Alpha Girl #1
By Jeff Roenning and Robert Love

As the year goes on, I’m starting to realize that if you want a diverse, fun line up of titles month in and month out, Image is the place to be. From The Walking Dead to The Strange Talent of Luther Strode to the resurrection of the Extreme Universe, Image literally has a book for anybody. It continues this month with the launch of Alpha Girl, a different look at the apocalypse.

We’ve had the end of days caused by nuclear missiles, zombies and mutants. Alpha Girl is the story of the end of the world caused by perfume. Roenning and Love have crafted a satirical book that takes a very different approach to the end of everything. The story and the art are in perfect synch as the two creators seem to have been working together forever. The colors pop off the page and the story is an entertaining read that will have you looking forward to next month. My only problem is that the first issue seems to end kind of suddenly, like they picked a random spot to end the story at.

Other than that small quibble, Alpha Girl is a great comic. It’s another fine example of why Image needs to exist; books as good as this would have nowhere to go and we would all be the poorer for it.

Winter Soldier #1
By Ed Brubaker and Butch Guice

After returning to comics as a Soviet assassin and then a short stint as Captain America, the Winter Soldier gets his own book as last. The only thing about this that surprises me is that it took Marvel this long to launch Bucky in his own book.

After his “death” in Fear Itself, the Winter Soldier returns as a special ops agent looking to redeem himself and keep the world safe by any means necessary. First up is a mission to find other Soviet sleeper agents like himself, spread out across America. For this book, Brubaker is returning to the espionage, spy thriller storytelling that worked so well when he first started working on Captain America. Add in the Black Widow for a healthy does of sex appeal, and the book reads like a James Bond novel on steroids. Guice is at the top of his from, using lots of panels per page to tell the story. It gives the book a slightly claustrophobic feeling that I could have done without, but his art is just so good that it’s easy to overlook.

If you are a fan of Brubaker’s Captain America, you will feel right at home here. If this is your first time, buckle up and get ready for the kind of book you haven’t seen since Jim Steranko and his work on S.H.E.I.L.D. Yes, it’s that good.

Star Wars – Dawn of the Jedi #0
By John Ostrander and Jan Duursema

I don’t usually review handbook type titles here in the Roundup. Most of the time they just serve as 20 page ads for a new book and aren’t really worth your time or money. But this is Star Wars and as I learned reading Star Wars – Legacy, these 0 issue guidebooks are pretty significant. Ostrander uses it to lay the groundwork for the series and it has a lot of information that you will need to know to enjoy Dawn of the Jedi.

Once Legacy wrapped, everyone wondered what Ostrander and Duursema would do next. It turns out after they went into the future of Star Wars, now they are going to the past to explore its origins. Dawn of the Jedi will show the birth of the Jedi, the Sith, lightsabers, the whole shebang. For this 0 issue, it gives you all the information on the people, places, history and ships of the Dawn of the Jedi era. There is a ton of info here that will be incredibly important once the series starts. Plus you get some simply gorgeous Duursema artwork as well.

It’s a bit pricy at $3.50 and some of the names are barely pronounceable, but for any fan it will be well worth it. If you plan on reading Dawn of the Jedi, skip this book at your own peril.

The saddest thing about all the recent press for Red Tails are the bitter fanboys who seem to be using it as a chance to rage against George Lucas for the recent Star Wars Blu-ray release, rather than talk about what is a very important film.

Yes, Red Tails happens to be the long-in-gestation passion project produced by the creator of Star Wars. But like The Tuskegee Airmen it portrays, George Lucas also faced great adversity… in Hollywood, to the tune of paying for the $58 million film out of pocket.

The film is a pulpy look back at the 332nd Fighter Group in World War 2, The Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the Red Tails due the distinctive paint on the tails of their planes. The Tuskegee Airmen were the first African American military aviators in the United States armed forces. This film focuses on a very specific period in the history of the Airmen to give audiences the most bang for its buck.

Red Tails picks up with The Tuskegee Airmen while they are based in Italy doing meaningless reconnaissance missions with hand-me-down planes, frustrated at their place in the war. The film then follows them as they take on mission after mission in order to prove themselves and their race to both the United States Army and the world.

