Wednesday's Comics! (7-15-09)

Action Comics #879
Agents of Atlas #8
All Select Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special
Amazing Spider-Man #599
Art of A Song of Ice and Fire HC
Batman Chronicles vol 2 TP
Batman: Streets of Gotham #2
Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 (OF 3)
Betty & Veronica Spectacular #90
Blackest Night #1 (OF 8)
Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 (OF 3)
Brave & the Bold #25
Buck Rogers #2
Captain America #601
Captain America #601 Djurdjevic Variant – S/O #17
Creepy Comics #1
Dark Avengers #7
Dark Reign: Mr. Negative #2 (OF 3)
Deadpool #12
Descendant #1 (OF 3)
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep #1 (OF 24)
Dr. Who Ongoing #1
Dog Eaters #3
Ender’s Game: Battle School HC
Ender’s Shadow: Battle School HC
Fables #1 Peter & Max Preview
Fables #86
Farscape: Dargo’s Lament #4 (OF 4)
Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #3 (OF 6)
Franklin Richards: School’s Out
GI Joe Movie Adaptation #3 (OF 4)
Green Lantern #41 – S/O #6
Hellboy vol 1 TP: Seed of Destruction
Hellboy vol 2 TP: Wake the Devil
Hellboy vol 3 TP: Chained Coffin & Other Stories
Hellboy vol 4 TP: Right Hand of Doom
Incognito #5
Incredibles: Family Matters #4 (OF 4)
Iron Man: Armored Adventures
JSA vs Kobra #2 (OF 6)
Last Resort #1
Lockjaw & the Pet Avengers #3 (OF 4)
Marvel Adventures Avengers #38
Marvel Select Wolverine AF – S/O #64
Mighty Avengers #27
New Mutants #3
Preacher vol 1 HC
Punisher #7
Red Star vol 2 TP: Nokgorka
Sherlock Holmes #3 (OF 5)
Soulfire: New World Order #3 (OF 5)
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #43
Star Wars: Mimobot 2 Gig Darth Sidious Flash Drive
Super Friends #17
Superman/Batman #62
Timestorm 2009/2099 #3 (OF 4)
Titans #15 (Blackest Night)
Ultimate Spider-Man vol 2 TP: Learning Curve
Ultimate Spider-Man vol 3 TP: Double Trouble
Uncanny X-Men #513 – Shortage Replacement
Unknown #3 (OF 4)
Unthinkable #3 (OF 4)
Vigilante #8
Walking Dead #63
Watchmen Movie Rorshach Action Figure – S/O #16
Wednesday Comics #2 (OF 12)
Werewolves on the Moon vs Vampires #2 (OF 3)
Whiteout: Definitive Edition vol 1 TP
Whiteout: Definitive Edition vol 2 TP: Melt
World of Warcraft #21
X-Factor #46
Y The Last Man vol 1 TP: Unmanned
Y The Last Man vol 4 TP: Safeword
Y The Last Man vol 5 TP: Ring of Truth


All Select Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special – Meet Blonde Phantom - she's gorgeous, quick-witted, and hard-boiled. There was never a case that wasn't open-and-shut for this gun-toting, two-fisted knockout of a P.I. But has she still got what it takes to bust a mystery wide open in the modern Marvel Universe? Marc Guggenheim (AMAZING SPIDER-MAN) and Javier Pulido (CAPTAIN AMERICA 65TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL) turn the classic Blonde Phantom into Marvel's newest hero! AND MORE! Writer/artist Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed to Thrizzle) takes on Marvex, the Super-Robot, in a hilarious bonus special feature!!

Blackest Night #1 (OF 8) – Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis raise the dead in the most anticipated comics story of the year! Throughout the decades, death has plagued the DC Universe and taken the lives of heroes and villains alike. But to what end? As the War of Light rages on, the prophecy of the BLACKEST NIGHT descends upon us, with Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps at the center of it all. Don't miss this 8-issue epic taking the DCU beyond the grave!

Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 (OF 3) – In this 3-issue miniseries, writers Geoff Johns and Peter J. Tomasi (GREEN LANTERN CORPS) reveal the secrets behind the Lanterns of BLACKEST NIGHT! Bear witness to Blue Lantern Saint Walker's pilgrimage of hope, Star Sapphire Carol Ferris' sacrifice for love, Green Lantern Kilowog's courageous beginnings, Red Lantern Vice's source of rage, Orange Lantern Blume's bizarre creation, and the first appearance of the mysterious Indigo, leader of the Indigo Tribe!

Creepy Comics #1 – What's black and white and clawing its way onto your reading list? It's the newly resurrected Creepy, of course! Now, don't fret, my putrid pets -- these new terror tales are cut from the same cursed cloth as the outlandish originals, telling contemporary horror stories with gorgeously ghoulish art from a lineup that'll make you lose your head! Original Creepy artist Angelo Torres teams up with devilish Dan Braun on "Hell Hound Blues"; Michael Woods and artist Saskia Gutekunst serve up a dose of "Chemical 13"; Neil Kleid and Brian Churilla provide "All the Help You Need" at a weird weight-loss camp; and jaundiced Jason Shawn Alexander brings his phenomenal painting skills to Joe Harris's "The Curse!" Plus Bernie Wrightson, the return of "Loathsome Lore," and more. All this, plus one classic story from Uncle Creepy's dank dungeon, and you've got 48 freakish pages of terror to bring home to mummy!

