DC comics is expanding their Vertigo imprint with an imprint of its own. I caught wind of Vertigo Noir in this month’s Previews, and I must admit to being slightly curious. Vertigo is more or less the only DC stuff I’ve ever picked up, and as I’ve posted before, I loves me some crime stories.

I don’t have the magazine in front of me at the moment, and I can’t find an iota of information on the new line anywhere on the internet, but of the two books, one of them is being written by Brian Azzarello, who just so happens to have a time slot open with the conclusion of that other noir book he was writing for Vertigo this week.

With the last trade paperback of 100 Bullets being rushed into stores, and now the opening of this new line, DC will be sitting pretty on a pile of casings and cornering the black market of crime tales. At least, until Ed Brubaker gets to work on the next issue of Criminal.

Doom DeLuise:

• Batman Battle for the Cowl #2 - Like I’ve said before, I’m not really excited for this miniseries, and I doubt it will have any lasting impact on the Batman universe, but I’m still going to read it, because I want to know who Batman is. I’m weird like that, I guess.

• Green Lantern #39 - Part one of a new storyarc that introduces the Orange Lanterns, I can’t wait to read this sucker. I may be impatient for what’s coming up in a few months, but I’m still immensely entertained by each passing issue.

• Warlord #1 - I know absolutely nothing about this, but I’m going to buy it because it’s our Book of Doom for this week.

• War of Kings: Ascension #1 - I’m still trying to decide whether or not to pick this one up. I suppose I’ll decide in the shop, but it’s a light week (I’m starting to think that every week is a light week), so I might just go ahead and pick it up. I’m digging the series proper. May as well, right?

Jim Doom:

• Batman Battle for the Cowl #2 - I dislike #1 the more I think about it, but at least this is only 3 issues long.

• Green Lantern #39 - One of the few books I still recommend.

• The Warlord #1 - Book of Doom.

• Wolverine: Weapon X #1 - Maybe.

[SFX: Intro music]

JIM DOOM: Hello and welcome to this week’s Podcast of Doom. I only bought two books last week, and my cohost, Doom DeLuise, picked up the same two books, so I thought I’d make this week’s podcast an audio version of the Doomino Effect.

[Audience boos]

JIM DOOM: Well, it was either that or just not do a Doomino Effect.

[Audience silence]

JIM DOOM: With me as usual is Doom DeLuise.

[Audience applauds; Music fades out]

JIM DOOM: Ok, so starting out with Flash: Rebirth #1. I don’t know if it was unfair for me to expect this to be as good as Green Lantern: Rebirth, and maybe it still will be, but I was remarkably underwhelmed by this first issue.

In fairness to the book, I am very uneducated when it comes to all things Flash. I am not a Flash fan, nor have I ever been, and I’m aware that Geoff Johns is a fan who likes to pack his books with continuity. So I’m at least considering that my ignorance is part of the problem. But with that said, I don’t go into Green Lantern: Rebirth knowing much of anything about Green Lanterns either.

What was your initial reaction to Flash: Rebirth #1?

DOOM DeLUISE: I didn’t much care for it, mostly because it was a lot of talking, and it seemed kind of out-of-character for Barry to return and be so insensitive toward the fact that he’s finally back on earth and able to see his loved ones. Even if it’s not entirely selfish for him to want to go run and fight crime, it is selfish to a degree, considering that his friends and family are throwing him parties and wanting to see him, and he just ghosts off and says he won’t make any of them.

I always thought of Barry as a really optimistic, fun, personable character, and in this, he’s kind of a [bleep].

[Audience laughter]
(more…)

I would not be surprised if I’m flying solo on this one.

While one of the goals of the Book of Doom is to try something new, or at least choose a good hopping-on point, I may have picked something a little too out-there for my Doomkopf peers. I’m hoping not, but I’m obviously insecure in the choice, do I’m doing my damage control in advance.

I don’t know anything about The Warlord, but I do know that I don’t read anything like this, and it’s only $2.99. Wolverine: Weapon X #1 is $3.99, and the only other new arc I knew of was in Green Lantern, but I feel like we’ve gone to that well too many times. So Warlord it is. If you’re feeling adventurous, and maybe that’s kind of a Warlord pun — I really don’t know, pick up the book, send your review to doomkopf at doomkopf dot com and join us back here on Saturday for the roundtable.

Written by Mike Grell; Art by Joe Prado and Walden Wong; Cover by Mike Grell

At the Roof of the World in Tibet, a team of paleontologists and adventurers has made the find of the century: perfectly preserved dinosaur specimens that appear to have died mere days before! Their expedition takes a deadly turn when they uncover an impossible portal to another world – an unbelievable country at the hollow center of the Earth, the mythical land of Skartaris! But they’re not the first surface-worlders to find themselves stranded in Skartaris, and their arrival in his peaceful home triggers an unforgettable new adventure for the hero who has taken the land as his own: Travis Morgan, the Warlord!

This new ongoing series marks the return of creator Mike Grell to the fantasy saga that made him famous! Reunite with Tara, Shakira, Tinder and the rest of the cast in a story that continues the adventures of the Warlord but opens up a new era where any reader can jump aboard.

Along with Grell’s scripts – and lushly painted covers – comes the art of rising star Joe Prado (ACTION COMICS, SINESTRO CORPS SECRET FILES)! DC’s finest fantasy franchise is reborn!

…will not be found here.