Red Tails features a great ensemble cast led by Terrence Howard and Cuba Gooding Jr., and even has a guest appearance by my favorite meth producing science teacher Bryan Cranston. The film is beautifully shot and while George Lucas didn’t direct it, you can definitely see some heavy influences from a galaxy far, far away (see the flight battles). And while the characters are indeed a bit cliché, they tread a very fine line from turning into simple stereotypes.

Red Tails for what it is, is a lot of fun. The film decides early on to stay away from being too preachy or heavy-handed with its message and sticks to being a fun action/adventure flick. For that reason I can definitely see this film going on to being shown in schools and classrooms because it’s a history lesson that will definitely entertain while it educates. I gladly give Red Tails a 4 out of 5 stars.

The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye #1
By James Roberts and Nick Roche

After 125 issues of IDW’s Transformers (if you add up all the miniseries and monthlies), this month sees the franchise heading off in new directions with two new ongoing series and new creative teams. The first book out of the gate is The Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye and it is not what you would expect.

In the wake of the Death of Optimus Prime one-shot, the Autobot/Decepticon War is over and Rodimus Prime has decided to take a group of Transformers in search of the legendary Knights of Cybertron. You may think you are in for a typical science fiction comic, but what you won’t see coming is how funny the book is. Roberts is adding a wicked sense of humor to all the existing elements that make for a great Transformers comic, which is a refreshing and welcome change. Roche adds in some incredible artwork that has a different, kind of organic look to it. Put them together and you have a different, yet familiar take of the Robots in Disguise.

Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye is a fresh and funny new take on a concept that is more than 25 years old. If you’re a fan (and who isn’t) give it read. You won’t be sorry.

Prophet #21
By Brandon Graham and Simon Roy

If we needed any more proof that the 90’s are back, the return of Rob Liefeld’s Extreme Universe of characters should seal the deal. Prophet is but the first of four titles that are going to be making a comeback and using a cumulative numbering scheme, hence the #21, instead of a #1. But this really should have been a #1, since this book has less than nothing to do with any comic named Prophet that came before.

The return of John Prophet reads more like the first level of a video game than the first issue of a new comic series. We see Prophet emerge from a stasis capsule, see the list of his equipment (literally) and off he goes of some mysterious quest. I will say this; Graham and Roy have created the most un-Liefeld comic book ever, especially on the art side. Roy’s artwork has more of a European feeling that gives Prophet a distinct look that helps it stand apart from anything else on the stands. I just wish there was more to the actual story than what little there was.

Prophet has the potential to be a sleeper hit that will sneak up on a lot of Image fans, but only if we get a more fleshed out story that doesn’t read like a poor man’s Dead Space 2 or Rage. I’ll give it a couple more issues before it earns a permanent place on my reading list.

Scarlet Spider #1
By Christopher Yost and Ryan Stegman

Fresh from his rebirth in this summer’s Spider-Island, Kaine gets his own series as the new Scarlet Spider. Can Yost and Stegman make a character, who to many represents some of the worst Spider-Man stories of all time, someone we would want to read about month after month? If issue #1 is any indication, I can unreservedly say yes.

Kaine has been healed and now heads west, trying to put some ground between him and his past. The story works on several levels, but the most interesting part is to see a Spider-Man surrounded by darkness. Kaine is not a likeable character. His life has been nothing but pain and suffering and he is not a hero, at least, not yet. Yost has shown us the first steps on the journey he will take and it will be fascinating to watch as it progresses. Stegman’s artwork is just page after page of web swinging goodness. His Scarlet Spider doesn’t move or come across as Spider-Man, which is perfect. He is giving Kaine his own presence and look and I look forward to seeing him get better with each issue.

Scarlet Spider #1 is a must buy if you are a Spider-Man fan. For everyone else, I recommend it whole heartedly. It’s a great comic book that you’ll enjoy more with each reading.

Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends #11
By Raven Gregory, Matt Triano, Marlin Shoop and CA Gutierrez

Of all the Zenescope titles, Grimm Fairy Tales: Myths & Legends continues to be one of the most accessible for new readers and one of the best. Taking a Legends of the Dark Knight approach, the book will have a different arc every 4 or 5 issues, but with seeds that connect them all together masterfully planted by regular writer Gregory. This month sees the conclusion to the warped retelling of The Little Mermaid.