Descendant #1 (OF 3) – Descendant,” follows the adventures of Rayne Santiago, a South American refugee and now a U.S. counter terrorism agent, believed to be the descendant of an ancient Incan fire God. The series creators, writers Mike Dolce and Marcus Perry, along with artist Mariano Navarro, spoke with CBR News about “Descendant,” it’s blend of action and fantastic elements, and also about bananas. Rayne is forced to return to her South American homeland of Martagal when she receives word that her brothers have been abducted by a rogue pharmaceutical conglomerate bent on using their DNA to manufacture super powers,” Mole Dolce told CBR. “Exiled from her country years ago for abusing her own innate pyrokinetic abilities, Rayne must not only win back the trust of her people, but also overcome her fear of the powers that lay dormant inside her in order to rescue her brothers from the regime’s sinister commander, Dr. Alexis Bane.”

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep #1 (OF 24) – Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, the book that inspired the film Blade Runner, comes to Boom! with backmatter by Warren Ellis! Visionary sci-fi author Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep has been called "a masterpiece ahead of its time, even today" and served as the basis for the Ridley Scott film Blade Runner. San Francisco lies under a cloud of radioactive dust. The World War killed millions, driving entire species to extinction, and sending mankind off-planet. Those who remained coveted any living creature, and for people who couldn't afford one, companies built incredibly realistic fakes: horses, birds, cats, sheep--even humans. Rick Deckard is an officially sanctioned bounty hunter tasked to find six rogue androids--they're machines, but look, sound, and think like humans. Clever, and most of all, dangerous humans. Rick Deckard, Pris, The Voight-Kampff Test, Nexus 6 androids, the Tyrell Corporation: join Boom! Studios as the complete novel is adapted into the comic book medium, mixing all new panel-to-panel continuity with the actual text from the novel in an innovative, groundbreaking 24-issue maxi-series illustrated by acclaimed Wolf artist Steven Dupre for the science-fiction publishing event of the year! Covers by Bill Sienkiewicz, Dennis Calero, Moritat, and Scott Keating.

Fables #1 Peter & Max Preview – Preview the new Fables novel for a buck! Set in the imaginative realm of the award-winning comic book series FABLES, PETER & MAX is a stand-alone prose novel--the first ever published starring FABLES characters! Long ago, in the deepest dark of The Black Forest, two brothers--Peter Piper and his older brother, Max--encountered ominous forces that changed them both irreparably. Thus begins an epic tale of sibling rivalry, magic, music, and revenge that spans medieval times to the present day, when their deadly conflict surfaces in the placid calm of modern day Fabletown. PETER & MAX: A FABLES NOVEL features the deft prose of award-winning comic book writer Bill Willingham and lush ink spot illustrations from FABLES artist Steve Leialoha. The novel also reveals secrets of some of the regular FABLES series cast members, including Bigby Wolf, Frau Totenkinder, and Bo Peep.

Last Resort #1 – A zombie epic that pays homage to 1970s exploitation films and disaster movies like Airport and Towering Inferno. In an entertaining and darkly over-the-top celebration of gore and sex, The Last Resort transforms a Caribbean paradise into a biological wasteland populated with homicidal flesh-eating vacationers! From the acclaimed writers of Jonah Hex and Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters!

UP-COMING GAME PICKS

This is my first attempt at a topic that may become a regular with the Haven Comics blog. Assuming I don't get distracted by other shiny objects (a real possibility), I will post up-coming game products that have grabbed my attention each month. Generally, these picks will be based on the descriptions posted in each month's Game Trade Magazine, so the products will probably not yet be released and will not be available for 1-2 months. Of course, I'm sure Josh will be more than willing to place a pre-order for ya. Now enough blog-talk, let's talk about GAMES!

* Cthulhu Britannica will be released in August and is a collection of five adventures for the Call of Cthulhu game, centered around England. Each scenario focuses upon a different time period, from the streets of Victorian London to the far future when the End is almost nigh.

* Open Game Table: The Anthology of Roleplaying Game Blogs contains nearly fifty blog posts from dozens of RPG blogs. I'm really undecided about this product, but it does sound kinda interesting to me. It is scheduled to ship in September.

* Dungeons & Dragons: Dragon Magazine Annual Volume 1 collects the best Dragon magazine content from the past year. In addition to the articles, the book contains notes from the designers, developers, and editors. Look for it in September.

* Dungeons & Dragons: Dungeon Master's Guide 2 is a new core rulebook containing advice and rules for Dungeon Masters of all levels of experience, with a particular focus on running adventures and campaigns in the paragon tier (levels 11–20). Among the other content is a fully-described "home base" for paragon-tier adventurers: the interplanar city of Sigil. (You fans of the old Planescape setting might like that.) This book will be released in September (and be heralded by another Worldwide Dungeons & Dragons Game Day).

Wednesday's Comics!! (7-9-09)

That's right - WEDNESDAY'S COMICS.

In a surprise turn of events, Diamond just sent me notification that comics will be coming in on their regular schedule this week, despite the holiday this past weekend. That means...COME IN ON WEDNESDAY, FOLKS!! See you then!

