Freak Comics

Wolverine is on a mission of vengeance after the tragedy in Stamford, CT that occurs in Civil War #1, but he isn’t the only one on the trail of the person responsible. In Wolverine #42, a mysterious trio is also hunting the culprit, but will they aid Logan or just get in his way?

When Logan learns the identities of the three hunters, even he becomes unsettled. Just wait until Logan finds out who they answer to.

Marc Guggenheim, veteran television writer of such shows as The Practice, Law and Order, and most recently CSI, takes over as writer in Wolverine #42 for the first part of “Vendetta,” a Civil War tie-in. Guggenheim is joined by the frenetic pencils of Humberto Ramos as Wolverine is on the murderer’s trail.

Guggenheim and Ramos. Civil War tie-in. Wolverine on the hunt. How can you not pick up Wolverine #42?

Civil War #1 is less than one week away. You will need to decide: whose side are you on? Are you ready? The opening shot is being fired! Marvel wants to make sure you have all of the facts and have been exposed to all of the events leading up to this monumental event. Check out this video prequel that catches everyone up on the events of the last two years. Events that have haunted the heroes. Events that have turned the tide of public opinion. Events that have rocked the Marvel Universe to its core, leaving it vulnerable… to war!

Watch the Civil War video prequel

The man who has taken CAPTAIN AMERICA and made the classic super-soldier title into one of the must-read books of recent times has recently accepted an exclusive contract with industry leader Marvel Comics. Though excited over the deal, Ed Brubaker is even more excited about the future.

“I’m incredibly proud of the work that Steve Epting and I have done so far on CAPTAIN AMERICA,” says Brubaker. “And glad to see retailers and readers responding to our controversial Winter Soldier storyline with strong and steady sales that continue to tick up month after month. Cap was my first favorite comic as a kid, and to just be handed it so freely by Joe and Dan, and encouraged to really shake things up at the same time, is one of the highlights of my entire mainstream career.”

“And there’s only more excitement to come because the great stuff that Mark Millar and Brian Bendis (in New Avengers) are doing with Cap during Civil War is just opening doors of possibility for Cap’s future, and I’m really looking forward to that.”

Tom Brevoort, Marvel editor and guiding hand on Brubaker’s CAPTAIN AMERICA, gets right down to it when reflecting on the writer’s work and his new contract with the House of Ideas. “Ed brought back Bucky, and made the story not suck. That’s a guy worth keeping around.”

Marvel Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada is even more succinct in his praise. “I just love the guy. Love. Him. Not enough to marry him or anything but there’s still a healthy deal of love there.”

The love is shared it seems, according to Brubaker while reflecting on Marvel’s belief in him. “I couldn’t be happier. As much as I enjoyed my time at DC, and as much as I miss the guys at Wildstorm, I was always more of a Marvel fan growing up, and arriving at Marvel, getting to write Cap, DD, and now the Uncanny X-Men, it just feels like a perfect fit. And with this new contract, it’s like Marvel is showing its confidence in me, and making me an important part of their future plans for a long time to come.”

“Plus, there’s an unprecedented opportunity for new projects that I’m sure will be announced very soon.”
What Marvel concepts and characters would the writer most like to work with? “Really, the ones I’m already working on are my favorites,” says Brubaker. “It doesn’t get much better than that, but there are a few others out there I hope to get to work on, but I’ll leave them unnamed, because I don’t want to jinx anything.”

But Marvel readers can rest assured there are dynamic stories on the immediate Brubaker horizon. “Just getting the first batches of pages from Billy Tan’s first issue of UNCANNY X-MEN really blew me away. I think anyone who read X-MEN: DEADLY GENESIS and thought they’d seen what my X-Men would be is in for a real surprise, and anyone who thinks they’ve seen the best work from Billy Tan is in for an even bigger one. I truly believe this guy is the next big thing.”

The successful Marvel Adventures line is expanding and now you’ll get to read the tales of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in all-ages stories every month. Marvel Adventures The Avengers features fan-favorites Spider-Man, Hulk, Wolverine, Captain America, Iron Man, and each issue is an all-new story guaranteed to be overflowing with action.

In Marvel Adventures The Avengers #1, the powers-that-be don’t want to rely on the Avengers to always save the day so they put into place a computerized defense system to take care of any super-powered threats. Unfortunately, the name of the computer system is Ultron.

Can even the greatest team of heroes ever assembled defeat one of their greatest enemies ever, the mechanical monster Ultron? Two words: Avengers Assembled!