In issue #11, Gregory not only shows us the final confrontation between Samantha and the Sea Witch, with the life of Erica, the Little Mermaid, in the balance, but also shows us the origin of Esmeralda and how she became the Sea Witch in the first place. It is a gruesome, bloody climax that captures the essence of what Zenescope (and Gregory) does so well; take stories we thought we knew, give them a Zenescope twist and up the horror quotient. The art is split between three people for the issue and they all do a good job on the sections they work on. All their styles synch up and it doesn’t detract from the story being told.

Next up for Myths & Legends is a retelling of Beauty and the Beast. After seeing what they did to the Little Mermaid and how good it was, I can’t wait to see how that one plays out. Disney this ain’t.

Shinku #4
By Ron Marz and Lee Moder

After a break due to some health issues, Marz and Moder’s creator owned samurai/vampire epic Shinku returns to the stands with its fourth issue and boy, is it a doozy.

After what I felt was a run of the mill first issue, things have really picked up steam and Shinku is quickly becoming a comic that stands apart on the stands. In issue #4, Shinku faces off against Sakura, the vampire ronin and her new ally, David Quinn, learns to ride a motorcycle. There is lots of blood and boobs and the book definitely earns its Mature Content label. If you think you know what a Ron Marz comic is like, think again as he continues to surprise me with Shinku. He and Moder are building a world where vampires are not attractive and emo, but cold blooded killers living in a cyberpunk landscape. Shinku is a harsh, brutal book, as any book with vampires and samurai should be.

After a somewhat slow start, Shinku is really getting into gear and becoming a book I’m starting to look forward to each month. If your sick of pretty boy vampires, Shinku may be the comic for you.

Wolverine and the X-Men: Alpha & Omega #1 (of 5)
By Brian Wood, Roland Boschi and Mark Brooks

After just three issues, Wolverine and the X-Men get its first miniseries with Alpha & Omega, the story of Quentin Quire, a.k.a. Kid Omega, and Wolverine. It also marks Brian Wood’s return to Marvel after an extended stint doing creator owned material at Vertigo and elsewhere. Unfortunately, I think maybe he should have stuck with the creator owned stuff after reading the first issue.

My biggest problem is that of all the amazing concepts that Grant Morrison created during his run on New X-Men, why is it that the only one left is Quire, easily the most annoying, unlikable mutant ever created? Add to that Wood creating an incredibly unoriginal story hook (that Quire has trapped Logan in a poor man’s Blade Runner dream world) and I was bored by page 6. Mix in some really pedestrian art by a small army of artists (seven are listed in the credits) and you have all the makings of a disaster waiting to happen.

What really blows my mind is why Wood would stop working on stuff he owns to write stuff like this. I don’t get any more DMZ or New York Five and instead I get really bad X-Men comics? All I can hope is that maybe it gets better as it goes along. We’ll see.

Contest Closed!

Ever since his first appearance in The Crystal Shard in 1988, Drizzt Do’Urden has been one of the most popular characters in the world of fantasy literature. With his twin scimitar blades, ebony black skin and white mane of hair, he captured the imagination of gamers everywhere and became more than just a character on a page. Along with the heroes of the Dragonlance trilogy, he put Dungeons & Dragons novels on the map and made most of them must reads for fans of the game as well as lovers of high adventure.

Now Drizzt makes his return in the second chapter of the Neverwinter trilogy, named, appropriately enough, Neverwinter. R.A. Salvatore picks up where book one, Gauntlgrym, left off and shows us a Drizzt entering a new phase of his life, which is part of what makes this such a great read.

Salvatore gives us a Drizzt at a crossroads in his life. The last of the Companions of the Hall has fallen and for the first time the Dark Elf is truly alone. It makes for a fascinating, intense read that takes a new and different look at one of the oldest characters in the world of Forgotten Realms fiction. It’s what made it stand apart from other books starring Drizzt that I have read; you really feel like you get inside his head and you are watching the birth of a new Drizzt that is beginning, as he calls it, “a new road”.

Add in a new companion in the vengeful elf Dahlia, the evil machinations of Sylora Salm and her undead army and thrilling action sequences as only Salvatore can write them and you have the makings of one great book.

