#TGINCBD 7/30/14

#TGINCBD everyone!

I’d like you guys to start posting what books you are looking forward to for this feature.

You already know what books I’m getting with my posts, so I’d like this to be an interactive post.

Reply with a picture of the cover to the book you’re most looking forward to!

What books are you looking forward to?

Most Anticipated #NCBD Releases 7/30/14

Without further ado, here are the Top 5 (+1) books I’m looking forward to this week!

Wildcard: The Wake #10

Before you get up in arms about this fantastic title, this is only a "wildcard" because I haven't read any of the 2nd half of this book.  I plan on binge reading it this weekend, hence the "wildcard" tag. Don't worry Chris and Ben, I expect this book to be fantastic :)

5: Black Science #7

It's been awhile! Can't wait to sink my teeth back in to this one! As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder!

4: New Avengers #21

The Great Society storyline has been, well, GREAT, and I'm looking forward to the next installment.  Hickman's story telling on this title is superb, and Schiti's art is fantastic!

3: Uncanny Avengers #22

It was tough to choose only 5 (+1) books this week, since EVERY Avengers title releases this week, but I was able to narrow it down to New and Uncanny because of the superb story telling. As you also notice, I'm sure, it's Remender's 2nd spot on the list, too!

2: Hawkeye #19

Hawkeye is back, Hawkeye is back!!! It's the sign language issue, too, so it's sure to be fantastic!

1: Justice League #32

Johns delivered on his promise of lasting ramifications to the DCU after Forever Evil, and Justice League has been on point since!  Take the "Luthor League" add the Doom Patrol and mix in some great character development and you have yourself a #1 book (IMO anyway)

Did you notice that "Murderers' Row" of of writers? Snyder, Remender, Hickman, Fraction, and Johns? I guess I like quality ;) 

What books are YOU looking forward to this week?

#NCBD On My Radar 7/30/14

Tomorrow is NCBD once again, and here’s what’s “On My Radar!”

Wildcard:Low #1

Remender is a beast when it comes to creator-owned titles, and Low looks like it will continue his streak!  

5: Iron Man Special #1

Iron Man has been missing from the shelves for awhile, and this special will scratch that itch, plus it is the continuation of the story started in Uncanny X-Men Special earlier this year, so it will be good to see where that story goes.

4: 100th Anniversary: Guardians of the Galaxy #1

These specials have been hit-or-miss, but with their movie set to debut, and Andy Lanning returning to help pen this adventure, I'm expecting this one to be more hit than miss!

3: Armor Hunters: Harbinger #1

Gotta show my Valiant love, and bringing Harbinger, which is arguably their strongest title, into the epic Armor Hunters storyline, has me excited! Shout-out to Charles for his continuing Valiant support and trying to convert some younger readers on to a great universe!

2: Red Lanterns Annual #1

That cover says it all...Atrocitus vs Gardner!  Soule has been on point with Red Lanterns, and his story is coming to a head here! Do yourselves a favor and check out this great (and greatly underrated) title!

1: Bodies #1

Once this book was announced, it caught my eye!  The premise sounds great, and since I've been exposed to Tula Lotay's work recently on Supreme: Blue Rose, I'm even MORE excited for this book!  My tweeps have helped me broaden my horizons over the last year or so, and me from 2011 wouldn't have even read the article that announced this book, but me from 2014 is excited!  I've come a long way, friends...a long way indeed!

Did I miss something that is launching this week that YOU are looking forward to?

The Best Comics I've EVER Read (This Week) for #NCBD 7/23/14

Here’s my Top 5 (+1) books that I read for the week of 7/23/14

Honorable Mention: Supreme: Blue Rose #1

A cool, trippy first issue that made me want more, but too much set-up to crack the Top 5.  Art was STUNNING, and I like where they're headed though!

5: Daredevil #6

I have NO idea where this is heading (well, Wakanda, of course, but, you know what I meant) but this Original Sin tie-in looks like it will have lasting ramifications on Matt Murdock's life, and the life of his estranged mother.

4: Wonder Woman #33

Gonna miss Azzarello and Chiang when they leave, but I'm savoring every issue they have left!  Diana is captured, the Amazons are surrounded, and WTF just happened with Zola?!? Gonna be an epic ending to their amazing 3 year run coming up, for sure!