Steve Epting returns to penciling duties to join writer Ed Brubaker for the start of an action-packed thriller in London with the Star-Spangled Avenger in Captain America #18.

With the belief that his former sidekick is still alive, Captain America takes his search for the Winter Soldier to London. Unfortunately, it’s not going to be all tea and crumpets for Cap as his search becomes a race against destruction in the first part of “Twenty-First Century Blitz.”

Along the way, Captain America will also meet up with some old friends, including another familiar flag-wearing superhero. Cap is going to need all the help he can get because the psychotic duo of Sin and Crossbones have crossed the pond over to London as well.

Plus, the connection between General Lukin and the Red Skull takes an interesting twist.

Don’t miss out on the beginning of an all-new story arc for the book that Wizard named the best book of 2005 in Captain America #18.

6 page Digital Comic preview of Captain America #18.

What do you get when the top names in the animation industry find some time after working their day jobs to express their creative passion for comics? Image Comics is proud to present an amazing anthology debuting this July - AFTERWORKS 2. Following in the footsteps of other recent Image anthologies, such as FLIGHT and PUT THE BOOK BACK ON THE SHELF, AFTERWORKS 2 brings an eclectic mix of artists and stories together in to one collection.

The original AFTERWORKS GN was a self-published black & white anthology by E-Ville Press, a collective of artists based in Emeryville, CA (home of Pixar Animation Studios). E-Ville Press is comprised of Mark Andrews, Max Brace, Simon Dunsdon, Louis Gonzales, Robert Kondo, Ted Mathot, Kevin O’Brien, Sanjay Patel and Nathan Stanton, and between them, these nine animators have worked on some of the top-grossing movies of the last decade, including The Incredibles, Star Wars: Episodes I-III, Monsters Inc, Ice Age, Toy Story, Iron Giant, Finding Nemo and too many more to list!

“I don’t know of anybody who isn’t a fan of of the many movies these fine fellows have worked on at Pixar,” said Image Comics Publisher Erik Larsen. “Having the opportunity to publish an anthology by the creative geniuses behind all these beloved films is a thrill and a half. If you’re a fan of their films you’ll FLIP over their comics.”

Image Comics is bringing the original AFTERWORKS GN (FEB068060) back in to print this June, just in time for the debut of the AFTERWORKS 2 GN.

Nathan Stanton (Monsters Inc.) explains the genesis of AFTERWORKS: “Just last year I sat with fellow workers here at Pixar, lamenting the fact that we did not have enough creative outlets outside of the walls here, and soon AFTERWORKS was born; a collective anthology of seven talented folks here who all, like myself, needed creativity outside of the workplace and now we’ve found it.”

“AFTERWORKS 2 will hit the shelves, this time in full color and with a whole new group of folks who, as we’d hoped, were inspired by the first one and wanted to join in,” continued Stanton. “It’s bigger, better, and full of 100% unadulterated creativity; every story completely different from the next! Anyone new to the AFTERWORKS world, come on in, the waters’ just fine…..”

AFTERWORKS 2 GN will be a 200-page full-color anthology, and feature not only new tales from a majority of the E-Ville Press crew, but many brand new faces. This includes creators such as Scott Morse (Noble Boy, Soulwind), Bill Presing (Rex Steele: Nazi Smasher), Brian Larsen (Samurai Jack), Derek Thompson (Star Wars: Episode III), Peter Sohn (The Incredibles) and many more.

Contained within are stories too personal to be told in any other medium than comics, stories that touch a nerve and charm the soul. From fact based accounts of Falluja missile strikes to reinterpretations of classic myth, from Tokyo excursions to flights of fantasy, from brawlers to the Devil to hopelessly romantic musicians, AFTERWORKS 2 is untainted storytelling that will be pulled off your shelf and reread time and again.

“The talented people that have banded together for AFTERWORKS 2 are producing work that is truly amazing,” says Ted Mathot (The Incredibles). “I’m really excited and proud to be amongst such an incredible group of storytellers. The book really runs the gamut of emotions; funny, sad, dramatic, touching, creepy, sarcastic, poignant… and the artwork is just as varied. It’s going to be one heck of a collection!”

AFTERWORKS 2 GN is available for order in the July Previews catalog (on sale today), and the AFTERWORKS 1 GN (FEB068060) is available for pre-order right now and will be in-stores on June 14th.

Michael Bailey of SilverBulletComicBooks.com says, “I highly recommend that you give this book a try. Daniel Way has such a great handle on the character… This comic has the potential to change Wolverine forever.”

