ERIC'S "THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS"
COMICS NOW! NEWSLETTER VOL. 8 #8 - August 2006

INTRODUCTION
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Hey all! We're going to try a little bit of a format change this month (it's mild) but if things look a little wonky, don't worry because it'll all be back to normal soon enough. Otherwise, I can always give you double your money back. Oh, wait! The newsletter's free! In the case, I'll give you 1,000,000 times your money back. Man, I love basic elementary multiplication math. At any rate, enough of this jibber-jabber, let's get right on to the good stuff, shall we? There's plenty of exciting new stuff happening this month and I can't wait to get to it, so let's go for it!

IF YOU READ NOTHING ELSE
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Last month, I picked JLA #0 and thought I might end up picking JLA #1 for this month but that's not the case at all. Out of the middle of left field comes Garth Ennis' new title, The Boys, teamed up with the artist from the unbelievably groundbreaking Transmetropolitan (may it rest in peace), Darick Robertson. In this series, a government-funded agency needs to step in to stop super-powered individuals (whether good or bad) from taking their powers too far. Just awesome.

JUN060242 BOYS #1 $2.99 retail
*** 35%-OFF AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM ***

HUGE DISCOUNTS AT WWW.COMICSNOW.COM
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Aside from always offering 35% off the cover price of monthly comics with no minimum to buy, each month Comics NOW offers incredible deals on some of the newest titles out there. Just point your browser to http://www.comicsnow.com to order any of these titles below at huge discounts or any other comic at least 35% off the cover price.

Here are this month's deals:

50%-OFF COMIC DEALS:
JUN060178 CREEPER #1 $2.99
JUN060254 DEADMAN #1 $2.99
JUN060206 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1 $2.99
JUN060217 TRIALS OF SHAZAM #1 $2.99
JUN061943 AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 $2.99
JUN061945 ANNIHILATION #1 $2.99
JUN061950 CLAWS #1 $3.99
JUN061964 HEROES FOR HIRE #1 $2.99

40%-OFF TRADE PAPERBACK DEALS:
JUN060205 IDENTITY CRISIS TP $14.99
JUN060204 INFINITE CRISIS HC $24.99
JUN060169 SUPERMAN UP UP AND AWAY TP $14.99
JUN062005 MARVEL ZOMBIES HC $19.99
JUN062006 NEXTWAVE AGENTS OF HATE VOL 1 $19.99
JUN062025 SENTRY REBORN TP $21.99

THE BIZ
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X-MEN 3 RELEASED AND DOES WELL IN SPITE OF REVIEWS

The critics just don't know what they're talking about on this one. After having read several poor reviews of X3, I thought we were going to be in trouble and then it ended up being just as good or better than the previous two installments. To all you movie critics: comic superhero movies require that you know some of the characters. I'm so frustrated listening to people who know nothing of the comic bitch that the movie isn't all that; there is almost 40 years (and more) of comic history entering some of these movies and if you haven't ever read the comic, then you deserve to be left a little confused here and there. That's fine. I also understand that the movie needs to reach new audiences, too, but it's a movie based on a COMIC, dammit. If you don't get it, it's because you need to READ once in awhile. Jeez!

CITY OF HEROES MMORPG RELEASES ISSUE 7

The seriously major-popular computer game from NCSoft, City of Heroes, released Issue 7 the second week in June to rave reviews. New features include major content for 40-50 level characters as well as a huge focus on the City of Villains element of the game, plus new costume parts and tons of other new features.

BLADE THE TV SERIES STARTS JUNE 28

SpikeTV is trying hard with this one. Starting June 28 (Wednesdays) at 10PM EST/9PM CST, SpikeTV will be broadcasting an all-new series starring everyone's favorite half-vampire, half-human, African American vampire hunter. Personally, I felt that the movie series was already starting to feel like a semi-high-budget television show so maybe this won't be that bad. However, after being severely disappointed by USA's Witchblade, I don't hold high hopes for this one.

MOON KNIGHT IS AWESOME!

Alright, so this is a completely personal review, but now that two issues of Moon Knight are easily attainable, lemme tell you, this is Moon Knight the way he was and the he was meant to be. A very difficult character to take seriously (I mean, he dresses in all-white and fights at night, for cryin' out loud!), Moon Knight needed a delicate writer and an excellent premise with great art. This book nails it all. It's just an awesome read and if you haven't been following along, you're really missing out, I mean it!

