laying about. And things are about to get even worse; the Drowned Sorrows, famous booze transport for the city, has sunk to the bottom of the channel. Get ready for Armageddon.
+Undertow #1 by Steve Orlando and Artyom Trakhanov (Feb 19). The kingdom of Atlantis is a global power; its oppressive rule, absolute. Yet there are those who would challenge the system, and yearn to break free to live their lives on land. Redum is such a man, and his search for the fabled "Amphibian" could be the key to making that dream a reality.
+Black Science #4 by Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera (Feb 26). They've survived electro-amphibian men and techno Indians, but can Grant McKay and his team of dimension-lost adventurers survive... a resort hotel? For the first time, our heroes find themselves in a seeming paradise. So why does it all seem too good to be true?
+Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight #5 by Alex de Campi and Federica Manfredi (Feb 5). A new story set in medieval times! Joyous occasion becomes scene of ghoulish horror, as young Branwyn's wedding day is interrupted by bloodthirsty reavers. With her life in tatters, and everyone she loved gone, Branwyn has just one thing left to live for: REVENGE.
+Lobster Johnson: Get the Lobster #1 by Mike Mignola, John Arcudi, and Tonci Zonjic (Feb 5). An all-new miniseries starring everyone's favorite pulp hero! Sports entertainment goes horribly awry in Manhattan, when two wrestlers attack and kill their referee in front of a live audience, before going on a murderous rampage. What sinister force is behind these events? Lobster Johnson is on the case!
+Conan the Barbarian #25 by Brian Wood and Leandro Fernandez (Feb 19). Brian Wood's acclaimed run reaches its heartbreaking conclusion. Conan has survived his ordeal on the Black Coast, but the scars from this encounter run deeper than any before, and threaten to destroy the man. Can the Cimmerian overcome his grief, or are his days of high adventure behind him?
+The White Suits #1 by Frank Barbiere and Toby Cypress (Feb 19). As seen in Dark Horse Presents! Throughout the Cold War, the enigmatic "White Suits" were the scourge of the Russian underworld, until one day they simply vanished. Now, they have resurfaced in New York City, and a determined FBI agent will follow a trail of dead mobsters to uncover their mysterious identity.
+Tomb Raider #1 by Gail Simone and Nicolas Daniel Selma (Feb 26). An all-new ongoing series that picks up where the smash hit video game left off, written by comics superstar wrtier Gail Simone! These are the continuing adventures of Lara Croft, world traveler and tomb raider extraordinaire, whose exploits will one day become legend.
+Vandroid #1 by Tommy Lee Edwards, Noah Smith and Dan McDaid (Feb 26). In 1984, the offices of Palm Springs Entertainment engulfed in flame, and the world lost out on seeing the defining movie of a generation. Decades later, that film's story will now be told in comic form. A lost epic has been reborn, and now the story of VANDROID will be told.
+G.I. Joe #13 by Paul Allor, Robert Atkins, Alex Cal, and Chris Evenhuis (Feb 5). Siren has joined the side of Cobra, but before she can truly be counted amongst their ranks she must know the history of the organization. And with Baroness as her guide, Siren will discover the secret history of her new leader, the glorious Cobra Commander! But what secret is Siren keeping under wraps..?
+City: The Mind in the Machine #1 by Eric Garcia and Javi Fernandez (Feb 12). A new offering from the Darby Pop imprint! Ben Fischer has spent years building Golden Shield, a massively intrusive surveillance system utilizing every phone, camera, and computer in the city of San Francisco. But this system, devised to fight crime, relies on a human operator, and therein lies the problem.
+Powerpuff Girls #6 by Troy Little (Feb 12). Look out, Townsville: Mojo Jojo is back, and he's badder than ever! Professor Utonium may have cured the dastardly monkey of his wicked ways several issues ago, by removing the Chemical X from his system; but everyone knows you can't keep a good villain down for long, and now the Powerpuff Girls will pay the price!