Kenneth Gallant of BrokenFrontier.com calls it “a thrilling start to what could obviously be a classic series many years from now.”

The upcoming Wolverine: Origins #2 features two covers being shipped in 50/50 quantities; the first is an eye-catching cover by Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch as well as one by regular cover artist Joe Quesada.

After the events of the first issue, the U.S. government decides to go on the offensive and neutralize Wolverine using a super-soldier of their own in Wolverine: Origins #2. Out of desperation, the powers-that-be resort to using the insane soldier Nuke.

Having squared off against Daredevil and Captain America in the past, Nuke is just as his name implies: the nuclear option when all others have been exhausted. Which genetically enhanced super-soldier will win out and how exactly are the pasts of Wolverine and Nuke tied together? Find out in Wolverine: Origins #2.

Marvel.com Creative Director Peter Olson has an immense resource to turn to while compiling the encyclopedic online “Marvel Universe”. Namely, everybody.

“Basically, people write an entry and submit it at the website,” explains Olson. “They can choose a favorite hero, a baddie, a storyline they followed, just about anything that has appeared in a Marvel comic over our entire publishing history. Then, it goes past a team of approvers and if it all shakes out, voila! That fan becomes part of Marvel history.”

The entries for the Marvel Universe section of the website encompass diverse subjects such as heroes, villains, teams, devices, and even particular events. The goal is to build an online reference guide that will showcase the cornucopia that is the Marvel Universe and give fans a chance to become part of the construction.

“For the fans, by the fans. That’s our motto for the Marvel Universe content,” says John Dokes, VP Marketing and Business Development. “Above all, this should be fun-and with the Marvel Universe, what else could it really be?”

“One of the strongest suggestions we make in the Marvel Universe guidelines is that you imagine that you are a commentator in the Marvel Universe, witnessing the events, the battles, and the drama first hand. By doing this, you’ll be creating an entry that will not only be exciting for others to read, but exciting for you to write.”

For those that may need a bit of coaching on how to write for the Marvel Universe, there are complete guidelines on the site, walking the excited writer through the process of creating entries as well as giving pointers on grammar and dynamic presentation and even providing templates for shaping your entry.

If seeing an entry written by themselves online at Marvel.com wasn’t enough, fans will also earn Hero Points for each approved submission. Marvel.com members who earn enough Hero Points can then approve other fans’ submissions. These Hero Points will also be used throughout the website for some super-cool and exclusive stuff.

Dokes nods knowingly. “More info to follow on the Hero Points . . . definitely something everyone will want to watch out for. We’ve had an amazing response so far but it’s not too late to get in there and get your Hero Points.”

Interested parties are enthusiastically invited to hop onto Marvel.com and view the multitude of Marvel Universe entries already submitted and ponder what corner of the Universe they can make their own.

In the tradition of the classic X-Men story “Kitty’s Fairy Tale,” the new limited series X-Men: Fairy Tales takes everybody’s favorite mutants and thrusts them into whole new worlds of myths and fables

The first issue of X-Men: Fairy Tales features an X-Men reinvisioning of the classic Japanese tale of Momotaro, the Peach-Boy. In X-Men Fairy Tales, Momotaro is born with a peach pit for an eye and, when removed, is able to shoot ruby-red optic blasts. As a result of his bizarre powers, Momotaro remains in seclusion with his adopted parents, afraid of how the outside world will treat someone so different.

When an unassuming bald Monk comes across the Peach-Boy, he shows Momotaro that his gift is something to be proud of. So the Peach-Boy joins up with the Monk in order to defeat the evil demons that have plagued his lands and captured a familiar-looking red-haired princess.

X-Men: Fairy Tales #1 is not to be missed as classic X-Men stories and global fables and myths are interwoven to create all-new stories.

Amazing Fantasy Books, one of my personal favorite comic shops, is switching locations.

This is a reminder for all our customers. Our last day of business at our present location, 47 E. Lincoln Hwy. Frankfort IL, is Saturday April 29th. We will be closed Sunday April 30th. Our first day of business at our new location will be Monday May 1st.

New address:
Amazing Fantasy
20523 S. La Grange Rd.
Frankfort, IL
Same phone number, 815-469-5092

The new location is due north of Alsip Nursery, across from Culver’s, in the Vineyards Plaza with the Dunkin Donuts. Amazing Fantasy is located between the fitness center and the bank in the corner under the clock tower.

I’m really fond of AFB because it was one of the main shops I visited in my early collector days… plus they have a huge selection of graphic novels.