TOP-10 and TOP-100
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Check out Comics NOW! Inc.'s Top-100 on IRX Productions. Download the July 2006 Top-100 PDF file (it's 8KB!).

It's Comics NOW!'s very own Top-10 and Top-100 lists. This list is based on the internal sales quantities of the titles with Premiere being the big guns who pay the extra bucks to be listed first in the ordering system: Dark Horse Comics, DC Comics, Image Comics, and Marvel Comics. The Independent list is everyone else, all those pea-shooters who no one really pays attention to... or do they?

Here's an example of how to read the format:

1. (3) The Amazing Eric Comic

"1." - the place of the title in the list this month

"(3)" - where the title was LAST month ("-" if it wasn't)

the title - this one should be pretty obvious

TOP 10 PREMIERE COMICS

1. (-) Justice League of America
2. (3) Batman
3. (1) New Avengers
4. (2) Amazing Spider-Man
5. (5) All-Star Batman & Robin
6. (6) Superman Batman
7. (7) Civil War
8. (-) All-Star Superman
9. (10) Detective Comics
10. (-) Uncanny X-Men

TOP 10 INDEPENDENT COMICS

1. (-) Transformers Stormbringer
2. (2) Transformers Evolution
3. (-) Soulfire
4. (5) Transformers Generations
5. (4) Red Sonja
6. (6) GI Joe vs. Transformers
7. (3) Fallen Angel
8. (7) GI Joe America's Elite
9. (-) GI Joe Scarlett Declassified
10. (-) Fathom

THE GOOD STUFF
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DC COMICS

BATMAN AND THE MAD MONK #1 of 6

Sometimes I just start giggling right when I read the title of a particular series or mini-series. In this mini-series, Batman fights a monk who's very mad because he heard the Nine Inch Nails' song "Heresy" and thinks that God is dead. Not really. But it could work. I mean, really. At any rate, there's a new baddie on the scene named the Mad Monk who's supposedly more terrifying and more horrifying than any of the street criminals and mobsters of Gotham. Go Batty, go!
By Matt Wagner.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $3.50 retail.

THE CREEPER #1 of 6

Everyone's favorite mustard-and-ketchup colored demon/medical mistake is back again. I know what you're saying, "WHO!?" Unfortunately, DC is betting that at least some of you remember the Creeper and actually enjoyed his mini-series from the late 1990s and early-2000s. We'll find out. At any rate, he's back again, and ready to fight crime in Gotham. Woo-hoo!
By Steve Niles, Justiniano, and Walden Wong.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1

Last month was #0 so, naturally, this month is #1. The JLA is back, byotch. So after the complete mess that was Infinite Crisis and 52 Weeks, the team has been all but completely destroyed, dissolved, and disavowed. Now, Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman are trying to put together the pieces and have to decide who they're going to re-enlist and who they're going to tell to go join the JSA. My question is: how many times can you relaunch this title? I mean, holy crap, the last run of JLA wasn't around for that long... how many volumes of this do you really need?!
By Brad Meltzer, Ed Benes, Sandra Hope, and Michael Turner.
48 pages. Ongoing series. $3.99 retail.

MARTIAN MANHUNTER #1 of 8

Martian Manhunter may be one of the most enigmatic members of the JLA, but whenever he tries to go into a solo comic (his last one was over 5 years ago), it just doesn't seem to pan out well for him (read: bad sales of the issue). But, that won't stop DC from trying and trying again, which truly is a good thing. Sometimes, you can just make a hit (like the last run of Ghost Rider that Marvel shot out). J'onn J'onzz is on a mission to discover his true past and to see if he truly is the last of his people or if there are still some out there, and, maybe, just maybe, along the way he'll turn into an ongoing series.
By A.J. Lieberman, Al Barrionuevo, and Bit.
32 pages. 8-issue maxi-series. $2.99 retail.

TRIALS OF SHAZAM #1 of 12

Ta-da! It's Captain Marvel! One of the more entertaining fights between Marvel and DC revolve around this character. The character is really named Captain Marvel but since there's Marvel Entertainment, DC wasn't allowed to call the comic by the character name, so they named the comic after the word the alter-ego shouts out to become Captain Marvel, "Shazam!" Now, that's just funny. At any rate, Captain Marvel often delves into the world of magic and all the turmoil that ensues from that which is what this 12-issue maxi-series is dedicated to; more adventures of Captain Marvel. So, if you like Captain Marvel, this comic's for you.
By Judd Winick and Howard Porter.
32 pages. 12-issue maxi-series. $2.99 retail.

