More info on what’s reviewed after the jump!
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Captain America #50 Cover

I’d like to preface my review of Captain America #50 by stating that I not only love what Ed Brubaker has done with Captain America, but I pretty much love everything that Brubaker does. I can’t say for certain, but I’m pretty sure I am buying everything that the man puts out right now. As you’d expect, I was stoked for Captain America to come out this week. Yeah, it’s a landmark issue at #50, but I didn’t expect it to be too mind-blowing, as the Cap crew will be celebrating the 600th issue next month. Still, despite Brubaker likely saving up his best for June’s big issue, I still expected 50 to continue in the great tradition of Brubaker’s run. Not only that, but at $3.99 with a few extra pages, issue 50 appeared to be a nice, big, juicy Bucky-Cap adventure. Sadly, I was gravely disappointed almost from the first frame.

I’ll tell you why Brubaker failed to impress after the break.

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After a long hiatus (sorry about that), I’m finally back to bring you more previews of solicited comic books. This time, I’m showing you what to look forward to in August. And boy, is there a lot to be excited for. It seems like the comic book publishers decided that they wanted to get in on the summer blockbuster action and decided to pull out all the stops in August. Some of the biggest titles of the year look to be coming out, so let me break down some of the big ones to keep an eye on.

The Marvels Project #1

The Marvels Project is likely to be the biggest Marvel comic this year, if not the biggest comic of the year period. While Blackest Night over in DC land might overshadow it slightly, The Marvels Project is likely to be the critically acclaimed hit of the year. Much like the smaller, more story-based movie compared to the summer blockbuster, Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting are celebrating Marvel’s 70th anniversary in style, by retelling the origin story of the entire universe! With talent this great and a story to match, how could you not be excited to see what is in store from this limited series?

Batman: The Widening Gyre #1

While much of the DC fanbase will have their eyes turned towards the previously mentioned Blackest Night event, a little Batman book by acclaimed writer Kevin Smith is set to hit the stands. Set to be a 12-issue maxi-series, Widening Gyre will be 2 6-issue story arcs, separated by a 3 month publishing gap. According to Smith himself, the 3 month gap will allow him to start writing an on-going series about one of the characters he will introduce in Gyre. While some might be skeptical about whether the often-late Smith can really pull out this much writing, I have faith and hope, cause this sounds like a great series from one of comic’s top writers.

Daredevil #500

Nothing shouts “70th anniversary” like milestone issues. And dammit if Marvel hasn’t had their share of them this year. From Thor to Cap to Hulk to the up-coming Amazing Spider-Man, this has been the year of landmark issues (and the return to the original numbering). Add to that list Daredevil, which will hit issue 500 this August. What Brubaker has in store for us is anyone’s guess, but it is sure to be a doozey as he ends his legendary run on Daredevil and passes the reigns over to the capable Andy Diggle.

Incredible Hulk #601

Ok, so this isn’t a milestone issue, but the one after, so what gives? Why is this so exciting? Well, I’ll tell you. Greg Pak is returning to Hulk. Yeah, Jeph Loeb is still going to be fucking up the beloved character over in the Hulk book, but hopefully Greg Pak, the man who brought us the amazing Planet Hulk, can restore the green giant to his former glory.

Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #1 and Avengers #1

Speaking of Jeph Loeb fucking up beloved things, Marvel’s Ultimate line relaunches as Ultimate Comics in August with the debut of Spider-Man and Avengers. Fan-favorite Brian Michael Bendis continues his outstanding work with Spidy in the Ultimate universe (though, it might not be Peter Parker, if Loeb has anything to do about it). And even better, universe co-creator and certified badass Mark Millar returns to the Ultimate Line with Avengers, a book which is set to focus on groups or characters in the Ultimate universe (no, this is not replacing Ultimates). Millar has stated that each arc of Avengers will be like a mini-events, so this will be a book to watch. Honestly, I’m pissed at what Loeb is doing to my beloved Ultimates line and I disagree with the “relaunch” and renumbering, but with any luck, we’ll survive this editorial mistake and still have a good universe to enjoy.

Blackest Night: Superman, Batman and Titans

With Blackest Night starting in July, DC is set to start releasing their tie-ins to the universe-altering event in August. Can’t say I’m all too excited about the Superman or Titans tie-ins but Batman should be a book to watch. Not only is it written by the great Peter J. Tomasi, but it might just feature the supposedly dead Bruce Wayne as a Black Lantern. We’ll see when the series launches in August, but those following Blackest Night will probably want to pick up at least 1 of these tie-ins.

Amazing Spider-Man #601, #602 and #603

Coming off their own landmark 600 issue, the ASM crew is not slowing down. Starting at issue 601, Mary Jane is back!!! As a huge fan of MJ and one of many who were sorely disappointed at the breakup of one of comic’s most beloved couples, it is great to see that the Spidy writers are finally bringing her back. Likely, she will not be a romantic interest in Peter Parker’s life (at least not right away), but at least she’s back in the fold and the possibility is there. Here’s hoping we also get some more answers about what exactly Mephisto did at the end of One More Day.

Fantastic Four #570

Last but not least (seriously, any other month, an issue like this would be at the top of things to look forward to) is Fantastic Four #570. Why’s this such a big deal? Well, that would be because writer Jonathan Hickman is taking over the writing duties on Marvel’s first family. Not only has Hickman proven himself to be a great writer with his indie work and his outstanding work on Secret Warriors, he’s proven that he can writer the Fantastic Four like nobody’s business with his work on Dark Reign: Fantastic Four. I, for one, am looking forward to him bringing his unique voice to FF and hopefully continuing Mark Millar’s work at bringing the Fantastic Four back to the top of the Marvel line.

Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night #1 Cover

He’s the man that brings you Cable every month in all its glory. He’s the man that was able to somehow take over for the amazing team of Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker on Immortal Iron Fist. So what does Duane Swierczynski have in store for us, his loyal fans, now? Why, Dead of Night Featuring Werewolf by Night, of course (but you already knew that, or you wouldn’t be reading this)!

Werewolf by Night tells the story of Michael Shepard, an average guy with a beautiful wife, a baby on the way, and a job that forces him to leave her every month. Only, everything isn’t quite as it seems. You see, Michael Shepard is really Jack Russell and he really goes away every month to lock himself in a cell for 2 days. Why does he do this? Because he turns into a werewolf!

After the break, I’ll give you the lowdown on this new limited series and whether you should pick it up.

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Incognito #1 Cover

This week marked the release of a comic that I have been waiting for since solicitations for December came out more than 3 months ago. It’s a book that is written by Ed Brubaker, one of the finest writers in the business today. Mix him in with Sean Phillips, who is easily the best pulp artist working and you have a sure-fire win. This is the creative team that are behind such great books as Sleeper and Criminal. But now, they bring you Incognito. And let me tell you, it was well worth the wait.

The hero (or should I say anti-hero) of our little tale is Zack Andersen, who was formally known as Zack Overkill, a terrorist super-villain who has been in the witness protection program for 3 years after testifying against his former boss, The Black Death, to put him behind bars. Now, Zack struggles to live a normal life, taking drugs from the government to suppress his superhuman abilities. As you can imagine, he is less than satisfied with his life and when he finds out that taking illegal drugs counteracts the drugs the government has been giving him, he starts to feel the power of his former… well, power… again. More reviewing after the break.

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Happy new year, dear readers. Sure, tomorrow is Friday and many of us have to go back to work just one day before the weekend, but hey, comics come out tomorrow, so that’s good news, right? Apparently, releasing comics on Christmas Eve is not a problem, but New Years Eve is a different story. But I digress. Just in time to help you get over your hangover or the shock that it is suddenly 2009, here’s what you can look forward to when you make your trip to the comic shop this week.

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Immortal Iron Fist #21 cover

I heard rumor about something from Duane Swierczynski in which Warren Ellis gave him an idea to write a comic about the Immortal Iron Fist in the future… in 3099 to be exact and I wasn’t sure when we devoted readers would see such a crazy issue. As luck would have it, that issue came out this month and boy was it strange.

As far as Immortal Iron Fist goes, this whole 3099 thing is way out of the ordinary. I may not know much about Duane Swierczynski but somehow, he managed to pull this issue off and work it to be extremely cool. Being based in the future always makes me skeptical for some comics, but this being so damn far in the future I really can’t argue with what occurs in this issue outside of how out-of-nowhere-awesome it is.

**some spoilers after the break**

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Comic book fans are well acquainted with Kevin Smith. His films “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy” contained oodles of great riffs on classic characters, and just about every year he stops in for wildly popular Q&A’s at the San Diego Comic-Con.

In 1998, Joe Quesada hired him to revive Daredevil, resulting in a popular run that re-established the character and led to mammoth, defining runs from Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker and opening the doors to let Hollywood writers such as Joss Whedon and J. Michael Straczynski to get runs on major comic characters. After acclaimed runs on Daredevil and Green Arrow, Smith became notorious for delays on his other comic book projects, one of which was delayed so long after only its first issue that it was finally canceled years later. But hot of the heels of one of his finest movies, Smith is back in the comic book world with a promising new miniseries, Batman: Cacophony.

*Minor spoilers after the break*

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Is it too early to name Brian K. Vaughan the best comic book writer of the new millennium? I must of course withhold such judgment until I really start reading stuff by lauded modern writers like Ed Brubaker and Brian Michael Bendis, but Brian K. Vaughan appears to be infallible. Y: The Last Man is one of the most captivating pieces of literature I’ve ever read, and, though I’ve yet to read them, have heard nothing but praise for Runaways and Ex Machina.

Now, for the last months, I’ve been asking for suggestions for comics to read, and a curious name kept coming up. Nearly everyone recommended a story called Pride of Baghdad. Nobody told me what it was about, only that “it’s not what it sounds like.” Well, I kept on buying other trades, but finally got curious the other day and picked it off the shelves. The first thing that caught my eye was the name at the top: Brian K. Vaughan. I bought it on the spot, without even reading the back cover. Now, the lion on the front made me see the pun in the title, but I still went into this fairly blind. Well, all the hype from my internet friends didn’t do it enough justice.

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Dead of Night Featuring Warewolf By Night #1 Cover

My first impression when viewing the solicitations for the new year for the big 2 comic book publishers was “this is it?” Honestly, it felt a little underwhelming. Considering the fact that Marvel is coming off their big cross-over event, Secret Invasion and in the midst of a whole boat load of X-Men stuff, you’d think that more would be happening. Same for DC, where they are set to finish up their big cross-over, Final Crisis, is post-Batman R.I.P. and is also finishing up Superman‘s major New Krypton story arc. But then I dug a little deeper and pulled out a whole bunch of great gems to get excited for. And I’m sure there’ll be more, as many Marvel solicitations are still classified until Secret Invasion wraps up next month. January is shaping up to be a pretty good month to be a comic book fan. And guess what, it is also my birthday month. So, faithful readers, I expect each and every one of you to go out and get me a comic book for my birthday. Seriously. Do it! But until then, read on for some previews so you can decide which one to get me…

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