Now, I should warn you that if you aren’t familiar with Drizzt, Neverwinter or the
Forgotten Realms in general, this trilogy will make a lousy place to start. It is supposed to be setting the ground work for the story in the new Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter PC game coming in 2012, but you still need to be able to tell a Dark Elf from a Dread Ring to follow the story. Luckily however, Salvatore has written all the Drizzt novels to date, so getting up to speed will be a blast.

In Neverwinter, Salvatore has again shown everyone what makes Drizzt Do’Urden such
a ridiculously cool character and why everyone wants to play a Drow whenever you start a new D&D campaign.

So want to read Neverwinter for free? Good, because Wizards of the Coast was kind enough to give us a hardcover copy to give away to one lucky Geekadelphia reader. Just leave a comment telling us your favorite D&D novel and we’ll pick a random winner at the end of next week. Please make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment and books can only be sent to addresses in the United States and Canada.

Contest Closed!

This past year saw a lot of big events play out at a variety of comic book companies.

From Marvel’s Fear Itself to DC’s The New 52 to IDW’s Infestation crossover, comic publishers were looking for ways to bring in new readers and keep existing fans interested and happy. One that definitely delivered on its promise was Zenescope’s first Grimm Universe event, The Dream Eater Saga, the first half of which is now collected in trade paperback.

For Zenescope’s first company wide crossover, they were looking for a way to bring together the various casts of their Grimm Fairy Tales family of titles. They found it in the unspeakable horror of the Dream Eater.

In volume one, he has been released into the world and he is coming for anyone who has supernatural powers. Now the members of the Grimm Universe find that they have to work together to stop this ancient evil or it will mean the end of all that they hold dear.

The trade collects the prelude, The Dream Eater Saga #1, the Piper, Wonderland, Neverland and Salem’s Daughter one-shots as well as Myths & Legends #6. And the whole shebang is written by none other than Raven Gregory, one of the best writers currently working for Zenescope.

He manages to move the story along as a fairly brisk pace, putting the players in position and scaring the crap out of the reader more than once as we go along. But Gregory also uses each issue as a way to introduce the reader to the cast. It was something I didn’t even realize he was doing till I reread the entire storyline in one sitting. In that way, the Dream Eater Saga is the perfect introduction to Zenescope’s Grimm Universe. Give someone this book and they’ll have all they need to jump right into the rest of the titles in the line.

The art side of the book is handled by a who’s who of Zenescope artists, none of
whom will be strangers to regular readers. Some of the highlights are the prelude with art by Anthony Spay and the Neverland chapter with art done by Marco Cosentino.

Regardless, all the artists do a great job of visualizing the story and creeping out the reader (just wait till you see what happens in chapter one. Talk about freaky).

The Dream Eater Saga is modern horror comics at its best. After you finish reading it leaves you with a slight uneasy feeling in the pit of your stomach and an urge to check under the bed. Leave your lights on and enjoy.

Zenescope was nice enough to provide us with a copy of The Dream Eater Saga Volume 1 to give away to one lucky Geekadelphia reader! Just leave a comment about which Zenescope title is you favorite.

We’ll pick a random winner at the end of next week. Please make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment and books can only be sent to addresses in the United States and Canada.

Witchblade #151
By Tim Seeley and Diego Bernard

Last month saw the end of an era as Ron Marz ended his 70 plus issue run on Top
Cow’s flagship book Witchblade. Now the title enters a new era in a new, post Artifacts universe with a new creative team in Seeley and Bernard. That’s a whole lot of new for such a long running comic. What’s the end result? Let’s find out, shall we?

Since Artifacts has yet to wrap up, there is a nice little 5 page opening sequence written by Marz that sets up the new status quo for Witchblade and the Top Cow universe. Sara Pezzini has moved to Chicago, left the police force and become a private investigator.

Seeley writes the book with a strong noir vibe that works surprisingly well. You wouldn’t think of a character like Witchblade in that context normally, but here it makes for a unique take of the character. The art by Bernard is just stunning on every level. Former artist Stjepan Sejic is a really hard act to follow, but Bernard does himself and the Witchblade justice.