Amazing Spider-Man Annual #36
Angel: Not Fade Away #3
Anita Blake: Necromancer #3 (OF 5)
Army of Darkness #22
Batman #688
Booster Gold #22
BPRD: 1947 #1 (OF 5)
Captain America: Reborn #1 (OF 5) - reorder
Celtic Dice Bag
Complete Persepolis TP
Dark X-Men: Beginnings #1 (OF 3)
Doc Savage Double Novel vol 23 – S/O #102
Fruits Basket vol 23 GN (OF 23)
Genext United #3 (OF 5)
Ghostbusters Series 1 Mini-Mates – S/O #64
GI Joe: Movie Adaptation #2 (OF 4)
GI Joe: Origins #5
Green Arrow/Black Canary #22
Green Lantern #43 (Blackest Night)
House of Mystery #15
I am Legion #4 (OF 6)
Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files: Storm Front #4 (OF 4)
Mangalicious Tick #1 (OF 3)
Mighty #6
Ms. Marvel #41
Munchkin 5: De-Ranged
New Warriors Classic TP vol 1
North 40 #1 (OF 6)
Pride & Prejudice #4 (OF 5)
Punisher: Frank Castle (Max) #72
Rebels #6
Red Robin #2
Scooby Doo #146
Skrull Kill Krew #3 (OF 5)
Sonic the Hedgehog #202
Spider-Man Icon HC
Stand: American Nightmares #4 (OF 5)
Star Trek: Crew #5
Stormwatch PhD #22
Strange Adventures of HP Lovecraft #3 (OF 4)
Superman: World of New Krypton #5 (OF 12)
Thor: Tales of Asgard by Lee & Kirby #3 (OF 6)
Trojan War #3 (OF 5)
Uncanny X-Men: First Class #1 (OF 8)
Unwritten #3
War of Kings: Warriors #1 (OF 2)
Warhammer 40K Gamemaster’s Kit
Warlord #4
Wednesday Comics #1 (OF 12)
X-Men Forever #3
X-Men Legacy #226


BPRD: 1947 #1 (OF 5) - The newest B.P.R.D. members are thrust into the jaws of a group of unsavory vampires as they search for a missing comrade in the bowels of a dilapidated old chateau. Joshua Dysart (B.P.R.D.: 1946, Unknown Soldier) and Hellboy creator Mike Mignola join forces with Eisner Award-winning artists Gabriel Bá (The Umbrella Academy) and Fábio Moon (Sugarshock) for the latest chapter in the hidden history of the B.P.R.D.!

Captain America: Reborn #1 (OF 5) – Following the events of Captain America #600, Steve Rogers' closest friends and allies may have found a way to bring back the original Captain America. Or is what they found something more sinister? The Red Skull's greatest plan to destroy Captain America has been in motion and its completion is almost at hand. Will Captain America be lost forever or will he be REBORN? WE’VE GOT THESE BACK IN STOCK – PICK UP YOUR COPY TODAY!!!

Dark X-Men: Beginnings #1 (OF 3) – Who are the Dark X-Men and how did they come to be? FIND OUT HERE! Each issue has 3 11-page stories, each dedicated to one of the Dark X-Men and how they came to be part of the team. This first two issues focus on Emma Frost, Mimic, Cloak & Dagger, Daken, Weapon X and Dark Beast!

Mangalicious Tick #1 (OF 3) – The Tick returns and embarks on his newest adventure, Manga! The Tick crosses the International Date Line in this satirical look at the manga art form! While investigating a disturbance in The City, The Tick confronts a new nemesis, The Setting Sun! Now trapped in another dimension, The Tick must fulfill an ancient prophecy, and save Arthur, The City, and the World!

North 40 #1 (OF 6) – Somewhere in Midwestern America was a place called Conover County. When the old book was opened, and the runes therein used in haste and ignorance, a place of farms, simple folk, and small-town dreams became a den of monsters and nightmare. NORTH 40 is the story of those who survived and came to confront an even greater evil on the horizon - one that wouldn't just consume their flesh, but their souls as well. Heroes arise with power to bring against the dark: Wyatt, an unwilling protector of his former tormentors; Amanda, an apprentice to forgotten arts; and Sheriff Morgan, whose bonds with Conover County go back farther than even he can remember.

War of Kings: Warriors #1 (OF 2) – What shocking event sent Gladiator on his path to becoming the leader of the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard? Christos Gage (AVENGERS: THE INITIATIVE) and Mahmud Asrar (NOVA ANNUAL #1) reveal a life-changing moment in the early days of this infamous X-foe! Plus: What is Blastaar's grand plan, and how far will he go to succeed? Christos and Carlos Magno show you why you will bow to the living bomb blast! Yes, it's two stories in one issue that spotlights key players in the War of Kings!

Wednesday Comics #1 (OF 12) – In July, DC Comics gives a fresh twist to a grand comics tradition with WEDNESDAY COMICS, a new, weekly 12-issue series by some of the greatest names in comics today! WEDNESDAY COMICS is unique in modern comics history: Reinventing the classic weekly newspaper comics section, it is a 16-page weekly that unfolds to a sprawling 28" x 20" tabloid-sized reading experience bursting with mind-blowing color, action, and excitement, with each feature on its own 14" x 20" page. Spearheaded by DCU Editorial Art Director Mark Chiarello, whose past editing credits include BATMAN BLACK & WHITE, DC: THE NEW FRONTIER and SOLO, each page of WEDNESDAY COMICS spotlights the continuing adventures of DC heroes, including: * BATMAN, WEDNESDAY COMICS' weekly cover feature, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso.

NEW GAME REVIEWS

It has been a while since I last wrote a gaming blog, so I thought it was about time for another one. (Plus, you know how Josh will keep bugging you until you finally cave and do it...)

Last night (July 3rd), I traveled up to The Game Keep in Nashville, TN to catch a couple of demonstrations for new games (published by Steve Jackson Games) that will be on store shelves next month. Due to play space, I was unable to play the first game, Revolution!, but I did watch several rounds. Revolution! is a board game which can handle up to 4 players, has simple rules, and can be played in less than an hour. Each player attempts to win the support of the people by using blackmail, force, or money to gain influence. It seems to be great fun.

