Story Line: Secret Invasion
Date: June 4th 2008
Price: $3.99
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Leinil Francis Yu, Mark Morales, Laura Martin

Synopsis: Its Avenger versus Avenger.  Hero versus hero!  Norman Osborn versus Captain
Marvel??  The Initiative versus an army of Super-Skrulls?  Is Tony Stark really a- -?  And who’s that guy with an eye patch coming to save the day??  And, oh man, who did he bring with him?

Opinion: The @#!& has hit the proverbial fan in the Marvel Universe as we watch the continued attacks of the Skrull Empire upon Earth in this third installment of this summer’s Secret Invasion event.  Needless to say, things are bad.  Really bad.  In fact, the Skrulls are so convinced of their apparent victory that they offer the Director of Shield a complete and unconditional surrender.  Yeah folks, things aren’t looking good.

Read my full review after the jump.

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Hello and welcome to our weekly wrap-up! “But it’s Tuesday!” you say? Yes, but everyone knows that the week doesn’t officially start until tomorrow: New Comics Day!

I missed the boat last week, and for that I sincerely apologize. I have been having a bit of trouble lately keeping up with the speed of life! Memorial day weekend really threw me off and the schedule I had for this site - plus comics were late this week for me - I didn’t even get mine until Thursday. Oh, the horror!

Since we’re covering two weeks worth of reviews, there’s quite a bit to check out. I noticed a lot of people were going crazy over the bomb dropped about the Red Hulk - Do not click that link if you don’t want to find out Red Hulk’s secret identity! A lot of people are interested in Batman R.I.P., which is no surprise - click on Batman in the categories to find all of the posts where we’ve covered that.

I want to point out some of the changes to the sidebar to your right. We have an awesome new feature where you can plug in your zip code and get an instant list of comic shops that are closest to you. You don’t even have to leave the site! Awesome huh?

Also, the sidebar now lists the most popular posts as well as all the latest ones. It should be an awesome quick reference if you haven’t been back in a while or you’d like to check out what everyone’s been reading about.

Over the next week I hope to get back on track. As always, if you or anyone you know might be interested in writing for ComicNerd - hit me up!

Ok, let’s get started with what’s up!

Click through the jump to get the full rundown from the last week and a full review of what’s coming in the world of comics this Wednesday on June 4th!

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Storyline: Batman in the Underworld
Date: May 28, 2008
Price: $2.99 US
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea

Synopsis: Continuing “Batman R.I.P,” the epic story that will change the legend of the Dark Knight forever! As the life of Bruce Wayne takes an interesting turn with Jezebel Jet, the life of Batman falls into the ultimate downward spiral.

Opinion: Ah, now this book was much, much better. It starts with a bang as Batman is looking for answers, visibly at the end of his rope with the games being played at his expense. Commissioner Gordan makes a small allusion to the fact that Batman might be a bit paranoid, which adds to the them of questioning Bruce Wayne’s sanity in this issue.

We get more of a peek into the mastermind behind this whole affair, and it does help to outline a bit of what’s going on. What’s even more interesting is the conversation Gordan has with an editor about running some smear information about the Wayne family. This little bit is a WOW moment for sure, revealing some possibilities that if were brought to light would definitely make for a weird public perception; regardless of if they’re true or not.

Overall this was a much better issue than the last one, and I definitely didn’t feel as lost.

Read the rest of my review after the jump.

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Storyline: Final Crisis part 1 (of 7)
Date: May 28, 2008
Price: $3.99 US
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist: J.G. Jones

Synopsis: Witness the historic start of the final chapter in the Crisis trilogy that could only spring from the mind of Grant Morrison — Final Crisis, featuring stunning art by J.G. Jones (52 Covers)! Worlds will live and heroes will die in this epic tale spanning the beginning and end of the DC Universe!

The entire Multiverse is threatened as the mysterious Libra assembles an army of the DCU’s most terrifying super villains. But what is the ultimate plan, and who will live to find out?

Opinion: A lot people have been looking forward to DC’s summer event, Final Crisis, and what it entails.  Broad changes are set to sweep across the entire DC universe after Grant Morrison’s run, and the best I can personally hope for as an estranged DC reader is to be able to keep up.

You may have remembered I was furious with Batman #676 from Morrison last month, I felt the setup was clumsy and incomprehensible.  I was very worried this summer’s event would start off the same way, discouraging me from coming along with the ride.  I’m happy to report this isn’t quite the case.

Read my full review after the jump.