With this many changes, Witchblade is a book that could have easily jumped the shark. Thankfully it looks like the title is in more than capable hands for the foreseeable future.

Consider me hooked.

Batman – The Dark Knight #4
By David Finch and Paul Jenkins

When Batman – The Dark Knight was originally announced, it seemed like nothing more than a vanity project for Finch. Did we really need another Batman title with an untested writer? After numerous delays (and less than thrilling stories), when the book was relaunced as part of the New 52, Jenkins was brought in as writer/co-plotter to keep the book on schedule. Has it helped at all? Well…

Jenkins and Finch continue the opening arc as Batman races against time to stop 300 chemically enhanced criminals out for his head. The first thing I have to note is that the art by Finch is top notch. The man draws a great Batman and any issues I have with the series are not due to his pencils. It more has to do with the writing. The plot is fairly generic and, other than a guest appearance by Deathstroke (I still like his old costume better) and the reveal of the main villain (which we all saw coming), not much really happens. The issue reads like filler and could have easily been condensed to a few pages.

While Batman – The Dark Knight is one of the best looking of the Batman family of titles, Jenkins and Finch are going to need to step up the writing if they don’t want to be overshadowed by books like Batman & Robin and Nightwing.

Captain America #6
By Ed Brubaker and Alan Davis

Due to some quirk of shipping, this week we get two issues of the perennially late
Captain America. While issue #5 wraps up the opening arc by Brubaker and McNiven, issue #6 features the debut of legendary artist and new penciller Alan Davis. The choice of which comic to review was easy, since I’m still a huge fan of Davis’s work on Captain Britain and Excalibur and any new art by him is always a reason to celebrate.

Issue #6 deals with the after effects of Captain America’s battle with Codename Bravo and features the return of some of my favorite members of Cap’s rouges gallery, the Serpent Squad. Brubaker does a great job launching into the new story arc while welcoming new readers and even gives us a fun Hawkeye appearance as well. But the real draw here is Davis. His art is still as exciting and animated as it was when I first saw his work in Batman & the Outsiders. I always felt it was a crime we didn’t see more of his pencils in comics and hopefully this is the beginning of a nice long run on Captain America for Davis.

While the first arc didn’t really live up to the hype it had around it, with the addition of Davis to the creative team, Captain America looks to be a title on the upswing. At the very least it will look great if nothing else.

I caused the end of an established franchise, but I wasn’t that bad guys!

Alright, let me start this off by saying these aren’t the best games of 2011. In fact, they are far from it. When I think about the best games of the year, titles like Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Gears of War 3, Fallout: New Vegas, L.A. Noire, Dead Space 2, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Assassin’s Creed: Revelations, etc.

The games I’m about to ramble about? These are the best, tragically underplayed games. The titles you ignored because they got poor reviews or were released in the wake of large blockbuster titles (some in the midst of several). Games that had immediate price drops on Amazon and made you suspicious of their quality. Games that I actually enjoyed.

So read on, and feel free to hate. And if I missed a game you think should be included, leave it in the comments. I’m always looking for new games to play. Especially underrated ones.

Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine – Like I said in my review of this title back in September, Space Marine was the biggest gaming surprise of the Summer, end of story. And now that 2011 is coming to a close, I can say that it was the surprise of the year, at least for me. When THQ asked me if I wanted a review copy of this game, I scooped it up with intentions of just writing up a quick giveaway with some brief impressions (sorry guys!). I really didn’t think I’d end up playing it all the way through, as I assumed it was going to be… well, bad.

Man, was I surprised.

An intense third person shooter, Space Marine delivered a surprisingly engaging narrative (despite me not understanding much of the Warhammer lore), beautiful, albeit very dark and dreary landscapes, and voice acting that was shockingly decent. I poured a lot of time into the title, and tried to nab every achievement I could. The multiplayer was a little meh, but the single player campaign was engrossing enough to forgive that fact. And if you’re like me and seldom bother with multiplayer, it’s a moot point anyway.

Released around the same time as Gears of War 3, a title that Space Marine’s gameplay borrows heavily from, I had no doubt that this game would get lost in the shuffle. According to Joytiq, the title sold over a million copies, but I’ve yet to meet anyone in Philly who played it. You can score this title for around $30 – $40 these days, and it is worth every penny.