The second game, which I managed to beg and plead my way into playing, was The Stars Are Right. You really have to think to play this game. Essentially, it is a card/tile game (up to 4 players) based on the horror mythos of H.P. Lovecraft and a player wins by summoning 10 points of other-worldly beings. The real trick is that in order to summon these eldritch horrors, the stars must be in the correct alignment. The stars are represented by tiles in the game which are moved and changed by each player during his or her turn, so although you may be ready to summon a Great Old One at the beginning of another player's turn, by the time your turn begins, the stars may be in a completely new alignment. (Completely screwing your master plan to summon Hastur and win the game... but I'm not bitter.) I'm a big fan of the Lovecraft mythos and really enjoyed this game (I loved the art and star alignment concept), but I can see how searching for star patterns every turn could be more annoyance than fun to some people. I'm sure I'll be demonstrating this game myself around Huntsville when it is finally available to order, so if it sounds interesting to you, keep a look-out for demonstration posters.

Patriotic Comics!! (7-1-09)

24 Season 1 Minimates Box Set – S/O #64
Agents of Atlas #7
Amazing Spider-Man Family #8
Angel #23
Anita Blake vol 2 TP: Guilty Pleasures – S/O #17
Astonishing Tales #6
Astounding Wolf-Man #17
Astro City: Life in the Big City TP – S/O #102
Astro City: The Dark Age, Book 3 #3 (OF 4)
Batman & Robin #2
Batman Confidential #31
Battlestar Galactica: Final Five #4 (OF 4)
Boys #32
Boys vol 4 TP: We Gotta Go Now – S/O #141
Brave and the Bold: Without Sin TP – S/O #4
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #26
Cable #16
Captain America: Reborn #1 (OF 5)
Captain America: Reborn #1 (OF 5) Cassaday Variant – S/O #17
Captain Britain & MI 13 #14
Daredevil Noir #4 (OF 4)
Dead Run #2
Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1
Destroyer #4 (OF 5)
Detective Comics #854 - Reorder
Dr. Who Magazine #409
Escape from Wonderland #0 (OF 6)
Exiles #4
Fantastic Four #568
Fantastic Four: Giant Size Adventures #1
Farscape: Strange Detractors #4 (OF 4)
Final Crisis Aftermath: Run #3 (OF 6)
Finding Nemo: Reef Rescue #1 (OF 4)
Gallery of Light: Snow White Mine Scene Miniature – S/O #3
Ghostbusters Minimates Box Set #1 – S/O #64
GI Joe #1 NDC Exclusive Variant – S/O #52
GI Joe Movie Adaptation #1 (OF 4)
Greek Street #1
Green Lantern Corps #38 BN
Green Lanterns: Rage of the Red Lanterns HC
Invincible Iron Man #15 DKR
Irredeemable #4
Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 (OF 7)
Knights of the Dinner Table #152
Literals #1 (OF 3) – S/O #54
Locke & Key: Head Games #6
Marvel Divas #1 (OF 4)
Mighty #6
Muppet Robin Hood #2 (OF 4)
Muppet Show #4 (OF 4)
Neil Gaiman on His Work and Career HC
Savage Dragon #150
Scourge of Gods: Fall #1 (OF 3)
Secret Six #11
Solomon Grundy #5 (OF 7)
Soulfire #10
Star Trek: Wrath of Khan #3
Star Wars: Invasion #1 (OF 5)
Strange Adventures #5 (OF 8)
Tales from Wonderland: Cheshire Cat One-Shot
Terry Moore’s Echo #13
Toy Story: Mysterious Stranger #2 (OF 4)
Transformers Spotlight: Metroplex
Trojan War #3 (OF 5)
Uncanny X-Men #513
USA Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special
War of Kings #5 (OF 6)
Warhammer 40K RPG: Game Master’s Kit
Watchmen: Who Watches 4-Pin Set – S/O #16
Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels #1 (OF 5)
Wolverine #72 – McNiven Variant
Wonder Woman #33

Batman & Robin #2 – In a blazing Gotham City police department, the new Batman and Robin face the bizarre, fighting freakshow that is the Circus of Strange and find that they don't make as good a team as Batman had hoped! Meanwhile, the mysterious Sasha escapes from Professor Pyg and vows vengeance on the people who killed her father.

Captain America: Reborn #1 (OF 5) – The assassination of Steve Rogers in the pages of Captain America #25 shocked the world. Now, two years later, readers have the opportunity to see the return of the iconic hero. How will Brubaker and Hitch bring him back? What will this mean for current Captain America Bucky Barnes, the Red Skull, and Captain America's supporting cast? LIMIT 1 PER CUSTOMER.

Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1 – 'HEAD TRIP,' Part 1 (of 6)-It's the Merc with two mouths! Deadpool travels to the Savage Land to retrieve what might be the deadliest bio-weapon the universe has ever seen. What is this deadly object? Well, Deadpool's employer is being a little vague about that. Let's just say when the secret is finally revealed, it's enough to throw even the Merc with two Mouths for a loop...Oh hell, we can't keep a secret, it's the severed-but-still-hungry head of the Marvel Zombies Deadpool! To save the universe, Deadpool must team up with himself to dodge Hydra operatives, dinosaurs, cavemen and zombie cavemen as he attempts to take his not-so-precious cargo back where it came from: the Marvel Zombies Universe. Plus, a bonus reprinting of the first appearance of Deadpool from New Mutants #98!

Finding Nemo: Reef Rescue #1 (OF 4) – The biggest selling DVD of all time comes to comics! Nemo, Dory, and Marlin have become local heroes, and are recruited to embark on an all-new adventure. Their reef is mysteriously dying and no one knows why! Facing dangerous waters and incredible odds, Nemo travels the great blue sea to save the one thing that matters most of all - home.