+Star Trek #30 by Mike Johnson and Yasmin Liang (Feb 12). Space, the final frontier... These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise, captained by the intrepid Jane T. Kirk and her loyal crew of space explo- wait, what? "Jane T. Kirk"? WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON HERE?!? Rule 63 comes to the Star Trek universe, in a special two-part story. Geez...
+Rogue Trooper #1 by Brian Ruckley and Alberto Ponticelli (Feb 19). One of 2000 AD's most-beloved characters returns in an all-new series! Nu-Earth has been ravaged by interplanetary war, rendered uninhabitable by the poison remnants of chemical warfare. Only the G.I.s can survive there, genetically engineered to fight in such toxic conditions. Only one of their kind remains...
+Ghostbusters #13 by Erik Burnham and Dan Schoening (Feb 26). The 30th anniversary of Ghostbusters is here, and IDW's celebration starts here with an eight-part event! Years ago, Gozer the Gozerian was drawn to New York, and attempted to unleash hell on Earth. Those attempts were thwarted, but Gozer was not the only eldritch force to take note of Earth...
+Archer & Armstrong #0 by Fred Van Lente and Pere Perez (Valiant, Feb 5). At last, the story can be told! In this special zero issue, the secret history of Obadiah Archer will be revealed. Where did he come from? How did a baby end up at the Rising Spirit Project? How did he gain his incredible abilities? And how does Archer's past dictate his future?
+Turok Dinosaur Hunter #1 by Greg Pak and Mirko Colak (Dynamite, Feb 5). Dynamite's Gold Key revival begins with the return of everyone's favorite dinosaur-killer! Shunned by his tribe, a young brave named Turok survives in the wilderness outside his former village. But when man-eating "Thunder Lizards" attack his people, will Turok ignore their plight or become their savior?
+The Bunker #1 by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Joe Infurnari (Oni, Feb 12). The hit digital comic, now in print! Before their lives take different paths, five friends set out to bury a time capsule to commemorate their time together. But when they start digging, they uncover a mysterious bunker with their names stamped on it, filled with artifacts from a future that has yet to pass!
+Adventure Time #25 by Ryan North and Shelli Paroline (BOOM!, Feb 19). Fan-favorite creators unite to celebrate Adventure Time's 25th issue milestone! Everyone has that one thing, that most cherished thing, that's as much a part of them as their own skin and that they plan to keep with them forever and ever. This is the story of that thing, and just how special it is.
+Loki: Ragnarok and Roll #1 by Eric Esquivel and Jerry Gaylord (BOOM!, Feb 19). From the creator of "Thor: The Unkillable Thunder Christ" comes another tale of Norse gods gone metal! When Odin banishes his mischievous son Loki to Earth, he finds himself surrounded by outcasts hip to the trickster god's style. Watch, as brother clashes with brother over the only thing that truly matters: rock and roll!
+Nancy: A Dragon in Hell One-Shot by El Torres and Enrique Lorenzana (Amigo, Feb 26). After an unfortunate encounter with a demon, Malcolm Dragon finds himself trapped in Hell! Surrounded by his father's deceased enemies, Malcolm's only chance to survive and escape this predicament is the chainsaw wielding Nancy and her companion Lucifer!
1ST PLACE WINNER:
Deadly Class #1; written by Rick Remender; pencils by Wes Craig; colors by Lee Loughridge; published by Image Comics (26 ponts)
2ND PLACE FINISHER:
Rat Queens #4; written by Kurtis J. Wiebe; pencils and colors by Roc Upchurch; published by Image Comics (20 points)
3RD PLACE FINISHER:
Uncanny Avengers #18; written by Rick Remender; pencils by Steve McNiven; colors by Laura Martin; published by Marvel 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 11pm 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!
(Omnibuses get you laid, right?)
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!
(Omnibuses get you laid, right?)