El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron – My pals over on Joystiq hyped the hell out of this title, and with good cause. Beautifully unique graphics, amazing gameplay, a powerful story. After all the hype, I had to buy it. In El Shaddai, we meet Enoch, a man who has to beat up a bunch of rebellious angels who have been influencing mankind to do wicked things. Simple enough premise, right? Right.

Now, normally I’m not a big fan of the hack and slash genre. Button mashing just isn’t my thing. While Space Marine certainly had some mashing elements, there was a lot of shooting mixed into the gameplay. So how does a game like this stand above titles like Darksiders, God of War, and other semi-mindless button mash games? The gorgeous GORGEOUS visuals.

You’ve never really seen a game like this. Just Google image search for screengrabs, and prepare to be awed. Bright colors, impressionist backgrounds… the visuals are stunning.

These days, you can score El Shaddai for $20 on Amazon, for both the PS3 and 360. Great buy, beautiful game.

Red Faction: Armageddon – This game got a lot of hate. A lot of unnecessary hate. Red Faction: Guerrilla had an amazing, open ended world that let you explore (and consequently destroy) just about everything.

Armageddon got rid of this, delivering a far more linear experience. For some odd reason, this change seemed to infuriate the hell out of the gaming community, despite the fact that the title had some really awesome weapons (magnet gun!), an interesting (though a bit convoluted) story, solid voice acting, and great graphics.

I’ve always been a huge fan of the Red Faction universe, so perhaps I was a bit biased going into this title. I even took the day off work to spend the whole day playing it. Breaks my heart to hear THQ is done with the franchise. You can score the final chapter in Red Faction for under $20 as of this posting (it’s $16 now). Totally worth it.

Transformers Dark of the Moon – You know what. You shouldn’t have played this game when it came out. As much fun as this title was, it was a criminally short game for a full $60 (I reviewed this title back in the Summer and said the same thing).

However, the gameplay is exactly like the smash War for Cybertron, which was an absolutely amazing breath of life into the Transformers series in video games. Gears of War-esque gameplay with robots? Sold.

Right now, the game is still priced about $35 or so. It’s worth paying if you’re a huge fan of the Transformers series, like Geekadelphia co-founder Tim Quirino and I are. But if you’re only slightly into those robots in disguise… wait til it hits $20.

Child of Eden: (@CollinFlatt) Child of Eden is the greatest videogame of 2011 that no one played. In fact, Child of Eden might be one of the greatest games ever made, period. Ultimately, the concept of gaming is to immerse the player into an environment that is interactive and engaging enough to leave the rest of the world behind. Child of Eden delivers on both of these concepts better than anything I’ve played before.

In it’s simplest form, COE is an on-rails shooter from the brilliant mind of Tetsuya Mizuguchi (Rez, Lumines), featuring gorgeous visuals and an incredible soundtrack. The story is geeky-silly: In the future, scientists are trying to save Project Lumi, the first human created in space, from a virus attack in an Artifical Intelligence environment.

What sets COE apart from everything else is the level of interactivity the game offers via the Kinect camera system for Xbox 360 (there is a Playstation Move version, but it’s much more cumbersome). Your right hand controls the aiming recticle for a lock on weapon to destroy enemies, while the left controls a more machine gun-like weapon to defend against projectile attacks. Both weapons are fired by thrusting your hand forward.

The anthemic music builds as you rack up points and combos, which combined with the ethereal visuals and interactivity with your extremeties creates the feeling that you’re conducting a futuristic orchestra all while saving humanity. When the Kinect promised Minority Report-like interactivity, I was skeptical to say the least. COE has proved me wrong, and shows that in the right hands, the Kinect has a very bright future. COE is definitely the most underrated game of 2011.

Avengers: X-Sanction #1 (of 4)
By Jeph Loeb and Ed McGuinness

When I first heard that Jeph Loeb would be bringing Cable, one of my favorite characters, back to the land of the living, I cringed inside. The man has been responsible for some awful comics over the last few years and I had no desire to read anything by him anytime soon.

Then the news broke that Avengers: X-Sanction would be the lead-in to the huge Avengers vs. X-Men event next year. Now I had to read it, didn’t I?