Greek Street #1 – You're a boy from the hood. You're brought up rough in a children's home, trying to stay out of trouble but usually failing. Then at 18 you decide to track down your mother. Within hours of finding her, she's lying naked and dead at your feet. So you run to Greek Street. And that's when your troubles really begin...Boasting a cast of sexy strippers, murderous gangsters, body-snatching mad women and a disturbed young girl who can see the future, GREEK STREET is Peter Milligan's reimagining of those brutal and visceral tragedies that graced the Theater of Dionysus in Ancient Greece - bloody tales about incest, homicide, beautiful oracles, all-knowing choruses, kings, monsters and gods - played out on the mean streets of modern-day Red-Light London. Milligan - best known for his super-smart Vertigo work like SHADE THE CHANGING MAN, HUMAN TARGET and now HELLBLAZER- joins forces with illustrator Davide Gianfelice (NORTHLANDERS) to create an epic ongoing series that's both familiar yet completely new and always with the bloody, visceral edge that makes it a Vertigo book. Take a trip to GREEK STREET where the old stories are not through with us yet.

Justice League: Cry for Justice #1 (OF 7) – What brings a team together? Justice! Batman and Martian Manhunter have been slaughtered. But he's not the only hero to fall at the hands of villains. The murder has to stop, and it's time to take the fight to the bad guys! Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Supergirl, Atom, Shazam, Congorilla and Starman unite in a cry for justice! This 6-part miniseries from James Robinson (STARMAN, SUPERMAN) and rising star artist Mauro Cascioli (TRIALS OF SHAZAM) pushes our heroes to the brink and beyond as evil can no longer be tolerated to win. But when Prometheus plans his revenge on not only the heroes, but on the very places they call home, will this new team be ready to pay the cost for the justice they seek? This time it's personal - and it'll only get more bloody before it's over!

Marvel Divas #1 (OF 4) – Diva (dee-vah), noun: An unusually glamorous and powerful woman. See: Patsy 'Hellcat' Walker; Felicia 'Black Cat' Hardy; Angelica 'Firestar' Jones; and Monica 'Photon' Rambeau. What happens when you take four of the Marvel Universe's most fabulous single girls and throw them together, adding liberal amounts of suds and drama? You get the sassiest, sexiest, soapiest series to come out of the House of Ideas since Millie the Model! Romance, action, ex-boyfriends, and a last page that changes everything! Let your inner divas out with this one, fellas, you won't regret it!

Star Wars: Invasion #1 (OF 5) – A new series comes to Dark Horse's Star Wars line! After its special sixteen-page May preview on starwars.com, Star Wars: Invasion continues in print! This series is set twenty-five years after the Battle of Yavin. The Jedi, and the galaxy, are facing their first real threat since the Sith were defeated: an invasion of hostile warriors called the Yuuzhan Vong. The forces of the New Republic and the fledgling New Jedi Order stand ready to face the invaders, but they've never seen anything like the Yuuzhan Vong! Luke Skywalker is about to discover that it's not his galaxy anymore . . .

Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels #1 (OF 5) – Witchfinder: In the Service of Angels chronicles one of Edward Grey's first cases as an agent of the queen, which takes Grey from the sparkling echelons of Victorian London to its dark underbelly in his first clash with the city's most infamous secret society: The Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra. * Mike Mignola teams up with artist Ben Stenbeck (B.P.R.D.: The Ectoplasmic Man) for a look into one of the Hellboy universe's greatest enigmas: nineteenth-century occult investigator Edward Grey!

Monstrously Massive Comics Week!!! (6-24-09)

Amazing Spider-Man #598
Astonishing X-Men #30
Avengers Initiative #25
Avengers/Invaders #12 (OF 12)
Batman: Absolution SC
Batman: Death and the Maidens TP
Batman: The Brave and the Bold #6
Batman: The Chalice SC
Boys vol 1 TP: Name of the Game
Boys vol 3 TP: Good for the Soul
Cars: Rookie #3 (OF 4)
Daredevil #119
Dark Avengers #6
Dark Avengers #6 Sandoval Variant – S/O #17
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1
Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 Jae Lee Variant – S/O #17
Dark Reign: Elektra #4 (OF 5)
Dark Reign: Hood #2 (OF 5)
Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 (OF 3)
Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #1 (OF 4)
Dark Reign: Zodiac #1 (OF 3)
Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead #2 (OF 6)
Dark Wolverine #75
Dark Wolverine #75 Djurdjeic Variant – S/O #17
Detective Comics #854
Dr. Who Magazine #407
Dynamo 5 #22
End League #8
Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall HC
Fables vol 3 TP: Storybook Love
Fables vol 4 TP: March of the Wooden Soldiers
Fables vol 5 TP: Mean Seasons
Farscape: Dargo’s Lament #3 (OF 4)
Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #2 (OF 6)
Freddy vs Jason vs Ash: Nightmare Warriors #1 (OF 6)
Fringe #6 (OF 6)
Game Trade Magazine #113
GI Joe #1 NDC Exclusive Cover – S/O #39
GI Joe #6
Gotham City Sirens #1
Greatest Batman Stories Ever Told vol 1 TP
Green Lantern #42
Grimm Fairy Tales #39
Guardians of the Galaxy #15
Immortal Iron Fist #27
Incognito #4
Incredible Hercules #130
Incredibles: Family Matters #2 (OF 4)
Incredibles: Family Matters #3 (OF 4)
Jack of Fables #35
JLA #34
JSA #28
Killapalooza #2 (OF 6)
Last Days of Animal Man #2 (OF 6)
Literals #3 (OF 3)
Madame Xanadu #12
Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man #52
Marvel Previews #71
Mouse Guard vol 1 HC: Fall 1152 – S/O #7
Mouse Guard Lieam Deluxe Plush
Ms. Marvel #40
New Avengers #54
Northlanders #18
Nova #26
Orbiter HC
Planetary vol 1 TP: All Over the World & Other Stories
Planetary vol 2 TP: The Fourth Man
Planetary vol 3 TP: Leaving the 20th Century
Predator #1 (OF 4)
Previews #250 July 2009
PVP #42
Red Sonja #45
Riftwar #1 (OF 5)
Runaways 3 #11
Secret Warriors #5
Sgt. Rock: The Lost Battalion #6 (OF 6)
Sherlock Holmes #2 (OF 5)
Skaar: Son of Hulk #12
Sonic Universe #5
Spirit #30
Squadron Supreme 2 #12
Star Trek: Mission’s End #4
Star Wars Clone Wars vol 1 TP: Shipyards of Doom - S/O #58
Star Wars: Legacy #37
Superman #689
Tales from Wonderland: Red Queen 1-Shot
Teen Titans #72
Terror Inc.: Apocalypse Soon #3 (OF 4)
Thor #602
Thunderbolts #133
Timestorm 2009/2099 X-Men
Transformers: All Hail Megatron #12
Turok, Son of Stone vol 2 HC – S/O #28
Ultimates vol 1 TP
Ultimates 2 vol 1 TP: Gods and Monsters
Uncanny X-Men #512
Uni Formz Batman: Modern Version
Unknown Soldier #9
Usagi Yojimbo #121
Viking #2
Wildcats #12
William Shatner Presents: Tek War #1
Wizard Magazine #214
Wolverine First Class #16
Wolverine Noir #3 (OF 4)
Wolverine: Weapon X #3
Wonder Woman #33
X-Factor #45
X-Force #16
X-Men Forever #2

Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Utopia #1 – The Dark Avengers take on the Uncanny X-Men! Kicking off the 6-part crossover event, rising star Matt Fraction (UNCANNY X-MEN, INVINCIBLE IRON MAN) is joined by X-artist supreme Marc Silvestri (X-MEN: MESSIAH COMPLEX, CIVIL WAR: THE INITIATIVE ONE-SHOT) to bring you a story that shakes the foundations of the Marvel Universe. When mutant riots break out in San Francisco, Norman Osborn declares martial law and sends the Dark Avengers in to quell the riots and take down the X-Men. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Don't miss the first Avengers/X-Men crossover in over 15 years!

Dark Reign: Lethal Legion #1 (OF 3) – When Norman Osborn takes over, what happens to the villains who don't make his short list of acceptable allies? Grim Reaper, Mr. Hyde, Absorbing Man, Nekra, and Man-Ape are about to find out when their cooperative of crime lands on the wrong side of Norman's law--but they're not going down without a fight.

Dark Reign: Sinister Spider-Man #1 (OF 4) – He ain't friendly and this ain't your neighborhood! Yes, Mac Gargan, America's favorite sociopath-turned-symbiote-host-turned-hero-hunter now takes the spotlight as Norman Osborn's sinister Spider-Man. With the Dark Reign-a-raining, the lives of our mighty marvel heroes are being destroyed left and right - but for guys like Mac, the world is their oyster and the chef's covering the bill. Mac's a beloved hero. Women love him, men want to be him and nobody wants to run into him after midnight - because the symbiote is still pretty darn hungry...

Dark Reign: Zodiac #1 (OF 3) – Norman Osborn may be running the show with his Dark Reign, but not every super-villain is going to accept the new world order. But who--or what--is ZODIAC? In this dark, brooding tale that snakes through the underbelly of the modern Marvel Universe, the new breed of super-villain has finally arrived! The order of the day is 'mischief for mischief's sake,' and no one--neither hero *nor* villain--is safe!

Detective Comics #854 – 'Elegy' part 1 of 4! A new era in the history of DETECTIVE COMICS begins as Batwoman is unleashed on Gotham City! Marked by the blood-red bat, Kate Kane is a soldier fighting her own private war - one that began years ago and haunts her every waking moment. With a script by Greg Rucka and breath-taking art by JH Williams III, you've never seen anything like this! Featuring the debut of a new co-feature starring The Question written by Rucka! Odds against you? Alone and nowhere to turn? Willing to fight, but you don't know how? When you're searching everywhere for an answer, sometimes all you need to do is ask the right Question. Renee Montoya again dons the faceless mask to help those in need, all the while searching for her own answers in this new adventure with art by Cully Hamner (BLUE BEETLE).

Gotham City Sirens #1 – This all-new series features the bad girls of Gotham City! Catwoman, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are tired of playing by other people's rules regardless of which side of the law they're on. These tough ladies have a new agenda that's all their own, and they'll use any means necessary to pursue it. But can they get along and work as a team? And who will get hurt along the way? DETECTIVE COMICS and STREETS OF GOTHAM writer Paul Dini kicks off this brand-new ongoing series with amazing artwork by Guillem March (JOKER'S ASYLUM: POISON IVY, GOTHAM GAZETTE).

Predator #1 (OF 4) – The world's attention is focused painfully on a brutal third world Civil War, a merciless sectarian conflict sparing neither soldier nor civilian, grandmother nor child. But amidst the terror and carnage, where great nations and powerful interests jockey for position and advantage, another blood feud rages in the shadows, one no more humane but decidedly less human. Two warring tribes from the stars have chosen Earth's killing fields as their arena, with each clan sworn to eradicate the other . . . and all who stand between them. Each is the other's prey, each the other's Predator. * Dark Horse celebrates twenty years of Predator comics!

Riftwar #1 (OF 5) – The Castle Crydee has stood strong against a multitude of enemies over the years, and has kept its people safe. But now, a new enemy from another world threatens to destroy them, and Prince Arutha, Swordmaster Fannon and Squire Roland struggle to keep them at bay. Meanwhile, Pug, apprentice to the magician Kulgan, goes on an offensive with his master and a band of soldiers into the heart of the enemy camp. It's a daring challenge... one that will ultimately prove fatal for one of them...and will change the course of the other's life.