Over the course of the past week, Fox has had its hands full trying to deal with a leaked copy of the new X-Men Origins: Wolverine movie. It’s an unfinished version of the film that’s set to be released the first week of May, and it’s floating all over the Internet. If you want to find a copy, go ahead and start looking. You won’t have any problem doing so.

My question, though, is this: Why would you want to do that? Normally, I don’t really care about piracy (at all), and I wouldn’t hesitate to watch the latest blockbusters without paying for them; but the line should be drawn somewhere, right? I’ve seen pirated movies a few weeks after they’ve hit the theatres, when I’ve made up my mind that the only way I’ll ever watch the movies is if I illegally download them, but I’ve never actually skipped out on watching a movie in theatres in favor of watching it on my computer. The quality’s usually crap, and it’s a pain in the ass sitting on my computer and watching something that’s meant to be viewed on a screen the size of a broad side of a barn.

Furthermore, this is an incomplete cut of the film. Lots of special effects are missing from it, the sound isn’t complete, and yet, it’s being downloaded in droves by spoiler-sport nerds across the world. (more…)

The thing about Nick Fury is that he always works better when he’s lurking around in the background. The trouble with that, however, is that it makes him an incredibly compelling character; one that you would like to see more of.

Fury is a character that’s built to fill in holes, smooth over rough patches, and advance the plot. He has access to a super-intelligent network that can pretty much figure out anything and everything (except, of course, that which the protagonist seeks). He is the hero’s best friend. He has all the right answers, and he always knows what to do next. So Fury is a real badass who’s handy in a pinch.

Unfortunately, that’s about the only time he’s handy. The rest of the time, he’s apparently caught up in the drama of playing father-figure to the amateurs around him, and slogging through failed relationships. That’s the kind of stuff we don’t want to see Fury involved with. When something goes wrong, he says “I’m on it,” disappears, and gets to work getting his hands dirty. He doesn’t get told off by children and the go somewhere to sulk; it’s just not becoming of this jack-of-all-trades.

Even if the writing were better, Fury’s “solo” adventures would still lose that trademark Fury appeal, because suddenly he’s yanked out of the shadows and, in the light, his flaws are exposed. He can’t afford to have his flaws exposed.

I didn’t read the first two issues of the series, so I don’t know why he’s herding children around, and I don’t know who ex-flame Contessa is, and in the end, I don’t want to know. This all despite the fact that I picked the series up because, yes, I did want to know.

That’s just the thing about Nick Fury.

Doominator chimes in: (more…)

Geektyrant has a rundown of some of the gossip surrounding Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, including a list of the robots in the film. Among the highlights:

• Some of the Autobots are deliberately stupid and childlike, but that’s what the kids like, according to Michael Bay. I’m having a tough time imagining Autobots acting even stupider than hiding behind trees and peeking around corners to evade detection from humans, rather than TRANSFORMING INTO INCONSPICUOUS AUTOMOBILES LIKE THEY ARE BUILT TO DO.

• If one comment is interpreted correctly, the robots will fart. The comment that comes from is fairly ambiguous though, and relies on how one defines “outgas.”

• The news has been out for a while that Jetfire will use a cane. But we now learn that, since he’s old, he forgets things and causes problems for the Autobots who are stuck babysitting Grandpa Transformer.

Dammit Marvel!

Namor, Cloak and Dagger, Daken, Angel or Icarus or Mimic or something with wings, Professor Xavier and Emma Frost (or someone with a similarly constructed … frame) and Omega the Unknown … well, probably not on that last one. Is the lady in black perhaps Adriana Frost? So they’re stealing the Dark Avenger’s “Wolverine” and pretending to lift that … except these aren’t really villains, unlike the Dark Avengers. I mean, maybe on Namor. This probably ties into the Dark Illuminati with him …

But needless to say, I’m almost baffled enough to buy this. As indicated by the fact that I’m reading “Messiah War,” I am a bit of a masochist …

“Therefore Repent!” is one of the coolest books you’ve never read. Set in the midst of the end times in Chicago, it’s about a few things - how to deal with the rapture, and what exactly is going on. Why is George Bush making appearances with Jesus Christ, and why are armed angels patrolling the streets? Well, you’ll just have to read the damn book, especially now that a follow-up, “Sword of my Mouth” is coming to your nerd store in May.

I got the chance to ask some questions of the writer, Jim Munroe, about where “Sword” fits in, why he can’t seem to sit still and the advantages he’s found in making his books free online …

Considering the ending of Therefore Repent!, how does Sword of my Mouth figure in?

It’s set a bit after the ending of TR!, but it’s set in Detroit rather than Chicago. There are rumours about what happened at the end of TR!, but magic still works and the world is still changed.
(more…)

I’m responsible for the Book of Doom this week, and as all three of my regular titles came out last week, I’ll be venturing into somewhat new territory, here. While I was really curious about the comics adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, and while Doominator tried to vicariously spite my fellow Doomers and having me choose the Franklin Richards April Fools issue, I ended up choosing a Nick Fury book, Secret Warriors #3. It’s not necessarily a good jumping-on point, but it’s the closest thing to something interesting to me.

The solicit sounds promising:

The most talked-about new Marvel series continues as HYDRA’s plans pick up speed while more remnants of S.H.I.E.L.D. fall. Nick Fury reconnects with an old colleague and finds out that the balance has shifted between him and some of his former soldiers. All that, and the Warriors suffer their first casualty of war.
Rated T+ …$2.99

Join me this weekend, won’t you?