THE BOYS #1 & 2

Garth Ennis (Preacher) and Darick Robertson (Transmetropolitan), gods among men, are coming together to create their first collaboration, The Boys, a comic about a government organization whose responsibility is to keep meta-humans in line, regardless of whether they are on the side of devils or angels. These two are awe-inspiring on their own, but stand a good chance of making me crap my pants with joy of the possibilities of this new comic. I can barely wait.
By Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail each.

DEADMAN #1

What might be an intriguing look into the possibilities of the after-life -- Brandon Cayce is an airline pilot who likes to party hard. One night after partying too much, he has his brother fly the plane while he takes a chill-pill. Except, his brother intentionally flies the plane into a London skyscraper, killing Brandon and everyone else aboard. In the afterlife, Brandon needs to figure out why his brother did that, 'cause, y'know, death hurts.
By Bruce Jones and John Watkiss.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail.

IMAGE COMICS

DARKNESS/WOLVERINE

Oh, yeah, baby. This is one of those comics where the title is unbelievably engaging but the premise leaves me with a bad taste in my mouth. The idea is that although Jackie Estacado and Wolverine have never met, that it doesn't mean that Wolverine hasn't ever met the Darkness. Oh, yes, the two have collided in the past before. Eeeeeeh. My biggest problem with the Darkness is too much of the rivalry in the comic stems from the fact that the Darkness power is old and ancient and has lots of enemies, blah blah blah. I'm more intrigued by the present-day conflicts. Ah, well. Maybe this won't be as bad as I think it could be.
Frank Tieri, Tyler Kirkham, and Stjepan Sejic.
32 pages. One-shot. $2.99 retail.

MARVEL COMICS

SPIDER-MAN FAMILY: AMAZING FRIENDS

No kidding! A one-shot tribute to the 25th Anniversary of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends. Who can knock it? I mean, seriously, aside from the fact that there's some hardcore nostalgia going on, Firestar is totally hot!
By Sean McKeever and Pat Olliffe.
96 pages. One-shot. $4.99 retail.

AGENTS OF ATLAS #1 of 6

In the 1950s, FBI agent Jimmy Woo threw together a team of weirdos to save President Eisenhower from a criminal mastermind (really?! This is the plot you're going with?!) At any rate, in the present era, a S.H.I.E.L.D. mission goes down in flames and needs the Agents of Atlas to save it including The Spy, The Spaceman, The Goddess, The Robot, and... really, I'm not kidding... The Gorilla.
By Jeff Parker, Leonard Kirk, and Tomm Coker.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

ANNIHILATION #1 of 6

We have Ultimate Extinction in the Ultimate Universe, House of M in the regular universe, and for the last couple of months, Marvel has been building up to Annihilation by following Silver Surfer, Super-Skrull, Ronan, and Nova all in their failed fights against the Annihilation Wave. In this mini-series, they all try to team up to stop the Wave and they may die at Annihilus' hand. Woooooo.
By Keith Giffen, Andrea Divito, and Gabriele Dell'Otto.
32 pages. 6-issue mini-series. $2.99 retail.

CLAWS #1 of 3

Wolverine and the Black Cat are kidnapped and taken to an island where a bunch of rich hunters have paid for the opportunity to catch & kill the most dangerous prey on the planet. It's the comic universe's equivalent of a buddy-cop movie.
By Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray with Joseph Michael Linsner.
32 pages. 3-issue mini-series. $3.99 retail.

HEROES FOR HIRE #1

Civil War never ends with its ongoing reach throughout the Marvel U. An all-new group forms this new Heroes For Hire including Black Cat, Shang Chi, Paladin, Misty Knight, Colleen Wing, and Tarantula, in their effort to help bring a resolution to the on-going Civil War.
By Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmiotti, and Billy Tucci.
32 pages. Ongoing series. $2.99 retail.

FINAL NOTES
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This is one of the first months in a long time where I've been incredibly excited to see what's going to happen with all the new comics coming out. It's just going to be downright awesome, I believe. I'm all about the new JLA, The Boys, Deadman and Heroes for Hire. I just hope they're all as good as I so desperately want them to be.

But, always remember, if the comics end up sucking ass, you can always pick up City of Heroes and start creating your own computer comic books by taking screenshots of a video game (have you seen this stuff? Just plain nutty).

And, as always, thank you for your business!

Eric Jacobson