What the Geeks Are Getting: July 8th Edition

The LoCG Weekly Pull List

Welcome to the debut of What the Geeks Are Getting, a new weekly feature where we talk about which of this week's comics we're looking forward to the most. Getting three comic-loving dudes to agree on what's hottest for any given week isn't easy, so remember dear reader that lots of blood, tears and sweat went into the creation of this list. Well, maybe not so much sweat. I was sitting down when I wrote this, after all. But blood and tears? Believe it.

The Pull List

Here's the stuff we're getting for sure, come hell or high water. Actually high water would ruin the books, and hellfire would burn them, so then we wouldn't get any books, which is simply unacceptable. Let's say we just drop the flowery language and get on with the gettin'.

Amazing Spider-Man #636

It's like the Hatfields and the McCoys, but with more leopard prints and spandex. The Kraven family continues to torment the various members of the Spidey family in this continuation of the Grim Hunt storyline, as indicated by the 13-foot font on the front of the book. I think all the editors here would agree that AMS has been on a roll for quite some time now, and Grim Hunt keeps the awesome train a-rolling. Great stuff.

X-Force #28

Here it is, the penultimate (always loved that word) issue of the Fall of the...no, sorry. The Rise of the...wait. Utopi...that's not it. Second Coming, yeah, there we go! All kidding aside, this has been one of the better mutant crossovers in recent memory, with a weekly schedule that kept the momentum going strong (though this bad boy is a week late). Looking forward to seeing how this all ties up, and more eye-loving Mike Choi artwork is always welcome. Hey, anyone notice the Finch variant cover with Cable looks like a tribute to this and its follow up?

Brightest Day #5

This fast-moving maxi-series has been a little hit (Aquaman, Martian Manhunter) and miss (Firestorm), but not so miss that we're not willing to go along for the ride. Less Firestorm and more Aquaman and Mera would make this better, though. Also: less Firestorm. Have I mentioned Aqualad? No, no I have not.

Game Day Decisions

There's always those titles you're not sure about, the ones you've got to hold in your hands and give the old "flip test" before you can commit. This week, every editor here at LoCG agrees that X-Men #1 is one of those titles. With its "mutant vs. vampires" first arc storyline, we're wondering if this just a well-timed marketing stunt designed to capitalize on the money-magnet that is Twilight, or is Marvel serious about making this a viable, quality monthly? And how will it fit into the current X-Universe, given the shakeups that Second Coming delivered? Also up for shelf-time perusal is Marvel's new all-ages title, Thor: The Mighty Avenger which is intriguing us with its pedigree (Roger Langridge and Chris Samnee), and Batman: Odyssey, which features the legendary Neal Adams, and by the covers seems to be about Batman getting shot...a lot.



Our Pull of the Week

Shadowland #1

Aw, snap. Daredevil has gone off the deep end and is rolling with ninjas. Bullseye is done playing Hawkeye dress-up and wants to start a dust-up. And Marvel's "street level" characters are getting more cuddly cover together time than they have since 1982. It's Shadowland, and..well, it looks really cool, to be honest. Daredevil's in control of The Hand - or is he? - and he's been building a new stronghold named Shadowland out of the wreckage of the building that Bullseye blew up during Dark Reign. The other heroes of the Marvel U don't take kindly to DDs new role as Master Hand (that doesn't sound right), and a splinter faction of the Hand is itching to take control, so it's on like Donkey Kong in Hell's Kitchen. Bonus - It's also (pretty much) self-contained, which is always a plus when it comes to these things. Sure, there's a few one-shots coming out, and Thunderbolts will be affected, but the main story will unfold in the pages of this limited series as well as Daredevil's monthly, so not a whole lot of buy-in required.

Epilogue

Remember that new comics day falls on a Thursday this week due to the holiday. Due to this, the LoCG is declaring Wednesday National Catch Up Day! Celebrating is easy; just plop yourself down in a comfy chair, crack open a beverage and read some of those back issues you haven't gotten to yet, that trade you've been neglecting, or get to work on whittling down last week's stack in preparation for the awesomeness yet to come. Here's what the LoCG crew will be reading -

Gabriel plans to settle down with the weighty The Walking Dead Vol. 5 hardcover.

Jordan will commemorate the occasion by catching up on Darkness/Witchblade trades in preparation for Top Cow's upcoming Artifacts maxi-series, and dipping into Deadpool (2008).

And me? Fresh off my reading blitz of Bill Mantlo / Sal Buscema issues of Incredible Hulk I acquired at this year's SuperCon, I'm gonna dive headlong into the Peter David run of the same title, picking up where I left off, somewhere around issue #350.

What are you getting this week? Let us know in the comments section, and see you back here for next week's installment.