3: Batman & Robin #33

Robin Rises is just beginning, but it has already struck a chord in me. Maybe it's because I'm a father, that's why it resonates so much with me, but besides that, Tomasi and Gleason are putting on a clinic for storytelling in this book!  Do yourself a favor and pick this book up, if you don't already, you won't regret it!

2: Batman #33

Few things in life live up to expectations, but the finale of the year-long story, "Zero Year" not only met my expectations, but surpassed them!  Snyder and Capullo will go down in history as one of the BEST creative teams to have ever worked on the Caped Crusader, and "Zero Year" will solidify that!

1: Afterlife With Archie #6

Very few titles could knock Batman from the top spot, and Afterlife with Archie is one of those books!  This was more an interlude issue, showing what has been going on with Sabrina since she was cast into the Nether Realm.  Francavilla's art is spectacular, as usual, and getting to see his rendition of Cthulhu was EPIC!  I have NO idea why anyone would be skipping this book, but the TPB just came out recently and shot to #1 immediately!

Well, what books did you enjoy this last week?

Most Anticipated #NCBD Releases 7/23/2014

I've decided that I won't put #1s on this list anymore, since that's what On My Radar is for, so without further ado, here are the Top 5 (+1) books I’m looking forward to this week!

It's Batman Day, so expect lots of Batman! Here's some of the Honorable Mentions for today's Batman Day edition of Most Anticipated NCBD Releases:

Batman '66 #13

Batman Beyond Universe #12

And the free-giveaway Special Edition Detective Comics #27

Now, back to our regularly scheduled post:

(+1): Batman Eternal #16

Hey, I told you to expect lots of Batman on my list today ;)  Anyway, Eternal has been a solid book every issue, which is tough for a weekly comic to do, but the Bat-Trust have accomplished it! Looking forward to reading this one today.

5: Daredevil #6

Probably Marvel's most consistently good solo title, converging into the Original Sin storyline, looks to be a pretty good issue!

4: Superman #33

Normally, this book would be sitting atop the list, but with the other books coming out today, it slipped a little. Doesn't mean I'm not stoked for Johns & JRJr's 2nd issue, just means that the next books I'm looking forward to more :)

3: Afterlife with Archie #6

The most AWESOME Archie title that I've ever read, and Francavilla's art makes this a MUST-READ!  This starts the next arc, and from what I've read of people's reactions that have already read this issue, it looks like we're in for a real treat!

2: Batman & Robin #33

Robin Rises: Omega kicked this storyline off, and I can't wait to get my hands on this issue! Just look at that cover! Batman is a man on a mission, and not even the Justice League can stop him on his quest to revive his son!  

1: Batman #33

The final issue of "Zero Year" and I am ECSTATIC! Zero Year has been one of the best Batman storylines ever, in my opinion, and Snyder & Capullo have solidified their names as some of the all-time greats to work on Batman!

Happy Batman Day everyone! 

#NCBD On My Radar 7/23/2014

Tomorrow is NCBD once again, and here's what’s “On My Radar!”

Wildcard: Groo vs Conan #1

On shear "wackiness factor" alone, this one is worthy of being on my radar. This is the oddest pairing since The Punisher and Archie, so I might have to get it just to see what goes down!

5: Storm #1

I normally don't give the X-Men solo titles much of a shot, but with the previews that I've seen, and Grag Pak writing it, I'm definitely intrigued by it.  Probably give this one a shot.

4: Armor Hunters: Bloodshot #1

Valiant knows how to put on an event, and Armor Hunters has been spectacular!  Now, they're adding Bloodshot into the mix, so for me, it's a must buy!

3: Transformers vs G.I. Joe #1

Seriously, this is my childhood, right here! I haven't really been keeping up with the TF or Joe since they moved over to IDW, but this cross-over has truly piqued my interest!  I think it's the retro-style art talking to me, but I MUST have this!

2: Doctor Who #1 (Tenth and Eleventh Doctor)

I kinda cheated here (it's my blog, so I can do what I want), but both of these titles are a MUST for me! I never really read the IDW Who books, but something about this relaunch has me excited! I think it's those beautiful covers AND the fact that each Doctor gets their own series.  Can't wait for these 2 books!