Uni Formz Batman: Modern Version - DC Direct begins the vinylization of the DC Universe! BATMAN is the first in a new line of large format and stylized vinyl UNI-FORMZ™ inspired by the red-hot "designer toy" phenomenon. DC Direct joined forces with a leader in the contemporary toy movement, Monster 5, to create this powerfully built and unique vision of Batman for the first time. This bold new take on Batman is a must-have for collectors of contemporary toy design as well as traditional fans of superheroes!

William Shatner Presents: Tek War #1 – After spending 4 years in cryogenic stasis for crimes he is certain he did not commit, Jake Cardigan is mysteriously released. Finding himself lost in a world that has changed since his incarceration, Jake tries and put his life back together. His wife and son are gone, or in hiding, and Jake fights the urge to self-medicate using a digital drug called Tek. Offered a job to locate a missing enigmatic scientist, Jake can already feel the puppet strings manipulating him to return to the life that got him jailed in the first place. And his troubles are only beginning! The epic futuristic adventure, based on William Shatner's best-selling TekWar novel series, begins!

Free RPG Day tomorrow!!!

Hey, Everybody! Tomorrow - Saturday, June 20 - is FREE RPG DAY, and Haven is the only store in Huntsville/Madison (or the whole state, for that matter) participating in this awesome event.

Like Free Comic Book Day, you can swing by Haven and pick up free quick-play startup games and modules for the low, low cost of ABSOLUTELY FREE. You can't beat that! And these aren't crappy little printups some guy did in his mom's basement either - these are high quality, high production value games from companies like Games Workshop, Wizards of the Coast, White Wolf, Goodman Games, and Mongoose. What's more, these are unique items - they aren't in print anywhere else, so you know they aren't cheap duplicates of things you've already got.

In other words, get out to Haven tomorrow, pick up a game, and try something new! We're the only store in Alabama where you can do it, so take advantage of it!!

Steve Rogers is Coming Back - Just in time for July 4th!

From the New York Times:

Captain America is making a miraculous recovery.

Two years after Marvel Comics knocked off its famous star-spangled superhero, he's gonna be back and better than ever.

"The original Captain America is finally coming back," Marvel Comics editor in chief Joe Quesada told the Daily News. "We've been patiently planning for this moment for 21/2 years."

Captain America will return next month in a five-comic book series, "Captain America Reborn."

The dramatic return is coming not a moment too soon for fans of the superhero and his alter ego, Steve Rogers.

Marvel writer Ed Brubaker was stunned at the global reaction when Captain America was gunned down on the steps of a courthouse.

"It was crazy," said Brubaker. "I had shock jocks calling me up at 5:30 in the morning - they got my home number somehow - and they were like, 'Ed, tell us it's not true, tell us Captain America is not dead.'"

It's been 68 years since creators Joe Simon and Jack Kirby introduced Rogers - a scrawny kid who is injected with a "Super Soldier" serum to fight the Nazis - to an adoring fan base.

Captain America has appeared in more than 210 million comics in 75 countries since then, and a big-budget movie is scheduled for 2011.

"He's a pop culture icon," said Bryan Hitch, artist for "Captain America Reborn."

"[Captain America] at heart is a bit of an old-fashioned guy - he looks like Brad Pitt, but smells like your granddad."

Death in comics, of course, is almost never as final as it is in real life.

Marvel's archrival, DC Comics, killed Superman in 1993, only to bring him back a year later.

There's still no word about how creators plan to bring Captain America back to life.

One thing's for sure - it'll definitely be a hit.

"Consumers are responding to it like crazy," said Gerry Gladston, co-owner of Midtown Comics in Manhattan. "They don't feel like it's a stunt."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/arts/2009/06/15/2009-06-15_some_comic_relief_captain_america_is_coming_back_to_life_in_a_new_fivepart_serie.html#ixzz0IXj0U1Nz&C

Wednesday's Comics!! (6-17-09)

1939 Daily Bugle
Action Comics Annual #12
All-New Savage She-Hulk #3 (OF 4)
Amazing Spider-Man Family #7
Angel #22
Barack Obama: The Road to the White House #1 - S/O #43, 64
Batman: Streets of Gotham #1
Betty & Veronica #242
Bomb Queen Presents: All Girl Comics (1-Shot)
Boys: Herogasm #2 (OF 6)
Brave & the Bold #24
Cable #15
Captain America #600
Captain Britain & MI 13 #14
Complete Just a Pilgrim TP
Dark Avengers #5 Young Guns Pham Variant – S/O #17
Dark Reign: Fantastic Four #4 (OF 5)
Dark Reign: Hawkeye #3 (OF 5)
Dark Reign: Mr. Negative #1 (OF 3)
Dark Reign: Young Avengers #2 (OF 5)
Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead #2 (OF 6)
Destroyer #3 (OF 5)
DF Presidential Material: Obama, Rare Campbell Variant – S/O #64
Executive Assistant Iris #1
Fall of Cthulhu: Nemesis #3 (OF 4)
Fantastic Force #3 (OF 5)
Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #2 (OF 6)
Gallery of Light: Jungle Book Miniature – S/O #3
GI Joe: Cobra #4
Green Arrow/Black Canary #21
Incognito #4
Invincible Iron Man #14
Jack of Fables #35
Marvel Adventures Avengers #37
Marvel Pets Handbook
Marvel Zombies 4 #3 (OF 4)
Marvel Zombies 4 #3 (OF 4) ‘80s Decade Variant – S/O #64
Masquerade #4
Mighty Avengers #26
Outsiders #19
Power Girl #2
Project Superpowers Chapter Two #0
Punisher #6
Red Mass for Mars #3 (OF 4)
Rex Mundi #18
Salem’s Daughter #1
Star Trek: Wrath of Khan #2
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic #42
Starman Omnibus HC vol 3 – S/O #4
Supergirl #42
Superman/Batman #61
Tales from Wonderland: Cheshire Cat (1-shot)
Thor: Trial of Thor
Tiny Titans #17
Transformers Spotlight: Cliffjumper
Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem #1 (OF 2)
Vigilante #7
War Machine #7
War of Kings: Ascension #3 (OF 4)
Wolverine Origins #37
Wonderful Wizard of Oz #7 (OF 8)
World of Warcraft #20
X-Men: Legacy #225
X-Men Origins: Gambit #1
Young Allies Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special