In the first issue, we learn that Cable somehow survived what happened to him in the Second Coming crossover and has learned that the Avengers will be responsible for hurting his adoptive daughter, Hope. In order to protect her, he decides to take the Avengers out one by one. And that is one of the problems here. Unless you’re familiar with Cable and what has been going on in X-Men, you are probably going to be really confused. If you are an X-Men reader, however, it’s not that bad of a comic. McGuinness does a stellar job on the art and Loeb does his best to make the book as new reader friendly as possible.

All in all, this book was not nearly as bad as I was expecting (and I wasn’t expecting much). I would trade wait on this one personally, but you can decide for yourself if Avengers: X-Sanction is worth your $4 for the next four months.

The Storyteller: Volume 1
By Various

It seems we are in the midst of a Jim Henson renascence lately. Not only are The Muppets back on the big screen, but Archaia keeps rolling out new stories starring some of Henson’s lesser know, but just as loved, creations. This time, it’s the return of The Stoyteller, last seen in the short lived television series of the same name from 1988.

The graphic volume version follows the same anthology style as the recent Fraggle Rock series as we experience tales from a range of countries told by a variety of creative teams. Just a few of the highlights (and there are many) are “Old Fire Dragaman” by Jeff Parker and Tom Fowler, the gorgeous retelling of “Puss in Boots” by Marjorie Liu and Jennifer Meyer and “The Witch Baby”, an unproduced teleplay from the television series by Nate Cosby and Ronan Cliquet. Plus Archaia does its usual incredible job on the design of the book itself, making for a worthy and fetching addition to your collection.

The Storyteller volume 1 is a great read that you will want to share with others, young or old. I’m so glad Archaia is not letting some of Jim Henson’s most original creations be forgotten and I’m already looking forward to volume 2.

The Ray #1 (of 4)
By Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti and Jamal Igle

One of the great things about DC Comics New 52 is that so many characters are getting a new chance to shine. The Ray is the latest B-list character to make a return to the spotlight and in the tradition of Caption Atom and Firestorm; this is an all-new Ray for an all-new DC Universe.

Gray and Palmiotti pack a lot into this first issue, maybe a bit too much. In it we meet Lucien Gates, the new Ray, learn all about his origin, his friends and family, get a sneak peek and the new bad guy and see The Ray fight gigantic telepathic jellyfish. It’s a lot to take in. Thankfully Gray and Palmiotti do a great job making things easy to follow and fun at the same time. But the real highlight here is the art by Igle. He was good while he was drawing Supergirl, but he is way better here. Each panel is just filled with detail, his storytelling skills are spot on and his pencils are just plain gorgeous to look at.

The Ray looks to be another quality book from the New 52. If the rest of the miniseries is this good, it could join The Huntress as another title I want to see go monthly. Who knew DC could produce so many great comics?

Even though Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol is the fourth installment in the franchise, it may very well be the best film to come out of the series since it debuted back in 1996. Brad Bird, who is better known as a mainstay at PIXAR and the director of The Incredibles, gives us a refreshing and humorous sequel that really shows what a property such as this can be in the right hands.

I checked out the film in Philly’s own Tuttleman IMAX at The Franklin Institute.  Not only do I feel this is this the optimum experience for seeing the film, due to quite a few action set pieces shot in the IMAX format, but it is also the only theater in our area lucky enough to be screening The Dark Knight Rises Prologue… which is well worth the price of admission alone.

The film stars Tom Cruise once again as IMF agent Ethan Hunt, this time out to save the world from a nuclear holocaust after he is framed for blowing up the Kremlin. He does this with the help of Jeremy Renner, Paula Patton and the always-hilarious Simon Pegg. If the main baddie happens to look familiar to some of you, it’s probably because he is played by Michael Nyqvist, who also played Mikael Blomkvist in the Swedish film adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Simon Pegg steals the show and gives the film some severe geek cred while Tom Cruise is well… Tom Cruise.  Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol succeeds by being well aware of what it is, and not taking itself too seriously. The film is often times almost a parody of itself, which makes some of the insanity just a little easier to swallow at times. I really enjoyed this film much more than the last 2 films before it.

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol gets a 3.75 our of 5 stars.