1: Supreme: Blue Rose #1

A mixture of the familiar with the unknown has this book firmly placed in my cross-hairs!  Warren Ellis' writing, with Tula Lotay's beautiful artwork, on one of my favorite characters (Supreme) seems like a winning combination to me!  I've wanted this book since they announced it, and it will be the first book I read tomorrow, for sure!

What new launches, new creative teams are on your radar for tomorrow?

The Best Comics I've EVER Read (This Week) for #NCBD 7/16/2014

Well, another week has come and gone, and here's my Top 5 (+1) books that I read for the week of 7/16/14.

Honorable Mention: Teen Titans #1

Beautiful artwork, great line-up, and an interesting first adventure.  If the quality stays high, this book could easily be in the top 3 in the future!

5: Ms. Marvel #6

Even without Alphona on art, this book still looks beautiful!  I love what Wilson is doing with this character! She's made Kamala Kahn one of my favorite new Marvel characters, and Kamala's interaction with Wolverine this issue was golden!  The world needs more books like this one.

4: Original Sin #6

The plot thickens! Original Sin has been one of the best events in awhile from Marvel.  I like how they've set up Fury as the lone defender of Earth, but what will happen next? That's why I'm really loving this series..intrigue, action, heroics, great art, and an awesome premise! Can't wait for issue 7!

3: Silver Surfer #4

C'mon, just look at that cover. Do I really need to elaborate on why I LOVED this issue? Allred + Rocket Raccoon + Silver Surfer = AMAZING! Plus, Slott is making Surfer a relatable character, which is an inherent flaw with the Surfer. I love that he knows our "pop culture" references now ;)

2: Black Market #1

The premise alone hooked me, but the execution was even better than I had imagined.  Barbiere is easily one of the best "up-and-coming" writers in the industry, and with stories like this, Solar, Five Ghosts, and his recent New Avengers Annual story, I don't see him going away!  I like Raymond, and I feel for him. Sick wife, deadbeat brother, dead-end job...no wonder he wants a way out!  Solid 1st issue!

1: Robin Rises: Omega #1

Tomasi has been writing some of the best Batman stories in the DCU for awhile now, and his magnum opus is almost complete!  Robin Rises: Omega is setting up the eventual return of Robin, but which one? Will Damian actually return from the dead? After reading this issue, and seeing Batman's conviction and determination, I'd say "HELL YES!"

What were your favorite books from last Wednesday?

Most Anticipated #NCBD Releases 7/16/14

It's BA-AACK! Did you miss me?  Probably not, but that's ok ;)

Here are the Top 5 (+1) books I'm looking forward to this week!

Wildcard: Black Market #1

I mentioned this one yesterday, so I won't go into depth other than it looks AWESOME! Gotta pick this one up!

5: Ms. Marvel #6

This book is pure gold!  Not familiar with Wyatt's work, but as long as the writing is top-notch, I'm sure it'll still be great! This should be on everyone's pull-list!

4: Harbinger #25

This book has been amazing from the get-go, and this anniversary issue looks to shake things up once again.  Plus, you gotta love this retro-variant!

3: Silver Surfer #4

Oh, why can't this book come out more often? It's ok, I'll wait for that beautiful Allred art!  Plus, the Guardians of the Galaxy appear, getting ready for what looks to be their blockbuster film debut!

2: Manifest Destiny #8

Hand's down, my favorite Image book.  I know, I say that for Ghosted, Deadly Class, Saga...but I REALLY mean it this time ;)  Anyway, I love seeing this book on the new releases list and can't wait to get my hands on it!

1: Robin Rises: Omega #1

Batman NEEDS a Robin, and it looks like Tomasi and Kubert are laying the groundwork for a new (old?) Robin to rise! Tomasi has had one of the best runs on Batman in recent history, and I thinks this will be one of his best!

What about Harley Quinn? Teen Titans? 100th Anniversary X-Men? Well, this isn't a science, it's more of an art form (for me, anyway).  Even though I'm really looking forward to those books, this is the reading order I'll probably use once I get my books.  That's just how my brain works, sorry ;)

Well, what books can't you wait for today?