Batman: Streets of Gotham #1 - An all-new Batman series by the DETECTIVE COMICS creative team of Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen! As a new Batman rises on the streets of Gotham City, the heroes, villains and citizens take notice. How will the police feel about this new Batman, and can he control the crime in Gotham the way the old Batman did? This new series also features a regular ongoing co-feature starring Manhunter written by Marc Andreyko and illustrated by Georges Jeanty (Buffy Season 8)! Kate Spencer lost a friend during the chaos of BATTLE FOR THE COWL, and now she wants payback. As usual, she'll use any means necessary to get it!

Captain America #600 – Where were you when Captain America died? It's the anniversary of the day Steve Rogers was killed, a day of reflection and mourning in the Marvel U...a time to look back on the things Steve did and what he stood for... or is this issue actually the beginning of the most wicked plot twist since issue 25? Yeah, actually it's both. Plus, contributions from Cap creators past and present, including a very special essay by Joe Simon, a classic story from Cap’s Golden Age, a full gallery of 600 Cap covers, and more anniversary shenanigans than you can shake a shield at!

Dark Reign: Mr. Negative #1 (OF 3) – Spider-Man’s most mysterious new enemy takes center stage in a 3-issue mini-series by Official Amazing Spider-Man Web-Head Fred Van Lente and newcomer Gianluca Gigliotta. One-half benevolent philanthropist/One-half underworld mastermind, Mr. Negative has carved out a substantial slice of the big apple for himself over the past year. But when the super-villain mastermind The Hood strikes at the heart of Mr. Negative’s criminal operations with a whole horde of classic Arachno-Foes (including The Scorcher, Speed Demon, The Squid and the long awaited return of the White Rabbit), Spider-Man is left to clean up the mess between these two violent nemeses.

Executive Assistant Iris #1 - Aspen's blockbuster new series arrives! Secretary. Bodyguard. Assassin. The Executive Assistant is all of the above rolled into one. She's meticulous, ruthlessly efficient, and completely loyal to her employer. But in the high-stakes web of corporate wealth and power, one young woman, Iris, must decide between her duty-and her own morality. When she soon discovers that the man she serves is even more vicious and depraved than the criminals she's supposed to be protecting him from, her life begins to crumble. Torn between her loyalty and a heavy conscience, she must journey back to the school that created her in an attempt to rediscover her humanity. But is she already too late?

Salem’s Daughter #1 – In 1892 Massachusetts a gorgeous young woman named Anna Williams is about to fully realize the immense powers she has repressed for so many years. The very powers that her mother had made her bury her whole life for fear of sparking another witch hunt two hundred years after the Salem trials. But now as Anna comes of age, and her gift no longer able to be hidden, an immensely evil and mysterious being named Darius is on his way to recruit her. Meanwhile Braden Cole, a hardened gunslinger with a sordid past, is on the tail of the elusive Darius as he looks to avenge the death of his family. Now Anna will be given the choice she's been waiting her entire life to make and Cole will finally be given his chance at revenge. From the minds that have so successfully reinvented the fairy tales and fables you love, comes a stylistic and stunning new version of 19th century America like you have never seen before. Enter a world full of the monsters, demons, ghosts and creatures you thought you knew but reimagined with new twists and shown in an entirely different and terrifying light. Do not miss the newest supernatural thriller from Zenescope Entertainment that will grab you by the throat and not let go!

Thor: Trial of Thor – Did Thor snap? After an epic battle against the Frost Giants, the Thunder God is accused of murdering innocent Asgardians. It sounds impossible - except that Balder the Brave is an eyewitness to the carnage. Did the mayhem and stress of war finally push even the greatest of heroes over the edge?

Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem #1 (OF 2) – Spider-Man has fallen and the Ultimate Universe will never be the same. Join Brian Bendis, Stuart Immonen and original series artist Mark Bagley as they begin a two-part story celebrating the heroism of your friendly neighborhood webslinger as written by none other than... J. Jonah Jameson(?!).

X-Men Origins: Gambit #1 – Remy LeBeau is one of the X-Men's biggest guns, but he started out on the other side of the equation, alongside Mister Sinister's Marauders. From New Orleans to the Mutant Massacre and beyond, this is the story of the Ragin' Cajun's transformation from villain to hero - and what it cost him...

Young Allies Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special – Before they were Invaders, Bucky Barnes and Toro the Flaming Kid joined forces with four teen-age friends to battle the Third Reich as the Young Allies! Their fictionalized adventures thrilled readers on the Home Front throughout World War II, but their real story has never been told -- until now! Discover the truth behind comics' original kid gang! Action! Intrigue! Adventure! All in a timely tale by Roger Stern (Amazing Spider-Man) and Paolo Rivera (Mythos). And in a bonus back-up, take another trip to the Golden Age with a classic reprint from the Timely Era!