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Storyline: The House of Hurt
Date: May 14, 2008
Price: $2.99 US
Writer: Grant Morrison
Artists: Tony Daniel and Sandu Florea

Synopsis: Beginning the epic story that will change the legend of the Dark Knight forever! Everything in Grant Morrison’s groundbreaking run on Batman has been leading to this story, and nothing will ever be the same again.

Who will live? Who will die? Who will be Batman? The answers are sure to shock you in “Batman R.I.P.,”

Opinion: Ok, let me get this out of my system right now, it’s probably a cheap shot, but it’s the truth. Batman R.I.P. has proven to be a ripoff. Yes, it’s the beginning of the arch and yes I am not as knowledgeable as I’d like to be about the DC Universe - but if you keep reading you will see that these very things reinforce my point.

Now, before you keep reading there is something you need to understand about your writer. I spend a lot of money on comic books. I am a Marvel fan through and through, but I have tried to get into DC, investing both time and money.. lots of money into trying to jump into a universe I have only a slight understanding of. DC has not made this easy in any attempt I have made to gain access to this universe. You would think I would be an ideal customer, and they would actually want to get people like me involved in their stories.

So please, take the following and digest with that knowledge in hand, as it’s about to get real ugly.

Click through the jump to read my full review.

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Storyline: Secret Invasion
Date: May 7, 2008
Price: $3.99 US
Writer: Brian Michael Bendis
Artists: Leinil Francis Yu, Mike Morales, Laura Martin

Synopsis: The Invasion is here!! The Marvel Universe is in shambles. The Skrull Empire’s plan has birthed itself into perfection. It is hero versus hero!! Resurrections and reunions!! Is Tony Stark a Skrull? And is that actually Captain America leading the heroes into a new era?? EXPECT CHANGE!!

Opinion: Well, to put it lightly, the #!@& has hit the fan!!! We see heroes old and new squaring off, but that is not news to anyone, you just knew after the end of Secret Invasion #1 that there was bound to be a smackdown. What we didn’t expect was the return of a sexy bird thought long dead at the hands of Mephisto and Hawkeye wraps his hands around the familiar to save her! The part featuring Tony Stark going to work seemed a bit cheesy, especially since it brought up memories from the recent Iron Man flick. I also want to point out the page where the old vs. new hero smackdown gets interrupted - I don’t want to spoil anything… but not ONE bubble? Absolutely no one, Skrull or otherwise was surprised by that interruption!?

Click through the jump to read my full review of Secret Invasion #2, including the weird things that were said and done and wtf is going on with Luke Cage!

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On May 28th, the final arch in a two-decade trilogy is set to begin with Final Crisis #1.   Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and what could be the Flash will go toe to toe with the biggest crisis ever to hit the DCU as the nefarious Libra amasses an army of villains to exploit the negative downturns the DCU heroes have experienced in the last couple of years.

Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman) and J.G. Jones (52) are set to revolutionize the universe with their Final Crisis, but to some this is just another event.  Do you think this is going to be the big deal that DC keeps saying it is?  Is it really going to be the end of a trilogy, where everything gets wrapped up from a story started 20 years ago?

Either way, we have an exclusive look at 5 pages from Final Crisis #1: DOA: The God of War, plus a sketch layout of the evolution of Darkseid by J.G. Jones right here:

Click through the jump to see pages 3,4 and 5 of this Final Crisis #1 preview!

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My real life job is in the marketing industry, so this particular information appeals to me on a professional level. Recently I came across an interview with Joe Quesada done by Jim McLauchlin from the Hero Initiative. There were several notable pieces of comic news, but the one highlight for me was the information Quesada dropped regarding the mixed media marketing for their big event this summer, Secret Invasion.

Marvel started a Myspace page and a video blog for Kinsey Walden, a character they have in their Secret Invasion web-exclusive comic, Secret Invasion: Home Invasion. The videos and the online comic feature a young teenager outlining and documenting her fears regarding her brother acting strangely, and continuing on Marvel.com with one new comic page by writer Ivan Brandon and artist Nick Postic every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

This is very interesting, and intelligent, because it allows Marvel to capitalize on the viral aspect of the internet and simultaneously garner even further attention from the news. While there are a lot of editorial decisions made by Quesada that many question, this move into the new forms of marketing available and embracing the scope of the internet is very impressive. Quesada has been doing an excellent job of helping comics to move into and become a mainstay in the mainstream.

After the jump ComicNerd has an excerpt from the Jim McLauchlin interview, with all of the juicy details related to Kinsey Walden and some props from Quesada to Marvel fans everywhere.

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