Your Pre-NYCC Pull List

It’s Wednesday again! But not just any ordinary Wednesday. For those of us on the east coast, today marks the calm before the storm that is New York Comic-Con! Speaking of which, be sure to swing by Booth #2010 and visit me and my SIUniverse buddies at the Epic Proportions mega-booth. We’ll have signings by Greg Pak, Bernard Chang, Cliff Chiang, Larry Hama and Walt Simonson all weekend.

Now that that’s out of the way, keep reading to see what are some books that I think folks will be buzzing about on the con floor. And find a comic shop near you, so you don’t miss out on the conversation.

DC COMICS

1291729_ful — Writers: Dustin Nguyen (also the artist), Derek Fridolfs

Batman: L’il Gotham #7 Sure, DC wants everyone talking about their Superman/Wonder Woman book — which also comes out today — but I’d rather focus on Dustin Nguyen’s all-ages take on the Bat family. As a NOC parent with a daughter who loves superhero comics, L’il Gotham has definitely filled the void left behind when Alt Baltazar and Franco’s Tiny Titans and Superman Family Adventures went away. (Sure, the Baltazar/Franco team has since gone on to work their magic on the Hellboy universe, but, sadly, it just ain’t the same). Fortunately, DC’s New 52 status quo hasn’t abandoned all ages comics entirely. Which is why I’m thankful for a comic like L’il Gotham. And what’s not to love about this month’s issue? You have the Bat family in Japan fighting Kaiju in a giant Bat mecha. Forget Pacific Rim, L’il Gotham is where it’s at!

MARVEL COMICS

1227060_ful — Writer: Warren Ellis • Artist: Terry Dodson

X-Men: Storm TPB Marvel has gone back in the vault to re-release this Storm miniseries from 1996 by Warren Ellis and Terry Dodson in collected form. Storm has been getting a lot of press lately as the leader of Brian Wood and Oliver Copiel’s all-female X-Men book. While the story isn’t the most memorable X-story from the 90s era — the plot revolves around Storm dealing with the fall out of her battle with the Morlocks and being transported to an alternate reality — the book is significant in that Ellis’ Storm mini was the first to feature Ororo Munroe in the lead. Looking back, it’s hard to believe that it took that long for Storm to be front and center in her own book. By ’96, it was clear that Storm was one of the breakout stars of the Claremont era (not to mention her prominent role on the animated series). Plus, this book came out a good four years prior to Halle Berry ruining the character in the first Bryan Singer X-Men film. Now that Storm is once again leading an X-book, I guess it makes sense to bring this one back.

OTHER PUBLISHERS

Molly Danger Book One HC Last year, former Supergirl artist Jamal Igle successfully funded via Kickstarter his dream project of a four-book, European-style graphic album series. The fruits of that labor are finally available in this oversized hardcover collecting the adventures of Molly, the world’s most powerful 10-year old who has been protecting the citizens of Coopersville for the last 20 years. Igle has said he was dismayed by the darkness that is so prevalent in the modern comic book industry and wanted a book that returned to the sense of wonder and fun that is often missing today. More than that, he wanted to create a female hero that wasn’t sexualized or subservient. One young girls — including his own daughter — could read about and look up to.

1276342_ful — Writer: Robert Kirkman • Artists: Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn

The Walking Dead #115 Just in time for the return of television’s The Walking Dead on AMC, as well as the comic series’ 10-year anniversary, Kirkman and company have laid the groundwork for what they’re calling “the biggest storyline in Walking Dead history.” The first chapter of the 12-part “All Out War” storyline will feature 12 different covers and is being released in conjunction with a special 10-year anniversary edition of The Walking Dead #1. So why issue #1 all over again? Well, you know how AMC likes to get folks to rewatch early seasons in black & white to mimic the comic experience? Well, Image is flipping the script this time and is coloring issue #1 (to be more like the TV show, I guess). Not sure if there are plans to go back and color the whole series though. In the meantime, celebrate 10 years of zombie goodness by reading a storyline that will play out on TV in about six or seven years.

P.S. — speaking of The Walking Dead, The Nerds of Color will have a special announcement on Friday about how we’ll be commemorating the show’s return and the anniversary of the book. So stay tuned!

FYI: The “New Comics” header image was taken from the cover of the old New Adventure Comics series, a predecessor to what is now known as DC Comics.